Hi Dave,

This is how we do it...

-Create a credential (SSMS> Security> Credential) with a Windows Account that we name and designate for the task... i.e. service account. Make sure...

Personally, I love this type of question. I relates to some of the style of code I see day-to-day, sometimes with unclear, distracting, or obfuscating details.

I always...

Hi Richard,

Wow, that is a tough one.

All of the ideas that come to mind... Log shipping, Replication, Database Mirroring with a reporting Snapshot... all of these would be an administrative...

I've been bitten by configuration settings in the past, but now find myself regularly executing sp_configure on unfamiliar servers. The one I haven't drilled into my thick head yet is...

I like your idea Steve.

It seems feasible for there to be a config setting or switch to make this functionality optional (i.e. ContainedDatabaseAdminFlag...

In a twist of fate, I was sure I had used this procedure in a homegrown script. Works well on SQL 2008, 2008 R2, even SQL 2005 (if the...

apat-

xp_delete_file is undocumented (try looking it up in Books Online and you won't find it)

Thus, you should be careful with it's use, or find another mechanism to accomplish your goals.

A...

Ah, shoot... I wish I could remember what ever was the resolution to this.

It's been a while back, and I'm with a different company now... unfortunately not ringing any bells.

If...

Hi John P,

I sounds like the cluster service is connecting to the SQL server to perform it's LooksAlive and IsAlive checks. So try taking the SQL Server Service offline...

Yes, the sample is just to get the code running. In reality, multiple variable-length fields containing any number of characters as well, including spaces... so I'm not sure this will...

Thank you Lynn,

My XML brain is going to have to grind on that for awhile!

Oh, thanks for reminding me... should have remembered that! I recall when we updated an application to SQL 2005, the users reported that their sorts were not honored in their...

Give this a shot:

CREATE VIEW viewname AS

SELECT TOP 100 PERCENT

[Customer No_],

sum(Amount) as Balance

from [Detailed Cust_ Ledg_ Entry]

group by

[Customer No_]

order by

[Customer No_]

Basically, looking for a CTE solution to this CURSOR MESS:

DECLARE @test-2 TABLE(ID INT, TXT VARCHAR (MAX))

INSERT INTO @test-2

SELECT 1,'A'

UNION

SELECT 2,'A'

UNION

SELECT 2,'B'

UNION

SELECT 3,'A'

UNION

SELECT 3,'B'

UNION

SELECT 3,'C'

DECLARE ...

From the whitepaper:

"XML Functionality in SQL Server 2008

The XML functionality that was introduced in SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005 has been enhanced in SQL Server 2008."

Since OPENXML...