DTS is an incredible package for moving data in the SQL Server world. One feature that is missing, however, is the ability to send files using FTP to a remote server. This article looks at a technique for sending files via FTP.   Read more...

Chris (one of our regulars!) installed Log Explorer and took it for a test drive. Written up in our standard review format this will give you a very quick overview of what the product does.   Read more...

This articles makes the case for using SQL LiteSpeed over other backup solutions and presents some notes about why the DBA should manage backups rather than offloading to network administration.   Read more...

A monster book at 980 pages, it's written in 'how-to' format and has a ton of good material. Andy gave it the once over for us and reports back - see what he thinks!   Read more...

This article by new contributing member Bob Musser shows you how to reduce the amount of scans that SQL Server Agent does against databases. Not for the faint of heart.   Read more...

Andy had a semi-disaster similar to the one he wrote about last year. Interesting to see the kinds of problems that happen to other people. This article raises some interesting points that are outside the scope of basic disaster recovery, looking at how/when to move databases to a different server and how to reduce the server load dynamically.   Read more...

This article analyzes the various options available for your backup and recovery process with SQL Server 2000 as well as an enhancement to your SQL Server backup and recovery process using a highly efficient backup and restore utility that provides significant time and disk space savings called SQL LiteSpeed.   Read more...

Andy takes a look at the new book on DMO and likes what he sees - "great book for beginner and intermediate DMO users!". We've been supporters of DMO for a while and we're glad to see a new book on the subject. Read the review, add your comments, buy the book!   Read more...

In this article by Greg Larsen, he shows you how to remove those pesky orphaned users that can be a security risk after restoring to a new server.   Read more...

All of do us regular backups. Ok, all of us SHOULD do regular backups. In this article Andy comments on why having a backup plan isn't enough and why you should look at some other options for when you need to fix data errors. This really speaks to the goal of minimizing down time using low tech, readily available solutions. If you're not interested yet, we'll add this - one of the alternatives he suggests is Microsoft Access!   Read more...

Steve found a gaping hole in his backup process. One that he plugged with this script to move log files around the network in the event of a server failure. If you can't afford to lose a day of work, read about his solution.   Read more...

Back in April Steve Jones wrote up a disaster at work. Andy had one this week and wrote up the story too. Copy cat! Pretty soon everyone will be having a disaster and writing a story about it! Give these guys credit for letting you see what happens when it ALL goes bad. Disaster recovery is hard to sell and hard to do, reading the article might give you an idea that will save you some time and/or data one day.   Read more...

Andy has written several good articles for us on maintenance plans - including some stuff that makes us a little more likely to use them! This week he talks about how and when old backups are removed by maintenance plans. A page turner! Well, it's only one page, but you know what we mean!   Read more...

Andy sits down with an entry level book to see if he should use it at work as a teaching aid. Did he like it? Should you buy it? Read the review now!   Read more...

Andy did "Under the Covers" last week, what the heck will it be next week? Read this article to see how maintenance plans update statistics, rebuild indexes, and remove free space from your databases. Add your comments to the article, maybe even a suggestion or two for better titles!   Read more...

In this follow up article Andy looks at how maintenance plans report errors and how they actually accomplish what they do. A little snooping with Profiler reveals all!   Read more...

DTS is an incredible package for moving data in the SQL Server world. One feature that is missing, however, is the ability to send files using FTP to a remote server. This article looks at a technique for sending files via FTP.   Read more...

In this article by Greg Larsen, he shows you how to remove those pesky orphaned users that can be a security risk after restoring to a new server.   Read more...

This article analyzes the various options available for your backup and recovery process with SQL Server 2000 as well as an enhancement to your SQL Server backup and recovery process using a highly efficient backup and restore utility that provides significant time and disk space savings called SQL LiteSpeed.   Read more...

DTS is an incredible package for moving data in the SQL Server world. One feature that is missing, however, is the ability to send files using FTP to a remote server. This article looks at a technique for sending files via FTP.   Read more...