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AlwaysOn Availability Groups in SQL Server 2012

Perry Whittle from SQLServerCentral.com

This article discusses and demonstrates AlwaysOn Availability groups in SQL Server 2012, a new feature for high availability. More »

Export images from a SQL Server Table to a Folder with SSIS

Additional Articles from MSSQLTips.com

Can I export images from SQL Server to a file in Windows? What SQL Server options are available to do so? Check out this tip to learn more. More »

SQL Saturday #167 - Columbus, GA

Press Release from SQLServerCentral.com

A free day of training in Columbus, GA. Come meet the local SQL professionals and spend a day talking SQL Server. More »

When I started working as a system administrator over 20 years ago, I worked for a central IT department at a remote facility for our company. Four of us managed a network of 1,000 nodes, with multiple servers under a boss that decreed we needed to respond quickly and effectively to requests made by clients. They came to us often, expecting results, and we delivered. I assumed all IT groups worked like this. Almost a year later I worked at another facility and was quite surprised to find a different situation.

In the other location there were also four people and 1,000 nodes, but the IT group only managed around three quarters of those nodes. Different groups had their own servers and applications they managed. There were machines under desks in one department, where the desk's owner was tasked with working half his time on department work, and half his time on technology issues. I only found out about this when one of them asked me how to solve a few problems; I then realized he was managing his own IT services for his group.

Shadow IT is still around, and in some cases it's growing. That can be a problem, not only for IT staffs who have less demand for services, and thus staff, but also for the security and data integrity of an organization. Someone managing IT operations part time may not understand the security or data issues they create, face, or just may not have time to deal with. They also won't necessarily have the experience to work efficiently and effectively on administrative needs, though I know a central IT staff will necessarily do a better job.

As a data professional I get concerned about Shadow IT groups, which might hoard their data, or even keep around data that's gotten stale. I worry they'll lose systems and then come to me for a solution to recover the data, often without having managed backups. Most importantly, I worry they'll make a mistake, cause a business problem, and not only will I need to clean up the mess, I'll share in the blame for not helping them build something they needed in the first place.

Shadow IT is usually the result of a non-responsive central group. I've always made it a point to try and help people get the tools they need to work. Sometimes blanket policies prevent this from happening, but by making friends I can usually get Shadow IT people to consult with me and listen to suggestions and ideas. It isn't perfect, but if I can get them to make regular backups, it's a win.

Steve Jones from SQLServerCentral.com

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The Voice of the DBA Podcasts

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Today's Question:

What is the output of the following queries (SQL Server 2008 and above):

--Query#1
SET DATEFORMAT mdy; 

DECLARE @dt1 DATE = '01-15-2012'

SELECT ISDATE(@dt1)

--Query#2
SET DATEFORMAT mdy;

DECLARE @dt2 VARCHAR(10) = '01-15-2012'

SELECT ISDATE(@dt2)

By Lokesh Vij

Think you know the answer? Click here, and find out if you are right.

This question is worth 1 point in this category: T-SQL. We keep track of your score to give you bragging rights against your peers.

We'd love to give you credit for your own question and answer. To submit a QOD, simply log in to Contribution Center.

I have two stored procedures:

create proc sp_test1
 as 
begin
 select col1, col2 
  from table1
end

create proc sp_test2
as
begin
 select col1, col2 
  from table2
end

In the first procedure table1 does not exist. In the second procedure table2 and col1 exist, but col2 does not exist. If I execute both scripts separately, what would be the result?

By Satheesh Kumar K

Answer: Command(s) completed successfully and Invalid column name 'col2'

Explanation: Deferred name resolution allows you to refer to an object in a stored procedure that does not yet exist. However if the object exists, then it must have the same schema as referenced in the stored procedure.

Ref: Deferred Name Resolution and Compilation - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190686%28v=SQL.105%29.aspx

» Discuss this question and answer on the forums

SQL Server 2012 Query Performance Tuning

SQL Server 2012 Query Performance Tuning leads you through understanding the causes of poor performance, how to identify them, and how to fix them. You’ll learn to be proactive in establishing performance baselines using tools like Performance Monitor and Extended Events. You’ll learn to recognize bottlenecks and defuse them before the phone rings. You’ll learn some quick solutions too, but emphasis is on designing for performance and getting it right, and upon heading off trouble before it occurs. Delight your users. Silence that ringing phone. Put the principles and lessons from SQL Server 2012 Query Performance Tuning into practice today.

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A simple way to find some arguments

Lucas Souza from SQLServerCentral.com

A simple way to find any term in all banks or only in a specific database. More »

Here's a few of the new posts today on the forums. To see more, visit the forums.

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