There are around seventy SQL Server instance settings, and a DBA needs to be aware of the effect that many of them have. Brad McGehee explains them in enough detail to help with most common configuration problems, and suggests some best practices.  Read more...

If you have a requirement to install multiple SQL Server instances with the same settings, you most likely want to do it without following the numerous manual installation steps. The below tip will guide you through how to install a SQL Server instance with less effort.  Read more...

In this article, Zach Mattson shows us how you can set up SSIS to handle multiple application environments and easily move packages from development to QA to production.  Read more...

Windows Firewall is an OS level software firewall. It can be a crucial part of OS level security if you are not using other firewall hardware or software. Since I do not have another firewall I have a need to enable Windows Firewall for my SQL Server database server. In this article I go through the process of configuring Windows Firewall for different scenarios along with the associated considerations.  Read more...

The importance of correct configuration. Which default configuration options to change. Common mistakes.   Read more...

I want to move my database on my SQL Server 2005 system to a new drive, but I have database options, like cross-database ownership chaining, that I don't want to lose or have to remember to re-apply. How can I do this?  Read more...

Not every option in SQL Server is useful or appropriate. Brian Knight shows which ones you might not wish to mess with.  Read more...

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An proposal about using simple server name resolution and INI files to make a DTS package portable.  Read more...