October 17, 2012 at 12:22 am
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Manage By Delegation
October 17, 2012 at 6:14 am
The company I work for has in total over 20,000 instances of SQL Server. Crazy to think about from a DBA perspective and literally a nightmare when it comes to data quality and integrity. Steve is right, we are rethinking how we manage these instances, moving them to virtual machines and consolidating them as fast as possible. Gone are the days of just dropping a new instance on a server that has extra capacity 'because you can', each new instance must be justified both from a cost and compliance point of view before it can be deployed.
October 17, 2012 at 8:26 am
I've been interested in PowerShell for a while now. I try to read every PowerShell article that comes along, unless it is a very long article, because I want to learn more. I work in a small shop with only a few SQL instances, but I think a skill like PowerShell could be useful, if I find a different position.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
October 17, 2012 at 9:10 am
Rod at work (10/17/2012)
I've been interested in PowerShell for a while now. I try to read every PowerShell article that comes along, unless it is a very long article, because I want to learn more. I work in a small shop with only a few SQL instances, but I think a skill like PowerShell could be useful, if I find a different position.
Some of the things I've needed to do took much less time in Powershell than it would have taken to do manually on even five servers. I had to find out which of our servers had SSRS installed recently so I wrote a script that ran get-service for all of our servers and it went very quickly. Even with one server it's likely faster to open Powershell and type:
get-service -ComputerName serverhere -Include ReportServer
Than to open Computer management, go to services, and scroll down to where SSRS would be in the list. I would highly recommend starting to use Powershell for some of your tasks now and you'll likely find that some become easier once you know how to do them in Powershell. And for anything you do daily (such as check backups) it'll be well worth the effort.
October 17, 2012 at 9:35 am
I started working with the SMO as a object in C# years back and found it very useful. The things you can do with it in the programming world are great, so there is no suprise at all that PowerShell using the SMO has taken hold and has a prominent place.
As to many instances and few DBA's there is a coming problem. Because there are applications or servers that use databases that require little or no maintenance except for an install script and infrequent update scripts or procedures, some in management feel that all databases are or should be that easy. Their expectation is that one DBA can juggle an unlimited number of servers. However when a DBA or a business reaches that tipping point and mindlessly runs past, the problem becomes real.
Yes we will be called to manage more, and more diverse installs and platforms. But the number of objects juggled is limited. Not in the mind of some but in reality there is a limit.
Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!
October 17, 2012 at 11:09 am
I finally jumped on the Powershell bandwagon earlier this year and have had no regrets. I felt that learning Powershell would be a good way to enhance my skillset in the event that I found myself in need of another job during terrible economic times. Although I initially had considerable trouble locating useful resources that were geared toward using Powershell in SQL Server Administration, I persevered and it has paid off. I finally stumbled on to a really well written book "Learn Windows Powershell in a Month of Lunches" by Don Jones (a renowned Powershell expert) and although it doesn't contain a plethoria of SQL Server related information, it does contain enough to get started. I've since written a couple of really useful scripts. One inventories server configurations and the other, which is a work in progress, is used to troubleshoot SQL Server Performance Issues.
I would highly recommend taking the time to learn Powershell for anyone that wishes to enhance their skillset and potentially improve their marketability.
October 17, 2012 at 11:17 am
"I hear various people say that Powershell is a critical skill for DBAs of the future. I'm not sure of that, but I do think it will be used more and more if you have the need to perform repeated actions on multiple servers. Whether you use it now or not, it doesn't hurt to learn how it works and what it can do for you."
I am sure of it, and my reasoning is pretty simple. First, with each release, SQL Server is becoming more and more integrated with SharePoint everyday. I mean everytime I have an DBA interview the question invariably comes up "How much Sharepoint integration/adminstration have you done?" It almost becoming a secondary required discipline nowadays for us MS DBA's. So, secondly, as a result of this, anyone that has any kind of adminstration experience with Sharepoint knows how important of a tool Powershell is in Sharepoint. Many admin tasks in Sharepoint are done through Powershell. It's that simple. You cannot integrate or administer without it. Windows PowerShell supersedes the Stsadm.exe administration tool. So moving forward, you should use Windows PowerShell to develop any new command-line scripts in SharePoint Foundation 2010. 😀
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
October 17, 2012 at 11:59 am
Thanks Steve for reminding me of this little tool that I need to learn.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
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October 17, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Mad Hacker, I appreciate the mention of the book on PowerShell you found useful. I should look it up. Often the PowerShell tips I see are how to use a command or something of that nature. That's great, but I'm trying to do simple stuff get write my own PowerShell scripts. I created a folder and put a .ps1 file in it, then got into the PowerShell command line and tried to execute the .ps1. Failed right away. And as often happens with me, I don't have the time to dig into why it failed, so it sits there. I hope that book covers little details like that.
Kindest Regards, Rod Connect with me on LinkedIn.
October 17, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Rod at work (10/17/2012)
Mad Hacker, I appreciate the mention of the book on PowerShell you found useful. I should look it up. Often the PowerShell tips I see are how to use a command or something of that nature. That's great, but I'm trying to do simple stuff get write my own PowerShell scripts. I created a folder and put a .ps1 file in it, then got into the PowerShell command line and tried to execute the .ps1. Failed right away. And as often happens with me, I don't have the time to dig into why it failed, so it sits there. I hope that book covers little details like that.
It sounds like your needs are similar to mine in that you need a more in depth resource with some real life examples rather than a simple command tutorial. If that's the case, then the book will probably fit your needs. I would also highly recommend using some kind of IDE. I personally like the free edition of "PowerGUI" from Quest.
Regarding your issue with the .pd1 file, it sounds like Powershell doesn't reconize it as a cmdlet, and it won't unless you create a cmdlet from the script.
Good Luck and Happy Scripting!!!
October 18, 2012 at 12:13 pm
I see PowerShell like I did/do XML. It is an essential skill for an IT professional. Obviously, PowerShell is MS specific (ignoring the possibility of alternative implementations). I would be surprised if we were still talking about PowerShell as a separate technology in 5 years time.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
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