Using SQL Server 2005 sqlcmd Utility

SQL Server 2005 provides some new command line utilities. One such utility is "sqlcmd". The sqlcmd utility is used to run adhoc queries interactively from a command prompt window, or can be used to execute a script containing T-SQL statements. The sqlcmd utility is a great improvement over osql and isql of older releases of SQL Server. In this article, I will explain some of the features this new command line utility brings to administering SQL Server.

XML Indexes in SQL Server 2005

Use the relational query engine in SQL Server 2005 to make a single query plan for the SQL and XQuery parts of your queries, and make the implementation of XML queries fast and easy to predict and tune.

Starting and Stopping SQL Server Part 2

Continuing with his series, Andy Warren looks at what it means for SQL Server 2000 to run as a service and some of the options you have for starting, stopping, and restarting your server.

Controlling Transactions and Locks Part 4 : SQL 2005 Snapshot

This is the forth article in the transaction and lock series. Up to now, the locks and hints discussed have applied to both SQL 2000 and SQL 20005. However, this article will introduce Snapshots, new in Microsoft SQL 2005.

Starting and Stopping SQL Server Part 1

I'm sure most DBAs don't give a second thought to starting and stopping their SQL Server 2000 servers. But do you know the different ways to do this and some of the impacts and expectations you should have? Especially with hardware growing, it's not always as simple and straightforward as it should be. Andy Warren recently had to deal with some issues and starts a new series looking at the various ways of starting and stopping SQL Server.

Moving Your Users with Their Databases

SQL Server 2000 databases seem to move more often than their DBAs would like. However, moving the logins and users can prove to be a bit more of a challenge than just moving the databases. New author Corey Bunch brings us his technique for making this easier.

SQL Server 2005 Learning Guide

It's been five years since Microsoft released a new DBMS, but both experts and users agree that this one was worth the wait. SQL Server 2005's enhancements and new features have made the system a much more attractive attractive option to both large and small shops. Nonetheless, upgrading to SQL Server 2005 is a serious undertaking, requiring extensive training, planning and testing. In this Learning Guide, you will find news, technical tips and expert advice to help address your questions and concerns regarding SQL Server 2005 and put you on the road to a successful upgrade.

You are working on some new stored procedures...

Dynamic Management Views

The dynamic management views (DMVs) in SQL Server 2005 are designed to give you a window into what's going on inside SQL Server. They can provide information on what's currently happening inside the server as well as the objects it's storing. They are designed to be used instead of system tables and the various functions provided in SQL Server 2000. This article provides an introduction to DMVs and covers a few of the basic views and functions.

More Intelligent Backup and Restore

Backups and restores are two fundamental tasks that a DBA must perform correctly. But remembering the syntax, options, decoding filenames, etc. can often be busy work that leaves a DBA open to mistakes. New author Vince Iacoboni brings us his code and techniques for a set of stored procedures to make handling backups and restores very simple.