SMTP SQL Server Performance Alerts

Ensuring your SQL Server is performing well is a large part of any good DBA's job. It is not just writing good queries, but also monitoring your server and getting alerts on critical issues. Mike Metcalf has brought us a great article that shows how you can setup performance alerts and be notified via SMTP.

Executing SQL Server Jobs From An External Scheduler

SQL Server 2000 has a great scheduler in SQL Agent, but it isn't integrated with anything else. And with lots of servers, having a centralized environment is essential to keeping yourself from being overworked. Author Sureshkumar Ramakrishnan brings us his technique for running SQL Server jobs from an external scheduler.

In a SQL Server 2000 active/passive two node...

When using Multiple Active Result Sets (MARS) and...

Data Portion and Used threshold

When Database Administrators manage multiple databases on multiple servers, it is difficult to keep track of and monitor the used percentage of data portion on every database. Though SQL Server has the capability of auto growth whenever the data portion reaches 100%, it is always advisable to increase the database size manually when it comes to VLDB. This article examines monitoring the percentage used on the data portion of every database and alerting the DBA using threshold settings. This article has been written for SQL Server 2000 server.

Running Out of Space

How many times have you run out of space in a database? What about on a file system? Andy Warren has had this happen a few times, especially when large imports take place. He brings us an article that describes some of the precautions he has taken to prevent this from happening.

SQL Server Management Studio

After quite a few versions, Enterprise Manager is being retired. SQL Server 2005 will have a new management tool called the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). Amit Lohia brings us a first look at some of the features of this new tool.

Installing and Upgrading to SQL Server 2005

If you have not had the chance to work with SQL Server 2005, or even if you have, Robert Pearl brings us some important information about what your upgrade or installation of the next version of SQL Server will bring. This is information every administrator needs to know to get prepared.

You have an index on the OrderDate column....

Finding Table Space

One of the most popular questions on SQL Server 2000 deals with determining how much space the various tables in your database take up. There are a variety of reasons for this and a few ways to gather the information. Author Amit Lohia takes a look at how sp_spaceused works and how you might customize it to suit your needs.