SQL on Call Show Posted
The latest SQL on Call show is live now and you can watch it on the site – in today’s show Chris closes out the series of top 10 SQL Server thoughts about 2007.
Also available:
[Watch] SelectViews, the SQL Server Show – Keeping up with technology, Microsoft interviews and more.
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SQL Server Management On Your Blackberry
Fix bottlenecks, start and stop servers, even run a script – from your Blackberry. If you’re out and about and still need to be able to manage your SQL Servers, the SQL Mobile Manager could be just the ticket. Manage your distributed servers, respond to alerts and a whole lot more. Check out SQL Mobile Manager and see how you can use your Blackberry to stay on top of your SQL Servers. Get more information here.
66% Don’t Apply Service Packs… WHAT?!
I don’t know if you saw it, but there is a study out in Computer World that says that 66% of Oracle DBAs don’t apply service packs to their systems. I’m not about to suggest that the percentage is different for SQL Server DBAs, but if it is, or isn’t – what’s up with that?!
If it’s true, it means that DBAs have a short attention span when it comes to remembering slammer and other issues with SQL Server that should never really have happened – things prevented by service packs, but that flourished because service packs weren’t installed.
At the time, the issues revolved around the fact that testing and making sure service packs were ready for installation took a long time to deploy. Now, though, things are much better – perhaps not completely a non-issue, but better. Are we still faced with not installing service packs and updates until a system breaks? I hope this isn’t the case, but I have a feeling it probably is. I think once systems go behind firewalls, get stable and function that many avoid touching them. It’s the old "if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."
But… it’s not "right." If this is you – perhaps set up a schedule to review and deploy updates – just pick a period of time, like every 6 months, that you can use. Then, you know when that reminder comes up that you need to review the updates, get them tested and applied. Don’t just ignore until it breaks, I think we’re just collectively asking for trouble if we take that approach.
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