Free SQL Server Expo is TOMORROW – Register Now
Make sure you get registered for the SQL Server expo tomorrow. We’ll have sessions on storage, ssis, full-text and more.
Check out the list of sessions here – and get registered ASAP. We’ll see you there!
> Register Now (it’s free!)
Congratulations to our friends at Idera!
Last week, the Idera SQL toolbox won the Best of TechEd 2010 Award for the Database Administration category! The SQL toolbox includes great tools for backup compression, instant data recovery, data and schema comparison, plus over 20 other daily tasks, all for only $995. Check out the video tour to learn more
Featured Script
Removal of User Login from ALL databases and SQL Server
Need to remove a loginuser from SQL server and all databases? This script will look for the id in all the databases and gene… (read more)
Working with Third-Party Applications
The biggest bit of feedback on this one has been really consistent. Don’t make changes, do work with your vendor and make sure (absolutely sure) you know what types of access may trip support agreements.
One reader wrote to warn that they even had a vendor that complained that they’d run the tuning advisor against the database. They indicated that there was a security risk analyzing the server traffic, and even just passing along suggestions was cause for having an issue with the agreement. Hmmm….
I will say that you have to be both aware and careful. Be aware of instances of SQL Server installed by many applications, particularly those that use SQL Server Express or have SQL Server "embedded" in the application and not maintained separately outside the application. The reason this is so key is that many of these applications won’t even tell you the instance has been installed. Further, they can lock you out, using a hard-coded user name and password for access to the instance. You’re effectively locked out of a SQL Server instance on your systems. This can make it "tough" to maintain, from service packs to simple maintenance.
Be careful of what do you mess with on these applications. It’s quite possible to tweak things that are set up a specific way for performance or functionality and you don’t want to mess with that.
Take the time to get to know these instances – it’s important when it comes time to evaluate the installation, provide support for it and provide for recovery.