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SQLonCall: Basic Security Best Practices (new show posts tomorrow!)
SelectViews: Software as a Service, Data Archive Challenge and more
Featured Article(s)
Diagnosing Poor Data Access Code Using SQL Profiler
I created this article to assist DBAs and application developers who need to optimize data access code in their applications. This document covers a few cases where minor code changes to the data access layer show dramatic improvements in data access performance.
Data Slice and Dice – By Users!
You can set up reports with great visualizations, solid formatting and crosstab capabilities and more, then let your users work directly with them, drilling down, moving data around and getting exactly what they need from the reports. With the right tools in place to get that information, you’ll be able to save report design time while still getting *more* information to the users of your reports. Find out more here. See how good your reports can be.
Don’t Forget: Sometimes It’s The Easy Stuff…
We were madly troubleshooting some issues on a site – it suddenly stopped talking to the database and the site was effectively off the air. Yikes. OK, so this is the time that you work from one direction (either the database or the application) back to the other side. At least start marking out the variables that you know are NOT the issue, right.
Great.
So get out your best poker face and go to work. Check the application, make sure the config files haven’t been changed… did you get hacked? Did someone accidentally delete a bunch of stuff? Do you need to restore a database, then work forward to the current time to restore as much information as possible?
We were trying to figure out was was going on. Working with SQL Server 2005, the application looked good, the database was ok. Profiler shows NO access whatsoever (even user login audits). Nothing. So where to look? The SQL Server logs, of course. Right there it’ll tell you that the account was "expired" because it was controlled by the password expiration policy on the server. Update either the option or the password and you’re on the way.
I’ve written before about taking the small, basic steps first. Don’t forget that when you’re in the heat of the battle. Rather than going for the exotic, have your checklist of the basics – SQL Server logs, OS logs, etc. – and start there, always. Sometimes, that’s all it will take, at best. At worst, you’ve eliminated the easy stuff.
Featured White Paper(s)
Enterprise Data Management.. Strategies to Increase Business Effectiveness
As the amount of information you collect expands and the number of recorded data transactions grow, your ability to manage ap… (read more)
Building Cost Effective High Availability Infrastructure with Microsoft SQL Server
Database traffic management is a simple, low-cost approach to ensuring persistent data availability and rapid database scalab… (read more)
Technical Overview of Automating the Upsizing of Microsoft Access Databases to SQL Server
2SQL is designed to remove the software programming and database administration component of Microsoft Access to SQL Server u… (read more)
The Payment Card Industry Compliance – Securing both Merchant and Customer data
This white paper introduces the Payment Card Industry Compliance standard, and the security threats which brought about the n… (read more)