Sunday, April 17, 2011
Niall Flanagan has moved to Wordpress
I have moved my blog from Blogger to Wordpress and I can now be found at http://ndflanagan.wordpress.com
SQL Server Databases without Owners
Have you ever come across the following error when running exec sp_helpdb?
Server: Msg 515, Level 16, State 2, Procedure sp_helpdb, Line 53 Cannot insert the value NULL into column '', table ''; column does not allow nulls. INSERT fails. The statement has been terminated.
The next thing to check is whether the following T-SQL code returns any rows
select name from master..sysdatabases where sid is NULL
The result is those databases that are associated with owners who no longer exist (or existed another server elsewhere if the databases were restored from another server).
The solution is simple enough:
exec sp_changedbowner 'sa'
Sometimes, due to orphaning, this can still fail. Just run sp_changedbowner to any valid user. Afterwards, changing it to SA should work too, if you wish.
http://www.bigresource.com/MS_SQL-sp_helpdb-Problem-plz-help-Ruk7t4Q1.html is a good blog on this particular problem.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Understanding Database Behaviour for Developers
I got home last night from my third Galway visit presenting on SQL Server to it's local IT community. Galway is such pretty and vibrant city and I continue to enjoy the opportunity to come and visit it albeit briefly. Despite arriving after 10pm at night, the city showed no signs of quieting down and it was a pleasure to amble the streets from the train station to the hotel (though doing so with 2 laptops is not so good for the spine). My last visit was also in April two years earlier when I presented on the Accidental DBA for the first time and this proved to be an extremely popular topic ever since. This was my second time presenting "Understanding Database Behaviour for Developers" which was first presented to my own SQL Server Ireland User Group on February 15th 2011. Using the feedback from the first event, I spent the last week tuning the presentation, adding more & clearer examples as T-SQL scripts and removing as much code as possible from the slides. I also tried to improve the story flow which was a bit too disjointed for my liking originally. The changes appear to have worked with many more questions and "what-if" scenarios coming from the audience. They say the presenters should never write code in a presentation but some questions were effectively answered by testing it out together there and then. These new cases have been added to my presentation notes. It was my first time presenting to the local Information Technology Association Galway (aka ITAG) and it's leader, Damien Joyce, was both friendly and extremely helpful. I would be happy to return again. The ITAG event details are found at http://www.itag.ie/Home/tabid/81/ctl/View/mid/475/Event/761/Date/20110415/Start/201104151100/End/201104151230/language/en-IE/Default.aspx My presentation notes can be found at http://cid-56e37aa660df4c78.skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?page=browse&resid=56E37AA660DF4C78!111&type=6&Bsrc=EMSHHM&Bpub=SN.Notifications
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Top 5 essential topics a database administrator should know to maintain SharePoint databases
At the start of the month, I managed to find a speaker from our own SQL Server Ireland User Group, Vikas Sahni, to present on his experiences with SQL Azure. While I was unable to make the event, the feedback was extremely positive.
While SQL Azure was one of the two hot topic in the group recently , I am delighted to be able to follow Vikas' SQL Azure presentation with another presentation on Sharepoint. Sharepoint was the other hot topic.
So, this time, Osvaldo Sousa will cover the 5 top essential topics a SQL Server administrator should know to successfully maintain SharePoint databases.
It will cover:
SharePoint Server vs. foundation databases. General considerations
Capacity planning for a SharePoint database servers. IOPS, Network and Memory
Best practices for SharePoint databases. Covering disk configuration, file groups, SQL Server proactive monitoring and data prioritization
SharePoint backup and restore. SharePoint vs. SQL Server backup
Essentials for optimizing SharePoint databases
Osvaldo is a highly motivated IT professional with eleven years in the IT industry. Ergo’s Senior SharePoint developer has a strong mix of technical and commercial skills having worked as software architect, Senior Consultant and Chief Technology officer.
The meeting will be held at the Microsoft Atrium Building, in Sandyford at 18:30 on Tuesday, December 7th.
The event is free to all. However, registration is mandatory for safety and security reasons at http://www.mtug.ie/UserGroups/SQLServer/tabid/82/ctl/Details/Mid/413/ItemID/78/Default.aspx?ContainerSrc=[G]Containers/_default/No+Container
You are welcome to come along.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
SQL Server – Demystifying SQL Azure.
Over the past couple of months, I have received many requests for topics on both SQL Azure & Sharepoint from members of the SQL Server Ireland User Group. Those requesting these are experienced SQL Server database developers & administrators who wanted to see how these differed from SQL Server & what the SQL Server technologist needed to know.
I was fortunate that I did not need to look far to find a speaker. Our own Vikas Sahni has agreed to speak on “Demystifying SQL Azure” on November 2nd at 18:30.
This presentation will cover
- What is SQL Azure?
- Value Proposition
- Usage scenarios
- Concepts & Architecture
- What is there and what is not
- Tips & Tricks
Vikas Sahni is a versatile technical consultant whose knowledge and experience ranges from products to projects, from .net to IBM Mainframe Assembler. He has lead and mentored people on different technical platforms, and has focused on new technologies from Microsoft for the past few years. He also takes a keen interest in Methodologies, Quality and Processes.
The meeting will be held at the Microsoft Atrium Building, in Sandyford.
The event is free to all. However, registration is mandatory for safety and security reasons at http://www.mtug.ie/Home/tabid/38/ctl/Details/Mid/369/ItemID/75/Default.aspx?ContainerSrc=[G]Containers/_default/No+Container
You are welcome to come along.
I am working on getting a Sharepoint event organised for December plus further presentations on Cloud Computing in general and, more specifically, SQL Azure early in the new year.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Microsoft PDC 2010
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Security – Scam Anti-Virus Phone Calls
Last week, my wife received a call, purportedly from Microsoft, warning her that a problem was detected with our computer and that the caller would assist her in solving them. She quickly became suspicious and refused to listen to the advice but told the caller to ring back later that evening when I return home. She informed me of the strange call immediately. Of course, there was no follow up call.
With a little research, it did not take long to find that this is one of the latest methods of separating the naïve from their money. The typical caller persuades the recipient to access a particular webpage that then allows the caller to access the computer and proceed to “fix” it. Once this is complete, the victim is then charged a fee for the service.
The idea of a complete stranger getting unfettered access to one’s computer and then proceeding to ask for credit card details should send alarms bells blaring loudly for anyone.
The Guardian has a good article about it at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/18/phone-scam-india-call-centres
Subsequently, I discovered that my father had also received a similar call in the previous week. Fortunately, he decided not to play this game either.
I must have them well trained! I wish all my extended family were so paranoid.
Monday, October 18, 2010
SQL Server - Data Breaches Prove Need for Database Controls
I am delighted to have Lindsay Hamilton, of Cervello Consultants, come to speak on Data Breaches and their implications for database controls tomorrow to the SQL Server Ireland User Group.
The last few years have seen many well publicised stories of the loss of key, sensitive cases and data breaches which have highlighted the need for better controls around the management and security structures of data and databases. Emerging regulation in this area, the threat of possible court action against directors and organisations being found guilty of not having protected the source of their clients well enough and Cloud Computing have all reared their heads as potential areas of risk to any organisation in the protection of their data.
This is only going to continue as further "naming and shaming", and fines, affect the companies and organisations identified.
This talk will discuss the new business threats coming at the marketplace, and how to protect against them at the database and application layer.
Lindsay formed Cervello is 2006 to bring a new database auditing technology to the UK marketplace to provide alerts and reports to management of who was potentially manipulating the security structure or content of organisations databases against company or regulatory policy. He restructured the company in January 2009 to be an independent consulting company in this space, and previously spoke to the Irish SQL Group in April 2009 on the need for database vulnerability management and activity monitoring controls as part of their data protection of strategies.
With strategic advisors in the Banking, Insurance and Capital Markets sector, his work now covers all areas of database protection in the Financial Services, Corporate and Government / Public Sector, and he has spoken at a number of events in this area including the Microsoft Chief Information Security Officer conference in London in 2008.
Prior to forming Cervello, Lindsay ran one of Microsoft’s Gold Advanced Infrastructure companies based in Scotland, and lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two children who are now at University.
The event is free to all. However, registration is mandatory for safety and security reasons.
XBOX 360 - Halo Reach
Wednesday, September 15th, at 07:30, the local postal service delivered two very large parcels to my home. For my both my sons, all preparations for school were abandoned and whoops of joy echoed through the house – 2 copies of Halo Reach Legendary Editions had arrived.
Each of these large packages contained the game, a Dr. Halsey’s spiral hard-bound notebook, a huge diorama of the “other” (i.e. not you) five members of Noble team plus the all-important download content of the limited edition armor along with the much anticipated flaming helmet that was once the badge of honour of a Bungie employee. My sons spoke of little else for most of the summer; my eldest appeared to spend humongous amounts of time in the “My parents don’t believe it but I really do have nothing better to do than share the hype with my other like-minded friends” forums.
For the next two weeks, the sounds of plasma grenades, needle rifles, bubble shields, & the cries of frustration reverberating across Xbox Live accompanied the children when awake. An unbelievable number of parents have been subdued into buying this latest Halo release.
Finally, a gap appeared, and this father gets his chance to try it out. Like my sons, I started a Legendary Campaign. Oh my god, this game is simply gorgeous with beautifully crafted locations, some lovely lighting effects, and immersive sounds.
And the Covenant troops of the previous games are now a lot smarter and more agile than anything that we have seen before. Each elite & brute has to be hunted and eliminated individually while constantly remaining aware of being flanked.
Bungie are nastier & more devious this time around. On one level, while moving along walkways protected by railings to the next enclosure; a horde ambushes me and, as I reversed quickly back out to the walkway again, I fall to my death because of the one strategically missing railing!
The one major disappointment for both my kids was that their campaigns had glitches. My youngest discovered that the later levels were all marked as complete & re-playable while the earlier levels were listed as never started. This was despite the fact that he had played the solo campaign from start to finish. The elder son had the game hang and when he restarted, his campaign was gone.
In summary, I agree with a comment made elsewhere that every XBOX 360 owner should own this game.
Monday, October 04, 2010
SQL Server – Problems when re-attaching a database that was moved to a new location
My SQL Servers typically have separate drives for data, log, & backups. Recently, we discovered that a Sharepoint server was incorrectly configured so that all the data (MDFs), log (LDFs), & backups (BAKs) files were being written to the backup drive only. So, we backed everything up, then detached all the databases and moved the data and log files to the correct drive and folder locations.
However, when we tried to reattach we got the following errors when bringing the databases back on line:
FCB::Open: Operating system error 5(Access is denied.) occurred while creating or opening file 'L:\MSSQL\Log\CM_MOSS_Config_log'. Diagnose and correct the operating system error, and retry the operation.
When the files were moved, they become owned by the mover who is a windows administrator. When the DBA tries to attach the databases, he is no longer considered an owner.
The solution to this is to grant the SQL Server service account “FULL CONTROL” to the new drive/folder location and their files.
I found a very good article on this here:
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
SQL Server - Managing SQL Server in a global economic meltdown
I am delighted to have Quest UK’s Iain Kick to present on “Managing SQL Server in a global economic meltdown” next week.
IT departments don't make money, they spend it. As times are tough it's important we all find ways to spend less yet still do an effective job. After 5 years as a DBA and then 5 years spent meeting with hundreds of DBA's, Sysadmins, Developers, Managers and general IT people working with SQL Server, Iain has identified some of the common tasks they could undertake to improve the performance, security and configuration of their environments with little or no cost to the business
He will present at our usual place in Microsoft Ireland’s Atrium building on September 28th from 18:30
Since 2005, Iain Kick has worked in the UK for Quest Software as a lead consultant on their SQL Server products - covering pre & post sales and consultancy on all things SQL Server. He presents at various SQL Server user groups and at SQL Bits around performance, configuration, security, disaster recovery and high availability of the SQL Server platform. Previously, he was a production SQL Server DBA for 5 years starting with Version 6.5. He is the current Editor in Chief of SQLServerPedia.
He is passionate about football, cricket and music and plays golf. He loves travel, and enjoys socialising a lot!
He can be found at
Registration is free but mandatory on our website (
XBox 360 - Red Dead Redemption
While I have played Grand Theft Auto (1 & 4) from Rockstar before, I never really enjoyed these games and I expect nothing better from the Red Dead series. However, as a steady stream of glowing reviews appeared, I resolved to buy Red Dead Redemption and give it a go.
Quite simply, I could not put this game down; not until I completed it - including the 100% achievement. This games reeks of quality. Forget black and white, good and evil; this is all black and dark grey with smidgen of white around the edges.
From a gaming perspective, I suspect that replacing GTA's automobiles with RD's horses allowed Rockstar to build a much more immersive environment. No longer will your vehicle crash into a lamp post that pops up from nowhere due to the graphical draw distance; rather, the more leisurely horseback journey avoids pop-up and allows one to admire the world around you.
I happily rode from the towns out into the wilderness and ‘moseyed’ around the world. There were many memorable moments - such as seeing an agitated cowboy jump off his horse and run into hiding; I went to assist him, only to have him berate me for my nosiness on finding him urinating against a rock!
The missions were varied - chases, bounty hunting, cleaning out gang hideouts, ambushes, animal hunting, driving wagons or riding shotgun, trick shooting, herding, rescuing, escorting, capturing, gathering, skinning, & lots of different shooting challenges. Mini games of poker, blackjack, breaking horses, 5 finger fillet, & arm-wrestling are also included. Random events occur all the time that are neither part of the side quests nor the main story; life continues to go on whether you decide to take action or not, good or bad. Trains, stage coaches and upgrading your campsite allow one to fast travel between points.
As a parent, I got rid of this game as soon as I completed it. The story contains many, many choices where the axiom "the lesser of two evils" applies and many of the characters are morally repugnant people. On numerous occasions, you are presented with the opportunity to remove a thoroughly nasty person, only to find that you have helped another to replace him in all his nastiness – “the King is dead, long live the King”. While this makes a very compelling story, it is not one that I wanted to discuss with the children … yet.
Monday, September 20, 2010
SQL Server – Database Mirroring
In the past, I was involved in implementing Log Shipping, Microsoft Clustering, Veritas Clustering, VMWare ESX Virtualisation, and Replication for different SQL Server systems. All of these provide the comfort of higher availability (HA) that a modern business requires.
At the last MVP Summit, my SQL Server colleagues were adamant that Database Mirroring was the best HA solution available … for dummies. Many of these colleagues were consultants who provide their services to small business that simply could not afford to retain a full time database administrator.
For these MVPs, simplicity was the key feature of any high HA solution. Database Mirroring delivered this and has become a facility that they and their customers depend on.
Another key feature is that Database Mirroring is supported in SQL Server Standard Edition and this dramatically reduces that cost of an HA solution. Many HA solutions require expensive enterprise software.
I found a rather good article on Database Mirroring from GRE Solutions Limited on their website (http://www.gre-sqlserver-solutions.com/mirroring.html)
An important note is that while Database Mirroring keeps both servers in synch, the databases on the second server are constantly restoring from the primary server and are not available for use while mirroring is enabled.
Last week, I finally implemented Database Mirroring, on a small database server that had both a primary and standby server running SQL Server standard edition.
While it was easy enough to do, it was not as easy as the documentation implied. I got the following message repeatedly:
Msg 1418, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
The server network address "TCP://myserver.domain.domain.domain.com:5022" can not be reached or does not exist. Check the network address name and reissue the command.
Microsoft describe the problem in an MSDN blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/b/grahamk/archive/2008/12/08/database-mirroring-error-1418-troubleshooter.aspx)
When I could not get it working through the wizards, I switched to the Transact-SQL to run checks to find where things had gone awry and enable mirroring there.
The following MSDN articles were immensely helpful (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms179306.aspx & http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms175876.aspx).
Now that it is working, I hope to roll it out to other SQL Servers that are neither clustered nor virtualised in my organisation but have a standby server.
Footnote – Database Snapshot is a feature that can be implemented with Database Mirroring when using SQL Server Enterprise Edition. While Database Mirroring does not allow you to access the data on the standby server, Database Snapshot allows one to create a virtual copy of the database at a particular time that is available for use on the standby server.
XBox 360 - The New Slim Edition
There are 4 Xbox in the Flanagan household : The original launch Core (i.e. no hard drive) Edition, a Premium (i.e. 20GB Hard Drive), plus both Black & "Resident Evil 5" Red Elites with 120GB Hard Drives. All of these currently have 120GB hard drives and are internet enabled through 802.11b wireless network cards.
The Core edition was nearly 5 years old (bought at launch in December 2005) and, in that time, was replaced or repaired 4 times under warranty. Three of these were the infamous "Read Ring of Death" (RRoD) or "Three Red Lights" (TRL). Now, however, the warranty had expired and the next repair would cost.
However, my family did a trade in replacing this Core for a new XBox 360 Slim on my birthday. This newer model comes with 5 USB ports (2 in front & 3 at the back), internal 250GB hard drive, internal 802.11n wireless network card, black headset, and a gorgeous gloss all black controller (the older elite controllers were matt two-tone black & grey).
The machine is slightly smaller than previous versions. And is so quiet when compared to it's older brethren.
The power and disk tray buttons react to the slightest touch & provide satisfying auditory feedback.
I understand that this XBox will provide enough power to support the Kinect camera without requiring a separate Power Supply Unit, unlike the original. I must remember to add the Kinect to the Christmas Shopping List.
Because this was a trade-in, I am not in a position to write about the data transfer experience.
One important note is that there are no slots for the original XBox 360 Memory Cards and the whole family is in the process of switching to 16GB USB memory keys. XBox is very particular about these and several different keys failed to work. However, the Kingston DataTraveler C10 with a 16GB capacity worked perfectly and could be found for less than €25 on eBay (including shipping).
Another concern to notes is around the Download Content (DLC) that you might have accumulated. My family consumes 20GB of internet bandwidth in a typical month and my monthly 40GB limit is sufficient. However, I almost exceeded my broadband limit before I had replaced a quarter of the download content collected over the years. Be warned - those Call of Duty & Halo maps plus the Fallout 3 expansions all add up.
In summary, ... Hey, it's an XBox ... but it looks & sounds gorgeous and the jet engine noise is banished from the parent cave. Thanks, Microsoft.
Footnote - In addition to the Core, the Premium was replaced once under warranty. No problems at all with either Elite.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
XBox 360 - Red Dead Redemption
While I have played Grand Theft Auto (1 & 4) from Rockstar before, I never really enjoyed these games and I expect nothing better from the Red Dead series. However, as a steady stream of glowing reviews appeared, I resolved to buy Red Dead Redemption and give it a go.
Quite simply, I could not put this game down. Not until I had fully completed it - including the 100% achievement. This games reeks of quality. Forget black and white, good and evil; this is all black and dark grey with smidgen of white around the edges.
From a gaming perspective, I suspect that replacing GTA's automobiles with RD's horses allowed Rockstar to build a much more immersive environment. No longer will your vehicle crash into a lamp post that pops up from nowhere due to the graphical draw distance; rather, the more leisurely horseback journey avoids pop-up and allows one to admire the world around you.
With this game, I was happy ride out of the towns into the wilderness and just mosey around the environment. There were many memorable moments - such as seeing an agitated cowboy jump off his horse and run into hiding; I followed to provide help, only to have him berate me for my nosiness on finding him urinating against a rock!
The missions were varied - chases, bounty hunting, cleaning out gang hideouts, ambushes, animal hunting, driving wagons or riding shotgun, trick shooting, herding, rescuing, escorting, capturing, gathering, skinning, & lots of shooting. Mini games of poker, blackjack, breaking horses, 5 finger fillet, & arm-wrestling. Random events occur all the time that are neither part of the side quests or main story; life continues to go on whether you decide to take action or not, good or bad. Trains, stage coaches and upgrading your campsite allow one to fast travel between point but the elapsed time is greater using this than if you do it yourself.
As a parent, I got rid of this game as soon as I completed it. The story contains many, many choices where the axiom "the lesser of two evils" applies and it featured so many morally repugnant people. On numerous occasions, you are presented with the opportunity to remove a thoroughly nasty person, only to find that you have helped another to replace him in all his nastiness - the king is dead, long live the king. And this helps make a very compelling story but not one that I wanted to discuss with the children.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Cork Dev Day
The Cork Area Microsoft Technology User Group has invited me to present on the Incidental DBA at their Cork Dev Day on October 13th. This idea of presenting a session focussed on the windows developer or administrator who has just been "volunteered" as the SQL Server database administrator was not mine but has proven to be very successful session, including at tech & dev days in Dublin, Belfast, & Galway last year
Other presentations at the Cork Dev Day include Azure and Windows Mobile 7, both of which are hot topics at the moment and are likely to be well attended.
Details of the event are sparse at the moment but can be found at:
You can register there too. But remember to book early to avoid disappointment ... & it is free.
Guide to Parenting
I do not know where this came from but those parents who read it alternated between uncontrolled laughter & weaping, so it must be true.
...
...
14 SIMPLE TESTS BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO HAVE CHILDREN.
Test 1 - Preparation
Women: To prepare for pregnancy:-
1. Put on a dressing gown and stick a beanbag down the front.
2. Leave it there.
3. After 9 months remove 5% of the beans.
Men: To prepare for children:-
1. Go to a local chemist, tip the contents of your wallet onto the counter and tell the pharmacist to help himself
2. Go to the supermarket. Arrange to have your salary paid directly to their head office.
3. Go home. Pick up the newspaper and read it for the last time.
Test 2 - Knowledge
Find a couple who are already parents and berate them about their methods of discipline, lack of patience, appallingly low tolerance levels and how they have allowed their children to run wild. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's sleeping habits, toilet training, table manners and overall behavior.
Enjoy it. It will be the last time in your life that you will have all the answers.
Test 3 - Nights
To discover how the nights will feel:
1. Walk around the living room from 5pm to 10pm carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 4 - 6kg, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
2. At 10pm, put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight and go to sleep.
3. Get up at 11pm and walk the bag around the living room until 1am.
4. Set the alarm for 3am.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2am and make a cup of tea.
6. Go to bed at 2.45am.
7. Get up again at 3am when the alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs in the dark until 4am.
9. Put the alarm on for 5am. Get up when it goes off.
10. Make breakfast.
Keep this up for 5 years. LOOK CHEERFUL.
Test 4 - Dressing Small Children
1. Buy a live octopus and a string bag.
2. Attempt to put the octopus into the string bag so that no arms hang out.
Time Allowed: 5 minutes.
Test 5 - Cars
1. Forget the BMW. Buy a practical 5-door wagon.
2. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
3. Get a coin. Insert it into the CD player.
4. Take a box of chocolate biscuits; mash them into the back seat.
5. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
Test 6 - Going For a Walk
Wait
Go out the front door
Come back in again
Go out
Come back in again
Go out again
Walk down the front path
Walk back up it
Walk down it again
Walk very slowly down the road for five minutes.
Stop, inspect minutely and ask at least 6 questions about every piece of used chewing gum, dirty tissue and dead insect along the way.
Retrace your steps
Scream that you have had as much as you can stand until the neighbours come out and stare at you.
Give up and go back into the house.
You are now just about ready to try taking a small child for a walk.
Test 7
Repeat everything you say at least 5 times.
Test 8 - Grocery Shopping
1. Go to the local supermarket. Take with you the nearest thing you can find to a pre-school child - a fully grown goat is excellent. If you intend to have more than one child, take more than one goat.
2. Buy your weekly groceries without letting the goat(s) out of your sight.
3. Pay for everything the goat eats or destroys.
Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.
Test 9 - Feeding a 1 year-old
1. Hollow out a melon
2. Make a small hole in the side
3. Suspend the melon from the ceiling and swing it side to side
4. Now get a bowl of soggy cornflakes and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon while pretending to be an aeroplane.
5. Continue until half the cornflakes are gone.
6. Tip the rest into your lap, making sure that a lot of it falls on the floor.
Test 10 - TV
1. Learn the names of every character from the Wiggles, Barney, Teletubbies and Disney.
2. Watch nothing else on television for at least 5 years.
Test 11 - Mess
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out:
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains
2. Hide a fish behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flowerbeds and then rub them on clean walls. Cover the stains with crayon. How does that look?
4. Empty every drawer/cupboard/storage box in your house onto the floor & leave it there.
Test 12 - Long Trips with Toddlers
1. Make a recording of someone shouting 'Mummy' repeatedly. Important Notes: No more than a 4 second delay between each Mummy. Include occasional crescendo to the level of a supersonic jet.
2. Play this tape in your car, everywhere you go for the next 4 years.
You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.
Test 13 - Conversations
1. Start talking to an adult of your choice.
2. Have someone else continually tug on your shirt hem or shirt sleeve while playing the Mummy tape listed above.
You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.
Test 14 - Getting ready for work
1. Pick a day on which you have an important meeting.
2. Put on your finest work attire.
3. Take a cup of cream and put 1 cup of lemon juice in it
4. Stir
5. Dump half of it on your nice silk shirt
6. Saturate a towel with the other half of the mixture
7. Attempt to clean your shirt with the same saturated towel
8. Do not change (you have no time).
9. Go directly to work
You are now ready to have children. ENJOY!!
Friday, September 10, 2010
SQL Server Software Licensing
Recently, I have been involved in a number of software licensing reviews. My focus has been limited to database software as well as some middleware components. Microsoft was the first of these and, to be honest, I thought that it was a real chore at the time ... but my opinion change rapidly once the other reviews started.
Microsoft provide some items to assist you in both understanding their licensing model and reviewing your software estate.
The Microsoft SQL Server Licensing Guide (http://download.microsoft.com/download/6/F/8/6F84A9FE-1E5C-44CC-87BB-C236BFCBA4DF/SQLServer2008_LicensingGuide.pdf) is an extremely useful document that takes you through the different licensing models, versions of SQL Server, and high availability configurations and carefulyl describes how these impact on licensing. It is an excellent place to start when reviewing their database software licensing.
The second item is the Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/solutionaccelerators/dd537566.aspx). This tool allows you to identify where you database servers are and who is accessing them to help get a count of both servers and clients, allowing you to review different licensing models.
Be aware that not all SQL Servers found have to be licensed. An audit can highlight databases that are embedded in both Microsoft development and server applications where the application included the right to use the database (provided that it was used for nothing else). For example, Sharepoint includes SQL Server and, as long as this SQL Server is only used for Sharepoint, does not require a licence.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Xbox - Mass Effect 2
The boys and I are working our way through Mass Effect 2 at the moment. Bioware continue to demonstrate their reputation as one of the top computer "Role Playing Games" (RPG) companies in the world with a decent plot and great character development involving not just your own character but those non-player characters around you. A really nice feature was that choices made in the original game carried over into the sequel and you see these effects at different stages throughout the game, meeting many people that you interacted with before.
With clever use of mini missions and mining exploration, Bioware manage to convey an impression of a much wider open space within to roam than is actually there
The environment is beautifully drawn but, like the original game, you can get stuck in the scenery in some places and graphical clipping can be annoying in others. It can be frustrating that the game can appear on rails with a single path through the mission and you cannot fall off edges even.
The dialogue tree is improved over the original. The use of key words that describe a sentiment when choosing a dialogue path is a nice feature as it allows for a more concise tree. The use of left & right trigger for bonus paragon & renegade points during the dialogue keeps you on your toes.
No, I have not finished the game yet; I am about half way through. With 35 hours complete to date, I like to do one one of the larger missions or a couple of smaller missions during a single session. More more than this and I am sure that my wife will look for my replacement. I do find myself reluctant to put the game down.
As a parent, this is a game that I am happy to let the kids play. In the original, some atrociously bad US journalism created inappropriate hype around the romance tree. This sequel includes further romance plots for your character.
DeveloperDeveloperDeveloper Dublin
DeveloperDeveloperDeveloper (DDD) is finally coming to Dublin this October. Previous DDD days in Galway (aka Craggy Island event) and Belfast were well attended.
The DDD Dublin event is being held in the National Digital Research centre (NDRC) alongside Guinness on Saturday, October 9th. This is an all day event and is free; with lunch included.Details and registration can be found at http://developerdeveloperdeveloper.com/dddie10/Default.aspx
While I submitted SQL Server sessions on both the Incidental DBA & on Indexing, it is up to the community (aka YOU !!! ) to decide which topics are of interest or not. Voting on the agenda is not open yet but will be available soon. However, even at this stage, please provide feedback on the topics; we speakers cannot improve our presentations without the help of feedback. You can even suggest topics that you would like to hear.(Speaking of previous feedback ... in Scotland, the written Niall is pronounced Neil; while I am of Scottish descent, I do not require feedback about the Irish pronunciation !!! )
There are 38 sessions submitted from 20 speakers so far. So, there should be something for everyone
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