Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • The DBA Disconnect

    We all know that security is an issue that we have to pay attention to. At least, those technical people that feel responsible for the security of their systems feel this way. However a short article referencing a DBA survey shows that the rest of the business might not be in sync with the technical people.

    I think most DBAs don’t know what a data breach would cost their company. I’m sure that’s not a number that most places I have worked would even bother calculating. Of course, most places probably would have no clue if there were a data breach in the first place.

    This puts many technical people in a bad position. They want to do a good job, but management often wants to just give lip service to security. When it comes down to it, the performance, availability and convenience of database servers is much more important than good security to many companies. From allowing access for developers or applications with privileged accounts to preventing password changes because of hard coded entries, it seems that companies aren’t that concerned about security in many cases.

    Ultimately some external  force is needed for us to make security a priority. It could be through regulation, insurance from lawsuits, or something else, but I don’t have any confidence that companies are going to take security seriously. However you can do some little things yourself, like making sure there are no default passwords open on your systems.

    Steve Jones

  • The 2010 SQLServerCentral Party

    A quick look at the SQLServerCentral party at the 2010 PASS Summit, thanks to SQLChicken. It’s on UStream

    Not great quality, but some fun commentary from Scott Gleason and Jorge.

    My favorite part? A plug from Jorge: “SQL Compare saves booty.”

    🙂

    http://www.ustream.tv/flash/viewer.swf

  • Cleaner Code Demos – Speaker Hints

    Recently I had the privilege of watching Paul Randal and Kimberly Tripp present (separately) at SQL Server Connections. If you have never seen them talk I would highly recommend you make time if you are ever at an event with them. They do a fantastic job.

    In any case, they used SSMS quite regularly to show how various things worked in SQL Server. The thing that struck my quite quickly was the easy in which I could see what they were doing, and they could also track where they were in a large complex script.

    Typically when I see someone using Management Studio to present it looks like this:

    SSMS_present_1

    Granted, this is small, but when it’s projected on a screen, it’s not likely to be much better. The important stuff, the query, and the results, are actually a little hard to see.

    When I watched Kimberly do this, I saw this for the query:

    SSMS_present_2

    With this appearing after execution

    SSMS_present_3

    A couple things to notice here. First, under the main tab, in this case for SQLQuery1.sql, there are two sub tabs. One is the editor, so you can see lots of code (at font size 12). The other is the results, and when I execute a query, SSMS automatically switches to the results tab.

    However not only do I have results, but I also have the query at the top. That easily lets me determine what I’ve just run. When you’re doing a few things, either on stage or at work, having the query shown is very, very handy.

    How To Set This Up

    First, auto hide the Object Explorer and save yourself some space. You can get the menu below by clicking the little triangle in the Object Explorer header bar.

    SSMS_present_4

    First let’s set up results. I would change the results to text by right clicking in the query window:

    SSMS_present_7

    Next, you want to go to the Query menu, and select the Query Options item. In this dialog, there are a few things to configure. First is the results item. Choose text and check the these three items:

    • Include the query in the result set
    • Display Results in a Separate Tab
    • Switch to results tab after the query executes

    SSMS_present_8  

    Then you want to up the font so things are easier to read. I do this first in the Text Editor (see the drop down at the top)

    SSMS_present_6

    Then do this for the text results, changing the drop down again.

    SSMS_present_5

    Now when you run a query, you’ll automatically switch over to a screen that is easier to read on a projector. And you’ll see the query you just ran, so it’s easier to keep track of where you are in your presentation.

    I actually like these settings so much, I use them for any work I do in SSMS.

  • My Weekend Just Got Busy

    I’m traveling to New York City on Friday for SQL Saturday #59 and returning Sunday morning. As soon as I get home, I’m heading to Winter Park for a week’s vacation for the Thanksgiving holiday. We were actually supposed to leave Sat, and my wife still might. So I’m planning on getting home from the airport, having things packed, and be ready to head to the mountains.

    I was expecting to give my Modern Resume presentation and a short lunchtime SQL Source Control demo. As if that weren’t busy enough, I heard from SQL Saturday #59 yesterday that they were going to take me up on a previous offer to do an early morning “SQL Wake Up” at 8, while people are registering and eating breakfast. I also was asked to do a few SQL Saturday remarks during the opening session, so I have a little prep to do.

    With me being gone next week, this already is a busy week, but adding in a SQL Saturday trip means I am going to be really busy this week.