Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

Dead to Me

I saw a note from someone recently that reminded me of Policy-Based Management. This was (is?) a technology in SQL Server that I thought might have great potential. I even had a few presentations on the subject, but sadly I’ve rarely seen anyone implement it. I’m sure some do, but I think for me, this is dead technology.

There have been other tech items from which I’ve been turned off or abandoned over the years. It seems in SQL Server, we have some tech that even Microsoft has abandoned and doesn’t put any development resources into improving.

This week, I’m asking if you have technology that’s dead to you. It could be in the SQL Server or Microsoft Data Platform, or it could be elsewhere. Let us know in the discussion below.

I have often moved on from some technology to something newer or better, but that’s not because the old software was dead to me, but rather because I found something better.

However, I have abandoned some things. Database Mirroring is something I see as dead, as does Microsoft. I think for me, any source control system other than Git is dead to me, though maybe that’s more because Git has proven to be better (and ubiquitous). I’d say that I find most multi-platform messaging clients dead to me, mostly because they can’t keep up or implement good interfaces that work across many places. At least not in a way that makes sense for me. I’d say these days, digital cameras (and video cameras) are dead to me as a casual snapper who can live with a phone.

I’m sure there are other dead technologies that you’re just annoyed with or think don’t (or can’t) meet your needs. There are likely many more which didn’t keep up with you over time, which you wouldn’t have abandoned if they had just improved a bit.

Let us know today what you think.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Spotify, or iTunes.

Note, podcasts are only available for a limited time online.

September 27, 2024
A New Word: the McFly effect

the McFly Effect – n. the phenomenon of observing your parents interact with people they grew up with, which reboots their personalities into youth mode, offering you a glimpse of the dreamers and rascals they used to be, before you came into the picture.

I think this is interesting, and my kids likely experience this a bit since they’ve seen me with some people I grew up with. However, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced the McFly Effect because I have rarely seen my parents with anyone they grew up with.

I visited my Mother’s parents and family as a kid, but I barely remember that. Since then, no contact as she is estranged from them.

My Dad was born in another country and I’ve only seen him with family, of which he is the oldest, so I don’t get any view into him as a younger person. He always seemed too responsible.

I wonder how many others find this to be an interesting feeling.

From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

September 27, 2024
Connection String Confusion in SSMS
Recently I was trying to use a connection string to connect in SSMS. There are some tools that have a connection string available as an output, including some Redgate tools. ADS lets me paste in a connection string. Can I do this in Management Studio (SSMS).

Yes, but be careful.

Getting a Connection String

There are lots of ways to get a connection string. You can build one, or use a site like https://www.connectionstrings.com/sql-server/ I tend to get them for applications, as I work more with app developers.

In any case, I’ll use this as my string:
```
Server=Aristotle;Database=Sandbox;Trusted_Connection=True;
```
If I open SSMs, I get a connection dialog like this one. I see the server, but if I wanted a specific database, I’d have to go to the second tab.

I could also go to the last tab, the Additional Connection Properties, and paste my string in there.

I press Connect and that works great.

If I open a new Query Window, I’m connected to the Sandbox database.

The Problem

Let’s change the connection. I’ll press the icon to the left of the database name in the image above. Then I’ll go to the second tab and pick a database. In this case, I’ve selected the Westwind database.

If I click Connect, I see this:

The connection string in the individual parameters overrides the selection here. If this were a day later, I might remember I’d put a string in the Additional Connection Parameters. I rarely use this and when this happened, I couldn’t figure out why this wasn’t working.

I thought this also happened with changing the main dialog and the server name, but this appears fixed. At least on SSMS 20.1, the additional connection parameters are linked with any saved systems I have on the first tab, so if I change servers in the drop down, the additional connection parameters link to the last entry for that server.

On my laptop, which has 20.2, I’ll enter this as a connection string in the last tab:

In this case, I have multiple container instances running on different ports. This instance is on port 41433. On the main tab of the connection dialog, I see this:

What happens when I press Connect? I get to this server:

The default port is SQL Server 2022, but the additional connection properties overrode the front screen in this case.

Summary

I’ve never had this problem in 30+ years of SQL Server work until this summer. However, it’s the first time I’ve really been focused on using connection strings more often than just entering values in the dialog. I only noticed this as I had a deployment going to one instance, but SSMS kept connecting to the other one and I didn’t realize this.

I think it’s OK to have conflicting values in locations, but it wasn’t clear to me that these values override others. This is documented on the MSLearn site, but it’s easy to miss this.

Hence this blog.
September 25, 2024
AI Is Great and Tech is Failing

On a recent weekend, I got a text from my bank that they had declined a charge to one of my business accounts. I called them back and they let me know there had been a couple of weird charges on the account that their AI system detected. This seems to happen every year or two so I wasn’t overly worried. I cancelled the card and ordered a new one.

A day later, my wife got a call about our credit card with the same issue. She cancelled the card and got new ones ordered. However, I use that card to travel and I had a trip booked. Suddenly I was without a credit. Luckily, we have another card for my wife’s business that I could use. I called the bank and had a card expedited, but the situation created some stress. In fact, I panic-bought an RFID-shielded wallet. I’ve resisted for years, using an older, large wallet me daughter bought for me one Father’s Day that always reminds me of her. The timing across a few cards was weird, and I suspect my wallet got scanned somewhere and both card numbers were stolen.

A few things. First, be careful with the new tap cards, as they can be scanned and read from a distance, albeit a short one. Second, having a spare payment method might be nice in this age of non-cash transactions. Third, why is technology failing with new cards?

I lost a card last year and knew it was gone. There were no charges, but I couldn’t find it and needed a replacement, so I cancelled it and ordered a new one. In minutes the digital cards on my phone (and watch) had been replaced. I had new numbers and could transact business.

Why would this be different? The banks arguably have better knowledge of my digital wallets, and replacing those is much easier than relying on a snail mail server and the time it takes to deliver cards. In my rural area, we regularly have reports of stolen mail, with thieves targeting credit cards and physical checks sent by snail mail.

This was a minor issue in my life, and I am fortunate I have other ways to manage payments in this minor crisis. I was (and am) happy that AI systems are often detecting fraud. I haven’t had any fake charges go through in a decade and almost every real charge is approved, even with my crazy travel schedule. However, I’m disappointed in technology in this case.

Many organizations are engaged in a digital transformation. They’re hiring software developers and trying to take advantage of all the data they have to improve services and efficiency. Security, service, and spending would be served better with a little technology improvement here.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Spotify, or iTunes.

Note, podcasts are only available for a limited time online.

September 25, 2024