Voice of the DBA

Category: Blog

  • Installing the SQL Clone Agent and the VC++ Runtime

    I was trying to get SQL Clone working recently and had an issue with the Agent. If you haven’t looked at SQL Clone, it’s a really cool product from Redgate that’s in beta right now. It will help you build and provision those large dev, test, customer service, etc. environments with full size copies of data without using the space (or time) for the actual files.

    In any case, when I downloaded the agent and ran the installer, I saw this:

    2017-01-12 16_09_57-Redgate SQL Clone Agent

    That struck me as funny because I have all sorts of VC++ runtimes on my machine. In fact, in debugging, I saw all these:

    2017-01-12 16_11_02-Settings

    After the download completed, I got an error.

    2017-01-09 07_57_09-

    This was strange, since I actually had a 14.3 version, but apparently SQL Clone doesn’t realize this is the case. This should be fixed soon, but for now, here’s what to do.

    First, run regedt32.exe. The setup program is checking for an installation in a key. I had the keys in the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0\VC\Runtimes\x64, but not in the Wow6432 node.

    Browse to HKLM\Software\Wow6432\Microsoft\VisualStudio\14.0\VC. Here’s what I had:

    2017-01-12 16_15_00-Registry Editor

    Here’s my x64 folder structure:

    2017-01-12 16_15_54-Registry Editor

    In here I have the sub-keys and the “Installed” value.

    Since I know I have a later VC++ runtime, I did this. First, create the “Runtimes” key under VC, then add a “x64” key below that. Inside of x64, add an Installed value as a Reg_DWord with a value of 1. You should see this:

    2017-01-12 16_37_30-Registry Editor

    Now run the SQL Clone Agent installer:

    2017-01-12 16_37_16-SQL Clone Agent Setup

    Everything works.

    If you’d like to learn more about SQL Clone, check out this short video:

  • Vote for @SQLBits Sessions (pick me, pick me)

    The SQL Bits sessions are out and it’s time to vote for me. Well, vote for the sessions you’d like to see, but certainly include me in the list. I’ve got a few new ones, and a few that have been popular at other conferences. I am hoping to return to Telford, find a new costume for the party, and have a great week of SQL Server debates, discussions, and inspiration. Last time I did visit IronBirdge. This time, perhaps the birthplace of the modern Olympics and a little running.

    You can view the complete list of sessions and then vote for up to 10. There are some great ones, and honestly, it’s going to be hard to choose 10. I really appreciate how many people have submitted and the work they’ve put into crafting some really exciting presentations.

    I’ve written it before, but SQL Bits is really my favorite conference. It’s large, but not too large. There are lots of people and it’s exciting, but it’s also not too crowded, nor is it a security cumbersome event. Spouses are welcome, even kids, and it’s got a casual atmosphere at night and highly charged with learning and talking SQL all day.

    My hope is that I get to go again, and I get to see lots of you there this spring.

  • More #SQLintheCity–Behind the Scenes

    I posted this, but here it is again. A a shot from our engineer, behind the scenes of my live talk today.

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    When we decided to stream SQL in the City this year, I wondered how things would go. We’ve debated about a studio at the Redgate office but never built one. However, we did take over a room for this event, one on the top (2nd) floor, in a corner of the building away from most desks.

    We didn’t have a red “on the air” light, but our engineers did put a whiteboard in the hall outside.

    IMG_0212

    Inside, we had a backdrop and podium for presenters, tape on the floor for our marks, and multiple cameras. Our setup allowed for a few microphones, multiple video feeds, and a few monitors on the wall.

    IMG_0192

    My view from the podium shows a few desks and the monitors on the back wall. One had the live stream, and the other was hooked up to a laptop where Annabel would type questions that we could see (or other notes).

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    The event kicked off with Annabel providing an opening each day. Here is the opening segment from Wednesday morning. I watched most of the first day in the room, and then did what most presenters did the second day; I’d work at my desk and then pop in 10 minutes or so before my talk.

    IMG_0198

    There were lots of wires, and while most were taped down to the floor, we had to be careful about where we walked. I suspect next year we’ll have a better setup. At least, I hope we do, and hope that we actually do more streamed content throughout the year.

    IMG_0201

    I think this was a success, and certainly an easier way for me to present content. It was strange to not have an audience, but it helped to have a few people in the room that were watching and paying attention.

    While I really do enjoy live events and audiences, and I am pushing for a live SQL in the City 2017 in the UK, I also know that streaming and video broadcast is changing for all sorts of media. I’d like to experiment and do more here, and might do some more from home in 2017, but I do hope we’ll have more streaming from Redgate, perhaps even a Redgate TV show running on a regular basis.

  • Please Fix This–T-SQL Tuesday #86

    tsqltuesdayIt’s T-SQL Tuesday time, and this month is an interesting topic. The invite comes from Brent Ozar, and it’s designed to get you to look at SQL Server. I spent some time thinking about this one and getting a post together.

    You can participate as well. Just write a post on your blog, the second Tuesday of the month, link to the invite or leave a comment on their post. If you want to host, contact Adam Machanic.

    Better Checks

    This Connect item was submitted by Erland Sommarskog, and I think it’s one that is worth spending development time on. The title is Add optional checks for more robust development, and I think it’s a great idea. I’m a big fan of testing and ensuring that you meet standards, that silly mistakes aren’t being made in code, and in general, finding ways to improve developer productivity.

    I know that getting errors or failing tests are a pain, but these should drive you to change behavior. If you constantly code “select *”, then you want to get out of the habit. Tests, standards, or other checks are one way to do this.

    This suggestion from Erland, which has quite a few votes, is a good one. Getting some sort of warning from deferred name resolution, is a good thing. Having the ability to prevent, or ignore some of the issues, is important. I’d really like to see all of these checks implemented, with the ability to turn them on/off as needed.

    These don’t take the place of unit tests with something like tSQLt or automated testing, but they are a good start to helping us produce better software.

    If you agree, go vote , and perhaps we can get this implemented.