Featured Article(s)
Troubleshooting SQL Server 2005 jobs (Part 2)
In this article, Alexander Chigrik explains some problems you can have with SQL Server 2005 jobs. He also tells how you can resolve these problems.
They’d Like To Build You A Disaster Recovery Plan
Get a great plan in place and set up your systems so that *anyone* can accomplish a recovery – make it clear, easy to use and accurate. Use the right tools to set up your plan and you’ll be covered. Restoring after the loss of a database is a critical requirement – make sure you don’t add to the stress of the situation by trying to figure out what to do when things have already gone south. Check out the Acronis Disaster Recovery wizard tools – a great way to make sure you have the right things in place. (You can even download the trial to see how it works in your own environment, use the wizard and see the suggestions).
"Good Enough…"
Some reader feedback (email your thoughts here)
Karen: "Couldn’t agree more…
This past week in a SQL2005 P&T class we discussed How to determine when the system is tuned. Maybe when the users are happy with the application & response. This is a very good indication the system is running Good Enough. My current production environment is SQL7 on unsupported equipment (7+yrs old) and I keep hearing "Lets wait for the next version of the server hardware – it will be soooo much better". Honestly what we can afford and get our hands on now is really Good Enough (and 500% better)."
David: "I read [Tracy Kidder’s] book ‘The Soul of a New Machine,’ which details the creation of a new computer, many years ago. One part that has stuck with me is the role that the project leader played in deciding what was good enough. It was clear that without his work on the team, the computer would never have been completed.
Many people use a variation of the 80-20 rule. One way of applying it is that, in general, you can give people 80% of what they want with 20% of the effort. If you give them 100% of what they want, it will take at least the other 80% of the effort.
As I think about what the customer is requesting, I try to put it into the categories of what they want (dreaming, no limits), and what they need. There is always a grey area where a feature can be seen as a want or a need. There are also added features that the IT person knows are easy to add, and others (that seem no more difficult to the customer) that are extremely difficult to do.
When considering what is Good Enough, it may seem to some that the project lead is being lazy or showing poor customer relations skills. But, seen in the more positive light, Good Enough means that the customer gets something that works very well, on time, and at a reasonable cost. The value of Good Enough to the customer is getting a product at all, getting a product that is good at what it does, and being able to afford something that the customer needs."
Video: SelectViews SQL Server Show
On the show – we’re looking at the automated SQL Server Injection that’s going around. We’ve been tracking it in our own logs here at SSWUG and I put a segment in the show to specifically show you what’s happening and how this may be getting through some of the more common filtering techniques out there. Sure, I’d love to get killer traffic on this show, but more than that, I hope you’ll take a minute and watch; I tried to show exactly why it’s getting through and what’s being done. It’s in the newsletter section of the show.
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