Column collation to Server Default

The following script will help you to change all columns in your database to server default collation. You can modify this script to do all your databases on particular server.

set nocount on
declare @AlterId int
declare @serverColl varchar(100)
declare @AlterString varchar(300)
set @serverColl = convert(sysname, serverproperty('collation'))
declare @Testing table
(AlterId int identity(1,1) not null primary key clustered,
AlterString varchar(300))

INSERT INTO @Testing(AlterString)
select 'ALTER TABLE [' + so.name + '] ' +
'ALTER COLUMN [' + sc.name + '] ' +
st.name +
'(' + cast(sc.length as varchar) + ') ' +
'COLLATE '+ @serverColl + ''
from syscolumns sc
join sysobjects so
on so.id = sc.id
join systypes st
on st.xtype = sc.xtype
where sc.collation is not null
and OBJECTPROPERTY(Object_id(so.name), 'IsTable') = 1
and st.name!= 'sysname'
and sc.collation not like @serverColl
select @AlterId = Max(AlterId) from @Testing

WHILE @AlterId IS NOT NULL
BEGIN
SELECT @AlterString = AlterString FROM @Testing
WHERE AlterId = @AlterId
EXEC (@AlterString)
SELECT @AlterId = Max(AlterId) from @Testing
WHERE AlterId < @AlterId
END

Renaming Database server

You may receive error 14274 - cannot update or delete job (or its steps or schedules) that originated from an MSX server. You can run the following script on MSDB database to correct:
update sysjobs
set originating_server = 'new serverName'

Stored procedure tips

Have come across this Stored procedures in SQL Server: A dozen must-have tips. From tuning to how to perform cross tab queries. You can find by clicking this link Stored procedure tips

Best practice analyser

I have just downloaded and played with the new SQL server 2005 best practice analyser (CTP). First impression is that much better than previous version. Will post more details in near future. For now you can download it from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=DA0531E4-E94C-4991-82FA-F0E3FBD05E63&displaylang=en and play with it

All tables with identity

I thought the following script is useful if you want to find out all tables with identity columns in a specific database.
use
go
SELECT
DISTINCT TABLE_NAME
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLES
WHERE OBJECTPROPERTY(OBJECT_ID(TABLE_NAME), 'TableHasIdentity') = 1
AND TABLE_TYPE = 'BASE TABLE'

SQL Server and Data Mining

SQL Server and Data Mining

Name value pair and Replication ?

Have you ever tried to design your database with the extreme end of using name value pair ? Name vaule pair if used in database design is like job done for ever. It sounds simple but in the next two parts, I will try to explain the benefits and the drawbacks of using named value pair in database design.

The secod part of the title is about replication. Is it good or bad ? I will also try to put together the advantages and disadvantages of using database replication in work environment.

So, watch out this page in the next two to four weeks.


Tesh

Modifying MSDB system procedures

I personally do not recommend this on production environment but have to do myself to fix the problem of not allowing some users to have sysadmin rights for the sake of creating packages and dropping packages. After a few investigations, I have come up with this idea of what if modifying some of the stored procedures in msdb database that is used to add packages.

I needed to change only two of the system-stored procedures. The two system stored procedures that are modified and the lines commented out are shown below. It just prevents the stored procedure not to check if a user is a member of sysadmin or owner of the package.
1 . sp_add_dtspackage

Commented script
/*
ELSE
BEGIN
--// Only the owner of DTS Package ''%s'' or a member of the sysadmin role may create new versions of it.
IF (@owner_sid <> SUSER_SID() AND (ISNULL(IS_SRVROLEMEMBER(N'sysadmin'), 0) <> 1))
BEGIN
RAISERROR (14586, -1, -1, @name)
RETURN(1) -- Failure
END
END
*/

2. sp_drop_dtspackage
/*
IF (ISNULL(IS_SRVROLEMEMBER(N'sysadmin'), 0) <> 1)
BEGIN
IF (NOT EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sysdtspackages WHERE id = @id AND owner_sid = SUSER_SID()))
BEGIN
SELECT @name = name FROM sysdtspackages WHERE id = @id
RAISERROR (14587, -1, -1, @name)
RETURN(1) -- Failure
END
END
*/

Once all the changes are saved to msdb database, I have given exec permission to the above stored procedures and it did at least served the purpose. Now, I don’t have to give sysadmin permissions to a user/developer who just need to change the dts package.

Jobs running under

The following sql will help you to find out SQL job name and owner of the job.

select sl.name, j.name from sysjobs j
join master.dbo.syslogins sl
on sl.sid = j.owner_sid

Random password Generator

The following has helped me in generating random and complex passwords. I want to share with you and if you have any comments and would like to improve on it, you are welcome.

declare @type tinyint, @Length tinyint
DECLARE @password varchar(250)
set @password = ''
set @Length = 250
while @Length > 0
BEGIN
SET @type = ROUND(1 + (RAND() * (3)),0)
IF @type = 1
SET @password = @password + CHAR(ROUND(97 + (RAND() * (25)),0))
ELSE IF @type = 2
SET @password = @password + CHAR(ROUND(65 + (RAND() * (25)),0))
ELSE IF @type = 3
SET @password = @password + CHAR(ROUND(48 + (RAND() * (9)),0))
ELSE IF @type = 4
SET @password = @password + CHAR(ROUND(33 + (RAND() * (13)),0))
SET @Length = @Length - 1
END
SELECT @password As ComplexPassword

Tables with No index

Similar to my previous post but gets tables with no index on them.

SELECT distinct o.name from sysobjects o
left outer join (select distinct object_name(id) as TableName from sysindexes where indid between 1 and 249) t
on t.TableName = o.name
where o.xtype = 'u' and t.TableName is null

Tables with no Clustered Index

Have used the following to see tables in database without clustered index.
SELECT o.name from sysobjects o
left outer join (select distinct object_name(id) as TableName from sysindexes where indid = 1) t
on t.TableName = o.name
where o.xtype = 'u' and t.TableName is null

User name, group name and thier default database

The following script will help you to list all user name, group name and thier default database. The script will help you to list all of the above on single instance but includes all databases. I use this script as starting point to fix any security issues.


set nocount on
declare @dbName sysname, -- database name
@dbid int -- database Id

IF (object_id('tempdb..#userDetails') IS not Null)
Drop Table #userDetails
-- create temp table to hold info
BEGIN
CREATE TABLE #userDetails
(DbName sysname,
UserName sysname,
GroupName sysname,
LoginName sysname,
UserDefaultDB sysname)
END

declare @dbnames table(dbid int not null primary key clustered, dbname nvarchar(100))
INSERT INTO @dbnames(dbid, dbname)
select dbid, name from master.dbo.sysdatabases where dbid > 4 and name not like '%Sharepoint%'
select @dbid = max(dbid) from @dbnames

while @dbid is not null
begin
SELECT @dbName = dbname FROM @dbnames
WHERE dbid = @dbid
EXECUTE(
'use ' + @dbName + '
INSERT INTO #userDetails(DbName, UserName, GroupName, LoginName, UserDefaultDB)
SELECT db_name() as DBName, usu.name As UserName , case when (usg.uid is null) then ''public'' else usg.name end as GroupName ,
lo.loginname ,lo.dbname as UserDefaultDbName
from sysusers usu
join
(sysmembers mem inner join sysusers usg on mem.groupuid = usg.uid) on usu.uid = mem.memberuid
join master.dbo.syslogins lo on usu.sid = lo.sid
where (usu.islogin = 1 and usu.isaliased = 0 and usu.hasdbaccess = 1)
and (usg.issqlrole = 1 or usg.uid is null)
')

select @dbid = max(dbid) from @dbnames
where dbid < @dbid end select * from #userDetails order by DbName, UserName, GroupName asc

connection not closed or Long running Queries

The following code will help to find the spid's that are sitting on your server for long time. This could happen when a connection is not closed or when the queries you are running is taking long time.

SELECT spid, cmd, status, loginame, open_tran, datediff(s, last_batch, getdate ()) AS [WaitTime(s)]FROM master..sysprocesses pWHERE open_tran > 0AND spid > 50AND datediff (s, last_batch, getdate ()) > 1000ANd EXISTS (SELECT * FROM master..syslockinfo l WHERE req_spid = p.spid AND rsc_type <> 2)

Get all triggers in an instance

The following code will help you to list all triggers in an instance.

declare @dbs table(databaseId int identity(1,1) not null primary key clustered, DatabaseName nvarchar(100))
create table #TriggersinDbs
(DatabaseName nvarchar(100),
ParentObject nvarchar(300),
TriggerName nvarchar(300)
)
INSERT INTO @dbs(DatabaseName)
SELECT name from master.dbo.sysdatabases where dbid > 4

declare @dbname nvarchar(100), @counter int, @objecttype nvarchar(3)

select @counter = max(databaseId) from @dbs
SET @objecttype = 'TR'
while @counter is not null
begin
select @dbname = DatabaseName from @dbs where databaseId = @counter

exec ( ' use ' + @dbname + '
INSERT INTO #TriggersinDbs(DatabaseName, ParentObject, TriggerName)
select '''+ @dbname + ''' as DatabaseName, object_name(parent_obj) as Parent_object,
name as TriggerName from sysobjects where xtype = '''+ @objecttype +'''')

select @counter = max(databaseId) from @dbs
where databaseId < @counter end SELECT * FROM #TriggersinDbs ORDER BY DatabaseName, ParentObject, TriggerName ASC drop table #TriggersinDbs

buffer size

***** Data for source column is too large for the specified buffer size while trying to import data in excel spreadsheet with a bulk text in it. *****
Some of you might have come accross this problem. There are two ways you can work around this problem.

1. The first and easy way is to Save the excel file as a .txt or .csv file and then import.This will work in most cases. If you have problem with this one you can play with registery at your own risk. But I have used in many times and it doesn't harm your system.

2. Play with registery:
Go to
- HKEY_LOCAL-MACHINE
- software
- Microsoft
- JET
- 4.0
- Engines
- Excel
- TypeGuessRows to the number of rows in your excel table. By default this value is 8.

SQL Server references 1

This is my first draft of the lists that I want to build to help SQL Server professionals as well as beginners who want to get resources in one place. Please feel free to send me your comments and urls that you feel is very important to be added to the list.

SQL Server 2005 home page

SQL Server related web casts

SQL Server 2005 Virtual Labs

SQL Server 2005 certification

SQL Server 2000 Resource Kit

Clustering 1

Internal and External Fragmentation

User database admin

Cost of Database Fragmentation

SQL server performance articles on sql-server-performance.com

SQL Server 2000 backup and restore

Move database from one server to another

SQL Server scripts

Blocking resolution

SQLIO Disk Subsystem Benchmark Tool

SQL Server Health and History Tool (SQLH2) Performance Collector

Best Practices Analyzer Tool for Microsoft SQL Server 2000 1.0

SQL Server Health and History Tool (SQLH2)

SQL Server Web Data Administrator

Tables with computed columns

Computed columns some times causes re-indexing of database to fail. To find out which tables got computed columns, I normally use the following query.

select so.id as ObjectId,
so.name as ObjectName,
sc.name as ComputedColumnName
FROM sysobjects so, syscolumns sc
where so.id = sc.id
and sc.iscomputed = 1
and so.xtype = 'u'

Number of Triggers

This script is used to find the number of triggers on database tables in database.

select object_name(parent_obj) as ObjectName,
count(name) as TotalTriggers
from sysobjects where xtype = 'tr'group by object_name(parent_obj)order by count(name) desc

Tables no primary key

Have you ever wondered how to find tables without primary key ? You can use the following statments to find one
use pubs
go
select o.Table_Name
FROM
(select name as Table_Name from sysobjects where xtype = 'U') o
LEFT OUTER JOIN
(
SELECT Table_Name FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.TABLE_CONSTRAINTS
where CONSTRAINT_TYPE = 'PRIMARY KEY') pk
on pk.Table_Name = o.Table_Name
WHERE pk.Table_Name is null