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Pester the Tester: PowerShell Bugs, Beware! – Notes from the Field #129

[Note from Pinal]: In this episode of the Notes from the Field series database expert Robert Cain explains about Pester which is a bug testing framework for Powershell. I know Robert from last many years. Besides his amazing credentials of MVP, MCTS, Published Author and he is an amazing person to hang out with. I have seen him speaking at many prestigious events like PASS Summit, TechEd and every single time I learn something related to technology.

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SQL SERVER – SQL Profiler vs Extended Events

To tell you the truth, I didn’t know how to start this article about SQL Profiler vs Extended Events. After all, I decided to take mind off things and to watch a movie. The movie was Iron Man 2. In addition to the brilliant performance of Robert Downie Jr., one phrase stuck in my mind and immediately inspired my writing.

“Don’t get so attached to things, learn to let go.”
~ Iron Man 2 (Robert Downie Jr)

What is better the old reliable SQL Profiler or something new? My personal choice is Extended Events. Why? To deal with Extended Events, we should go back to SQL Profiler and comprehend its work. First, a new trace is created, and information to be traced is noted.

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What is a Master Database in SQL Server? – Interview Question of the Week #076

The other day, I received an email from a user, who had dropped master database in their system. I told him directly that he should have not dropped master database as that is a very important system database. It is really strange that after so many years quite a few of the people do not know what is a master database in SQL Server.

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SQL SERVER – Installation Error – The wrong diskette is in the drive. Insert (Volume Serial Number: ) into drive.

The world of working with errors always gets the better of me. It is a wonderful way to understand why SQL Server behaves in a certain way and most importantly, it helps me solve some of the problems people face on a day-to-day basis. As you might know that along with performance consultancy, I also reply to any personal email asking for help. This blog is a result of one such interaction where the client was facing an error while installing Service Pack 4 for SQL Server 2008 in a clustered environment. Let us learn about Installation Error.

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SQL SERVER – Database Mail Breaks with TLS 1.0 Disabled Discovery – Notes from the Field #128

[Note from Pinal]: In this episode of the Notes from the Field series database expert Ryan Adams explains a very critical error related to Database Mail. Ryan is one guy who spends more time with real world issues with SQL Server than anything else. He has mastered the art of resolving complex errors and document them so easily that one can’t find anywhere else. In this blog post Ryan addresses a very interesting error related to Database Mail Breaks with TLS 1.0 Disabled Discovery. Read the experience of Ryan in his own words.

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SQL SERVER – Unable to Start SQL Agent – SQL Server Agent Terminated (Normally)

Along with performance issues, I also provide consultancy in other break-fix issues like service not starting etc. These are not run of the mill, but on specific cases only. I always suggest my clients to search on my blog first and then contact me if needed. This is a great way to scale and make people empowered when it comes to solving some of the trivial issues that they might have encountered for SQL Server Agent.

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SQL SERVER to Oracle Numeric Datatype Mapping

Getting into a consulting business has its own set of challenges that I cherish big time. Recently I was consulted by a product team that had some of the best guys in the market. I was surprised why they might need my services. But I had an open mind to go through what they were doing. They were migrating their current application that was running fine in Oracle to SQL Server. My first thought was – “Wow”. Currently enterprises and organizations do think of SQL Server as a viable, competent alternative when it comes to database choice.

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