After a disaster, a client’s SQL Server setup failed the rule Reporting Services catalog database file existence. Here is why and how I got the install through.
ALTER Column From INT to BIGINT: Errors and Safe Solutions
To change a column from INT to BIGINT, you first drop every key and index that depends on it, because ALTER COLUMN refuses with Msg 5074 and Msg 4922. This post builds a small ticket system, shows the errors, and changes the key and its foreign key inside one transaction. It also shows how a negative identity reseed buys time, and when to copy the table instead.
SQL SERVER – Could Not Load File or Assembly ‘SqlManagerUi, Version=14.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=89845dcd8080cc91’ or One of its Dependencies
SSMS database properties failed with “Could not load file or assembly SqlManagerUi” for my client. Here is what caused the error and how we fixed it.
How Default Value and Nullable Column Works? – Interview Question of the Week #129
How do a default value and a Nullable Column work together in one table? Two short scripts from an interview panel show exactly what SQL Server does.
MSDB Growth From queue_messages: How to Clear the Queue
MSDB growth from the queue_messages tables means a Service Broker queue holds messages that nobody reads. This post builds a queue with unread messages in a test database, finds it with a size query, ends only its conversations with the CLEANUP option, and watches the space come back. It also says why you should never end every conversation in msdb.
Log Shipping Alternative for Databases in Simple Recovery Model
A log shipping alternative for a database in the simple recovery model is a second copy that restores the newest full backup and the newest differential backup. This post finds those two files from the backup history in msdb, restores them with MOVE and RECOVERY, and repeats the cycle on a schedule. It also states what you lose compared with real log shipping.
SQL Server – How to Get Column Names From a Specific Table?
I get column names from schema-qualified table metadata. Catalog views help when I also need SQL Server-specific details.