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 – 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 2016 Management Studio – Warning: SSMS install detected shared components on this machine

As soon as SQL Server 2016 Management Studio was released on 1st June 2016, I tried installing it. This is a great way to learn and I love to get going as soon as the new software gets released. I especially get excited when it is related to SQL Server. If you have not known new process to install SQL Server Management Studio, then you should read below the blog.

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SQL SERVER – System Objects Not Visible in SQL Server Management Studio

There are so many settings in SQL Server Management Studio that it can sometimes make someone nervous. Once of my client sent me email telling that something is not right with their SQL Server 2016 installation. Here is an email which I received:

Hi Pinal,
One of the developer has installed SQL Server 2016 on our development environment. I already had SQL Server 2014 running on the server. I am seeing a strange behavior in SQL Server Management Studio. When I connect from SSMS 2014, I am seeing system views as you can see below.

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SQL SERVER – Vertical Select Mode feature in SQL Server Management Studio

During last SQL Bangalore user group meeting, Balmukund presented a surprise session of tips and tricks with SQL Server Management Studio. Even though I was not able to attend the event due to travel abroad, I contacted Balmukund to share what he presented.

He was kind enough to give me a list. One of the things which I didn’t know was the usage of vertical block select mode. I have been using block select mode to cut the text by selecting it. This needs a mouse and I found that there is no keyboard shortcut.

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SQL SERVER – Maintain Carriage Return (Enter Key) in SQL Server 2016 Management Studio While Copy and Paste

With every new release some of the default behavior can surprise because you are so much used to them. But when they don’t behave the same, it baffles to when some of these changes were introduced. In pursuit of finding such behavior, while I was working with SQL Server 2016 Management Studio, I was surprised to see a behavior which didn’t seem to be right. You can also try it too.

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SQL SERVER – SSMS Tip: How to Get Larger Fonts for Results in Grid Output

A couple of weeks back, I was at the GIDS (Great Indian Developer Conference) speaking on my favorite topic of performance. Often as a speaker I make sure I attend a couple of sessions from friends or from people in the industry to learn something completely new. It is easier to learn from someone who has done all the hard work of doing research compared to investing that time all by yourself to learn the nuances of the topic. Let us learn about SSMS Tip.

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