Welcome to CStechcast.com, the podcast for IT professionals. ITIL is the standard for IT governance, but challenges of implementation and understanding still remain. We talk to Matthew Schvimmer, the head of products for IT Service Management and Project Portfolio Management at HP, to discuss what ITIL version 3 brings to the table, how it's not a magic bullet, and the work it takes to realize the benefits. For more information, go to hp.com. In the news, Polycom adds to the small business VoIP mix with a new PBX and wireless phones, Sun's StorageTek reports big sales of the high end 17 petabyte capable system, Oracle's Larry Ellison states that they will retail Sun's storage division, and Microsoft offers up Azure cloud computing solutions to government. Microsoft's rename of the very annoying Windows Genuine Advantage to Windows Activation Technologies is just lipstick on the pig of "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", we take "A Closer Look" at the good and the bad of the Windows 7 release candidate, and "The Weekly Tech Tip" is for SQL Server admin with advice on getting that data fitting into your query results inside SQL Server Management Studio. Links to stories and sites discussed in the show:
Polycom Debuts Wireless Office in a Box (eWeek)
Sun Drives 'Amber Road' to Record Sales (eWeek)
Oracle Won't Divest Sun's Hardware Business (InformationWeek)
Microsoft Offers Cloud-Based Public Data Hosting With Azure (InformationWeek)
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor Scans Your System for Win7 Compatibility (LifeHacker)
Competitors Grouse Over IE8 Default Setting in Windows 7 (PC World)
Windows 7 To Boost SSD Performance (TechNet Blogs)
Microsoft, Intel goof up Windows 7's "XP Mode" (ArsTechnica)
Microsoft outlines Windows 7 anti-piracy measures (PC Authority) Thanks for downloading and listening to CS Techcast. Please send us your thoughts with the feedback form at cstechcast.com and on the social networks: Facebook fan page, at twitter.com/cstechcast, and at friendfeed.com/cstechcast. Tell your friends about CS Techcast and give us a review on iTunes if you're feeling generous. Remember to make sure you are subscribed to the podcast for IT pros! Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=74
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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The Slowly Changing Dimension (SCD) transformations are pretty handy in SSIS packages. They let you compare a new set of data to an existing table and insert or update as needed. Alternatively, you can have them insert new rows and mark old rows as "Expired" instead of updating rows when a change occurs. This is great if you want to maintain history. Now these are meant for dimensions in a data warehouse, but you can use them against any table in your database. The reason for this post is to look at an issue that can occur with SCDs when you have duplicate data in your incoming data set. When an SCD analyzes a set of data it looks at each row and compares it to the destination. It decides whether the row will be inserted or updated (or inserted with the old row being marked inactive). Notice I said this comparison is with the incoming data and the destination. The SCD does check for duplicates that may exist in the incoming data. So if you have duplicates, that also happen to be new rows when compared to the destination, all the duplicate rows get "flagged" for insertion. You can probably guess what happens next. The first row gets inserted but the second and subsequent duplicates cause a Primary Key violation when they attempt to insert the now duplicate record. Now this might seem like a glitch to some, but this functionality is "by design ". The button line is that the data being inserted should be de-duplicated prior to being inserted into the destination. In a perfect world, the data would come from a source where it lived in a normalized, and therefore de-duplicated, state. If you don't have the luxury of living in a perfect world, you can build a manual data de-dup process or use a Sort transformation. One of the options of the Sort transformation is to "Remove Rows with Duplicate Sort Values". Just drop one of these in, check the box, and you have magically de-dup your values.
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CSTechcast.com brings you the weekly podcast for IT pros. This week we talk about technology communities and SQL Server in particular with Andy Warren, President of End to End Training. Find him blogging at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/blogs/andy_warren/. In the news, we cover the coming USB 3.0 devices, Microsoft tries to patent pay as you go computing, Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager gets an update with service pack 1, SSL certificates gets compromised by a bunch of PS3s game consoles, and Windows experiences the largest usage drop in 4 years. The cable box method of pay as you go computing gets “The Worst Tech Move of the Week”, we take “A Closer Look” at the most in demand skills for the new year, and when you migrate an Outlook user make sure they get their nicknames in “The Weekly Tech Tip”. Our sponsor this week: Admin Script Editor by iTripoli. Links to stories and sites discussed during the show:
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Prepped For Storage (InformationWeek)
Microsoft Seeks Pay-As-You-Go Computing Patent (InformationWeek)
What's New in DPM 2007 Service Pack 1 (Microsoft.com)
Theoretical attacks yield practical attacks on SSL, PKI (ArsTechnica)
Windows market share dives again as Mac nears 10% (ComputerWorld)
Microsoft Patents Pay-As-You-Go PC Computing (PC Magazine)
There are new ways to get your fix of CS Techcast. Check out the new CS Techcast Facebook Fan Page and leave something on our wall or find the UStream channel where we stream video live during our recording. Also, find us on the socials twitter.com/cstechcast and friendfeed.com/cstechcast. Join the Friendfeed room to share and discuss all things geeky. As usual, find ways to send us feedback at CSTechcast.com. All the best, and keep coming back for more tech goodness. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=57 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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3, 2, 1, CSTechcast.com for IT pro podcasts in the new year! This week we discuss encryption solutions, why it matters and separate the press hype and reality with John Callas, CTO of PGP Inc. Find their solutions at PGP.com. In the news we discuss the effect the economy is having on data centers, Microsoft working on a fix for a SQL vulnerability since April, notebook sales steadily outstripping desktops, and Citrix is giving you a way to get Windows on your iPhone, sort of. Michael Arrington trying to police how Robert Scoble uses the Internet gets "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", we take the bandwagon on a left turn and give you the top 5 tech predictions for 2010, and we give you a couple points of note when using Windows authentication for your websites in "The Weekly Tech Tip". Our sponsor this week: Admin Script Editor by iTripoli. Links to stories and sites discussed during the show: Credit crunch takes toll on datacenter spending (InfoWorld)
Microsoft confirms it's been working on SQL bug since April (Infoworld)
Notebook Sales Outpace Desktop Sales (eWeek)
What's the coolest app that doesn't work on the iPhone .... yet ? (The Citrix Blogs)
I’m Sorry Robert, But It’s Time For A Friendfeed Intervention (Techcrunch via Friendfeed)
How to troubleshoot Kerberos-related issues in IIS (Microsoft Knowledge Base) Thanks for supporting us in 2008. Be ready for more great content in 2009, where we will cover the topics that matter to IT professionals. Contact us from the home page CSTechcast.com or hit us up on twitter.com/cstechcast or friendfeed.com/cstechcast and get social. Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and don't forget to come back. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=56 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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CSTechcast.com brings you good cheer in another podcast for IT pros. This week we talk about your online brand and why it's important with the co-founder and editor of sqlservercentral.com Steve Jones. In the news, IBM unveils the Open Collaboration Client open source desktop system, Microsoft and RSA get cozy with security integration, Amazon announces a free tier of access to SimpleDB, Windows 7 beta gets an official date, and patch tuesday plays the Grinch with six critical updates to keep you up late. The irrational logic that keep people hanging onto Windows XP, making some a tidy profit, gets "The Worst Tech of of the Week", we take "A Closer Look" at what to do with the firesale deals caused by the bad economy on enterprise tech equipment, and "The Weekly Tech Tip" is a simple quick fix to SQL Server database orphaned users. Our sponsor this week: Admin Script Editor by iTripoli. Links to stories and sites discussed during the show:
IBM Launches Microsoft-Free Linux PCs (InformationWeek)
Microsoft, EMC's RSA Partner To Protect Data (InformationWeek)
Amazon Opens SimpleDB To Unlimited Public Beta (InformationWeek)
I know where you can get Windows 7 Beta 1 DVD's... shhhhh (Technet Keith Combs' Blahg)
Patch Tuesday will have eight bulletins (CNet)
Hate Vista? Dell Now Charging $150 Extra for Windows XP (Sillicon Alley Insider) Thanks for catching our podcast. Submit feedback at our main page CSTechcast.com and follow our updates and randomness throughout the week on twitter.com/cstechcast and friendfeed.com/cstechcast. Let your friends know where they can find us so they can get in on the info and fun. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=53 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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Good Question! This is one of those error messages that you will eventually encounter in SQL Server if you work with it enough. A login’s default database is a delicate thing that will prevent them from being able to logon if there is a problem. The default database defines which database the user will be automatically logged into if they connect and they don’t specify a database. Several things can cause the above error message. The most common is a login that does not have access to the database that is configured as its default. This is easily remedied; either set up a corresponding user for the login in their default database or change the default to a database to which the login has access. This error will also rear its ugly head if you drop a database that was configured as the user’s default database. There is no check when a database is dropped to make sure it won’t affect users, so dropping someone’s default database will leave them in the dark when it comes to logging in. As I said, this only happens if the user’s connection method does not specify a database. Many applications will provide the database name and will be immune to the issue. The fix is simple, make sure the logon has access to their default database and make sure the default database exists. This problem can get a little worse if you break the default database of your system administrator accounts, such as your Windows account that has ‘sa’ level rights or the ‘sa’ login itself (and no other logins have the permissions to fix the problem). In this case, the fix is still simple, but you need to use an application that allows you to specify a database, such as SQLCMD. SQLCMD is a command-line tool that comes with SQL Server 2005 and 2008. When you login, you can specify a database to use that will override the default. So to fix your problem, login with SQLCMD as follows: sqlcmd -S sql2008 –U sa -P password -d master This will let you login and use the master database despite the incorrect default database. To fix your login simply run the following query from the SQLCMD command prompt (you can use any database that exists and to which the login has access, master is used as an example): ALTER LOGIN sa WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE=master That’s it, the next time you login your new default database of master, or whatever you specified, will be used.
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This is a problem that plagues DBAs everywhere. When you restore a database, you run the risk of orphaning the users in the database. All users are linked via a SID to a login and if you have SQL Server logins, who’s SIDs are managed by SQL Server, you are at risk. Typically a restore to the same server from which the backup was taken won’t cause an issue unless you dropped and recreated the login. Generally the problem rears its ugly head when you restore a backup to a server that was not the original location. You planned ahead and created the same logins on the new server as existed on the old server, so why do the users end up orphaned? As I mentioned earlier, SQL Server manages the SIDs for SQL Server logins so there is no guarantee that the new login has the same SID as the original login did. Then when you restore your database, the users in that database are expecting SIDs that are not there and the next thing you know you have orphaned users. Just a note, this does not occur with Windows Logins because the SID is controlled by Windows or Active Directory. Unless you drop and re-create the user in Windows, the SID of an Active Directory user will be the same on all SQL Servers and hence your user accounts see the SID they are looking for. So, the million dollar question is, how do you fix the problem without dropping and re-creating the user and messing up the permissions in the process? Microsoft provides us with a handy little stored procedure called sp_change_users_login that you can use to fix orphaned users. This procedure can do several things; it can tell you which users are orphaned, it lets you fix an orphaned user manually, and it can attempt to automatically fix your issues. So let’s look at an example. I have deliberately orphaned a user called Annie in the AdventureWorks2008 database. When I run sp_change_users_login with the REPORT option, I can see that I indeed have an orphaned user. EXEC sp_change_users_login 'REPORT'
…
UserName UserSID
-------- -----------------------------------
Annie 0xA5B5548F3DC81D4693E769631629CE1D To fix this orphaned user all I have to do is run sp_change_users_login with the UPDATE_ONE action and tell SQL Server the name of my orphaned user and the name of the appropriate login. EXEC sp_change_users_login 'UPDATE_ONE','Annie','Annie' There you have it, a simple quick fix to orphaned users that you can use next time you have an issue. I just want to add one more thing regarding the AUTO_FIX action of sp_change_users_login. If you use this option, the procedure tries to automatically fix your orphaned users by matching user name to login name. If no match is found, it will create the appropriate login for you. The only reason I don’t like it is that is has the potential to create logins you don’t want, especially if your login names happen to deliberately differ from your user names.
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They have been around forever, but have you really ever implemented Application Roles in SQL Server? For that matter, do you really know what they are and how to use them? In this short tip, I hope to explain just that. First off, we need to talk briefly about how application security can be implemented in SQL Server. There is some debate over which model is better and I am not endorsing any specific one here. Regardless of whether you use SQL Server Logins or Windows Authentication, you still have to decide whether an application will use a single login to access SQL Server (and all appropriate database objects), or allow each individual user to have their own login. They each have their very own sets of pros and cons, but I want to focus on a specific con of each user having their own login. The biggest issue is that each user login has access to your server and to one or more databases. Does the user need to delete data as part of their job? If so, they will have this right whether they log in via an application or directly to the server. Often, the application controls what can and cannot be deleted based on a set of business rules; these rules usually don’t exist on the SQL Server itself. In short, if each user has their own login, they can access SQL Server directly and potentially cause some damage. This brings us to application roles. You create them and assign permissions to them just like regular database roles but you can’t put users in them. Instead, the goal of application role is to provide a best of both worlds scenario for application and user security. Here’s how they work. You set up each user to have an account on the SQL Server with practically no rights. All they should be able to do is login to the server and run a system stored procedure called sp_setapprole. This procedure accepts a couple parameters, including the name and password for the application role. Running sp_setapprole will immediately endow the user with all the permissions that you set up on the application role for the current session only. So what does this mean for security? As long as the password for activating the application role is only known to the application, your users will not have any rights when they login to the SQL Server directly. In order to have the permissions they need, they will be required to use the application that knows the password and can unlock the permission for the application role. Now you can have SQL Server manage individual logins and still have a secure environment that uses the rules and filters in place within your applications.
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SQL Server 2008 provides a feature, which, in my opinion, has been far overdue -- backup compression. For too long, if you wanted the benefit of compressed backups, you had to look at a third-party tool. Now, backup compression is built right into SQL Server 2008, and what's even better is that it's easy to use. All you have to do is append the WITH COMPRESSION option to your backup statements and you are off to the races. This bit of code will back up the AdventureWorks2008 database using compression: BACKUP DATABASE AdventureWorks2008
TO AdWorksBackup
WITH COMPRESSION Using compression with SSMS is just as easy. Simply set the compression option on the Options page of the Back up Database dialog. You may be asking yourself: How effective is this compression? The answer can be tricky because it depends on the structure of your database and the type of data being stored. When I backed up my copy of the AdventureWorks2008 database, which is using about 700 MB of disk space, I got a 147 MB compressed backup file. Compare that to the 636 MB file I got when not using compression. Here's what else is cool: You can change the default compression behavior of your entire server. On the Database Settings tab of the Server Properties dialog, you can select the option Compress Backup. Alternatively, you can run the following t-SQL code: EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1
RECONFIGURE
EXEC sp_configure 'backup compression default', 1
RECONFIGURE The first command enables advanced options and the second will make compression the default for all backups. If you go this route, you won't have to change a thing about your backup scripts in order to take advantage of compression. Now, just a simple BACKUP DATABASE statement will use compression. To run a backup without compression when it's the server default, simply use the WITH NO COMPRESSION option. SQL Server 2008 finally offers backup compression natively and I hope you find it to be a useful feature. It's great for saving disk space and you no longer have to zip backup files before moving them over the network just to improve the copy time
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You ever find yourself with the need to copy SQL Server logins from one server to another? Maybe you are setting up a failover site, building a replacement server, setting up a reporting instance, or maybe you just want to backup the logins just in case. If you are using Windows Logins, this is a simple matter of scripting the login and applying it to the other server. Copying SQL Server Logins from one box to another is a bit trickier because SQL Server stores and manages the password. So just how do you copy the login and preserve the password? I am glad you asked. Understanding Login Components To successfully copy a login from one server to another, you will need to ensure that the copy has the same SID and password. The link between database users and logins is done with the logins SID, if this is different on the new server than any databases you copy over will contain orphaned users. To ensure that both the SID and the password are the same, Microsoft has written a stored procedure to aid in our transfer. SP_HELP_REVLOGIN SP_HELP_REVLOGIN is a stored procedure that will return a complete list of the logins that exists on you SQL Server in a script that can be run to recreate them. This script does not exist on your SQL Server by default, you must create with the code provided by Microsoft in KB article 918992 here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918992/. Once you have create the procedures you can easily generate the create statements that allow you to copy your logins. As an example, I created a new login on my local instance of SQL Server called SQLScript with a password of scriptme. Now I can run SP_HELP_REVLOGIN as follows: sp_help_revlogin 'SQLScript' RESULTS: /* sp_help_revlogin script ** Generated Oct 30 2007 9:23AM on laptop1 */ -- Login: SQLScript CREATE LOGIN [SQLScript] WITH PASSWORD = 0x0100B642C5A8BC6778ECE4710ED3DC8D70E0EA31B6DF6B122756 HASHED, SID = 0x80525EB475F8414FB32D627BB876F213, DEFAULT_DATABASE = [master], CHECK_POLICY = OFF, CHECK_EXPIRATION = OFF As you can see, I now have the syntax I need to recreate the login on another box. The SID will be forced to the same value and the passwords will match by virtue of this statement providing the hashed version of the password. If you need to copy all the logins, SQL Server and Windows Logins, you can run SP_HELP_REVLOGIN with no parameters.
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Welcome to the podcast for IT pros at CSTechcast.com. This week we look at the coming trends for the SQL Server database platform with our friend Paul Nielsen, author of SQL Server 2005 Bible . Find Paul and his books at sqlserverbible.com. In the news; Apple's DNS patch fails to randomize ports plus other DNS patches show new flaws, IBM commits to the cloud with a heavy investment in data centers, Microsoft is set to deliver Small Business Server 2008 for mom and pops and Essential Business Server 2008 for the mid-market this year, the Storm worm pops back onto the radar with an FBI spoof, and Sun debuts JavaFX to compete with Adobe. Plus, Apple's culture of secrecy gets "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", and we put mobile security in our crosshairs for "A Closer Look".
Links to stories discussed during the show:
Apple's patch fails to fix DNS flaw, researchers claim (ComputerWorld)
DNS patches cause problems, developers admit (InfoWorld)
IBM Brings Cloud Computing To Earth With Massive New Data Centers (InformationWeek)
Windows Small/Essential Business Server RC1s arrive (Ars Technica)
FBI warns of new Storm worm attacks (ComputerWorld)
Jobs entrusts a NYT columnist with the truth about his health, even before he tells Apple shareholders (VentureBeat)
Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border (Washington Post)
We apologize for the late post of our podcast, but system problems prevented a timely post. This is the first time we have missed the release mark. Anyway, we hope everything is back on track hardware wise. The drawing for an Amazon.com gift certificate is just a few weeks away, so visit CSTechcast.com to submit your feedback to enter. We'd like to thank those who have submitted the wonderful, constructive feedback so far and look forward to more from our listeners. Please subscribe and write a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast site. Thanks for listening.
Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=36
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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I just started working on a LiveLesson DVD for Addison-Wesley tentatively titled "SQL Server Fundamentals for the Accidental DBA". The DVD will focus on the essential skills required to work with SQL Server for people that are not full-time DBAs. I will keep you posted as I have more details. For more information about the LiveLesson videos, check out http://www.informit.com/promotions/promotion.aspx?promo=135366. Eric
Co-Host CS Techcast
http://www.cstechcast.com
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Come and get it, CSTechcast.com has the latest podcast for IT professionals posted for download. This week we get an IT compliance education with Don Jones. Find Don's vast expertise at his website concentratedtech.com. The news brings enhanced search for Adobe Flash on the web, no critical Microsoft patches this Tuesday, the VLC Player has buffer overflow security problem, Google gives away Rat Proxy to check for security on your websites, the Coreflood Trojan is waiting for an admin to logon, NVidia has heat problems with laptop chips, and Microsoft gets serious with a new yearly subscription model for Office. Twitter downtime gets "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", we take "A Closer Look" at cloud computing security, and "The Weekly Tech Tip" is all about SQL auditing.
Links to stories discussed during the show:
Adobe, Google, Yahoo Team for Flash Search (eWeek)
Four Microsoft Patches Due Tuesday; Not Rated Critical (PC World)
Critical vulnerability found in VLC Media Player (InfoWorld)
Google gives away free Web app security scanner (InfoWorld)
Trojan lurks, waiting to steal admin passwords (InfoWorld)
Nvidia reports problem with laptop chips (InfoWorld)
Microsoft Hopes Office Subscription Plan Will Counter Free Software (InformationWeek)
Get on the bandwagon, tweet us on Twitter @cstechcast or friend us at FriendFeed, friendfeed.com/cstechcast. As always, give us a call, post on the blog, or send us some feedback on the main website cstechcast.com. Stay tuned for some changes and enhancements coming soon to CS Techcast. If you like us, post a review on your favorite podcast directory or blog about it. Thanks for listening.
Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=32
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The latest CSTechcast.com podcast is up. This week we discuss social networking and how we take it into business and gain personally with Patrice-Anne Rutledge, author of The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking. Be social and visit patricerutledge.com. In the news; Microsoft stops selling Windows XP, but keeps a loophole for business and extends support, Hyper-V goes RTM, Cisco updates its edge network solution with VMWare support, new tools are released to deal with recent SQL injection attacks, database market share shows Oracle in the clear lead, and IT spending is not reducing security threats. Suing web sites over negative comments gets "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", we take "A Look Back" at Bill Gates' time at Microsoft, and we give SQL Server admins plenty of detail to avoid worst practices in "The Weekly Tech Tip". Links to stories discussed during the show:
Microsoft Pledges Windows XP Support Through 2014 (InformationWeek)
Hyper-V: It’s here (ZDNet)
Virtualization Key Enhancement To Cisco Data Center 3.0 (InformationWeek)
Microsoft Puts Bull's-Eye on SQL Injection Attacks (eWeek)
IDC: Oracle Maintains Lead in Database Market (PC World)
2008 Security Survey: We're Spending More, But Data's No Safer Than Last Year (InfomationWeek)
Car dealership sues consumer site over bad feedback, loses (ArsTechnica) Look for a not so hidden blooper in this episode. Support us by sending in your comments and posting a review on iTunes or your favorite podcast directory. See you next week and thanks everyone for listening. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=31 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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Info for IT pros, get ready to download the latest audio at CStechcast.com. Crimeware is the focus this week, as we interview expert Markus Jakobsson, author of Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses. In the news; Adobe gives a preview of the new Acrobat 9 integrated with the new acrobat.com web site, Microsoft warns on the monthly round of patches, spear phishing catches 15,000 big fish, AMD starts to make a serious notebook push with Puma, Opera one ups the browser competition in the fight against malware, and we review the latest rumor mill around the next generation Apple iPhone. Spying end users for targeted ads is first place in "The Worst Tech Move of the Week" and "The Weekly Tech Tip" gives the accidental SQL DBA some great pointers. Links to stories discussed during the show:
Adobe offers Acrobat 9 (InfoWorld)
Microsoft Patch Tuesday: 7 Security Bulletins (eWeek)
Spear-phishing Attacks Have Hooked 15,000, Says Verisign (PC World)
AMD's Puma pounces; misses red-hot netbook market (ArsTechnica)
Opera Bolsters Web Browser with New Malware Protection (eWeek)
Next-Gen iPhone Preview: Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference '08 (Information Week)
Breaking: Exclusive leaked pics of the iPhone 2! (CrunchGear) Keep the love coming with reviews on your preferred podcast site, especially iTunes. Give us your comments and feedback on the blog, via e-mail, or by voicemail. All details are available at CStechcast.com. Thanks to everyone for listening. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=28 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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This week's new podcast, available at CStechcast.com, gives IT pros another dose of news and expert information. Microsoft Office 2007 Servers is the topic with J. Peter Bruzzese, author of Administrator's Guide to Microsoft Office 2007 Servers and regular contributor to Infoworld.com, among his many endeavors. Find him on the web at cliptraining.com. In the news; Microsoft floods us with bad news on desktops, the Yahoo merger, and it's database share, but hey Live Mesh is cool along with Yahoo! announcing a redesign at the Web 2.0 Conference, SQL injection attacks are on the rise, and IT pay takes a depressing dip. You would think a non-profit charity like One Laptop Per Child could steer clear of making "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", the "Weekly Tech Tip" gives us a refresher about DNS on Windows with some useful tricks, and we get the "Point / Counterpoint" on system administrators specializing in more than one OS. Links to stories discussed during the show:
Microsoft Windows Sales Plunge 24% Amid Rising Competition (Information Week)
Microsoft Flexible On Windows XP End Date, Ballmer Says (Information Week)
In Database Market, Oracle Gets Bigger, Others Hang On (Information Week)
Microsoft Demos Live Mesh (eWeek)
Yahoo plans makeover with elements of social network (Washington Post)
The Web 2.0 economy hangs in limbo (C|Net News.com)
Microsoft: Web at the center, not PC (C|Net News.com)
SQL attack hits 500,000 websites (vnunet.com)
SQL Infection Hits Over 500K Webpages, Infiltrates DHS And UN (mashable.com)
Walter Bender Resigned from One Laptop Per Child!! (olpcnews.com)
OLPC CTO founds own company, aims at $75 laptop (Ars Technica)
Average Info Tech Pay Drops To $105,000 For Managers, $78,000 For Staff, Our Survey Finds (Information Week) For those looking for additional information on the SQL Injection attacks plaguing vulnerable Internet pages, please follow this link to the SANS posts: http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=4331. For anyone interested in viewing some of J. Peter Bruzzese video training material, point your browser to youtube.com/cliptraining. For anyone who enjoys our podcast through iTunes, please write up a nice note in their reviews section or on your favorite podcast directory. If you like what you hear, share it with a friend; send them to CStechcast.com. Thanks everyone for listening and, please, give us your feedback. Keep tuning in every week for a new episode of CS Techcast. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=22 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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After tons of feedback from the community, MS has decided to release another Service Pack for SQL Server 2005. More information on the Data Platform Insider Blog. Of course, there's not much detail about what will be IN the SP, but I think this is a huge step in maintaining good standing with customers. While many people jumped at the chance to go from SQL Server 2000 to 2005, the jump to 2008 will be a little more hesitant, mostly because of the difficulty in moving database platforms in production environments. Hopefully, this SP will give people a "longer life" in SQL 2005, while giving them the opportunity to more carefully evaluate SQL Server 2008.
--Josh
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CStechcast.com brings you another information filled podcast for IT pros. This week we interview Ben Day, Microsoft MVP for C#, conference speaker, and leader of the Beantown.NET User Group to get into the benefits and how to avoid the controversy of LINQ. Find him online at Benday.com. In the news we see the nail in Windows XP sales coffin, we explore Windows 7 rumors, you get exposed to a plethora of security patches, go head first into IRS phishing, see the resurgence of backscatter spam, more DDoS traffic, get some much needed help from a honeypot client, look at VMWare's latest release to control VM's, and confirm what we already knew about the direction of IT this year. Creative shuts down helpful user written Vista drivers for "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", we show you why SPNs are important for domain accounts in IIS and SQL in the "Weekly Tech Tip", and we take "A Closer Look" at IT conferences. Quest Software is giving away a copy of Change Director for SQL Server. Enter using the "Contest" link at CStechcast.com.
Links to stories discussed during the show:
Microsoft Windows XP Dies June 30, as Planned (eWeek)
Windows 7, Successor To Vista, May Ship Next Year (Information Week)
Critical IE, Office, Windows Patches on Deck (eWeek)
Another Phishing Scam Spoofs IRS (ENT News)
Backscatter Spam Is Back (eWeek)
Internet tubes dripping with "raw sewage" of DDoS attacks (Ars Technica)
VMware Adds Control To Burgeoning Virtual Infrastructure (Information Week)
Report: IT Heads Back to Basics (eWeek)
Creative Labs Stops Guy From Making Its Technology Work Better (Techdirt)
Setspn Overview (Microsoft TechNet)
The Big Giveaway is Closing Soon!
Don't miss our big giveaway of Quest Software's Change Director for SQL Server. Change Director for SQL Server provides a powerful automated solution for managing change to SQL Server databases. Please enter using the "Contest" button on the CStechcast.com homepage.
Leave comments at the blog, on the feedback form, or at our voicemail. Thanks for listening this week and every week.
Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=19
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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CStechcast.com brings you another audio podcast filled with a half hour of solid information for IT professionals. This week we interview Andy Leonard, Microsoft MVP and co-author of several books including Professional Software Testing with Visual Studio 2005 Team System: Tools for Software Developers and Test Engineers, and we talk about the importance of database testing. In the news we talk about some major security gaffs involving malware on servers that led to identity theft and rigged searches on major web sites, plus new attacks against DNS, hacking Windows Server 2008 and the MacBook Air, and EnterpriseDB's open source Postgres database gets new life with new funding and a competitive update. The "Worst Tech Move of the Week" goes to Warner's proposed music tax on ISPs, the "Weekly Tech Tip" brings you ways to improve page file performance in Windows, and disaster recovery planning gets "A Closer Look". A big giveaway for you from Quest Software for a copy of Change Director for SQL Server, so enter at our web site CStechcast.com by clicking the Contest button. Links to stories discussed during the show: Attackers booby-trap searches at top Web sites (C|Net News.com)
Malware Cited in Supermarket Data Breach (Associated Press)
EnterpriseDB Looks to Bolster Product Line (eWeek)
NIST Unveils Tool To Foil DNS Attacks (ENT Magazine)
Minimizing Information Leakage in the DNS (National Institute for Standards and Technology)
MacBook Air Hacked In Two Minutes (Information Week)
Hacker Pours Cold Water on Windows Server 2008 Security Design (eWeek)
Warner Music Pushes ISP Tax For Music Downloads (Information Week)
Jim Griffin says ISP music tax only one possibility (C|Net News.com) Don't Miss The Giveaway! Don't miss our big giveaway of Quest Software's Change Director for SQL Server. Change Director for SQL Server provides a powerful automated solution for managing change to SQL Server databases. Please enter using the "Contest" button on the CStechcast.com homepage. Leave comments at the blog, on the feedback form, or at our voicemail. Tell your friends to subscribe to CS Techcast! Thanks for listening. Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=18 - Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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The title, a play on translated Japanese advertising; the cstechcast.com podcast, real information for IT professionals. Get ready for the newly released Microsoft Windows Server 2008 operating system with our interview of Greg Shields, frequent TechMentor presenter, Redmond Magazine contributing editor, and author of the new book: Windows Server 2008: What’s New/What’s Changed. Check out the details and a free sample chapter at sapienpress.com. The news hails the coming of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 along with lingering problems and updated Microsoft Deployment tools; FireFox 3, Safari for Windows, and IE 8 are bringing back the 90's; it's Browser Wars 2: Attack of the Clones, Hyper-V may break the Microsoft release pattern with an EARLY release, and reality show "The Office" proves itself to be a self fulfilling prophecy. Comcast gets all up in the grill of the FCC for the "Worst Tech Move of the Week", the "Weekly Tech Tip" is presented by our SharePoint Zen master, and we discuss the book The Rational Guide to Building Technical User Communities in our rip off segment of Oprah's book club with "What We're Reading". Thank's to Quest Software for sponsoring the software giveaway, enter at cstechcast.com. Find them at quest.com.
Links to stories discussed during the show:
Vista SP1 Goes Live (ENT Mag)
Windows Vista SP1 Wreaks Havoc On Some PCs, Users Complain (Information Week)
Microsoft deployment tools ready as Windows Server 2008 arrives (TechTarget)
Mozilla says Firefox 3 ready for prime-time (Reuters)
Battle of the betas: Firefox 3 beats IE8 (Computer World)
Apple launches Safari for Windows (ZD Net)
Court Notes That Empty 'The Office'-Style Workplace Concepts Not Subject To Copyright (TechDirt)
Comcast Says FCC Has No Authority To Stop Traffic Shaping (TechDirt)
We metioned author Greg Low, author of The Rational Guide to Building Technical User Communities. We also wanted to provide a link to his SQL Server podcast at sqldownunder.com. Thanks Greg for keeping the spirit of real life technology communities alive.
Giveaway!
Don't miss our big giveaway of Quest Software's Change Director for SQL Server. Change Director for SQL Server provides a powerful automated solution for managing change to SQL Server databases. We appreciate your listenership, so take advantage of this attempt at buying your love. This is a great package and your chances of winning are pretty good, so don't forget to enter at cstechcast.com.
Link to the episode: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=17
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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CStechcast.com brings another podcast episode to the starting line with guest Kalen Delaney. This SQL Server expert and authoritative author of the Inside SQL Server series gives us her take on SQL Server 2008. Find the latest from Kalen Delaney at insidesqlserver.com and SQLCommunity.com. In the news; 10,000 legitimate sites were hit by a SQL injection to deliver malware, Microsoft get their Dynamics apps revved up for the enterprise, Apple makes the iPhone business savvy, and the NCAA gets set to dunk on your network bandwidth. The "Worst Tech Move of the Week" is pre-installed with viruses courtesy of bad Q.C. at Chinese factories, we reach back in our storied histories for our favorite "Data Center Disasters", and the "Tech Tip" exposes easy to use shortcut keys in SQL Server Management Studio.
Links to stories discussed during the show:
Hackers Look to Steal Online Gaming Passwords
Anatomy of a SQL Injection Incident
Anatomy of a SQL Injection Incident, Part 2
A Glimpse of Microsoft's Enterprise Goals
Apple releases iPhone SDK, announces push e-mail, Exchange support
How to Not Bring the Network to Its Knees During March Madness
Shout out to the "Couple of Admins" podcast at mindofroot.com, Steve Jones at the Voice of the DBA podcast and SQLserverCentral.com, and Peter Varhol at the Redmond Report for giving us props. Don't forget to leave your comments here on this blog, refer-a-friend to our podcast from the link on our homepage, leave your feedback, and keep tuning into cstechcast.com.
Link to CS Techcast Episode 16 podcast: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=16
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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Just a quick note today. Our buddy, SQL Server MVP and author Paul Nielson has decided to throw some code out there (two stored procedures) in the wild that will help DBAs understand and utilize the new data compression feature in SQL Server 2008. Head over to his site, www.sqlserverbible.com, to get the details (I don't want to steal his thunder here)! Thanks Paul!
--Josh
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A special episode at cstechcast.com this week as we record our podcast live from PASS Camp. This keynote address features an expert panel to explore the upcoming SQL Server 2008 database release with questions on features, technology, and strategy for our panel. Featured on our panel are Paul Nielsen - Microsoft SQL Server MVP and author of the “SQL Server Bible” book series (SqlServerBible.com), Kevin Cox – member of the SQL Server Product Group in the Customer Advisory Team at Microsoft (sqlcat.com), and Ben Hoelting - a .NET developer with Colorado Technology Consultants (benhblog.com). Of course, we also have our own co-hosts contribute; Eric Johnson, Microsoft SQL Server MVP, and Josh Jones, published author on many SQL topics. Author and co-host of the podcast Eric Beehler moderates the discussion. We are offering a video version of this episode as well; check it out at cstechcast.com. Detailed topics include the delay of the official launch and it's effect on the market and its supporters. We also discuss SQL Server 2008 in the enterprise and how it takes on its biggest competitors, IBM and Oracle. On the flip side, we discuss perhaps the smallest competitor, mySQL, and what SQL Server is doing to stay small business friendly. Attendees bring up questions on horizontal scalability and data modeling tools. We get into it with new developer feature LINQ and the possible consequences to proper database management. We also get a read on the panelist's favorite new features of SQL 2008. 
We would like to thank Quest Software for allowing us to bring you this event through their sponsorship of this episode. Find out how they can help you with their suite of database management solutions at quest.com. Don't forget our drive to find new listeners through our Amazon.com gift certificate giveaway. Go to cstechcast.com and "refer-a-friend". Leave your comments at this blog post and thanks for listening. Link to CS Techcast Episode 15 podcast: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=15
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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CStechcast.com brings you the expertise of Michael Stiefel, a Microsoft MVP in Connected Systems Development, to explain the concepts behind Software as a Service (SaaS). Michael can be found at reliablesoftware.com. News on deck: Windows Vista takes price cuts and more lumps from Dell, Google says to Microsoft "Do you want a piece of me?" and releases Google Sites, sliding skills found in the security field, and the Cobra language goes open source. In our segments; Network Solutions steals our domain so we can't register "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", we take a trip down memory lane with "This Month in Tech History", and we talk about SQL Server 2005 and the BUILTIN\administrators group in the "Weekly Tech Tip".
Links to the stories discussed in our podcast:
Microsoft Cuts Vista Prices to Urge Upgrades
Dell Pointed Out Vista Mistakes, Internal Documents Show
Google Takes Aim at SharePoint
IT Security Skills Falling Short
Cobra Language Slithers into Open Source
All comments can be left at this blog post. Click our listener survey at cstechcast.com to provide us feedback and enter our Amazon gift certificate giveaway when you refer-a-friend. It's not spam and we don't want the e-mail address, we just want to bring more tech to the world. Don't forget about the live event next week and, if your in the Denver area, come check out the Colorado PASS Camp a free two day event on SQL Server and related technologies.
Download the Episode Here
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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Andy Warren wrote an article on SQLServerCentral.com the other day about the maximum row size in SQL Server 2005. I don't want to re-hash what Andy already said so you can see the article here: http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Development/2862/. The gist is that Microsoft built SQL Server to be able to handle rows of data that grow beyond 8060-bytes. It does this by moving certain data off to other pages and leaving behind a 24-byte pointer. Well, after reading Andy's article, I got to thinking, just how many varchar(8000) columns can you stick in a table and fill up before SQL Server fills the page with pointers. I conducted a test.....first off I made a table that contained 400 varchar(8000) columns using the following, now slightly truncated, script: CREATE TABLE [dbo].[Test](
[BigColumn1] [varchar](8000),
[BigColumn2] [varchar](8000),
[BigColumn3] [varchar](8000),
....
[BigColumn398] [varchar](8000),
[BigColumn399] [varchar](8000),
[BigColumn400] [varchar](8000)
)
GO Use your imagination, or if you want, a little fill magic in Excel to generate the rest of that create table script. Running this script was not all good, SQL Server did warn me of the impending doom, much like SQL Server 2000 would do if you tried to add more than 1 varchar(8000). Warning: The table "Test" has been created, but its maximum row size exceeds the allowed maximum of 8060 bytes. INSERT or UPDATE to this table will fail if the resulting row exceeds the size limit. Now on to the fun part, a quick insert statement to get us going: INSERT INTO Test(
BigColumn1,
BigColumn2,
BigColumn3, ...
BigColumn398,
BigColumn399,
BigColumn400)
VALUES
(
'TestD',
'TestD',
'TestD',
... 'TestD',
'TestD',
'TestD'
) And finally the update statement to really mess things up: UPDATE test SET BigColumn1 = REPLICATE ('0123456789', 800)
UPDATE test SET BigColumn2 = REPLICATE ('0123456789', 800)
UPDATE test SET BigColumn3 = REPLICATE ('0123456789', 800) ...
UPDATE test SET BigColumn272 = REPLICATE ('0123456789', 800)
UPDATE test SET BigColumn273 = REPLICATE ('0123456789', 800)
UPDATE test SET BigColumn274 = REPLICATE ('0123456789', 800) Well, you may now be asking, why didn't you run all 400 updates? Well, after 273 ran without an error, row number 274 finally died with the old familiar error: Msg 511, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Cannot create a row of size 8064 which is greater than the allowable maximum of 8060.
The statement has been terminated. So there you have it, in case you ever had the same thought that I did about how big a row can really be.......now you know, 273 great big columns! P.S. If you are thinking of designing a 273 column table full of nothing but varchar(8000) columns, please don't. For the love of all that is tech, just stop touching SQL Server and find something else to do with your time. Eric J - www.cstechcast.com
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Josh Jones and I got to interview Kalen Delaney earlier today for our podcast. It was really a lot of fun and she provided us with a lot of great information. Come hear what she had to say on CS Techcast by visiting http://www.cstechcast.com. The interview will be released in the next few weeks, probably right after our live show from PASSCamp in Denver.
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Microsoft announced today (via the DataPlatformInsider blog) that Katmai, AKA SQL Server 2008, will have a feature complete CTP released in Q2, with the RTM release planned for Q3. This doesn't affect their plans to include SQL Server 2008 in their launch of the new "platform" (Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, and SQL) in Feburary. Check out the blog for more info.
There are some questions bouncing around the internet about what impact this may have on customers. And the fact is, it will have very little. Many organizations are still migrating from SQL Server 2000 (or even 7.0) and will simply have to change their timelines a little bit, and decide whether or not they should move to SQL Server 2005 versus 2008. Couple this with the naturally slow migration process for migrating a company's data to a new platform, a delay of a few months will have little impact. Though it's always nice to hear what everyone out there thinks; please feel free to leave comments and let us know what your plans are!
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We have extra segments on SQL from our author interview on SQL queries to our own, real life experts on MS SQL 2008 features, available at cstechcast.com as a MP3 download or a RSS subscription. Whether you do SQL everyday or just need some insight, this is a good episode. This week we chat with John Viescas, one of the authors of "SQL Queries for Mere Mortals". You can find more information from John Viescas at www.viescas.com. In the news, new chips from Intel, Microsoft SMB leases, SkyDrive being used by spammers, a new-old MBR threat, and the end of the IT department? Plus, "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", "Meet your Local User Group", "A Closer Look", and "The Weekly Tech Tip".
Show Notes
Links to the stories discussed in our podcast:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,141300-pg,1/article.html
http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=142884
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Windows/Microsoft-to-Launch-New-Licensing-Option-for-SMBs/
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Intel-Makes-Enterprise-Pitch-at-CES/
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/010708-carr-it-dead.html
Featured User Group
The featured group this week, in keeping with our SQL theme, is the Colorado PASS camp. This is a joint effort with the three SQL user's groups on the front range to create an intense, two day workshop every year. Hit the web site and get the details at www.coloradopasscamp.org.
Please come back again and tell all your friends to download the CS Techcast.
- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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We may not have the smooth vocal sounds of Tay Zonday, but we do have a great, new techcast that fits in a tidy half hour of your day available at cstechcast.com. This week we chat with Michael Miller, author of "Googlepedia: The Ultimate Google Resource". In the news, a new Microsoft Security Blog, security breaches are up, and a bad Santa virus. Plus, "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", "Meet your Local User Group", and "The Weekly Tech Tip".
Show Notes - Links to the stories discussed in our podcast:
http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=141991
http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=141264
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2241465,00.asp
Here is the new Microsoft Security Vulnerability Research & Defense security blog discussed in our news segment: blogs.technet.com/swi/
Our featured user group is the Queensland SQL Servers User Group in Australia found online at www.qssug.org. Visit and network with your fellow tech heads in person.
Leave your comments at this blog. Happy new year and thanks to all for listening.
-Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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Behold the holiday edition of our podcast at cstechcast.com. This week we chat with Steve Jones from SQLServerCentral.com about the new compression features in SQL Server 2008. Make sure you check out the web site for MS SQL help and news. In the news, Google not as cool as we thought, IE 6 security hole, new releases, and malware is becoming harder to deal with. Plus, "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", "Meet your Local User Group", and "The IT Pet Peeve".
Show Notes - Links to the stories discussed in our podcast:
http://www.heise-security.co.uk/news/100900
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9053940&intsrc=hm_list
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2237467,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594
http://entmag.com/news/rss.asp?editorialsid=9348#6
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9835823-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
http://blogs.technet.com/matthewms/archive/2007/12/19/announcement-tafiti-goes-shared-source.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2007/12/19/internet-explorer-8-and-acid2-a-milestone.aspx
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2236683,00.asp
Our featured user group is the Indiana Windows User Group at
www.iwug.net. Check out the web site and show up to a meeting if you're in the area. Now's the time because Server 2008 is just around the corner.
Thanks to Eric Johnson for turning my flub into this week's title. Leave your comments at the blog. Thanks all!
-Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)
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