Enabling CLR Integration:

sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;

GO

RECONFIGURE;

GO

sp_configure 'clr enabled', 1;

GO

RECONFIGURE;

GO

Very exciting T-SQL script used today...

Creately Releases Its Simple Diagramming And Design Tool To The Masses:

Creately, an online diagramming and design application launched by Cinergix and showcased at TechCrunch50’s Demopit in 2008, is unveiling its online tool to the greater public (the startup has been in private beta). Creately lets anyone create create and collaborate on flow charts, wireframes, network diagrams, sitemaps and more within its site.

Very impressive. By the look of the video there is a new #2 contender to the Visio throne, and perhaps a future Google acquisition...

LINQ to XSD - Home:

The LINQ to XSD technology provides .NET developers with support for typed XML programming. LINQ to XSD contributes to the LINQ project (.NET Language Integrated Query); in particular, LINQ to XSD enhances the existing LINQ to XML technology.

Still not native, even in .NET 4.0, but no longer seems to be in alpha.

Initially when I named my PC I picked the generic "StudioXPS" which is the model of dell, or so I thought I did. Actually I named it "SudioXPS" as if I am a huge Phil Collins fan... I know it's a pain to change names, and the places that machine name gets carved in stone, but the OCD kicked in and I NEEDED to fix it. And, as expected, SQL Server wasn't so happy.

SQL Learnings: Can't Modify/Delete Maintenance Plans in SQL 2005 after Rename:

After renaming SQL Server 2005 server the maintenance plans couldn't be deleted. When trying to delete or modify a plan user gets an error. Using the SSMS there is no way to delete the plan. I thought it might a similar issue to I had encountered with SQL Server 2000 Jobs (link); so I searched to see if Maintenance plans table was storing server name and couldn't find anything.

Not so fast, my machine didn't even seem to like that, so let's manually delete all jobs first:

Sql Server 2005 Delete Maintenance Plan Error « Gediminas (Gedas) Gudenas:

Below is the manual SQL fix to address this error: Drop failed for Job ‘XXXXXXXXXXXXX’. (Microsoft.SqlServer.Smo) The DELETE statement conflicted with the REFERENCE constraint “FK_subplan_job_id”. The conflict occurred in database “msdb”, table “dbo.sysmaintplan_subplans”, column ‘job_id’. The statement has been terminated. (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: 547)

Then back to the first page, and voila! We're ready to do the Maintenance Plan Wizard from scratch. Thanks Hive Mind that we call the Interwebs! *bawk* *bawk*

Ridley Scott, DiCaprio travel to Brave New World | Reuters:

Ridley Scott is going back to the futurism. The "Blade Runner" director is joining forces with Leonardo DiCaprio to take on one of the most highly regarded dystopian works of literature, Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World."

Lyrics and Music:

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
Think I'll go eat worms.
Big fat juicy ones, Eensie weensy squeensy ones,
See how they wiggle and squirm.

Chomp off their heads and squeeze out the juice
And throw their tails away
Nobody knows how I survive
On worms three times a day.

Took a few times too, all your ducks really need to be in a row. One thing I missed is turning off SQL Agent, which I needed to do since I have transaction log back ups every hour, and the process of a full backup, copy, restore takes close to that...

SQL 2005 Database Mirroring Tutorial:

Forget about Windows Authentication or Domain Account.....   just use Certificates is good enough.

 

What you need is:

- 2 Servers and 1 Witness

- Create a database on Principal Server

- Backup the database 2 times: 1st time do a "FULL" backup, 2nd time do a "Transaction Log" backup

- Restore the database on Mirror Server, MUST use option "NO RECOVERY" !!! After restore, the mirror database will not take any request, that is completely normal.

- Fully Qualified Domain Name for all 3 servers.....  you can do this by: 1. Setup a domain, or 2. Change the computer name and modify the "HOSTS" file on the 3 servers (C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc)

 

OK ! Now we shall start!

 

HOST A = Principal Server

HOST B = Mirror Server

HOST W = Witness Server

 

You need to copy the certificate between the servers manually.

System Volume Information - Vista Forums:

I have noticed that my System Volume Information folder is very big. I cleared the restores and it went down to 600MB because it has to leave the lastest. However, after 4 days, it has already risen to 5GB in size. My hard disk is 160GB capcacity. How large should the folder be and will it rise to a certain point and then stop? What proportion of the drive does the folder take up.

Apparently some people are concerned about every last byte, I went looking to see what the SVI folder should be restricted to, as on my machine it had taken about 150GB of space. Apparently it was set to "unbounded" and not restricted to 15% or so of my drive. I set it to 1GB to clear out the old (since I'm doing a full system backup for just the purpose of having a system restore) and then set it to about 10% of my drive (26GB). Now I'm questioning my decision to move my iTunes library to the NAS device...

Once again the subject of the Najd came up today, and I hunted down the hadith. Very interesting essay around it.

Misc. Articles - Intermediaries of Shirk by Sayyid Maliki:

‘The Prophet (s.w.s.) mentioned: “O Allah, give us baraka in our Syria, O Allah, give us baraka in our Yemen.” They said: “And in our Najd?” and he said: “O Allah, give us baraka in our Syria, O Allah, give us baraka in our Yemen.” They said: “And in our Najd?” and I believe that he said the third time: “In that place are earthquakes, and seditions, and in that place shall rise the devil’s horn [qarn al-shaytan].”’

Very compelling arguments.

How to use rdesktop (Windows remote desktop connection) - Ubuntu Forums:

rdesktop is a client program that allows you to connect from your Ubuntu computer to your Windows computer to remote control the Windows computer. In other words, while you are sitting in front of your Ubuntu computer at home, you can log into and access your Windows computer as if you are sitting in front of the Windows computer.

Wow, I have to say that Ubuntu is really ready for prime time. It works on my old Laptop without having to hunt down odd laptop drivers, it comes with productivity software installed, the package system for downloading additional software is easy to use, it can access my VPN, it can RDS (as seen above), and more! Really outside of MS SQL and MS VisualStudio I could do all of my work on an Ubuntu 9 machine.