New Interview and SQLMag ToolTime Blog Article on “SQLClue”

A neat new administration and configuration management tool for the SQL Server set.  I especially like the Run Book features, because Run Books are the way us "oldtimers" like to run our IT infrastructure.  My pal, Buck Woody, also likes Run Books (and really big explosions by the guys on MythBusters, but that's another discussion).  Find all the details about the new tool, created by Bill Wunder, here. In addition, I'm honored and amazed that the team at RunAsRadio invited me to participate in interview #143.  These are the same guys who also put together one of the best and longest … [Read more...]

The Awesomeness of ROBOCOPY Now at SQLMag

If you're like me, you've used Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V more than a time or two, but you've always felt a little dirty afterwards.  Yeah, you can use the command-line COPY or XCOPY utilities.  But they're decidedly 20th Century, much like some of the laundry still loitering under my office couch. So I spent a little time over the holidays cleaning up my file system by scripting a backup routine using the very cool and very free ROBOCOPY utility.  Now, I've got a regularly scheduled job that, after the first run which captured all my files, only backs up new or changed files (and directories) while … [Read more...]

2009: The Year in List Form

Before I jump onto the Goals and Themeword meme started by my buddy, Thomas LaRock (blog | twitter), I decided I'd spend a few minutes looking back on both the year 2009. (From a personal standpoint, the 00's were my most difficult decade yet.  Major problems of every stripe beset me on all sides and with alarming frequency throughout the decade.  I was all "Good Riddance" and "Don't let the door hit y'ass on the way out, 2009!" as the ball dropped in Times Square.) Rather than spend a lot of time cooking up my own top 10 lists, I reckoned (that's Southern for "thought", btw) I'd recap a … [Read more...]

Like PowerShell for SQL Server?

Check out my new Tool Time column in this month's SQL Server Magazine. It features some great new PowerShell scripts and information from Chad Miller (blog) who I had the pleasure to meet in person back in October of this year while speaking at the SQL Server of central Florida and at SQL Saturday #21. In addition, I'd like to point out a free utility called PowerGUI.  If you're like me, the last thing you have time for is learning a new code like PowerShell.  So I copped out and got the next best alternative to real code, the fancy and pretty drag-n-drop interface of PowerGUI.  (Full … [Read more...]

Where you can find me at the PASS Summit

In previous years, I hardly had time to sit down and catch a breather at a PASS Summit.  Between my duties as an officer of PASS, exhibit hall time with Quest Software (my employer), speaking in my own sessions, and meeting with PASS volunteers and community organizers, I was busy from the crack of dawn until midnight all week long. Fortunately, those grueling marathons are fading into the past. I still have a busy slate ahead of me for next week.  But it looks like I'll even have time to attend some sessions.  Yeah!  Here's what I've currently got planned: Monday, Nov 2 Depart for … [Read more...]

New at SQLMag – Disk2Vhd

I just posted a new entry on my SQLMag Tool Time blog that you might enjoy. Thanks to my friend and fellow MVP John Paul Cook for bringing Disk2Vhd to my attention on his blog. The free tool is enables migration of a physical machine (PM) to a virtual machine (VM), while the PM is running.  You can download it from Microsoft here.  John also has lots of other great information about VM migration here.  Note that John's content relates to Hyper-V. So if you're looking for VMWare tools, keep looking. Of course, if you find similar free tools for VMWare, let us know by posting … [Read more...]

New at SQLMag – TraceAnalyzer

I just posted a new entry on my SQLMag Tool Time blog that you might like to check out. I'm a big fan of Bill Graziano's ClearTrace tool, but perhaps you'll like the new tool from DBSophic, called TraceAnalyzer, even better?  Compare the two and let me know here. Cheers, -Kevin Twitter @kekline … [Read more...]

New Post on My SQL Server Magazine Blog

Just put up a new post detailing a new block discovery and alerting script from Yaniv Etrogi.  Read my SQLMag blog describing free tools and scripts for SQL Server at: http://www.sqlmag.com/blog/index.cfm?action=blogindex&DepartmentID=965. Enjoy! -Kev Twitter @ kekline … [Read more...]