Author Archives: Richard

Sorting behavior

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Richard

One of the best parts of my job is explaining database concepts to non-database folks: developers, managers, CEOs, my wife, etc. One lesson I’ve had to explain numerous times is that SQL Server doesn’t guarantee that data will come back … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, DBA, Frustrating errors, SQL, SQL Server Internals, Testing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Schema changes and row size

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Richard

I was working on a stored procedure that was misbehaving on a rather massive and embarrassing scale. The code seemed solid. The data model made sense. And yet… Every time I ran this proc it crashed and burned. There were … Continue reading →

Posted in SQL, SQL Server Internals | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Automating ER/Studio with C# code.

Posted on September 1, 2014 by Richard

I really enjoy data modelling and I really enjoy using the various modelling tools I’ve come across. All of them have their charms and their drawbacks. But I’ve yet to use one which works the way I want it to … Continue reading →

Posted in Automation, Data Modeling, ER/Studio | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

SQL Server install fails due to SQL Browser not starting

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Richard

While trying to install SQL Server 2012 as a named instance I got the following error in the error log: Exception type: Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.Sco.ScoException Message: Service ‘SQLBrowser’ start request failed. HResult : 0x84bb0001 FacilityCode : 1211 (4bb) ErrorCode : 1 (0001) … Continue reading →

Posted in DBA, Frustrating errors, SQL, SQL Server 2012 | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Broaden your vision

Posted on October 1, 2012 by Richard

Where there is no vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18A, KJV) It’s old wisdom but still valid. When you have no direction you flounder and sometimes the people around you flounder, too. This is true in the tech world as … Continue reading →

Posted in Automation, Business, Data Modeling, Life, PowerShell, spirit, Sybase PowerDesigner, Tools | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Data Modeling, Conciseness and Philosophy

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Richard

Graeme Simsion and Graham Witt use the term conciseness to describe one of the most interesting aspects of a data model. Simsion and Witt write that a good data model implicitly defines a whole set of screens, reports and processes … Continue reading →

Posted in Data Modeling, Life, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Importing Column Documentation from a CSV into a Sybase PowerDesigner Data Model

Posted on September 24, 2012 by Richard

(Update – I have a more efficient version of this script posted here) I’m a big fan of data modeling tools. I used to chafe against them as so often it was easier for me to think in code. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Automation, Data Modeling, PowerShell, Sybase PowerDesigner, Tools | 4 Comments

SSRS report throws an error that says a parameter doesn’t exist when the report designer clearly shows the parameter exists

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Richard

The order in which the parameters appear in the BIDS Report Data tab can be the difference between your report executing and it failing. Failure to pay attention to this will give you very mysterious error messages! "The Value expression … Continue reading →

Posted in Frustrating errors, SQL | Tagged , , | 15 Comments

Downloading the Results of a Twitter Search using PowerShell and SQL (part 3)

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Richard

Part one of this series is here and part two is here. You’ll need the SQL scripts from part two in order for the code below to work but you can skip part one unless you’re curious to see the … Continue reading →

Posted in PowerShell, SQL | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Downloading the Results of a Twitter Search using PowerShell and SQL (part 2)

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Richard

I’ve expanded a little on my Twitter project. (See part 1 here.) I adjusted the PowerShell script to page through the data going back as far as Twitter holds the data. There is still a lot to be done. Left … Continue reading →

Posted in PowerShell, SQL | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment