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- Andras on Turning a Sonos into an AirPlay device
- bala on Configuring SQL Server to use Managed Service Accounts (in PowerShell)
- Eduardo on Database Corruption Challenge Part 1
- BPOTW – 2015-05-15 | SQL Notes From The Underground on Debugging Long-Running SQL Queries
- Robin on Bike Tour Business Intelligence: Part 6 [Building the Fact Table]
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Author Archives: Robin
Turning a Sonos into an AirPlay device
I love my Sonos speaker system – it makes it so simple to play music around my flat. However I keep up with several podcasts and like to listen to them whilst cooking and doing chores. Sadly the Sonos support … Continue reading
Using SQL Spatial to find waypoints close to a route
I’m going away on another cycling adventure soon, riding north through France and Germany before a short stint in both The Netherlands and Belgium. No opportunity for a long trip this time so the ride is just over 500 miles … Continue reading
Posted in PowerShell, Scripting, Spatial, SQL Server
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Debugging Long-Running SQL Queries
The T-SQL PRINT statement lets you write to the Messages window in SQL Server Management Studio, which makes it a helpful aid when debugging SQL scripts and stored procedures. Unfortunately there is one major issue with using PRINT. The messages … Continue reading
Posted in SQL Server
1 Comment
Automated Configuration Management: Deploying SQL Server via PowerShell DSC
Desired State Configuration (DSC) is a new PowerShell feature that manages Windows infrastructure (servers and applications), both on premises and in the cloud. It’s built into PowerShell 4.0 and is part of the Windows Management Framework. PowerShell DSC comes shipped … Continue reading
Posted in Automation, Deployment
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Change photo file date based on EXIF data
I want to transfer some of my favourite photos from last year’s bike tour to my Android tablet. All my pictures are stored in Aperture on my Mac and although it’s a great piece of software it has a very … Continue reading
Posted in PowerShell, Scripting
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Database Corruption Challenge Part 1
Last weekend I saw a tweet mentioning Steve Stedman’s DataBase Corruption Challenge (DBCC) where he publishes a database that’s been corrupted and offers a challenge to the community to recover the database (hopefully) without any data loss. What a great … Continue reading
Posted in SQL Server
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PowerShell try/catch Strangeness and Terminating Errors
For my sins I have been (and to some extents still am) a C# developer. Compared with scripting there is a lot I like about writing applications in fully fledged high-level languages, especially when it comes to flow control. Not … Continue reading
Posted in PowerShell, Scripting
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PowerShell Snippets
This week I’ve been watching the recent Microsoft Virtual Academy on Advanced Desired State Configuration and Custom Resources. It’s interesting to see what Microsoft are doing in this space given the competition has been around for years. DSC is in … Continue reading
Posted in PowerShell, Scripting
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Configuring SQL Server to use Managed Service Accounts (in PowerShell)
When building out a new SQL Server environment, one consideration is the service account used to run SQL services. In SQL 2014 there are five options to choose from: Local Account Built-in Account – The Local Service, Network Service or … Continue reading
Posted in Administration, Automation, PowerShell, Scripting
1 Comment
Using Automation to shut down Azure VMs
Azure is great. For a test lab environment, why bother messing with virtual machines on your laptop when you can run them in the cloud instead? But, as anyone who has made this mistake will know, forgetting to shut down … Continue reading
Posted in Azure, PowerShell, Scripting
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