Letters to the Editor

Abstract

Does one of your gurus have the background and desire to write such an article? -Roger Reid InstantDoc ID 96635 You Bet We're Listening! A SQL Server Magazine author goes the extra mile to help readers online SQL Server Magazine readers are buzzing about Rodney Landrum's article, "SQL Server Integration Services," May 2007, InstantDoc ID 95385.

Date/Time Conversions Code Correction

Thanks to Susan Perschke for her great article, "Automate Date/Time Conversions" (March 2007, InstantDoc ID 94954). I just finished a project where I had to do exactly what Susan described in Listing 1 and created a uniqueness database file (UDF) that does the same thing. From her article, I thought I might create a couple more handy date/time-related UDFs. I ran into a snag with her sp_format_dt. The "set @ result = convert(char(20), convert(datetime, @dt, @code_in), @code_out)" statement failed for me. After consulting the SQL Server documentation, I believe it specifies that you can use only the Style parameter when converting to a STRING type (nchar, nvarchar, char, varchar, nchar, or nvarchar data types). The part "convert(datetime, @dt, @code_in)" doesn't seem to work. Instead, what I get is an error: Conversion failed when converting datetime from character string. Am I right about this, or am I missing something about this statement?

-Jack Rosa

Thank you for the compliment, Jack, and for the feedback. As sometimes happens, the original code was modified during the editing process, and I have to confess that I dropped the ball on retesting the code before the article went to print. We've corrected the code back to the original for the stored procedure, and you can access it in the online article's downloadable .zip file. I'm happy to hear that you've achieved good results with this method.

-Susan Perschke

A SharePoint Survival Guide for SQL Server Admins

Lately, I've been looking for information on the topic "SharePoint for SQL Server admins." I run the SQL Server systems in my shop. I'm not a SharePoint developer or administrator. But under the hood, most of the SharePoint data is on my servers-and SharePoint is no ordinary app. Once I realized that it needed to be able to create and destroy databases, I knew it needed its own instance-usually database owners (DBOs) don't get that permission. But these are databases of databases. Recently, I tried to move them to a new SQL Server instance by using detach/copy/attach. We still don't know why that ended in disaster. When we gave up and reattached the original server to the untouched original files, that didn't work either. Neither our SharePoint admin nor I know the right answer to "best way to back it all up." I want to use my usual full/differential/logs cycle. He thinks he should be using stsadm and copying database dumps across the network. I know-it depends on what you'll need to restore. Still, we'd like a better way to make those decisions.

So, a SQL Server admin supporting Share-Point needs to know a fair amount about SharePoint, without becoming a general expert in SharePoint administration or development. I could sort through the general SharePoint admin courses and books, but I've got 137 other databases on three different platforms to look after, too, so I don't want to spend more time on Share-Point than I need to. And I really would like to hear from someone who doesn't need to be told what a stored procedure is but might have little notion of what a Web part is. Does one of your gurus have the background and desire to write such an article?

-Roger Reid

InstantDoc ID 96635

You Bet We're Listening!

A SQL Server Magazine author goes the extra mile to help readers online

SQL Server Magazine readers are buzzing about Rodney Landrum's article, "SQL Server Integration Services," May 2007, InstantDoc ID 95385. Some readers, such as abates100, raved about the article: "Awesome! Have been wanting something like this for quite awhile since we have been adding SQL instances at an alarming rate. Seemed like such a huge task because I haven't used SSIS much, but your instructions were excellent."

Just as notable, though, are the reader comments asking for help with getting the article's instructions to work-and the author's prompt, obliging responses. For instance, reader Haywood wrote, "I can't seem to get this to run... I followed the article, and everything should work, but it isn't." Rodney helped Haywood, then went on to respond to other comments and even contacted several readers offline to help resolve their issues. The moral of the story: SQL Server Magazine really is on the job with you, and our authors and editors will go the distance to help our readers out.

You Drive Our Content

In direct response to readers' feedback on his SSIS article, Rodney is writing a follow-up article that will expand on both SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) and SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). Rodney says the article "will deal with SQL Server 2000 vs. 2005-specific queries and accessing connections via nondomain accounts (DMA and SQL Authentication). Not to mention at least five new reports and five new reporting categories." Look for that article in a few months. And keep those comments coming: SQL Server Magazine authors and editors are listening!

-Anne Grubb, Web Lead Editor, SQL Server Magazine

InstantDoc ID 96675

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