SQL Server Diaries

When performing a database migration from one SQL Server instance to another, the DBA has to transfer all logins which have access to the database.  The transfer will only be successful if the logins retain the same passwords to reduce the impact on the end users, and more specifically, the... [Read More]

In Malta, the Super 5 lottery prize has always been considered the peak of winnings by the Maltese.  So much so that it has become part of the day-to-day language when referring to good luck (I feel I just won the Super 5!).  As a challenge, I thought of how... [Read More]

An excellent article posted by Il-Sung Lee (Program Manager, SQL Server Protocols) at Understanding “login failed” (Error 18456) error messages in SQL Server 2005 describes the various error message severity levels. [Read More]

According to the Selecting an Account for the SQL Server Agent Service, the SQL Server Agent service account should be able to authenticate with the instance and also be a memeber of the sysadmin fixed server role. [Read More]

When creating an SQL Server Agent job with one or more steps, each step can be configured to write the query output to a log file.  If the job failes, such a log can assist a DBA identify the cause of the failure.  That is, if the log is still... [Read More]