Well I have decided like many DBAs to get my MCDBA 2000. I have started to study for the 70-228 exam and I have come across study guides with some sample questions. I thought I would share some of the questions with you to see if you can answer them as well. In my next blog post I will reveal the correct answers. Here are 2 questions:

Question 1:

You are the administrator of a SQL Server 2000 computer. You have two new hard disks on which you will create a database named Inventory. You want to insert, update, and delete data as quickly as possible. Which two actions should you take? (Each correct answer represents part of the solution. Choose two.)

a. Configure the hard disks as two mirrored NTFS volumes.
b. Configure the hard disks as one mirrored NTFS volume.
c. Configure the hard disks as two independent NTFS volumes.
d. Configure the hard disks as one extended NTFS volume.
e. Place Inventory_data.mdf on the first volume and Inventory_log.ldf on
the second volume.
f. Place Inventory_data.mdf and Inventory_log.ldf on the first volume and
Inventory_data2.ndf and Inventory_log2.ldf on the second volume
g. Place Inventory_data.mdf and Inventory_log.ldf on the same volume.

Question 2:

You are the administrator of a SQL Server 2000 computer. The server contains seven databases that provide data to several company client/server applications. Each database is maintained by a different user. You need to configure server and database permissions so that each user who maintains a database has full permissions on that database. What should you do?

a. Create a domain user group for all users.
Add a login for the domain user group.
Add the login to the sysadmin server role.
b. Create a domain user group for all users.
Add a login for the domain user group.
Map the login to a database user in each database.
Add all database users to the db_owner database role in each database.
c. Create a login for each user’s domain user account.
Map each login to a database user in the appropriate databases.
Add the database users to the db_owner database role in each database.
d. Create a login for each user’s domain user account.
Add the logins to the dbcreator server role.

Good luck on answering these questions and I hope you get them right. I will update you on my progress as I finish each test and I will give my feedback on the exams here. So keep checking back!

Hello and welcome back to my blog… today I was needing to change the port number on one of my production SQL Server 2005 boxes. Wouldn’t you know it… I had to look for it because it has been awhile since I have had to change the port number on the server. So I thought today I would share where you will find the server port number in SQL Server 2005.

From the Start button click on All Programs, then click on Microsoft SQL Server 2005. From there navigate to Configuration Tools and click on SQL Server Configuration Manager. Once the Configuration Manager opens up, expand the SQL Server 2005 Network Configuration. Underneath this you will see Protocols for <your server name> … click on that. This will display the information for this server on the right hand side of the Configuration Manager. On the right side, double-click on TCP/IP. After double-clicking this the TCP/IP Properties dialog box opens up. Click on the tab that reads “IP Addresses” and this will display all of the IP addresses that are assigned to this server. If you have multiple IP addresses assigned (depends upon how many nic cards you have in the server) to this server then scroll to the bottom to where it reads “IPAll“. Underneath this you will see where it reads “TCP Dynamic Ports“… this is where the Server Port number is located and this where you make the change.

I hope this helps and you can use this a reference each time you need to find the server port.

Hello and welcome back again…

After a little break I thought of what else people would be interested in and I thought about education. In my years of experience I have not seen an employer “want” or more to the point “request” a person that has an MCDBA. Employers seem to “want” people with “real world” experience as opposed to a “paper” DBA. Now the credential is a great idea by Microsoft and I am sure the certification gives employers the “warm fuzzies”. I can see the MCDBA helping a beginner obtaining a junior level DBA position or a seasoned DBA to getting a promotion.

I am all for education and getting as much as you possibly can. Not only does it benefit the employer indirectly but benefits YOU! I definitely believe the cost of the exams are worth it because it will benefit you in the long run. If you ever go for a job and it is between you and another candidate with the same experience chances are the employer will pick you because of the certification.

Let me know your take or opinion on the MCDBA certification!

I was sitting here thinking about what else could I share that other DBAs and developers alike could use or need to know. Then it came to me!… Outside of a specific RDMS it definitely helps to know database theory. So today, I am going to cover Normal Forms or designated as (NF). In theory, as of right now there are 5 Normal Forms. For all practical use however most DBAs and developers take it to 3rd Normal Form. Knowing the Normal Forms and how to apply them will be a tremendous help when design your logical database model.   Edgar F. Codd originally defined the first three normal forms.  I have listed the Normal Forms for you below.

First Normal Form (1NF)
- Exclude variable repeating groups.

Second Normal Form (2NF)
- Meets all requirements of 1NF
- 2NF is violated when a non-key field is a fact about a subset of a key. It is only relevant when the key is composite.

Third Normal Form (3NF)
- Meets all requirements of 2NF
- 3NF is violated when a non-key field is a fact about another non-key field.

Fourth (4NF) and Fifth (5NF) Normal Forms deal with multi-valued facts. e.g. may correspond to a many-to-many relationship

Hello..

Welcome to my blog… this blog is dedicated to providing information that is not found in your standard SQL Server books. Through my years of experience I have collected numerous tips and tricks to help get through those rough times when trying to get a project pushed into production. This blog will discuss tips and tricks from SQL Server 7.0 through SQL Server 2005.

As I provide these tips and tricks I will point out which version(s) of SQL Server they will work on. I invite you the reader to comment and perhaps donate tips and tricks from your own experience. I like to call it… SQL Server Tips and Tricks from the field.