SEARCHDATABASE.COM | Database Administrator Tips October 8, 2003 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FROM OUR SPONSOR:
How does your salary compare to those of your peers? http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/dice/0,294542,sid13,00.html?track=NL-94&Offer=dbdicesur93 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= IN THIS ISSUE | Table of Contents 1. DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR TIPS - SQL Server: Problem-solving blocking situations - DB2: Little by little, step by step: Splitting DB2 transactions - Oracle: Speed up transport between primary and standby database - More recent tips from members 2. IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS AND LINKS - Free webcast: The future of database administration - Ask the experts: Converting columns to rows - Featured Topic: 600 DBMS tips and scripts ___________________________________________________________________ **************** SearchDatabase.com Career Center ***************** How does your salary compare to those of your peers? Visit SearchDatabase.com's new Career Center powered by Dice and take our salary survey. You'll find training, certification and resume resources along with over 27,000 IT job openings to search through. Register now and receive e-mails when a listing matches your search criteria, have your profile automatically sent to Dice.com member companies, access a host of career resources and tips and much more! http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/dice/0,294542,sid13,00.html?track=NL-94&Offer=dbdicesur93 ******************************************************************* ___________________________________________________________________ THIS WEEK'S TIPS: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= PROBLEM-SOLVING BLOCKING SITUATIONS | Robert Hauck This procedure for SQL Server 2000 is intended to help with problem-solving blocking situations. The author developed it to contact users when their client software holds locks that are holding up other users. It works faster than viewing the blocking status through Enterprise Manager. >> CLICK for the full tip... http://www.searchDatabase.com/tip/1,289483,sid13_gci912793,00.html?track=NL-94 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= LITTLE BY LITTLE, STEP BY STEP: SPLITTING DB2 TRANSACTIONS by Alexander Kuznetsov Sometimes you may need to insert, update or delete a lot of rows. Doing that in one SQL statement may be unwise. Here is how to split a large transaction into several smaller ones in DB2. >> CLICK for the full tip... http://www.searchDatabase.com/tip/1,289483,sid13_gci931229,00.html?track=NL-94 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= SPEED UP DATA TRANSPORT BETWEEN PRIMARY AND STANDBY DATABASE Ravinder Bhalla presents a quick tip to speed up data transport between primary and standby Oracle databases in a DataGuard environment. >> CLICK for the tip... http://www.searchOracle.com/tip/1,289483,sid41_gci930276,00.html?track=NL-94 ___________________________________________________________________ MORE RECENT TIPS FROM SEARCHDATABASE MEMBERS: HOW SQL SERVER IS HACKED | David Litchfield http://www.searchDatabase.com/tip/1,289483,sid13_gci930221,00.html?track=NL-94 Database servers are a soft target for hackers even though they should be the most secure boxes within an organization's IT infrastructure. This chapter from David Litchfeld's new book "SQL Server Security" covers both software vulnerabilities, configuration issues, hacker tools, attacks that require and don't require authentication, and more. FORMATTING THE DATE WITH SQL | Ravinder Bahadur http://www.searchDatabase.com/tip/1,289483,sid13_gci920867,00.html?track=NL-94 Here is a simple way to provide a format for date fields in DB2. HIDDEN ORACLE, PART II: USING UNDOCUMENTED PARAMETERS http://www.searchOracle.com/tip/1,289483,sid41_gci928423,00.html?track=NL-94 In part 1 of this series, guru Don Burleson explored ways to extract undocumented packages, hints, utilities and executables from Oracle. Now Don is ready to explore some ways that the undocumented Oracle parameters are used to aid the Oracle professional in managing and tuning their systems. SPLIT DELIMITER-SEPARATED LISTS | Rajasekhar Sahitala http://www.searchDatabase.com/tip/1,289483,sid13_gci915927,00.html?track=NL-94 This SQL Server function is useful for splitting a string of values delimited by a special character; e.g., a comma or a space. DB2 DISCOVERY | Barrie Sosinsky http://www.searchDatabase.com/tip/1,289483,sid13_gci928300,00.html?track=NL-94 Here is a quick introduction to DB2 Discovery, which provides a more automated approach to problems associated with client/server communication. SELECTIVITY AND COMPOSITE INDEXES | Sethuraj Nair http://www.searchOracle.com/tip/1,289483,sid41_gci928040,00.html?track=NL-94 Badly ordered composite keys will prevent you from getting the best out of indexing in Oracle. Columns with excellent selectivity at the beginning of the index considerably boost its performance. This script will help DBAs get an idea about the selectivity of component columns of all existing indexes, make a decision about re-ordering the columns in the indexes based on selectivity, and more... HIDDEN ORACLE, PART I: EXPLORING UNDOCUMENTED UTILITIES http://www.searchOracle.com/tip/1,289483,sid41_gci928422,00.html?track=NL-94 Each new release of Oracle brings new hidden utilities. They are sometimes used by internal Oracle development staff and left in Oracle for emergency support. Many of these undocumented utilities are very powerful but can be complex. In this article, Oracle guru Don Burleson describes how to find hidden utilities, executables, parameters, v$ views, system events, and SQL hints. CHECK THE ISOLATION LEVEL OF ANY SQL SERVER SPID | Paul Wehland http://www.searchDatabase.com/tip/1,289483,sid13_gci920866,00.html?track=NL-94 How do you check the isolation level of other users (i.e., other SPIDs)? DBCC USEROPTIONS cannot do it. The way aound this is to use the undocumented DBCC PSS command.... Hundreds more free tech tips submitted by members: http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/tips/0,289484,sid13_tax281808,00.html?track=NL-94 Share your knowledge, submit a tip, win a prize: http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/tipsSubmit/1,289485,sid13,00.html?track=NL-94 ___________________________________________________________________ IMPORTANT LINKS: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= THE FUTURE OF DATABASE ADMINISTRATION | Free Webcast SPEAKER: Craig Mullins, Director of Technology Planning, BMC Software WHEN: Available now! Certain trends across the DBMS market today are changing the traditional role of the DBA. Tune in to this webcast and listen as expert Craig Mullins discusses: General industry patterns and specific DBMS market trends, skills essential to a successful career as a DBA today, including Java, .NET and XML, and new demands on the DBA, such as data integration. >> CLICK to listen now... http://searchDatabase.com/r/0,,18754,00.htm?track=NL-94 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= CONVERTING COLUMNS TO ROWS | Ask the Experts Dear Ask the Expert, I want to show columns into rows. For example, I have a table, Weekly_Timesheet, and I want to list rows on a daily basis, i.e. each day's field, SUN_NT to SAT_NT, for a weekly row converted to daily basis... >> CLICK to read SQL expert Rudy Limeback's response... http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/ateQuestionNResponse/0,289625,sid13_cid551981_tax285649,00.html?track=NL-94 >> CLICK for other database expert answers... http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/ateExperts/0,289622,sid13,00.html?track=NL-94 >> CLICK for Oracle-related expert answers... http://searchoracle.techtarget.com/ateExperts/0,289622,sid41,00.html?track=NL-94 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 600 DBMS TIPS AND SCRIPTS | SearchDatabase.com Featured Topic Looking for that perfect script that will make your life as a database guru just a tad easier? You've come to the right place! 600 Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, and SQL tips are inside. >> CLICK for our current Featured Topic... http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/featuredTopic/0,290042,sid13_gci846574,00.html?track=NL-94 >> CLICK for previous Featured Topics... http://searchdatabase.techtarget.com/featuredTopics/0,290043,sid13,00.html?track=NL-94 ___________________________________________________________________ *********************SEARCHDATABASE CONTACTS*********************** TIM DICHIARA, Senior Site Editor (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ROBYN LORUSSO, Site Editor (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) SARA CUSHMAN, Assistant Editor (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ELLEN O'BRIEN, News Editor (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ROB WESTERVELT, News Writer (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) TOM CLICK, Sales (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) CLARK MOREY, Sales (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) ___________________________________________________________________ **********************ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER************************ Created by TechTarget (http://www.techtarget.com?track=NL-94 TechTarget - The Most Targeted IT Media Copyright 2003, All Rights Reserved. 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