“Cannot connect to WMI provider. You do not have permission or the server is unreachable. Note that you can only manage SQL Server 2005 servers with SQL Server Configuration Manager. The specified module could not be found. [0x8007007e]“

After checking the server error logs and not finding anything I went to my backup DBA. Mr Google. I found the issue posted on MS Connect but it was “Closed as Not Reproducible”. One thing to note several people reported the error after upgrading SQL 2005 to SQL 2008. This server is a clean install of SQL 2008.

Several workarounds were posted but this is the one that worked for me.

C:\>mofcomp “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Shared\sqlmgmproviderxpsp2up.mof

You can read more about it here, but remember it is closed.

http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/443459/cannot-connect-to-wmi-provider-error-0x8007007e#

Cheers!

Definition

burn-out noun \ˈbərn-ˌau̇t\
: the cessation of operation usually of a jet or rocket engine; also : the point at which burnout occurs

2
a : exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration b : a person suffering from burnout

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/burnout)

Everyone experiences burn-out of some degree from time to time. My recent experience and how I recovered am recovering is what I wanted to share here. Writing about it will help in a few ways. Writing it down helps you to collect your thoughts, set your mind at ease and gets you moving. And if this helps even one person (besides me) that’s all I could hope for.

Recognizing You Have A Problem

They say (you “those people”) the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. O.K. I am (or was) burnt-out. There. I said it. It’s all out in the open now.

What Causes Burn-out?

If you volunteer for more than one cause/event/thing at a time, you may be burnt-out. If you have meetings every day related to one or more causes you volunteer for, you may be burnt-out. If you have a hard time saying “no” to a worthy cause, you may be burnt-out. If the only free time is when you are sitting down taking care of business (you know what I mean) or sleeping, you are be burnt-out. Get some help!

How To Combat Being Burn-out

First thing after identifying you are burn-out you should do is, wait for it, wait for I, do nothing. That’s right do absolutely nothing. What I mean by that is don’t do anything related to what caused the burn-out to occur. Do other mindless activities. Like watch TV. For example watch “Dancing with the Stars”, or “America’s Got Talent”, or any one of those other “reality” shows. Read book, remember nothing related to the “cause”. Get back on that physical exercise routine you haven’t done since August.

What I Am Doing

I am starting to write again. As evidenced by this post. I have been reading a lot. I went to the library back before Christmas and found some books I have read in the past and read them again. As a result Santa Clause brought me a new book. By reading that one I discovered there were others written after the last one and before this one. In fact, I just got back from the library checking out one of them. I am still doing the thing that caused me to feel burnt-out but I am easing back into it. I started running again and even thinking about getting into the new craziness of GetHawt organized by Sarah Strate ( blog | twitter ) and Jen McCown ( blog | twitter ). The jury is still out on that one and only time will tell.

I also have a few other posts started that I will be finishing and posting. I addition I am working on at least one new presentation and am seriously thinking about submitting to SQLRally and a few SQLSaturday’s.

Conclusions

Burn-out is common and can happen to any of us at any time. The keys are to identify you have a problem. Take time off. Do some mindless things. Reread a book or discover a new one. Then ease back into the routine and get back on track. Life is too short not to do the things you want to do.

Cheers!

Luckily there is a lot of great information out there for first timers. Like on the PASS web site, first timer’s orientation. Denny Cherry ( twitter | blog ) has a good video on some basics for first timers as well as some “extra things to do”. Check it out here.

What To Do

I am so glad I attended almost every 24HOP session. They were a great way to help me figure out which pre-cons to attend and get a more in-depth learn-on. Thanks PASS for thinking of me.

So, how did I pick the pre-con session(s)? I put all the sessions on a dart board (by day) and threw darts! Even if I did if I did do it that way I couldn’t go wrong with all the awesomesauce sessions to choose from. Actually, I choose the ones that will further my understanding of the technologies I work with every day in support of the many projects I work on. (At least that’s what I am putting down “officially”) Unofficially I want learn more and to effectively and confidently do some smack downs when they are warranted.

Where To Go

I will do a little planning on this but not all that much. I plan on following twitter to see where all the cool people will be hanging. That is unless I get actual invites to parties (wink wink, nudge nudge)

I am also going to try and hit up the first timer’s ball, or party. I will also be looking up the PASS volunteer gathering to meet some of the people I have worked with over the last few years. Overall I am going to be as fluid as possible and go with the flow.

Who To Meet

I interact with so many cool people on twitter, going to the summit will give me the opportunity to meet, talk and maybe hangout (if I am lucky) with some of them for the first time, and others again. Who am I looking forward to meeting? No one person in particular. I am not playing favorites here, no matter who it is, even if we’ve never chatted before I want to meet you. So don’t be surprised if I come up and ask you who you are and what you do.

Final Thoughts

I am really psyched about going to PASS this year. Have I figured out Where to go, What to do, Who to meet, Am I wearing pants, or a Kilt? Not completely, although a kilt is most likely not in the cards. But that is OK too. The important thing is I am going to the summit. I am going to get my SQL learn on and everything else will either fall into place or it won’t. If you are going, look me up, I’ll be around and having fun.

Cheers!

This all revolves around the folder your snapshot resides in. It must be a shared drive. At first, due to the wording of the error I thought it was permissions. After doing permission checks and rechecking to make sure the user I have the replication agent running under I found the problem.

Here is the full error. See if you can figure out the error.

The replication agent failed to create the directory ‘\\PRWSQL60\ReplData\unc\PRWSQL60_PRW_Trainig_PRWTrain\20110831134016\’

You see it? Well neither did I at first. So a little searching, and reading, and some more searching I still could not figure it out. Then I thought, I work in a rather large environment. There are several other servers setup for replication so I went to compare notes. More specifically, I went to see how they had the snapshot folder setup

Once I logged it and found the screen, the answer was right in front of my face! There was one little character I missed and overlooked when I setup the replication.

‘\\PRWSQL60\ReplData$

So, there it is, one little $. Hopefully, if you are having the same error and you are out searching the Internets, you found this post before beating your head on the wall and stressing over something seemingly so simple to setup. The devil is in the details.

Cheers!

What Volunteers Do

In short, they do everything. Do you remember looking at the event page for SQL Saturday 97? No, well, here is a link, http://www.sqlsaturday.com/97/eventhome.aspx go take a look. What is the 6^th word in the 2^nd paragraph? One of the main reasons we can provide events as this at this price is because of volunteers on the front line and down in the trenches.

Here are a few things we will need help with. Registration desk when attendees first arrive. Room monitors to hand out speaker evaluations and collect them at the end and to help keep the speaker on track. Greeters and General Information Dispensers, Vendor Area setup/takedown, Breakfast Server setup/takedown, Lunch Server setup/takedown , Room Proctors /Monitors.

What Do You Get As A Volunteer?

Well first off you get a really cool shirt! What else do you need? No seriously, when I volunteered I was a room monitor and I used that opportunity to meet and talk with the speakers a little more closely than might be able to right after a sessions. It also helped me break the ice with other speakers and attendees later at the networking party (a must).

There is also the opportunity to get fame and fortune. Well O.K. maybe not, but at least you can say you hung out with a @SQLRockstar, Thomas LaRock ( twitter | blog ) or Jen and Sean McCown the @MidnightDBA dynamic duo ( twitter | blog ) or our very own @SQLServerIO, Wes Brown ( twitter | blog ) or any number of other up and coming local speakers.

What Do We Get From You?

Believe it or not you are giving back by volunteering. When you volunteer you are helping to keep the SQL Community alive, moving forward and continually growing. You are helping to provide a free training event to people that may be just starting out working with SQL Server or any of its related components. You are also helping to save some of the rest of us some sleepless nights and reducing our stress levels.

Final Thoughts

Volunteers are the backbone of these events without them we would not be able to host SQL Saturday 97 or any SQL Saturday events. Volunteering can be rewarding in many different ways. It’s up to you how you approach the opportunity and what you make of it. I have volunteered for several SQL Saturday events now with SQL Saturday 97 being the first I am helping to organize. I can tell you each one is different and each one has been very rewarding from the new things I learned to the people I met.

I will go out on a limb and say if you volunteer to help, even a little, you will also get this warm, fuzzy feeling that only comes from volunteering and helping make an event such like SQL Saturday 97 a success.

If you want to volunteer after reading this email me at aj.mendo@sqlposse.com or signup to attend here and check the box to volunteer.

See you there.

Cheers!

Part of the mission statement of SQL Saturday (read the full statement here) is to provide a day of free training to SQL Server Professionals and those new to SQL Server an event that combines training and networking as well as find and grow new speakers (see Calling All Local Speakers) that means you!

Take a look at all the sessions submitted. The tracks are not finalized yet but so far we have sessions submitted for DBAs, Developers, BI professionals, dotNet, and an Advanced. As you can see there is something for everyone.

Cool People To Meet

For me networking is one of the best parts of any SQL Saturday event. You can catch up with old friends and meet new ones. I especially like meeting the people I have chatted with on twitter and not met in person. That’s part of what makes the SQL community so strong and always growing. You can have conversations (all be it short ones) on twitter and when you actually meet them it’s almost as if you have known them for years.

The Weather Is Fine Wish You Were

I am sure you have seen something in the news about how hot it has been and the serious drought conditions down here in Texas recently. Yes it’s true; we have many days during the summer over 100 degrees and have not had measurable rain in several months.  However, our fall weather is usually very, very nice.

The normal high temperatures for October are in the low 80s and the normal low temperatures are in the upper 50s. Our average monthly rainfall is below 4 inches. That is not too shabby when compared to other areas of the country or world for the month of October. This year will be no different it is going to be a beautiful weekend to be in Austin.

Things To Do

After getting your learn on during the day, and after you have hung out at the Networking Social post event party you can stroll along 6^th street. Checkout the clubs the people and maybe, just maybe run into the world famous Leslie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Cochran).

Austin is known as the Live Music Capital of the World! Every weekend for sure and just about every week night you can find live music to your liking in Austin. Whatever you decide to do Austin has the nightlife to support it.

Vendors

Vendors are a big part of any of the SQL Saturday events and ours is no different. They support the events financially and with people. Please make it a point to visit the vendors, talk with them, and check what they have to offer, get a free pen or a splat ball, and if they are giving something away, throw your name in hat for a drawing at the end of the day. Who knows you may win something and get more than just free knowledge. I was at an event in the spring where one of the attendees won several things in a row. That could be you this time.

Final Thoughts

When you look at the wide range of session topics submitted. The speakers on the list, then networking possibilities, not to mention it is FREE, there is bound to be something for every level of experience.

If you haven’t noticed by now, I am really excited to be a part of CACTUSS and that we can give a little back to the community by SQL Saturday 97. If you are attending, find me and say hi. I’ll be the one grinning from ear to ear.

Cheers!

(Waving hand in Jedi mind trick motion) Submit a session to SQL Saturday97 today.

Join the Ranks

I have given three presentations now. I survived all of them and you will too. Looking back, the first one was shaky, the second one was better and the last one, while not perfect (are they ever?) was the best yet. Why was it the best? Because like other things you do, the more you do them, the better you get. The better you get, the more you do them. Speaking is no different.

Another thing that helps is feedback positive and negative. Most of it the feedback was positive, even after the first one. Don’t get me wrong I have received negative or constructive (that mostly came from me) feedback too. But you also won’t grow or know what to improve on it you don’t get some negative at times. Remember that too when you are attending a session. Feedback is crucial to speakers.

How To Start Speaking

First pick a subject. This was hard for me too and still is at times. What I have presented on in the past was related to things I am doing at work or want to learn to do. Don’t worry if someone “famous” has already presented. There are people out there who have not heard about them or seen their presentation. There are many, many websites with information on “How to give presentations”. Here is just one to get you started. ToastMaster.org

Here is also a simple formula to follow that will assure you give effective presentations.

Tell Them What You Will Be Presenting
Present
Tell Them What You Presented

Follow that and you are well on your way.

Speaking Is Addictive

Let me warn you now. After you give a good presentation you will know it. You can just feel it, even if you made some mistakes. The feeling you get after hearing the applause and knowing you did a good job is what makes you want more. The more you present, the better you will get and the more you will want to present.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, SQLSaturday events were originally designed to promote and grow new speakers. After all we don’t grow on trees. There is tons of support out there to help you get started, but no one can present for you. If you remember the simple formula; Tell Them What You Will Present, Present, Tell Them What You Presented, you have a great foundation. We all started somewhere, even the famous speakers. Now is your time.

(Waving hand in Jedi mind trick motion) Submit a session to SQL Saturday97 today.

Cheers!

After installing SP2 the server needed to reboot. I went through the process and let the server do its thing giving it a few minutes to come back up. After some time I tried to log in I got this error.

Login failed for user user_name. Reason: Server is in script upgrade mode. Only administrator can connect at this time.

I didn’t think this is a good sign, especially since it had been at least 30 minutes or more since I rebooted the server.

The investigation begins.

Reviewing the error log:

2011-06-21 08:28:21.08 spid6s      Error: 5123, Severity: 16, State: 1.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.08 spid6s      CREATE FILE encountered operating system error 3(The system cannot find the path specified.) while attempting to open or create the physical file ‘D:\SQLLogs\2008R2\temp_MS_AgentSigningCertificate_database_log.LDF’.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.09 spid6s      Error: 5123, Severity: 16, State: 1.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.09 spid6s      CREATE FILE encountered operating system error 3(The system cannot find the path specified.) while attempting to open or create the physical file ‘D:\SQLLogs\2008R2\temp_MS_AgentSigningCertificate_database_log.LDF’.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.09 spid6s      Error: 1802, Severity: 16, State: 4.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.09 spid6s      CREATE DATABASE failed. Some file names listed could not be created. Check related errors.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.09 spid6s      Error: 912, Severity: 21, State: 2.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.09 spid6s      Script level upgrade for database ‘master’ failed because upgrade step ‘sqlagent100_msdb_upgrade.sql’ encountered error 598, state 1, severity 25. This is a serious error condition which might interfere with regular operation and the database will be taken offline. If the error happened during upgrade of the ‘master’ database, it will prevent the entire SQL Server instance from starting. Examine the previous errorlog entries for errors, take the appropriate corrective actions and re-start the database so that the script upgrade steps run to completion.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.10 spid6s      Error: 3417, Severity: 21, State: 3.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.10 spid6s      Cannot recover the master database. SQL Server is unable to run. Restore master from a full backup, repair it, or rebuild it. For more information about how to rebuild the master database, see SQL Server Books Online.

2011-06-21 08:28:21.63 spid6s      SQL Trace was stopped due to server shutdown. Trace ID = ’1′. This is an informational message only; no user action is required.

2011-06-21 08:28:22.92 Server      The SQL Server Network Interface library successfully deregistered the Service Principal Name (SPN) [ MSSQLSvc/Server_name:MSSQL2008 ] for the SQL Server service.

2011-06-21 08:28:22.92 Server      The SQL Server Network Interface library successfully deregistered the Service Principal Name (SPN) [ MSSQLSvc/Server_name:57874 ] for the SQL Server service.

Reading the log what sticks out are the following errors.

Error: 5123, Severity: 16, State: 1.

CREATE FILE encountered operating system error…

Error: 1802, Severity: 16, State: 4.

CREATE DATABASE failed…

Error: 912, Severity: 21, State: 2.

Script level upgrade for database ‘master’ failed…

Error: 3417, Severity: 21, State: 3.

Cannot recover the master database…

Holly mackerel! What the heck happened here?

Root Cause

It was not the SP. Recently I had additional drives added to my server. I had moved the log and backup folders from their original location to the new drives but never changed the information within SQL Server. So when the server rebooted it could not find the folders or files on the server. After changing the location from ‘D:\SQLLogs\2008R2\temp_MS_AgentSigningCertificate_database_log.LDF’.

To ‘L:\SQLLogs\2008R2\temp_MS_AgentSigningCertificate_database_log.LDF’.

I restarted the server and everything started as expected.

Lessons Learned

When you change a configuration on a server make sure you complete the changes everywhere. This is my testing server, so no major harm done, but no excuse for my slack job on completing the tasks needed to finish the job.

Cheers!

Recently, I had additional drives and space added so I wanted to move some things around a bit. This is a short post on how to move data and log files for your database. We are going to be talking about the TempDB today but this code and method works for all your databases.

Find File and Name Location

Before we move any files around we need to make sure we know where they are. We have standard configurations but some of the servers were setup prior to the establishment of standards, so the data files can be almost anywhere. I know, it’s not the best environment but as servers are modified I try and get things closer to our standards.

Open a query window in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) and type or copy the following code into the window and execute.

USE [tempdb]
GO

EXEC sp_helpfile

Your results will be like this. Notice the files are located on the D:\TempDB drive and folder.

Move The Files

Now that we know where the files are we will move them to the T:\TempDB drive by executing the following command.

MODIFY FILE ( NAME = logical_file_name, FILENAME = ‘ new_path/os_file_name ‘ )

This is the code I used to my the files.

For this demo and to keep things simple I moved the log file as well. Ideally, you want to place the log file with other log files on their own drive separated from data files.

Restart SQL Server

Now, we want to restart SQL Server

Now we want to confirm the files are where we want them to be.

USE [tempdb]
GO

EXEC sp_helpfile

OK, so the files are now moved to where we wanted them, our work here is done.

As you can see this is very handy and a really good thing to know, especially if you cover other projects that have difficulty managing their disc space. Not that something like that would go on in my shop or yours for that matter. J

If you want to read up more on ALTER Database T-SQL, here is the link to MSDN

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb522469.aspx

Cheers!

You can look up all this information for yourself on BOL here.

The function will take two arguments. Login_name and property_name. The syntax is like so.

LOGINPROPERTY (‘login_name’, ‘property_name’)

Back to the situation where users have locked out their account. You can use this function to see if in fact the account is locked out or maybe something else might be going on with the account.

The return is numerical and follows the normal state. 0 and 1, where zero means no and one means yes. If we get a return of zero as shown in the picture then the account specified is not locked out.

Another handy property of the function is LockoutTime. This returns the date the login was locked out due to exceeding the number of failed login attempts, like so.

You can also check to see when the users password will expire buy using this property. As some of the other property returns this one returns numeric. If zero is returned, then the password is either expired or it will expire on the day of the query. If -1 is returned then the password never expires. And if you get a return of NULL then CHECK_POLICY or CHECK_Expiration is turned OFF for the login or the OS does not support a password policty.

As you can see the LOGINPROPERTY function has a few cool features that may come in handy when you need to work with the accounts on your servers.

You can read more about this function from MSDN here.

Cheers!