The transaction log for database is full due to LOG_BACKUP

Question: I'm getting the The transaction log for database is full due to LOG BACKUP Error 9002 Severity 17 State 2 error message . When I look at the Message associated with the error message the details are "One or more recovery units belonging to database 'database_name' failed to generate a checkpoint. This is typically caused by lack of system resources such as disk or memory, or in some cases due to database corruption. Examine previous entries in the error log for more detailed information on this failure" I can see clearly the disk space available on the drive is... Read more →

Day 2 Operations - Are you ready?

Question: I was in a meeting yesterday and heard a new term - "Day 2 Operations". In the context of the conversation Iit made sense, but I'd never heard it. Is this a formal concept? What are the specifics? Answer: In general terms - Day 2 operations refers to features of a product or platform which are in an operational state. Thinking about Day 2 operations as part of a lifecycle - we'd be discussing product usage in the advanced stages of the lifecycle, Day 0 -customer requirements -Architectural Design Day 1 -Build -Deployment -Best practises configuration Day 2 -Operations... Read more →

Guiding principles for new technologies and database servers

It seems like every day there is a new technology that touches database servers - just today I've discussed : Containers, Kubernetes , Database as a service , automation, paving,PAS, open-source, DevOps , Puppet, managing policies,multi-vendor cloud providers. Some of these I can discuss confidently , others not so much , but this is the sort of complexity DBAs are asked to comprehend \advise \ make decisions. Some of my guiding principles in all these conversations is to understand from a organisational and technology perspective how it all fits together 1) All technologies must be viewed in the context of... Read more →

How to get SQL port number using xp_readererrorlog

Question: Without going into the SQL Server Configuration manager via the GUI is there a command oriented method to extract the port number SQL Server is listening on? Answer: There are a few different methods to extract the port number without going into the Configuration interface. Method 1 - use xp_readererrorlog When SQL Server starts up it goes through a number of checks and records these in the SQL Server Error log files. one of the checks relates to ports SQL Server is listening on. This is an example to extract the port number . The first example is for... Read more →

Astronauts are taught this six-stage decision making process

Being accepted into an astronaut training program is one of the toughest entry processes in the professional world. As part of the entry acceptance process - potential astronaut candidates are subjected to constant testing to expose any weaknesses in pattern recognition, visual memory , working memory and so forth. As part of the astronaut training at the European Space Agency - astronauts are taught a six-stage decision making technique - with an acronym of FORDEC FORDEC stands for: F = Facts O = Options R = Risks D = Decision E = Execute C = Check Seems simple - but... Read more →