ROB SYMONDS

SQL Server

SSIS Output to Multiple Files

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Let’s say a user asks you to create a flat file output from a database query. Piece of cake. Open SSMS, write the query, run it and copy the results (with headers using SSMS 2008) into a text file. Send the user the file and and you’re done with time left over for a siesta.

But oh wait—they want to be able to open it in an older version of Excel, which will only display ~ 65k rows per sheet. This file has 190k rows. So they ask you to write the output to multiple files, limiting the total rows per file to 60k.

Now what?

You could simply open the raw flat file, go to line 60,001 and cut-paste lines 60,001–120,000 into another file and repeat as necessary. That’s ok for a one-off task but not a good strategy if you are going to be doing this several times. It can be cumbersome and error prone to manually create several files this way.

No—the better approach is to make SSIS do the heavy lifting. I had to do this recently and thought I’d share my solution. [Read more…] about SSIS Output to Multiple Files

The DBA’s Desk

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It is Friday and thankfully I’m knee-deep in SQL Server work today (instead of, say, sitting in meetings). It seemed like the perfect opportunity to open the kimono a bit and show you what the DBA’s desk looks like.

The DBA's Desk
This was only partially staged. I got rid of the dust bunnies.

This shot showcases the non-computer tools required by the proficient DBA. Each item was carefully selected and is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to accomplishing the DBA’s job. I’ll explain. [Read more…] about The DBA’s Desk

Resources for Learning More About SQL Server Internals

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A while back, I spent about a month working through several SQL Server performance issues after upgrading three systems from SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2005. During that time I would realize that my knowledge of how SQL actually manages data at a low level was sketchy. In the process of resolving said sketchiness, I came across a few resources that proved helpful. [Read more…] about Resources for Learning More About SQL Server Internals

How to Convert Taxware Tax Exempt Certificates to Vertex Tax Exempt Certificates

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As part of a project at work last year I had to convert ADP Taxware tax exempt certificates to Vertex tax exempt certificates. I searched the web and didn’t find any information on how to go about doing this. I have to believe that somebody has tackled this situation before and applied a much more elegant solution. But sometimes you just need to get something done regardless of how “pretty” the solution is. [Read more…] about How to Convert Taxware Tax Exempt Certificates to Vertex Tax Exempt Certificates