SQL Server 2000 Tools and Utilities

Introduction

SQL Server 2000 Program Group

Other SQL Server 2000 Tools and Utilities

Introduction

SQL Server 2000 provides many command-line and graphical tools and utilities that enhance the capabilities of the server and ease tuning and maintenance. Not all of these tools and utilities appear in Start menu, many of them don't have Start menu shortcuts.

In this article, I want to tell you about these tools and utilities.

SQL Server 2000 Program Group

You can see the most of the available tools in the SQL Server 2000 program group in your Start menu. Click Start, Programs, Microsoft SQL Server.

SQL Server 2000 program group.

This is the main group of tools and utilities you will work with when building database applications or when administering SQL Server 2000.

Books Online

Books Online - is an online access to the SQL Server documentation set. Books Online provides all documented information about all aspects of SQL Server working. The Books Online is a compiled set of HTML pages, so you should use Internet Explorer 5.0 or later to view Books Online.

Client Network Utility

Client Network Utility - is an utility, which sets the default Net-Library and server connection information on clients, and displays the DB-Library options.

Configure SQL XML Support in IIS

Configure SQL XML Support in IIS launches the IIS Virtual Directory Management for SQL Server to define and register a new virtual directory (virtual root), on the computer running Internet Information Services. IIS Virtual Directory Management for SQL Server instructs IIS to create an association between the new virtual directory and an instance of SQL Server 2000.

Enterprise Manager

Enterprise Manager - is a main graphical utility, which allows you to perform system administration tasks using a graphical interface. This utility is used for configure servers, manage databases and database objects, schedule events, configure and manage replication, and so on.

Import and Export Data

Import and Export Data - is the Data Transformation Services (DTS) Wizard. It is used to import and export data and objects between heterogeneous OLE DB and ODBC data sources.

Profiler

Profiler - is the SQL Server Profiler utility enables you to monitor all activity on your SQL Server 2000. SQL Profiler can capture SQL Server 2000 events from a server and save these events in a trace file that can later be analyzed or used to replay a specific series of steps when trying to diagnose a problem.

Query Analyzer

Query Analyzer - is your primary interface for running Transact-SQL queries or stored procedures. With this utility, you can analyze the plan of a query, view statistics information, and manage multiple queries in different windows simultaneously.

Server Network Utility

Server Network Utility - is an utility, which is used to specify the network protocol stacks on which the server will listen for client requests. This utility looks like the Client Configuration utility, but Client Configuration utility controls how your applications will connect to SQL Server, while Server Network is used to set which network libraries SQL Server 2000 is listening on.

Service Manager

Service Manager - is a tool, which is used to start, stop, and pause MSDTC, MSSQLServer and SQLServerAgent services. Service Manager can also be used to start, stop, and pause stop an instance of SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services.

Other SQL Server 2000 Tools and Utilities

These SQL Server 2000 command-line utilities is placed by installation into C:\MSSQL\BINN directory, by default. These utilities have not graphical user interface, and some of them are not documented in SQL Server Books Online.

ISQL

ISQL - is a command-line utility which provides a query interface, and allows you to perform system administration tasks and execute batch files that contain one or more SQL statements. It uses the DB-Library network library to connect to SQL Server.

OSQL

OSQL - is a command-line utility which provides a query interface, and allows you to perform system administration tasks and execute batch files that contain one or more SQL statements. It uses ODBC to communicate with the server.

bcp

bcp - is a command-line utility used to copy data to or from an operating-system file.

makepipe and readpipe

makepipe and readpipe - diagnostic utilities checks to see if the named pipes are working. Use them if you cannot connect to SQL Server.

odbcping

odbcping - is a command-line utility to check whether ODBC is properly installed by connecting to a server using the ODBC SQL Server driver.

textcopy

textcopy - is a command-line utility used to copy a single text or image value into or out of SQL Server. This utility is not documented in SQL Server Books Online.

For more information, see this article (from Alexander Chigrik): Copy text or image into or out of SQL Server

console

console - is a command-line utility displays backup and restore messages when backing up to or restoring from tape dump devices.

langinst

langinst - is a command-line utility, which is used to install additional language information, such as localized messages and country information.

SQLMaint

SQLMaint - is an utility used to run DBCC checks, back up a database and its transaction log, update statistics, and rebuild indexes.

SQLDiag

SQLDiag - is a command-line utility, which is used to prepare for a call to SQL Server Product Support. This utility gathers and stores diagnostic information and places it all into a single file. This file is named SQLdiag.txt and is placed in your C:\MSSQL\LOG directory by default. The SQLdiag.txt file contains the information from the SQL Server error logs, SQL Server configuration information, the version of SQL Server you are using, the information about operating system and so on.