Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 Administrative Utilities


In my latest article, I’m going to briefly describe some useful database server administrative
utilities for Microsoft SQL Server 7.0. Most of them have a graphic interface, although
some of them also have text clones (more on these in my next article).

Client Network Utility – A Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 client configuration
utility that allows administrators to define database sets, network libraries
(Network Library and DB-Library) and procedures for database operations,
fulfilled by a given client system. A SQL Server DBA can use this tool to specify the default network
library used to communicate with the server, change the server aliases SQL Server
clients connect to, or modify any parameters associated with the connection address
for the network library configuration.

Enterprise Manager – The centralized management console component
of the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). Enterprise Manager allows a DBA to administer different
types of servers (for example: Microsoft SQL Servers, Microsoft Transaction
Servers, Microsoft Message Queue Servers, Microsoft Internet Information
Servers, Microsoft SNA Servers, etc), all from a uniform console. The console makes it possible for
an administrator to control and maintain all the servers in a global, enterprise-wide company
network.

SQL Server Enterprise Manager – The primary administration tool for the database
server. Enterprise Manager presents all the SQL Server objects in a hierarchical
components tree, allowing the DBA to: 1) Register servers and server groups, 2) Configure
all the server configuration options, 3) Manage databases and their object
(tables, views, procedures, triggers, constrains, user logins and server-wide
/ database rights, etc), 4) Define and fulfill administrative tasks on each
registered server, and 5) Call different programs – wizards.

Import and Export Data – The Data Transformation Service wizard
allows you to import, export, check and transfer data among different OLE
DB and ODBC compatible data sources.

Performance Monitor – This tool is intended for Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 real-time
performance monitoring (as a customized Windows NT Performance Monitor),
viewable as a graphic, report, or log (you can export server activity to a spreadsheet —
Microsoft Excel, for example — for the subsequent analysis). Warning alerts can also be set up with this
tool — the alerts are fired when the measured metric becomes higher or lower then any pre-defined value.
Automatically generated warnings can be tracked, and, when they fire, SQL
Server can execute some corrective action in reply to them.

SQL Server defines 16 performance objects, detailing its performance. For example, the object SQL Server:Databases includes these counters: Active Transactions,
Transactions/sec, Percent Log Used, Data File(s) Size,
etc., each with a separate counter for each existing database.
It is also possible to create performance objects for each user.
With the appropriate rights, the SQL Server administrator can even monitor
several database servers at once.

Profiler – This program is intended for SQL Server events «interception».
SQL Server Profiler makes it possible to generate data describing each event and
presenting changes in: 1) Events; 2) Data of each event; 3) Events grouping;
4) Events filtering; etc.

Intercepted events can be shown on the screen or recorded to file. Recorded files can then be played back,
for example, on a development server rather then on
a production server to analyze its behavior.

Also, this file (with its recorded events) will probably be used as a reference
workload by the DBA to determine the use of the Index Tuning Wizard for indexes and
customization of other database objects (for reaching maximum performance). SQL
Server Profiler can be used for:



  • Watching SQL Server activity in context of applications and users;

  • Debugging stored procedures;

  • Determining the «worst performing» queries; and

  • Deadlocking reasons identification.

Query Analyzer – This utility is used for the execution of Transact-SQL scripts in
dialog mode. Users enter Transact-SQL operators, execute them and then see
the DBMS answers in an output window.

Query Analyzer is an extremely useful too for clearing up the ways SQL Server
interprets and executes Transact-SQL code. The DBA can:



  • See a graphical picture that displays the proposed Transact-SQL query execution plan
    and T-SQL execution performance statistics;

  • Use the Index Tuning Wizard for:


    • Finding the best mix of indexes for a database;

    • Analyzing the effects of the proposed changes, including index usage, and queries
      distribution (among tables); and

    • Ways to tune the database for a set of problem queries.


Collected statistics can be viewed in different ways, including views,
formats, grids, etc. Query Analyzer has a built-in editor with:



  • Highlighted (by color) reserved T-SQL syntax; and

  • Context-sensitive T-SQL syntax help (in the editor pane, select a Transact-SQL
    statement, function, stored procedure, or other Transact-SQL element, and
    press SHIFT, F1 to view information about the selected text).


Server Network Utility – This is SQL Server’s own (in comparison to the Client
Network Utility) network libraries configuration utility. This tool allows administrators
to define a set of network libraries that all clients use to connect to the server.
The DBA can edit active network libraries, deactivate them, or activate support
of additional ones using the Server Network Utility.

Service Manager – This utility is used for controlling the state of
Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 services (MSSQLServer, SQLServerAgent, Distributed
Transaction Coordinator, OLAPServices) allowing you to start, pause or stop
them.

 

Books Online – This is not an administrative utility in the full sense
of the word, but it is the electronic clone for the original, printed documentation
on Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 software.




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Alexzander Nepomnjashiy

Alexzander Nepomnjashiy
Alexzander Nepomnjashiy
I am a Microsoft SQL Server Database Designer for Neo-Systems North-West - a security services, consulting, and training company. I have over eight years of experience in the IT field. I am currently working on several projects which involve the deployment of Microsoft Windows NT Server/Microsoft SQL Server within an enterprise business/financial environment. My typical role in these projects includes extending and improving our clients' corporate ERP systems to manage retail sales data, predict market changes and calculate trends for future market situations (DSS, OLAP). Also among my responsibilities are the design and administration of Microsoft SQL Server 7.0/2000 databases. I am available to work on a contract basis for the following types of projects: - Technical authoring, including books, articles, and white papers; - Network and systems design and analysis; - Database and software development and analysis; - Short-term consulting projects. I hope you find these articles useful. If you have any ideas for future articles (in a field of Microsoft SQL Server databases design, administration, performance optimization), or if you have anything to say about the ones below, please do not hesitate to contact me! Feel free to forward these articles to all interested associates. Thank You!

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