Shortcuts on Andy M Mallon - AM²

Azure Data Studio - Intellisense does not detect tables, yet queries work

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 05:08:49 -0400

Question

I’m breaking some new ground and trying to get into Azure Data Studio. I’m having a problem with intellisense that seems to be a bug with Azure Data Studio but I’m not sure.

I have issues with basic queries. Foreign keys, select statements and insert statements are all telling me in this example that chocolate_category does not exist, it says it is an invalid object name, or that the foreign key is invalid because the table name is invalid, etcetera.

Find the SQL Server service account with sys.dm_server_services

Tue, 12 May 2020 09:00:56 -0400

This is Callie. She has nothing to do with DMVs, but isn't she cute?!

SQL Server 2005 introduced Dynamic Management Views(DMVs). Technically, there are both views & functions–DMVs & DMFs, but colloquially they’re often simply referred to as just “DMVs”. DMVs simply return information about the state of the server or database and can be used for monitoring and troubleshooting of server/database health & performance.

Should I install SSMS on a server running SQL Server?

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 09:00:27 -0400

There’s a lot of advice out there on the internet that suggests that you should not install SSMS on your database servers running SQL Server.

This came up at work recently, where I was asked “Should we install SSMS on our database servers?” and my answer is:

Redgate Streamed

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 14:22:05 -0400

Last week, I had the pleasure of participating in Redgate Streamed, a three-day virtual conference organized by my friends at Redgate. My session was Shortcuts from an impatient DBA–discussing a bunch of Management Studio tips & tricks for data professionals. The virtual conference was free for all, and was recorded and freely available to watch on demand. The recording of my session is available as part of the Day 2 recording, and you can also see some equally great sessions from Day 1 and Day 3.

Using PowerShell to tidy up CSV files

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 13:31:18 -0500

I was recently fussing with a CSV file that had an inconsistent number of columns. UGH. There was a bunch of historical data that had 4 columns, and then more recent data had a new attribute added with 5 columns. I spent a few minutes cursing whoever was responsible, then moved on.

Removing [square brackets] from generated SSMS scripts

Tue, 17 Jul 2018 10:42:04 -0400

This red panda is sad because it has to use [brackets] on its code. Might also be sad to find out it's not actually a panda.

The number of people who really love having their code [quoted] with [square brackets] is pretty small. The vast majority of people who I meet really hate them, and promptly remove them.

Using PowerShell to navigate SQL Server as a drive

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 12:33:04 -0500

I might be a SQL Server pro, but I’m still a PowerShell novice. I learn best by doing, so I keep pushing myself to do more with PowerShell so that I can learn more.

If you don’t already know this about the SqlServer PowerShell Module, you can access SQL Server via a path, as if it were a drive.

Updated shortcuts cheat sheet -- Now with Azure Data Studio

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 21:05:46 -0500

Updated (2018-09-24): SQL Ops Studio is now generally available, and has been renamed Azure Data Studio. I've updated the cheat sheet to reflect the name change, but the shortcuts remain the same. Feel free to grab the updated PDF with the new label, or keep the old one to prove your OG status.

Nearly two year ago, I first published my Shortcuts cheat sheet. Since then, thousands of people have downloaded it. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t expect it to be as much of a hit as it has been. When I give my one-hour talk in person, I bring card stock handouts of my cheat sheets, too. I also ask people for their favorite shortcuts, and I’ve learned some great new hidden gems.

Backing up to NUL:

Sun, 31 Dec 2017 08:10:43 -0500

Backing up to NUL is like backing up directly to the trash

Linux folks have lots of jokes & fun t-shirts about /dev/null/. The null device is a handy location to dump output to, when you don’t actually care about the output. In PowerShell, you can use Out-Null to dump extra output into the ether, and keep your logs or console clean.

Shortcuts From an Impatient DBA Recording- DBA Fundamentals

Wed, 20 Sep 2017 08:54:21 -0400

I often get asked, “Do you have any of your sessions recorded so I can watch them online?” And the answer has always been, “No, you’ll have to come see me in person.” I’m a tad of a perfectionist, so if I was going to record something just for publication online, I’d never be happy with it. Therefore, I never even tried–I knew the time investment I’d need to be happy with the product was too steep.

Keyboard shortcut to close a query tab in SSMS

Fri, 27 Jan 2017 08:00:22 -0500

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA

This series of short posts will demonstrate some lesser-known features, keyboard shortcuts, and other tips that make my day as a DBA more productive. None of these are groundbreaking super-secret features–they are the little things that I do as part of my daily work that make me more efficient.

Add-Equals operator

Tue, 24 May 2016 10:00:19 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA

SSMS Template Replacement

Thu, 19 May 2016 09:00:30 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA

Shortcuts Cheat Sheet - SSMS & Windows

Mon, 07 Mar 2016 08:00:29 -0500

Edit: I've published an updated version of my cheat sheet. Find the latest version by in the sidebar -->

I've presented my **Shortcuts from an Impatient DBA** talk a few times now, and I really love it. Everyone learns something, whether you're a Junior Developer, or a multi-decade veteran, or a Data Platform MVP.

This past weekend, after presenting at SQLSaturday Chicago, Brent Ozar (blog|twitter) suggested that as an attendee, it would have been nice to have some sort of handout to follow along with. I guess Brent was learning so many things that he couldn’t take notes fast enough.

Speaking at #SqlSatChi - SQL Saturday #484 in Chicago

Sat, 23 Jan 2016 09:41:45 -0500

I’m really excited to be speaking in Chicago this year. I’m going to be giving my “Shortcuts From an Impatient DBA” session. I love this presentation, and I’m excited to share it in Chicago.

How’d you do that?!?

This presentation is a series of keyboard shortcuts, lesser-known SSMS features, code tricks, Windows tips, etc. Most of these are tips I picked up by watching other people and asking “How’d you do that?” Those are some of the most powerful learning moments we have–when we see something cool and learn to do it for ourselves. I’ll say it again: I love this presentation.

SSMS Vertical block highlighting & editing

Tue, 24 Nov 2015 11:00:11 -0500

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #11

Embedded video demos in PowerPoint

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 03:09:00 -0400

This series of short posts will demonstrate some lesser-known features, keyboard shortcuts, and other tips that make my day as a DBA more productive. None of these are groundbreaking super-secret features--they are the little things that I do as part of my daily work that make me more efficient.

Embedded video demos in PowerPoint

Last night, I presented about this series of shortcuts and tips at the New England SQL Server user group. I’d set myself up with the expectation that EVERYONE would learn at least one thing from my presentation (including the two MVPs in the room). It was a high expectation, but I think I managed to deliver. But that’s not the point of this blog post.

Thanks for being awesome NE SQL!

Thu, 10 Sep 2015 01:47:00 -0400

This evening, I did my first presentation at a user group at my local user group. Sure, it was just a lightning talk, but the New England SQL Server user group is a tough crowd. People ask tough questions. Nobody is timid about interrupting you to ask their question. My friends were there--and my friends and I like to heckle each other. Oh, and mostly everyone was there to see Grant Fritchey (twitter|blog), and my opening lightning talk was standing in their way.

Those same things that make the NE SQL group intimidating also make it a really exciting, awesome group. I love that my local user group is large, active, smart, and eager to learn.

My talk went great and I got a lot of fantastic and positive feedback from people. I even managed to teach Grant something (actually, he said he learned at least two things)--considering all the things I've learned from him, I consider that a tremendous accomplishment.

If you were there and want the slides (or just couldn't make it in), you can download the slides here.

Thanks for being awesome, NE SQL buddies. See you again soon!

Tip: Master Control Panel

Tue, 18 Aug 2015 01:00:00 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #9

How to find the SQL Server Service Account

Thu, 18 Jun 2015 19:24:00 -0400

What is the service account running your instance of SQL Server?

A lot of DBAs probably know right off the top of their head–maybe because they’re using the same account for every instance. Have you ever had to audit every service account on every instance? If you’ve never done an audit, there’s a good chance a surprise might be lurking for you.

Tip: Go [count]

Wed, 03 Jun 2015 13:30:00 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #8

Common SSMS keyboard shortcuts

Tue, 02 Jun 2015 13:30:00 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #7

Tip: Never disable a job temporarily

Mon, 01 Jun 2015 13:30:00 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #6

Tip: Windows Explorer address bar hack

Fri, 29 May 2015 13:30:00 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #5

SSMS Query Shortcuts

Thu, 28 May 2015 13:30:00 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #4

Shortcut: SQL Template Parameters

Wed, 27 May 2015 13:30:00 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #3

Shortcut: CTRL + ]

Tue, 26 May 2015 13:30:00 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA #2

Shortcut: CTRL + SHIFT + V

Mon, 25 May 2015 14:00:00 -0400

Shortcuts & tips from an Impatient DBA

Formatting HTML emails in SQL

Wed, 26 Nov 2014 15:34:00 -0500

When I am writing monitoring/alerting stored procedures for my SQL Servers, its important to have those alerts be well-formatted. I like to minimize the amount of time I spend sorting through emails & alerts, and part of that is making sure that I can determine the urgency & priority of an email alert at a mere glance. More importantly, it has to be equally useful to me at my desk & on my mobile.