A Fine Slice Of SQL Server
Kyle Burwell wants to know how big the databases are:
Database files (mdf, nds, ldfs, etc.) can get out of hand quickly and easily, leading to issues down the road. This can be due to improper planning, large data loads, and bad code run in production, just to list a few. As unglamorous as disk space monitoring is, we need to do our part as DBAs. This post is a quick guide on how to track database file sizes with PowerShell.
Read on for a few scripts to perform the task.
Leave a CommentKamil Nowinski provides an overview of the FabricTools Powershell module:
Managing Microsoft Fabric at scale quickly becomes painful if you rely only on the UI. Workspaces, capacities, and tenant-level settings all need repeatable, scriptable management. FabricTools is a community-driven PowerShell module that fills this gap by adding high‑level cmdlets focused on Microsoft Fabric and Power BI administration.
In this post, you will learn what FabricTools is, how to install it from the PowerShell Gallery, and how to list all Fabric workspaces and export them to a CSV file for further analysis.
I was going to say “It looks a lot like DBATools” and then I realized that several of the contributors are DBATools mainstays, so that makes sense.
Leave a CommentVlad Drumea wants to keep some connections:
In this post I demo a PowerShell script that can be used to extract and decrypt SSMS 21 and 22 saved connection information.
This script builds on the one for importing saved connections from SSMS 21 to SSMS 22.
Instead of importing, it looks for any SSMS 21 and 22 related config folders, extracts the relevant connection data, decrypts it and saves it in clear text.
Click through for a link to the script, as well as an explanation of what is happening.
Comments closedPatrick Gruenauer plays his trap card:
In PowerShell, error handling is a crucial aspect of writing robust and reliable scripts. One of the powerful features to manage errors gracefully is the
trapstatement. Thetrapstatement allows you to define a block of code that runs whenever a terminating error occurs in your script. This can be particularly useful for logging errors, cleaning up resources. Let’s dive in.
Read on to see how it works. My preference would be to use try/catch blocks instead of trap statements, but it is interesting to see it there.
Comments closedJack Corbett diagnoses a problem:
I was working with a client to do an upgrade/migration from SQL Server 2016 to SQL Server 2022, and this client assigns non-default ports to SQL Server. As part of the process, I had to create a credential on one node and needed it on the other node, so I went to the handy Copy-DBACredential dbatools cmdlet, but it didn’t work.
Read on for the troubleshooting process and the ultimate issue.
Comments closedAdam Bertram lays out what has changed:
You adopted PowerShell Core 6 early. You moved scripts to .NET Core. You dealt with the compatibility issues. Now Microsoft wants you to upgrade again.
Here’s why it matters: PowerShell Core 6 is no longer supported. Your scripts still run, but you’re missing security patches, performance improvements, and features that make PowerShell 7.5 worth the upgrade.
The good news? Moving from Core 6 to 7.5 is easier than the jump from Windows PowerShell. Most scripts work unchanged. But “most” isn’t “all,” and the differences matter.
Read on to see what will break when moving from PowerShell Core 6 to PowerShell 7.5.
Comments closedPatrick Gruenauer decides to continue:
Error handling is an important part of scripting and automation, and PowerShell provides robust tools for managing errors efficiently. One of the key features for error management in PowerShell is the
ErrorActionparameter. This blog post will dive into theErrorActionparameter, explaining its usage and providing practical examples to illustrate its usage.
Read on to see the five available options and a pair of examples.
Comments closedDavid Seis simplifies the code a bit:
Have you ever written a PowerShell command so long that it stretched across the screen? Or had to update a script and hunt through a long parameter list to change a single value? Splatting solves that problem by letting you pass multiple parameters to a command using a single variable.
Read on for some examples, including a good example of how to make similar cmdlet calls easier to read.
Comments closedAndy Levy needs an older version of dbatools:
I don’t recall where this came up (probably in SQLSlack), but I had a need to install an older version of
dbatoolsto test something related to loading thedbatools.librarylibrary/dependency.
Read on to see how Install-Module won’t quite cut it because it doesn’t bring in the older versions of dependencies. But there is an alternative.
Anthony Nocentino creates a medallion storage layout:
In modern IT environments, not all workloads require the same level of storage performance, protection, or cost. Some applications need high performance with aggressive data protection, while others are perfectly fine with lower performance in exchange for cost savings. This tiered approach to storage service delivery is fundamental to efficient infrastructure management.
In my previous post on Fusion, I took an application-centric approach, showing how to deploy SQL Servers using Fusion. Let’s switch gears now and learn how to define a storage service catalog. In this post, I’ll demonstrate how to build a complete storage service catalog using Pure Storage Fusion Presets, offering Bronze, Silver, and Gold tiers with optional replication. We’ll see how to leverage different array types (FlashArray //X and FlashArray //C) to optimize both performance and cost across your fleet.
Read on for a link to the code, as well as more information on how it works.
Comments closed