Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn’t the stoplight removed from the task tray when the SQL Server Service Manager window is closed?

The stoplight illustrates the status of one of the Microsoft® SQL Server™ services. Closing the SQL Server Service Manager window only removes the dialog box from view; it does not affect the stoplight in the task tray. To remove the stoplight from the task tray, right-click the stoplight, then click Exit.

Why are some links in SQL Server Books Online different colors?

The first time you install SQL Server Books Online, all of the links are one color. This means that no linked topics have been visited. After you link to a topic, all the links for that topic turn a different color. This means that the topic has been visited at least one time. This is the standard behavior for HTML browsers.

How do I print a topic and include all of the linked subtopics?

To print all linked documents to a topic, on the toolbar, click Print, then click Print the selected heading and subtopics. When using CTRL+P to print, first click the right pane, type CTRL+P, and then select the Print all linked documents check box.

After upgrading SQL Server version 6.x databases to SQL Server 7.0 using the automatic configuration option, the resulting SQL Server 7.0 databases are smaller than their SQL Server 6.x counterparts. Does this mean that there was a problem with the upgrade?

If the Use the default configuration option is selected, the SQL Server Upgrade Wizard configures a new database size from the actual volume of data in the version 6.5 database automatically. To be sure that the SQL Server 6.x databases are upgraded correctly, compare the SQL Server 7.0 databases to their version 6.x counterparts, beginning with row counts and object names.

To determine how much data is in the database, select the Edit Default Configuration option.

For more information, see Upgrading from an Earlier Version of SQL Server.

I renamed the computer that runs SQL Server. When I restarted SQL Server, I received an error message warning that my installation was corrupted or had been tampered with. What should I do?

If you change the computer name of the server, you will not be able to start SQL Server until you rerun SQL Server Setup. You will be prompted to upgrade, and the necessary SQL Server options will be reset with the new computer name. After you have upgraded, exit the Setup program. Your databases will not be affected by this procedure.

If the transaction log is lost due to a hard disk failure, can incremental backups and single table backups still be performed?

Yes. As with SQL Server 6.5, with SQL Server 7.0 you can retrieve data from the database to perform a backup even if recovery has not been run successfully. Depending upon the data consistency, the bcp utility can be used to retrieve tables. After you have retrieved data or tables, you can run a backup as usual.

Why aren’t the configuration changes that were made using SQL Server Client Configuration in SQL Server 6.x reflected on the same computer in the SQL Server Client Network Utility with version 7.0?

SQL Server 6.x and SQL Server 7.0 use different sets of registry keys. Registry keys for inactive servers are backed up within the registry. The SQL Server Client Network Utility (SQL Server Client Configuration in SQL Server 6.x) cannot change registry key values for another version.

It is recommended that only one version of SQL Server be installed on each computer. Do not install version 6.x and SQL Server 7.0 on the same computer. Do not use the vswitch utility to run installations of version 6.x and SQL Server 7.0 on the same computer. Only use the vswitch utility to change server versions during the conversion process.

Why do the results from SQL Server 7.0 isql utility queries sometimes differ from those of the same queries run from other SQL Server query tools? Why do the results from SQL Server Query Analyzer queries sometimes differ from those of the same queries run from SQL Server 6.5 tools such as ISQL/w?

The SQL Server 7.0 isql utility and all of the SQL Server 6.5 utilities use the legacy DB-Library API to communicate with SQL Server. All of the SQL Server 7.0 query tools except isql use either the OLE DB Provider for SQL Server or the SQL Server ODBC driver.

The ODBC specification requires that SQL statements submitted through ODBC comply with behaviors defined in the SQL-92 standard. The OLE DB provider uses a command language specification that also requires SQL-92 behaviors. To support this, the OLE DB provider and ODBC driver set on a number of server options that enforce the SQL-92 behavior. The DB-Library DLL used by isql and ISQL/w does not set these options, to retain compatibility with existing DB-Library applications.

Execute the following statements before running a query in isql or ISQL/w to obtain the same results as are returned by the SQL Server 7.0 query tools:

SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON

SET ANSI_WARNINGS ON
SET ANSI_PADDING ON
SET ANSI_NULLS ON

SET CONCAT_NULL_YIELDS_NULL ON

  

Why do I need to install Internet Explorer 4.0, Internet Explorer Service Pack 1, and Microsoft Windows NT Service Pack 4 before installing SQL Server 7.0?

You need to install Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 and Internet Explorer Service Pack 1 to use SQL Server Enterprise Manager. SQL Server Enterprise Manager is now a snap-in to Microsoft Management Console (MMC), which requires Internet Explorer 4.0. You need to install Microsoft Windows NT® Service Pack 4 to use new features in SQL Server, such as scatter-gather I/O.

Can I have both a SQL Server 6.x server and a 7.0 server on the same computer?

It is necessary to install SQL Server 7.0 before you can switch between the two server versions. After installing SQL Server 7.0, switch between the two versions using the Microsoft SQL Server-Switch application on the Start menu, or by running Vswitch.exe from the \Mssql7\Binn directory. For more information, see Switching Between SQL Server 6.x and SQL Server 7.0.

When I create or edit a stored procedure or trigger through SQL Server Enterprise Manager, pressing the TAB key changes the context to each button. How can I indent my Transact-SQL statements?

Press CTRL+TAB to indent the text of a stored procedure or trigger created or modified through SQL Server Enterprise Manager.

What are the new reserved keywords for SQL Server 7.0?

These reserved keywords are new to SQL Server 7.0:

For more information, see Reserved Keywords.

How can I administer SQL Server through SQL Server Enterprise Manager without using the mouse?

Press SHIFT+F10 to perform a mouse right-click. For more information about keyboard shortcut keystrokes, see Accessibility for MMC in SQL Server Enterprise Manager Help.

How can I get my system databases to appear after they have been hidden from view in SQL Server Enterprise Manager?

Right-click the server icon to change the setting that shows or hides system databases and system objects. Select Edit SQL Server Registration Properties, and then on the General tab, select Show system databases and system objects.

When I installed SQL Server 7.0, the new program group did not appear. What can I do to make the new program group appear?

Either log off and log back on, or click an icon on the desktop and press F5 to perform a screen refresh.

I'm having difficulty viewing the information in the results pane of SQL Server Query Analyzer. Do you have any suggestions?

If there is either too little or too much text in the results pane of SQL Server Query Analyzer, display the query results in a grid. Either press CTRL+D or click Results in Grid on the Query menu.

If you are still having difficulty viewing the appropriate data in the results pane, adjust the maximum number of characters per column. On the Query menu, click Current Connection Options, and then click the Advanced tab. In the Maximum characters per column box, enter the number of characters to display. To view more characters, set this number to 256.

I exported my version 6.x data using the version 6.x bcp utility. How can I import my version 6.x data into SQL Server 7.0 using the bcp utility?

Use the -6 (or /6) option of the bcp utility to import version 6.x data into SQL Server 7.0. For more information, see bcp Utility.

I execute DBCC SHRINKDATABASE to shrink my transaction log files. However, they don't seem to be shrinking. What's going on?

DBCC SHRINKDATABASE shrinks data files on a per-file basis, but shrinks log files as if all the log files existed in one contiguous log pool.

The shrinking of log files is not immediate. The shrinking of log files does not occur until the active portion of the log moves. As updates are performed on the database, the shrink operation occurs at checkpoints or transaction log backups. Each log file is marked with the target_percent for the shrink operation. Each subsequent log backup or log truncation attempts to shrink the file to bring its size as close to the target_percent as possible. Because a log file can be shrunk only to a virtual log file boundary, it may not be possible to shrink a log file to a size smaller than the size of a virtual log file even if it is not being used.

For more information, see DBCC SHRINKDATABASE and DBCC SHRINKFILE.

For more information, see Virtual Log Files.

What causes a suspect database? How can I fix this?

A database can become suspect if one of these conditions is true:

To resolve a suspect database:

  1. Check the SQL Server error log and resolve all problems.
  2. Reset the suspect status by executing sp_resetstatus.

For more information, see Resetting the Suspect Status and Troubleshooting Recovery.

I'd like to start SQL Server in a minimum configuration mode to do some troubleshooting. How can I do this?

Use the -f option of sqlservr to start SQL Server with minimal configuration. For more information, see sqlservr Application and How to start SQL Server with minimal configuration (Command Prompt).

I've been seeing some error messages about corrupt data. What should I do?

First, execute DBCC CHECKDB or DBCC CHECKALLOC without a repair clause to determine the extent of the data corruption. Then, execute either DBCC CHECKDB or DBCC CHECKALLOC, specifying a repair clause.


Important If executing either DBCC CHECKDB or DBCC CHECKALLOC with one of the repair clauses does not correct the index problem or if you are unsure what effect DBCC CHECKDB or DBCC CHECKALLOC with a repair clause has upon your data, contact your primary support provider.


For more information, see DBCC CHECKDB and DBCC CHECKALLOC.

For more information, see Reporting Errors to Your Primary Support Provider.

How can I change the default Net-Library on my server?

Use the SQL Server Network Utility.


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