Category Archives: T-SQL Tuesday

TSQL Tuesday #63 – Security

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SQL TuesdayThis months T-SQL Tuesday is hosted by none other than Kenneth Fisher (B|T). His topic for this month revolves around security and how you manage security. There probably couldn’t be a more fitting topic; especially with the many breaches we have had lately both ones that are known and ones that are not known.

With that said I want to take this time to expound on a wider variety of topics instead of diving into specific targeted areas within SQL.

When I first heard this topic I immediately drifted to thoughts such as:

  • Afterthought
  • Responsibility
  • Lax
  • Validation
  • Vendor Apps
  • Breaches within
  • Password Strength

Afterthought

Countless times over the years I have seen, reviewed, fixed, and contemplated over security within SQL that simply was an afterthought. Security whether role based, AD Groups, etc. should be worked into any project plan. If you have ever inherited a system only to review that 600 users have sysadmin access you know how detrimental that could be to the data contained within.

Responsibility

Being a DBA means you have great responsibility. Every single database is under your care, own it. Each day someone will be trying to access that database; at least that should be your mentality especially with any production environment.

Lax

A lot of us are creature are habits. It is very easy for a data professional to fall into the trap of becoming accustomed to daily routines. Security should not fall into this category; I repeat security should not fall into this category. Do you know who has access to your databases and why? Do you know what user accounts are tied to specific groups? If you can’t answer this then you may find yourself in this category

Validation

I like this one, how many of us validate our security measures? Do we take any proactive approaches to see just how safe our data is? Maybe you rely on an outside 3rd party to see if they can hack in; whatever the case maybe it would behoove us as a group of data professionals to be actively testing our systems looking for points of entry. I will be completely honest; if you aren’t you can guarantee someone else is.

Vendor Apps

Yes, I am a vendor installing an app your company purchased and we will need sysadmin rights on the box or cluster. Um. yeah you go right ahead – NOT. I hope by now, as a DBA, you have strategies in place where you will work with the vendor directly or have some form of processes that allow for tracking of such activity. Remember, these databases are yours if you maintain them; you be the gate keeper not the other way around. Don’t let anyone on  your system without our knowledge and you better know what kind of data is on your system and who is accessing it.

Breaches Within

If you aren’t careful all your eggs will be in the “protecting from the outside syndrome”. Yes potential threats are rampant from people both stateside and abroad; with that said however have you ever thought about what maybe at risk within your own walls? Do you have safeguards in place for co-workers and fellow employees? Security cannot be just thought of with outside threats. No you need to prepare for both outside and inside threats. To make it even better if you are on a DBA team is your team being audited to keep everyone honest? The data should be your top priority

Password Strength

These little rinky dinky passwords aren’t cutting it guys. Ensure you are following best practices and standards when setting up password strength. The easier you make it the easier it is for threats and breaches to occur. Are the passwords on  your systems set to be changed every so often? But that would require a lot of work – yes and when you sign up to be a DBA or Data Professional you retain great responsibility.

Conclusion

Security is one place where you cannot be lackadaisical about. It is a crucial role within SQL or any platform for that matter that usually becomes an afterthought. If you are in a shop you should review your security guidelines and if you don’t have any I suggest that you take initiative and create some. Without proper security you ones business could be jeopardized and once  issues arise what would become of the companies reputation; or your reputation. Be proactive, make it yours, own it, and get it done.

TSQL Tuesday

This is a block party started by the renowned Adam Machanic (B|T); if you are interested in becoming a host one month and an avid blogger you can reach out to him via the methods above.

T-SQL Tuesday #61 – Giving Back

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TSQL2sdayIt just seems to me that these block parties of T-SQL Tuesday come quicker each month. I’m always thrilled when I have the opportunity to host or participate.

This month Wayne Sheffield (B|T) is our host. Wayne is good people, first time I got to meet Wayne was at SQL Saturday in Louisville, KY. He was presenting a session on SQL Myths and busting them to pieces; it was truly a great session. Wayne’s picked a fantastic topic in getting the opportunity to reflect back on 2014 and looking ahead to 2015.

The topic in which he chose is simple; yet those two words can be quite profound Giving Back. More precisely what would you give back to the SQL Community in 2015.

Looking Back

2014 was filled with many opportunities, both from a professional standpoint and career standpoint. Appreciation and gratitude ran rampant with the many friendships formed and cultivated over this past year along with some great vendor ties. Now how do we keep that steam engine rolling down the tracks from a personal standpoint?

Looking Ahead

I could go on about the many speaking events, books and articles coming to fruition, sessions poured over – but that is not what I’ve come to a conclusion on. Anything and everything I’ve ever done I have given it my all. SQL is no different. To me, what I do is fun – it  isn’t a job; it is part of my DNA.

I will continue to strive to better myself and challenge myself; to be daring and pick up where this steam engine leaves 2014 and heads into 2015. How do I do that?

Investing Time In Others

Will my schedule slow down? Not in the least if anything it will pick up, but one thing that the SQL Community has taught me is that investing time in others is top on my list. You see I’m living proof of what investing time in others is all about. People have been doing this my whole life, my mentors in the SQL Community, and they know who they are, took a chance on me.

SQL has been good to me; why can’t I share that with someone else who is in need. I tell you what; if you are serious and you want to get plugged in and learn then send me a message. I will be happy to help, assist, push you to reach your maximum potential. With that said nothing will be handed to you; learning is a constant. It is the fire within that drives us to reach our fullest potential.

So Wayne, investing time in others. Whether that means speaking at local, regional, national events, blogging, mentoring, answering questions ~ you will find me somewhere trying to invest time in others. With words of encouragement and with words of motivation.

T-SQL Tuesday

Adam Machanic (B|T) had a vision 6 years ago in creating what is now known as T-SQL Tuesday. If you are serious about it and want to try out your gig in hosting then drop him a line. You won’t regret it; I’ve been blessed to host a few occasions over the years and it has been a blast.

Thanks Adam for your vision and thank you Wayne for hosting. Hurry back to Louisville where you can teach us some more good stuff.

T-SQL Tuesday #60 Roundup – Step Right Up

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TSQL2sdayWe had a great turnout for this months T-SQL Tuesday Block Party. Coming into this month and knowing that I was hosting, I felt a strong sense of picking a topic that would help others. A topic where sound professionals such as the ones below shared some of their thoughts on the how and the why to learning.

One thing is evident to me in reading these posts. You can be the most senior professional in our industry down to someone who is just attending their first T-SQL Tuesday, but one thing holds true ~ the people.

All right, with that said check out what the party attendees had to say, a special thanks out to each of them, and I would be amiss if I didn’t mention Adam Machanic (B|T) who with this party marked the 60th (5 years). Appreciate the vision you had 5 years ago Adam.

Party attendees:

Aaron Bertrand (B|T) – provides a great synopsis of why experience has helped in learning and tapping into Q and A sites. I liked this approach; was pretty awesome to see him write this and also pretty awesome he took the time to share this for others to read while flying from one conference to another. Much appreciated sir.

Rob Farley (B|T) – provides a twist on how he learns from others by cultivating and developing relationships. One key piece from his post is “listening” what others have to say. I got a lot out of this post.

Kenneth Fisher (B|T) – provides a security gem you will want to read along with some practical examples of tracking down user perms and AD groups.

Russ Thomas (B|T) – provides a nice trick to add to anyone’s arsenal. A simple task that many may not know or have forgotten.

Rob Sewell (B|T) – provides a nice take on the “Problem Step Record”; along with providing some reasons why it may be beneficial to start using it. Another good read.

Tom Roush (B|T) – provides a great blog post on what #sqlhelp can do for you along with what the community is all about. Captured every essence of community.

Jason Brimhall (B|T) – provides some discussion around what he picked up from PASS Summit14 and the use of the debugger; brilliant actually.

Malathi Mahadevan (B|T) – provides insight about learning promotion of work, networking, community involvement. This was a nice take from someone who has been in the trenches of attending PASS Summit for 13 years.

Nancy Daniels (B|T) – first, I think it is awesome that this is Nancy’s first #T-SQL2sday. Second, Nancy has provided steps on how she fixed a patch gone awry on one of her clustered environments. Nice way to step through the issue

Warwick Rudd (B|T) – provides some sound advice and real word examples on how multiple solutions can achieve an outcome. I actually like the comment made regarding PowerShell

Boris Hristov (B|T) – provides a thought provoking post. This one struck home with me as I have done exactly what he mentioned. Achieving the ability to arrive at a solution and deliver it in its most simplistic form so others can understand…..stellar and well said.

Mickey Steuwe (B|T) – provides a real world example of recovering from a transaction log filling up a disk; you won’t believe where the solution came from!

Cathrine Wilhelmsen (B|T) – provides a couple of good examples from some established data professionals around security and notifications. One of the sessions mentioned was one of Argenis Fernandez (B|T) and securing your SQL server. I’ve sat in on that one; stellar post to glean some information from.

Keep rocking guys!!

T-SQL Tuesday #60 Something New Learned

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SQL Tuesday

So, here it is. I put the challenge out to discuss something new learned last week. I was fortunate enough to attend the PASS Summit last week in Seattle. While this post will not be my summarization of that trip (that will be another post) I did have several take-a-ways. I sat in some stellar sessions with some renowned speakers.

However, one re-occurring theme kept coming to my mind – the people. Listen, I’ve been through a lot over my 15 years with SQL, and my 3 years actively involved in the community and this past week affirmed something for me. LISTEN to the people.

I place strong value in the sessions I attended; along with that I have to note that face time; one on one time with real people in my industry is about the best form of learning I could ever hope to obtain.

With that learning comes in issues related to both SQL and non SQL attributes. I had so many positive conversations on leadership alone that sparked a new kind of fire within me; one that was not as bright as what my technical fire had been.

Guys, listen. I could write 10 blog posts on how buffer size could help with backups, the need to have always on implemented, or how to tune indexes all day long. The people, better yet the community is where I believe the learning lies within. Out of 5k people last week I ended up meeting a guy that works two blocks from me and we got to discuss the community and what it means to us.

Have you challenged yourself lately? I mean have you really challenged yourself lately in learning something. I don’t care if you are just starting out or the most seasoned vet around; the ability to learn happens everyday and I’m learning that is what separates the exceptional data professional from the data professional.

You see, the exceptional data professional hangs around the community zone at Pass Summit to help others in the community with issue they may have. The exceptional data professional sits down next to you when you are the new kid on the block and encourages you to make the most of your career then tells you some of his/her pitfalls they had that you can avoid, and the exceptional data professional takes you under his/her wing when you ask them for help or assistance.

You don’t have to travel all the way to Seattle to learn; no you have learning opportunities all around you. From SQL Saturday’s to Virtual Chapters on the web but it starts with you. That’s right, you have to be willing to take that first step; get involved and start learning.

I can tell you from experience and the roller coaster ride I’ve been on for the past three years that you will not regret it. Strive for excellence and provide that leadership through service that the community seeks. Yeah, I may be a tad passionate about what I do; you’ll find that kind of trait with others in the community.

So, I’ve challenged myself……..will you?

T-SQL Tuesday #59 – My Hero!

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SQL TuesdayIt always amazes me how fast these T-SQL Tuesday block parties come about; it seems like we just finished one and here we are yet again. This month the party is hosted by Tracy McKibben (Blog | Twitter) and the monthly topic that was chosen is “Heroes”.

This topic can be taken in many different directions; this post will be geared toward the SQL environment and what I’ve learned from a professional career standpoint. I’ve been blessed to have had some influential people in my career. One of the first things that crept into my mind was the “My Fab Five” post I did earlier this year. If you haven’t read it I urge you to check that one out as well; after you read this one of course!

I see so many heroes in the SQL Community; ones that aren’t heralded but come in day in and day out and get the job done. The tireless volunteer who keeps going year in and year out and doesn’t complain one time. PASS Summit 2014 is coming up; have you ever thought about how much effort that goes into putting something like that on? So many behind the scenes people who work countless hours – those are the type of heroes that I’d like to pay tribute to.

I would be amiss if I didn’t mention 4 influential people in my own career to date. I think back from both a business, professional, and technical perspective two individuals who deserve a lot of credit in bringing me along are not technical evangelists nor are they knee deep in the SQL Community; but they taught me, in more ways than most, the ropes and expectations of business. Both of these people took a chance on me early in my career and have had a big hand in molding my psych in both the business and technical realm. I have much respect for both of these individuals for the tenacity they bring daily and focus they have instilled in me – Brad Cunningham and Chris Howard. You will not see these guys in the headlines at the PASS Summit, but it is guys like this who allow guys like me and afford guys like me the ability to enhance and further my knowledge on a daily basis.

Piggy backing onto these two guys I’ve had some of the best in the Community take me under their wing so to speak. This doesn’t mean I haven’t approached others in the community nor does it mean that others aren’t helpful, but like the 2 people I mentioned above these 2 people did the same thing. They took a chance on me and allowed me to spread my wings and flourish within the SQL Community. I look up to these two individuals greatly and thanks is not enough for all they’ve done for me ~ Thank You John Sansom (Blog | Twitter) and Chris Shaw (Blog | Twitter) for rolling the dice and taking a chance on me when you didn’t have to.

Heroes –  the SQL Community is full of them. If you are in it for the fame and fortune then you are in it for the wrong reasons. Heroes are found all around us; you don’t have to look far to find them. To the many unsung heroes I thank you for your hard work and dedication for it is all of our efforts on a daily basis that make the SQL Community what it is.

If you are interested in hosting a T-SQL Tuesday party you can contact it’s creator the mighty Adam Machanic (Blog | Twitter) who is a hero in his own right.

heroes

Passwords – A T-SQL Tuesday Topic

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LateBeing engrossed with the daily tasks at hand I completely missed this month’s T-SQL Tuesday is being brought to you by Sebastian Meine Blog | Twitter.

Although the time frame has passed I would be amiss if I didn’t continue on my journey of joining in these block parties; with that said I’m going to write what I “would” have contributed. This month’s topic is intriguing in that it can cover a wide array of discussion – Passwords.

When I think of passwords I think of etiquette. I cannot tell you how many times I have been on calls, meetings, emails, and the list could go on of scenarios that relate to passwords where users just don’t think or take into consideration the impact of their actions. To me the last four words are the key, “impact of their (our) actions“.

Password Etiquette

  • Conference Calls – how many times have you been on a production call with numerous individuals and hear someone say, “Okay here is the user name and password?” If you have then you are not the only one. Credentials should be kept out of the hands of unnecessary individuals.
  • Open Text Passwords in tables – check into encrypting those; protect yourself before you realize breaches have occurred and you are left holding the bag.
  • Email – transmitting password information via email; not a big fan of. This kind of relates back to the conference call section; who all is on the email? Are you sending it to Project Managers and the like? Probably not the best choice to make.
  • Backups sent offsite – do you have any backups going off site? Is any pertinent credentials contained in the dB and if so are your backups being encrypted before shipping them off?
  • Length – Look at the length of the passwords you are creating; how strong is the password you are making?
  • Sharing – don’t do it; simple enough.

All the above reflects, what I deem, good etiquette. That barely scratches the surface. You have to take into consideration many other factors one of them being a policy.  Small, big, medium – whatever kind of shop you are in define out what the best practice is for your shop and then adhere to it. A good reference could be found on Technet Best Practices

Lastly, if you feel as though a password has been compromised be proactive and take the necessary steps to change it. Don’t wait for something to happen; you be the game changer.

Get your defense model in place and let the good times roll.

T-SQL Tuesday #57 – SQL Family and Community

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SQL-Tuesday.jpgMaybe it is just me, but these monthly block parties seem to be coming around quicker and quicker as time continues to fly by. My good friend Jeffrey Verheul (Blog | @DefJef) is getting the opportunity to host this month and he wants to know about “SQL Family and the Community”.

If you have been around SQL long enough you will find out that the terms SQL Family and Community are mentioned often. For me, and my experiences, it is a close knit group of data professionals that are willing to share their life experiences, everyday issues, problems solving skills, idea bouncing, and much more. I have been involved with SQL for over 14 years now and only the last 4 years have I been active in the community; not because I didn’t want to, but I was not privy to the magnitude of how far the SQL Family and Community reach is.

It’s no secret for those who know me. I’m sports oriented; having played baseball, football, soccer, and basketball my whole life and then college basketball I’ve been around team oriented methodologies my whole life. That background has it’s pros and cons, but the disciplines and insights I garnered from those experiences has fit nicely with being a Data Professional.

Having those days behind me for the most part (yes I am an avid runner still and do partake in a good game of basketball at times) my team now is the SQL Community.

Pre-Game

Preparing for a big game you have to look at the whole picture. Countless hours of practice, repetition, running play after play goes into a season not to mention conditioning. The camaraderie built during those times with your teammates enables you to trust them on the court. Guess what, being a data professional you have to be all in. To me that means continuous work day in and day out to help hone your skill set, and part of that work has been working with the SQL Community and Family.

The Game

G-A-M-E-T-I-M-E

The day of the game is here and it’s go time. You look at your teammates (SQL Community) and you are in a huddle right before tip off. The opponent is huge, a foot taller than your tallest guy, yet you are determined. This is what you’ve prepared for. Will you rise to the challenge?

  • You will get assists in your career where you were stumped and didn’t have a clue; then someone from the SQL Community will provide you with that spark that enables you to get over the hump.
  • You will grab that rebound when someone, other than you is stumped, and pick that person up when they need help.
  • You will block that shot when a someone is wanting SA rights to your server.

When your number is called to come into the game (becoming active in the SQL Community) will you answer the call? Will you come into the game with an attitude of we got this? Have you prepared?

Outcome of Game

A team is just that; a team. I remember vividly to a point in time when we were in the off season, but conditioning. We had already completed multiple wind sprints and were wrapping up running intervals. Getting to the finish line we looked back and one of our teammates was struggling. He was to the point of running then stopping; did we leave him out there? A resounding NO – the ones that finished ran back out and surrounded our teammate. He was part of our team and no way were we going to let him struggle alone, and hopefully; we could give him the confidence to finish. That to me epitomizes the SQL family and community. Sure we are a finicky bunch at times, frustration occurs, and we don’t always get along. That happens on every team; however at the end of the day we have each others back. We win as a team and lose as a team.

Summary

If you are not active in the SQL Community then you are missing out. It’s time; the horn has sounded and the game is on. Time is ticking down; will you get in the game? A saying that a coach told me a long time ago has stuck with me ~ “Somewhere someone is practicing getting better; what will you be doing?” Let’s make this Community the best we can.

What is T-SQL Tuesday

T-SQL Tuesday is a recurring blog party, that was started by Adam Machanic (Blog | @AdamMachanic). Each month a blog will host the party, and everyone that want’s to can write a blog about a specific subject. If you are interested and have been blogging for a bit drop Adam a line.

T-SQL Tuesday #56 – Assumptions

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SQL-Tuesday.jpgQuestion: “What time is it?”

Answer: “T-SQL Tuesday time”

Question: “What time?”

Answer: “T-SQL Tuesday time”

“I can’t hear you?!?!?!”

That’s right; it’s that time again where we come together for a block party T-SQL Tuesday #56 style; which this month is hosted by Dev Nambi (blog | twitter). Dev has garnered a topic around what assumptions we make in our work environment within the realm of SQL.

The Assumption

One of the biggest assumptions I’ve come into contact in many places is the saying, “I’m only as good as my last backup”. While that is a semi true statement it does leave the process unfinished. Let me explain:

Johnny (picked a name out of the air) is given a task to create a new database and with that he designs his maintenance strategy. Backups fall into that maintenance strategy. The new mechanism to take a backup is put into place and we are set; full backups set to run off hours.

At least this is what a lot of data professionals assume; taking a form of backup is fantastic. This post is not meant to go into the details of how to take a backup but based on the assumption that your backups are good. The second half to the equation is restoring those backups.

What? You mean I need to actually test my backup to see if it works. Yes that is exactly what I mean. I have seen several cases where backups are taken and everyone sleeps at night. Then the business unit decides they want to pull that backup; you go to restore the backup and the file is corrupt.

Summary

Don’t just assume that your backups are ready to go. Take a more proactive approach and test your backups. Granted each shop is different with their own standards and regulations; with that said if someone asked you to restore your backup……could you with confidence?

What Is T-SQL Tuesday

T-SQL Tuesday was created by the mighty Adam Machanic ( Blog | Twitter); if you are interesting in hosting a T-SQL Tuesday party or want to learn more about it check out his blog. Let’s get involved and make our community that much better.

T-SQL Tuesday #051: Place Your Bets

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SQL-Tuesday.jpgThis months T-SQL Tuesday block party is coming from the renowned Jason Brimhall (blog|twitter). You see each month a SQL Community member hosts this block party and this months theme is “Place Your Bets”.

So you want to gamble? Come on up to the SQL table and place your bets. Any Data Professional is welcome – junior level up to senior level all money is acceptable at the SQL table.

Okay, I’m in what are we betting on today. Well, you are in luck my friend today’s bet is on backups; sounds simple enough doesn’t it? Sure that sounds like fun I’m all in, well wait what about backups?

You’re lucky you asked, otherwise you’d be called a sucker and I’d just would have taken the all in to the house “Little Joe”.

The Scenario

It was a dark grey morning…oh wait that’s a different story. Let’s say you have a plethora of databases that are all business critical and you have automated tasks that backup these databases. If something happens while in the backup process and the process fails than a failure notification is sent out notifying the advantageous Data Professional that their process had failed and go take a look so you can fix it. All is well, right?  Most would say yes, some would say no, and then there is some, the gambler, who says who the heck cares. You have the backup process in place ~ Let’s Roll.

The Gamble

I bet on that scenario early on in my career. I went all in with the house and you know what, that didn’t pan out to well for me. Why you ask, well gambling on whether or not my backups were solid and good opened my eyes to something that I knew but didn’t really take into consideration in the beginning stages of my career. I had a critical database being backed up…phone rings. The proud DBA picks the phone up…yes we have an issue and we need to look at our backup for x date. Sure thing, I got it right here. I’ll restore it and we’ll take a look at it.

Go to restore and the backup is corrupt; initially I’m thinking well that isn’t good. It was then when I had to go back and tell the business that the backup was corrupt and I would need to go a day before or after to get the information – but wait Mr. Gambler what about T-Logs did you have those – um nope business deemed it not necessary and didn’t want to pay for space etc for the growth needed.

Conclusion

Even after taken precautions in my backups I still feel the strong need to ensure testing of the backups is being done whether it is through an automated process, spot checking, etc. Taking a backup is great, can that backup be restored? Are the settings on the backup set properly? If you can’t answer some or all of these then take time today to do some checking.

Each shop is different and will have it’s hurdles to climb. With that said are you all in? Do you want to take that gamble and bet against house? Business looks at backups as a safety net or in some cases really doesn’t care as long as you have them. To the Data Professional they are much more.

I’ve always been taught to work hard and hone your skill set; for me backups fall right into that line of thinking. Always keep improving, learn from your mistakes. From mistakes comes growth and don’t be afraid to fail. Many successes have come from failures or setbacks.

What is T-SQL Tuesday

T-SQL Tuesday is a monthly blog party hosted by a different blogger each month. This blog party was started by Adam Machanic (blog|twitter). You can take part by posting your own participating post that fits the topic of the month and follows the requirements below. Additionally, if you are interested in hosting a future T-SQL Tuesday, contact Adam Machanic on his blog.

T-SQL Tuesday #050: Automation, how much of it is the same?

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SQL-Tuesday.jpgNot a better way to start off the year with a good ole fashioned T-SQL Tuesday block party. Just what is this block party I am speaking of…well I’m glad you asked.

What is T-SQL Tuesday?
T-SQL Tuesday is a monthly blog party hosted by a different blogger each month. This blog party was started by Adam Machanic (blog|twitter). You can take part by posting your own participating post that fits the topic of the month and follows the requirements below. Additionally, if you are interested in hosting a future T-SQL Tuesday, contact Adam Machanic on his blog.

Who is hosting this week?

slqchow is hosting these weeks theme on automation to check out more about him you can visit his blog at (blog|twitter)

Lights, Cameras, AUTOMATE

As a data professional automation is key and often times can be taken for granted. Most professionals take automation to mean tasks such as the following:

  • Daily Backups
  • Index Maintenance
  • Job Failure Notifications
  • Job Success Notifications
  • Routine Maintenance
  • T-Log Shipping
  • Disk Alerts
  • Space Alerts
  • New Servers
  • Extended blocking
  • Deployment Automation – thanks RedGate (Twitter)

…and the list could go on for quite some time.

One specific item that I have found helpful to me is related to CMS/PBM. I like this tool because you can verify and evaluate all your servers from one central location. Some take-a-ways to think about CMS/PBM are evaluations such as:

  • Last Successful Backup Date
  • Database Page Verification
  • Database Auto Shrink
  • Database Auto Close
  • Data and Log File Location
  • Backup and Data File Location
  • Blocked Process Threshold
  • All SQL Agent jobs succeeded in the last 24 hrs (you and I both know that notifications don’t always get set up)

I am not going to go into specifics on creating an .rdl however once you have all the policies in place from there there an .rdl file can be created and a report emailed to you directly at the start of the business day, simple as that.

If you are interested in CMS\PBM check out John Sterrett’s (blog|twitter) information that he has published here

Also, another great article published is over at John Sansom’s (blog|twitter) on automation

One last piece of advice that I will give to myself along with this post is doing more extensive research on the use of PowerShell. It seems pretty powerful and easy to use up to this point, and it would appear that a lot of tasks can be automated through such.

Conclusion

In today’s Data Professional world if you are not automating tasks that will make you more efficient then why not start today? There are so many ways to automate tasks but with that said comes great responsibility. Before you just set out blindly get some thoughts and goals down on paper then start researching and exploring. Many Data Professionals before us have blazed these same trails, sure you might find something along the way that someone else has worked on and then you take it to another place but always remember to give credit where credit is due.

To Automate or Not to Automate that is the question?