is xml and activeX necessary for DBA?
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hello friends, i heard from my colleagues that xml and activex are necessary for DBA
is it so? how could we use in our daily activities?
can any one provide me good links for this concepts please?
thank you very much.
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Neccessary ? Well it depends on your site/organization. I've been doing MS SQL since v4.21 through SQL 2K5 and have not had one instance of needing to know XML and ActiveX yet. As I said initially, it depends ...
RegardsRudy KomacsarSenior Database Administrator"Ave Caesar! - Morituri te salutamus."
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Well in 3 years it's the first time I use it... to my regrets. I think it's nice to know you might use it for some solutions, but unless the jobs solely revolves around it then I wouldn't invest too much time learning it.
My current task : We have an application deployed on many sites. Each site have it's own server. However the head of the regions sometimes needs to import data from all its sites for statistical analysis. So my first thaught : Create a temp db, dump the needed data (would have used backup but not all data must be exported and also some data must be encrypted from time to time). Then attach db on the other site, insert into... select.... Done. NOPE!!!!
My boss wants this to be run by normal users without admin rights (and for good reasons). So he says export ALL the tables to xml files (errm SINGLE XML FILE). Like this task wasn't slow and hard enough as is (no relation, data model would have been better made by a secretary and about 50 column keys to synchronise, the kind of table with 200 columns that link to a single table (useless ident, TextID, Value)).
I'm not totally againts XML since it has its place... but in this case I'd preffer faster options (90 seconds to process a 2.8 MB XML file!!!! and that's before recreating the new keys and synchronising everything). Forgot the best part : Project is due tomorrow!!
Thanx for letting me vent
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BCP to native format... BCP or Bulk Insert from native format... only requires BULK ADMIN role privs... not SA. Nasty fast...
--Jeff Moden
RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.
"Change is inevitable... change for the better is not".
Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)
Intro to Tally Tables and Functions -
Almost forgot... you can schedule a job to run every five minutes on the target server to look in the directory for where you place the file... when it sees a new one, it shift gears and imports... then goes back to sniffing.
--Jeff Moden
RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.
"Change is inevitable... change for the better is not".
Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)
Intro to Tally Tables and Functions -
Thanx for the info (didn't look much into it because) >>
Boss doesn't want the program or server to need access to a shared drive/folder!!
Boss wants a single file for 20 tables (pictures must be exportable : kept in varbinary column >> client request not my idea
)!! 
Boss wants the users to use zip only if absolutely required (can't install it with our app)!!
And also I'm done coding the import/export part and I'm into the mapping contest so I'll have to try that another time!
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If the Boss wants it real bad... he/she can have it that way (real bad)
Good luck.--Jeff Moden
RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.
"Change is inevitable... change for the better is not".
Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)
Intro to Tally Tables and Functions -
I remember asking someone to go work to their place, but apparently there was no opening.
The good thing is that this project ends this week. It is also a good opportunity to learn why not to design stuff this way
.And I already got something else for next Week (back to my old job... much higher pay this time
and as a consultant. So it makes those last 2 days a little easier to live 
.I'll ask that guy if there's opening a little later on this year (job is supposed to end around xmas). So maybe things will change by then
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ActiveX and COM are pre-.Net and pre-SQL 2005. "ActiveX" with SQL Server 2000 only showed up in DTS. You could instantiate and manipulate COM objects with sp_OA procs. But all that is going away. No need to pick them up.
XML, however, is core to being a quality SQL Server DBA starting now.
Basic XML understanding (what is 'well formed XML', etc.) is necessary to manipulate the various XML configuration files used by the various SQL Server 2005 services.
Moving up the ladder, the XML datatype in SQL Server 2005 is a powerful new feature, and requires its own language (XQuery) to manipulate.
SQLXML in SQL Server 2000 is pretty useful, especially the FOR XML RAW and FOR XML EXPLICIT clauses (FOR XML AUTO doesn't count... it's just SQLXML training wheels). SQL Server 2005 adds FOR XML PATH (which is pretty cool) to the SQLXML featureset. Although I tend to avoid it for performance reasons, OPENXML can shred XML documents and treat them as relational tables.
XML is a terrific way to transfer data between organizations. XML importing and exporting become necessary skills for thriving in those environments.
.Net developers eat this stuff up. If they're going to dump it into your databases, then you need to understand what it is, what its doing, and how to tune and troubleshoot it. And if you're going to ban it from your servers, you better have a better reason than "because I don't know it, and I don't want to learn it".
So, I would say XML knowledge is a necessary DBA skill.
-Eddie
Eddie Wuerch
MCM: SQL -
Another good reason for learning it is so you can "ban" it... I don't mean "not use it", either... I mean import the data into nice normailzed tables... storing the XML itself in a table a bit like making a CSV column... it's not "normal".
XML is a powerful tool that many have come to rely on. It's very self explanitory (well, kinda) and allows the transfer of hierarchical data. But every single piece of data has it's own tag which makes it fit into a category that I call "bloat-ware". For all it's power, storing the XML in a table just doesn't make sense to me.
But, I didn't (and still don't) like Microsoft, either. The writing was on the wall so I learned it a long time ago (Office, VB, SQL Server, etc). I'd recommend about the same as Eddie did... learn XML. w3schools.com has a good introduction to what XML is and how it should be formed (Eddie correctly called it "well formed"). Then, break out some of the XML examples found in Books Online and play, play, play until you know it as well as a common SELECT. And try leaving off some of the XML portions of the commands... you'd be amazed at the table SQL Server makes to handle XML... it'll make you wonder why the boys in Redmond didn't introduce a CONNECT BY clause in SQL Server 2000
--Jeff Moden
RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.
"Change is inevitable... change for the better is not".
Helpful Links:
How to post code problems
How to Post Performance Problems
Create a Tally Function (fnTally)
Intro to Tally Tables and Functions -
tahnk you friends for the valuble suggesions about xml.i'm very happy with your guidence
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EDIT
Sorry I forgot the easiest for a database developer Dataset.ReadXML method in ADO.NET it converts your table to XML, fast easy and painless JeFF.
ActiveX as was pointed out is obsolete but XML is good to know how to move it from one place to the other and Excel has a nice save as XML.
Kind regards,
Gift Peddie -
Sorry guys, I forgot to mention that we are modifying this application in its native form : VB6. So we don't have access to the .Net power
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Then I have two choices for you Excel 2003 XML tool box and Stylus studio which cost under $60, it will generate the SQL Server XML if you ask for it. Hope this helps.
Kind regards,
Gift Peddie -
Thanx for the info guys. However the client doesn't mind if it's slow as long as it works (function's gonna be used like a few times a year). I'll look into that when I make it work correctly (got like 80 columns that generate ID (code in VB 6 not on the server and it's too late to port it) and they need to be remapped to new ids in the import). And it must be done today
... and I'm far from done 
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