Tag: Microsoft SQL Server | Page 3

How to reset SA password on Microsoft SQL Server

If you happen to forget your sa password, you can still recover it as long as you have access to the server. Here are the steps to do it.

Steps

Launch Sql Configuration Manager under Configuration Tools folder.
Look for your SQL Server instance (the default is MSSQLSERVER) and stop the service. You can click the stop button while having the SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER) row highlighted or you can right-click on it and select Stop.
Launch the Command Prompt.
Next, we want to run the SQL Server in a single-user mode by adding “/m” parameter with the client application name:
net start MSSQLSERVER /m"SQLCMD"
Then we need to connect to the database on the machine using a trusted connection:
sqlcmd -E -S localhost
If you’re connecting to a database on a local machine, you can substitute “localhost” with a “.” (dot), which makes it look like so:
sqlcmd -E -S . or sqlcmd -E -S.
The two are identical except the former is easier to read. Another note is if you’re using SQL Server Express, you need to add “\SQLEXPRESS” after the period. You can see the difference on the example below.
After starting the sqlcmd, type the following SQL statement after the prompt. There is a difference in role assignment between SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2012:
For SQL Server 2008 or Older
```
                CREATE LOGIN tempUser WITH PASSWORD = 'N3wPa$$1'
                GO
                sp_addsrvrolemember 'tempUser', 'sysadmin'
                GO
                
```
For SQL Server 2012 or Later
```
                CREATE LOGIN tempUser WITH PASSWORD = 'N3wPa$$1'
                GO
                ALTER SERVER ROLE sysadmin ADD MEMBER tempUser
                GO
                
```
For SQL Server 2012 or newer, use ALTER SERVER ROLE should be used instead of sp_addsrvrolemember as this system stored procedure will be removed in a future version of Microsoft SQL Server.
You can type “exit” to quit SQLCMD.
Restart the Sql Server service to get out of the single-user mode:
net stop MSSQLSERVER followed by net start MSSQLSERVER
Launch SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the local database using the new login you just created.
Expand on Security, then expand on Logins.
Right-click on user sa and select Properties. Enter the new password and click OK. And you’re done.

Now you can login to the database using the sa login and the new password you set. For security purpose, make sure you delete the tempUser afterwards.

Ways to Upsert a Record in SQL Server

To continue the previous post, this article demonstrates ways to do Upsert (update and insert) and how MERGE statement in SQL Server 2008 (or later) can be more efficient to perform the two operations at once.

First we’ll create a table for this demo.

CREATE TABLE dbo.GroupInfo (
    Id    int unique not null
  , App   varchar(100)
  , DB    bit
)

We want to do update if the Id is found on the table and insert if it’s a new Id number.

1. Conventional way of doing it is by using IF EXISTS statement.

CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[p_UPSERT1]
    @ID     int
  , @APP    varchar(100)
  , @DB     bit
AS
SET NOCOUNT ON;
IF EXISTS (SELECT Id FROM dbo.GroupInfo WHERE Id = @ID)
  UPDATE dbo.GroupInfo
  SET
      App = @APP
    , DB = @DB
  WHERE Id = @ID
ELSE
  INSERT INTO dbo.GroupInfo (
      Id
    , App
    , DB
  ) VALUES (
        @ID
    , @APP
    , @DB
  )
  SET NOCOUNT OFF;

2. Second way of doing it is by taking advantage of the @@ROWCOUNT.

CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[p_UPSERT2]
    @ID     int
  , @APP    varchar(100)
  , @DB     bit
AS
SET NOCOUNT ON;
UPDATE dbo.GroupInfo
  SET
      App = @APP
    , DB = @DB
WHERE Id = @ID
IF @@ROWCOUNT = 0
  INSERT INTO dbo.GroupInfo (
      Id
    , App
    , DB
  ) VALUES (
      @ID
    , @APP
    , @DB
  )
SET NOCOUNT OFF;

3. The third and probaby the best way by using MERGE to perform INSERT and UPDATE operations on a table in a single statement.

CREATE PROCEDURE [dbo].[p_UPSERT3]
    @ID     int
  , @APP    varchar(100)
  , @DB     bit
AS
SET NOCOUNT ON;
MERGE INTO dbo.GroupInfo AS tgt
USING
  (SELECT @ID) AS src (id)
  ON tgt.Id = src.id
WHEN MATCHED THEN
  UPDATE        
    SET
        App = @APP
      , DB = @DB
WHEN NOT MATCHED THEN
  INSERT (
      Id
    , App
    , DB
  ) VALUES (
      @ID
    , @APP
    , @DB
  );
SET NOCOUNT OFF;

Now, you can analyze the execution plan of each stored procedure on your own to compare them.

EXEC p_UPSERT1
  @ID = 1
, @APP = 'App 1'
, @DB = 0
GO

EXEC p_UPSERT2
  @ID = 2
, @APP = 'App 2'
, @DB = 0
GO

EXEC p_UPSERT3
  @ID = 3
, @APP = 'App 3'
, @DB = 0
GO

Perform Update, Delete and Insert using Merge Statement

In SQL Server, a better way to perform insert, update, or delete operations on a target table based on the results of a join with a source table is by using one MERGE statement.

UPDELSERT using MERGE statement

MERGE Table2 AS tgt
USING (SELECT name, descr, updatedate from Table1) AS src
ON src.name = tgt.name
WHEN MATCHED AND src.updatedate > tgt.updatedate THEN
	UPDATE SET descr = src.descr,
			   updatedate = src.updatedate
WHEN NOT MATCHED THEN
	INSERT (name, descr, updatedate) 
	VALUES (src.name, src.descr, src.updatedate)
WHEN NOT MATCHED BY SOURCE THEN DELETE;

It’s more efficient as you’re doing just one statement instead of three individual (UPDATE, DELETE, and INSERT) SQL queries.

More examples can be found on the next posting, Ways to Upsert a Record in SQL Server.

How to Find a Column Name in SQL Server Database

This query was originally appeared from SQL Authority Blog and I find it really useful when you need to find a column in any tables in a database.

SELECT t.name AS "Table Name",
  SCHEMA_NAME(schema_id) AS "Schema",
  c.name AS "Column Name"
FROM sys.tables AS t
  INNER JOIN sys.columns c ON t.OBJECT_ID = c.OBJECT_ID
WHERE c.name LIKE '%ColumnName%'
ORDER BY 'Schema', 'Column Name';

If you need to find all column names that are in the database, just comment out or delete the highlighted line from the SQL command above.

How to Create a SQL Server Agent Proxy Account

When you need to execute job steps under a specific security context, proxy account can be used to allow users who are not sysadmin to run them.

Before you can create a proxy account, you first need to create a credential that needs to be linked later. This can be a window service account or a user’s active directory id.

Creating a Credential

In the Object Explorer, expand Security node
Right-click Credentials node and select New Credential
After giving a name to the credential, enter a Windows account and the password

SQL Server Adding a New Credential

Creating a Proxy

Back in the Object Explorer, expand the SQL Server Agent node
Right-click Proxies and select New Proxy Account
You can use the same proxy name as your credential
Select any subsystems you want to enable for the particular proxy

SQL Server Agent - Adding a New Proxy Account

In this example the proxy was created to run SSIS packages, so SQL Server Integration Services Package was checked. That’s all there is to it.

How to reset SA password on Microsoft SQL Server

Steps

For SQL Server 2008 or Older

For SQL Server 2012 or Later

Further Reading

Ways to Upsert a Record in SQL Server

Further Reading

Perform Update, Delete and Insert using Merge Statement

UPDELSERT using MERGE statement

Further Reading

How to Find a Column Name in SQL Server Database

Further Reading

How to Create a SQL Server Agent Proxy Account

Creating a Credential

Creating a Proxy

Further Reading

Recent Posts

Steps

For SQL Server 2008 or Older

For SQL Server 2012 or Later

Further Reading

Further Reading

UPDELSERT using MERGE statement

Further Reading

Further Reading

Creating a Credential

Creating a Proxy

Further Reading

Recent Posts

Tags