Tips and Tricks for: SQL Server, C#, VB, VB.Net, ASP.Net, ASP, COM, COM+, IIS, XML, ActiveX, Windows Server, etc.

Link to Solution

Description of the Problem

How to load SQL Profiler trace (.trc) files into a table?

I was looking for names with bad case and they weren't showing up?

VB.Net Solution

In SQL Server 2005 CLR Programming is disabled by default.

This script does the trick to change the 'CLR Enabled' server option.

What do you do when a Windows Form (WinForm) won't enter the designer?

You see the standard class icon instead of the form icon and don't even get the chance to design the WinForm

How do you add an extended property over 255 characters?

SQL Query Analyzer's UI limits extended properties to 255 characters.  This tip shows how to add bigger extended properties and the UDF required to get them back from SQL Server's sysproperties table.

How do you get an strong name for the Web Browser Control?

When you need a strongly named assembly for ShDocVw.Dll, this tip shows how.

A Restore can leave the database in "LOADING" state

This happened to a client when trying a point in time restore but selecting to many transaction log files.  The RESTORE command can be used to change the state.

How to get the GUID for a DTSRUN command line

DTSRUN is the way to automate running a DTS package. The command line requires the DTS package's GUID.  Constructing a correct DTSRUN command line can be akward but the DTSRUNUI utility is there to help.

Error 2801 was recorded in a SQL Agent Job run by SQL Server

A SQL Agent Job has recorded Error 2801 in it's log.  This has to be dealt with to get the job up and running.

Level 16 Errors Can't always be handled by User Code

Although books-OnLine says that user code can handle errors with Level 16 and below, they sometimes end the connection.

Replication fails with Error 208 "Unable to replicate a view or function..."

This error occurs when a create script for a view or function fails because a database object that the view or function depends on hasn't been defined in the database when the script is run.  .

Updater Application Block (UAB) is Broken by BITS 2.0

When BITS 2.0 is installed by Windows Update or the installation of Windows XP Serivce pack 2, applications that have used the Updater Application Block (UAB) stop updating themselves.

Testing @@Error and  @@RowCount one after the other doesn't work.

The only thing that works is to capture @@Error and @@RowCount after each T-SQL statement and use the captured variables later.

Constructing a WHERE clause that doesn't retrieve any rows.

Sometimes you don't want any rows.  See how.

What is the difference between CType and DirectCast

VB.Net gives you two functions to cast from one type to another.  Which one should you use?  Casts are often required when Option Strict On is specified for the file.

Controls disappear causing seemingly random errors in multi-project WinForms solutions.
The project usually loads then random errors appear in the Task List and seem to tell you that controls are missing from your forms.

When deploying the Infragistics Controls for WinForms there's no Merge Module Supplied
Control size adds up when used in multiple projects. Use a merge module (MSM) to install one copy of the controls in the global-assembly-cache (GAC)

What utilities should be on every developer's computer?

Visual Studio .Net doesn't have an easy way to find all occurrences of a class or method.

Sometimes searching the text of your program for a string match, particularly for method names, isn't very valuable because there are several methods that match the string.

Unable to emit assembly: Referenced assembly 'Interop....' does not have a strong name

Visual Studio will give this message as soon as you give your own assembly a strong name even though Visual Studio had created the assembly when you first referenced the COM dll.

Windows 2003 says that you can't install SQL Server 2000 with Service Pack 2 or below!

When you start installing SQL Server 2000 you get a rather ugly message about only installing SQL Server with Service Pack 3   Since you can't install a service pack without first installing SQL Server it looks like there's no way to complete the installation.

Windows 2003 rebooted in the middle of the day, taking down my database.

How to get a list of all the DBCC commands both documented and undocumented.

Length of text, ntext, or image data (x) to be replicated exceeds configured maximum 65536.

Mapping between Business Objects and a Relational Database is difficult

Creating the Business objects and stored procedures to implement a n-Tier design is a lot of work. A tool that can generate the data tier can cut that down to size.

Opening a Internet Explorer browser window to a specific URL

Opening a new browser window when the user clicks a link.

Sometimes you don't want the user to leave your site when they click on a link. 

SEHException in System.Windows.Forms.UnsafeNamtiveMethods.DispatchMessageW

The Visual Interdev Web Project Wizard doesn't show all existing virtual directories

FrontPage 2002 or 2003 gives the error: "The following pages in your web site contain link bars or navigation bars that use new formatting options."

How does one creating a COM object in .Net based on its ProgID?

The Visual Studio.Net Solution Explorer's Font Size is too Small for Presentations

The 9 point font used by default is to small when projected at 1024x768 or larger. This is a problem when demonstrating programs in Visual Studio.Net.

InfoPath doesn't allow a button to submit to the SQL Server database.

When creating a form that's connected to a SQL Server database InfoPath doesn't always allow a button to have the submit action with the target of the database.   It also doesn't allow Delete and Submit.

The Windows command prompt doesn't have autocomplete feature.  

The windows command prompt is rather dull.  It would benefit from an command completion feature that is commonly found in other operating systems.  I've also added a change in color.

The extended stored procedure xp_sql_agent_proxy_account returned the message "Access Denied" when doing either a 'GET' or 'SET' operation.

ASP pages hang when they reference the Scripting.FileSystemObject.

Installation of a COM+ application .MSI file fails.

When downloading an ActiveX OCX with Internet Explorer all that shows up is a small square or maybe a small square with a red dot.

Background programs hog the CPU

When a computer is shared between programs that server users, such as IIS or VB forms based programs, and programs that have no user interface, such as background computational programs, the background programs can hog the CPU and reduce the response time to the user.

There are a lot of RSS feed readers available.  They're needed to check compatibility.

Anyone producing an RSS feed needs to check compatibility with the most common feed readers.  While they all adhere to a standard, they all seem to use a different version of the standard.  That is, almost no standard at all.