Database Frequently Asked Questions

What database versions are being run in the McCombs School of Business?

All McCombs SQL database servers are running SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server 2000 SP4.

Here is a list of our SQL servers:

SQL1	SQL Server 2005 SP2
SQL2	SQL Server 2005 SP2
MISSQL2005	SQL Server 2005 SP2
SQLD	SQL Server 2000 SP4
SQLW	SQL Server 2000 SP4
NEW-BORG	SQL Server 2000 SP4
SQLUDB	SQL Server 2000 SP4
OPSDB	SQL Server 2000 SP4
ACSDBnode1	SQL Server 2000 SP4
ACSDBnode2	SQL Server 2000 SP4

How do I figure out how big my database will be?

All databases are a collection of objects. Tables are the main object that will be created in a database as this is the object that the information is actually stored in.

Tables can be thought of as consisting of rows and columns. The rows are the fields in the database like name, gender, age, price, etc. The columns are the sets of information stored.

Tables are created with data types for each row. The size of the column is specific to the type of the column. Here are the basic columns that are supported by SQL Server 7.0 and their size in bytes:

char	number of bytes specified
varchar	number of bytes stored + 1 byte overhead
int	4 bytes
float	8 bytes
money	8 bytes
datetime	8 bytes

To determine the size of a table you would figure out what columns you wish to store and determine their size in bytes. Then, add these up and add 4 bytes (internal overhead) to the figure and you will have the approximate row size for that table. You would then take the number (or average number) of rows you are going to store and multiply this out and you will have the approximate table size.

For example, if you were going to do an address list it might be defined as follows:

Name	char(50)
Address	char(100)
City	char(25)
State	char(2)
Zip	int

The approximate row size would then be 50 (name) + 100 (address) + 25 (city) + 2 (state) + 4 (zip) + 4 (overhead) = 185 bytes. I have 100 addresses so the approximate table size would be 1850 bytes, or 1.85 kilobytes.

If you have other tables that you will be creating, then you would add all of the figures up to get the size of the database.

How do I install the SQL Server 2005 client software?

Click on this URL: http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/services/cbacc/dbsupport/vpn/InstallSQL2K5Client.htm

How do I connect to the Oracle server for class work?

The Oracle server for class work has been pundit.mccombs.utexas.edu. We are retiring this machine in favor of a machine that has a less costly maintenance plan. Also, we are upgrading from Oracle 8.0 to Oracle 8i.

The new Oracle machine is prophet.mccombs.utexas.edu. This machine is now running Oracle 8i and the OS is RedHat Linux.

For security purposes, telnet has been disabled on this machine. All connection to the machine needs to be done with SSH so that the communications to and from the session are kept encrypted. The client is available for download here: SSHWinSecureShell24.exe.

What happened to the Prophet Oracle server?

Prophet was running a version of Oracle 8i that was full of bugs. This was found to be a desupported version of the database due to the large number of bugs in it. To facilitate access to this resource (Oracle) for class work, a new machine was built to replace Prophet.

The new machine is Prophet2.mccombs.utexas.edu and can be reached through the lab at Prophet2.world. All of the labs have been updated with the configuration information that makes this connectivity possible.

If you have SQL*Plus on your own machine you will need to replace the TNSNAMES.ORA file with this one. This file goes in <Drive>:\ORANT\NET80\ADMIN.

I want to install PL/Edit in the Lab. How do I do this?

Due to permissions in the lab, it is not possible for a student to install this software product in the lab directly. However, once this software installs, it can be zipped up and transported to any machine and will then run once extracted.

So, what you need to do is to install PL/Edit is:

Download PL/Edit.
Extract it to your home (H:) drive using directory path info. This will create a directory called BenthicStudent.
Double-click the Pledit32.exe program.
Type in your account, password and prophet2.world for the database.

Why can't I create an object with Enterprise Manager in a new database?

Due to a bug in SQL Server Enterprise Manager, when a user tries to create an object through Enterprise Manager and he has been given access through a Group, Enterprise Manager does not properly handle the "admin" necessary to allow this. When an object is created through SQL Query Analyzer, the correct "admin" is done allowing the creation of objects through Enterprise Manager from there on.

The solution, then, is to create an object and all will be fixed. You can run the following through Query Analyzer (remember to set the database before you execute it):

create table test_table (
column1 int,
column2 char(10)
)
go
drop table test_table
go