David Mellors » SQL Server

SharePoint 2010 Diagnostics Studio Errors Event ID 6398

Dave Mellors — Tue, 17 May 2011 09:42:58 +0000

Having installed the SharePoint 2010 Diagnostics Studio on a server we were seeing hundreds of events with ID 6398:-

Log Name:      Application
Source:        Microsoft-SharePoint Products-SharePoint Foundation
Event ID:      6398
Task Category: Timer
Level:         Critical
Description:
The Execute method of job definition Microsoft.SharePoint.Diagnostics.SPSqlBlockingReportDiagnosticProvider (ID e0c0213b-63fc-4ede-acc9-7a569ba95812) threw an exception. More information is included below.

You do not have permission to run ‘SP_TRACE_CREATE’.

and

Source:        Microsoft-SharePoint Products-SharePoint Foundation
Event ID:      6398
Task Category: Timer
Level:         Critical
Description:
The Execute method of job definition Microsoft.SharePoint.Diagnostics.SPSqlBlockingReportDiagnosticProvider (ID e0c0213b-63fc-4ede-acc9-7a569ba95812) threw an exception. More information is included below.
The blocking query diagnostics provider could not set the ‘blocked process threshold’ for the sql instance SPSQL01. Blocking queries will not be captured in this instance. Error Code: User does not have permission to perform this action.
You do not have permission to run the RECONFIGURE statement.
The configuration option ‘blocked process threshold’ does not exist, or it may be an advanced option.
You do not have permission to run the RECONFIGURE statement.

Solution

On the SQL server make sure the account specified in the username of the events has ALTER TRACE and ALTER SETTINGS enabled. You can do this through Management Studio by selecting the username and changing the securables.

SQL Toolkit introduction

Dave Mellors — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 10:37:00 +0000

In my last post I talked about writing an example application using the Red Gate SQL Toolkit but it occurred to me that I ought to mention a bit more about what SQL Toolkit is and what it can be used for.

What is SQL Toolkit?
SQL Toolkit is an software development kit (SDK) from Red Gate Software (my employers) that provides .net developers with an api, samples and documentation for doing schema and data comparisons of Microsoft SQL Server databases. The toolkit also has a an api for packaging databases and database updates.

Why would I use SQL Toolkit?
Interestingly I believe that many of the solutions that customers are using SQL Toolkit for can already be done with the GUI or command line versions of SQL Compare, SQL Data Compare or SQL Packager products but software developers sometimes prefer to have the increased level of control that they gain by using the SDK.

The customers I have had contact with seem to use the software for the following:-

Update the database schema at a customers site without user interation
An executable is sent to the customer which they run and which compares a database snapshot with the customers database and then updates the customers database with the differences.

Continuous Integration (automated testing)
Some customers had previously been using database backups for their testing but using the toolkit is significantly quicker and more effective.

Keep internal databases in sync (often in different geographical locations)
The Microsoft SQL Server replication isn’t as friendly or as easy as some people would like and so customers are using SQL Toolkit to keep databases synchronized across different sites.

Update SQL database for remote web hosts
You develop on a local server and then you need to migrate your changes to your web servers which are hosted remotely.

Change control and auditing
SQL Toolkit is being used as part of the change control process to record changes being made to production systems.

There are certainly more uses for SQL Toolkit then I have listed but if you want to do SQL database comparison and want a high level of control then you should take a look at it.

Links:
Red Gate SQL Toolkit product page
SQL Toolkit free 14 day trial

Red Gate SQL Toolkit: SQL Deployment example

Dave Mellors — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 09:27:00 +0000

We are getting a lot of customers interested in using SQL Toolkit for deploying database updates to remote customer sites. Using SQL Toolkit you can distribute a single executable to your customers and use the Toolkit to do a schema comparison and then automatically update the customers database with the differences between a snapshot from your database and the customers database.

Up until now I haven’t used SQL Toolkit that much so I thought it would be nice to learn more about the product and come up with my own example of using SQL Toolkit to deploy/update a database. A recent survey and some helpful existing customers have given me an insight into what people want such an example to do so in the next few days I intend to post my first attempt and then make improvements to it over the coming weeks.

The SQL Toolkit provides full api access to the Red Gate comparison tools giving you database schema, data and packaging functionality in your own applications. You can download a free 14 day trial of SQL Toolkit.