sqlcmd

On Sat, 30 Oct 2010 10:33:51 +0200, Erland Sommarskog
wrote:

>Gene Wirchenko (genew@ocis.net) writes:
>> I have little tolerance for people who misstate other people
>> positions. There is a lot of documentation. I do not want to have to
>> read it all to get started. I want the relevant portion to get
>> oriented.
>
>And I pointed you to do it. What more do want me to do? Fly over, and click
>so you get the page in front of you? What is so difficult to use an index?
>Really, Books Online is your biggest asset to get working with SQL Server,
>so there is all reason to get acquainted with it. (And it's not that Books
>Online is very SQL Server-specific, but it uses the same platform and
>structure as MSDN Library. Well, at least up to VS 2008. What ships with
>VS 2010 is a disaster.)
>
>> Did you cover the bit where I had no known reason for looking it
>> up? The tutorial implied that the bare command would just work.
>
>Are you referring to this?
>ms-help://MS.SQLCC.v10/MS.SQLSVR.v10.en/s10de_5techref/html/00d57437-7a29-4da1-b639-ee990db055fb.htm

I do not know since I do not know what the URL means, nor can
Firefox resolve it.

>The first thing I see is the second note: "By default, SQL Server Express installs as the named instance *sqlexpress*."

This line is familiar though.

>So already there is a warning that you are not connecting to a default
>instance.

Actually, it is the other way around. It says that (when not
specified otherwise) there is a default instance named SQLExpress
installed.

Unfortunately, Microsoft decided to create a new definition of
"default". They should have called what they call "default instance"
something unobfuscatory like "unnamed instance".

Imagine this sentence: "By default, ExampleSoftware installs with
a ExampleSetting value of ExampleValue." Would you not say that the
default value for the setting is ExampleValue? Note how Microsoft
does not follow this logical method.

>Yes, that is a problem. Sometimes you need to read documentation more than
>once to get the gist. That happens to me too.

There are too many landmines. I can not wait for my book. I am
bothered that Microsoft's documentation does not cut it.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

On 1-11-2010 23:43, Gene Wirchenko wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Oct 2010 10:33:51 +0200, Erland Sommarskog
> wrote:
>
(snip)
>> Are you referring to this?
>> ms-help://MS.SQLCC.v10/MS.SQLSVR.v10.en/s10de_5techref/html/00d57437-7a29-4da1-b639-ee990db055fb.htm
>
> I do not know since I do not know what the URL means, nor can
> Firefox resolve it.

It's a Books Online link. If you open BOL and look at the title bar,
you'll see a link somewhat like the one Erland posteed. Copy Erland's
link, in that bar, hit enter and you're good to go.


>> The first thing I see is the second note: "By default, SQL Server Express installs as the named instance *sqlexpress*."
>
> This line is familiar though.
>
>> So already there is a warning that you are not connecting to a default
>> instance.
>
> Actually, it is the other way around. It says that (when not
> specified otherwise) there is a default instance named SQLExpress
> installed.

Exactly. And it does not say that it will _connect_ to that instance by
default. In fact, the article explicitly gives you two connection
methods - one to a default instance, and one to a named instance. Which
is what SQLExpress' installation defaults to.

> Unfortunately, Microsoft decided to create a new definition of
> "default". They should have called what they call "default instance"
> something unobfuscatory like "unnamed instance".

Agreed.

> Imagine this sentence: "By default, ExampleSoftware installs with
> a ExampleSetting value of ExampleValue." Would you not say that the
> default value for the setting is ExampleValue? Note how Microsoft
> does not follow this logical method.

You're wrong. It says: "By default, ExampleSoftware installs with a
ExampleSetting value of ExampleValue. The ExampleTool by default sets
ExampleSetting to OtherValue". Explicitly repeating the default
installation option for SQLExpress in a subject that is actually about
connecting helps prevent misunderstandings.

>> Yes, that is a problem. Sometimes you need to read documentation more than
>> once to get the gist. That happens to me too.
>
> There are too many landmines. I can not wait for my book. I am
> bothered that Microsoft's documentation does not cut it.

There is plenty of content in Books Online that warrants critical
comments. This is not an example of that content, though. Criticising
Books Online in a thread where you already have admitted that you did
not read the topic does not make a very convincing argument.



--
Hugo Kornelis, SQL Server MVP
My SQL Server blog: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/hugo_kornelis