I created a snapshot of a large database today. I wanted to preserve a version of the database without doing full backup. Snapshots are based on sparse files. They contain only original database pages that have been modified since snapshot was taken.

However, I was shocked when I opened Windows Explorer and when I saw that size of snapshot files is identical to size of original data files. That would have huge implication on my server if it was true.

After I calmed down (and after I realized that our server is still working), I looked in BOL and then I've googled around. I've found that there is a difference between Size that Explorer is showing and Size on Disk. When I opened properties of a snapshot file I saw that Size of a particular file was a 14 GB while it occupied only 64 KB on disk.

SQL Server 2005 improved how databases and their files can be shrinked.

In SQL Server 2000, after the shrinking size typically would not change immediately. SQL Server would need to write some dummy transactions to force the log to start writing from the beginning of the file.

One thing that I often did in SQL Server 2000 to get rid of a large log (.ldf) file was to:

• detach a database
• delete the log file
• attach a database without a log file. SQL Server would notice that log file a missing, report warning and create a new log file.

There is no need for that any more. All you need to do is:

• Open content sensitive menu of the database
• Choose Tasks > Shrink > Files
• Choose File Type - Log
• Choose Shrink Action (it's good to leave some empty s ...

• Open Command Prompt
• Run mmc.exe
• Mmc
• File > Add/Remove Snap-in
• In Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box, click on Add button
• On next dialog box Choose Group Policy Object Editor. Click Add.
• Accept Local Computer by choosing Finish.
• Close everything.

For Terminal Server try:

Local Computer Policy > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Terminal Services > Sessions

Or

Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Terminal Services > Sessions

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I am trying to create documentation for a Analysis Services 2005 cube.
As far as I see, only BIDocumentor.com is currently generations such documentation.
It's OK, but it's not perfect. I want to do more:

I have couple of problems:
1. How to print diagram of Data Source Views
There are 25 diagrams and tables on them are not displaying all columns. I do not want to expand them manually. Unfortunately, Autosize from Database diagrams does not work on this.

Any ideas?

2. Printing

I cannot control size of diagram very good. It ends up on many pages, or as garbage if I reduce its size (to 5o% for example).

Analysis Services uses DataDir property to set the location store cube data (and meta-data).

The value and location can be changed. Analysis Server needs to be restarted for this.

You can do the same for backup folder - BackupDir.

However, there is a bug related to migration of DataDir.

http://blogs.conchango.com/jamiethomson/archive/2006/06/26/4140.aspx

It seems that everything will be fine if we move all data from the original Data folder to the new Data folder.