So, What Do You Hate About SQL Server? -- Visual Studio Magazine

Data Driverby David Ramel

So, What Do You Hate About SQL Server?

Paul S. Randal stirred up the SQL Server community this week with a blog post titled "What 5 things should SQL Server get rid of?"

He tagged five friends and started a chain reaction--or SQL Meme--of bellicose bombast across the blogosphere.

Randal's No. 1 complaint? "Auto-shrink." The CEO of SQLskills.com said, "I tried to have it removed during SQL 2005 and SQL 2008 development, but to no avail. It needed to stay for backwards compatibility."

While he makes good arguments for his choices, others seem somewhat surprising. For example, Adam Haines wants to delete PRINT and SELECT * from SQL Server.

Some are pretty broad in their scope, such as Aaron Bertand's desire to drop "syntax inconsistencies" and "the current setup program."

Some nuance the nitty-gritty. Denis Gobo volunteered "Unique constraints with one NULL value" and "Restrictions on Indexed Views" while providing explanations, screenshots and recommended substitutions.

Some targeted specific tools. Jamie Thomson, the SSIS Junkie, tackled SQL Server Integration Services. His suggestions included the Web Service and ActiveX Script tasks. Todd McDermid followed this foray into SSIS with the "Properties Window" and "Data Profiling Task."

Brent Ozar has some rambling, inchoate ("Any feature described using the phrase ‘down payment' ") gripes about SQL Server Management Studio, including database diagrams and "Every SSMS UI designer."

Of course, readers were all over the subject, contributing their own colorful comments. One said the Web Service Task "should die. Horribly. Painfully."

By the time this is posted, I'm sure there will be dozens more. So let's board the bandwagon. Let it all out. Give Redmond an earful. (after all, so many people on TV say Windows 7 was their idea, why can't you claim that the next SQL Server edition was your idea?)

Weigh in here or drop me an e-mail (just don't start any memes about bloggers who should be banished from the Web!).

Posted by David Ramel on 05/12/2010 at 2:58 PM

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Reader Comments:

Tue, May 18, 2010 David Ramel

Hi Brent, Hey, didn’t mean to cause a fuss with the “inchoate” thing. I was just referring to the “down payment” item, about which you said: “I’ll talk about this in more detail in my SQL Server 2008 R2 review coming out this week.” So I said it was “inchoate,” of which the first definition I find is: “not yet completed or fully developed” So I just meant you weren’t done yet; there’s more to come, that’s all. (and come on, you have to give me the “rambling” part!) I enjoyed your post. Keep it up!

Sat, May 15, 2010 Brent Ozar Chicago, IL

Robert - wow, so it's only been 3 days and the author still hasn't responded to comments on his own blog. Niiiice.

Fri, May 14, 2010 Brian M Keller, TX

Obviously an installer written by a bunch of CompSci PhD's. Ridiculous. Give me a list of what I want, an OK and Cancel button, and MAKE IT HAPPEN. If some registry settings are bad, then dammit, fix them. I have been trying to install R2 for a week, at least a dozen attempts, and SSMS will NOT run. And what does it say? "SQL Server Management Express has stopped working..." Uh, hello? Isn't that the whole idea here? Now I'm waiting for the "R2 Pre-install Cleanup/Fixit Package" to come out. See foot. Take Pistol. Aim. Fire. OUCH!

Wed, May 12, 2010 Robert L Davis http://www.sqlservercentral.com/blogs/robert_davis/default.aspx

What exactly is inchoate about Brent Ozar's blog post? In the immortal words on Mandy Patinkin, "You keep using that word. I do not hink it means what you think it means."

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Data Driverby David Ramel