Microsoft Articles Clarify SQL Server Functions

Microsoft has posted two new Knowledge Base articles that clarify how the ODBC driver for SQL Server 2000 and 7.0 returns messages from certain commands and how to create a SQL Server 2000 Blackbox trace. The article "INF: PRINT, RAISERROR, DBCC Commands and ODBC Driver for SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 7.0" explains that the ODBC 3.5x-compliant SQL Server driver returns messages from consecutive PRINT, RAISERROR, DBCC, or similar statements (in a batch or stored procedure, for example) in a separate resultset for each statement. In contrast, the ODBC 2.x driver that works with SQL Server 6.x returns such messages in a single, combined resultset. For more details about this topic, see http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/kb.asp?ID=280109.The article "INF: Stored Procedure to Create a SQL Server 2000 Blackbox Trace" says that when you report an error to your primary support provider, you must make sure you provide the Blackbox.trc and Sqldiag.txt files. The article also explains that to create the Blackbox.trc file, you need to create a trace, start the trace, then stop the trace before you run the sqldiag utility. To read more about this topic and to access a stored procedure to create, start, and stop a blackbox trace, see http://www.microsoft.com/technet/support/kb.asp?ID=281671.