KB Article Subscriptions for the Hard Workin' DBA

Back when I was a SQL Server DBA, I used to get a premier services newsletter that told me about all of the new Microsoft SQL Server Knowledge Base articles.  The newsletter was available only to those who had a Enterprise Agreement in place with Microsoft Premiere Support Services.  That’s to say, it wasn’t common knowledge and it wasn’t easy for most people to get hold of.

Now, you can easily access this information through an RSS feed that Microsoft has made available to the public here.

My favorite type of KB article are those marked as INFO and HOW-TO.  For example, some current KB articles of this type include:

-          INF: SQL Server Utility Files Available, http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;178444

-          INF: Exposing SQL Server Data to the Web with XML (White Paper), http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;322615

-          How-To: How to set up IIS and SQL Server on separate machines with a trusted connection, http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;176379

-          INF: SQL Server 7.0 Performance Guide (White Paper), http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;322883

There are new KB articles coming out every day.  The two other common type of KB articles are BUG and FIX.  As a DBA, you’ll find this to be a great resource to stay on top of important bugs and fixes that might impact your production environment.

Subscribe and enjoy!

-Kev