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Microsoft SQL Server FAQs

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(Continued from previous part...)

How can SQL Server Agent Mail send messages in SQL Server 2005?

Answer
SQL Mail through Extended MAPI or Database mail.
Explanation
SQL Server Agent Mail can be configured to use Database Mail or Extended MAPI.


What is the scale of measurement for the cost threshold for parallelism setting in SQL Server 2005?

Answer
Seconds

Explanation
This value measures the number of seconds for a plan where the optimizer chooses between serial and parallel plans.


Which of the following statements best describes the filter capabilities of Report Builder?

Answer
Users can do equals, greater than, less than, etc, plus they can do logical AND, OR, NOT operations. Users can also group filters to allow more advanced filters.

Explanation
While it looks a little different than you may be used to, the filter builder is reasonably rich, allowing most standard evaluation types and rich boolean comparisons. The only weak spot in the set is no support for LIKE, you have to make do with CONTAINS.


True or false, Report Builder supports user defined run time parameters?

Answer
True

Explanation
Absolutely true. Users can define any portion of a filter to be a run time prompt, letting other users easily change the filter as needed. Not only is it easy to set up, Report Builder automatically populates a list of all possible choices based on the column being filtered.


Using Report Builder that is bundled with Reporting Services 2005, which of the following would work as a way to add a derived field to a report?

Answer
Add a field to the model in Report Builder using the built in formula/function support

Explanation
While Report Builder cannot be used to build or maintain models, it does allow you to add a virtual field that exists only within that report - to the end user it looks like the model is being modified.


If you absolutely need a report to look the same regardless of what OS or viewing software is being used, which of the following file formats would be the best choice?

Answer
TIFF

Explanation
TIFF is the correct answer. By rendering as an image there are no concerns about different fonts, problems with page breaks, etc. PDF's are almost as good and more commonly used of course, with the advantage that document maps are translated to bookmarks that are usable - something not possible with a raw image.


True or false, Report Builder offers direct export to a Microsoft Access database as one of its supported export options?

Answer
False

Explanation
False. Supported formats include Excel, CSV, XML, TIFF, MHTML, and PDF. XML or CSV could be easily imported into Access, but there is way to add the data directly from Report Builder


When discussing image support in Report Builder, which of the following is the most accurate statement?

Answer
Users can add one or more images, but they will appear in the header or footer of the report, they cannot be added to the detail row. Images that are stored as row data in the database can be rendered at the detail level.

Explanation
Multiple images can be added, but they appear in the header or footer depending on where placed on the report. The only way to get an image at the detail level (row based) is to have it be part of the database and included in the model.

(Continued on next part...)

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