A little music to start your day:
Run, rabbit run. Dig that hole, forget the sun. And when at last the work is done Don't sit down, it's time to dig another one… -Pink Floyd, Breathe
I stumbled across a new shortcut today in Outlook, and you know mama loves keyboard shortcuts. You know how in Internet Explorer you can use Backspace as the "back" key? In Outlook, backspace takes you to the last folder you were in! This works in Windows for navigating the folder structure, too.
I realize it's a little thing, but over the years I've incorporated something like 30 different shortcut keys that save me a significant amount of time. When all you do all day long is type and mouseclick, it pays to cut out dead space.
For your enjoyment, here's Microsoft's KB article Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows.
Oh and I'll say it again, because this is just good to have: you can set your own keyboard shortcuts, and see existing ones, in SQL Server Management Studio from the Tools menu, Options | Environment | Keyboard. I *always* set CTRL+F1 to sp_helptext…I love being able to highlight a SP name and get the full CREATE code for it.
I also install Redgate's SQL Prompt, which gives you a lot of stuff…but I'm primarily interested in CTRL+K CTRL+Y, which FORMATS YOUR TSQL CODE FOR YOU! This is doubly a big deal for me, because I'm on the SQL 05 client tools at work, and a carriage return in SMS takes you to the beginning of the next line (instead of automatically applying the indentation from the last line). That, and nobody in my department has ever heard of the TAB key…
In MidnightDBA news, we put up two new DBAs @ Midnight videos: Managing Tasks, part 1 and part 2. If you're not familiar with our newest video format, it's just me and Sean talking about whatever we feel like. We focus on database and IT subjects, but you will hear the occasional family story (in part 1 we tell the tale of how Sean broke the sliding door) and whatnot. I should warn you that we do slip in the occasional salty language (though we try to keep it under control) and adult content (no, not THAT adult), so I wouldn't watch these at full volume at work, or in front of the kiddies.
We've had a couple of video requests, which is great! They're in the pipeline…now keep them coming guys, and party on, Wayne…
-Jen McCown, http://www.MidnightDBA.com