Page Level Restoration now has GUI

In one of my previous posts "Page Level Restoration", I had explained how to perform a page level restoration for a database. The whole procedure was using the T-SQL commands.
From SQL Server 2012 onward, we have an GUI to perform Page level restoration which makes life easy.

Backup a database to Windows Azure storage and restore a database from Windows Azure storage

The evaluation of SQL 2014 continues and here is what's new in Backup and Restore of SQL Server 2014.

In SQL Server 2014, we will be able to backup the database to Windows Azure storage and restore the database backup directly from the Windows Azure storage. 

To backup a database to Windows Azure storage, Choose the "Back up To:" to "URL" instead of "Disk"

To restore a database from Windows Azure storage, Choose the "Backup media type:" to "URL" instead of "File"

And here is where you connect to the Windows Azure storage during restore operation

Re-assign F5 key to refresh action in SQL Server 2014 Management Studio

During my evaluation of SQL Server 2014, I happened to face a problem, when I hit the F5 key in the Object Explorer, the SSMS was starting the Debug action instead of Refresh.
Usually most of them will be happy for F5=Refresh and F5=Query Execution.

Here is the procedure to Re-assign F5 key to refresh action in SQL Server Management Studio.

1. Open Management Studio
2. Go to Tools >> Options
   
3. Expand Environment >> Keyboard >> Keyboard
   
4. In the "Show commands containing:", type "View.Refresh" and here you can observe that "Shortcuts for selected command:" will be grayed out
   
5. Now choose "Global" in the "Use new shortcut in:" and press F5 button in "Press shortcut keys:"
   
6. Click Assign
7. Click Ok

From now on, when you press F5 in the Object explorer, the window will be refreshed instead of initiating debug option.

T-SQL query to find the timezone offset of the SQL server

Here is a short T-SQL query to find the timezone offset of the SQL server.

SELECT 'UTC'+RIGHT(SYSDATETIMEOFFSET(),6) AS 'TimeZone Offset'

T-SQL query to find if a Report Server Database is configured in Native or Sharepoint Integration mode

Here is a T-SQL Query to find if a Report Server Database is configured in Native or Sharepoint Integration mode.

USE ReportServer$SQL2008R2 --Change the Database Name
GO
IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM sys.objects WHERE NAME = 'ConfigurationInfo')
BEGIN

 DECLARE @Result nvarchar(max)
 SELECT @Result = Value FROM ConfigurationInfo
 WHERE NAME = 'SharePointIntegrated'
 PRINT CASE WHEN @Result= 'False' THEN 'The specified Report Server Database "'+ DB_NAME() + '" is configured in "NATIVE" mode'
      WHEN @Result = 'True' THEN 'The specified Report Server Database "'+ DB_NAME() + '" is configured in "SHAREPOINT INTEGRATION" mode'
    END
END
ELSE
BEGIN
DECLARE @DBName nvarchar(100)
SELECT @DBName = DB_NAME()
RAISERROR('The database %s is not a report server database',16,1,@DBName)
END