SQL Script Exports

Until the day comes when Microsoft SQL Server SSMS provides the same info export features that PHPMyAdmin provides, we’re stuck with the right-click “Script-To…” feature (unless you buy a third-party utility, or write your own SMO or ADOX/ADO scripts, etc.), I tripped and fell over a rather simple feature that I didn’t know existed.  You can export multiple table schemas in one operation by simply clicking on the “Tables” object in the Object Explorer panel, then right-click and choose “Script-To: CREATE” and save to the clipboard/file/query window.  It works the same as individual exports, only that this does all of the Tables at once.  You can do the same by clicking on the “Views” object as well.

If you already knew this, just chuckle, shrug and blow it off and move on.  No harm done.  I wasn’t aware of this, so I figured at least one other person might not know this as well.

KiXtart: Using FSO File.ReadAll()

Another example of making use of one scripting language or API from another.  In this case, I’m calling on the FileSystemObject API to invoke the ReadAll() function on a file from a KiXtart script.  Just to show that there are all sorts of things you can do like this…

function ReadFile($filepath)
    $fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
    if exist($filepath)
        $file = $fso.OpenTextFile($filepath)
        $text = $file.ReadAll()
        $file.Close()
        $file = 0
    else
        ? "error: file not found"
    endif
    $readfile = $text
endfunction

; example...

? readfile("c:\myfile.txt")

Restarting a Remote Service (VBScript vs PowerShell)

This kind of goes along with my rants about PowerShell examples being pretty much reformatted VBScript WMI code examples, but regardless, PowerShell does provide a more abbreviated code environment.  The PowerShell code example was derived from a posting by Thomas Lee on the PowerShell blog on restarting a DNS service on a remote computer.  I had a VBScript example which does the same with the Spooler service, so I simply adapted Thomas’ code to support and apples-to-apples comparison.  As you can see, they are very similar.  In fact, the KiXtart version looks almost identical to both as well.

VBScript Example

strComputer = "server1" 
wscript.echo "Restarting Spooler Service on: ",strComputer

Set wmi = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\CIMV2") 
Set ret = wmi.ExecMethod("Win32_Service.Name='Spooler'", "StopService")
If ret.ReturnValue = 0 Then
    wscript.echo "Spooler Service stopped"
Else
    wscript.echo "Spooler Service not stopped"
End If

Set ret = wmi.ExecMethod("Win32_Service.Name='Spooler '", "StartService")
If ret.ReturnValue = 0 Then
    wscript.echo "Spooler Service started"
Else
    wscript.echo "Spooler Service not started"
End If

PowerShell Example

$strComputer = "server1" 
"Restarting Spooler Service on: $strComputer" 
  
# get the service object
$svc = gwmi Win32_Service -computer $strComputer | where {$_.name -eq "Spooler"} 
  
# stop the service
$ret = $svc.StopService() 
if ($ret.ReturnValue -eq 0) {"Spooler Service stopped"} 
else {"Spooler Service not stopped"} 
  
# start the service
$ret = $svc.StartService() 
if ($ret.ReturnValue -eq 0) {"Spooler Service started"} 
else {"Spooler Service not started"}

Am I a VMWare Guest Machine or Not?

VBScript Version

Function IsVmWareClient()
    Dim objWMIService, colBIOS, objBIOS, retval
    Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:{impersonationLevel=impersonate}!\\.\root\cimv2")
    Set colBIOS = objWMIService.ExecQuery("Select SerialNumber from Win32_BIOS")
    For each objBIOS in colBIOS
        If Left(objBIOS.SerialNumber, 6) = "VMware" Then
            retval = True
            Exit For
        End If
    Next
    IsVmWareClient = retval
End Function

' test

If IsVmWareClient() Then
    wscript.echo "yes - this is a vmware guest machine"
Else
    wscript.echo "not a vmware guest machine"
End If

KiXtart Version

Function IsVmWareClient()
    Dim $wmiService, $colBIOS, $objBIOS, $retval
    $wmiService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\.\root\CIMV2")
    $colBIOS = $wmiService.ExecQuery("select SerialNumber from Win32_BIOS") 
    For Each $objBIOS in $colBIOS
        If Left($objBIOS.SerialNumber, 6) = "VMware"
            $retval = 1
        EndIf
    Next
    $IsVmWareClient = $retval
EndFunction

; test

If IsVmWareClient()
    ? "yes - this is a vmware guest machine"
Else
    ? "not a vmware guest machine"
EndIf