Published on

April 10, 2021

Exploring SQL Server Concepts with Jupyter Notebooks

Welcome to our blog post on exploring SQL Server concepts using Jupyter Notebooks! In this article, we will discuss how Jupyter Notebooks can be a valuable tool for SQL Server professionals, particularly in incident resolution and code sharing.

Incident Resolution Made Easy

One of the main benefits of Jupyter Notebooks for Ops professionals is the ability to save query results directly within the notebook. This feature is especially useful for incident resolution. Instead of manually copying and pasting results into separate documents, you can simply run the queries in a notebook and save it. This way, when you have a wash-up meeting the next day, you can easily open the notebook and share the results with everyone involved. Additionally, by creating template notebooks for specific scenarios, you can compare them to previous occurrences, making it easier to identify patterns and potential solutions.

Using Pester for Validation

Pester is a powerful testing framework for PowerShell that allows you to validate that your environment is as expected. It can be a valuable resource for incident resolution, as it helps you quickly identify areas to concentrate on for resolving the issue. However, when running Pester in a .NET Notebook, you may encounter an error. This error occurs because the required module, ‘Pester’, is not loaded by default.

To fix this issue, you can import the ‘Pester’ module using the following command:

Import-Module Pester

However, you may encounter another error related to the ‘CimCmdlets’ module. This error occurs because the PowerShell kernel in Jupyter Notebooks does not ship with all the built-in modules. To resolve this, you can manually import the ‘CimCmdlets’ module from your local PowerShell 7 installation using the following command:

Import-Module 'C:\program files\powershell7\Modules\CimCmdlets\CimCmdlets.psd1'

Once you have imported the necessary modules, you can run your Pester tests within the Jupyter Notebook environment.

Sharing Code and Results

Jupyter Notebooks provide an excellent way to share your code and results with others. By sharing your notebook, others can follow along with your analysis and see the results you obtained. You can easily share your notebook by uploading it to platforms like GitHub or embedding it in a blog post, as shown below:

<script src="https://gist.github.com/your-gist-id.js"></script>

By embedding the notebook in your blog post, readers can interact with the code and view the results directly within the post.

Conclusion

Jupyter Notebooks are a powerful tool for SQL Server professionals, providing a convenient way to save query results, validate environments, and share code and results with others. By leveraging the capabilities of Jupyter Notebooks, you can streamline your incident resolution process and collaborate more effectively with your team.

We hope you found this article helpful in exploring SQL Server concepts with Jupyter Notebooks. Stay tuned for more informative articles on SQL Server and related topics!

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