CSIS Blogs - Microsoft

No Current Record in Access

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 20:16:23 -0500

Ran into this error when my back-end database crashed on my application. I would be able to view the first record, but as soon as I went to the next record using either the navigation bar or the combo-box I use to find records I would get this error: "No current record"

Looked at the results of numerous google searches and found Allen Browne's solution quite handy. However none of his tips included my situation: failure while viewing data.

Turns out I simply had to relink my tables!

Sometimes simple solutions always evade us. I spent quite a few hours before I got to this. Hope it works for you!

Invalid character value for cast specification

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 10:57:29 -0500

Ran into "invalid character value for cast specification" error after I changed the data type for one of the field in my SQL Server 2008 database.

Environment
SQL Server 2005 backend
Access 2007 front-end

I changed a datetime field to char in SQL Server because (1) I didn't plan on any data manipulation with this field and (2) the data was coming in as text (255) from a CSV file. Basically I did not want to mess with the CAST/CONVERT functions.

Immediately after making this change, the form using that data wouldn't load. This became a headache when it didn't load even after removing the field from the form.

Google searches revealed everything from blanks in the source column, conversion issues to invalid dates, service packs and hotfixes.

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Distributing copies of SQL Server database

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 19:46:32 -0500

There are many ways to copy and distribute a SQL server database to multiple users. In an academic setting, you have to constrain the students' access to just their database. That is, they usually don't have enough privileges to create databases. So, they cannot attach databases. In such cases, you have to jump through some hoops to make the distribution of the sample database possible. Some of these are listed here

Import the database into an empty Microsoft Access database through ODBC and share the Access DB with the class. The students can import it back into their SQL server database
Use the Publishing Wizard. I found this tool VERY handy as it creates the SQL you need to create all the tables and data. This blog post at Systems Engineering and RDBMS details how you can get this tool (in case you don't already have it) and call it from the command line to script just the data, just the schema or both

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SQL Server and [DBNETLIB][ConnectionOpen (Connect()).]SQL Server does not exist or access denied.

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:18:28 -0600

In preparing for class, I was testing out some simple connection exercises from Excel.[OT: I was pleasantly surprised to note that you can access SQL Server 2005 (using Excel 2007) without setting up an ODBC connection string.] In the process, I could not connect to the SQL server instance on my local machine. I discovered that numerous others continue to face this problem as a google search on the error string will reveal. Having experienced this TYPE of situation since this past summer, I tried one of my tricks: Append the port number (even if it is the default). IT WORKS!

Environment: SQLServer 2005 and Excel 2007
Solution: Add the port number to your server name (serverName,nnnn)

Connection string: Eclipse to SQL server 2005

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:17:20 -0600

Just a quick note to add to my previous post on connecting to SQL server data from within eclipse. All semester I have been having trouble connecting to an instance of SQL server. Today, I had to work on a machine that had Eclipse but did not have SQL server Management Studio. SQL Explorer plugin to the rescue.
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Updating a table with data from another in SQL server 2005

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 09:02:28 -0600

I was helping my class move a project from a semi-normalized design to a fully normalized design. This required splitting the un-normalized table into multiple tables. Rather than re-create new test data, we took the live project data and decided to make it into an exercise in data extraction and transformation. While creation of the base tables was not a major issue, inserting the foreign key values was.
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Update 2: Could not open a connection to SQL Server instance

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 12:00:41 -0500

Further verification revealed that I still could not connect to the instance. After reporting the issue to the developers and Network gurus, I decided to poke around. I started with the sqlcmd utility. Siimply typing

sqlcmd -S tcp:bpa-sqlserver.murraystate.edu\sqlexpress,1433
(from the command prompt - start/run cmd)

gave me the following error, "Login failed for user ' ' The user is not associated with a trusted server connection". After checking the syntax for the sqlcmd utility, I added the userid and password options (- U and -P - sometimes command line utilities are SO handy!). So I attempted again with these two options

sqlcmd -U myUserId -P mypassword -S tcp:bpa-sqlserver.murraystate.edu\sqlexpress,1433

and I got a "1>" prompt immediately. So now I knew I could connect and the error had to be with the Sql Server Management Studio (SSMS).

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Using Eclipse to connect to SQL server 2005

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:02:47 -0500

This term we are going to use Eclipse almost exclusively to develop ColdFusion templates for my CIS420 class. After downloading all the (large) files, I discovered that the ColdFusion plugin does not work with the latest release (3.4) of Eclipse. But that's for a different post

I was a bit disappointed when I could not get the SQL server connection to work right last year. So this year I wanted to do it all right. That's when my troubles with Eclipse began.
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.ldb remaining open

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:05:13 -0500

One of the MS-Access databases I support was not allowing me to edit as I did not have "exclusive" rights to it. Turned out the database was not being closed (as evidenced by the presence of an LDB file). Tried all of the recommended solutions
(1) See if no one is using it and delete it (wouldn't allow)
(2) Open the DB and use the built-in utility to compact and repair (returned the id of the computer that had it open)
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Student discounts on Microsoft products

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:59:04 -0500

If you are looking for students discounts in Microsoft products, start here

Could not open a connection to SQL Server instance resolved

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:59:04 -0500

Environment: Our SQL server (2005) is in a DMZ. By this, I understand that we are behind a firewall. Our network admins control access very tightly. So we have to jump through a couple of hoops to get a hole poked through the firewall. The windows firewall on the box is disabled. The server has 4 instances running. They are all accessible from inside the (campus-wide) firewall.

Problem: Accessing a SQL server instance from a remote location

(Check the update for resolution)
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SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS vs SSMSE)

nospam@example.com (Victor Raj) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:59:04 -0500

Over the summer I went over various SQL server configurations that could work with/for our students in the labs (and also to be better informed when the inevitable questions would arise). I also wanted to be able to explore the wonderful new Integration and Reporting Services during the Fall term.

That's when I discovered that my Management Studio setup was lacking. At the time of initial setup, I was happy just to be able to connect to SQL server and move data between Access, SQL Server, MySQL etc. Of course I read that the Management Studio Express (SSMSE) would only connect to the DB engine. But one does not always remember such details when needed!

And so my frustration with installing SSMS began. Yes, I did the obligatory google search and found good help at Steven Smith's, Brendan's and Pete Orologas'.
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