SQL Server Q&A

Symptoms
Consider the following scenario:Both Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services and Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services are installed on a computer.You start Reporting Services Configuration Manager by using SQL Server Configuration Manager.In this scenario, Reporting Services Configuration Manager for SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services starts instead of Reporting Services Configuration Manager for SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services. Additionally, the instances of both SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 appear in the Instance Name list.
Resolution
This issue occurs because SQL Server Configuration Manager uses the SQL Server 2005 registry key to obtain the executable path for Reporting Services Configuration Manager instead of using SQL Server 2008 registry key.

Symptoms
This article describes how to create a shared package configuration file so that you can make configuration changes easily in Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Integration Services (SSIS).
Resolution
Description of a shared package configuration fileWhen you deploy sets of related SSIS packages, it is more efficient to reconfigure these packages by including shared settings. For example, a connection string might be shared across multiple packages to point to a frequently used database server. The connection string may have to be changed when the system is deployed from a test environment to a production environment or in other scenarios.
You can apply new settings to a package at runtime by using package configurations. Package configurations are created by using the Package Configurations tool in Business Intelligence Development Studio (BI Development Studio). By using the Package Configuration Organizer dialog box and the Package Configuration Wizard under Package Configurations, you can configure how XML and database configurations are applied to a package before it runs. Additionally, you can edit these configurations when the system is migrated. This mechanism is designed for use with individual packages. However, you can share a single package configuration file across multiple packages. This enables you to change package configurations in one place.
How to create a shared package configuration fileBefore you create a shared package configuration file, you must first uniformly design the set of packages. You must name every object consistently in the set of related packages that have to be configured together. For example, if you want the shared package configuration file to configure the ConnectionString property of a connection manager that is named “ReportsDB” in one package, every other package that shares this configuration file must also contain a ‘ReportsDB’ connection manager. If packages do not contain objects that are specified in the shared package configuration file, the packages cannot use the shared package configuration file. After you have verified that the packages contain consistent object names, you can create the shared package configuration file. To do this, follow these steps:In BI Development Studio, open the first package in Solution Explorer.In SSIS Designer, click the Package Explorer tab, and then on the SSIS menu, click Package Configurations.In the Package Configuration Organizer dialog box, click Enable package configurations, and then click Add.On the Welcome page of the Package Configuration Wizard, click Next.On the Select Configuration Type page, specify the configuration type, and then set the properties that are relevant to the configuration type.On the Select Properties to Export page, select only the properties that you want to configure across multiple packages.
Note If the configuration type supports only one property, the title of this wizard page is Select Target Property.On the Completing the Wizard page, type the name of the shared package configuration file, and then click Finish.Test this first package to make sure that it works correctly.Open each additional package in BI Development Studio, and then in the Package Configuration Organizer dialog box, enable package configurations.Add the file that you created in step 7. When you are prompted to reuse or overwrite the existing file, click Reuse Existing.

Symptoms
Consider the following scenario: In Microsoft SQL Server 2008, you use the DTExec.exe or DTExecUi.exe utility to run a SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) package. You specify a configuration file by using the /ConfigFile option when you run the DTExec.exe or DTExecUi.exe utilities. The configuration file contains many configurations for objects in the package. However, the paths of the objects that are referenced in the configuration file do not exist in the current package. For example, you use a shared configuration file for many packages. However, some variables, connection managers, tasks, or other objects that are referenced in the shared configuration file are not contained in all packages. In this scenario, when you run the command, you receive the following error message:

Code: 0×80012017
Source: Package
Description: The package path referenced an object that cannot be found: “Path”. This occurs when an attempt is made to resolve a package path to an object that cannot be found.
DTExec: Could not import the configuration file Configuration File.
Additionally, if you specify the shared configuration file in Business Intelligence Design Studio (BIDS) when you design the SSIS package, instead of specifying the shared configuration file by using the /ConfigFile option, the package can run successfully. The SupressConfigurationWarnings package setting does not affect this issue.
Note This issue does not occur in SQL Server 2005 Integration Services. In SQL Server 2005 Integration Services, the command provides warning messages as expected for the invalid values. However, the command can run successfully.
Resolution
The fix for this issue was first released in Cumulative Update4 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1. For more information about this cumulative update package, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
973602?(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/973602/LN/) Cumulative update package 4 for SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1Note Because the builds are cumulative, each new fix release contains all the hotfixes and all the security fixes that were included with the previous SQL Server 2008 fix release. Microsoft recommends that you consider applying the most recent fix release that contains this hotfix. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
970365?(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970365/LN/) The SQL Server 2008 builds that were released after SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 was releasedMicrosoft SQL Server 2008hotfixes are created for specific SQL Server service packs. You must apply a SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 hotfix to an installation of SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1. By default, any hotfix that is provided in a SQL Server service pack is included in the next SQL Server service pack.

Symptoms
On a 64-bit computer, you install an instance of the 32-bit (x86-based) version of Microsoft SQL Server 2008. On the same computer, you install an instance of the 64-bit version of SQL Server 2008. Ifyou then uninstall the 64-bit instance, you receive the following error message when you open SQL Server Configuration Manager:

Cannot connect to WMI provider. You do not have permission or the server is unreachable. Note that you can only manage SQL Server 2005 and later servers with SQL Server Configuration Manager.
Invalid namespace [0x8004100e]This problem also occurs if you uninstall the 32-bit instance, and you then open SQL Server Configuration Manager.
Resolution
This problem occurs because the WMI provider is removed when you uninstall an instance of SQL Server 2008. The 32-bit instance and the 64-bit instance of SQL Server 2008 share the same WMI configuration file. This file is located in the %programfiles(x86)% folder.