The Heap™ – Consultancy ©®

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

12:11 AM

@sp_BlitzErik I'll answer you to the extent I am bound by NDA ;)

Evan Carroll

What exactly does that say?

You should probably just post that on a pastebin so we know what not to ask.

It'll save Microsoft billions and stuff.

Like, how would we know whether or not you can publicize the trace flags?

Did they tell you that one explicitly, or are you just assuming they want that protected by a secret handshake?

I mean, if I was Microsoft I would want EVERYONE to know everything, so they must have given you some guidance about what is secret-handshake and what is declassified for public use?

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

@EvanCarroll The general answer is you can't.

@EvanCarroll Haha, basically if you don't see it in blogs or forums then it isn't public knowledge.

sp_BlitzErik

@SeanGallardy-Microsoft I think it would genuinely help us as outsiders if we had a reasonable line to stop asking

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

The gist would be

1) I can't share code

sp_BlitzErik

Or like, what kind of alcohol/clear heel would blur that line

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

12:19 AM

2) I can't tell you calls, defined values, algorithms

Evan Carroll

You mean you can't tell us the value, or what it does?

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

3) I can't tell you implementation details

So like, for example...

What does xe_This_isnt_ducmented do?

spelling mistakes and all

I'll go look it up, and as long as it isn't something horrible I'll give you the broad picture of what it does

I won't tell you where it fires, how it fires, or internally what it hits

Another example...

Evan Carroll

But I mean you can't even give the broad picture of the trace flags right?

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

There are a lot of trace flgs

Evan Carroll

Presumably you'd have to go knock on the door of the Microsoft Information Security Czar, or MS Genius or whatever they're call them.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

12:22 AM

Example 2: Is there a trace flag to let me see the output of X?

If that TF isn't documented or otherwise mentioned, unless you're at the point of opening up a case with support where they would tell you to put it in (which I can check internally) then I can't say anything

I might hint that one exists jus to see you wiggle

I can paint broad strokes

I can say 0 on anything security related

sp_BlitzErik

Meh security

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

I know, Erik hates security

think about your social security numner - would you tell it to me?

Probably not.

sp_BlitzErik

You can't even tell me how to turn on Bit Locker, why would I trust you with anything important?

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

LMFAO

Evan Carroll

bwahahhahahah

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

12:24 AM

it works for me

sp_BlitzErik

You can have my social security number, hope you like debt

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

must be a PEBCAK error

I'll add more to it for sure

Evan Carroll

you want security, use Windows ME

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

if we're listing Os's that are 19 years old...

I'm sad that kids today won't get to discover the joys of windows 95

sp_BlitzErik

Yo

BeOS was the shit

That's all

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

12:27 AM

Here's an example of what I can do: dba.stackexchange.com/questions/154168/…

Evan Carroll

PLEASE UPVOTE ME MY NAME IS SEAN

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

lol

giving examples

here's another example, I can answer but I can't give you implementation: dba.stackexchange.com/questions/162140/…

Evan Carroll

not falling it for it.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

lol someone did upvote me

Evan Carroll

Let's ask this the sweep that reveals the Trace Codes, why do you feel that is insufficient to find all of the trace codes?

And would a better sweep be doable

sp_BlitzErik

12:31 AM

Man sysprocesses has so much good stuff in it

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

@sp_BlitzErik I CHALLENGE YOU TO A GENTLEMANS DUEL

I SAID GOODDAY

sp_BlitzErik

Also I'm surprised you didn't link to my question about DMV values resetting

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

oh yeah that's a good one too

let me find it..

8

A: Do values in `sys.dm_os_wait_stats` reset to 0 or stop accumulating when they hit the max value?

According to Docs: In SQL Server the wait-time counters are bigint values and therefore are not as prone to counter rollover as the equivalent counters in earlier versions of SQL Server. I've seen this with earlier version of SQL Server where rollover happened and you'd get negative num...

That's a good example because it's documented in BOL

So I can tell you stuff because it's already documented

I can tell it in slightly more detail that normal

or Evan's favorite: dba.stackexchange.com/questions/193574/…

@EvanCarroll example?

Evan Carroll

@SeanGallardy-Microsoft most of that was just straight up wrong. ;)

USELESS distractions

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

LMFAO

Think of a TF like this...

you enable it which just sets a value in memory

that value isn't checked

Evan Carroll

12:37 AM

How the fuck would that be useful?

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

it's an obfuscation

so that people can't just enabled TF's and see if it works or not

Evan Carroll

What is this 12 dimensional soduku

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

13!

Evan Carroll

That doesn't make any sense.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

eventually if it needs to branch from a tf...

Evan Carroll

12:38 AM

then it has to check to branch?

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

we'll see if an internal item is set

Evan Carroll

right, exactly

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

if it is we'll do something TF related, otherwise it'll continue on

Evan Carroll

right exactly

so it is checked.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

it's not checked when you enable it

it's only checked when the code path is hit

Evan Carroll

12:39 AM

exactly

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

these are all things @PaulWhite already said

Evan Carroll

But he's not right for the same reason..

it's compiled code.

what makes you think that the code path has to be hit to determine what it's checking against.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

unicorn poop

Evan Carroll

I mean is my model of how compilations work off or something

an executable has all code paths, hit and not hit.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

if it's compiled into the code

Evan Carroll

12:41 AM

that's what I'm saying, it has to be.

otherwise we're back at impossible magic

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

think about that, long and hard...

Evan Carroll

you have your own compiler inside SQL Server that dynamically inserts TF and you have a hooking mechanism that checks for dynamically compiled code?

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

We do have a compiler inside of SQL Server (Hekaton) but that's not it

actually, compiler and linker

not all builds of SQL Server have all TF's

Evan Carroll

yes, I know. but that's for something different.

the dll generating garbage on server start

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

lol

Evan Carroll

12:43 AM

CUTE.

sure someone thought that was a fucking brilliant idea.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

Assume you compiled all your flags in, right?

There is nothing stopping you from doing something like...

Evan Carroll

We have a query-compiler, and we need to market another compiler. so let's compile the queries before they're run rather than compiling them once when we get the query and caching them. Yeah! That's a great idea guyz.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

IF(FLAG_1 is on){IF(Flag_2 is on){Check flag3}}

so if you turn flag 3 on but never flag 1 or flag 2...

you'll never hit the code

Evan Carroll

I'm soo confused here, You don't have to "hit" the code why are you paul hung up on that?

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

You do... though...

that's the onlytime it's checked

Evan Carroll

12:46 AM

Yes, if by checked you mean executed.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

...

sure

Evan Carroll

Who cares about execution I'm not stepping through with a debugger, I'm examining the executable

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

@sp_BlitzErik remember that udf stats thing?

@EvanCarroll examine away, my friend

Evan Carroll

if you disable constant folding, b=0; if(false){if(b==1){die)}, you'll still see the b==1 in the compiled executable

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

... and you have to know to look for b.

Evan Carroll

12:47 AM

that doesn't go away because the code path isn't hit. (assuming you disable constant folding)

Right well that the question how do I know what to look for.

For that all I have to do is watch what is being set when I call a single traceflag

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

if you say so

sp_BlitzErik

@SeanGallardy-Microsoft of course

Evan Carroll

I say so!

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

@sp_BlitzErik So, I got a response...

I am currently on vacation and will look into this as soon as I can.

haha

Evan Carroll

I hope I'm not wrong, but if I am I don't get where I am wrong.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

12:49 AM

but she agrees something is off

Evan Carroll

and I've compiled tests that demonstrated this.

sp_BlitzErik

I think there would generally be less fetishizing of trace flags and weird insider tricks if more things were plainly exposed to end users without needing them or debuggers or thousands of insane DMV queries

Evan Carroll

I just need to get it working on something that is not ideal, like SQL Server.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

@EvanCarroll You're confusing compilation with checking

@sp_BlitzErik Agreed.

Evan Carroll

@sp_BlitzErik totally agree. I would otherwise not care at all but it's fun like a puzzle.

sp_BlitzErik

12:50 AM

Especially with basic stuff. You have extended events out the wazoo but who even knows when to use what

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

TBH most are just for CSS

so we can debug without attaching debuggers

Most TF's aren't even helpful

sp_BlitzErik

Agreed, but it would be nice if everyone knew that

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

@EvanCarroll I like puzzles!

sp_BlitzErik

I mean think about how the undocumented dbcc commands used to seem like a big deal

Evan Carroll

Quit Microsoft and join me!

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

12:55 AM

Actually I love board games

I like Texas!

What's the offer?

;)

You already promised to take me from 0 to hero

fo' free

Evan Carroll

all of the trace flags! FREE.

if we win.

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

if we win?!

Evan Carroll

if we don't we win we raid Microsoft and send the filing cabinets to wikileaks.

we know the tracecodes are in filing cabinets

Sean Gallardy - Microsoft

Are you stroking out again?

sp_BlitzErik

1:33 AM

It appears we've lost him

Evan Carroll

3:44 AM

NEVER

McNets

8:06 AM

Morning 📖

ypercubeᵀᴹ

10:57 AM

m

McNets

4:17 PM

dba.stackexchange.com/a/195848/110455

It's nice when after writing the whole answer you notice it is about oracle

McNets

5:14 PM

Anybody alive?

How should I execute my_pivot function?

dbfiddle.uk/…

Evan Carroll

HALLO MY PEOPLE

MY @McNets!!!

McNets

@EvanCarroll Hello, are you good with Oracle?

Evan Carroll

5:38 PM

noap

McNets

o

k

Evan Carroll

7:23 PM

radare.gitbooks.io/radare2book/content

Evan Carroll

8:12 PM

radare demystified (33c3)

►

Evan Carroll

8:24 PM

Let's learn radare on SQL Server!

@SeanGallardy-Microsoft better practice your secret handshakes before I get BETTER at them. ;)

Jack Douglas

8:59 PM

@McNets dbfiddle.uk/…

not a complete answer to your question however…

McNets

@JackDouglas Thank you"

ok let me see

Jack Douglas

this helps: stackoverflow.com/a/42699510/6854914

more helpful would be if dbfiddle would display DBMS_OUTPUT output

one for the todo list

McNets

@JackDouglas I see, I can't get a rowset as a result like in SQL Server.

I won't post an answer. Just trying to get it working.

Jack Douglas

You mean this sort of thing? oracle-base.com/articles/12c/implicit-statement-results-12cr1

McNets

@JackDouglas can I use a temp table or similar?

Jack Douglas

9:05 PM

which question is it?

McNets

this one: dba.stackexchange.com/questions/195825/…

Jack Douglas

no there isn't a way to do that

McNets

A dinamyc pivot, however I'm not sure about the desired result.

Jack Douglas

it's ok if you stay inside the pl/sql context — that's basically what a weak ref cursor is

untyped I mean

do you know about INSERT ALL? dbfiddle.uk/…

McNets

no

ok, thank you

Jack Douglas

9:13 PM

@McNets maybe this: technology.amis.nl/2006/05/24/…

0

Q: Oracle function for dynamic sql pivoting

I found this amazing function in this article. the function turns a set of values in one of the columns into the column headings : CREATE OR REPLACE type PivotImpl as object ( ret_type anytype, -- The return type of the table function stmt varchar2(32767), fmt varchar2(32767), cu...