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       MICROSOFT SQL SERVER FOR WINDOWS NT SPECIAL INFORMATION
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This file contains information pertaining to the installation and use of 
Microsoft(R) SQL Server for Windows NT(TM). The information contained in 
this file is intended to supplement the manuals included in your SQL 
Server for Windows NT package.

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SQL ADMINISTRATOR COMPATABILITY
-------------------------------

Although the version of SQL Administrator that runs against SQL Server 
for OS/2 will also work against SQL Server for Windows NT, it is 
recommended that you upgrade SQL Server client tools on any Windows(TM) 
3.1 clients that you plan to run against SQL Server for Windows NT. This 
enables you to use additional tools and features available for use with 
SQL Server for Windows NT (such as SQL Object Manager, ISQL/w, and the 
SQL Client Configuration Utility). When you upgrade your tools, you must 
also upgrade your existing SQL Server for OS/2 installation by running 
INSTMSTR.SQL, INSTCAT.SQL, ADMIN2.SQL, and OBJECT2.SQL, which you can 
find in the \SQL\INSTALL directory of the SQL Server for Windows NT 
installation.


UNITS FOR CPU TIME AND EXECUTION TIME
-------------------------------------

SQL Server for Windows NT reports CPU time and execution time in 
milliseconds rather than in timeticks (which is the unit used for these 
statistics under SQL Server for OS/2). Because milliseconds is more 
accurate than timeticks, you might notice a small difference in the CPU 
time and execution time statistics reported by the different versions of 
SQL Server.


BCP OUT
-------

In addition to the bcp support documented in the "Microsoft SQL Server 
Transact-SQL Reference," the bcp utility now also supports copying data 
out of a view. This feature allows you to copy specific columns, add a 
WHERE clause, or perform special formatting such as changing date 
formats using the CONVERT function.


DATABASE NAMES WHEN DUMPING AND LOADING
---------------------------------------

When you dump a database to tape, only the first 17 characters of the 
database name are stored. If the database name is longer than 17 
characters and you try to restore the database, you will receive an 
error message indicating that the names are different. For this reason, 
it is recommended that you limit database names to 17 characters if you 
plan to back them up to tape. If you are using SQL Administrator to 
restore the database, you can choose to continue, even if the names are 
different, as long as you're sure that the actual databases are the 
same. If you're using isql, however, the restore process will be 
terminated.


CACHE SCAN DOCUMENTATION CORRECTION
-----------------------------------

On page 73 of the "Microsoft SQL Server Configuration Guide," replace 
the descriptions of Cache - Ave. Free Page Scan, Cache - Max. Free Page 
Scan, and Cache - Scan Limit Reached with the following:

Cache - Ave. Free Page Scan
---------------------------
The average number of buffers scanned in the data cache while searching 
for a free page to use. Scanning the data cache for a free page can be 
an expensive operation. A high value for this statistic is application-
specific--it can be as little as 10 or well into the hundreds. 
Sometimes, flushing immediately (setting the scan limit to 0) is 
optimal.

If this statistic starts to increase too high, increase the size of your 
data cache (which provides a better chance of finding a free page), 
increase the frequency of checkpointing, or shut down SQL Server and 
then use the bldmastr utility with the -y switch to lower the scan limit 
as follows:

bldmastr -dc:\sql\data\master.dat -yLRUthreshold=<threshold>

***IMPORTANT: Be careful to type the command exactly as shown. The 
command should complete nearly immediately and not prompt for any input 
whatsoever. If you are prompted for input, you have made a syntax error 
and should use Ctrl+C to terminate the utility immediately. INCORRECT 
USE OF THE BLDMASTR UTILITY CAN RECREATE YOUR MASTER DATABASE. The 
LRUthreshold argument is case-sensitive.

"LRU" in LRUthreshold stands for "Least Recently Used," which is the 
algorithm used for buffer management. The <threshold> variable is the 
percent of the cache you want to search for a clean page before stopping 
the scan and flushing the necessary pages. The <threshold> variable can 
be anywhere from 0 to 100 (with 0 indicating not to scan at all). The 
default is 60.

Note that the units for Cache - Ave. Free Page Scan is in 2K pages, 
whereas LRUthreshold is a percentage. For example, if you have a cache 
size of 2000 pages and you want to limit the maximum scan to 20 pages, 
you would set LRUthreshold to 1 (20/2000 = 1%).

Cache - Max Free Page Scan
--------------------------
The maximum number of buffers scanned in the data cache while searching 
for a free page to use. For additional information about cache scanning 
and setting the scan limit, see "Cache - Ave. Free Page Scan," above.


Cache - Scan Limit Reached
--------------------------
The number of times the scan limit was reached while searching for a 
free page. When the scan limit is reached, the scan is stopped and a 
page is flushed from the cache. For additional information about cache 
scanning and setting the scan limit, see "Cache - Ave. Free Page Scan," 
above.


PERFORMING LONG SCHEDULED BACKUPS
---------------------------------

If you are using SQL Administrator to perform scheduled backups of large 
databases (for example, those greater than 100 megabytes), you will 
likely need to raise the SQL Monitor /sqltimeout option to a length of 
time long enough to complete the backup.


PERFORMING MULTI-VOLUME BACKUPS USING A QIC TAPE DRIVE
------------------------------------------------------

If you are using a QIC tape drive to perform multi-volume dump or load 
operations using isql, you must have the console program running. Do not 
use a batch operation to perform multi-volume tape operations with this 
drive.


BANYAN SUPPORT
--------------

Although the client installation disks include Banyan(R) VINES(R) 
support files, there is currently no support for Banyan VINES on the 
server installation disks. Banyan VINES support files are included on 
the client disks for use against SQL Server for OS/2 using the Network 
Integration Kit for Banyan Networks, as well as for later use against 
SQL Server for Windows NT when Banyan releases support for Windows NT.





























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Microsoft, MS, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows and 
  Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Operating System/2
  and OS/2 are registered trademarks licensed to Microsoft Corporation.

Banyan and VINES are registered trademarks of Banyan Systems, Inc.
