TheMadProfessor

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There's a famous story told in Hassidic literature about a master lecturing his students about how everything in the world should be appreciated since God created everything to instruct a lesson. One student then asked, "What about atheists? Whay did God create them and what lesson could be learned from them?"

The master responded, "God created the atheists to teach the most important lesson of all - that of true compassion. You see, when an atheist performs an act of charity, visits someone who is sick, helps someone in need or cares for the world, they do not do so because some religion said they should. They do not feel that God commanded them to perform that act. In fact, since they do not believe in God at all, their actions are based on an inner sense of morality. They look at the kindness they can bestow on others simply because it feels right."

The master continues, "This means, when someone reaches out to you for help, do not answer 'I will pray to God for you.' Instead, for that moment, become an atheist who does not believe there is a God that can help and and say '*I* will help you.'"

I haven't worked with Oracle extensively and not for quite some time. We have an Oracle Express database on the C drive of a server which is about full. While I was able to add a new tablespace on the E drive (which has lots of room), I'd like to move the entire existing database to that drive to free up space on C. Is there a way to do this other than doing a backup, deleting the existing database, recreating on the E drive and doing a restore? In any case, can you go into detail at to the steps involved, since (as I said) it's been a long time since I got down and dirty with Oracle)?

Here's the situation - I'm coming from a predominately mainframer background to a new job where I work with SQL Server databases that reside on different servers for different aspects of business (not all of which I have direct access to.) Some of these databases contain references to database key data in other servers but, because there's no direct connectivity, no regular foreign key constraints can be defined to enforce RI and, as a result, the databases get out-of-synch over time.

One possible solution I thought of to at least identify the data inconsistencies was to create and schedule a job (probably weekly) on each server to

a) Look for and (if not found) create a particular flat file

b) Execute a query against each database that resides on that server that creates a resultset of 3 columns: the 'local' table key, the 'remote' table key and a constant identifier for that pairing (like tabA->tabB)

c) pipe the resultset into the flat file in csv, xml or a similar format

d) push the completed file from that server to a central one that basically works as a switchboard between all of them (which I have admin rights to, as opposed to most of the others)

I then would periodically (depending on frequency of the other job schedules) verify the dates on the individual files on the central server and execute a job to

a) truncate a synch_up table to empty it

b) load the data from all the individual flat files

c) run a query to identify all instances of a given tabA->tabB row without a corresponding tabB->tabA

My questions are this:

1) Is this the best method for doing this or have I overlooked a simpler solution?

2) Am I correct that SSIS is the usual method for scheduling a job like this?

3) Are there any issues in creating a job to push a file from one server to another?

Also, if anyone happens to have links to examples of T-SQL scripts that are relevant in formatting, piping and subsequent loading of resultsets, I'd appreciate it...I can probably work it out myself eventually, but I'd just as soon avoid as many red herrings as possible, especially since I will be having to walk others (some of which may be as much or more of a newbie to the inner workings of SQL Server) thru installing and scheduling the jobs on the servers I don't have direct access to.

I'm away from home right now and I'm afraid they'll take it back if there's no one there to accept delivery...

They are usually attached to the passports involved, which were always in the contestant's possession. If so, it'd hardly be a surprise to them where all the race would take them.

"I heretofore pledge to give the next 3 idiots I encounter who bring up the rapture, end of the world or other similar topic repeated swift kicks in the nads until they change the subject."

I believe such a worldwide policy would result in a significant reduction in the time wasted on this garbage for quite a while.

Not a word, not even the slightest mention about the 5/21 prediction and Camping's name is nowhere to be seen. Interesting that they are still busily panhandling for donations, tho. Could they have blown thru all the pre-Rapture proceeds already?

I tried taking a shot every time Fireball says "consider repenting", but my doctor said that was WAY too hard on my liver.

Besides a military-issue bullet, that is...

With the passing of Elisabeth Slayden yesterday, would you list her as the greatest of the Doctor's companions? (Pretty sure she appeared with the greatest number of different ones anyway.)

About the only ones I might put ahead of her are Leela and/or K9. I'd like to think Sarah Jane and K9 are off somewhere in another dimension, still having adventures...

I have a wad of cash I'd like to put down that it is, but I suspect I'd have to lay a grand or more on the line just to make a buck. Any R&S bookies out there?

In Device Manager, the driver shows a yellow exclamation icon which indicates a missing or corrupt driver. I've tried a number of suggestions found by some research: Device manager uninstall/reinstall, looking (in vain) for a new device driver, running Windows Update, etc. So far, none of them have worked. Any suggestions what else I might try?

Who are you planning to jump tomorrow to get an eleventy-three kid and, spiritually speaking, is one of them likely to be the Antichrist?

Recently, one fundie wrote regarding atheists "No it means 2 1/2 % of the world have blind minds when it comes to spiritual matters. It also seems to go along with low morals." (I won't mention who so that she doesn't have to make a Journey of shame.)

So, if atheists have low morals, then there should be a statistically larger population of atheists in prisons, right?

No? Oh, then they should be about what one would expect staistically since they have about the same morality as the religious, right?

Oh, wait...their population is only a fraction (about 40% by one study, 10% by another) of what one would expect from their population overall. Gee, what does that say about the morality of atheists?

http://www.skepticfiles.org/american/prison.htm

http://freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/Percentage_of_ath...

Religion is like a penis:

1) It's nice if you have one, but those who don't get along fine without one.

2) It's fine to be proud of yours but don't overdo it.

3) It's probably never appropriate to whip yours out in public and start waving it around.

4) You should never, ever try forcing yours down someone else's throat.

There are two kinds of people: those who categorize others into groups and and those who don't.

There are three kinds of people: those who proofread what they post and those who don't.

There are 10 kinds of people: those who understand binary and those who don't.

There are 14 kinds of people: those who finish what they start

It would explain why there seems to be even more than usual in here today...