Except very extreme situations dedicated administrator connection (DAC) is always successful. SQL Server provides a special diagnostic connection which allows administrators to access SQL Server when standard connection is not possible. If due to a long running query or any resource hogging query SQL Server is not responding sqlcmd can be used to connect to the server from another computer and kill the offending query. SQL SERVER – Find Currently Running Query – T-SQL SQL SERVER – Interesting Observation – Using sqlcmd From SSMS Query Editor Please read following two posts before continuing this article as they cover background of this article. How sqlcmd can be used along with currently running query script posted on your blog? I received wonderful question the other day. In the following example, the service master key is backed up to a file.People are judged from their questions and not their answers.

Requires CONTROL SERVER permission on the server. Creating this backup should be one of the first administrative actions performed on the server.

The service master key should be backed up and stored in a secure, off-site location. For more information, see Password Policy. This password is subject to complexity checks. Is the password used to encrypt the service master key in the backup file. This may be a local path or a UNC path to a network location. Specifies the complete path, including file name, to the file to which the service master key will be exported. To view Transact-SQL syntax for SQL Server 2014 and earlier, see Previous versions documentation.

Sql backup master