DB Server: Maintenance tasks

1. Must have
+Full DB backup: daily, should be scheduled in off hours
+Verify DB backup: daily, after full back up, to make sure DB can restore ok
+Check db integrity: daily, should be scheduled in off hours
+Transaction log backups: every 15 minutes
+Maintenance cleanup: daily
+Update statistics: daily

2. Should have
+Shrink tempdb: daily, should do with max capacity of your disk space
+Rebuild index: weekly, be careful, should check with SQL Server Profiler tool to make sure new indexes be effective or worse

Ref:
http://www.sql-server-pro.com/dbcc-checkdb.html
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms176064.aspx

PHP SoapClient calls .NET web service

1. Link to the WSDL output of the .NET web service as below
$client = new SoapClient("http://yourhost/your_web_service.asmx?wsdl");

2. Declare params
$params = array();
$params['param1'] = $value1; //param1 = first variable name in  YourWebMethod  of .Net web service
$params['param2'] = $value2; //param2 = second variable name in  YourWebMethod  of .Net web service
...

3. Call web method / function
$result = $client->YourWebMethod($params)->YourWebMethodResult;

4. Process $result

MSSQL: Move DB files or tempdb

1. Check where  is tempdb stored

USE tempdb
GO
EXEC sp_helpfile
GO

2. Change the folder

USE master
GO
ALTER DATABASE tempdb 
MODIFY FILE (NAME = tempdev, FILENAME = 'D:\VIP\tempdb.mdf')
GO
ALTER DATABASE tempdb 
MODIFY FILE (NAME = templog, FILENAME = 'D:\VIP\tempdb.ldf')
GO

You can apply this for any DB which you want to move to the other folder. Changing does not take effect immediately, but will be used the next time the database starts up.

Set the database offline:
ALTER DATABASE foo SET OFFLINE WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE;

Use WITH ROLLBACK IMMEDIATE to kick everyone out and rollback all currently open transactions.

Move/Copy the files to the new location:
Just copy the DB files to the new location

Bring the database online:
ALTER DATABASE foo SET ONLINE;

3. Work / monitor tempdb

Read: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc966545.aspx#EDAA

Excel: Create Pie chart from single column

1. Add new column (e.g. Count) and fill it with 1
   
2. Select your data (both columns) and create a Pivot Table: On the Insert tab click on the PivotTable | Pivot Table (you can create it on the same worksheet or on a new sheet)
   
3. On the PivotTable Filed List drag Country to Row Labels and Count to Values
   
4. Now select the pivot table data and create your pie chart as usual.
   

P.S. I use the pivot table for I update the data on a regular basis, then I just replace the "Country" data and refresh the pivot table.

Hangouts with SEO Webmaster

Some experiences with experts of SEO

http://googleandyourbusiness.blogspot.com/2012/07/help-desk-hangouts-seo-webmaster.html

Some of the questions we answered during the Hangout:
My site used to rank really well, but now it doesn’t. What happened?
There could be several reasons that your site is not be ranking in search the same way that it did in the past. Three common reasons why this may happen are that your site has a technical problem which is preventing Googlebot from accessing it, your site violates our quality guidelines, or your site is simply ranking differently due to changes to our algorithm, which is updated hundreds of times per year. The first thing we’d recommend to diagnose your issue is to check your site in Google Webmaster Tools, a free service that gives you information about how your site is performing in Google. If we’ve detected a problem with your site, we may have sent you a message there. For a more detailed checklist to help you diagnose a change in ranking, visit our Help Center.

I'd love to learn more about the Knowledge Graph and what, if anything we should be doing as SEOs & Webmasters.

The Knowledge Graph is a way for users to see additional relevant information on searches for certain people, places and things on the right hand side of the results page. This information helps users get to answers quickly; in many cases, they may find answers to questions they hadn’t even thought to ask. It also helps people discover more about the topic they’re interested in by showing people, places or things that are closely related to their searches. For example, if you search for an artist like Leonardo da Vinci, you’ll see a short biography, some of his most famous works, and other frequently searched-for artists. Currently, there isn’t any functionality in Webmaster Tools to be included in the Knowledge Graph. Right now this is not about individual businesses but rather about generally known facts about the world.

How do you rank item detail pages where there may be many websites which have the same item for sale (with a standard "technical description")? Who rises to the top when the content is basically static?

Great question! Many merchant and affiliate sites use product descriptions taken straight from the manufacturer or from the end merchant site. While sometimes this can be appropriate, we typically recommend looking for ways you can add your own value to that page - can you provide some original reviews or recommendations about the item? If you are adding value of your own you’ll be providing a better experience for users. If you are concerned about this, check out our material on duplicate content and watch this video about our Webmaster Guidelines.

Where can I go for more information, help, or to prove my own knowledge?

Our experts mentioned a bunch of incredible resources available to you. Here are a few links to get you started:

• Webmaster Academy
• SEO Starter Guide
• Webmaster Help Center
• Webmaster Help Forum
• Webmaster Help YouTube Channel
• Webmaster Central Blog
• Webmaster Guidelines
• Some great videos to check out

Google Apps Script: Cool Dashboards

If you ofter work with figures & charts, you may love Dashboards of Google Apps Script.
See more details at:
http://googleappsdeveloper.blogspot.com/2012/07/introducing-dashboards-in-google-apps.html