This is both a question and a topic for discussion, so…
I’m looking to get some feedback on anyone who is running Toad Data Point on Windows Server OS’s instead of Windows Desktop OS’s - i.e. Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016 instead of Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10.
We’ve entered in to the lifecycle refresh of our current automation hosts - two Dell OptiPlex desktops with Windows 7 - and we’ve been asked to consider migrating to virtual machines. While I’m comfortable with doing that, the problem is that our Virtual Infrastructure doesn’t allow Desktop OS’s on non-VDI instances - and VDI won’t work for us because it’s not persistent by design. So our only choice is our pick of Windows Server versions.
Unlike my typical approach of jumping into the deep end with both feet, I thought I would ask all of you if you’ve had any experience with this type of setup, virtual or physical, and if you’ve had any issues.
In my prior job we had virtual desktops on a Windows server and had no problem running Toad Data Point, matter of fact it ran better there then on the desktops (server had 26 processors and bucket loads of memmory). We moved all the Toad licenses to the server. Toad has to be installed on the server, I highly recommend it.
By virtual desktops, do you mean a VDI environment hosted on Windows server, or Windows server VM(s) and Remote Desktop Sessions? The latter is what I’m leaning towards myself, for many of the same reasons you’ve mentioned.
The latter, remote desktop sessions. The cool thing is you remote in from work, start something really big, close the window but leave it running, go home, log back in from home and check on it. If it is running on your destop you are tied to your network, you can’t leave the building with your laptop without breaking your session. With the remote desktop you can leave it running and VPN in from anywhere.
I’ve done that for large batch jobs before - it is much nicer than having to wait around for a couple of hours. Now if I could just find a simple script to fire an email with the job is done without having to build an entire automation…
Back to the subject at hand - did you have to install Excel on the server in order to export Excel files?
I don’t think you have to, but we did because we had Toad launch an Excel macro at the end of the extract. I am pretty sure Toad can create an Excel file without Excel (unlike SSIS).
