xp_cmdshell is not the problem
You’ve heard xp_cmdshell is a security hole, right? It is NOT. The true danger to any SQL Server shop is unchecked SQL administrator rights!
DBA
PowerShell: the best SQL Server management tool
Use PowerShell to manage hundreds of objects at once with just a few lines of code. PowerShell is, very simply, the most important management tool DBAs have. Here, I make a case and give some great examples.
Windows Terminal has TABS! (for PowerShell scripting and CMD)
Windows Terminal is a step up from powershell.exe or cmd.exe! It includes tabs, panes, and customizable appearance and shortcuts! You had me at “tabs”.
PowerShell for the DBA: Is the SQL service running?
Use one PowerShell command to spot check whether SQL services are up and running.
Your Focus Determines Your Reality
Here’s the TL;DR (“too long; didn’t read” summary): In our personal AND professional lives, hundreds to thousands of things compete for our attention. We can sort these onto an X-Y graph of wanted to unwanted, and actionable to unactionable. Unwanted, unactionable attention-grabbers suck and should be eliminated as much as possible. Things that get our attention …