Bu default, the Feature Usage data collection and Error Reporting features are enabled for SQL Server and its components in pre-release versions of SQL Server 2008. However, you can disable one or both options by clearing the checkboxes.

Error Reporting

If you enable the Error Reporting feature, SQL Server will be configured to send a report to Microsoft automatically if a fatal error occurs in any of the following SQL Server components:

• The Database Engine
  
• SQL Server Agent
  
• Analysis Services
  
• Reporting Services
  
• Integration Services
  
• Replication
  

Microsoft uses error reports to improve SQL Server functionality and treats all information as confidential.

Information about errors is sent over a secure (https) connection to Microsoft, where it is stored with limited access. Alternatively, error reports can be sent to your own Corporate Error Reporting server.

Error reports contain the following information:

• The condition of SQL Server when the problem occurred.
  
• The operating system version and computer hardware information.
  
• Your Digital Product ID, which is not used to identify your license.
  
• The network IP address of your computer or proxy server.
  
• Information from memory or file(s) of the process that caused the error.
  

Microsoft does not intentionally collect your files, name, address, e-mail address, or any other form of personal information. The error report can, however, contain personal information from the memory or files of the process that caused the error. Although this information can potentially be used to determine your identity, Microsoft does not use this information for that purpose.

For the Microsoft SQL Server privacy and data collection policy, see this Microsoft SQL Server Privacy Statement.

If you enable Error Reporting and a fatal error occurs, you might see a response from Microsoft in the Windows Event log that points to a Microsoft Knowledge Base article on a particular error.

To disable Error or Feature Usage reporting for all instances of SQL Server and its components after Setup completes, go to the Error and Usage Report Settings dialog and clear the check boxes for Feature Usage. If Error Reporting is enabled for multiple components of SQL Server (the SQL Server Database Engine, Analysis Services, Reporting Services, and shared components) you can disable Error Reporting for each instance of an individual component as well as shared components, listed as Others.

Feature Usage

If you enable Feature Usage reporting, SQL Server will be configured to periodically send a report to Microsoft. Reports will include information about your hardware configuration and how you use SQL Server software and services. Microsoft will use feature usage data to improve SQL Server. SQL Server components monitored by this feature include:

• The Database Engine
  
• Analysis Services
  
• Reporting Services
  
• Integration Services
  
• Replication
  
• Business Intelligence Development Studio
  

Information about feature use will be sent to Microsoft, where it will be stored with limited access.

To disable feature usage reporting after Setup completes, use the SQL Server Error and Usage Reporting tool on the SQL Server Configuration Tools menu.

Information is collected once per day for all enabled SQL Server instances. By default, the time of collection is midnight to minimize the load on the server. If you want to change the time of collection, you can manually edit the registry key that controls the collection time. Each SQL Server instance has its own registry key:

HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10\CPE\TimeofReporting

The value of this registry key contains the time for the collection as the number of minutes from 00:00 (midnight) to run. For example, a value of 60 would run the collection at 1:00 a.m., a value of 1200 would run the collection at 8:00 p.m., and so on.

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