Evaluating a policy

In this recipe, we will evaluate a policy against our SQL Server instance.

Getting ready

In this recipe, we will evaluate the policy xp_cmdshell must be disabled, which we created in a previous recipe. We also want to export this to an XML file, so we can see two different ways of evaluating the policy. Use the Exporting a policy recipe to export the policy xp_cmdshell must be disabled and save it in C:\Temp. Alternatively you can:

1. Log in to SQL Server Management Studio.

2. Go to Management | Policy Management and expand Policies.

3. Right-click on the policy xp_cmdshell must be disabled, and select Export Policy.

4. Save this policy in C:\Temp.

Feel free to substitute this with a policy that is available in your instance.

How to do it...

1. Open the PowerShell console by going to Start | Accessories | Windows PowerShell | Windows PowerShell ISE.

2. Import the SQLPS module, and create a new connection object as follows:

   #import SQL Server module
   Import-Module SQLPS -DisableNameChecking
   
   $instanceName...