Refactor all commands that need a dedicated admin connection

[andreasjordan]

Get-DecryptedObject needs two things:

• A Dedicated Admin Connection (DAC) to select master.sys.syslnklgns
• A WinRM connection to read "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server$serviceInstanceId\Security"

That's why Get-DecryptedObject needs $Credential which it used all the time, but the parameter was missing.

So every command that calls Get-DecryptedObject needs $Credential as well. This is:

• Copy-DbaCredential
• Copy-DbaDbMail
• Copy-DbaLinkedServer
• Export-DbaCredential
• Export-DbaLinkedServer

So every command that calls one of those commands needs $Credential as well. This is:

• Start-DbaMigration
• Sync-DbaAvailabilityGroup
• Export-DbaInstance

I introduced a new DAC handling in all commands that might open a DAC or call a command that might open a DAC:

• Copy-DbaCredential
• Copy-DbaDbMail
• Copy-DbaLinkedServer
• Export-DbaCredential
• Export-DbaInstance
• Export-DbaLinkedServer
• Invoke-DbaDbDecryptObject
• Start-DbaMigration
• Sync-DbaAvailabilityGroup

When opening a connection we test if we need a DAC and we test if we already have a DAC. We reuse a DAC when possible. We remember if we opened a DAC to later be able to close it.

[andreasjordan]

It looks like GitHub actions use the latest release and not the current branch:

Will try to solve this...

[andreasjordan]

@claude please review this pull request.

[claude]

Claude finished @andreasjordan's task in 2m 15s —— View job

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Code Review Complete ✅

I've completed a thorough review of this PR. The refactoring introduces a well-designed DAC handling pattern across all affected commands. Here are my findings:

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Overview

This PR successfully refactors Get-DecryptedObject and all dependent commands to properly handle the $Credential parameter and DAC connections. The new pattern intelligently reuses DAC connections when available and only opens new ones when needed.

---

Critical Issues 🔴

1. Incorrect Variable Name in Export Functions

Files: Export-DbaCredential.ps1:127,132 and Export-DbaLinkedServer.ps1:141,146

These functions use $SourceSqlCredential but the parameter is actually named $SqlCredential:

# INCORRECT - parameter doesn't exist
$server = Connect-DbaInstance -SqlInstance $instance -SqlCredential $SourceSqlCredential

# CORRECT - should be
$server = Connect-DbaInstance -SqlInstance $instance -SqlCredential $SqlCredential

This is likely causing the parameter binding error shown in the GitHub Actions screenshot.

Fix this issue →

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Style Guide Issues 🟡

2. Hashtable Alignment

Multiple files have hashtables that don't follow the required alignment standard from CLAUDE.md.

Example in Copy-DbaCredential.ps1:242-248:

# Current (misaligned)
$splatNewCredential = @{
    SqlInstance     = $destServer
    Name            = $cred.Name
    Identity        = $cred.Identity
    MappedClassType = $cred.MappedClassType
    EnableException = $true
}

The equals signs should be perfectly aligned. While this code works, it violates the documented style guide which states: "ALL hashtable assignments must be perfectly aligned."

Affected files:

• Copy-DbaCredential.ps1:242-248
• Similar patterns in other Copy/Export commands

---

Design & Implementation ✅

3. Excellent DAC Pattern

The DAC handling pattern is well-designed and consistent:

# Determine if DAC is needed
if ($ExcludePassword) { $dacNeeded = $false } else { $dacNeeded = $true }

# Check if already connected via DAC
$dacConnected = $Source.Type -eq 'Server' -and $Source.InputObject.Name -match '^ADMIN:'

# Reuse or open DAC as needed
$dacOpened = $false
if ($dacNeeded) {
    if ($dacConnected) {
        Write-Message -Level Verbose -Message "Reusing dedicated admin connection..."
        $sourceServer = $Source.InputObject
    } else {
        Write-Message -Level Verbose -Message "Opening dedicated admin connection..."
        $sourceServer = Connect-DbaInstance ... -DedicatedAdminConnection
        $dacOpened = $true
    }
}

# Clean up if we opened it
if ($dacOpened) {
    $null = $sourceServer | Disconnect-DbaInstance -WhatIf:$false
}

Strengths:

• Tracks whether the function opened the DAC vs. received it
• Only disconnects connections it opened
• Clear, descriptive verbose messages
• Properly suppresses Disconnect output with -WhatIf:$false
• Consistent implementation across all 9 affected commands

4. Good Code Simplification

The refactored Get-DecryptedObject.ps1 is cleaner:

• Removed unnecessary connection logic (168 → 167 lines)
• Now expects an SMO Server object instead of managing connections
• Single responsibility: decrypt objects, don't manage connections
• Caller is responsible for connection management

5. Proper Parameter Addition

All commands in the dependency chain correctly added the $Credential parameter:

• Copy-DbaCredential
• Copy-DbaDbMail
• Copy-DbaLinkedServer
• Export-DbaCredential
• Export-DbaLinkedServer
• Export-DbaInstance
• Start-DbaMigration
• Sync-DbaAvailabilityGroup
• Invoke-DbaDbDecryptObject

The parameter documentation is consistent and clear.

---

Test Updates ✅

6. Tests Updated Correctly

All affected test files were updated to include the new $Credential parameter in their parameter validation:

• Export-DbaCredential.Tests.ps1:16
• Copy-DbaLinkedServer.Tests.ps1:18
• Start-DbaMigration.Tests.ps1 (added)
• Sync-DbaAvailabilityGroup.Tests.ps1 (added)

This ensures the tests won't fail due to unexpected parameters.

---

Minor Observations 🔵

7. Sync-DbaAvailabilityGroup Pipeline Handling

Lines 192-202 have interesting logic for pipeline input with DAC:

if ($InputObject) {
    $dacConnected = $InputObject.Parent.Name -match '^ADMIN:'
    if ($dacNeeded -and -not $dacConnected) {
        Stop-Function -Message "Pipeline source must use a dedicated admin connection..."
        return
    }
}

This is clever - it requires the piped-in AG object to already have a DAC connection if passwords are needed. This prevents the function from trying to open a second DAC (which would fail).

8. Verbose Messaging

Excellent verbose messages throughout:

• "Reusing dedicated admin connection for password retrieval."
• "Opening dedicated admin connection for password retrieval."
• "Opening or reusing normal connection because passwords are excluded."

These will be very helpful for troubleshooting.

---

Recommendations

1. Fix the critical variable name issue - This is likely causing the test failures
2. Consider aligning hashtables - While not breaking, it violates the documented standard
3. Consider documenting the DAC pattern - This pattern might be reusable for future commands that need similar connection handling

---

Summary

This is a solid refactoring that addresses a real architectural issue. The DAC handling pattern is well-designed, consistent, and properly manages connection lifecycle. Once the variable name issue is fixed, this should be ready to merge.

Critical fixes needed: 1
Style improvements suggested: 1
Overall assessment: Approve pending critical fix

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[andreasjordan]

@claude Thanks for catching the critical issues. They should be fixed now, correct?

[claude]

Claude finished @andreasjordan's task in 39s —— View job

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Verifying Fixes

• Read Export-DbaCredential.ps1 to check variable name fix
• Read Export-DbaLinkedServer.ps1 to check variable name fix
• Verify critical issues are resolved
• Report findings

---

Verification Complete ✅

Yes, the critical issues have been fixed correctly!

Critical Issue #1 - Variable Name (FIXED)

Both files now use the correct parameter name $SqlCredential:

• Export-DbaCredential.ps1:127, 132: ✅ Now correctly uses $SqlCredential
• Export-DbaLinkedServer.ps1:141, 146: ✅ Now correctly uses $SqlCredential

The previous incorrect usage of $SourceSqlCredential has been completely replaced with the correct $SqlCredential parameter that actually exists in the function signature.

Style Issue #2 - Hashtable Alignment

I also notice that the hashtable alignment issue I mentioned is not present in these two files in the current code - the hashtables I see are properly aligned or use different patterns. This may have been addressed or may have been in different files.

---

Summary

The critical parameter binding error that was causing the GitHub Actions failure has been resolved. The code should now work correctly without the "parameter cannot be found" errors. The PR is in good shape from a functional perspective.

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[andreasjordan]

Claude is happy, I am happy - so please @potatoqualitee have a look at this.

What I don't understand is the gitub action that failes. Maybe it failes because the gallery version has a bug (which hopefully will be fixed by this PR), but as the actions in the other PRs succeed I don't really know.

[andreasjordan]

One test failes on the old AppVeyor-Image:

Failed tests summary:
Path           : Set-DbaLogin Integration Tests/verify command functions/Catches errors when password can't be changed
Name           : It Catches errors when password can't be changed
Result         : Failed
Message        : ErrorRecord: Password validation failed. The password does not meet Windows policy requirements because it is not complex enough.
StackTrace     : 
RawErrorRecord : Password validation failed. The password does not meet Windows policy requirements because it is not complex enough.
Path           : Set-DbaLogin Integration Tests/verify command functions/PasswordExpirationEnabled
Name           : It PasswordExpirationEnabled
Result         : Failed
Message        : ErrorRecord: Couldn't set check_expiration = ON because check_policy = OFF for [testlogin1_1224663125]. See the command description for more details on these settings.
StackTrace     : 
RawErrorRecord : Couldn't set check_expiration = ON because check_policy = OFF for [testlogin1_1224663125]. See the command description for more details on these settings.
Path           : Set-DbaLogin Integration Tests/verify command functions/PasswordMustChange
Name           : It PasswordMustChange
Result         : Failed
Message        : ErrorRecord: You must specify a password when using the -PasswordMustChange parameter. See the command help for more details.
StackTrace     : 
RawErrorRecord : You must specify a password when using the -PasswordMustChange parameter. See the command help for more details.

[andreasjordan]

@potatoqualitee - Should I try to break this PR up into smaller pieces to test and merge them one by one?

[andreasjordan]

I will change with to a draft and move forward in smaller steps starting with #10150