OC Online service now available
OC Online launch is complete and the service fully available for IT administrators to enable users to download the OC promo client and begin using the service.
Check here for instructions on enabling the service.
Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2009 12:53 AM by arvindsuthar
Microsoft Online Services Team Blog : OC Online service now available
Roll Your Own E-Learning
Heads up: there’s a new version of the Microsoft Learning Content Development System available for download here.
LCDS is a free tool that enables you to create and publish your own e-learning courses by completing easy-to-use forms that generate highly customized content, interactive activities, quizzes, games, assessments, animations, demos, and other multimedia.
New in Version 2.3:
- Spell check for topics
- Indexing for course search
- Output to an Office Word document
- New templates: Show/Hide and Click Table Animations
- Compatibility with Internet Explorer 8 and Silverlight 2.0
Download away!
Published Sunday, April 19, 2009 12:00 PM by Krosen
Solver Foundation is a pure, managed code runtime for mathematical programming, modeling, and optimization. This .NET/CLR based framework provides a rich set of tools, services, and engines to aid companies in their continuous quest for operational efficiency, profit maximization, and risk management. Solver Foundation is designed to help businesses make strategic decisions. It affords its users the advantage of easy to use tools, numerically stable solver technologies and deep integration with ubiquitous information worker systems like Microsoft Office.
Solver Foundation uses a declarative programming model, consisting of simple compatible elements that are solved by application of solvers, meta-heuristics, search techniques, and combinatorial optimization mechanisms to accelerate the solution finding process. Building a model in Solver Foundation is as simple as specifying the decisions to be made, constraints to be respected, the goals to be used to evaluate candidate proposals (solutions) and the data to be processed by the model (historical or projected parameters). This can be done from any CLS-compatible language and the modeler does not need to understand anything about the details of solver technologies or search strategies. The separation of concerns is total, providing a high degree of modularity.
Guidance for Running Biztalk Server 2009 on Hyper-V
A new guide has been released on April 17th that provides information on using BizTalk Server 2009 in a Hyper-V environment. You can download it in a variety of formats from here.
The emphasis of this guidance is On BizTalk server, but the guide provides great information regarding performance evaluation and testing scenarios that are applicable across other workloads too. Check it out!
The Home of Puny Robologic : Guidance for Running Biztalk Server 2009 on Hyper-V
Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 Poweruser role vs SQL Server sysadmin role
Dynamics GP system administrators and Microsoft SQL Server DBAs often ask, "Why can't I setup users if I am a member of the POWERUSER role in Dynamics GP?". The question can sometimes be paraphrased as "Why the SQL Server system administrator (sa) user is the only one that can setup users?". The answer is simple: the Dynamics GP POWERUSER role is application specific, while the SQL Server sysadmin role is database specific.
Since sa is a member of both the POWERUSER role in Dynamics GP and the sysadmin role in SQL Server, it can perform all maintenance operations of users in Dynamics GP, along with the setup of additional users. This allows the sa user login, in turn, to create the necessary logins in SQL Server. This is good if you are a DBA, but what happens when you are out and more users need to be added to the system.
So you may now be asking, "How do I make other Dynamics GP users have the same abilities to setup users like the sa user?". You will have to make the Dynamics GP user a member of a role in Dynamics GP with ability to create users -- perhaps, the POWERUSER role or the ADMIN_SYSTEM_001* security role -- and a member of the sysadmin role in SQL Server. To do this follow these steps (assuming you want the user to have full access to all Dynamics GP options throughout the system):
1. Log into Microsoft Dynamics GP as sa.
2. Assign the Dynamics GP user to the POWERUSER role. Go to Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > System > User Security. Choose the user login and mark the POWERUSER role in the access list.
3. The system will warn about the user access to all application functionality. Click on OK to continue.
NOTE: Depending on your security requirements, you may not want to grant access to the POWERUSER role. You can always create a custom role with access to the User Setup window or use the built-in ADMIN_SYSTEM_001* role.
4. Now, proceed to assign the user login to the sysadmin role in SQL Server. Open Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, open the Security folder, open the Logins subfolder.
5. Double-click on the corresponding user login to open the Login Properties window. Select the Server Roles page and mark the sysadmin role.
6. Click the OK button to finalize the configuration.
Now your Dynamics GP user should be able to setup new users and maintain existing ones, along with performing other SQL Server maintenance activities within the application.
Related Articles
- The Microsoft Dynamics GP Application Level Security Series. David Musgrave at Developing for Dynamics GP. Click here.
- Microsoft Dynamics GP Password Implementation. Click here.
Until next post!
MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MIS, PMP, MVP, MCP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/Posted by Mariano Gomez at 8:00 AM
The Dynamics GP Blogster: Microsoft Dynamics GP 10 Poweruser role vs SQL Server sysadmin role
Product Features:
- Diff Graphically shows the changes between two files. Includes intra-line highlighting and full support for editing.
- Merge Graphically shows the changes between 3 files. Allows automatic merging (when safe to do so) and full control over editing the resulting file.
- Folder Diff Performs a side-by-side comparison of 2 folders, showing which files are only present in one file or the other, as well as file pairs which are identical or different.
- Windows Explorer Integration. Right-click on any two files in Windows Explorer to diff them immediately.
- Configurable. Rulesets and options provide for customized appearance and behavior.
- International. Compatible with 42 different character encodings.
- Cross-platform. Identical feature set on Windows, Mac OS X, and Unix.
DiffMerge 3.3 is now available, completely free!
Some help with Report Builder 2.0 ClickOnce
While Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2008 did add support for Report Builder 2.0 ClickOnce, not all of the instructions have made it online yet. The following should help users get going until the online content has all been published.
Report Builder 2.0 is made available in three ways:
1. Standalone .MSI
See existing download page .2. Native mode ClickOnce deployment:
If you are using SQL Server 2008 SP1 in native mode, you simply change the "Custom Action URL" given in the Site Settings page to /ReportBuilder/ReportBuilder_2_0_0_0.application3. Sharepoint mode ClickOnce deployment:
After you have installed the updated Sharepoint add-in bits, following the directions in the readme to change the Custom Action URL to /_vti_bin/ReportBuilder/ReportBuilder_2_0_0_0.application will change the default Report Builder link on your Sharepoint site to RB2.By using the Custom Action URL for Report Builder 2 in ClickOnce mode, we allow users to keep using Report Builder 1.0 or any other ClickOnce tool if they wish.
Things to note:
1. ClickOnce install packs include all available languages, the one used at runtime being determined by the client's display language.
2. Client machines need .NET 3.5 SP1 to run the RB2 ClickOnce package.
3. The next update for SQL Server Books Online will include more information on these topics and should be available soon..Posted: Friday, April 17, 2009 3:11 PM by craigg
SQL Server Reporting Services Team Blog : Some help with Report Builder 2.0 ClickOnce
Happy Friday!!! The New VPC Image is here!!
The Demo Team would like to announce that the CRM VPC is available to partners on Partner Source at https://mbs.microsoft.com/partnersource/deployment/methodology/vpc/MSD_CRM4VPCApril09
It is also available on VM Express. Using VM Express you may be able to download the VPC in as little as 45 minutes. This is the fastest way to get the VPC. For those of you who have already installed the VM Express three DVD set, all you need to do is open the VM Express tool and navigate to the CRM Product category. You will see a magical new entry called "Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Virtual Machine 2009"...highlight it, select where you want to save it and press the "Install Now" button. You are now free to enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Published Friday, April 17, 2009 3:28 PM by chris.kahl
East Region Microsoft CRM : Happy Friday!!! The New VPC Image is here!!
SyncToy 2.0 - 1 Millionth Download
I am excited to annouce that SyncToy 2.0 has reached a major milestone. During the month of March it passed 1 Million downloads! This is exciting both for SyncToy as well as the Microsoft Sync Framework team. Since SyncToy bases synchornization upon the Sync Framework's File Sync Provider, it is always a good test of the technology to have users of this scale. In our forums we regularaly see people use it to keep 10's of thousands of files and folders in sync across desktops and devices. It is also a great test and starting point as we look to expand file synchronization into cloud based services.
Liam Cavanagh
Published Friday, April 17, 2009 4:56 PM by liamca
Microsoft Sync Framework : SyncToy 2.0 - 1 Millionth Download
Edge Planning Tool for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Released
If you're thinking about deploying the Edge server role for OCS 2007 R2, then you need to take a look at the Edge Planning Tool. It takes a lot of the complexity out of planning/configuring an Edge server.
You can download it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=ec4b960c-3fe2-41bd-abdf-ae89cfcb8c6c&displaylang=enPosted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 9:07 PM by dodeitte
Doug Deitterick's Blog : Edge Planning Tool for Office Communications Server 2007 R2 Released
LDAP query to get a user memberships in SQL
Today I was struggling to obtain in SQL Server 2005 the list of groups (from Active Directory) to which a user belongs to. Here is the final result. Enjoy it!
EXEC master.dbo.sp_addlinkedserver @server = N'ADSI',
@srvproduct=N'Active Directory Services', @provider=N'ADsDSOObject',
@datasrc=N'corp.abc.com'
GO/* get the groups for the user Test1*/
select * from openquery
(
ADSI,'SELECT name
FROM ''LDAP://abc.com''
WHERE objectCategory = ''Group'' AND objectClass = ''group''
AND member=''CN=Test1,CN=Users,DC=abc,DC=com''
')
Alina's technical blog : LDAP query to get a user memberships in SQL
RTM’d today: MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-433): Microsoft SQL Server 2008—Database Development
Just a quick post to say that MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-433): Microsoft SQL Server 2008—Database Development (ISBN: 978-0735626393; 496 pages; Microsoft Press, 2009), by Tobias Thernström, Ann Weber, Mike Hotek, and GrandMasters, has shipped to the printer!
We’ll post excerpts from the book later.
Published Thursday, April 16, 2009 10:29 AM by devonm
New Functionality for Extender in Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Service Pack 4
We are excited to announce new functionality being added into Extender for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Service Pack 4 planned for July 2009. Extender is an easy-to-use product that allows you to add data fields, notes, macros, lookups and much more, without writing a single line of code. Develop strong business processes and enrich your reporting power for Microsoft Dynamics® GP with this powerful functionality.
Link to On-Demand Training:
Links to Content:
Important Information:
- Extender New Feature List
- Extender FAQ
- Extender Fact Sheet
- Extender Demo Scripts
- Business Ready Service Plans on Customers
- Business Ready Licensing for Partners
Published Thursday, April 16, 2009 5:53 PM by jeffk
Reporting Services - Nothing to see please move along
Sometimes when you run a report it’s not going to return any rows, perhaps because the user selected a filter for which there is no data, and that needs to be handled properly.
Fortunately there’s a simple way to control the messaging when this occurs to ensure your users know what’s happened and don’t assume it’s all your fault.
For the tablix data region, chart or sub-report go to the properties for it and enter an appropriate message as shown below..
If you don’t see the properties in Report Builder 2 got to view and check the properties option..
So like any kind of development (in BI analysis services would be a good example) it’s important to review the properties and ensure you get the behaviour you need .
Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 11:52 AM by Andrew_Fryer
Andrew Fryer's Blog : Reporting Services - Nothing to see please move along
Get more out of your existing solution with Extender
Microsoft Dynamics GP Extender is a amazing module that helps you get more flexibility, more solutions that is configurable to meet your specific needs. And, it is extremely easy to use. Do you have a strong understanding of how Extender can get you more?
The module is priced low and you can easily achieve a quick ROI. Ask yourself, how many pieces of data they are tracking in an Excel Spreadsheet or access? It would be easier to take that information out of Excel and have it part of Dynamics GP for everyone to see an update. If you agree, then most likely Extender will give you more ROI in your overall solution.
Important Microsoft Dynamics GP Service Pack 4 Extender Announcement including: Price Announcements, FAQ, Fact Sheet, Demo Scripts, and Feature List for Service Pack 4.
PartnerSource Extender Landing Page
CustomerSource Extender Landing Page
Common myths about Extender:
Reporting is Difficult: NO, NO, NO. Reporting is easy, you just need to know how. By using the Extender view function, writing reports on Extender data is simple. You can use Report Writer, Crystal, SQL Reporting Services, SmartLists, SmartList Builder, Excel Report Builder.
The table structure is odd and therefore performance can be a problem: The structure is designed to support unlimited numbers of custom fields, so the data is stored differently. Extender has a function called Extender views. With views, you do not need to understand the table structure. Performance is not a worry and with changes in Dynamics GP 10.0, service pack 4, it will be even better.
To learn more about Extender, please view the Partner On-Demand Web Cast.
An Existing Customer Web Cast is being planned and will be scheduled for late April. I will update when it is scheduled.
Pam
Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:22 PM by DynGpTeam
Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP : Get more out of your existing solution with Extender
Office Communications Online Deployment and Availability
We are now live with the service upgrade we announced two weeks ago. In addition to the new capabilities mentioned earlier, we want to inform you about some details around Office Communications Online availability.
Office Communications Online provides instant messaging and presence awareness for secure real-time communications. Presence awareness shows you at a glance if someone is available to receive an instant message.
Office Communications (OC) Online is part of the BPOS Suite. If you have previously purchased rights to the BPOS Suite, you can now enable OC Online for your organization’s users. To enable the service, service administrators will go to the OC Online tab in the Service Settings area of the Microsoft Online Administrator’s Console (MOAC). Please review the Release Notes for details on the service enablement process.
OC Online requires the separate purchase and installation of Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 R2. As a Limited Time Offer, Office Communications Online customers receive one licensed copy of Office Communicator 2007 R2 at no cost with each trial or paid subscription license to Office Communications Online. The software may only be used with Office Communications Online, and all rights to use the software will terminate upon expiration of the underlying subscription license or release of the next major new version of Office Communications Online, whichever comes first. A link to the promotional Office Communicator client is available to service administrators through the OC Online tab in MOAC. Alternatively, end users are able to access and install the client through the My Company Portal download center.
OC Online will not be available for a few days. After the appearance today of OC Online in MOAC, there will be a go-live transition period of up to a few days before all end users will be able to access the service. We will post an entry here when the go-live transition for OC Online is complete. We recommend waiting for this message before enabling the service for your users; you can subscribe to this blog via RSS. If you choose to enable OC Online before this transition is complete, users may see a “Cannot sign in to Communicator….” message when trying to use Office Communicator to connect to the OC Online service. Once the service is live, users will not see this message.
Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 12:25 AM by arvindsuthar
Microsoft Online Services Team Blog : Office Communications Online Deployment and Availability
Explore Photos
Like Never Before!DeepZoomPix enables you to explore and share photos in a new and interactive way.
DeepZoomPix is a technology demonstration that will be available until December 31st, 2009.
Get started by importing your own photos and prepare to be amazed!
Office “14” – Microsoft Office 2010 Products and Technologies: Names & Availability
Today as part of the Exchange 14 annoucement we officially announced the name and availability of Office “14” products and technologies!
Exchange Server 2010 will become available in the second half of 2009. Microsoft Office 2010 and related products will enter technical preview in the third quarter of 2009 and become available in the first half of 2010.
Microsoft Office 2010, Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010, Microsoft Visio 2010 and Microsoft Project 2010 are scheduled to enter technical preview in the third quarter of 2009 and release to manufacturing in the first half of 2010.
I am looking forward to share with the developer community the latest news related to our Microsoft Office 2010 release.
Erika Ehrli : Office “14” – Microsoft Office 2010 Products and Technologies: Names & Availability
Welcome to the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community Web site.
This site gives you tools and resources that simplify and streamline the Microsoft Dynamics resources available, so you can more effectively market, sell, and service prospects and existing customers.Partner Community
Community Team Mission
We’ve formed a new team and are building this new community in response to the many requests we’ve received from Microsoft Dynamics Partners like you. The purpose of the new Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community is to help you more effectively market, sell, and service—with the goal of successfully building your Microsoft Dynamics business and increasing your profitability.Community Highlights
As a valuable member of this new community, you’ll benefit from a wealth of outstanding resources designed to help you succeed, including:
- This dedicated Web site
- "Invigoration Station" radio broadcasts
- Weekly Web seminars
- An easy-to-use blog
- Monthly Dynamics Partner Community Newsletter
Many of the resources featured within the community will help you learn how our tools, resources, and investments can help you reach your short- and long-term business objectives.
- Plan My Business – information to help you develop your business.
- Expand My Skills – insight into Partner readiness, training, certification, and skill building.
- Increase My Opportunities – marketing and sales tools to help you deliver successful solutions.
- Close More Sales – assistance, tools, and resources to help you deliver successful solutions.
- Support My Customers – strengthen your customer relationships.
We urge you to take advantage of the resources available to you through this community to help you achieve greater business success.
Microsoft SharePoint “14” is now Microsoft SharePoint 2010
You have probably seen the news announcement today where we announced the public beta for the new Microsoft Exchange Server 2010. As part of that announcement, we also talked about some of the names for the “14” wave of products including Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010. I wanted to answer some questions that I think will inevitably pop to the top of your mind:
Full Article
Posted: Thursday, April 16, 2009 11:08 AM by Gayan Peiris
Sharing ....SharePoint : Microsoft SharePoint “14” is now Microsoft SharePoint 2010
What happens when I delete a snapshot? [Hyper-V]
A lot of people have asked me what happens “under the covers” when they delete a snapshot. Unfortunately, the answer is relatively complicated as there are multiple things that could happen.
As previously discussed – a snapshot is composed of a configuration file, saved state files and differencing disks (AVHDs). When you delete a snapshot the snapshot configuration file and saved state files are always deleted immediately – and the snapshot entry is removed from the user interface.
What happens to the AVHD depends on the situation of the snapshot and the state of the virtual machine. Here I have a virtual machine setup with a bunch of snapshots:
Let’s look at what would happen if I deleted various snapshots associated with this virtual machine:
- Snapshot 4
If I delete this snapshot – the AVHD will be deleted immediately. There are no other snapshots that refer to this snapshot, and the virtual machine is not currently running off of it – so it can be quickly and easily deleted.- Snapshot 1, Snapshot 3, Snapshot 5
All three of these snapshots have a single other snapshot dependant on them (or in the case of Snapshot 5 – the running virtual machine). This means that if they are deleted their AVHD files will be merged into the chain. AVHD merging can only happen when the virtual machine is not running – so the AVHD will remain while the virtual machine continues to run but will be merged as soon as the virtual machine stops.- Snapshot 2
Snapshot 2 has two snapshots dependant on it (Snapshot 3 and Snapshot 5). As such we will do nothing to the AVHD file when this snapshot is deleted. We could merge the AVHD into both of the branches that depend on Snapshot 2 – but this is almost guaranteed to end up using more disk space – which could result in the whacky scenario where deleting a snapshot would fail because there was not enough space available. Note that if Snapshot 2 were deleted, and later on both Snapshots 3 and 4 were deleted – we would detect this and merge the AVHD for Snapshot 2 away as soon as possible.This answer has probably raised some questions in your mind – so let me take a shot at answering some of them:
- Why do you call this “deleting a snapshot” when there could still be files left around afterwards?
In all three cases above the “snapshot” is deleted. Which is to say that the point in time image of your virtual machine is gone, and you can no longer go there. If you had an important document that only existed in a specific snapshot of a virtual machine – and you deleted that snapshot – then the document is gone. It does not matter whether we are deleting or merging the AVHDs under the covers- the snapshot is still effectively gone.- Why not use a different word than “delete”, like “remove”, as “delete” carries very specific connotations in my mind?
This is an argument that I have often had with our text team. The two main arguments for using “delete” are as follows: 1) From an end user impact, “delete” – with all of its connotations – is appropriate. The fact that it does not line up completely with what is happening under the covers is a far removed secondary point. 2) Where ever possible we try to stick to known and established computing terms. This aids in the process of localization, and is easier for users who do not have English as their native language.- Why not say “delete snapshot” when the AVHD is going to be deleted and “merge snapshot” when the AVHD is going to be merged?
Today all of this logic is part of the core platform – and the only option exposed through our WMI interfaces is to “delete” a snapshot. If we changed this it would place a burden on anyone scripting / programming to our interfaces where they would have to determine whether it was appropriate to merge or delete the snapshot. Also – many people would be confused by what “Merging a snapshot” actually meant.Cheers,
BenPublished Wednesday, April 15, 2009 1:01 PM by Virtual PC Guy
Virtual PC Guy's WebLog : What happens when I delete a snapshot? [Hyper-V]
Introducing the EWS Managed API!
Developing applications with Exchange Web Services just got MUCH easier, thanks to the release of the Microsoft Exchange Web Services (EWS) Managed API 1.0 Beta — a new managed-code API that's easy to learn, simple to use, and efficient to code against. Whether you're an experienced EWS developer, you’re new to Exchange development, or you’re somewhere in between, the EWS Managed API is made for you! Say goodbye to the large amounts of code and awkward patterns often required to use EWS via autogenerated proxy classes, and revel in the simplicity and efficiency of the new EWS Managed API!
Want to learn more? Check out David Claux's article Introducing the Exchange Web Services Managed API 1.0 for a full introduction to this new API. Take advantage of the conceptual material and code examples that are available in the Microsoft Exchange Web Services Managed API 1.0 Beta SDK April 2009. And keep your eye on this blog and the Exchange Developer Center in the coming months for posts and articles that explore various how-to scenarios for the EWS Managed API.
Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009 6:26 PM by kbrandl
What's Stopping You From Getting SharePoint Certified (Part 2)
Shannon Bray, Microsoft Certified Trainer, is back for another Live Meeting coaching session. This one will be focused on Windows Sharepoint Services 3.0 Application Development. There's still time to register !!
April 16: Preparing for your Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 – Application Development Exam (70-541)
Register Now: 10:00 A.M. Pacific Time (What time is this in my region?)Check the full exam coaching scheudule
Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009 10:17 PM by DeborahG
Born to Learn : What's Stopping You From Getting SharePoint Certified (Part 2)
Exchange 2010 training (free)
https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/offerDetail.aspx?offerPriceId=249671
Collection 6899: Exploring Features of Exchange Server 2010
Overview
This two-hour collection provides you with an overview of the new features in Exchange Server 2010. It also describes the enhancements made over Exchange Server 2007.
The clinics within this collection cover:
- New features in Exchange Server 2010
- Technology enhancements
- Management tools used in Exchange Server 2010
- Managing a Mailbox server
- Unified Messaging in Exchange Server 2010
- High availability features in Exchange Server 2010
Users completing this collection should have three or more years of experience working with previous versions of Exchange Server, including the implementation of Exchange Server 2007. They should be familiar with Active Directory, Exchange messaging, and SharePoint and fundamentals of Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft Office 2007, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Server 2008. It is beneficial if they have experience with a Windows or command-line scripting.Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009 11:17 AM by robse
Creating Word documents containing List fields
I haven’t seen much information on the web regarding how to automatically create Word documents in SharePoint and how to pass list item fields directly into a document.
It’s fairly straightforward to get this working (certainly no code is required, just SharePoint designer) and the technique could be used to automate all manner of business processes. For example, you could create an ASPX page containing drop down fields and calculated fields that automatically creates a quotation document or you could have a form that captures all the details for a job vacancy that would create a standard looking job advert.
In this exercise I will keep things simple and create an application that creates a certificate with an exam name, user name and pass mark passed into the Word documents from a list item. This would make a nice addition to the Quiz Web Application exam. This example requires Word 2007.
Here is an example of the created document with fields (the name, the exam title and mark – shown below in bold, being variables stored in a SharePoint list.
The example has the following components:
· A document library which has a Word document associated which is used as the basis for all new documents
· A list containing the fields that we want to pass into a new document
· A workflow which creates a new Word document and copies the fields from the list into the document
Creating the document library
A document library is really just a special type of list. There are some differences in functionality but many of the features remain the same.
First we need to create a new document library, in your browser:
· (Top right) Site Actions > Create
· Select “Document Library”
· Name: Certificates
· Ensure the “Document template” is set to “Word document”
Next we want to add some columns to our document library for our variables to be added to
1. Click on the “Settings” button in the list view
2. Click on “Document library settings”
3. Click on “Create Column
Add the following columns:
Name
Type
YourName
Single line of text
Score
Number
By default, the Title column has already been created in the list so we will use that to store our Exam title field. There are some other columns in that are created for a document library that we will not need to use.
Creating a Word document to use as a template
Next we want to create our word document which will act as a template for all newly created documents in this library. I am a little reticent to use the word template as we will actually just create a normal document (DOT / DOTX) rather than a Word template (DOT / DOTX).
In the settings screen of the document library:
1. Click “Advanced Settings”
2. Click “(Edit Template”)
Word will open the file template.doc which is located in the forms library of your document library.
3. Save the file as a “Word document” (click okay if you are asked to confirm)
This saves the template document from Word 97-2003 format (compatibility mode) to Word 2007 format which is a DOTX file. This allows use the document property field.
We need to associate our document library with the new file, to do this:
1. Document library > List settings > Advanced settings
2. Change the template name to “template.dotx”
3. OK
Now we are ready to create the template for our certificate, go back into the Document Library > List Settings > Advanced settings and click on the Edit Template link.
You can create a nice looking document leaving space for where our list fields will go. When you are ready to insert our fields, do the following:
1. From the main menu select “Insert”
2. Click “Quick Parts” > “Document Properties”
3. You will see a list of the document properties including the columns we added (Score and YourName)
You can select each of our fields and place them in our document – YourName, Score and Title are the three fields we will insert.
4. Insert each of the fields into your document, they will display like this:
Here is an example of the basic layout:
And here is something a little fancier.
That completes the creation of the document library and the associated word document.
Creating a list to store our fields
We need to create a list to store our values that will be inserted into the document template.
As you can imagine, this is very straightforward:
· Site Actions > Create
· Custom List
· Name: Documents
· Click Create
Then add our two fields into (Title will already exist)
Add the following fields to the Documents list Add the following columns:
Name
Type
YourName
Single line of text
Score
Number
You will notice this is exactly the same as what we did for the document library fields. Our final step is to create a workflow that copies the fields from the Documents list into a new document in the Certificates document library.
Writing our workflow to create new documents in the certificates library
We are going to create a simple workflow that does the following
· When a new item is added to the Documents list create a new Item in the Certificates library
· Copy the title, YourName and Score fields from the Documents item into the Certificates item
This will in effect create a new document in the Certificates library that has the fields automatically populated with the values from our Documents list. Here is how:
1. Open SharePoint designer and connect to your site
2. File | New | Workflow
Give the name as “Make a new certificate”
Attach “Documents” list to this workflow.
Select “Automatically start this workflow when a new item is created”
We are saying here, each time a new item is added to the Documents list then run the workflow.
3. Click “Next”
4. Click “Actions” > “Create List Item”
5. Click on the “this list” link
6. On the list selector choose “Certificates”
7. Click on the “Name (for use in forms) ...” entry and click “Modify”
8. In the value box, click the “Fx” button
9. Keep the source as “Current Item” and change the field to “YourName”
10. Click OK, OK
The above steps mean that when a item is added to the list Document then a new document will be created in the Certificates document library and the name of the item will be set to YourName feild.
If more than one item is created with the same name then a unique identifier will be automatically added to the title.
Next we need to add our three fields to the Create List Item action. To do this:
1. Click the “Add” button
2. Set this field: Score
3. To this value: Click the “Fx” button
4. Source: Current Item
5. Field: YourName
Do the same for the Title and YourName values. Your completed List Item dialogue should look like this:
You can now click “OK” and you will see SharePoint designer create the new Workflow and assign it to your list.
We are now all ready to test our new solution!
Putting it all together – testing our solution
Go back to our website and select the “Documents” list and click “New” and complete the fields and click “OK”
Back in the list of items in the Documents list you will notice a new column “Make a new Certificate” has appeared. This column shows the status of the workflow that we created.
Currently it will be showing “In Progress” whilst the workflow kicks and begins to run (creating the new word document in the Certificates library). Wait for a few seconds and then refresh the page (F5). You should see the status has changed to “Completed”
Finally, switch to the Certificates document library. You will see our new document has been created. When you open the document you will see that values that we passed are now contained in the Word document.
Posted: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 2:15 PM by brenclarke
Notes on SharePoint : Automatically create Word documents which include list fields
Retrieving Dynamics GP user idle time
One of the questions I regularly get from DBAs and Dynamics GP systems administrators alike is, "how do I know how long a GP user has been idle in the system without the use of third party products?". It is sufficient to say that they are good third party products out there that rely on Dexterity scripting to provide this information and perform all sort of actions that the system administrator may want to do, take for example Rockton Software's Omni Tools with it's inactivity timeout feature.
SQL Server offers a great way of tracking idle times from a process perspective. This is very cool, because most of the time we want to know that there is absolutely nothing running on the user's session before we decide to take some action -- most of the time remotely.
The following script displays the time (in seconds) the last batch was executed for a particular Dynamics GP user. It looks at the DEX_SESSION table and cross-reference it with the SPIDs retrieved via the undocumented SQL Server system stored procedure sp_who2.
UserActivity.sql
-- Create by Mariano Gomez, MVP
-- This script conferes no rights and has no warranties express or implied
USE MASTER
GO
IF OBJECT_ID('tempdb.dbo.#GP_UserActivity') IS NOT NULL
DROP TABLE #GP_UserActivity
CREATE TABLE #GP_UserActivity
( SPID int
, [Status] varchar( 50)
, [Login] varchar( 80)
, HostName varchar( 80)
, BlkBy varchar( 10)
, dbanme varchar( 80)
, Command varchar( 500)
, CpuTime int
, DiskIO int
, LastBatch varchar( 22)
, ProgramName varchar( 200)
, SPID2 int
, RequestID int
)
INSERT #GP_UserActivity
EXEC sp_who2
SELECT
SPID
, [Login]
, datediff(ss, cast(substring(LastBatch, 1, 5) + '/' + cast( datepart( year, getdate()) as char( 4)) +
' ' + substring( lastbatch, 7, 20) as datetime), getdate() ) 'seconds'
FROM #GP_UserActivity INNER JOIN tempdb.dbo.DEX_SESSION on spid = sqlsvr_spid
The script can be automated to track idleness information periodically and obtain detailed reports of system usage among GP users -- a sort of process activity. I use it a lot to plan server expansions activities and monitoring for my clients in conjunction with other important metrics. I hope you find this script useful in your daily administrative activities.
Related Articles
sp_who - Transact-SQL Server Reference. Click here
Until next post!
MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MIS, MCP, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/
Posted by Mariano Gomez at 8:00 AM
The Dynamics GP Blogster: Retrieving Dynamics GP user idle time
Project Description
Keep track of time spent on your projects with this C# Windows forms application that includes fully-commented source code. It runs from your system tray and makes it easy to punch in and out and view totalsIntroduction
Time and how we use it is a matter of great importance to many people. I am certainly no exception, frequently working on two to five projects at a given time. Whether it's just being curious about how much time you are spending on various classes at school, or billable projects, time tracking can be tedious. Do you use a paper notebook (remember those)? Do you create a spreadsheet in Excel? What about a custom time accounting software package? For this project, I decided it would be good to create a basic time tracking tool to sit quietly in the system tray.Usage
Just double-click the executable and the icon will appear in the notification area (the system tray).
Right-click the icon in the system tray to view the menu. You can add projects, punch in/out, punch out at a specific time (like ten minutes ago when you should have punched out...) or view settings.
Click Add Project to enter the name for a project. Then you can simple double-click the icon to sign in or out. The tooltip always shows you in or out, in addition to the icon overlay. When you are ready to do some accounting, view the details:
There isn't any way to export this information, but it wouldn't be that difficult to extend. All data is held in a DataTable serialized as XML. It would be a great challenge to extend this with the Microsoft ReportViewer control to create some cool output options.
Finally, you can enable or disable projects (just to cull down your list of inactive projects) in the second tab:
If you want commit permission to improve this, please let me know. It's served me well and can be even better.
This project has been tested up to Windows 7 RC1.
Dexterity's Hidden About Window
Dexterity has a long development history, dating back to the late 1980's. There were many people involved in the design, development, testing and documentation of Dexterity. If you want to see some of these names, you can use a little bit of code to open the Hidden_About form in the Dex.dic dictionary. The Dex.dic is available as dictionary ID 1, even though it does not appear in the Dynamics.set launch file.
You can add the code into your own dictionary, or simply using the Runtime Execute feature in the Support Debugging Tool for Microsoft Dynamics GP to execute the following pass through sanScript code:
Runtime Execute Code Example
local string compiler_error; execute(1, "open form Hidden_About;", compiler_error);
Click on the button to view the different teams. Anywhere else on the window to close it.
David
Posted: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 9:00 AM by David Musgrave
Developing for Dynamics GP : Dexterity's Hidden About Window
Some Great Web-casts in April Around Agile and Scrum
April 15th - Lean and Mean...The Agile Manifesto, Presented by Edie Chudnow, Neudesic
Do emerging software methodologies give you pause and make you question the methodology your organization is using today? Do you wonder if you could be more influential and successful with time and budget on projects by utilizing another methodology? In this webcast, we will discuss the paradigm shift from Predictive methodology (Waterfall) to Adaptive methodology (Agile) and why so many organizations are following the Agile path. We will also explain the steps you need to take to effectively transition to agile projects and how it will transform your organization.Agile Scrum
Wed., April 15, 2009
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Pacific Time
April 15th - A Day in the Life of Scrum with Visual Studio Team System 2008 and Team Foundation Server, Presented by Riad Bacchus & Phil Scott, Neudesic
Please join Microsoft and Neudesic via a webcast for participation in "A Day in the Life of Scrum with Visual Studio Team System 2008 and Team Foundation Server", a live event being held in Irvine, CA. Due to popular demand, we've made this full-day event available via a webcast in case participants are not able to join us at one of the local live sessions. We'll briefly revisit the basics of Agile and Scrum and provide a walkthrough of how to configure Visual Studio Team System 2008 and Team Foundation Server for Scrum. Participants will be familiarized with how key artifacts are managed within this popular process template for enacting Scrum in organizations.
Agile Scrum
Wed., April 15, 2009
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Pacific Time
Ravings of a Developer TS : Some Great Web-casts in April Around Agile and Scrum
Announcement: EWS Managed API launching tomorrow 04/15/09
Good news for all .Net developers working with Exchange or willing to work with Exchange but have zero experience in the domain.
Exchange Team had been working so hard to reduce your efforts and improve your efficiency.
Check out these videos to see what EWS Managed API is capable of
http://channel9.msdn.com/pdc2008/BB46/
http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2009/03/24/450892.aspx
Keep a watch on here as it will go live in few hours, be the first one to grab it - http://msdn.microsoft.com/exchange
Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 10:57 PM by Vikas Verma
Jive into Messaging world : Announcement: EWS Managed API launching tomorrow 04/15/09
How to un install SQL Server 2005
You can use these docs for uninstalling your 2005 sql instance based on your requirement.
Uninstalling an instance of SQL Server 2005 manually
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=909967Windows Installer Clean-Up Tool
http://download.microsoft.com/download/E/9/D/E9D80355-7AB4-45B8-80E8-983A48D5E1BD/msicuu2.exeUninstall SQL Server Management Studio
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;909953Using the Add or Remove Programs item in Control Panel to add
or remove components for stand-alone installations and clustered
installations of SQL Server 2005 (KB: 922670)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;922670Uninstall SQL Server Express
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143505.aspxFatal error during installation
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=919945Uninstall Applications NOT in Install/Remove Programs List
http://blogs.msdn.com/astebner/archive/2005/10/30/487096.aspxPosted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 9:43 PM by sreekarm
Nice things inside SQL Server : How to un install SQL Server 2005
Quick Bytes: Unzipping ZIP file using Powershell
UNZIP.ps1
$zipfilename=”C:\myfolder\myzip.zip"; # Replace with source ZIP file
$destination=”C:\myfolder\unzipped"; # Replace with target folderif(test-path($zipfilename)) # Test if the zip file exists
{
$shellApplication = new-object -com shell.application
$zipPackage = $shellApplication.NameSpace($zipfilename)
$destinationFolder = $shellApplication.NameSpace($destination)
$destinationFolder.CopyHere($zipPackage.Items())
}else
{
echo "The source ZIP file does not exist";
}Published Tuesday, April 14, 2009 8:28 PM by ssehgal
The Deployment guy : Quick Bytes: Unzipping ZIP file using Powershell
SQL Server I/O for Thought
Following are the links specifically relating to best practices for setting up disk I/O for SQL Server workloads.
Predeployment I/O Best Practices - http://sqlcat.com/whitepapers/archive/2007/11/21/predeployment-i-o-best-practices.aspx
Complete I/O Best practices whitepaper - http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/bestpractice/pdpliobp.mspx
Storage Top 10 Best Practices - http://sqlcat.com/top10lists/archive/2007/11/21/storage-top-10-best-practices.aspx
Tools – below are links to tools that can aid you in the testing of I/O for SQL Server workload.
- SQLIO Disk Subsystem Benchmark Tool (Microsoft Download Center)
- How to use the SQLIOSim utility to simulate SQL Server activity on a disk subsystem (Knowledge Base article)
- IOMeter (IOMeter site)
- diskpar.exe – OS built-in tool used to align disks
All things SQL Server Related.... : SQL Server I/O for Thought
Behind the Scenes at new Microsoft Technology Center - Chicago
Published 14 April 09 01:12 PM | apage
Here's a total ad-hoc video posted on edge about our new MTC in Chicago.
(also known as "how i spent my christmas vacation")
http://edge.technet.com/Media/Inside-the-new-Chicago-Microsoft-Technology-Center-MTC/
SLA Template for Desktop Services
Attached is a sample desktop services SLA which i refer to my customers when they ask for it. Keep in mind that the SLA is a customer document, and should be kept free of technical jargon.
Published Tuesday, April 14, 2009 6:21 PM by mertb
Attachment(s): Sample Desktop SLA.doc
Mert's Enterprise Desktop Blog : SLA Template for Desktop Services
Information: Unified Communications Adoption and Training Kit 2007 R2
The Unified Communications Adoption and Training Kit for 2007 R2 provides guidance and resources for IT Pros, HelpDesk, and Trainers to speed adoption and usage of Unified Communications technologies in the enterprise. The kit includes Planning Checklists, Awareness materials, including Poster, Door Hangers, and E-mail samples, and User Education Materials such as Quick Reference Cards, Flash Cards, and links to Web-based Training.
… see more here
Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 7:05 PM by mikkelbn
Mikkel Bach Nielsen's blog : Information: Unified Communications Adoption and Training Kit 2007 R2
Creating a Quiz Web application using SharePoint designer
Hi, my name is Brendan Clarke and I work as a partner technical specialist in SharePoint. In this five part article I will provide a step by step guide to build a simple Quiz web application using SharePoint designer.
It’s perfectly possible to build web applications without writing any custom code (as the fabulous forty application templates illustrate well) and now that SharePoint Designer is available as a free download combined with launch of SharePoint Online (BPOS) around the world it’s possible to deliver business solutions very rapidly.
Here's is a preview of the three pages that will form our completed application:
The above picture shows the Default.aspx page, the ShowQuestion.aspx and the ShowResults.aspx page
Overview
We mostly use the very powerful Data View Web Part (DVWP) to build our application and we will cover some great ways of manipulating list data, such as:
· Passing parameters from one web page to another via a query string
· Passing values from one web part to another
· Removing the (usually mandatory) Title field from list forms and views
· Using useful system variables (such as the logged in user and current date)
· Pre-loading form fields with values
· Creating a persistent session identifier to link multiple list items
· Creating custom forms and passing multiple parameters in a redirected form
· Manipulation of the HTML presentation using XSLT
The application uses three custom lists (Quiz, Questions and Answers) and three ASPX pages (default, ShowQuestion, ShowResults)
So, let’s jump in and get started. I am assuming a general knowledge of SharePoint and SharePoint Designer (SDP) so I will not describe in detail the more basic steps.
Create the lists
Firstly create a new site (or sub site) for your application (a team site or blank site template should be fine).
You then need to create three new custom lists either via the web interface (Site actions > create > lists > Custom list) or by using SharePoint designer (File | New | SharePoint Content | Custom list).
The three custom lists for the application are:
Name of List
Used for
Used by
Quiz
Stores details of the Quiz itself (Title, pass mark, number of questions)
Default.aspx
Questions
Stores each question, its multiple choice options and the correct answer
ShowQuestion.aspx
Answers
The application uses this list to store and the answer the user chooses
ShowQuestion.aspx
ShowResults.aspx
Below are the steps to create the fields for each list.
Create the Quiz list
You will already have a field created called "Title" which we will store the name of each Quiz, you then need to create the following additional fields in your list:
Field Name
Type
Multiple lines of text
Number – also tick the “percentage” box
Number
Create the Questions list
Field Name
Type
Lookup; Link the lookup field to the Title of the Quiz list.
QuesionNumber
Number
Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*
Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*
Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*
Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*
Multiple lines of text – enhanced text*
Choice- Add “Select”, “A”,”B”,”C” and “D” on separate lines (without the quotes)
Enter “Select” as the default value.
*By selecting these fields as “enhanced text” we can include pictures and advanced formatting in our question and answer text.
A Quick diversion: Getting rid of the Title field from our forms and views
As you can see from the table above, in this instance we don’t have any use for the Title field, which is created by default in every list. We can edit the Field name (not recommend) and change it so that is doesn’t require any information and also remove it from the default view but it still shows up in our form.
As it’s likely that other people will be creating new entries so it would be good to remove it from the form completely (note: the field will still exist which is a good thing, users just won’t see it).
Here is how to remove the Title field from our forms and the default view:
To remove the title field from our form:
1. Go to the list and choose Settings | List Settings
2. Click Advanced settings
3. Change the first entry, Allow management of content types? to Yes
4. In the “Content Types” section that has just appeared, click the Item link
5. Click the Title field and select “Hidden (will not appear on forms)”
6. Change the management of content types back to “No” (steps 1-2)
To remove the title field from our list view:
1. Go to the default view for the list by clicking the list name (the page will be /lists/Questions.AllItems.aspx)
2. In the view selector box click and select Modify this view
1. Un-tick the Title field in the display section
2. Don’t click OK yet!
Modifying the default view to group and sort our questions
Whist we are here it will be useful to make the default view of the Questions friendlier. As we may end up with several sets of questions shown in one long list it would make it hard work to use. Let’s group each set of Questions into the Quiz they belong to and also list the questions in the correct order. To do this:
1. In the “Sort” section change the “First sort by...” column to “QuestionNumber”
2. Expand the “Group by” section and choose to group by the “Quiz” column
The view will now group each set of questions correctly, like this
Create the Answers list
Field Name
Type
Single line of text
Choice – Add options for A, B, C and D
Single line of text
Single line of text
Number
Single line of text
Calculated - add the following formula:
=IF(AnswerGiven=CorrectAnswer,1,0)
As you can see, the MarkAnswer uses a very simple formula, if the User’s answer matches the answer to the question (stored in the CorrectAnswer field, which is passed from the Question table) then the field is set to a ‘1’, otherwise it’s a ‘0’.
You have now created all the lists that you need. Before we move on it is worth adding a little data into the Quiz and Questions lists, so that you can make sure they are all working okay and it also gives us some data to work with when we create and test our application.
Create a new Quiz list item and then add some Questions list items - in the next part we will start to build our ASPX pages.
Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 11:40 AM by brenclarke
Notes on SharePoint : Creating a Quiz Web application using SharePoint designer
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Networking Enhancements for Enterprises
Brief Description
Describes the networking enhancements available in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 and their benefit to enterprise networks.
A detailed look at new networking technologies in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, with particular emphasis on enhancements to improve connectivity for a mobile workforce. New features and enhancments including DirectAccess, BranchCache, VPN Reconnect, mobile broadband device support, URL-based QoS, DNSSEC, and support for green computing.
To Download Guide click here
Published Tuesday, April 14, 2009 4:20 PM by aviraj
OCS 2007 R1/R2 Remote Access Configuration Guide
Rick Varvel has published a very detailed and comprehensive guide on how to configure Remote Access for OCS 2007 R1 and R2. Well worth reading.
Please take a look at it here http://blogs.technet.com/rickva/archive/2009/04/09/ocs-2007-r1-r2-remote-access-configuration-guide.aspx
Posted: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 1:51 PM by jenstrier
Jens Trier Rasmussen : OCS 2007 R1/R2 Remote Access Configuration Guide
Spotlight on Windows Firewall: Multiple Active Firewall Profiles in Windows
In today’s interconnected world, we’re always looking for better ways to protect our computers from the threats on the Internet. Windows Firewall is an important piece of armor to include in your security arsenal.
Windows Firewall can swap the set of rules it uses based on the type of network to which it is connected. The different sets of rules are called “profiles,” and there is one each for Domain networks, Private networks, and Public networks. Domain networks are detected automatically by the presence of a domain controller from the client computer’s domain. For non-domain networks, you get to choose between Private (typically a home or small office) and Public (such as coffee shop or public library Wi-Fi hotspots). By default, a network is assigned to the Public profile. You can assign a network to the Private profile when you know and trust the users and computers on that network. You’ve probably seen that, the first time you connect your computer to a network, Windows asks you what kind of network it is. You have to have Administrator permissions to assign a network to the Private profile.
This multiple profile feature was first introduced in Windows Vista, but with the limitation that only one profile is active at a time, even when your computer is connected to multiple networks. To maintain security, if any of the connected networks is identified as Public, then the Public profile is active, and all of the network connections are protected with the Public profile’s rules. If there are no Public networks, but there are one or more Private network connections, then the Private profile’s rules are used to protect your computer. The Domain profile is only used if there are no Private or Public connections.
While the introduction of the three profile types was a great first step, it introduces some obvious challenges when you are connected to multiple network types. For example, if you are sitting in your favorite coffee shop using their Wi-Fi hotspot access to the Internet, then the Public profile with its strict rules is (and should be!) protecting your computer. But what about when you establish a virtual private network (VPN) connection to your work network while sitting in that coffee shop? In Windows Vista, because of the Public connection, the Public profile ends up protecting the VPN connection as well. The stricter rules in the Public profile, while needed to protect you from threats on the Public network, could interfere with programs that you use on your Domain network and that you expect to work over your VPN connection. You shouldn’t relax the rules in the Public profile to make the program work, because you would be increasing your risk from Public networks.
Windows 7 introduces a great new feature that helps address this: Multiple Active Firewall Profiles. In Windows 7, each network connection is protected by the profile that is appropriate for the type of network to which it is attached. Network traffic going in and out of the wireless adapter when you’re sitting in the coffee shop is protected by the Public profile’s rules, as it should be. However, the VPN connection to your office is now protected by the Domain profile and its rules, so your programs operate as well as they do when you are sitting in your office.
Another scenario in which this new feature will be handy is if you are at home using a WWAN connection to the Internet as well as a wired connection to your other home computers. The WWAN connection is protected by the Public profile while the connection to your home network is protected by the Private profile.
Multiple Active Firewall Profiles in Windows 7 gives you more flexibility in accessing your network resources without compromising your security. Give it a try! To see the documentation available for Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc732283.aspx on Microsoft TechNet.
Dave Bishop
Senior Technical Writer
The Windows Server Networking Documentation TeamPublished Monday, April 13, 2009 11:22 PM by WSUA Networking Blog
“Microsoft Virtualization” Learning Snack & free e-book
Learning Snacks are short, interactive presentations about popular topics created by Microsoft Learning experts. Each Snack is delivered by using Microsoft Silverlight technology and includes various media, such as animations and recorded demos. Here’s a snack on Microsoft Virtualization:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/_silverlight/learningsnacks/virtualization/snack01/Default.html
This is MSL’s Learning Portal for virtualization:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/virtualization/default.mspx
At the portal you’ll find a link for a free e-book: Understanding Microsoft Virtualization Solutions, by Mitch Tulloch. In 8 chapters and 452 pages, Mitch’s e-book covers the following technologies: Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Microsoft Application Virtualization 4.5, Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization, and Microsoft Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.
The e-book includes full search functionality as well as a 14-page Index. :-)
Enjoy!
Published Monday, April 13, 2009 3:59 PM by devonm
Microsoft Press : “Microsoft Virtualization” Learning Snack & free e-book
Certification Update and Small Survey
We are almost locked on our Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 certification track. Lots of discussions around this internally and a potential change in the landscape. At this point in time, it’s looking like the MCPD track will change and exam 70-536 will not move forward. That means there will not be a prerequisite for the MCTS developer exams. That’s about all I can offer into that picture for the time being.
My second reason for posting today is a small survey. Now multiple choice but simply a question asking for your input on something. Free form.
Question: What does the term Enterprise Application Developer or Enterprise Developer mean to you?
Looking forward to your answers.
Gerry
Posted: Monday, April 13, 2009 3:26 PM by Gerry O'Brien
Microsoft Certifications : Certification Update and Small Survey
Run a SQL Server Command from PowerShell without the SQL Server Provider
Published 13 April 09 08:57 AM | Buck Woody
Some folks don't have SQL Server 2008 installed - shame on you! If you're in that sad state, you can still run a query against a SQL Server. You will still need the client connection software installed on your system - you'll have that with any 2005 edition of SQL Server, and in many cases you'll have it with just plain old Microsoft Office. It certainly won't hurt to try this script - on a TEST system, of course. Change the Server, instance and database names as appropriate:
# Connect and run a command using SQL Native Client, Returns a recordset
# Create and open a database connection
$sqlConnection = new-object System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection "server=SERVERNAME\INSTANCE;database=AdventureWorks;Integrated Security=sspi"
$sqlConnection.Open()
#Create a command object
$sqlCommand = $sqlConnection.CreateCommand()
$sqlCommand.CommandText = "select FirstName, LastName from Person.Contact where LastName like 'W%'"
#Execute the Command
$sqlReader = $sqlCommand.ExecuteReader()
#Parse the records
while ($sqlReader.Read()) { $sqlReader["LastName"] + ", " + $sqlReader["FirstName"]}
# Close the database connection
$sqlConnection.Close()
As always, this warning applies to any script you find anywhere, including here.
Carpe Datum : Run a SQL Server Command from PowerShell without the SQL Server Provider
Samsung’s Web Site for Windows Mobile Developers
My very first Windows Mobile phone was a Samsung BlackJack, and my wife and I each use, and love, BlackJack IIs (a matching his-and-hers pair in blue and pink respectively) every day. The Blackjack II is also very popular phone among my coworkers; it’s very common for one of my colleagues to pull out a BlackJack device during a meeting to check their mail, manage their calendar, or do some research.
Given my history, I’m sure you can imagine that I was totally stoked to hear about Samsung’s Web site, the Samsung Mobile Innovator (found at http://innovator.samsungmobile.com) for Windows Mobile developers. After doing some research I found out that the Mobile Innovator has actually been around since October 2008. In February 2009, Samsung added developer centers for Java and Windows Mobile development.
Membership to the site is free (all you have to do is register), and includes a number of great features:
- How-tos and walkthroughs on writing and signing apps for Windows Mobile. This includes a Getting Started tutorial on Windows Mobile Programming and content on popular topics, such as Debugging with Visual Studio 2008, and Unit Testing for Devices.
- Samsung’s downloadable SDK for Windows Mobile, which gives developers access to Samsung phone features such as accelerometers, notification LEDs, and haptic feedback.
- Downloadable Skins for Device Emulator that allow you to build and run code on images skinned for Samsung’s line of Windows Mobile phones (including the BlackJack II, Epix/Mirage, Robin, Saga, ACE, and Omnia). The following screenshot shows the Device Emulator skin for the SGH-900 Omnia:
…and here’s an image of the SGH-617 Blackjack II Device Emulator skin:
Additional features of the Samsung Mobile Innovator program include:
- Access to the Windows Mobile Discussion Board: an open forum that provides support for Windows Mobile device users.
- Lab.dev: a virtual device lab that allows you to install and test your applications on Samsung Windows Mobile devices over the Web.
- Access to the Samsung Reference Collection, which includes links to a Knowledge Base, the Samsung Device Database, the Samsung Mobile Innovator Wiki, and the Samsung Windows Mobile SDK Documentation.
- Product Showcase that provides detailed specifications for the latest Samsung devices that run on the Windows Mobile platform.
- Access to Sammi, the Samsung Mobile Innovator blog for Mobile Developers.
Just in time for the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month, the Samsung Mobile Innovator has started to go global by launching a Chinese-Language site. For more news about the Samsung Mobile Innovator, check out the Mobile Innovator News.
You can register for Samsung Mobile Innovator at https://innovator.samsungmobile.com/mbr/individual.mbr.add.do.
Enjoy exploring all the great features the Samsung Mobile Innovator has to offer for you!
(Special thanks to Constanze Roman for helping write this blog post, and to Jonathan Konrath from Samsung for reviewing it before posting!)
Windows Mobile Team Blog : Samsung’s Web Site for Windows Mobile Developers
Free Resources and Training on MSDev.com
Though specifically geared toward developers at ISVs*, the newly updated MSDev.com site has great content useful for any developer and is worth checking out.
From the ISV Developer Community blog announcement:
You will find web seminars, virtual events, live events on .NET Framework, business development, cloud computing, Exchange, Expression, high performance computing, Hyper-V, Internet Explorer, IIS, Dynamics, Office System, VSTO, SharePoint, Next Web, Web UI, Silverlight, SQL Server, Azure, Windows, Visual Studio, and much more.
You'll find unfettered, friction free access to rich media learning content for Microsoft-based solution developers and non-Microsoft based developers. In additon, the site provides developer training focused on value added partners (VAPs).
The phrase “friction free” is key, there’s no need to log in to view resources (though you can if you wish) – just easy access to the content you need.
Start with a search and take a look.
-Chris
Chris Bowen's Blog : Free Resources and Training on MSDev.com
Right Sizing your Network for OCS R2
In order to understand bandwidth requirements for OCS it’s important to first model expected usage and right provisioning the network. You will also have to manage usage and grow in line with your business needs. Bottom line – Measure Well!!
Bandwidth Requirements
OCS uses both RTAudio narrowband and wideband. Narrowband is used for UC <=> PSTN calls and wideband for all other calls. Wideband has a richer sound to the call and more user friendly with a higher sampling at 16kHz. The payload increases to a little over double but the real information that is needed is the full payload rate with IP+UDP+RTP+SRTP to find out how much bandwidth is needed. Also important in sizing is to understand that these are one-way numbers and that silent suppression saves on bandwidth. If you aren’t talking then the bits are less. As well as the dynamic changes of the packetization. If there is packet loss Forward Error Correction (FEC) is turned on to essentially double the packets. But for understanding the bandwidth the below chart will help us get some fairly accurate data.
2 party calls
For calls going to and from San Francisco from New York. We use the following datapoints
50% of the time User A talks (from SF) and 50% of the time User B talks (from NY). The stream is 50kpbs but since it’s only half the time the average bandwidth is 25kbps. We can then extrapolate this to more users.
Total BW SF to NY = N x 25kbps (N is concurrent Calls)
Total BW NY to SF = N x 25kbps
Beyond 2 party calls
If we look at the SF Office as the datacenter with the OCS Pool and the NY Office available via WAN link. We can examine bandwidth further with 750 users in SF and 250 users in NY.
First we need to know what the Peak call concurrency is. In the below example it’s 5%. This gives us 25 calls and .9 Answered:unanswered calls to give us 22.5 answered calls. We have .55Mbps of audio in each direction with Video BW of 1.37Mbps.
Conferencing is also modeled below. Conferencing is very different then 2 party calling in that all traffic is directed to the MCU, only one speaker is typically speaking, some may or may not include video conferencing.
Recap
These are busy hour peak bandwidth numbers. 2 party calls are symmetric but conferencing calls are asymmetric. Video BW is always greater than audio bandwidth.
Any model you choose is dependent on assumptions. Consider your intra-office calling patterns. How many calls, conferences do I have in between sites? Also do we have potential outliers – Superintendent wants an all hands audio/video conference. This will obviously skew our bandwidth model.
Published Monday, April 13, 2009 10:59 AM by gkatz
Operations Manager Service Level Dashboard
YAASAFTSAT (AKA Yet Another Awesome Solution Accelerator From the Solution Accelerator Team) :)
Check out the new Service Level Dashboard 2.0 Beta for System Center Operations Manager 2007 R2 RC1
This free Solution Accelerator collects and monitors operational measurements for your line of business (LOB) applications. Its graphical dashboard makes it easy to keep tabs on service availability and performance, letting you:
· Spot trends in service availability and performance
· Head off problems before they occur
· Reduce costs by streamlining IT operations
This new version of the Dashboard uses Operations Manager as the engine, and Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 as its presentation platform to track and report service levels on a near real-time basis. The Dashboard now tracks additional metrics for service level compliance, including mean time to repair (MTTR), mean time between failures (MTBF), and application service level trends. The Dashboard’s SharePoint-based authentication lets you create individual Dashboards by department, so you can easily track service levels for different groups in the organization.
Click here to join the Beta on Microsoft Connect (you’ll need your Microsoft Live ID). Already using SCOM 2007 R2 Release Candidate 1 ? Click here
Posted: Monday, April 13, 2009 3:45 PM by smearp
Announcing the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Dev Toolkit
The Microsoft Dynamics CRM team is proud to announce the availability of The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Developer Toolkit. This Visual Studio 2008 plug-in radically expands on the Visual Studio tools introduced in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 SDK. The toolkit enables developers and system customizers to take advantage of the tools and knowledge that they already have when engaging in custom development with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0.
With the toolkit, implementers and managers of Microsoft Dynamics CRM solutions can manage schema, engage in form design, update security roles and generate wrapper classes for Microsoft Dynamics CRM. These capabilities will enhance the productivity of organizations, particularly those building and deploying XRM solutions – line of business applications that use the Microsoft Dynamics CRM platform.
Corey O’Brien, whom some of you may know from his work as Development Manager at Sonoma Partners or from his work on the MS Press title Programming Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 told me that “whether you are a reseller of Microsoft Dynamics CRM working on behalf of clients or an IT organization managing the Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution, the toolkit is a great option for helping you get up to speed fast in the management of an XRM application. The toolkit opened our eyes to a new level of CRM integration.”
The Developer Toolkit makes it easy for teams of developers to customize, extend, and maintain an on-premise CRM solution, all from within an integrated Visual Studio 2008 environment. When building a solution with Microsoft Dynamics CRM developers typically design and iterate on an entity model, create custom security roles for accessing those entities and then may generate .Net assemblies to extend the business logic. Once the solution has been developed customizations need to be deployed to test and production environments. With the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Developer Toolkit developers and IT professionals can manage all of those tasks from within Visual Studio 2008.
Users of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Developer Toolkit can:
View CRM entities using the CRM Explorer
The list of entities is dynamically available from the CRM Explorer within Visual Studio 2008.
Create and Update CRM Entities
The Toolkit allows developers and system customizers to create new entities and update existing entities from within the CRM Explorer experience.
A key Toolkit feature is the ability to auto-generate wrapper classes for entities. This exposes the CRM entities and their corresponding attributes as classes and properties respectively to enable development of code to interact with the entities.
The CRM Explorer enumerates the available Plug-ins for an entity and generates the code necessary to jumpstart the plug-in development process.
Integrate the Build and Deploy Process
Build scripts provided with the Toolkit simplify the process of building and deploying a CRM solution. They prepare the environment, obtain and publish the latest customizations, perform code analysis, register CRM Plug-ins, deploy the solution and execute Unit Test cases.
Deploy Across Multiple Servers
The deployment tool assists in deployment and maintenance of Windows installer packages across multiple environments.
The Microsoft Dynamics CRM Developer Toolkit is available free of charge from the MSDN Code Galleries at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/E2DevTkt .
The Microsoft Dynamics CRM team would like to encourage Toolkit users to submit comments and suggestions for the Toolkit. To initiate or participate in Toolkit discussions, go to the MSDN Code Gallery site and click on the Discussions tab at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/E2DevTkt/Thread/List.aspx .
Cheers,
Published Monday, April 13, 2009 10:10 AM by crmblog
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog : Announcing the Microsoft Dynamics CRM Dev Toolkit
Getting more out of Excel Reports
Microsoft Dynamics GP V10 delivered 200 out of the box Excel Reports that allow you to quickly generate, modify and save refreshable excel files. The beauty of this is the ability to create pivot tables and graphs quickly off of Dynamics GP information that is easily refreshable from inside Excel. Now . . . I’m no graphing guru and I suspect there are many out there that are in the same boat (no Fargo flood pun intended). Sooooo here’s a great Office Excel 2007 add-in that suggests different kinds of charts according to the data that is selected.
http://www.officelabs.com/projects/chartadvisor/Pages/default.aspx
Based on the data in your spreadsheet, it identifies, ranks, and displays an array of charts most relevant to you so you can make the most out of your information.
Have fun with it.
Errol
Published Monday, April 13, 2009 11:39 AM by DynGpTeam
Inside Microsoft Dynamics GP : Getting more out of Excel Reports
Service Pack 2 for Office 2007 coming to WSUS this month
Just an FYI that according to Cecilia Cole, WSUS Program Manager, SP2 for Office 2007 is coming to WSUS later this month. According to Cecilia:
Service Pack 2 includes some significant work, including: built-in ability to save as ODF & PDF formats, improvements to Outlook’s performance and calendar reliability, significant bug fixes for charts in core Office applications, the ability for client service packs to be removed using an uninstall tool, and a host of customer-requested improvements to the Office Server products. It is also a rollup of all fixes that have previously been released for Office 2007 products.
To continue reading visit The 2007 Office System Service Pack 2 coming to WSUS in April.
J.C. Hornbeck | Manageability Knowledge Engineer
Posted: Monday, April 13, 2009 3:27 PM by jchornbe
The WSUS Support Team Blog : Service Pack 2 for Office 2007 coming to WSUS this month
Text Input with one finger and no clicking : Dasher
This came though a Facebook post by Vittorio Bertocci and it’s fascinating! it’s a form of typing without having to click or type anything using just one finger. You navigate through “books” of letters in sequence allow you to write a sentence by navigating through letters. checkout the video here :
Read up the whole project here : http://www.dasher.org.uk
they’ve also built a Windows Mobile / CE version that you can play around with here : http://www.dasher.org.uk/Download.html
It works amazingly well. you should give it a go. here are two screenshots from my Touch HD :
Published Monday, April 13, 2009 1:05 AM by lokeuei
Backstage at MED : Text Input with one finger and no clicking : Dasher
Linux Integration Components for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
When installed in a supported Linux virtual machine running on Hyper-V, the Linux Integration Components provide.
Driver support for synthetic devices: The Linux integration components include support for both the synthetic network controller and synthetic storage controller that have been developed specifically for Hyper-V. These components take advantage of the new high-speed bus, VMBus, which was developed for Hyper-V.
Hypercall adapter: The Hypercall adapter is a thin layer of software that translates the Xen-specific virtualization function calls from a Xen-enabled Linux kernel to Microsoft Hyper-V hypercalls. This results in improved performance for the Linux virtual machine.
Fastpath Boot Support: Boot devices now take advantage of the storage VSC to provide enhanced performance.Published Monday, April 13, 2009 8:27 AM by fabricem
Fabricem blog's : Linux Integration Components for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
Screencast: Mad About MED-V Part 2 of 4, User Experience
This is the part 2 of a 4-part Mad About MED-V series. This screencast presents the user experience of running MED-V applications by going through essential user operations of a MED-V client.
The Mad About MED-V screen series include:
- Part 1, Concept and Architecture
- Part 2, User Experience (this posting)
- Part 3, Configuring Workspace Policy
- Part 4, Creating Deployment Package
and each link is to be updated once the associated screencast is published. The remainder of this posting highlights some of the content presented in Part 2.
Seamless UI Integration with Host Computer
As discussed in Part 1 of this series, a MED-V workspace policy optionally allows a MED-V application integrated into the All Programs menu of the host computer as shown below, despites the fact that the MED-V application is configured and running in a Virtual PC behind the scene.
Running MED-V Application
To run a MED-V application, the workspace must first be started. A MED-V client can be loaded at Widows startup time if specified in the MED-V Client Settings, in such case a workspace can be also set to start automatically. This ensures the workspace is always in place, should a user require running a MED-V application once the computer has been started. And if the workspace has not been initialized, it will start on demand followed by bringing up the application upon completing the workspace initialization. Once a workspace is started, additional options like locking/restarting/stopping workspace become available when right-clicking the MED-V client icon in the system tray. A user also at this time has the access to utilities like the File Transfer tool as shown below. The Fire Transfer tool enables a user to transfer files between the host computer and the MED-V application running in the Virtual PC in the background.
In MED-V workspace policy, a MED-V administrator can optionally configure a color border to surround a running MED-V application as shown above. The setting of showing a color border can be easily changed or disabled within workspace policy by a MED-V administrator.
Redirecting URL
A MED-V workspace policy can be configured to automatically redirect a request for a target website from the host computer to the browser in the Virtual PC. This allows every request to a target URL with a web application incompatible with the browser installed on the host computer gets redirected to a compatible browser running in the Virtual PC behind the scene. The following screen capture shows a request redirected from the host computer which runs IE7 to the IE6 (with a red border) running in the hidden Virtual PC.
Posted: Monday, April 13, 2009 1:17 PM by yungc
Yung Chou is a PC : Screencast: Mad About MED-V Part 2 of 4, User Experience
Troubleshooting SQL Server 2008 Performance Problems
A new whitepaper covering the topic of performance troubleshooting in SQL Server 2008 has now been released. You can download the paper from the following link:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd672789.aspx
Published Sunday, April 12, 2009 9:26 PM by robcarrol
Rob's SQL Server Blog : Troubleshooting SQL Server 2008 Performance Problems
Transact-SQL Debugger for SQL Server 2008 – Part 3
In part 3 of working with the debugger, I’ll talk about how to set breakpoints and the trick to setting them in stored procedures and triggers.
This 3 part series covers:
- Basic debugging
- Configure remote debugging & best practices
- Debugging triggers and stored procedures with breakpoints
The trick with setting breakpoints in called stored procedures and triggers is that they need to be set within the temporary file that the debugger creates for the object.
In this scenario, I’m going to call the HumanResources.uspUpdateEmployeeHireInfo stored procedure in the 2005 version of AdventureWorks. This stored procedure updates two tables: Employee and EmployPayHistory both in the HumanResources schema. The goal of the example is to set a breakpoint in the trigger for the Employee table and then show how the debugger catches it the next time through.
The obvious thing that you would try is to Modify the trigger and then toggling the breakpoint [F9] on the line you want to stop at. The problem is that the debugger has no context. so the approach shown below won’t work.
What you need to do is step into the stored procedure or trigger you want to break on and set the breakpoint in the temp file the debugger creates.
Let’s step through the example starting with the script to call the stored procedure.
I’ve toggled the breakpoint to demonstrate how breakpoints can be set in a script of batch statements. When U press [ALT]+[F5] twice to start and continue debugging, you’ll see the debug stops at the break point in the script.
You will now want to Step Into the stored procedure with [F11]. The debugger loads up the stored procedure into a new editor window and stops at the first executable line.
Notice in the Call Stack window that procedure name is followed by (SQL1\SQL2K8.AdventureWorks) indicating the server instance and database name context for the debugging session. If you hover over the statement, you will see a tool top showing the parameters with values called and the current line.
Step into [F11] again moves to the BEGIN TRY statement. [F11] again to the BEGIN TRANSACTION statement. One more [F11] positions you on the UPDATE statement for the Employee table.
Step into [F11] the UPDATE statement causes the debugger to load the update trigger for the Employee table.
At this point, we can now set a breakpoint [F9] on the UPDATE statement for the trigger.
In the breakpoint window for this example, you’ll notice something interesting.
You’ll see that the debugger is actually showing the object_id for the trigger name. This way the the debugger can keep track of the breakpoint for future sessions.
For now, lets press [ALT]+[F5] to let the debugger continue. Lets test out the breakpoint for the trigger.
First toggle off the breakpoint [F9] in line 11 of the calling script. Then press [ALT]+[F5] to start the debugger. You’ll see that the breakpoint is still present in the Breakpoint Window.
One more continue [ALT]+[F5] stops right where you want!
Let’s finish the debug session with the Continue command [ALT]+[F5].
At this point, I should point out that breakpoints are persisted with the database solution/project. If you didn’t have solution, any breakpoints you defined will go away when you close SSMS. To learn more about solutions, you can refer to the help topic – Using Solution Explorer.
Bill Ramos on SQL Server : Transact-SQL Debugger for SQL Server 2008 – Part 3
Microsoft Dynamics GP and the Equipment Rental industry
If you are one of those fortunate souls who happens to work in the Equipment Rental industry, you may already have realized how difficult it is to get by with islands of systems that do not talk to each other: the dispatch system, the contract system, the equipment maintenance system, the invoicing system... ah, and I almost forgot... the accounting guy that comes in every month to try to make sense of what your business have been doing with the stack of invoices and timesheets that are sent to customers.
I have to say that before my last project at a global Security Services and Equipment Installation and Monitoring provider, I had little regards for the Field Services Series (comprised of Field Service, Contract Management, and Depot Management). I thought it was a cumbersome piece of software and had too many moving parts. But, I quickly realized that all those moving parts ensure a level of flexibility and integration required by businesses in this field. Granted, there are a few things that don't talk to each other -- out of the box anyways, for example, Project Accounting contracts and Field Services contracts, or one click setup for things like warehouses vs offices/branches, technicians vs employees/vendors/subcontractors, or the inability to unallocate parts from service calls back to inventory when a call is canceled. These turned out to be minor to moderately complex customizations that made life a lot easier.
However, I did overall like the level of integration between the Field Service suite and SOP, POP, and Inventory modules. I liked the fact that purchasing receipt transactions would clear back ordered items on service calls and that these could in turn be billed out on a SOP invoice once the call was closed. You also have to like the workflow capabilities in the service call arena. While still lacking the ability to enter information specific to each visit on a service call, the ability to cycle through multiple call statuses before the call is closed.
But enough of me... If you are in the Equipment Rental industry, you may want to check a fabulous post by my friend Michael D. Johnson, The MBS Guru about how he implemented and customized the Field Service Series to support the need of one of his clients. Michael explains in great detail and provides lots of screenshots of what he did during the time he spent implementing the solution.
Until next post!
MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/
The Dynamics GP Blogster: Microsoft Dynamics GP and the Equipment Rental industry
PowerShell Management Library for Hyper-V
A great toolkit for Hyper-V management using PowerShell. Lots of Hyper-V functions which you can use for your virtual machine operations.
PowerShell Management Library for Hyper-V
Published Sunday, April 12, 2009 3:22 PM by mertb
Mert's Enterprise Desktop Blog : PowerShell Management Library for Hyper-V
Transact-SQL Debugger for SQL Server 2008 – Part 1
In my next series of blog posts, I’ll explore the Transact-SQL Debugger for SQL Server 2008. This feature only works against database instances of SQL Server 2008. If you need to use a debugger for SQL Server 2005, you’ll have to use the Visual Studio Professional SKU or better. Please refer to the MSDN topic on How to: Enable SQL Server 2005 Debugging.
This series will cover:
- Basic debugging
- Configure remote debugging & best practices
- Debugging triggers and stored procedures with breakpoints
The Transact-SQL debugger in SQL Server Management Studio enables you to find errors in Transact-SQL scripts, stored procedures, triggers, and functions by observing their run-time behavior. You can start the debugger when you are using the Database Engine Query Editor window. By using the Transact-SQL debugger, you can do the following:
- Step through the Transact-SQL statements in the editor line by line, or set breakpoints to stop at specific lines.
- Step into or over Transact-SQL stored procedures, functions, or triggers that are run by the code in the editor window.
- Watch the values that are assigned to variables, and observe system objects such as the call stack and threads.
The examples that I’m going to show are based on the SQL Server 2005 version of AdventureWorks that can be downloaded here. My demo for this post assumes that SSMS in debugging and instance on the same machine. I’ll cover remote debugging in Part 2. If you need to deal with remote debugging and can’t wait – check out the help topic on Configuring and Starting the Transact-SQL Debugger.
To kick things off, open the script file that you want to debug and then click on the green debug toolbar button or press [ALT]-[F5].
SSMS launches into a Debugging session by clearing aside may of your tool windows, opens the debugger specific tool windows and debugger toolbar, and displays a Yellow arrow indicating the next statement to execute.
To step through statements like two set statements in this example, press the F11 key twice. You’ll notice that the Locals is now populated with the two variables.
The next F11 action then steps into the stored procedure. If you press the Step-Over [F10], you would go right over the stored procedure and in this case – end the debugging session.
The debugger opens a special editor window for the stored procedure that you just stepped into along with hints that you don’t really want to make edits to this file.
The other thing you’ll notice is the Locals window now shows the value for the SP parameters and the Call Stack window is updated to show that you are now in the SP.
The Locals window allows you to edit values so that you can change scenarios inside of the debug session. You can use the mouse or the [CTRL]+[ALT]+[V], [L] command to navigate to the Locals window. This is a little different pattern of calling up debugger windows like [CTRL]+[ALT]+[C] for the Call Stack window because [CTRL]+[ALT]+[L] was already taken for displaying the Solution Explorer. Back to the task – now double click on the value 819 for @StartProductId and then type in 820 and press [ENTER]. You’ll see that the value changes color to Red meaning it’s been modified.
We could continue to step thru the procedure, but since this procedure only has one more command, we can press the Step Out [SHIFT]+[F11] command to complete execution in the stored procedure.
If you had additional statements in the original script DebugSPExample.sql script like this:
The debugger would set focus to the editor window and indicate in the status bar “Debugging query” to remind you that you are still debugging.
If you press [ALT]+[F5], you would complete the debugging session for this demo.
Here are the keystrokes for the debugger with the Standard keyboard setting.
Action
Standard
Start or continue debugging
ALT+F5
Stop debugging
SHIFT+F5
Step into
F11
Step over
F10
Step out
SHIFT+F11
Implement the Run To Cursor command
CTRL+F10
Display the QuickWatch dialog box
CTRL+ALT+Q
Toggle breakpoint
F9
Delete all breakpoints
CTRL+SHIFT+F9
Display the Breakpoints window
CTRL+ALT+B
Break all
CTRL+ALT+BREAK
Display the Watch 1 window
CTRL+ALT+W, 1
Display the Watch 2 window
CTRL+ALT+W, 2
Display the Watch 3 window
CTRL+ALT+W, 3
Display the Watch 4 window
CTRL+ALT+W, 4
Display the Autos window
CTRL+ALT+V, A
Display the Locals window
CTRL+ALT+V, L
Display the Immediate window
CTRL+ALT+I
Display the Call Stack window
CTRL+ALT+C
Display the Threads window
CTRL+ALT+H
That’s it for debugging basics for part 1.
Bill Ramos on SQL Server : Transact-SQL Debugger for SQL Server 2008 – Part 1
Application Lifecycle Management
I noticed that last week we posted a new David Chappell whitepaper - “Application Lifecycle Management”. I read all of David’s papers because I find that he has an incredible talent for clarifying and simplifying concepts in our industry. ALM is a term that I have been hearing increasingly in discussions with our customers and partners and in the media.
The Wikipedia definition reports that ALM is the marriage of business management and software development. The “ALM Lifecycle Management” whitepaper takes a much broader view than most of the industry. It proposes that ALM encompasses the entire lifespan of an application, not merely the software development lifecycle. ALM includes the entire time that the organization is spending money on the application.
I have seen this pattern over and over again in our industry. Tools that support ALM are not new, but I think that the term ALM is. Of course tools supporting SDLC activities have been around for many years. But there is a certain buzz that is happening with ALM these days. The big analysis firms are now evaluating ALM tools. You can read Gartner’s report online.
With any new category there is often some early confusion about the category definition. I think that David’s approach is by far the most comprehensive because it includes not just SDLC activities, but also governance and operations management. This paper is well worth taking a few minutes to read.
David McDonald's Dynamics Blog : Application Lifecycle Management
SQL Server Management Studio Tips – Part 4
This is the fourth in a series of posts highlighting Scott Cate’s video series of Visual Studio tricks over the last few months from Sara Ford’s blog.
As I mentioned in Part 1, many of the commands are documented in the SQL Server 2008 help topic – SQL Server Management Studio Keyboard Shortcuts.
Blog Post
Comments#57 [Ctrl]+[J] invokes statement completion
This works best when using aliases.#59 Resize the Statement Completion Window
A handy way to see more items where vertical size is persisted.#61 Presenters Must Read .. Increase the Editor Tooltip Font Size
This is something that I already have in my demo environment. It’s useful for people with old eyes as well.#62 Display parameter info for a function
Using [CTRL]+[SHIFT]+[SPACE] is very handy if you missed the parameter info the first time.#64 Keyboard Shortcut to Display Quick Info Tooltip
In SSMS, the command is a little different. You need to use [CTRL]+[K], [CTRL]+[I]#65 Edit.WordComplete via Intellisense
This is handy typing in column names without having to display the drop down list.[CTRL]+[Space] or [ALT]+[RIGHT]
#66 Using Quick find in the Current Document
Calls out how you can also dock the Find tool window.#67 Search in hidden text in the editor
Something to remember if you get in the habit of collapsing statements.That’s all of Scott’s great tips that also apply to SSMS.
Bill Ramos on SQL Server : SQL Server Management Studio Tips – Part 4
SQL Server Management Studio Tips – Part 3
This is the third in a series of posts highlighting Scott Cate’s video series of Visual Studio tricks over the last few months from Sara Ford’s blog.
As I mentioned in Part 1, many of the commands are documented in the SQL Server 2008 help topic – SQL Server Management Studio Keyboard Shortcuts.
Blog Post
Comments#33 Drag and Drop techniques inside the Visual Studio Editor
This post shows how you can use the Ctrl key to make a copy of text you are dragging in the editor and how to drag text into a tabbed editor window.#34 Cut and Paste Collapsed code in Visual Studio
With SQL Server 2008 Intellisense, it’s important to know how hidden text is impacted by cut/copy/paste.#39 Middle button support in the Visual Studio Editor
I keep forgetting you can click on the wheel of the mouse to scroll.#41 Forward and Backward navigation in Visual Studio Editor
Only [CTRL] + [-] works for moving back, but it’s still a handy time saver. If you want to add the tool bar button to your query editor toolbar, you’ll find Navigate Backwards in the View section.#43 Select from Cursor to last “Go Back” marker in Visual Studio
This is real handy when you are moving the cursor and realize you want to select the text.
[CTRL]+[=] = Select from current cursor position to last Go Back marker.#44 Delete whole word (or whitespace) at a time forward and backwards
This is real handy for deleting columns in the project list. [CTRL]+[BACKSPACE] to delete the word to the left and [CTRL]+[DELETE] to delete words to the right.#45 Move cursor to top or bottom of screen (without scrolling)
The use of [CTRL]+{UP ARROW] or [DOWN ARROW] keys to scroll without changing the cursor location is very handy.#47 Swapping Anchor points (THIS IS COOL!) in Visual Studio
When not getting the initial selection right – this is very handy. In SSMS, the keystroke is actually
[CTRL]+[K], [A]#56 Show Shortcut Keys in Visual Studio Toolbar Tooltips
Great aid to learn keyboard shortcuts for toolbar buttons.On to Part 4 for tomorrow.
Bill Ramos on SQL Server : SQL Server Management Studio Tips – Part 3
Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios - Solution Accelerator
To address the need for flexibility in management and cost of the desktop, this new Infrastructure planning and design, Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios relate IT and user business requirements for a flexible, efficient, and managed desktop environment to sets of complementary Microsoft technologies. The guide and supporting tool in this Solution Accelerator use the five standard user scenarios, including Office Worker and Mobile Worker, to map requirements to technologies and help with the selection. Read more here.
Posted: Saturday, April 11, 2009 11:04 AM by Tejinder
Windows Optimized Desktop : Windows Optimized Desktop Scenarios - Solution Accelerator
Updated RP site for Microsoft Partners
The Response Point world is centered around our business partners and Microsoft Specialists who help customers choose and deploy their phone systems. Our partners often ask us for marketing, sales, and technical information to make it easier for them to present Response Point, and there are many ways to get that information, but if you’re a serious partner the best way is through the Microsoft Partner Portal (MSPP).
Today we’re pleased to announce a major upgrade to the Response Point section on MSPP: get all the Response Point sales, marketing and training tools you’ll need to increase awareness and drive sales to your small business customers. The newly redesigned Response Point product page has relocated to the Global Microsoft Partner Portal site, and is now located under “Products and Solutions” with easier navigation and on-stop access to technical, product and selling resources. In addition to updated SP2 feature and benefit content, you’ll find NEW website, email, event and co-promotional templates.
You can find all of this and more at: https://partner.microsoft.com/global/40104201
Please note: the MSPP site is limited to Microsoft Partners only. If you’re interested in becoming one, please follow the instructions for how to become a Response Point specialist and join us!
Response Point Team Blog : Updated RP site for Microsoft Partners
Two Minute Drill: Performance Analysis of Logs Tool (PAL)
Today’s post comes to us from Priyanka Rotti and Sudha N – two of our Support Engineers on the Performance team. Reviewing Performance Monitor Logs can be one of the most daunting tasks for an administrator, especially if it’s not something that you do on a regular basis. The Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL) tool can read Performance Monitor counter logs and analyzes them based on some pre-defined thresholds. PAL includes threshold definitions for most of the major Microsoft products such as IIS, SQL Server, BizTalk Server, Exchange Server and Active Directory. PAL isn’t intended to replace traditional performance analysis – but, it can help to cut down on some of the analysis time. So, let’s dig right in …
There are some prerequisites for installing PAL. The first is the Microsoft LogParser. PAL uses the Log Parser tool to query the performance monitor logs and to create charts and graphs for the PAL report. The second prerequisite is the Microsoft Office 2003 Web Components – which are required in order to create charts. Finally, if you do not already have the Microsoft .NET Framework v2.0 installed, you will need that to use the GUI portion of PAL (which is what we will be walking through today).
OK, let’s assume that you have PAL installed and that you have captured your Performance Monitor Log. Let’s launch PAL:
Select the “Counter Log” tab, and then select the log file to analyze under the Counter Log Path section. One especially useful feature is the ability to preselect a time range within the log files. Please note that the control does not pre-populate the date range within the log file. When you launch PAL, the current date / time on the system that you are launching PAL on is what is populated.
Let’s switch to the “Threshold File” tab.
Using the drop-down menu, there are a number of different threshold files to choose with which to analyze your data. From our (the Performance team) perspective, the “System Overview” file fits our needs best. In the bottom left hand corner you’ll see a section called Question Variable Names. In this section you can answer certain pre-defined questions such as the number of Processors, whether or not the /3GB switch is in use etc. This will help when PAL is generating the report – especially where percentage type calculations are used.
An extremely useful feature of PAL is that you can edit the threshold files to add and edit counters and thresholds beyond what is defined by default. To modify the template, click on the Edit button.
Click on the “New” button in the bottom left of the PAL Editor
At which point you can browse your system for the counters you want to add. You also have the option to connect to a remote system to select counters. Select your counter and click on the Add button …
And you can see that the \Memory\Cache Bytes counter has been added. Once you have the counter added, creating a threshold is the next step. Click on the Add button in the Thresholds section. There are different conditions that you can define – for example, is the condition Critical, or should it be listed as Informational (or Warning)..
OK, this is where things get a little tricky. You will need to do some minor VBScript editing to create your Threshold code. In our example above, we are asking PAL to generate a Warning when \Memory\Cache Bytes grows past 400MB. If you are not comfortable with VBScript coding, you can always use the existing Thresholds as a reference and then base your thresholds on those. Before getting back to the main window – don’t forget to save your file!
Now that we have our Thresholds defined, it’s time to configure our Analysis interval. In many cases, selecting the “Auto” or “All” option will suffice, but there may be occasions to define different intervals. One thing to remember is that the more data points you have the longer it takes to analyze the log … so be judicious in your choices!
Once you have configured your Analysis Interval, select your output directory and report type (the default is HTML), and click Next
The final screen in this wizard shows you the different options for executing the job, and then it’s time to run our job. You’ll notice that you have the option to run the analysis as a low priority process. When dealing with large log files (or an amalgamation of log files), you may consider using this setting to allow you to work on other tasks while the analysis proceeds (it is somewhat resource intensive). Remember that the larger the log file, and the more data points you have, the longer the processing takes.
Once the analysis completes, an Internet Explorer window opens that displays the results of the analysis. The data in this next section is generated from the sample Performance Monitor log file that is provided with the PAL tool.
Navigation through the report is fairly straightforward via the table of contents at the top of the page. Each counter in the contents lists the number of alerts for that counter. For our demonstration, let’s take a look at the Processor Utilization Analysis (the first one on our list):
As you can see, not only is there a description of what we are measuring, but also a visual representation of the counter (scaled for viewing ease!). Just below that is the breakout of the values with some additional analysis (Std Deviation, Hourly Trend etc)
Each counter generates a similar report – making finding areas to investigate that much easier. Remember, though that this tool is not designed to eliminate the analysis, rather it facilitates it. Because we don’t have any contextual references or a baseline to compare our sample data to, there may not actually be anything to be concerned about with this system.
With that, it’s time to wrap up this Two Minute Drill. We hope you enjoyed our post!
Additional Resources:
- Priyanka Rotti & Sudha N
Ask the Performance Team : Two Minute Drill: Performance Analysis of Logs Tool (PAL)
What is Group Chat Server in OCS R2?
I have had quite a bit of interest in education with the new OCS R2 Group Chat Server functionality.
We are just starting to use this internally and people are really liking this great new way of collaboration and idea sharing vs. traditional email threads, etc. I am all for unclogging the inbox!
What is Group Chat Server?
Group Chat Server is a new server role in OCS 2007 R2 and is based upon our Parlano acquisition a few years ago.
The chat server essentially allows users and admins to create chat rooms that persistently maintain conversations within a room. This way chat room users can come and go yet still see the conversations being discussed while they were away.
Breakdown of features:
- On-going topic based discussions
- Simultaneous participation in multiple chat topics
- Easy to organize and view
- Archived and searchable
- Federated Group Chat with customers and partners
How could I use Group Chat Server in Education?
Many uses in Education here are a few ideas I have seen:
- Class chat rooms - students join a class chat room and collaborate with other students, professor and grad students. Can also be used for office hours.
- School topic chat rooms - School district creates a chat channel such as ‘Civil War Discussion’ and then all the students within different schools in a school district can collaborate and discuss topics.
- IT helpdesk peer to peer
- End user helpdesk chat room
- Tutoring chat rooms
- Teachers, Professors chat rooms – a school district could setup a History Teachers chat room and teachers could share thoughts, lesson plans, best practices, collaborate
- Graduate students – projects, etc.
- Research - campus research working on a cancer research,etc.
What HW do I need for a Group Chat server?
System Component
Minimum Requirement (same as SE)
Processor
Dual processor, quad-core 2.0 GHz +
Memory
8 GB RAM
Disk
2x 72 GB, 15K or 10K RPM, RAID 0 (striped) or equivalent
Can I run Group Chat Server collocated with other R2 roles?
No, GC server must be run as stand alone and cannot be collocated.
How does it scale?
You can scale Group Chat servers up to a maximum of two servers for redundancy.
From the performance data I could find, both GC servers can handle 40 messages a second, up to 1000 users per chat room, with 20,000 concurrent chat users. Results may vary based on HW, load, bandwidth, etc.
What are the Group Chat Server requirements?
A single Group Chat server requires three service accounts:
- Lookup service
- Channel service
- Web service
A SQL Server database for chat data
If compliance is required, the single-server topology must also include:
- Compliance service
- A SQL Server database, which can be either the same database as the Group Chat database or a separate database on the Compliance server
Windows Server 2003 SP2 / Windows Server 2008 Components:
- 64-bit only (English only for now)
- Internet Information Services (IIS). Hosts the Web Service for the purpose of posting files to chat rooms.
- ASP.NET 2.0. Web application that is part of the .NET Framework and is used to build dynamic Web sites, Web applications, and XML Web services.
- Message Queuing. Receives information from IIS and any Channel services in the system. This information is archived by the Compliance service, if deployed. But must be installed even if compliance is not installed
- Microsoft Web Services Enhancements (WSE) 3.0
- Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.0
- Visual C ++ 2008 Redistributable Runtime
- Microsoft Unified Communications Managed API (UCMA) v2.0
- SSL Certificate from the same CA used for OCS 2007 R2
- Download Certificate Chain and install it under Trusted Root Certification Authorities.
- Request and Install Certificate
Other requirements:
- SQL 2005 or SQL 2008 must be installed on another server
- Certificate must be installed before Group Chat installation
- OCS R2 pool required as a prerequisite
- GC Service accounts must be member of local administrators on GC server
- SQL client tools installed on GC server
- IIS on GC server needs Anonymous enabled and read/write to file repository folder
Client requirements
There are two Group Chat client components. Group Chat Console and Group Chat Administrator Console.
Operating System:
- Windows Vista with Service Pack 1
- Windows XP with Service Pack 2
Software components:
- Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
- Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime 2 (Versions 2.0.50727.761 and earlier are not supported)
Reboot is required
What ports do I need?
Server
Port
Protocol
Notes
Group Chat Server
443
HTTPS
Used for secure file transfer with the Group Chat Web service.
Group Chat Server
8010
TLS
Used for peer server synchronization/WCF ports for the Lookup Server.
Group Chat Server
8011
TLS
Used for peer server synchronization/WCF ports for the Channel Server.
Group Chat Server
5041
MTLS
Used for listening port for the Channel service.
Group Chat Server
5061
MTLS
Used to communicate to internal servers using SIP/TLS.
Can I access Group Chat server from off campus without VPN?
Yes, via the Edge Access role. Additionally, federated OCS users can be allowed access to chat rooms.
More references for Group Chat Server:
Group Chat quick reference guide here.
Grab the Group Chat client deployment guide here.
Group Chat server deployment reference here.
Where are the bits for Group Chat Server?
They aren’t on the OCS R2 install DVD. There is a separate download:
Note: In order for Group Chat Server to work, OCS 2007 R2 to be in place first (see flow diagrams above). Grab a 180-day eval copy here.
Published Thursday, April 09, 2009 11:17 PM by markga
Virtualization Learning Snacks
Here are some Silverlight "learning snacks" from Microsoft Learning that provide some basic information around Microsoft's Virtualization solution. These are great for anyone that may need to present a Virtualization case to business decision makers in their organization.
Microsoft Virtualization (15 minutes) New
The Microsoft Virtualization solution consists of four virtualization technologies: server, application, presentation, and desktop. Together, these technologies provide you with a complete desktop-to-datacenter virtualization solution that can help you create a dynamic IT infrastructure. This free Learning Snack highlights various features and benefits of the four virtualization technologies. It also takes a closer look at server virtualization and how it is implemented and managed in the Windows Server 2008 operating system.
Intro to Windows Server 2008 Virtualization (3 minutes)
This Snack explains the new virtualization features in Windows Server 2008 and lists the system requirements. It also demonstrates the steps necessary to install Windows Server virtualization.
Green IT and Virtualization (8 minutes)
Organizations are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental and business benefits of adopting a Green IT environment. This Learning Snack highlights how virtualization facilitates a Green IT environment. It describes the Hyper-V server role and the System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) tool, which help create and support a virtualized infrastructure in Windows Server 2008.
Posted: Thursday, April 09, 2009 8:51 PM by robert.m.hoover
Microsoft Enterprise Project Management Content Publishing News : Virtualization Learning Snacks
RFID Cats on Twitter and Roomba drivers
Off topic I know, but as I’ve spent all day on Twitter today, and I know that several cats have twitter accounts, well here’s the ultimate, RFID, Twitter enabled cat door. Via Engadget and Switched.
@Alex_ball isn’t too impressed by that though and pointed me to the video of a cat riding a Roomba …
…
which was just as funny as my all time favourite youtube cat video of cats exercising on a treadmill.
Just the thing to send me off on my Easter holidays with a smile. See you on Tuesday…
Eileen Brown's WebLog : RFID Cats on Twitter and Roomba drivers
How to download the MDOP 2009 / App-V 4.5 CU1 from MSDN
So your a partner/IT Pro or just a developer that has access to MSDN but no access to Volume Licensing! hmmmmmm How do I get the MDOP 2009 for testing!? I want to test App-V 4.5 CU1?? I want to test MED-V?? etc etc
I hear this a lot, and get emailed a lot with this question so i thought i would blog it!
Firstly you need to get msdn access (in other words you need to buy a subscription!)
1. Go to http://www.msdn.com
2. Click to My MSDN Subscription and click the subscription Benefit “Download and Product Keys – VS Pro with MSDN Premium (Retail)
3. Log-in using Passport account
3. Once logged in, look under the Search Products section on the left hand side
4) Now under the categories we are looking for the Server section, under this section you will see the Desktop Optimisation Pack.
5) Once you select that you will have a new pane on the right under Downloads, the latest version of this is Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack 2009 (x86 and x64) - DVD (English) , click the download to the right and that’s it! away you go!!
Now you should be able to download the MDOP and start playing and testing all the cool MDOP 2009 tools. Which Includes App-V 4.5 CU1!
HTH
Zarbie!Posted: Thursday, April 09, 2009 3:53 PM by Justin Zarb
The World Simplified is a Virtual World : How to download the MDOP 2009 / App-V 4.5 CU1 from MSDN
Configuring Cisco CallManager 4.2.1 for Direct-SIP with OCS
Published 09 April 09 12:19 PM
There is a great post over at the OCS Team Blog outlining the steps required to configure a Direct SIP connection between OCS and Cisco CallManager 4.2.1.
It covers the configuration steps required for both OCS and CCM – check it out at http://communicationsserverteam.com/archive/2008/09/30/302.aspx
by jkruse
Johann's Unified Communications : Configuring Cisco CallManager 4.2.1 for Direct-SIP with OCS
Channel 9 Interview: Resigning ClickOnce Application and Deployment Manifests with MAGE (Beth Massi, Saurabh Bhatia)
Published 08 April 09 08:25 AM
I just posted another interview on Channel 9. I sit down again with Saurabh Bhatia, a Program Manager on the Office Client team, who is responsible for the ClickOnce publishing functionality in Visual Studio. We chat about trust issues and certificates and he sets me straight on how ClickOnce deployment and application manifests work. He then shows how to resign them outside of Visual Studio using a tool called Mage. This is really handy for folks that need to modify the files within a deployment package, like the application settings (app.config) file, but don't have Visual Studio installed.
Channel 9: Resigning ClickOnce Application and Deployment Manifests with MAGE
Saurabh draws on the whiteboard in this one and since I'm a one (wo)man show I couldn't jump up and zoom in so I redrew it for you all here.
Links from the show:
Enjoy,
-Beth Massi, Visual Studio Communityby VSTO Team
Generate a Server-side Documents Using PowerTools for OpenXML
ISVs often want to be able to take data and generate documents. It's a common batch processing scenario. The hard part has been figuring out how to generate the documents without putting 2007 Office System on the server. After all, it wasn't meant for servers.
Lawrence Hodson has written a blog posting entitled Generating a document using PowerTools for Open XML and PowerShell. He takes this scenario and shows how to create a report from WMI data. The scenario could be enhanced to use data from a database. Afterall, Powershell gives you access to the .NET Framework.
He uses PowerTools for OpenXML that is available on CodePlex. PowerTools for Open XML are sample source code and guidance for developers showing how to build PowerShell cmdlets that can create and modify Open XML documents. Also included are a number of examples of PowerShell scripts that use the cmdlets.
Combining the technologies of PowerShell and Open XML is a powerful and convenient way to do server-side document processing.
You'll find a screencast, examples, prebuilt binaries, and documentation for PowerShell. Get started at PowerTools for OpenXML.
Posted: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 6:40 PM by Bruce Kyle
US ISV Developer Evangelism Team : Generate a Server-side Documents Using PowerTools for OpenXML
Running browser applications in dedicated windows
Like many people I use my browser all day long, not just for searching but for running applications, whether they’re intranet ones such us our internal finance systems, or external ones such as hotmail, Office Live Workspace, or mindmeister (a mind mapping tool that I’ve been using).
When you’re running any of these kind of browser applications I generally like to run in full-screen mode by pressing the F11 key in Internet Explorer, which removes the toolbars and other screen elements and gives all of the screen real-estate to the browser application.
While that’s a pretty good solution, I like the idea of having an icon for the application on my desktop or pinned to my start menu that I can click just like any normal application and have the app launch in its own window and use the full screen without me having to press F11. So, for example, if I want to work on a mindmap I’d double-click a mindmeister icon and the app would load in its own window and look pretty much like any desktop app. The fact that it’s running in a browser is not particularly interesting to me as I have a single focus in mind when I’m running the app. In other words, I’m only using the browser to run this app, nothing else.
One solution would be to create a shortcut for IE and use the “-k” option on the command line which launches IE in kiosk mode. But that hogs the entire screen and doesn’t let you minimize it (well, not easily) or resize the window.
So I decided to write a very simple little shell for IE that does what I want. Being one of the world’s laziest programmers I didn’t write much code, it just uses a webbrowser object in .NET and allows a couple of command line parameters to be passed to it.
You invoke the application (which I called “BrowserApp.exe”) with a couple of parameters, one being the URL you want to call and the other being the title for the window. This means, for example, that I can create a shortcut of ‘ “BrowserApp.exe” "www.mindmeister.com” “My mind maps from Mindmeister” ‘ which creates a simple window that loads the mindmeister URL and sets the window title to “My mind maps from Mindmeister”. That way it really does look like a normal application. I can even pin it to the start menu.
For those that are interested, I uploaded the Visual Studio solution and source files here. As you can see it’s a really, really simply application, just a thin front-end to IE. Notice that I’ve done the bare minimum of error handling, if you want to improve this please be my guest :-)
However if you just want to try the app, download from here and stick it anywhere you like on your hard drive, creating a shortcut to the BrowserApp.exe file. Remember to pass the URL (with http:// prefix) as the first parameter and the window title, if you want one, as the second parameter. NB: Runs on Vista or Windows 7 (or on XP if you have the .NET Framework installed). No warranties implied, please use at own risk!
Of course, it’s quite possible that there’s a slicker way of achieving this. If there is I’m sure someone will let me know ;-)
Ian Moulster's blog : Running browser applications in dedicated windows
Announcing the Release of the Open XML SDK Version 2 April 2009 CTP
I'm really happy to announce the release of the second CTP for version 2 of the Open XML SDK! Back in October 2008 I showed you guys an architecture diagram of the Open XML SDK. Let's take another look at this diagram:
In version 1 of the Open XML SDK we released the Open XML Packaging API, which allows you to create, open and manipulate Open XML files at the package and part level. In the first CTP of version 2 we released the Open XML Low Level DOM and Stream Reading/Writing components, which allow you to create and manipulate objects within xml parts contained in an Open XML package. In the second CTP of version 2 we are providing schema level validation functionality:
More information about the SDK and all of its components can be found here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb448854(office.14).aspx
Download Details
You can download the latest CTP for version 2 here: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=127912
Importance of Validation
If you've played around with the Open XML SDK there is a good chance at one point in time your solution has created an invalid or corrupt Open XML file. Manipulating Open XML Formats by using the Open XML Base layer makes it much easier for you to work on the Open XML files, but doing so does not guarantee the production of valid Open XML files.
The new Schema Level Validation component provides a mechanism to help you discover Open XML errors within files and in your code. This component assists you in debugging and validating Open XML files based on the schemas.
An Example
Let's say I want to create a simple document with the text "hello world." The XML snippet necessary to create this text is the following:
<w:body>
<w:p>
<w:r>
<w:t>hello world</w:t>
</w:r>
</w:p>
...
</w:body>
What happens if I forget to include the run element:
<w:body>
<w:p>
<w:t>hello world</w:t>
</w:p>
...
</w:body>
If I try to open the generated document in Word I will get the following error:
Not super helpful, right. Validating this file with .NET I get the following error message:
\word\document.xml
The element 'p' in namespace 'http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main' has invalid child element 't' in namespace 'http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main'. List of possible elements expected: 'pPr, customXml, smartTag, sdt, dir, bdo, r, proofErr, permStart, permEnd, bookmarkStart, bookmarkEnd, moveFromRangeStart, moveFromRangeEnd, moveToRangeStart, moveToRangeEnd, commentRangeStart, commentRangeEnd, customXmlInsRangeStart, customXmlInsRangeEnd, customXmlDelRangeStart, customXmlDelRangeEnd, customXmlMoveFromRangeStart, customXmlMoveFromRangeEnd, customXmlMoveToRangeStart, customXmlMoveToRangeEnd, ins, del, moveFrom, moveTo' in namespace 'http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main' as well as 'oMathPara, oMath' in namespace 'http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/officeDocument/2006/math' as well as 'fldSimple, hyperlink, subDoc' in namespace 'http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main'. (line 1, col 703)
Yes this error message is pretty useful, but the Open XML SDK schema validation component provides a bit more useful information. Here is the error message as described by the Open XML SDK:
The element has invalid child element "http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main:t". List of possible elements expected: <http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main:pPr>. Path: /word/document.xml:/w:document[1]/w:body[1]/w:p[1] OuterXml: <w:p w:rsidR="00900A7A" w:rsidRDefault="00E0086A" xmlns:w="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/wordprocessingml/2006/main"><w:t>test</w:t></w:p>
Notice that the error gives you the exact XPath to the element and XML snippet that triggered this validation error. There are more advantages, but I will leave talking about those advantages for a future post.
Questions
Feel free to post any questions here or on the Open XML SDK MSDN forum: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/oxmlsdk/threads. You can also post questions on the Open XML SDK Connect site: https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=589.
Zeyad Rajabi
Published Wednesday, April 08, 2009 2:07 PM by BrianJones
InfoPath – Going Green, Saving Money and Accelerating Development
Prior to joining Microsoft last year, I worked for more than 14 years as a Microsoft customer primarily in IT architect, development and technical management roles for large companies. Most of my recent work was related to building custom applications and forms on top of ASP.NET
One area that I did not explore much before joining Microsoft was InfoPath – especially what is currently available in InfoPath 2007.
With so many of my customers looking for ways to save money, go green and accelerate the development and deployment of new solutions, I figured it was a good time to write about my top 10 list of favorite InfoPath 2007 capabilities and solutions.
- Many InfoPath developers are not developers at all! InfoPath is a great tool for business analysts and “power users” to create forms with little or no code. InfoPath also enables the creation of reusable templates and the segregation of development tasks between traditional developers and InfoPath designers. Check out this article for more details.
- InfoPath can easily import existing Word or Excel documents into rich forms, which then enables the forms to be used as data input tools rather than just things that people print and then fill out.
- You can quickly use optical character recognition (OCR) software to scan existing paper based documents into InfoPath to accelerate the move to electronic forms.
- InfoPath forms can be built to target a rich InfoPath client and/or a web based InfoPath form running in SharePoint so users only need a browser to complete the form. The great news is that the design process is the same and InfoPath has a compatibility and design checker to automate the deployment and allow you to use the same form on a rich client or browser. There are a great set of InfoPath FAQ and roadmap articles to help you determine the right solution.
- InfoPath forms can be used standalone or easily integrated into Outlook, Access or Groove. For example, a person can complete an InfoPath form in the body of an Outlook email message and never know that they are using InfoPath.
- Using a tablet PC, InfoPath forms support inking technology to allow a user to write directly on an InfoPath form – another way of eliminating the need for paper forms.
- InfoPath forms can be designed to support offline usage which is ideal for using InfoPath forms in scenarios where a network connection is not available.
- Using XML technologies, InfoPath enables you to separate the data from the presentation device (e.g. PC, browser, phone) and to integrate InfoPath forms with back end systems and processes via web services, BizTalk and other techniques.
- Need to do more with InfoPath than is available from the InfoPath forms designer? Good news. InfoPath forms can also be designed and extended using Visual Studio and managed .NET code.
- Many customers and partners have used InfoPath to develop some advanced systems and processes that have helped them go green, save money, improve data quality and create more effective processes. Check out the case studies available to read more about what InfoPath can do!
Posted: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 7:52 PM by cbortlik
Chris Bortlik's Blog : InfoPath – Going Green, Saving Money and Accelerating Development
The Infrastructure Planning and Design team has released a new guide: Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization.
Published 08 April 09 11:13 AM | Celine Allee
This guide outlines the critical infrastructure design elements that will help ensure a successful implementation of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V). This guide walks you through the four-step process of designing components, layout, and connectivity in a logical, sequential order. Identification of the MED-V server instances needed is presented in simple, easy-to-follow steps, with the result being the delivery of managed virtual machines to end users. This guide will help you create a design that is sized, configured, and appropriately placed, while also considering the performance, capacity, and fault tolerance of the system.
Infrastructure Planning and Design specifically helps you by:Get Download Here:
- Enabling you to quickly select the end users, locations, and virtual machines (VMs) that will be included in the project scope.
- Assisting you in determining how many MED-V server instances will be required in order to deliver managed virtual machines to end users.
- Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process.
- Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations.
- Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics.
- Stepping you through MED-V infrastructure design in a logical, sequential order.
Infrastructure Planning and Design (IPD) guides download
Read More:
http://www.microsoft.com/IPD
Upsize or Migrate to SQL Server Today
SQL Server 2008 has launched the new Migration Solution Center. This site provides customers with prescriptive guidance and a clear process for executing successful migrations or upsizing your existing databases to SQL Server.
On this site, the freely downloadable SQL Server Migration Assistants (SSMAs) reduce the efforts required to move databases from Access, Oracle, and Sybase to SQL Server. Download these tools now and use them to perform assessments, move data and schema, and automate the process of database migrations to SQL Server.
Posted: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 6:17 PM by kaboat
Data Platform Insider : Upsize or Migrate to SQL Server Today
SQL Server 2008 SP1 and Report Builder Update
Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2008 is now available for download. The service pack is primarily a roll-up of Cumulative Updates 1, 2, and 3 and minor fixes made in response to requests reported through the SQL Server community.
While there are no new features in this service pack, a notable addition from a Reporting Services point of view is the ability to configure Click Once deployment to either launch Report Builder 1.0 or the updated Report Builder 2.0, directly from Report Manager (native mode) or SharePoint. If you run Reporting Services in SharePoint integrated mode, make sure to also install the updated RS add-in for SharePoint.
Furthermore, the April 2009 Feature Pack is now available and includes an updated version of Report Builder 2.0. You can get it either as Report Builder 2.0 stand-alone download, or via click once deployment from a Report Server with SQL Server 2008 SP1 applied.
Summary of download links:
- SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1
- Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint Technologies
- Report Builder 2.0 (April 2009)
Other download resources:
- SQL Server 2008 Express Edition Service Pack 1
- Full SQL Server 2008 Feature Pack (April 2009)
- SQL Server 2008 Upgrade Advisor
Enjoy!
Posted: Tuesday, April 07, 2009 10:35 PM by Robert M. Bruckner
SQL Server Reporting Services Team Blog : SQL Server 2008 SP1 and Report Builder Update
Manual Print Server Migration
Steps to perform on Old/Current Server
- Create a Backup folder to some location which can be accessed from new print server.
- Backup ‘Drivers’ and ‘Prtprocs’ folder from spool folder to Backup Folder. //This will backup all Print drivers and Print Processors
- Export HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print to Backup folder. //This will backup complete print configuration registry
Steps to perform on a New Print Server
- Copy ‘Drivers’ and ‘Prtprocs’ from backup folder to Spool folder on a new Print Server.
- Take backup and delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print on a new Print Server. Restart Print spooler. This will remove all existing print drivers, printers, print monitors, ports and print processor from new print server. OR Run Cleanspl utility to clear spooler //download from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=9D467A69-57FF-4AE7-96EE-B18C4790CFFD&displaylang=en
- Double click on the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print exported from old server to import on the new server.
- Restart Spooler service and you will be able to see all print queues on a new server.
- Batch to change OBJECTGUID to NULL (save below query to a text file as *.bat) //so that there is no reference to Old server
- reg query HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Print\Printers /v ObjectGUID /s | findstr "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE" > OG.TXT
- for /F "delims=" %%a IN (OG.TXT) do reg add "%%a" /v objectGUID /t REG_SZ /d "" /f
- Restart spooler.
Posted: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 12:02 PM by Suraj
Hold the Dates - 10th & 11th November
I was able to attend the Microsoft Dynamics GP Technical Airlift 2008 last year and had a fantastic time presenting, meeting people and learning about what's new in the Microsoft Dynamics GP world.
I have confirmed the dates with the organiser, so please hold the dates. I will post more details when they become available.
Hope to see you there.
David
Posted: Wednesday, April 08, 2009 9:00 AM by David Musgrave
Developing for Dynamics GP : Hold the Dates - 10th & 11th November
Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2008 Available Today
Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2008 will be available today for customers. The Service pack is available via download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/default.aspx and is primarily a roll-up of previous cumulative updates, quick fix engineering updates and minor fixes made in response to requests reported through the SQL Server community. While there are no new features in this service pack, customers running SQL Server 2008 should download and install SP1 to take advantage of the fixes which increase supportability and stability of SQL Server 2008.
Customers have no reason to wait to upgrade to SQL Server 2008 and many are already taking advantage of SQL Server 2008 as a smart IT investment. In fact, there have been over 3 million downloads of SQL Server 2008 since the RTM in August. With this Service pack, Microsoft is introducing 80% fewer changes to customer configurations compared to previous SQL Server Service Pack releases. This remarkable decrease is a testament to a revised product development process and updated servicing strategy that is focused on ease of deployment while keeping customer environments stable.
With this service pack, Microsoft has made investments to ease deployment and make management of service packs more efficient. Key improvements in SP1 include Slipstream, Service Pack Uninstall and Report Builder 2.0 click-once deployment.
o Slipstream allows administrators to install SQL Server 2008 and Service Pack 1 in a single instance. This decreases the total time for an installation, including a fewer number of reboots thereby increasing productivity and deployment availability.
o Service Pack Uninstall allows administrators to uninstall the service pack separately from the database release. This feature also improves DBA productivity, reduces the cost of deployment and improves overall supportability
o Report Builder 2.0 Click Once improves the existing SQL Server end-user report authoring application by easing deployment to business users
To download the SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1, please click here.
For more information on SQL Server 2008, please click here.
Posted: Tuesday, April 07, 2009 11:10 PM by SQL Server Team
Data Platform Insider : Service Pack 1 for SQL Server 2008 Available Today
dnrTV: Showing off the Open XML SDK and LINQ
Published 07 April 09 03:05 PM
Yesterday Carl posted another dnrTV show with yours truly. This time I’m talking about the Open XML SDK, something that I’ve written and spoken about many times. In this episode I show how to use Word 2007 content controls and map them to custom XML parts so that you can query structured data from unstructured documents using Visual Basic’s LINQ to XML. What’s really cool about the Open XML format is that you don’t need Office installed at all – no COM Interop needed. You’re working with the file formats directly. And it’s super simple using VB’s XML literals and LINQ with the SDK.
Unfortunately I didn’t have a lot of time when I did the show with Carl and I couldn’t finish my demos. So this morning I filmed another quick episode that shows how to create documents from database data directly, so keep on the lookout for the follow up show :-).
dnrTV Show: Beth Massi on the Open XML SDK
And here are the links from the show:
- Open XML Format SDK 2.0
- Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for the Office System Power Tools v1.0.0.0
- Word 2007 Content Control Toolkit
- VSTO Developer Center
Enjoy!
by Beth Massi
Beth Massi - Sharing the goodness that is VB : dnrTV: Showing off the Open XML SDK and LINQ
Integration Manager 10.0 Service Pack 3 for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0
This page contains Service Pack 3 downloads for Release 10.0 of Integration Manager, which is compatible with Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0. This install is a cumulative update which includes all service packs up to and including Service Pack 3. Also included in this install is the March 2009 hotfix for Integration Manager SP3.
Integration Manager is a tool that will allow you to integrate data from external sources into Microsoft ® Dynamics GP. Integration Manager has the capability to read data from text files, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) sources, such as Microsoft Access databases, Excel Spreadsheets and Microsoft SQL tables.
Integration Manager 10.0 Downloads for Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0
Among the details:
Pixels, Quizzes and Fun – ServerQuest II launches
Ok, get your geek on at http://www.microsoft.com/click/serverquest/ or click the pic above. Fun infotainment.
Published Tuesday, April 07, 2009 12:01 AM by Keith Combs
Keith Combs' Blahg : Pixels, Quizzes and Fun – ServerQuest II launches
Where are my toolbar menu shortcuts?
Recently, while working on a personal project, I realized that after more than 1 year of working with Dynamics GP 10.0 I had no idea why my toolbar menu items and menu drop-downs did not show the shortcut characters - the characters with an underline.
I was really used to my shortcuts! Where were they now? Turns out that activating the shortcuts is a "feature"! Yes! You just don't open the application and expect all the menu items to show their shortcuts automatically.
If you press the ALT key on your keyboard - once, the menu will light up with the shortcut characters, but this has to be done from the main toolbar, then all submenus will follow.
Also turns out that, if you have all shortcuts activated and you switch from menu, these will be gone for the next menu. So here is the deal: maybe using shortcuts and drop-down menus will become an issue of the past and you may have to get use to the home page. If not, take a look at MVP Mark Polino's post on Dynamics GP 10 home page and his own experience in his Weekly Dynamic column.
Until next post!
MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
Maximum Global Business, LLC
http://www.maximumglobalbusiness.com/Posted by Mariano Gomez at 11:53 AM
The Dynamics GP Blogster: Where are my toolbar menu shortcuts?
What is the Dynamic User Object Store (DUOS)
One of the great things about the DUOS is that it is a table easily available for a developer to use however they want from Dexterity (table SY_User_Object_Store), from SQL Server (SY90000 table) and from Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) using the DUOS objects. This makes it perfect for writing hybrid code using more than one tool.
Check out What is the Dynamic User Object Store (DUOS) for more information.
David
Posted: Tuesday, April 07, 2009 9:00 AM by David Musgrave
Developing for Dynamics GP : What is the Dynamic User Object Store (DUOS)
A Twitter Application in WPF
DigiFlare has released the beta of a new WPF application called DigiTweet. DigiTweet is a desktop application for users of Twitter. The application is built completely using .NET technologies and takes particular advantage of the power of WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation) which is the part of .NET that enables developers to build powerful user experiences on Windows. Additionally, DigiTweet will be implementing several Windows 7 specific features in the coming weeks. You can download and experiment with DigiTweet at http://www.digitweet.com and please visit the DigiTweet website in the coming weeks as some fantastic new features come online. DigiFlare has also released all the source code and assets so developers around the world can learn how to light up their applications for Windows Vista and Windows 7.
Here are some of the current and upcoming features of DigiTweet:
Beta Features (Available Now):
- 100% WPF and .NET!
- Create, view and send Tweets
- TinyURL and Twitpic support
- View all Tweets, Replies, Direct Messages in a rich Dashboard view
Beta 2 Features in Production (Available April 15th):
- Friends List
- Search Panes (A favorite and high demand feature found in some other twitter applications)
- Plus A bunch of other secret features in development!
Additional Release Features Planned for end of April:
- Favorites
- Windows 7 Taskbar Enhancements and Jumplists
Published Tuesday, April 07, 2009 12:22 AM by Carole Snyder
Windows Presentation Foundation SDK : A Twitter Application in WPF
Introducing the WMI Blog
The people over on WMI, WinRM, and BITS have started up a blog to share their systems management expertise with the world. Check it out:
Here are some fun posts to get you started:
Accessing WMI Data via WinRM
Let’s Troubleshoot WMI (Part 1: Remoting & Security) (this one includes a handy chart I wrote years ago to figure out what I needed to change when WMI couldn’t connect)
Introducing BITS PowerShell CmdletsHope this Helps,
James Brundage [MSFT]
Generating a Custom Letter using PowerTools for Open XML and PowerShell
Lawrence Hodson has written a cool article (with accompanying example PowerShell scripts) published on OpenXmlDeveloper.org that uses PowerTools for Open XML v1.1 to generate a letter. His scenario is interesting – he generates a service level agreement (SLA) report based on information that he retrieves using PowerShell cmdlets. His example includes assembling the document from multiple source documents and making use of content controls that are bound to custom XML. One of the most interesting things about this article is that it shows generation of a very nicely formatted document, yet the developer generating the document doesn’t need to deal with the intricacies of formatting at all. Instead, all formatting is done in Word, and the Merge-OpenXmlDocument cmdlet takes care of moving the formatted content to the newly assembled document.
When assembling the final document, he takes content from one document that has customer specific information in it:
He also extracts some content from a document that contains a number of paragraphs. Only one paragraph is extracted based on whether the service is in compliance with the SLA:
And he appends some standard content at the end of the letter:
The final generated document looks like this:
This article and example shows some pretty nice functionality in just a few lines of PowerShell script. Nice job, Lawrence.
Posted: Monday, April 06, 2009 8:43 PM by EricWhite
Eric White's Blog : Generating a Custom Letter using PowerTools for Open XML and PowerShell
New Microsoft Dynamics Blog coming soon!
In early March we will be launching the new www.MicrosoftDynamicsPartnerCommunity.com website. The Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community Team is dedicated to help you more effectively market, sell, and service -- with the goal of successfully building your Microsoft Dynamics business and increasing your profitability. As a valuable member of this new community, you'll benefit from a wealth of outstanding resources designed to help you succeed.
We urge you to take advantage of the resources available to you through the Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community to help increase your business success. We are dedicated to helping your business grow and thrive!
- Kevin Machayya
Partner Marketing Manager
Dynamics Community TeamPublished Monday, April 06, 2009 8:40 PM by kmachayy
Microsoft Dynamics Partner Community Blog : New Microsoft Dynamics Blog coming soon!
A Web Based Search for Books Online
Published 06 April 09 07:50 AM | Buck Woody
As many of you know, I used to work on documentation like whitepapers and Books Online for SQL Server. One of the main problems I've found with our documentation isn't that there is not enough content - we have over 65,000 pages in BOL alone - but that it is hard to find. The search tool inside the "fat" client of Books Online doesn't always hit the right topics, for a lot of reasons. And if you go to Books Online on the web, the search box there searches ALL of MSDN or TechNet - not what you're looking for.
So the documentation team came up with a couple of macros for Live Search, and that's what I use all the time now. Try it here for SQL Server 2005: http://search.live.com/macros/sql_server_user_education/booksonline
And here for SQL Server 2008: http://search.live.com/macros/sql_server_user_education/sql2008bolsearch/
2000? You're on your own, I'm afraid. Time to upgrade!
Catch a Sql Server RAISERROR at client side using SqlDataReader.
The other day I had a question on using RAISERROR in SQL Server and that it was not propagated down to the client.
In other words, something went wrong in, for example a stored procedure, a RAISERROR was created but this was not seen on the client.
In this case the call was made by using a SqlDataReader.
There wasn’t that much information to find about this, so I’d thought I share this here.
As usual, I’ll do this by example; in this case it will be very fictional example. A stored procedure is called in order to return info about a user.
If no user is found for the provided ID, then an RAISEROR is created.
So create a User table, insert a few rows and create the procedure that returns user info if ID is found and a raiserror if not:
-- create user table
create table Users(id int primary key, fname nvarchar(100), lname nvarchar(100))
go
-- insert a few users
insert into Users values (1, 'Carl', 'Carlson')
insert into Users values (2, 'John', 'Johnson')
insert into Users values (3, 'Peter', 'Peterson')
go
-- create stored proc to get userinfo based on ID.
create proc GetUserById(@id int)
as
set nocount on
begin
select id, fname, lname from Users where id = @id
if @@rowcount = 0
raiserror ('No users found for provided id ', 16, 10)
end
go
-- drop table Users
-- drop procedure GetUserById
And then we can test it from SSMS as well. First with an existing ID.
declare @id int
set @id = 1
exec GetUserById @id
This returns:
id fname lname
1 Carl Carlson
Then with a nonexistent ID.
declare @id int
set @id = 10
exec GetUserById @id
This returns:
Msg 50000, Level 16, State 10, Procedure GetUserById, Line 8
No users found for provided id
So we can see that our raiserror with our own message is returned. So let’s call this from a C# console application using a SqlDataReader, like so:
string cs = @"Data Source=<your server>;initial catalog=<your database>;integrated security=SSPI";
try
{
using (SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection(cs))
{
con.Open();
SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("GetUserById", con);
cmd.CommandType = System.Data.CommandType.StoredProcedure;
cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@id", 10);
SqlDataReader rdr = cmd.ExecuteReader();
while (rdr.Read())
{
Console.WriteLine("First name: {0}, Last name: {1}", rdr["fname"], rdr["lname"]);
}
con.Close();
Console.WriteLine("We are done...");
}
}
catch (SqlException se)
{
Console.WriteLine(se);
}
}
Here we are providing a nonexistent ID (10) so one would expect a SqlException, but the command window just shows: “We are done...”
If we rerun the application and we monitor the SQL Server with SQL Provider, having enabled the “Errors and Warnings / User Error Message” event we can see that the error is raised.
So how do we get this to work? Well, when using a SqlDataReader it will only iterate over the first result set, which in this case will be the select in the stored procedure.
This result set will be empty since there is no data for ID number 10. So nothing is displayed and the second result set is not accessed.
What we have to do is to move into the next result set in order to get hold of the error.
One way to do this is to as follows, ie, this will keep going over all the returned result sets until the SqlDataReader is closed, which it will be when there are no more result sets returned.
string cs = @"Data Source=<your server>;initial catalog=<your database>;integrated security=SSPI";
try
{
using (SqlConnection con = new SqlConnection(cs))
{
con.Open();
SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("GetUserById", con);
cmd.CommandType = System.Data.CommandType.StoredProcedure;
cmd.Parameters.AddWithValue("@id", 10);
SqlDataReader rdr = cmd.ExecuteReader();
while (!rdr.IsClosed)
{
while (rdr.Read())
{
Console.WriteLine("First name: {0}, Last name: {1}", rdr["fname"], rdr["lname"]);
}
if (!rdr.NextResult())
{
rdr.Close();
}
}
con.Close();
Console.WriteLine("We are done...");
}
}
catch (SqlException se)
{
Console.WriteLine(se);
}
Run this and you should get your exception:
System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: No users found for provided id
at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlConnection.OnError(SqlException exception, Boolean breakConnection)
at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.ThrowExceptionAndWarning(TdsParserStateObject stateObj)
at System.Data.SqlClient.TdsParser.Run(RunBehavior runBehavior, SqlCommand cmdHandler, SqlDataReader dataStream, BulkCopySimpleResultSet bulkCopyHandler, TdsParserStateObject stateObj)
at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.HasMoreRows()
at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.ReadInternal(Boolean setTimeout)
at System.Data.SqlClient.SqlDataReader.NextResult()
Hope this helps J
"SQL Server 2008 Books Online (March 2009) - RAISERROR (Transact-SQL)"
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178592.aspx
Published Monday, April 06, 2009 3:07 PM by maspeng
SharePoint tools
I found this amazing directory with tools for SharePoint. Some of these tools are quite useful and free!
Great list for an integrator or SharePoint customer. These tools should help you increase your ROI by delivering even more value to your people.
http://www.sharepointreviews.com/
Published Tuesday, April 07, 2009 2:13 AM by Kailash
Breaking News: Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 is RTW
(RTW = Released to Web)
There’s a new version of the Application Compatibility Toolkit out. ACT 5.5.
For those of you not familiar with this toolset, check out the main TechNet Library pages about it.
Oddly, that page was updated two days from now.
“Huh? ‘Was updated.. Wednesday’ ? ”
This blog post is happening April 6, 2009. The page says it was “Updated: April 8, 2009”.
Anyway.. the “What’s New” page lists the following:
The updates include:
- Updated issue detection and supported operating systems
- Integration of data from the Windows Vista® Compatibility Center
- Ability to audit your application data and to selectively synchronize your applications with Microsoft.
- Updated documentation for the Windows compatibility fixes
- Ability to customize your Quick Reports view
- Ability to label your individual data-collection packages
- Removal of the Internet Explorer® Compatibility Evaluator (IECE)
- Ability to participate in the Customer Experience Program
That first one, “updated issue detection”, is particularly important. The details say that we’ve added several types of support for Windows 7 RC. (No.. don’t get excited. This is not a release announcement. RC is not available at the time of this writing. Watch this blog.)
Full of I.T. : Breaking News: Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.5 is RTW
IPD Guide Release Announcement: Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization
The Infrastructure Planning and Design team has released a new guide: Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization.
This guide outlines the critical infrastructure design elements that are crucial to a successful implementation of Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V). The reader is guided through the four-step process of designing components, layout, and connectivity in a logical, sequential order. Identification of the MED-V server instances required is presented in simple, easy-to-follow steps, helping the reader to deliver managed virtual machines to end users. Following the steps in this guide will result in a design that is sized, configured, and appropriately placed to deliver the stated business benefits, while also considering the performance, capacity, and fault tolerance of the system.
Download the guide by visiting http://www.microsoft.com/ipd and selecting “Microsoft Enterprise Desktop Virtualization” under the IPD One-click Downloads, listed on the bottom right of the page.
Infrastructure Planning and Design streamlines the planning process by:
- Defining the technical decision flow through the planning process.
- Listing the decisions to be made and the commonly available options and considerations.
- Relating the decisions and options to the business in terms of cost, complexity, and other characteristics.
- Framing decisions in terms of additional questions to the business to ensure a comprehensive alignment with the appropriate business landscape.
Join the Beta
Additional Infrastructure Planning and Design guides are available as beta releases on the Connect Web site. They are open beta downloads. See below for instructions on how to access the beta guides.
To join the Infrastructure Planning and Design Beta, follow these steps:
- Visit the Infrastructure Planning and Design Beta at http://connect.microsoft.com.
- Sign in using a valid Windows Live ID to continue to the Invitations page.
- Scroll down to Infrastructure Planning and Design.
If you have not previously registered with Microsoft Connect, you might be required to register before continuing with the invitation process. If the link in step 1 does not work for you, copy the link and paste it into the Web browser address bar.
Related Resources
Check out all the Infrastructure Planning and Design team has to offer! Visit the IPD page on TechNet, http://www.Microsoft.com/ipd, for additional information, including our most recent guides.Posted: Monday, April 06, 2009 9:12 PM by Justin Zarb
InfoPath Introduction Part 5
This continues my series of introductory demos to InfoPath 2007. In this demo, I discuss the benefits of views and how to associate views to user roles.
Published Monday, April 06, 2009 3:54 PM by JessMeats
Identifying Payables Transactions with Missing Apply Records
I was assisting on a support case recently where we needed to identify transactions in Payables Management history which had missing Apply records. We wanted to add up the total of the Apply records and make sure that they matched the value of the original document amount.
I was given a script which could look for missing Apply records on debit documents only. Using this script as a starting point, I updated it to use local temp tables in the tempdb (which means that mulitple users can execute the code without causing concurrency and deadlock issues), added indexes for performance, set it up to handle debit and credit documents as well as multi-currency realized gain/loss and allowing for a 0.01 exchange rate currency rounding difference per applied multi-currency document.
I worked with my friend Robert Cavill to test the code and fine tuned it to work on live data. The final code was able to identify a few transactions which did have issues due to rounding differences beyond the allowance, without returning a large number of false positives.
SQL PM Find Missing Apply Records Script
/* SQL PM Find Missing Apply Records */
/* Updated by David Musgrave, 24-March-2009 *//* Now handles debit and credit documents and multi-currency (including round errors) */
set QUOTED_IDENTIFIER OFF
set nocount onprint "Deleting Temp tables (if they exist)"
go
if exists (select * from tempdb.dbo.sysobjects
where id = Object_id('tempdb..#PMTrans') and type = 'U')
drop table #PMTransgo
if exists (select * from tempdb.dbo.sysobjects
where id = Object_id('tempdb..#PMApply') and type = 'U')
drop table #PMApply/* Create the table used to hold PM30200 Info */
print "Creating Temp tables"
go
create table #PMTrans (
BillInternal# char (21) null,
BillDoc# char (21) null,
BillDocType# smallint null,
BillMode# tinyint null,
Vendor char (15) null,
OriginalAmtAfterWriteOff numeric(19, 5) null,
DocDate datetime null
)
create index #PMTrans_PK on #PMTrans (BillInternal#, BillDocType#, BillMode#, Vendor, OriginalAmtAfterWriteOff)/* Create the table used to hold Sum of Apply Records from PM30300 */
go
create table #PMApply (
BillInternal# char (21) null,
BillDocType# smallint null,
BillMode# tinyint null,
Vendor char (15) null,
TotalAppliedAmt numeric(19,5) null,
WriteOffAmt numeric(19,5) null,
DiscountAmt numeric(19,5) null,
RealizedAmt numeric(19,5) null,
OrigCurrency int null
)
create index #PMApply_PK on #PMApply (BillInternal#, BillDocType#, BillMode#, Vendor, TotalAppliedAmt, WriteOffAmt, DiscountAmt, RealizedAmt, OrigCurrency)print "Selecting Bills in History"
go
insert #PMTrans ( BillInternal#, BillDoc#, BillDocType#, BillMode#, Vendor, OriginalAmtAfterWriteOff, DocDate )
select VCHRNMBR, DOCNUMBR, DOCTYPE, 0, VENDORID, (DOCAMNT - DISTKNAM), DOCDATE
from PM30200
where DOCTYPE < 4 and VOIDED = 0
and (DOCAMNT - DISTKNAM) <> 0.0 -- Zero Value Documents
order by VCHRNMBRinsert #PMTrans ( BillInternal#, BillDoc#, BillDocType#, BillMode#, Vendor, OriginalAmtAfterWriteOff, DocDate )
select VCHRNMBR, DOCNUMBR, DOCTYPE, 1, VENDORID, (DOCAMNT - DISTKNAM), DOCDATE
from PM30200
where DOCTYPE >= 4 and VOIDED = 0
and (DOCAMNT - DISTKNAM) <> 0.0 -- Zero Value Documents
and not (DOCTYPE = 4 and TTLPYMTS = DOCAMNT) -- Remove fully paid returns
order by VCHRNMBRprint "Selecting Apply Records and Totally Apply Credits in History"
go/* Get Functional Currency ID */
declare @FUNC varchar(5)
select top 1 @FUNC = FUNLCURR from MC40000insert #PMApply ( BillInternal#, BillDocType#, BillMode#, Vendor, TotalAppliedAmt, WriteOffAmt, DiscountAmt, RealizedAmt, OrigCurrency )
select APTVCHNM, APTODCTY, 0, VENDORID, sum(APPLDAMT), sum(WROFAMNT), 0, 0 , sum ( case when @FUNC !='' and @FUNC != CURNCYID then 1 else 0 end )
from PM30300
group by APTVCHNM, APTODCTY, VENDORID
order by APTVCHNMinsert #PMApply ( BillInternal#, BillDocType#, BillMode#, Vendor, TotalAppliedAmt, WriteOffAmt, DiscountAmt, RealizedAmt, OrigCurrency )
select VCHRNMBR, DOCTYPE, 1, VENDORID, sum(APPLDAMT), 0, sum(DISTKNAM), sum(RLGANLOS), sum ( case when @FUNC !='' and @FUNC != CURNCYID then 1 else 0 end )
from PM30300
group by VCHRNMBR, DOCTYPE, VENDORID
order by VCHRNMBRprint "Entries that are missing apply records"
goselect a.BillMode#, a.BillInternal#, a.BillDoc#, a.BillDocType#, a.Vendor, a.DocDate, a.OriginalAmtAfterWriteOff,
isnull(b.TotalAppliedAmt,0) as TotalAppliedAmt,
isnull((a.OriginalAmtAfterWriteOff - (b.TotalAppliedAmt + b.WriteOffAmt - b.DiscountAmt - b.RealizedAmt)),0) as Differ
from #PMTrans a
left outer join #PMApply b on
a.BillInternal# = b.BillInternal# and a.BillDocType# = b.BillDocType#
and a.BillMode# = b.BillMode# and a.Vendor = b.Vendor
where ((isnull((a.OriginalAmtAfterWriteOff - (b.TotalAppliedAmt + b.WriteOffAmt - b.DiscountAmt - b.RealizedAmt)),0) <> 0)
or (b.Vendor is null))
and ( a.BillMode# = 0 or isnull(b.OrigCurrency,0) = 0 or (abs(isnull((a.OriginalAmtAfterWriteOff - (b.TotalAppliedAmt + b.WriteOffAmt - b.DiscountAmt - b.RealizedAmt)),0)) > (isnull(b.OrigCurrency,0) / 100.0) ) ) -- Rounding on Credit Documents
order by a.Vendorprint "Removing Temp tables"
go
drop table #PMTrans
drop table #PMApplyThe script is also available as an attachment at the bottom of this post.
Since writing this script I have obtained another script which performs a similar check. Both scripts are in the attached archive. There are some differences in the scripts, the script I wrote works only with History and has allowances for rounding differences on multi-currency transactions, when the other script works on Open and History but does not handle the rounding differences. I would suggest running both scripts.
Let me know if you find this useful.
David
Posted: Monday, April 06, 2009 9:00 AM by David Musgrave
Developing for Dynamics GP : Identifying Payables Transactions with Missing Apply Records
Why IT Solutions Are Never Simple
An interesting article from Harvard Business School Publishing…. happy reading!
Harvard Business: Why IT Solutions Are Never Simple
Without concerted effort, what was once neat and tidy becomes marred and messy. Just finding something in the garage feels like an archaeological expedition. Periodically, when someone dies, or relocates, or becomes disgusted, there's a whirlwind of activity to purge and reorganize. This cathartic experience is followed by a brief period of exhilaration, until time passes and entropy exerts itself once again.
So of course the airlines didn't intend to build "multiple old computer systems that don't share information well." When these systems were initially constructed (in the 60s and 70s), they were neat and tidy. Application requirements were defined from the point of view of a department and the needs of the people within it. The approach to programming reflected a simple and static world where it was the norm to embed data and business rules together with the logic necessary to support a business function — for example, to book and manage reservations. No one conceived that customers would book their own travel, that airlines would merge and spin off, that competing airlines would sell seats through code share agreements, or that competition would become so fierce as to necessitate greeting them by name and remembering their favorite drink.
To respond to these demands in a timely manner, IT did what we all do. They packed as much as they could in the existing "application" garages. When it became impossible to enter them without breaking something, they built new ones to store additional, but redundant, data, business rules, and logic. In an attempt to coordinate these applications to support business processes, they built a myriad of point-to-point interfaces between the applications. As a result of these seemingly efficient but short-sighted approaches, the systems architecture of the average 20+ year company looks something like this (aptly named, the "scare" diagram):
Because of this complexity, many companies don't have a definitive understanding of their customers, products, and performance and have difficulty modifying business processes in response to new opportunities and competitive realities. Furthermore, they devote the lion's share of their IT spend to maintaining existing systems rather than innovating new capabilities.
This isn't new news, of course. During the 1990's, we started to realize that IT systems often inhibited rather than enabled change. Since then, IT and business leaders have been working hard to increase agility by replacing systems and using new approaches to promote integration and commonality. Along the way, we have learned that:
- Across-the-board "scrape and rebuild" of systems usually doesn't make sense because often the gain isn't worth the pain. This approach is like knocking down your garage and throwing out everything in it. There's a lot of good stuff in your existing applications and there is no guarantee that the new systems will be that much better, less complex, or cheaper than the old ones.
- Hiding existing systems complexity using a "layer and leave" approach makes it easier to use and integrate existing systems, but doesn't reduce the costs of supporting inflexible and redundant systems. This approach is like hiring a garage "concierge" to find things and put them away. Unfortunately, you have to pay for the concierge service as well as the costs of maintaining the garages.
- The best way to manage complexity is to "clean as you go". This is a combination of the two approaches — implemented on a project-by-project basis. Each project is defined in a way that moves the enterprise closer to the desired "to be" architecture. Using our garage analogy, to move something in, one or two things must be reorganized or moved out. This approach includes layering, but also extracting critical data and functionality out from applications and rebuilding them so that they can be managed as an enterprise asset.
"Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly." To be altered for the better requires that everyone agree on what "better" is. "Better" for the enterprise over the long term is often at odds with short-term business goals and profitability. The "clean as you go" approach will always entail additional time, effort, and resources.
IT isn't alone in the need to simplify. As Rosabeth Moss Kanter pointed out, "Companies sow the seeds of their own decline in adding too many things — product variations, business units, independent subsidiaries — without integrating them." Keep in mind that, since IT architectures mirror the inherent complexity of the businesses that they support, it's impossible to have a truly agile and cost-effective technical architecture without simplified business architecture.
It's hard to say "no" to the extra product line, merger, reporting package or, for that matter, bicycle. Simplicity's just not that simple. How are you doing getting there?
External source: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cramm/2009/04/why-it-solutions-are-never-sim.html
Posted: Monday, April 06, 2009 1:34 PM by lchong
Architect Evangelist - Linda Chong's Blog : Why IT Solutions Are Never Simple
Sure Step Spring 2009 Release Now Available!
We’re happy to announce that the Sure Step Spring 2009 Release is available to partners today. In this release there are several new features to help partners deliver Microsoft Dynamics solutions on time, on budget and on spec. In the current economy, customers are looking for more efficient implementations to realize faster ROI with their Microsoft Dynamics solutions. And, this newest release of Sure Step will help partners deliver!
Are you using Microsoft Dynamics Sure Step? Several new features are now available within the spring 2009 release of Sure Step. And, in the current economy, new customers are looking for more efficient, on time, on budget and on spec implementations. With all the new updates there has never been a better time to get started using Sure Step to help deliver on the customer promise!
What ‘s new in the spring 2009 release of Sure Step?
With the spring 2009 release of Sure Step, both your presales and implementation consultants will find valuable new questionnaires, requirements gathering documents, fit gap analysis guidance, product-focused testing scripts, and a variety of new templates across all implementation phases. The updates, which are most valuable to you if you serve customers in the mid-market, include:o The “Standard” project type, which has been simplified, makes it easier for you to use Sure Step for the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics solutions for mid-market customers.
o A view of “key deliverables” for each project enables you the ability to more quickly and easily adapt Sure Step to your existing Microsoft Dynamics practice.
o A new search tool makes it easier for you to quickly find the right guidance for any implementation situation.
o Role-tailored and product-specific guidance developed by several Microsoft partners provides you even more best practices that can be applied to your projects.
o Improved product upgrade guidance helps you set the stage for successful technical upgrades to current and future Microsoft Dynamics releases.
Get Sure Step today and get on the path to better implementations!
Visit PartnerSource > Partner Essentials > Sure Step to download the spring 2009 release of Sure Step or update your current version.Published Monday, April 06, 2009 2:04 PM by jeffk
US Microsoft Dynamics GP Field Team : Sure Step Spring 2009 Release Now Available!
Performance Comparison: Regex versus string operations
I consider regular expressions one of the most useful features ever. I use them a lot, not only when coding, but also when editing files and instead of copy and paste. I find the Visual Studio Find/Replace feature with regular expressions really useful as well. In case you are not familiar with it, you can use regular expressions to find and replace characters like this:
In the picture, I used the expression {[^;]+}; - meaning tag the string formed by any characters until ";" (at least one character) and replace the matching text with "// " followed by the tagged expression, forgetting the last ";". There are a lot of tutorials about regular expressions. I just learned the basics, and now I just try, fail, undo, and try again until I get it right.
Moving back to coding, .NET has great support for regular expressions. The classes are relatively easy to use (though at the beginning I had to play a while to find out how to capture strings in one match and other more advanced features). The biggest advantages I find in using Regex are that it makes parsing input very easy (once you have the regular expression in place) and it makes it much harder to introduce bugs - less code has by definition fewer bugs, and parsing with regular expressions requires less code than the traditional method of parsing strings with different string methods like get substring at different indexes, check that is starts or ends with certain characters etc.
However, there are cases when the string concatenation and parsing is better than the regular expressions: when the checks are done on a path that is executed a lot (a hot path), and that has strict performance requirements. Why? The regular expressions are slower than string concatenation.
I did a simple experiment and measured the time needed by regex and strings to perform the same operations. I considered I need to keep data about persons in the format "Firstname:Oana Lastname:Platon Money:2183 UniqueIdentifier:fwsjfjehfjkwh8r378". I have defined a constant that represents this format, and I'll use it to serialize the person data.
const string nameFormat = "Firstname:{0} Lastname:{1} Money:{2} UniqueIdentifier:{3}";
The data must be serialized and deserialized a lot of times (lets say that we need to send the data on the wire frequently or something like that). When deserializing the data, we need to make sure that it respects the pattern and then we need to extract the firstname, lastname etc.
1. Using regular expressions
I defined a regular expression like this:
static Regex regex = new Regex("^Firstname:(\\w+)\\sLastname:(\\w+)\\sMoney:(\\d{1,9})\\sUniqueIdentifier:([\\w-]+)$", RegexOptions.IgnoreCase | RegexOptions.Compiled);
Then, the code to parse the expressions and get the desired data is:
void ParseWithRegex(string description)
{
Match m = regex.Match(description);
if (!m.Success)
{
throw new ArgumentException("description doesn't follow the expected format");
}
this.firstname = m.Groups[1].Value;
this.lastname = m.Groups[2].Value;
if (!int.TryParse(m.Groups[3].Value, out this.age))
{
throw new ArgumentException("age doesn't have the correct value");
}
this.uniqueIdentifier = m.Groups[4].Value;
}
2. Using string operations
The verification that the given string respects the format becomes more difficult. In our case, the patters is pretty simple, but imagine that we needed to check an email address or something more complicated. In that case, the code would have had a lot of cases, to follow all possible solutions.
void ParseWithStrings(string description)
{
string[] parts = description.Split(new char[] { ' ', '\t' });
if (parts.Length != 4)
{
throw new ArgumentException("description doesn't follow the expected pattern");
}
this.firstname = parts[0].Substring(parts[0].IndexOf(":") + 1);
this.lastname = parts[1].Substring(parts[1].IndexOf(":") + 1);
if (!int.TryParse(parts[2].Substring(parts[2].IndexOf(":") + 1), out this.age))
{
throw new ArgumentException("age doesn't have the correct value");
}
this.uniqueIdentifier = parts[3].Substring(parts[3].IndexOf(":") + 1); ;
}
See that this is much more error prone than the previous code, because it needs to look at a lot of indexes and to substract the desired part of the string.
However, when I run the 2 methods in a loop and I measure how long they take with a stopwatch (from System.Diagnostics namespace), I get these results:
In conclusion, when choosing between using traditional string parsing or regular expressions, I would recommend:
- Start with regular expressions; if the path is not a hot path and doesn't have any strict performance requirements, this is the best choice, since it makes the code easier to read and maintain.
- If the performance goals are not reached (which means you have performance goals and you measured the performance!), try to improve your regular expressions. For example, adding ^ and $ (to specify that the pattern you are looking for is at the beginning or at the end of the string) when appropriate can improve the performance a lot. Also, make sure you use compiled expressions (if possible).
- If you are still not in graphic, replace the regular expressions with string concatenation and parsing.
Programming tidbits: store & retrieve : Performance Comparison: Regex versus string operations
Couple of Visio Links
Visio is my primary diagramming tool. I wanted to point out a couple of recent links I came accross that help in diagramming various things.
The first are stencils that are used on MSDN and TechNet diagrams – these are a set of stencils that can be used in Visio just by adding the stencil to the list for your diagram. Located here:
Visio stencils for IT Pro posters
The other is Visio Toolbox.
This site is a hosted by Microsoft that provides basic background but there is a new add-in along with some others. The new add it just release
There are Add-ins, Templates, and Tools
Some of the Add-ins
New Rack Server Virtualization Add-In for Visio 2007 Pro
Software Upgrade Assessment Add-In
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Visio Add-in
There’s also a tool that will build a stencil for you if you just upload some images.. That’s here:
Free Office 2007 Deployment Training Available
Our Office marketing team continues to develop ways to help IT get relevant training in this “new economy”. If you’ve not taken advantage of a Microsoft Office 2007 Labcast before, what are you waiting for? They use a virtual lab to get you the experience you’re seeking around deploying Office 2007, server management tools and application compatibility. Register today. Good stuff!
Join the Desktop Deployment: Planning, Deploying and Managing Office 2007 Labcast series to learn about new tools and technologies to deploy the 2007 Microsoft® Office system. During these half day events you will receive practical technical information and proven techniques to help simply your 2007 Office deployment. The labcast provides a hands-on virtual lab environment where you can perform the tasks yourself with step-by-step guidance from Microsoft professionals, giving you experience-based knowledge on how to deploy the 2007 Office system. Click here for more information about the 2007 Office labcast series.
Labcast sessions :
Deploying the 2007 Microsoft Office system with the Deployment Workbench
o Add the 2007 Office system to the Deployment Workbench
o Perform multi-language integration
o Learn about the Office Customization Tool (OCT)
o Use SMS 2003 for 2007 Office system deployment
Click on the date to register
Deploying the 2007 Microsoft Office system with the Deployment Workbench
Assessing Application Compatibility and Managing Your Office Clients with Group Policy labcast
· 2007 Microsoft Office system Planning and Migration Tools: Office Migration Planning Manager (OMPM)
o Install and configure OMPM
o Perform a scan on a user system
o Convert documents with no issues to the new file formats
· Managing the 2007 Microsoft Office system with Group Policy
o Import the new Group Policy Administrative Templates for the 2007 Office release
o Use Group Policy to configure the Default File Save options in the 2007 Office release
o Use Group Policy to configure the Default File Save options for Office 2003 (to support a mixed Office environment)
Click on the date to register
Assessing Application Compatibility and Managing Your Office Clients with Group Policy labcast
© 2007 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft is a registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Deploy/Adopt: Realizing Value : Free Office 2007 Deployment Training Available
How to determine virtual machine host name "virtual server"
Recently had a problem where the lab folks forget where my VM was installed to and I needed some RAM added to it. I needed to find the physical host name of the machine the VM was running on. Turns out that there is a handy dandy reg key one the VS devs pointed out to me:
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Virtual Machine\Guest\Parameters\PhysicalHostName
Hope it helps someone, I spent quite some time trying to figure it out on my own.
spat
Published Friday, April 03, 2009 7:22 AM by SpatDSG
Spat's WebLog (Steve Patrick) : How to determine virtual machine host name "virtual server"
New Modified Dictionary Update Requirement for all GP 10.0 MSP Releases
April Fool's Day is over. Time to get back to being serious.
A new requirement has been added to the Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 service pack, hotfix and compliance release install process. All modified reports and forms must be updated in Microsoft Dynamics GP Utilities following the database update. In the past this was only a requirement for the major release update, such as from GP 9.0 to GP 10.0. Because of data model changes, etc. that are now in the MSP patch files, the modified reports and forms must also be updated. This new process does not apply to Microsoft Dynamic GP 9.0.
PLEASE NOTE: If a user launches into Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 without updating the modified dictionaries, they WILL NOT get prompted to update the files. Therefore, the user might see errors running reports and accessing forms. If you have a case where a user is getting errors running a report or accessing a form following a service pack, hotfix, or compliance update, please ask if they went through the modified dictionary update process following the MSP patch install.
This new process has been added to the U.S. Payroll/Canadian Payroll Documents and the 10.0 Hotfix Install Guide. A new Hot Topic has also been published. The current hot topic indicating that GP 10.0 patches may damage the reports and forms will also be updated with this new process.
Here are the links to the new Hot Topic:
Modified Forms and Reports Update Now Required for All Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Service Pack, Hotfix and Compliance Releases
(CustomerSource)
Modified Forms and Reports Update Now Required for All Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 Service Pack, Hotfix and Compliance Releases
Thanks to Kelly in Fargo for this information.
David
Posted: Friday, April 03, 2009 9:00 AM by David Musgrave
Developing for Dynamics GP : New Modified Dictionary Update Requirement for all GP 10.0 MSP Releases
Microsoft Dynamics GP and Microsoft Office Suite Partner Resource Kit Now Live
I wanted to let everyone know that our new Partner Readiness Kit for our Extending the Reach initiative has launched. The GP and Office Suite PRK page has a summary of readiness, marketing and sales tools available for GP partners to move from awareness to action!
To work smart, businesses need software that reflects the way their people really work, so they can be more productive—and meet complex challenges. As a Microsoft partner, you are in a unique position to respond to these needs by offering solutions that can help your customers extend the reach of their technology to connect people, processes, and information, so they can respond quickly and with confidence to the changing demands of their business.
Microsoft Dynamics® GP, particularly when combined with Microsoft® Office Systems, can meet your customers’ business demands by providing end-to-end, connected solutions that:
- Easily integrate within existing systems, enabling deep interoperability with the applications people use every day.
- Utilize familiar tools and formats that make sense for individual jobs.
- Facilitate informed, timely, and confident decisions.
Take a look today here: link.
Published Thursday, April 02, 2009 3:32 PM by jeffk
Many² ways you can set a variable value
There are many ways to set a variable's value.
I just learnt one more yesterday. If you have others, please add comments
# Simple
# $ gets the variable, and = will assign it
$a = 1# With Variable Scope
# The prepend is the scope, and could be global, script, and others
# Useful when you want to keep things in script scope, or share them out in global scope
$global:a = 1# Complex variable names
# Useful if you have a variable with the name ${Yahoo!Id}
${a} = 1# Using the Set-Variable cmdlet
# Useful if you want to indirectly set the value
# Has extra parameters like scope
Set-Variable a 1# Using the variable provider
# Never useful, just cool
set-item variable:\a 1# Using the variable provider with provider shortcut
# Useful when you want to do ${env:ProgramFiles(x86)}
${variable:a} = 1# Using the SessionState (PowerShell APIs)
# Useful when you dont want to access the Runspace Directly
# Useful when you want to set tied variable
# http://blogs.msdn.com/powershell/archive/2009/03/26/tied-variables-in-powershell.aspx
$executioncontext.SessionState.PSVariable.Set('a', 1)# Using references
# Useful if you want to indirectly set the value
$ref = [ref]$a
$ref.Value = 10Have fun,
Ibrahim Abdul Rahim [MSFT]Published Thursday, April 02, 2009 10:04 PM by PowerShellTeam
Windows PowerShell Blog : Many² ways you can set a variable value
Setting Network Location to Private
The Network Location feature was introduced in Windows Vista. It provides an easy way to customize your firewall settings based on whether you trust or don’t trust the computers around you. There are three Network Location types - Private, Public and Domain. If your computer is a member of the domain then you won’t be able to change the Network Location type. If your computer is standalone or part of the workgroup, then you can choose what type of network location do you want - Public or Private. Private means that you are a member of the trusted network and you can lower your network security a little bit. Public means that you have no trust for the network outside, and you should not let your guard down.
The network location is per connection/network card. Every time a new connection is added - the dialog will appear, asking you to choose the network location type.
Setting the correct network location type is very important for Windows PowerShell Remoting. You cannot enable and use Windows PowerShell Remoting feature if you have Public connections on your machine. Vista provides a UI dialog for setting network location, but, unfortunately, there is no command-line utility for that. You can however do it with Windows PowerShell.
The API for setting network location type in vista is COM-based and we will show how to call this API from Windows PowerShell script:
# Skip network location setting for pre-Vista operating systems
if([environment]::OSVersion.version.Major -lt 6) { return }
# Skip network location setting if local machine is joined to a domain.
if(1,3,4,5 -contains (Get-WmiObject win32_computersystem).DomainRole) { return }
# Clean up ProgId registration for NetworkListManagerClass if it is already set
if (test-path HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Classes\NETWORKLIST.NetworkListManagerClass)
{
REG DELETE HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\NETWORKLIST.NetworkListManagerClass /f
}
# Register ProgId for NetworkListManagerClass
REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\NETWORKLIST.NetworkListManagerClass /t REG_SZ /d 'NetworkListManagerClass Class'
REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\NETWORKLIST.NetworkListManagerClass\CLSID /t REG_SZ /d '{DCB00C01-570F-4A9B-8D69-199FDBA5723B}'
REG ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\NETWORKLIST.NetworkListManagerClass\CurVer /t REG_SZ /d 'NETWORKLIST.NetworkListManagerClass.1'
# Get network connections
$networkListManager = new-object -ComObject NETWORKLIST.NetworkListManagerClass
$connections = $networkListManager.GetNetworkConnections()
# Set network location to Private for all network cards
$connections | % {$_.GetNetwork().SetCategory(1)}Enjoy!
Vladimir Averkin
Windows PowerShell TeamPublished Friday, April 03, 2009 12:56 AM by PowerShellTeam
Windows PowerShell Blog : Setting Network Location to Private
New Release: Hands-on Labs for Microsoft Enterprise Library 4.1
Hands-on Labs for Microsoft patterns & practices Enterprise Library 4.1 are now available.
What is Enterprise Library
Microsoft Enterprise Library is a collection of reusable software components ("application blocks") designed to address common cross-cutting concerns for enterprise application development (such as logging, validation, data access, exception handling, and more). Entlib is provided as source code, test cases, and documentation that can be used "as is" or extended, and encapsulates the Microsoft recommended and proven practices for .NET application development.What's in this Release
Use this set of Hands-on Labs as a guide to learn about the application blocks included with Enterprise Library 4.1 and practice how to leverage their capabilities in various application contexts.There are also updates of the hands-on labs for the following blocks:
- Caching Application Block
- Cryptography Application Block
- Data Access Application Block
- Exception Handling Application Block
- Logging Application Block
- Security Application Block
Published 03 April 09 03:13 by J.D. Meier
J.D. Meier's Blog : New Release: Hands-on Labs for Microsoft Enterprise Library 4.1
Sure Step 2009 Spring Release
We’re happy to announce that the Sure Step Spring 2009 Release is available to partners today. In this release there are several new features to help partners deliver Microsoft Dynamics solutions on time, on budget and on spec. In the current economy, customers are looking for more efficient implementations to realize faster ROI with their Microsoft Dynamics solutions. And, this newest release of Sure Step will help partners deliver!
What ‘s new in the spring 2009 release of Sure Step?
With the spring 2009 release of Sure Step, consultants for both presales and implementations will find valuable new questionnaires, requirements gathering documents, fit gap analysis guidance, product-focused testing scripts, and a variety of new templates across all implementation phases. The updates, which are most valuable to partners serving customers in the mid-market, include:
· The “Standard” project type, which has been simplified, makes it easier for partners to use Sure Step for the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics solutions for mid-market customers.
· A view of “key deliverables” for each project enables partners serving the mid-market the ability to more quickly and easily adapt Sure Step to their existing Microsoft Dynamics practice.
· A new search tool makes it easier for partners to quickly find the right guidance for any implementation situation.
· Role-tailored and product-specific guidance developed by partners provides even more best practices that can be applied to projects.
· Improved product upgrade guidance helps set the stage for successful technical upgrades to current and future Microsoft Dynamics releases.
· Additional Product-specific best practices, templates and tools included to make Sure Step compliant with all latest product releases including CRM Online
Dutch Partner Technology Specialists blog : Sure Step 2009 Spring Release
SharePoint Designer 2007 – Now Free!
Published 02 April 09 08:14 PM | mepprecht
The SharePoint 2007 Designer is now available as a free download.
For those who don’t know what SharePoint Designer is, visit she SharePoint Designer web page and have a look at the videos on offer. You can download the product from the same site.
Swiss IT Professional and TechNet Blog : SharePoint Designer 2007 – Now Free!
More Aastralink SIP Trunking Bundle Details
Aastra has published more details about their new “SIP Trunking Bundle" we mentioned previously.
The AastraLink RP SIP Trunking Bundle, available in the U.S. market only, is priced at just $1,799.99 MSRP and includes the Aastra designed Base Unit containing the Microsoft® Response Point™ software, and three Aastra Response Point 6753i RP phones.
This is a great deal, especially for RP customers who want the quality and convenience of VOIP and don’t need an analog line. Full systems, including the analog telephony adapter (gateway) and a selection of additional phones are still available at $2400.
Response Point Team Blog : More Aastralink SIP Trunking Bundle Details
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