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Editor's Note: SQL Server Magazine UPDATE will be taking a holiday next week. Look for the next issue in your inbox on January 5, 2006. Happy Holidays!
December 22, 2005
1. Perspectives
2. SQL Server 2005 Watch
3. News & Views
4. Events and Resources
5. Featured White Paper
6. Peer to Peer
7. Announcements
8. New & Improved
Sponsor: NSI
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1. Perspectives
by Brian Moran, [email protected]
Lately, I've run across several customers who've historically used a UNIX-based database for "really important" systems and SQL Server in other environments, and these customers are wondering how to get their companies to complete the shift to SQL Server. Over the years, SQL Server has matured and can truly compete with UNIX databases, even at the highest levels of an organization running the most sensitive, mission-critical applications. But the UNIX database folks and the SQL Server database folks are often in different departments, politicking to ensure that the next really important application is deployed in their environment.
A growing number of businesses are open to the idea of using SQL Server for the important systems that just 2 or 3 years ago would have been deployed on UNIX without a second thought. Many business executives I've chatted with lately trust that SQL Server can get the job done. But in some cases, they're concerned about bucking tradition; their teams have a long history of managing the important applications on Unix and putting smaller department-levels systems on SQL Server. These executives wonder if they can teach their old database dogs new tricks.
I'm chatting about training options with a few customers in similar situations right now, and the conversations I've had have raised an interesting question: Is it better to try to teach enterprise-class data-administration skills and disciplines to department-level SQL Server DBAs or teach deep SQL Server technology skills to an experienced UNIX DBA who has been running multi-terabyte systems with four 9s of availability for years? I've got my own thoughts about the answer to this question, but I'm not going to share them this week. Instead, I want to hear your thoughts, especially if you're in an organization that has gone through or soon will go through this type of experience as SQL Server moves up the food chain in your organization.
Send your responses to me at [email protected]. I'll share the most interesting reader perspectives, as well as my own thoughts, in an upcoming edition of SQL Server Magazine UPDATE.
Sponsor: Polyserve
IT Consolidation: Maximizing the Potential of Your Windows Environment
Optimize your existing Windows Server infrastructure with the addition of server and storage consolidation software and techniques. Also get tips and guidelines to evaluate your current infrastructure and determine what segments of your environment are suitable for consolidation.
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2. SQL Server 2005 Watch
2005 Product Releases Feature SDL
The November releases of SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005, and BizTalk Server 2006 beta 2 are the first Microsoft products to have undergone the complete Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) process from inception to release. Microsoft's SDL process is software-development approach that incorporates best practices learned from focused security efforts across all phases of the software-development lifecycle. In addition, Microsoft also announced that key code-analysis and debugging tools--including PREfast and FXCop--developed as part of the SDL process are now available to commercial software developers through Visual Studio 2005. These tools help independent software developers reduce software vulnerabilities in applications, write higher quality code, and meet the growing demand for more secure software. Microsoft provides further details about the SDL in the article "Microsoft Releases First Products Completely Designed Using Security Development Lifecycle Process" at
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Sponsor: Noetix
Dashboard Development and Deployment--A Methodology for Success
Business information carries little value unless it reaches the right person at the right time. This free white paper tells you what you need to know to remain competitive while improving the speed and quality of decision-making. Learn how a well-designed dashboard can provide critical information to decision makers, enable them to monitor the health of your organization and bring immediate ROI to your business.
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3. News & Views
by Paul Thurrott, [email protected]
Monday, Microsoft released the December Windows Vista Community Technology Preview (CTP), or build 5270, to beta testers and Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN) subscribers. The latest Vista CTP release has many improvements, with an emphasis on new security performance and mobility and UI features. Along with build 5270, Microsoft also included an updated build of Windows Longhorn Server in the CTP that testers can install from the same DVD images.
Windows Vista build 5270 includes an integrated and improved version of Windows Defender (previously Windows AntiSpyware), new Internet Explorer (IE) 7 security features, improved parental controls, a more responsive and near-final UI, improved power management support, an improved Superfetch feature that now supports removable storage in addition to USB memory keys, an updated version of full-volume encryption that's been renamed to Bit Locker, and new versions of Windows Media Player 11 and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
Although many of these features existed in an interim build that Microsoft released in November (but never designated as a CTP build), some are new. For example, the software giant issued two versions of the Vista CTP/Longhorn Server DVD image; one of the versions implements the Vista image-based quick-install functionality Microsoft has been promising. With the quick-install functionality, testers can install the Vista CTP build in about 30 minutes instead of the typical 60 minutes or longer.
In a conference call with the press Monday, Shanen Boettcher, the senior director of the Windows Client group, announced the new features in the December Vista CTP build and inadvertently verified my earlier report that the next Vista CTP build will occur in February 2006--not January, as previously expected.
I'll be examining the Vista build 5270 and providing an exhaustive review on the SuperSite for Windows. In addition, various screen-shot galleries available on the site show major new features and changes.
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Results of Previous Instant Poll: Are You Satisfied?
"Overall, how satisfied are you with your current job?" Here are the results from the 85 votes:
New Instant Poll: Recommending an IT Career
"Would you recommend an IT career to young people in search of a profession?" Go to the SQL Server Magazine home page ( http://lists.sqlmag.com/t?ctl=1CA73:7B3DA ) and submit your vote for
4. Events and Resources
April 2-5, 2006, Orlando, Florida. Gain productivity, enhance your development skills, and give your company the competitive edge! Register by January 9 and receive one FREE hotel night at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort, plus attend sessions at Visual Studio Connections free. Call 203-268-3204 or 800-438-6720 for more info.
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View this seminar today:
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SQL Server experts will present real-world information about administration, development, and business intelligence to help you put SQL Server 2005 into practice and learn to use its new capabilities. Registration includes one-year PASS membership and subscription to SQL Server Magazine. Register now for London, UK and Stockholm, Sweden at
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View this seminar today:
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Get up to speed fast with useful database projects and tips that illustrate the fundamentals of Microsoft's new free database offering. Download sample applications and code, get quick tips to help you work with SQL Server 2005, learn about the latest patches, service codes and updates for SQL Server 2005 Express, and more!
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5. Featured White Paper
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6. Peer to Peer
by Brian Moran, [email protected]
Q. I need to quickly ramp up on SQL Server 2005, but I don't have a big training budget. Are any useful and free online resources available?
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SQL Server 2005 introduces the OVER clause that enables window-based calculations. In his December T-SQL 2005 column "OVER Clause Simplifies Aggregate Window Calculatons," Itzik Ben-Gan explains how you use the OVER clause. Read this article today and post your comments at
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Are you a user of full-text search on SQL Server 2000? If so, you know that you must back up the full-text catalog separately from any database or transaction log backups that you perform. Microsoft has improved this functionality in SQL Server 2005 so that you no longer have to back up a full-text catalog separately from the database. In this week's blog "Full-Text Search in Backup & Recovery," Kevin Kline explains the improved functionality and asks you to test it on your systems. Read the blog and let Kevin know how the new full-text search functionality works for you at
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Hot Threads: Check out the following hot threads, and see other discussions in our 30 SQL Server forums.
http://lists.sqlmag.com/t?ctl=1CA69:7B3DA
Administration: Backup Transaction Logs Fail
http://lists.sqlmag.com/t?ctl=1CA58:7B3DA
T-SQL: Problem with CASE Statement
http://lists.sqlmag.com/t?ctl=1CA54:7B3DA
Performance: Help Understanding Page Faults/Sec
http://lists.sqlmag.com/t?ctl=1CA57:7B3DA
Security: Database Chaining
http://lists.sqlmag.com/t?ctl=1CA55:7B3DA
Replication: Pull-Type Error 1069
http://lists.sqlmag.com/t?ctl=1CA59:7B3DA
DTS: How to Change SQL Server 2000 Package Job Executor to Access Network Drive
http://lists.sqlmag.com/t?ctl=1CA56:7B3DA
Hot Spot
Many things can affect your messaging system's availability, including component failure, power outages, operator errors, and natural disasters. This FREE white paper will help you plan and implement reliable strategies to maintain highly available Exchange Server 2003 messaging systems. Download it today!
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7. Announcements
How to run your own blog server. Free 5-user license.
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Hundreds of free tips and articles on SQL Server performance tuning and clustering. And get quick and accurate answers to your performance- and cluster-related questions in our forum. All from the SQL Server performance and clustering authority: SQL-Server-Performance.com.
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8. New & Improved
by Blake Eno, [email protected]
Improve Development and Deployment
MicroFour announced StrataFrame Application Framework, a layered application framework written for .NET 2.0 and designed for building SQL Server, Oracle, and OLEDB applications. The product lets you program in any .NET language and integrates directly into the Visual Studio 2005 IDE. The framework also gives you increased functionality within its objects while increasing the speed and accuracy of your development. The StrataFrame product line also includes the Database Deployment Toolkit which works in conjunction with the framework to deploy specific database structures without the use of scripts. The toolkit is a software application that uses an editor for creation, maintenance, and deployment of all elements of a SQL Server database. Pricing for MicroFour StrataFrame Application Framework starts at $1295 per developer and the Database Deployment Toolkit starts at $345 per developer. For more information, contact MicroFour at [email protected] or 866-491-6162.
http://lists.sqlmag.com/t?ctl=1CA72:7B3DA
Migrate Development Database to Production Server
TulaSoft announced SQL Examiner 1.2, a database comparison and synchronization tool, that gives you scripted synchronization of SQL Server databases for migration from a development database server to the production server. The product lets you define the objects to be compared and builds a synchronization script that you can modify according to your needs. While SQL Examiner is migrating the database, it also verifies the success of the replication of new objects and provides warnings in case of a problem or possible data loss. In addition to support for SQL Server 2005, this release also supports backup files larger than 4GB and partial synchronization and exclusion of dependents. Pricing for TulaSoft SQL Examiner 1.2 starts at $199.95. For more information, contact TulaSoft at [email protected].
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