SQL Server Magazine UPDATE—brought to you by SQL Server Magazine and SQL Server Magazine Connections
THIS ISSUE SPONSORED BY
Free MicroStrategy BI Applications Book
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2004 Date Announced for SQL Server Magazine Connections
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(Below COMMENTARY)
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(below NEWS AND VIEWS)
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Editor's Note:
SQL Server UPDATE won't be published next week because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Look for the next issue on Thursday, December 4.
November 20, 2003—In this issue:
1. COMMENTARY
- SQL Server 2000 Best Practices Analyzer
2. SQL SERVER NEWS AND VIEWS
- Yukon Beta Discussion Forums Go Live
- Results of Previous Instant Poll: Working with SQL/XML
- New Instant Poll: .NET Application Development
3. ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Need More SQL Server Expertise?
- SQL Server Opinions Needed
4. HOT RELEASES (ADVERTISEMENTS)
- PolyServe Matrix Server Clustering Software
- Support Resource for the SQL Server Community
- SQL Server Tips in Realtime
5. RESOURCES
- What's New in SQL Server Magazine: Reporting Services: It's De-lightful
- Hot Thread: Making SQL Server a Domain Controller
- Tip: Accessing Named Instances
6. NEW AND IMPROVED
- Integrate BI into Existing Applications
- Develop .NET Applications
7. CONTACT US
- See this section for a list of ways to contact us.
1. COMMENTARY
(contributed by Brian Moran, news editor)
SQL Server systems are complex, but adhering to best practices, which distill expert knowledge into useable suggestions and frameworks, can help you keep your head above water. Historically, Microsoft hasn't made information about best practices readily available to the SQL Server community. Best practices aren't published on a regular basis and aren't easy to find when they are published. Fortunately, the company recognizes the need to improve in this area and has been making progress.
The new Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Best Practices Analyzer 1.0 Beta is now available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=B352EB1F-D3CA-44EE-893E-9E07339C1F22&displaylang=en. The analyzer checks your SQL Servers for common best practice implementations and helps you ensure quality management and operation. Don't get too excited: I'm not saying that the Best Practices Analyzer is a panacea that will find all of the potential problems that exist in your servers or databases. However, the analyzer can perform more than 70 helpful checks against individual databases and servers. The tool isn't the definitive word on whether your server and databases are perfectly configured, but it is valuable. More importantly, it previews a bright future for SQL Server professionals if Microsoft plans to make the Best Practices Analyzer an integral part of the product and continues to offer regular enhancements to the rules repository. The people I've talked to at Microsoft led me to believe that Microsoft is viewing the Best Practices Analyzer as an important strategic offering to make it easier to manage and support SQL Server. Even better, Microsoft used .NET to build the tool in an open and extendable manner, and I understand that the company plans to encourage the SQL Server community to create and contribute best practices for integration into the tool. Or you could enhance the public version of the tool's best practices with custom rules that make sense in your organization. Only time will tell if Microsoft is willing to invest in this product and whether the tool will capture the SQL Server community's imagination and support. Take a look at the SQL Server 2000 Best Practices Analyzer and let me know what you think!2004 DATE ANNOUNCED FOR SQL SERVER MAGAZINE CONNECTIONS
Save these dates on your calendar: April 18-21, 2004. The spring 2004 SQL Server Magazine Connections conference and expo will be at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando, Florida. Back by popular demand are the concurrently running events Microsoft ASP.NET Connections and Visual Studio Connections. Early registrants will receive access to all three conferences for one low price. Register now to secure your best discount. Call 800-438-6720 or 203-268-3204 for more information.
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2. SQL SERVER NEWS AND VIEWS
SQL Server Magazine announced the launch of 10 new forum discussions about the beta of the next SQL Server version, code-named Yukon. The online discussions let SQL Server users who are testing the beta share their thoughts and experiences with the new product. DBAs and developers who don't have the beta but are preparing for Yukon's release can ask questions and get information about topics including administration, management tools, security, and development in Yukon. In addition, interested SQL Server users can ask questions about how functionalities such as Analysis Services and Data Transformation Services (DTS) work in Yukon. To access the new forums, go to SQL Server Magazine's forums Web site at
http://www.sqlmag.com/forums/index.cfm
The voting has closed in SQL Server Magazine's Instant Poll for the question, "Do you use SQL Server 2000's SQL/XML?" Here are the results (+/- 1 percent) from the 322 votes (deviations from 100 percent are due to a rounding error):
- 32% Yes
- 37% Not yet, but I plan to
- 32% No, and I don't plan to
The next Instant Poll question is "What kinds of production applications are you creating through the .NET Framework?" Go to the SQL Server Magazine Web site and vote for 1) Web or ASP.NET applications, 2) Windows-based Visual Basic .NET applications, 3) Windows-based C# applications, 4) Windows-based C++ applications, or 5) I'm not using .NET for my production applications.
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3. ANNOUNCEMENTS
(brought to you by SQL Server Magazine and its partners)
Subscribe to SQL Server Magazine and receive 12 print issues of the newest information and tools for SQL Server. You'll get free access to the entire article archive and active forums on the Web AND receive the latest System Table Map Poster. Limited quantities are available, so subscribe today!
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Join the SQL Server Magazine industry research panel. You'll have the opportunity to comment on trends in the industry and provide market input to make your voice heard in the SQL Server community. There's no cost to join, so begin expressing your views today. Register here:
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4. HOT RELEASES (ADVERTISEMENTS)
Get more out of your existing SQL Servers. The first high availability, shared data clustering solution that allows you to consolidate stand-alone and active-passive pairs of SQL Servers, eliminate data silos, and reduce TCO 50%.
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Visit SSWUG.org and get an immediacy of SQL Server support and information. You can access the latest news, tips, security bulletins and get immediate responses to issues with SQL Server, Oracle, and/or XML technologies. Click here:
http://lists.sqlmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edh80FgQMn0BRZ0BAaZ0AO
The SQL Server Magazine Master CD provides realtime, high-speed access to all articles, code, tips, and expertise published in SQL Server Magazine and T-SQL Solutions. Search by keyword, subject, author, or issue. Subscribe today:
http://lists.sqlmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edh80FgQMn0BRZ0BDUB0Ap
5. RESOURCES
Get more out of your existing SQL Servers. The first high availability, shared data clustering solution that allows you to consolidate stand-alone and active-passive pairs of SQL Servers, eliminate data silos, and reduce TCO 50%.
http://lists.sqlmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edh80FgQMn0BRZ0BDsb0Ar
Visit SSWUG.org and get an immediacy of SQL Server support and information. You can access the latest news, tips, security bulletins and get immediate responses to issues with SQL Server, Oracle, and/or XML technologies. Click here:
http://lists.sqlmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edh80FgQMn0BRZ0BAaZ0AO
The SQL Server Magazine Master CD provides realtime, high-speed access to all articles, code, tips, and expertise published in SQL Server Magazine and T-SQL Solutions. Search by keyword, subject, author, or issue. Subscribe today:
http://lists.sqlmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edh80FgQMn0BRZ0BDUB0Ap
Send your technical questions to [email protected].
6. NEW AND IMPROVED
(contributed by Dawn Cyr)
Enterprise Blocks announced its Enterprise Blocks business intelligence (BI) toolkit, which lets developers create enterprise-class analytic applications without the high cost of a proprietary analytic platform. The software's two-tier architecture lets you integrate data analysis into existing business solutions. Enterprise Blocks contains a set of Microsoft .NET class libraries that let you build database queries by using object-oriented techniques instead of hand coding loose scripts. The software's Web service APIs are designed according to OLE DB for OLAP and XML for Analysis specifications. Pricing for Enterprise Blocks starts at $1995 per server. For more information, contact Enterprise Blocks at
http://lists.sqlmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edh80FgQMn0BRZ0BDsc0As
LogicLibrary announced Logidex for .NET, a library of software development assets (SDAs). Software architects, business analysts, and developers can search the library of preloaded .NET building blocks to develop .NET Framework-based applications. The preloaded building blocks include frameworks, patterns, best practices, sample code, and associated artifacts. The Logidex add-in for Visual Studio .NET 2003 lets application developers access Logidex's SDA management capabilities—including a wizard-driven capture tool for adding an organization's own SDAs to the library and mapping their relationships to each other and to the preloaded .NET content—from within Visual Studio. You can access a read-only version of the Logidex .NET Library on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) at http://lab.msdn.microsoft.com/logidex. For pricing and other information, contact LogicLibrary at
http://lists.sqlmag.com/cgi-bin3/DM/y/edh80FgQMn0BRZ0BDsd0At
7. CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:
- ABOUT THE COMMENTARY — [email protected]
- ABOUT THE NEWSLETTER IN GENERAL — [email protected]
(please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)
- TECHNICAL QUESTIONS — http://www.sqlmag.com/forums
- PRODUCT NEWS — [email protected]
- QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR SQL SERVER MAGAZINE UPDATE SUBSCRIPTION?
Customer Support — [email protected]
- WANT TO SPONSOR SQL SERVER MAGAZINE UPDATE?
Contact Kate Silvertooth at [email protected] or 888-398-9774.
SQL Server Magazine UPDATE is brought to you by SQL Server Magazine, the only magazine completely devoted to helping developers and DBAs master new and emerging SQL Server technologies and issues. Subscribe today.
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The SQL Server Magazine Connections conference—loaded with best-practices information from magazine authors and Microsoft product architects—provides you with the latest SQL Server tools, tips, and real-life examples you need to do your job.
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Copyright 2003, Penton Media, Inc.
