SQL Server Magazine UPDATE, February 15, 2007--Gartner’s BI Report is Magically Interesting

In This Issue:
If you’re a database professional, then BI is part of your future. Here’s a look at a recent Gartner report that delves into upcoming trends in the growing BI market and reveals how vendors placed in the Gartner Magic Quadrant.

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February 15, 2007

1. Perspectives

Gartner’s BI Report is Magically Interesting

2. SQL Server Watch

Product Watch: Imperva and iT-Workplace

3. Hot Articles

Q&A: Last Batch in Master..Sysprocesses
Editorial: Easy Does It
Puzzled by T-SQL: OVER Clause and Ordered Calculations
In a Nutshell: Speaking in Tel Aviv
Hot Threads: SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services and Data Access

4. Events and Resources

Design a Solid Group Policy Deployment Plan
Serve Your Customers, Not Your Servers
Secure Mail and Messaging Infrastructure
SQL Server Magazine Connections

5. Featured White Paper

Transfer Your ERwin Skills to PowerDesigner

6. Reader Challenge

February Reader Challenge Solution: Check for an Empty Table
Editor’s Note About Upcoming Challenges

7. Announcements

Introducing a Unique Scripting Resource
Grab Your Share of the Spotlight!

8. Web Community

http://www.sqlmag.com

Sponsor: SPI Dynamics
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1. Perspectives

Gartner’s BI Report is Magically Interesting
by Brian Moran, [email protected]

At the end of January, the Gartner Group released its “Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence Platforms, 1Q07” report. Last September, in “The Magic of BI”, I wrote about Gartner’s “Magic Quadrant for Data Warehouse Database Management Systems 2006” report, which was similar to the current report and overlaps product coverage in some ways. But as their names suggest, the two reports are different. The data warehouse report released last fall focuses more on BI from a data warehouse perspective, whereas the report Gartner issued a few weeks ago focused more on “pure” BI. I think it was Shakespeare who said “BI by any other name is still BI” (they had dimensional modeling in the time of the bard, right?). I could devote multiple articles to simply parsing the differences between the terms BI and data warehousing, but in the interest of time and space, let’s just say that you should read both of the reports if BI or data warehousing is a topic that’s in your future. Are you a database professional? Then both topics are in your future, whether you realize it or not.

Read the full article at:
http://www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/95190/sql_server_95190.html

Sponsor: Sybase
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2. SQL Server Watch

Product Watch
by Blake Eno, [email protected]

Free Database-Vulnerability Scanner
To help you meet security and compliance requirements, Imperva announced Scuba, a free database-vulnerability scanner that identifies and documents vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in production databases. Scuba is a lightweight Java utility that can scan SQL Server, Oracle, IBM DB2, and Sybase databases for numerous vulnerabilities that facilitate SQL injection, buffer overflow, and other attacks. Scuba also detects configuration changes such as insecure passwords, unsafe processes, and unrestricted permission levels. The software's reports tell you the overall risk assessment of each database, including the total assessments passed and failed, and a distribution of discovered vulnerabilities by severity. You can download Scuba at Imperva's Web site. For more information, contact Imperva at 650-345-9000 or 866-926-4678 or visit http://www.imperva.com.

Create Reports in Microsoft Office Word 2007
iT-Workplace announced Intelligencia for Word 2007, an add-in for Microsoft Office Word 2007 that lets end users create and distribute reports in Word, using data from relational and OLAP data sources. To create a report with Intelligencia for Word 2007, users select a data source, visually build the query, and format the results. Intelligencia can combine data from different sources, without any programming, and lets users create a number of business reports, including regulatory accounts, compliance reports, management accounts, sales performance, project process, and customer satisfaction. For more information, contact iT-Workplace at [email protected] or vistit http://www.it-workplace.com.

3. Hot Articles

Q&A: Last Batch in Master..Sysprocesses
by Brian Moran, [email protected]

Q: What does it mean when you see a value of 1900-01-01 00:00:00.000 in master..sysprocesses' last_batch column?

Read the answer to this question today at
http://www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/44847/Last_Batch_in_MasterSysprocesses.html

Editorial: Easy Does It
SQL Server started out a couple of steps behind other database platforms, but with new and future releases focused on change management and end-to-end business insight, Microsoft plans to finish ahead of the competition. Read this article today and post your comments at http://www.sqlmag.com/Articles/ArticleID/94715/94715.html.

Puzzled by T-SQL: OVER Clause and Ordered Calculations
Read Itzik Ben-Gan’s analysis of missing language elements in SQL Server, suggestions for improvements, and help make a difference by casting your vote!

http://www.sqlmag.com/article/articleid/95007/sql_server_blog_95007.html

Speaking in Tel-Aviv
Sometimes it’s difficult to be the referee that has to decide which of several opposing viewpoints are the best. However, Kevin Kline always enjoys visiting Israel because of the incredible smarts and passion of the SQL Server community there. Kevin’s considering putting his Tel Aviv session into article or white paper format. Send read about the session and send him your thoughts about its article potential today at http://www.sqlmag.com/article/articleid/95152/sql_server_blog_95152.html.

Hot Threads:

4. Events and Resources

Are you planning to deploy or increase your use of Group Policy? Attend this free Web seminar and learn how to design a solid deployment plan, get tips on the best ways to set up delegation, discover the importance of good Group Policy change control, and learn how to optimize processing performance. Live event: February 28, 2007 at 12:00 PM EST.

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SQL Server Magazine Connections
March 25-28, 2007, Orlando World Center Marriott. Dive into SQL Server 2005 and train with Microsoft architects and world-renowned developers and DBAs. Choose from 40 in-depth, no-hype sessions. Register early to save $100 and attend sessions of the co-located Visual Studio Connections and Microsoft ASP.NET Connections for FREE. For more details, call 800-438-6720 or 203-268-3204.

See the complete Windows IT Pro Network guide to Web and live events.

5. Featured White Paper

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6. Reader Challenge

February Reader Challenge Solution: Check for an Empty Table
by Umachandar Jayachandran, [email protected]

There were no winners for the February Reader Challenge, "Check for an Empty Table." Read a recap of the problem and the solution to the February Reader Challenge at http://www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/95198/sql_server_95198.html.

Editor’s Note: Congratulations to Umachandar Jayachandran, the author of our monthly Reader Challenge, who recently celebrated the birth of his son! Umachandar will be taking a short hiatus, but look for the return of the Reader Challenge puzzle in both the print edition of SQL Server Magazine and in SQL Server Magazine UPDATE in April.

7. Announcements

Introducing a Unique Scripting Resource
Scripting Pro VIP is an online information center that delivers new articles (and downloadable code!) every week on topics such as ADSI and PowerShell. Subscribers also receive tips, cautionary advice, direct access to our editors, and a host of other benefits! Order now at an exclusive charter rate and save up to $50!

Grab Your Share of the Spotlight!
Nominate yourself or a peer to become IT Pro of the Month. This is your chance to get the recognition you deserve! Winners will receive over $600 in IT resources and be featured in Windows IT Pro. It's easy to enter—we're accepting March nominations now, but only for a limited time! Submit your nomination today: http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/itpromonth

8. Web Community

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