SQL Server 2008 R2 Training Kit

SQL Server 2008 R2 Training Kit

New updated version of SQL Server 2008 R2 Training Kit is available for download from the microsoft site.

This has some hands on labs, tutorials, presentations, and videos.

Download from:http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=fffaad6a-0153-4d41-b289-a3ed1d637c0d

Hope you will enjoy using this training kit.

Recap from SQL Saturday Auckland event -- 10th April 2010

This past weekend I have attended the SQL Saturday event in Auckland.

The turnout for this event was really good with close to 100 people attending including the organizers and presenters. Thanks to everyone that helped out to put on a very successful event.

Here is a list of the presenters and the topics presented. We had to cancel the main organizer’s (Dave Dustin) due to lack of time.

Session Title	My learning’s in brief
Analysis Services - Introduction to Business Intelligence with SQL 2008 Justin King	The demonstration was really good as he took us through the entire cycle of creating an SSAS project. Also covered the basics of terminology in his presentation.
What is LINQ – and what the heck is it doing to my database? Ivan Towlson	Didn’t know what LINQ was before and now I know what it is and what advantages we can have with it.
Database Index investigation with DMVs Leo Miller	Learnt a whole heap of stuff on DMVs from DMV concepts, DMV groups to how to use them. Very valuable session.
SQL Server Integration Services 2008 Ben Gracewood	Learnt about SSIS custom templates which was new to me even though I had worked on SSIS and didn’t know anything about them.
36 to 6 SQL Servers – Consolidation from the Trenches Peter Ward	Peter is a very good presenter and I am impressed with his presentation that analogy he gives are realy amazing. Learnt what consolidation is and why we need to consolidation.
Common Misconceptions about Clustering Leo Miller	Why clustering is done and what the actual misconceptions.
Data warehousing & BI on SQL Server 2008 Douglas Barrett	Learnt what’s new in SQL SERVER 2008 R2 in the data warehousing world.
Comparing SQL in large vs small environments James Stewart	Learnt about the various performance tools and monitoring models. Also the various types of alerts.
Training for SQL Server 2008 certification, and why it's worth it Amanda Jackson	I am planning on to do the Business Intelligence certification which was very clear in Amanda’s presentation. Also information about what is available in Microsoft Elearning portal.

The lunch was Pizzas and subway sandwiches which was delicious. We also had an afternoon tea of Giapo Gelato Ice cream.

During every session there were various prizes for the people who were asking questions and also at the end there were some prizes from the sponsors.

I will try to blog on each presentation in detail a bit later.

Disable report filter selection in a Pivot Table in Excel

I had to work on disabling a field (report filter) on a Pivot Table in Excel 2007. I googled a lot on this and there was no straight forward answer. Hence thought of sharing my solution with anyone who wants to do the same thing

Here is the code that I have used to achieve this

Right click on the sheet where there is a pivot table and click on View Code
Add the following code

Option Explicit
Private Sub Workbook_Open()DisableSectorSelectionEnd Sub
Sub DisableSectorSelection() Dim pt As PivotTable On Error Resume NextSet pt = Selection.PivotTableIf Not pt Is Nothing Then pt.PivotFields("Sector").EnableItemSelection = False
End Sub

Save and reopen the file.
The filter should not be disbaled on the worksheet.

The following features cannot be saved in macro-free workbooks

The following features cannot be saved in macro-free workbooks

VB Project

To save a file with these features, click no, and then choose a macro -
enabled file type in the file type list.

To continue saving as a macro freee workbook, click yes.

That was the error I was getting today when I wanted to write a macro in Excel 2007.

In order to make an Excel 2007 workbook macro enabled, you need to save the workbook as .xlsm rather than .xlsx That solves the problem of the macros not being enabled.

PowerPoint Show (*.pps) file copies as a PowerPoint (.ppt) file when downloaded from the internet

Today we had a probelm on our website, where when you try to download a PowerPoint Show (.pps) file, the file was downloading as a PowerPoint Presentation (.ppt) file instead of a .pps file.

I have done some research on google and found the following solution to my problem.

• In IIS Administrative Console snap-in, right-click the specific Web server where the .pps file is located, and then click Properties.
• Click the HTTP Headers tab.
• Click on Mime Types button in IIS 6.0
• Click the File Types button in older versions of IIS.
• Click New Type.
• In the Extension box, type .pps, and then in the Content type (MIME) box, type application/vnd.ms-pps.
• Click OK, and then restart IIS.

To know more click on the link from Microsoft

Checksum Vs. Hashbytes

What is Checksum?
Checksum is a function available in sql server 2005 and sql server 2008. It is intended to build a hash index based on an expression or column list.

Determining if two rows or expressions are equal can be a difficult and resource intensive process. This can be the case where the update was conditional based on all of the columns being equal or not for a specific row. Without checksums it is a long process of using innerjoins to identify the exact row to update in the update statements.

When is Checksum used?
When you need to compare the unique characteristics of an expression, columns or a table consider using the Checksum function.

When you have to update a row where many columns are compared to determine if the data is unique, use CHECKSUM function to build a unique value using checksum function and then compare the CHECKSUM values.



Example:

Hashbytes

What is hashbytes function?
HashBytes function was introduced in SQL server 2005 to simplify creating hashes in the database. It can convert values to MD2, MD4, MD5, SHA, or SHA1 formats.

When can you use a hash function?
Hash functions are a useful option to improve the efficiency of particular queries on large volumes of data. For example, on long strings of text, you can build a hash-index to perform efficient lookups or to speed up aggregate operations.


Differences between checksum and Hashbytes

Checksum	Hashbytes
Faster but can produce lot of duplicate values	Slower but efficient than checksum
Returns an int value	Returns a varbinary(8000)
Microsoft does NOT recommend using CHECKSUM for change detection purposes	Use Hashbytes for change detection purposes

Problem problems with Powerpoint

I had problems printing powerpoint slides this morning and here is an excerpt from an article on pptfaq.

Workaround

If you're willing to accept a slightly smaller slide image, you can print Notes Pages instead of Slides. Modify the Notes Master in your presentation:

• Choose File, Slide Setup and set Notes pages to print in the same orientation as your slide pages
• Choose View, Master, Notes Master
• Select and delete the notes text and any other text placeholders you don't want to appear on your slide printouts.
• Select and scale the slide image on the notes master to a larger size. NOT full page, but somewhat smaller. You'll need to find out what the trailing margin on your printer is and make the margins on both sides of your notes master at least that large.
• Print a trial notes page from one of your slides. It will probably be off center. Go back to the notes master and move the slide image accordingly. It'll probably take several trial printouts to get right, but once you've got it nailed down, you should be able to get printouts of just your slides, properly centered on your inkjet printouts.
  
• Once you've got it nailed, right click the slide image, choose Format and record the size and position of the slide image so you can use the same info in your other presentations.

Source: http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00097.htm

Password protect a workbook in Excel 2007

If you want to password protect your workbook in Excel 2007 the following are the steps that need to be followed.

• Click on the Office button on the top left hand corner of the workbook
• click on prepare
• choose restrict permission
• choose a pasword
• you may be asked to reenter the password

That's it your workbook is password protected.

Displaying powerpoint files on a website

I had trouble displaying powerpoint files on the website that I was working on. The problem was the link to the powerpoint file was a powerpoint 2007 show file (.ppsx). But when you clikc on the hyperlink, it was downloading with a .ppt extension

I have done some googling to resolve this problem and found that in order for links to PPTX/PPSX files to work, the two conditions must be met:

• The user must have PowerPoint 2007, the 2007 Viewer or an older version of PowerPoint with the compatibility pack installed so that they can open PPTX/PPSX files in the first place
• The web server configuration on your site must have the correct mediatype/MIME settings to serve PPTX/PPSX files as PowerPoint 2007 presentations.

The above is an extract from the article on pptfaq called Control how the browser opens powerpoint files

Disable accessing a hidden sheet in Excel workbook

I had a requirement today to not display the hidden worksheets in an excel workbook when you try to unhide sheets. Here are the steps I have taken to achieve this.

• Open the VBE (alt-f11)
• Go to the sheet that you want to disable in the unhide option
• View properties window
• Change Visible property to 2 -XlSheetVeryHidden.
• Save and close

Test the unhide option

Outlook meeting request response myth busted

In outlook when a meeting request is received from the organiser, I was under the impression that when I accept the request and choose do not sent response, then the meeting request at the organisers end gets updated that the request has been accepted but the organiser will not be sent an email. This is a myth. I am sure most of us are under this impression.

When you choose do not send a response, there is no way outlook updates the request at the organisers end. So if you want to let the organiser know that you have accepted then you need to send the reponse when you have accepted.

The credit for this learning today goes to Vanessa Taylor -- our Executive Assistant to the CEO.

Convert date to text in excel

If you have a date in a cell, when you try to use it as it is for example in concatenation, the date gets converted to a number and does not retain the date format.

In order to retain the date format and still be used as text -- the formula that can be used is TExt(datecell, "dd-mm-yyyy")

Reflections from CLoud Camp -- Auckland

I have attended a cloud camp that was held in Auckland on Feb 26th 2010. Here are some points sent by Ben the Cloud camp organiser.

I posted a roundup here giving my thoughts on the event. Thanks to all our sponsors who made the event possible - Gen-i, enStratus, Microsoft, salesforce, vmware, Intergen, the University of Auckland and Zendesk. Thanks also to Anne Bilek for doing a great job of helping to organise things on the ground.

Paul from Gen-i wrote an interesting post with his reflections on the event - you can read it here.

Similarly Ryan from Intergen wrote an interesting perspective here.

Finally Nigel from Microsoft filmed the Lightning Talk given by Darryl Burling - also well worth a look. click here to watch the vid.

Have you heard of Worldcard?

Worldcard is a bizcard recognition solution for iPhones. This uses a built-in camera in smartphone to capture bizcard images and has a powerful recognition function to turn business card information into contacts right away.

To know more about it.........

How to become an exceptional DBA?

Today I have attended the webinar by Brad McGehee titled 'How to become an Exceptional DBA' which was an inspirational talk about why and how you need to be exceptional. Following are the learnings from this webinar.

Characteristics of an Exceptional DBA:
Enjoy Technology, challenges, problem solving, eye for detail and embrace change, trustworthy, accept responsibility, maintain professionalism, dependable, manage time well, be patient, good listener and most of all self confident.


Honing your skills

• Having a 4 year degree differentiates you from the crowd and this degree need not be in IT or CS.
• Boosting your technical skills is a self taught process by attending seminars, conferences, code camps, online training etc.
• Mastering related technical skills like virtualisation, operating system, hardware, clustering
• Practical experience is the key to be an exceptional DBA.
• Mastering soft skills like people skills, teamwork skills, project management, leadership skills, time management, writing skills, speaking skills, knowledge of legal responsibilities. These can be done by volunteering.

Specialising as a DBA:

Choose one or more of the following:

• DBA Adminstrator
• DBA Developer
• DBA High Availability/Disaster Recovery
• DBA Database Designer/Architect
• DBA BI SSAS specialist
• DBA BI SSIS specialist
• DBA BI SSRS specialist
• DBA Trainer
• DBA Consultant

• Professional certification helps you differentiate from other DBAs
• Volunteer and participate in the SQL SERVER community. this is mainly to help yourself as participating develops your soft skills, make new contacts, increases your bdepth and breadth of knowledge, building your network etc.

Manage your internal brand

• Understand business goals of your company, and focus on how to help achieve them.
• Be a leader and take the intitiative.
• Accept responsibilty for your actions
• Have a "Get it done" attitude
• Don't abuse your power
• Actively participate and contribute in meetings
• Help others be successful
• Most importantly avoid office politics
• Be proactive by keeping all the stakeholders in the loop

Manage your online brand

• Seperate professional and personal online presence
• Don't post anything negative
• Online conducta and content should be professional, and

Last but not the least, you should take control of your career by deciding what you want from your career, set realsitic, short term goals in order to reach major milestones in your career plan. Most importantly follow through your goals.

Connecting to SQL Server via Windows PowerShell with SQL Server authentication

Here is a tip from MSSQLTIPS that shows you how to connect to powershell with sql server authentication.

Today I have attended the free webinar on T-SQL for SLQ Server from Pragmatic Works. This was a fantastic session by Patrick LeBlanc. Even though I had some experience in T-SQL I have learnt a few new things mostly the new features of SQL SERVER 2008. The recorded webinar can be viewed from the resources page and click on View Recording at the relevant webinar.

Interesting things I have learnt from this webinar are as follows:

• If you don't want to type the table names you can drag a table into the query window from the object explorer.
• If you don't want to type the field names you can expand the table and drag the columns folder into the query window from the object explorer and the list of fields of the table automatically appear in the query window.
  
  Set Identity_Insert On or OFF
  
• You can update an ID column by setting the above variable on for a specific column. But remember to set the value to Off once you have updated the ID column as this works for one table at a time.
  Example:
  SET Identity_Insert tablename ON
  Insert INTO (IDcolumn, field1, field2)
  Values(6,ssss,zzzz)
  SET Identity_Insert tablename OFF
  
  
• A very good description (illustration) of rather differnces between, Inner join, left outer join and right outer join.
• The use of output statement
• Grouping Sets feature of SQL SERVER 2008
  

Hope you also find this resource useful.

Do your backups for SQL server still exist?

Now that you have confirgured your backups on SQLSERVER, the backups themselves seem to be working, but are the files still where you think they are? How do you know they have not been moved, or worse, deleted to free up some space on your server? And when would you find out that the files were no longer there? If you are looking for the file to do a restore, and cannot find it, then it is too late.

Here is an tip from MSsqltips that shows you a simple way to check through the backup history to find the last full backup for each database and also to check that the file still exists where it is supposed to exist. Read More .............

Cloud computing Costs and ROI

I came across this video on you tube that shows how to calculate the costs and ROI for cloud computing.

What is Cloud Computing?

Cloud computing has taken the IT world by storm, quickly making its way up the list of technology buzz words - but what does the term really mean? And how will cloud computing change the way you manage and organize your digital information in the future? (Relax News)

Here is the link to an article published by The Independent on What is Cloud Computing

Here is a video published on You Tube on What is Cloud Computing?

Cloudcamp in Auckland

Today I have registered for the CLoudcamp event that is happening in Auckland. If you also want to register for the Auckland cloudcamp please go to this link.

Cloud camps are in the tradition of unconferences where anyone can put themselves forward to present a session.

CloudCamp is an unconference where early adopters of Cloud Computing technologies exchange ideas. With the rapid change occurring in the industry, we need a place where we can meet to share our experiences, challenges and solutions. At CloudCamp, you are encouraged to share your thoughts in several open discussions, as we strive for the advancement of Cloud Computing. End users, IT professionals and vendors are all encouraged to participate.

Adding a calculated field in pivot table

The following are the steps to add a calculated field inside a pivot table in Excel

• Click on a cell inside a pivot table.
• Go the PivotTable Tools -- Options -- Click on Formula --Calculated Field
• Add the formula for the calculated field
• Click ok. This will add the calculated field to the Pivot table as well.

Upgrade plan for SQL SERVER 2008

We have to upgrade out sql server 2005 to sql server 2008 in the coming months. Here is a comprehensive article that I found on MSSQLTIPS that could be used when you plan an upgrade. Read More

Data storage and retrieval for geospatial data in SQL Server 2008

I have a need to use geospatial data which will assist plotting the trainees available by region and compare wtih the sales staff region in our company. Here is a link from myssqltips that I found as part of that project.

Why Powershell?

Did you also have this question when you first heard about Powershell? I did indeed and googled the why........ Here are a couple of links that answer this question.

Windows Powershell: Why developers should care?
Why Powershell?

Have you heard about Dropbox?

Dropbox is the easiest way to store, sync, and, share files online. There's no complicated interface to learn. Dropbox works seamlessly with your operating system. Here is the link to it.

Common DBA tasks

Any idea what a common DBA tasks are?

• Adding users in SQL Server is one of the most funtamental tasks you'll perform. This article describes in great detail the different steps you have to take to establish a new user in SQL Server.
• Have you ever needed moving the database from one location to another? In SQL Server, you will need functionality to detach and attach your database in order to move it from one location to another. Here you will find a thorough description of what you'll need to do.
• As a DBA, you will very likely need to move bulks of data from one database to another, or make a copy of your data. This article provides a step-by-step tutorial on Import and Export in SQL Server
• Today's database systems need mechanisms to increase performance. One of the most important things you can do, is adding SQL Server indexes
• Scheduling jobs is a very useful functionality of the SQL Server database. There are several uses of this feature. Read more in this article on SQL Server jobs
• Preparing a maintenance plan is an important task, but SQL Server provides you with a wisard for such a plan. Read this tutorial on how to set up a SQL Server Maintenance Plan
• Every database needs a backup copy. Hopefully, you will never need it, but all practice has learnt us that a backup can come in very handy. Read this tutorial on how to produce a SQL Server backup
• When disaster happens, you have of course a disaster plan and a backup of the database?. If so, it is easy to perform a SQL Server Restore Database operation.
• Sooner or later, you will most likely have to search for performance bottlenecks, or perform other monitoring tasks. This article is a simple tutorial on how to use SQL Server Profiler
• If your database should go down, you need to bring it back to as current state as possible. In case of a system failure, the SQL Server Transaction Log will prove invaluable.

What is Windows Azure?

The Windows Azure platform offers a flexible, familiar environment for developers to create cloud applications and services. With Windows Azure, you can shorten your time to market and adapt as demand for your service grows.


The Windows Azure platform gives you:

• A familiar development experience
• On-demand scalability
• Reduced time-to-market for your applications

Windows Azure offers a platform that is easily implemented alongside your current environment.

• Windows Azure: operating system as an online service
• Microsoft SQL Azure: fully relational cloud database solution
• Windows Azure platform AppFabric: makes it simpler to connect cloud services and on-premises applications

Unsubscribe from alerts in Sharepoint 2007

Today I had a need to remove alerts from a sharepoint site for a group of users. I did not want to login as each user and then unsubscribe. It took me a while to figure the following.

To unsubscribe users for a sharepoint alert Click on Site Actions ---> site Settings -----> User alerts.

Now select each user and click on Update. The alerts are shown which can then be selected and deleted.

Add a line break in an Excel cell

Sometimes you might have a need to add a line break (press enter so that a new paragraph is created). To do this the key combination is Alt + Enter

SQL Azure

Microsoft now offers a “cloud” version of SQL Server called SQL Azure. Cloud in this context means SQL Server lives out on the internet, on equipment managed by Microsoft. We access SQL Azure as a service over the internet either programmatically with Dot Net, or through the command line using SQLCMD. SQL Azure is very similar to traditional SQL Server and now supports many standard TSQL commands. This article will demonstrate the use of TSQL commands to create SQL Azure objects.

Installing SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services 32-bit on a 64-bit Windows Server system

We have a Windows 64-bit server and need to install the 32-bit version of SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services on this machine since there are other applications where we are using IIS on the 32-bit version. This article from MSSQLtips outlines the steps you need to take for this installation....

Read More

AJAX Guestbook

Unobtrusive AJAX Guestbook.XML is easy to use ajax and php guestbook application. Guestbook.XML is crossbrower, skinnable guestbook and web 2.0 script Read More

SharePoint 2010 Videos Reveal Development Experience

If you are curious what the development experience will be in SharePoint 2010, there are now 10 modules with multiple videos per module that go through the details of using Visual Studio 2010 to customize your SharePoint solution.

Read More

Log on to Internet explorer as a different user

Here is a script that you can use to logon to Internet Explorer as a user that is not the same as the logged in user.

This script is a dos command --
runas /noprofile /user:domain\user "c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe"

This is particularly useful when you have limited user licences on a web based application.

Making speedometers in Excel

I was wanting to create a speedometer gauge in excel and started researching on the internet. Here are the links that I came with...

Interesting article titled Make Excel Charts interactive with sliders, gauge, dials and more by Ashish Mohta

There are several add-ins available that can be used to create speedometers in excel. The one that I liked the most was at Mrexcel.com

The link that I most found useful was this -- Hack together a Gauge Chart in Excel without sweat

Project Gemini gets a new Name........

Microsoft has now given a new name for Project Gemini. It is called Power Pivot.

The official blurb about it is: "PowerPivot provides business users with BI at their fingertips while enabling organizations to efficiently monitor and manage collaboration using Microsoft SharePoint 2010 and SQL Server 2008 based management tools"

You can find more information at the powerpivot site.

Getting rid of overtype mode in word 2007

I had a very annoying 10 min. with Word 2007 today where the Insert key did not disable the insert mode.

Here are the steps I followed to get it back to working.


Click the Microsoft Office button
click Word Options.
Select Advanced.
Click the option to Use Insert key to control overtype mode.
Make sure the Use Overtyp mode is unticked.
Click OK.

Flade (Flash Dynamics Engine) is an open source actionscript 2.0 library for simulating 2D physics using Verlet integration. It currently features rectangular, circular, & wheel primitives, spring & angular constraints, and surfaces composed of line segments, circles, & rectangles. Read More

Creating a scorecard using Performance Point Server 2007

Microsoft is offering Performance Point SErver as part of its Sharepoint Enterprise edition 2007.

This is a very handy application to create some nice dashboards and scorecards for a company.

Here is a link from mssqltips.com that provides a step by step guide to create a scorecard using Performance Point Server 2007.

Scrum 101

Yesterday I attended the Girl Geeks Dinner in Auckland. There were 2 presenters Carolyn Sanders and Sarah both on Agile Development.

Presentation 1:
Carolyn Sanders. The core of the practice of Agile is the delivery of individual projects; it's where most practitioners start out and it fundamentally changes the way a project team works together and works with their stakeholders. Scrum is one of the most popular Agile delivery approaches at the moment. In this presentation, Carolyn Sanders uses one of her recent projects as a way to illustrate each facet of Scrum and how it panned out in real life, from start to finish. This talk is directed at developers, testers, project managers, PMO managers and CIOs - who are relatively new to Scrum and want to explore the practical detail at the day-to-day level of a single project. The session will end with a Q&A to allow you to explore how Scrum integrates with other parts of the practice of Agile, or dig deeper into how it worked for one team.

Presentation 2:
Sarah Fairbairn. Sarah is a senior developer who has worked on Agile projects in the past and is currently working on an Agile project. Sarah will give a presentation about development in an Agile environment, the pros & cons and pitfalls to look out for based upon real world examples.


I have embeded the link of Carolyn's presentation here

APN Auckland Event 9 - Scrum 101, Unleashing the Theory

View more presentations from Carolyn Sanders.

Some interesting Sharepoint web parts

Here is a good link I found today while surfing for sharepoint web parts.

Delete all data from a database

I had a requirement today to delete all data from a sqlser ver database. This database has about 350 tables with a lot constraints. I manually started identifying the order of deletion absed on the constraints and realsied that this can't be done in a day. So I hit the good old google for help.

Here I found a very detailed explanation of how to easily achieve this by Susan Sales Harkins. Read More

Tips for resizing an image in photoshop

I was having a problem resizing an image yesterday. When I did a search, I found this great article that retains the quality of the image. Read More

Converting DTS to SSIS in SQL SERVER 2005

The easiest way to convert your SLQ SERVER 2000 DTS packages to SSIS is to use a tool called 'DTS xChange' that is available for download here

Here is link to the webcast by Brian Knight of Pragmatic works explaining in detail as to how to proceed with the DTS xChange tool.

One of the functions of a DBA is to keep an eye on free space within the database and database files. The auto grow feature is great as a last resort, but proactively managing the database files is a better approach.

Also, this information can be used to shrink data files as needed if there is a lot of free space in the files. In this tip from MSSQLTIPS they take a look at a few ways to find the current free space within a database, so you can better manage your database files.... Read More

Project Gemini

Project Gemini is a powerful data analysis tool. Here is the link for the sneak preview of Project Gemini.

Building a dashboard using SSRS

Here is a tip from MSSQLTips I found useful on how to create a dashboard using Sql Server Reporting Services.

Read More

Introduction to AJAX

This is an excerpt of Chapter 1 from the book, ASP.NET 3.5 AJAX Unleashed, authored by Rob Foster.

Here is the link that was posted on codeguru

CSS Forums

If you are intermediate in CSS and looking to enhance your CSS knowledge then this post going to help you. By joining any of the following CSS forums will help you to boost your CSS knowledge.

Read More

Browsercap.ini update for IE 8

As soon as the Internet Explorer 8.0 was released and our customers have updated to IE 8.0 I started having queries about crystal reports compatibility with IE 8.0

The fist step I took was to update the browsercap.ini The code I used to update is as follows:

[code]
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; IE 8.0

[IE 8.0]
parent=IE 7.0
version=8
majorver=8
minorver=0

[*(*MSIE 8.*Mac*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Mac

[*(*MSIE 8.*Win 1*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Win 2*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Win 3*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Win 9*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Win N*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Win X*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Windows 1*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Windows 2*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Windows 3*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Windows 9*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Windows N*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win

[*(*MSIE 8.*Windows X*)*]
parent=IE 8.0
platform=Win





[/code]

How Ajax works

AJAX has gotten more and more popular over the years, and has allowed web applications to act more and more like desktop applications. AJAX can provide a lot of additional functionality that could not be accomplished any other way.

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Substring syntax in sql

Yesterday I was trying to get a part of a string from a field where the first comma occurs.

For example there is a field named 'Descriptor' which is a combination of "full name, Date of birth, unique number of the record" in that order. I wanted to get the full name using a select statement.

Here is the syntax I used.


select substring(descriptor,1,charindex(',', descriptor)-1) as [fullname]
from contacts

CSS Bubble Tooltips

Avoid cross-browser javascript when you can use css to make tooltips with less code. Honestly you were going to use css to style your tooltips anyway right? Your probably already have most of this code in your css already too. You can hover over meThis is my Bubble Tooltip with CSS to see how well these bubble tooltips work. Besides that if you have an advanced site in the first place you probably have enought javascript already.

For more info click here

Coding a Clean Web 2.0 Style Web Design from Photoshop

Here is a tutorial link for creating a clean web 2.0 style web design in photoshop.

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20 best tutorials to convert Psd to Html/CSS

Here is a list of 20 best tutorials to convert Psd to Html/CSS. These tutorials should help you learn how to find the best way to code it.

Read More

Getting started with Sql Server Analysis Services

Here is a tutorial from MSSQL Tips on SQL SERVER Analysis Services.


Read more

In most organizations today, business critical and confidential data resides in some type of database, increasingly, SQL Server. As a result, SQL Server database security and compliance have become critical issues that must be effectively addressed to ensure an organization’s overall security. The goal is simple - minimize business risk, data theft, and data losses through good security practices. This whitepaper gives an overview of 10 key areas you need to focus on in order to ensure SQL Server security, and avoid finding your company in the headlines.

Click here to download the whitepaper

7 Free Resources for Eye-Popping Graphics and Animation

A picture will always be worth a thousand words. The good news is that in the open source world, there are many excellent, free graphics and animation tools, plus free resources for getting started with them right away.

read more | digg story

7 Free Resources for Eye-Popping Graphics and Animation

A picture will always be worth a thousand words. The good news is that in the open source world, there are many excellent, free graphics and animation tools, plus free resources for getting started with them right away.

read more | digg story

Paper+Color+Concept=40 Creative & Inspirational Piece of Art

40 spectacular paper designs (using amazing colors & concepts) that need to look good and be informative in order to focus users’ attention and effectively convey the message.

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Paper+Color+Concept=40 Creative & Inspirational Piece of Art

40 spectacular paper designs (using amazing colors & concepts) that need to look good and be informative in order to focus users’ attention and effectively convey the message.

read more | digg story

7 Fresh and Simple Ways to Test Cross-Browser Compatibility

This post is written for designer, developers, or anyone else who has struggled with testing their websites across multiple browsers.

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10 Steps To The Perfect Portfolio Website

You may have a personal portfolio website for a number of reasons. If you’re a freelancer, then you’d need one to showcase your work and allow people to contact you. If you’re a student (or unemployed), then you’d need one to show prospective employers how good you are and what you can do, so that they might hire you.

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Paper+Color+Concept=40 Creative & Inspirational Piece of Art

40 spectacular paper designs (using amazing colors & concepts) that need to look good and be informative in order to focus users’ attention and effectively convey the message.

read more | digg story

13 Most Desirable Collection Of Free Resources For Designers

Here are countless free stuffs available for designers which everyone should review at least once. In this post, I have collected 13 Most Desirable Collection Of Free Resources For Every Designer.

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How to use Icons to Support Content in Web Design

This article showcases beautiful examples and best practices of using icons to support content in web design. Please feel free to take a look at the showcases of navigation menus, search boxes, blockquotes and web forms.

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How to use Icons to Support Content in Web Design

This article showcases beautiful examples and best practices of using icons to support content in web design. Please feel free to take a look at the showcases of navigation menus, search boxes, blockquotes and web forms.

read more | digg story

Problems connecting to SSAS 2005 from Excel 2003

Today I was trying to connect to SSAS 2005 cube from Excel 2003 and I was not able to do so using the exisitng OLAP 8.0.

I had to download the folowing to resolve the problem.

1. Microsoft Core XML Services (MSXML) 6.0 SP1
2. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services 9.0 OLE DB Provider

I have followed the article on Microsoft downloads http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940167

and that solved my problem !

Internal Domain Redirects with ASP.net and C# (C-sharp)

An extremely useful article explaining how to issue internal domain redirects in ASP.net, through modifying global.asax.

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Terminate User processes in SQL Server

This article illustrates how to create a simple procedure to kill many sessions at the same time, kill a range of sessions and kill all of the sessions connecting to a database.

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Custom Error Handling in ASP.net C# (C-Sharp)

An article offering a nice solution on how to properly set up custom error handling in ASP.net.

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CopyFileEx With Progress Callback in 20C

This article will show you how to call unmanaged DLL functions from C#. It will specifically walk through how to call CopyFileEx with a callback to report progress.

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Flash vs Silverlight: Laser Orbit

A stunning effect with a laser orbiting around the mouse! In this example, it demonstrated the difference in dispatching Event between AS3 and C#.It included both Flash and Silverlight versions with complete source codes.

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Creating 3D and 2D Interactive Web Content

Learn and read more about this 3D platform, that is web-based (supports most common browsers)!

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Collections of Internet Resources for Software Developers

As a software developer, you need to constantly update your knowledge on new software technologies and new career opportunities for your own career development. This requires you spending time on search and find information on software technologies and career opportunities. This collection of Internet resources will help your to locate the informat

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How To Watch YouTube Videos In High Quality

The technique to view youtube videos in higher quality is extremley simple and can be applied to any youtube video, it will however only work directly on the youtube website and only for some videos reportedly all after 2006.

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Flash Quiz - Create your own free quiz

Want to create a quiz for your website but don't have the skills? This free software lets you quickly create and customise your very own multiple choice quiz. Just download the software and use the step-by-step wizard.

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Grade your website

Website Grader is a free tool that measures the marketing effectiveness of a web site. The tool provides a score that incorporates elements such as web site traffic, SEO, social popularity, and other technical factors. This is a great tool when it comes to gaining an idea about what's working well and what could be improved on your site.

Scheduling a SSAS backup on SQL Server 2005

Today I had a requirement to schedule a backup on SQL Server Analysis Services. Here is the link that I found very useful for me. SSIS package to backup SSAS databases

Copying records from database into another -- SQL

I had this requirement today where I had to copy from a table in one database into a similar table in another database.

the code I have used in

[code]
insert into database1.dbo.table1 select * from database2.dbo.table1 where xxxxx
[/code]

where xxxx is the criteria that you need to add.

Precautions you have to tak before you do this.

Backup the database into which you are copying the record so that you can restore if something goes wrong.
Copy contents when there are no other transactions being entered into the database1

Amazing Free Website Template, Table less Website

Free table less or div template of Website Brewers... Cool website layouts with psd files, ie6 and firefox compatible. Ready to used to CMS template such as Wordpress or Joomla. Other templates includes Flash Slideshow and FLA File. You can also used on static pages... CSS Style Sheet have description and comments. The images are optimize by 80%.

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Water Text Photoshop Tutorial

Learn how to create a text with "water" effects.

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20+ Ways to Make Money Creating Online Cartoons

Various methods of using animation to make money, a few I am sure you expect and perhaps a couple you haven’t yet considered.

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Learn, discuss and explore the realm of Graphic Design

Useful resource for designers. Interesting articles.

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Mastering Visual C# .NET

Mastering Visual C# .NET is the best resource for getting everything you can out of the new C# language and the .NET Framework. You'll master C# language essentials, quickly taking advantage of the many improvements it offers over C++ and see tons of examples that show you all the ways that .NET can make your programming more efficient !I have already downloaded it.

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XML in 10 points

If you are new to XML, it may be hard to know where to begin. This summary in 10 points attempts to capture enough of the basic concepts to enable a beginner to see the forest through the trees.

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Open Book Tutorial

In ten simple steps, this tutorial teaches you how to design a simple but an effect open book design that can be used either for your flash autobiography or as a splash page for your website. This tutorial can even be accomplished by beginners so go ahead and give it a try!

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Flower Photoshop Brushes

Free for download at gfxfever.com

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Filemail - Email Large Files

Filemail is a nice online service,which allow you to send 2GB email attachments

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7 Incredibly Useful Tools for Evaluating a Web Design

If you are interested in analyzing and optimizing your page layout - here are some extremely useful tools that you can use to help.

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15 Watercolour Photoshop Brushes

A great collection of 15 watercolor photoshop brushes

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Tutorial Photoshop: Reflection

A new Photoshop tutorial explaining you how to create this reflection effect on a text.

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List of SQL Server database users and permissions

Today I was doing some research as to how to list the database users and the permissions they have and came across this article which is very useful.

http://www.mssqltips.com/tip.asp?tip=1071

Test you site in different browsers...

If you are interested to test your website in different browsers then Browsershots is very helpful for you. Browsershots shows how your website looks in different browsers. It is very easy to use. Just go to Browsershots site and then submit

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Introduction to C++ Programming and Graphics: Download ebook

Introduction to C++ Programming and Graphics offers a venue for rapidly learning the language by concisely revealing its grammar, syntax and main features, and by explaining the key ideas behind object oriented programming (OOP), with emphasis on scientific computing. The book reviews elemental concepts of computers and computing..

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Photoshop Videos Search Results at macromedia.com

Search results for Photoshop videos. Lots of good Photoshop information, tips, tricks and techniques.

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Adobe Photoshop Tutorials - Best Of

An overview of professional step-by-step tutorials which can enrich your design skills and improve the quality of your works.

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Excel to Word mailmerge problem

Today there was this small thing that took my time. A date field in excel was formatted correctly but when the field was used in the mailmerge with Word. The format in the excel was not being reflected in word.

So I used the following steps to correct this in Word.

Step 1. Right click on the field name
Step 2. Click on the ‘Toggle Field Codes’ option For eg., { MERGEFIELD “AFinish” }
Step 3. Edit the field to include \@ “dd-MM-yyyy” e.g. { MERGEFIELD “AFinish” \@ “dd-MM-yyyy” }
Step 4. Right click and click update field.


You can see the date format as 17-08-2008

Viewing DTS scheduled jobs

I wanted to view the scheduled DTS jobs. So obvious way I thought was to do view it where I created. But for some reason, the schedule has been reset. So there is no way we can view the scheduled jobs of DTS here.

If you want to view these jobs, you have to access the SQL SERver Agent as these jobs are run by SQL SERVER Agent. So follow these steps to ciew your scheduled jobs on SQL server.

Go to SQL SERVER Enterprise Manager -- Management folder
Then click on SQL SERVER AGENT -- Jobs

Here you can see the job name status etc.