Print publications might be waning but quality publishing is still a good thing. Now the SQL Server community has a new high quality online publication. I never cease to be amazed by my colleagues at SolidQ (aka Solid Quality Mentors). Some of that goodness...(read more)

Together with the folk from Microsoft DPE, my SolidQ colleagues and I have helped put together a series of free training materials for SQL Server 2008 R2. The presentations from these are now available in bite-sized pieces on the Microsoft Channel 9 site....(read more)

Hi Folks, Just wanted to focus some attention on Arnie Rowland's project to help unemployed developers to get some software in return for helping a non-profit. Seems like a great idea Arnie! http://sqlblog.com/blogs/arnie_rowland/archive/2010/07/02/there-will-be-no-free-lunch-just-great-feelings-of-accomplishment.aspx...(read more)

I got the news this morning that another of the free SQL Server 2008 R2 eClinics that we've been building for Microsoft Learning has been published. The eClinic for StreamInsight has been rev'd to RTM and is now available here: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/elearning/course/10335be.mspx...(read more)

Brazil is such a dynamic market and many consider it will soon be one of the power economies of the world. Even though we've had some operations in Brazil, we haven't had it as a focus. That's now changed and it's time to welcome our new Brazilian team....(read more)

Hi Folks, We've been updating the free eClinics for SQL Server 2008 R2 for the released version of the product. Three of these clinics are now published: Master Data Services http://www.microsoft.com/learning/elearning/course/10331be.mspx Application...(read more)

Hi Folks, Just a short note to let you know we're keen to find another mentor for Australia with a strong preference for one based in Sydney. This would work best for someone with very strong SQL skills, good consulting skills and likely an existing independent...(read more)

While building some maps today in SQL Server 2008 R2 Reporting Services, I kept coming up with an error that said: A generic error occurred in GDI+ I was struggling to think what I'd done wrong. After much nashing of teeth and removal of hair, I finally...(read more)

Our buddy Buck Woody made an interesting post about a common question: "How do I back up a single table in SQL Server?" That got me thinking about what a backup of a table really is. BCP is often used to get the data but you want the schema as well. For...(read more)

A question came up on the SQL Down Under mailing list today about how to add an included column to an index using SMO. A quick search of the documentation didn't seem to reveal any clues but a little investigation turned up what's needed: the IndexedColumn...(read more)

Great to see that our friend Ola Hallengren has updated his maintenance utility scripts to deal with SQL Server 2008 R2. These scripts are highly regarded, particularly given the price: free ! You'll find them here: http://ola.hallengren.com/Versions.html...(read more)

In CTP3, I found setting up the StreamInsight Event Flow Debugger fairly easy. For RTM, a number of security changes were made. First config: To be able to connect to the management interface, your user must be added to the Performance Log Users group....(read more)

For those that have worked with the earlier versions of the simulator that Bill Chesnut and I constructed for the Metro content (the Highway Simulator), changes are also required to how AdvanceTimeSettings are specified. The AdapterAdvanceTimeSettings...(read more)

I'd briefly played around with user-defined aggregates in StreamInsight with CTP3 but when I started working with the new Count Windows, I found I had to have one working. I learned a few things along the way that I hope will help someone. The first thing...(read more)

Another interesting change in the RTM version of StreamInsight is the addition of a new window type. Count Windows aren't time based but are based on counting a number of events. The window type provided in this release is called CountByStartTimeWindow....(read more)

One of the problems that existed in the CTP3 edition of StreamInsight was an error that occurred if you tried to access the grouping key from within your projection expression. That was a real issue as you always need access to the key. It's a bit like...(read more)

We've been working on updating our demos and samples for the RTM changes of StreamInsight. I'll detail these as I come across them. The first is that there is a change to the HoppingWindow. The first two parameters are the same in the constructor but...(read more)

A question came up today about whether it was a bug that the TRUSTWORTHY database setting isn't restored to its previous value when a database is restored. TRUSTWORTHY is a very powerful setting for a database. By design, it's not restored when a database...(read more)

It's probably apparent that I've been travelling again a lot lately as the number of posts related to books has gone up. One book that I picked up along the way and really enjoyed was Scott Berkun's Confessions of a Public Speaker . I could relate to...(read more)