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• SQLAuthority News – Downloads Available for Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5

  - by pinaldave

  There are few downloads released for Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5. Here is quick lists of the same. Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 Service Pack 2 for Windows Desktop SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP2 is an embedded database that allows developers to build robust applications for Windows desktops and mobile devices. The download contains the files for installing SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP2 and Synchronization Services for ADO.NET version 1.0 SP1 on Windows desktop. Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 Service Pack 2 Server Tools SQL Server Compact 3.5 SP2 Server Tools Windows Installer (MSI) file installs replication components on the computer running the Internet Information Services (IIS) for synchronizing data with SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 November CTP. Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 Service Pack 2 Books Online SQL Server Compact 3.5 is a small footprint in-process database engine that allows developers to build robust applications for Windows Desktops and Mobile Devices. This download contains the Books Online for the SP2 version of SQL Server Compact 3.5. Note: The brief description below the download link is taken from respective download page. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Documentation, SQL Download, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Download Whitepaper – Understanding and Controlling Parallel Query Processing in SQL Server

  - by pinaldave

  My recently article SQL SERVER – Reducing CXPACKET Wait Stats for High Transactional Database has received many good comments regarding MAXDOP 1 and MAXDOP 0. I really enjoyed reading the comments as the comments are received from industry leaders and gurus. I was further researching on the subject and I end up on following white paper written by Microsoft. Understanding and Controlling Parallel Query Processing in SQL Server Data warehousing and general reporting applications tend to be CPU intensive because they need to read and process a large number of rows. To facilitate quick data processing for queries that touch a large amount of data, Microsoft SQL Server exploits the power of multiple logical processors to provide parallel query processing operations such as parallel scans. Through extensive testing, we have learned that, for most large queries that are executed in a parallel fashion, SQL Server can deliver linear or nearly linear response time speedup as the number of logical processors increases. However, some queries in high parallelism scenarios perform suboptimally. There are also some parallelism issues that can occur in a multi-user parallel query workload. This white paper describes parallel performance problems you might encounter when you run such queries and workloads, and it explains why these issues occur. In addition, it presents how data warehouse developers can detect these issues, and how they can work around them or mitigate them. To review the document, please download the Understanding and Controlling Parallel Query Processing in SQL Server Word document. Note: Above abstract has been taken from here. The real question is what does the parallel queries has made life of DBA much simpler or is it looked at with potential issue related to degradation of the performance? Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQL White Papers, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Free eBook Download – Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2

  - by pinaldave

  Microsoft Press has published FREE eBook on the most awaiting release of SQL Server 2008 R2. The book is written by Ross Mistry and Stacia Misner. Ross is my personal friend and one of the most active book writer in SQL Server Domain. When I see his name on any book, I am sure that it will be high quality and easy to read book. The details about the book is here: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, by Ross Mistry and Stacia Misner The book contains 10 chapters and 216 pages. PART I   Database Administration CHAPTER 1   SQL Server 2008 R2 Editions and Enhancements CHAPTER 2   Multi-Server Administration CHAPTER 3   Data-Tier Applications CHAPTER 4   High Availability and Virtualization Enhancements CHAPTER 5   Consolidation and Monitoring PART II   Business Intelligence Development CHAPTER 6   Scalable Data Warehousing CHAPTER 7   Master Data Services CHAPTER 8   Complex Event Processing with StreamInsight CHAPTER 9   Reporting Services Enhancements CHAPTER 10   Self-Service Analysis with PowerPivot More detail about the book is listed here. You can download the ebook in XPS format here and in PDF format here. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Business Intelligence, Pinal Dave, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Download, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Best Complements – DBA Survivor: Become a Rock Star DBA

  - by pinaldave

  Today’s blog post is about the biggest complement I have ever received. I am very very happy and would like to share my feelings with you. Thomas Larock (Blog | Twitter) (known as SQLRockstar) keeps the excellent ranking of the blogger in SQL Server Arena. I am big fan of this list and have been referring lots of people. I was in the msdb database since the very first day of the ranking. Two days ago, I noticed that I am promoted to Model Database. I often receive complements about my blog but this is the biggest complement I have ever received. I have taken the snapshot of the same and listed here. Thomas is a SQL Server MVP and Board of Directors for the Professional Association for SQL Server. He is the author of DBA Survivor: Become a Rock Star DBA. The book is designed to give a junior to mid-level DBA a better understanding of what skills are needed in order to survive (and thrive) in their career. This book is currently not available in India, I am waiting for someone traveling from USA to bring the copy for me. I am very eager to read the book and promise to share the book review with all of you once I am done reading. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Guest Post – FAULT Contract in WCF with Learning Video

  - by pinaldave

  This is guest post by one of my very good friends and .NET MVP, Dhananjay Kumar. The very first impression one gets when they meet him is his politeness. He is an extremely nice person, but has superlative knowledge in .NET and is truly helpful to all of us. Objective: This article will give a basic introduction on: How to handle Exception at service side? How to use Fault contract at Service side? How to handle Service Exception at client side? A Few Points about Exception at Service Exception is technology-specific. Exception should not be shared beyond service boundary. Since Exception is technology-specific, it cannot be propagated to other clients. Exception is of many types. CLR Exception Windows32 Exception Runtime Exception at service C++ Exception Exception is very much native to the technology in which service is made. Exception must be converted from technology-specific information to natural information that can be communicated to the client. SOAP Fault FaultException<T> Service should throw FaultException<T>, instead of the usual CLR exception. FaultException<T> is a specialization of Fault Exception. Any client that programs against FaultException can handle the Exception thrown by FaultException<T>. The type parameter T conveys the error detail. T can be of any type like Exception, CLR Type or any type that can be serialized. T can be of type Data contract. T is a generic parameter that conveys the error details. You can read complete article http://dhananjaykumar.net/2010/05/23/fault-contract-in-wcf-with-learning-video/ Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Happy Deepavali and Happy News Year

  - by pinaldave

  Diwali or Deepavali is popularly known as the festival of lights. It literally means “array of light” or “row of lamps“. Today we build a small clay maps and fill it with oil and light it up. The significance of lighting the lamp is the triumph of good over evil. I work every single day in a year but today I am spending my time with family and little one. I make sure that my daughter is aware of our culture and she learns to celebrate the festival with the same passion and values which I have. Every year on this day, I do not write a long blog post but rather write a small post with various SQL Tips and Tricks. After reading them you should quickly get back to your friends and family – it is the most important festival day. Here are a few tips and tricks: Take regular full backup of your database Avoid cursors if they can be replaced by set based process Keep your index maintenance script handy and execute them at intervals Consider Solid State Drive (SDD) for crucial database and tempdb placement Update statistics for OLTP transactions at intervals I guess that’s it for today. If you still have more time to learn. Here are few things you should consider. Get FREE Books by Sign up for tomorrow’s webcast by Rick Morelan Watch SQL in Sixty Seconds Series – FREE SQL Learning Read my earlier 2300+ articles Well, I am sure that will keep you busy for the rest of the day! Happy Diwali to All of You! Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: About Me, Pinal Dave, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Bookmark – Deprecated Database Engine Features in SQL Server 2008

  - by pinaldave

  When anybody asked me if any specific feature is available in SQL Server 2008 or if any feature will be disabled in future versions of SQL Server, I always point everybody to following list where all the deprecated database engine features are listed. Deprecated Database Engine Features in SQL Server 2008 R2 Deprecated Database Engine Features in SQL Server 2008 This list is quite helpful and everybody should refer it once. This list has many important details. For example, it suggests “80 compatibility level and upgrade from version 80.” will not be supported in next version of SQL Server. If you are using SQL Server 2000 still today (by any chance) you will be not able to upgrade that to next version of SQL Server directly. It is very important to note that if you are using any feature of SQL Server in compatibility mode and if you find them in the list above. You need to start working on the replacement suggested in article. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Bookmark, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Documentation, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – MSDN Flash Mentions – TechNet Flash Mention – Top Community Contributors (Annual

  - by pinaldave

  I was going over my email to reach the famous Inbox(0), I found TechNet Flash and MSDN Flash email. I had kept them because those email editions had mentioned me in the same. I quickly took the screenshot for the same. I am posting them here to refer them back again. It is always good idea to store important information for revisiting memory lane. As a recent update, Microsoft has awarded me Top Community Contributors (Annual) Winners. I want to express that I would have not done without your valuable contribution. I want to dedicate the award to all of you, as without your presence I would have not given this prestigious award. I could have not done this with myself only. I had complete support of Jacob Sebastian (SQL Server MVP) for all of the community related activity. Here are few images. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: About Me, Pinal Dave, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Fast Track Data Warehouse 3.0 Reference Guide

  - by pinaldave

  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg605238.aspx I am very excited that Fast Track Data Warehouse 3.0 reference guide has been announced. As a consultant I have always enjoyed working with Fast Track Data Warehouse project as it truly expresses the potential of the SQL Server Engine. Here is few details of the enhancement of the Fast Track Data Warehouse 3.0 reference architecture. The SQL Server Fast Track Data Warehouse initiative provides a basic methodology and concrete examples for the deployment of balanced hardware and database configuration for a data warehousing workload. Balance is measured across the key components of a SQL Server installation; storage, server, application settings, and configuration settings for each component are evaluated. Description Note FTDW 3.0 Architecture Basic component architecture for FT 3.0 based systems. New Memory Guidelines Minimum and maximum tested memory configurations by server socket count. Additional Startup Options Notes for T-834 and setting for Lock Pages in Memory. Storage Configuration RAID1+0 now standard (RAID1 was used in FT 2.0). Evaluating Fragmentation Query provided for evaluating logical fragmentation. Loading Data Additional options for CI table loads. MCR Additional detail and explanation of FTDW MCR Rating. Read white paper on fast track data warehousing. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com)   Filed under: Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Documentation, SQL Download, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQL White Papers, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Download Whitepaper – A Case Study on “Hekaton” against RPM – SQL Server 2014 CTP1

  - by Pinal Dave

  In this new world of social media, apps and mobile devices, we are all now getting impatient. Automatic updates have spoiled few of our habits. When a new feature is released everybody wants to immediately adopt the feature and start using it. Though this is true in the world of apps and smart phones, but it is still not possible in the developer’s world. When new features are around, before we start using it, we need to spend quite a lots of time to understand it and test it. Once we are sold on the feature we refer the feature to our manager and eventually the entire organization makes decisions on upgrading to use the new feature. Similarly, when the new feature of In-Memory OLTP was announced, pretty much every SQL Server DBA wanted to implement that on their server. Through the implementation of the feature is not hard, it is not that easy as well. One has to do proper research about their own environment and workload before implementing this feature. Microsoft has recently released a Case Study on In-Memory OLTP feature. Here is the abstract from the white paper itself. I/O latch can cause session delays that impact application performance. This white paper describes the procedures and common I/O latch issues when migrating to Hekaton in SQL Server 2014. It also includes challenges that occurred during the migration and the performance analysis at different stages.  If you are going to implement In-Memory OLTP database, this is a good case study to refer. Download white paper from here. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com)Filed under: PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQL White Papers, SQLAuthority News, T SQL

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• SQLAuthority News – Download SQL Server 2008 R2 Upgrade Technical Reference Guide

  - by pinaldave

  I recently come across very interesting white paper written for Microsoft by Solid Quality Mentors. A successful upgrade to SQL Server 2008 R2 should be smooth and trouble-free. To do that smooth transition, you must plan sufficiently for the upgrade and match the complexity of your database application. Otherwise, you risk costly and stressful errors and upgrade problems. SQL Server 2008 R2 Upgrade Technical Reference Guide is one of the best and comprehensive reference guide I have seen on the subject of SQL Server 2008 R2 upgrade. There are so many various subjects discussed about upgrade which one would always wanted to see. You can find the link of why one has to upgrade to SQL Server 2008 R2 over here: Why upgrade to SQL Server 2008 R2. White paper to upgrade to SQL Server 2008 R2 Upgrade Guide. Here is the quick list of content of the white paper. 1. Upgrade Planning and Deployment 2. Management and Development Tools 3. Relational Databases 4. High Availability 5. Database Security 6. Full-Text Search 7. Service Broker 8. Transact-SQL Queries 9. Notification Services 10. SQL Server Express 11. Analysis Services 12. Data Mining 13. Integration Services 14. Reporting Services 15. Other Microsoft Applications and Platforms Appendix 1: Version and Edition Upgrade Paths Appendix 2: Upgrade Planning Deployment and Tasks Checklist This white paper is indeed huge with 490 pages and 151,956 words.As I said, this is one of the most comprehensive white paper ever published on the subject. Just reading this white paper one can learn a lot about SQL Server. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Documentation, SQL Download, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Download Whitepaper – SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis Services Operations Guide

  - by pinaldave

  SQL Server Analysis Service (SSAS) has been always interesting subject for research. Analysis Services cubes are a very powerful tool in the hands of the business intelligence (BI) developer. They provide an easy way to expose even large data models directly to business users. Microsoft has published very informative white paper on Analysis Services Operations Guide. This white paper is authored by Thomas Kejser, John Sirmon, and Denny Lee. In this guide you will find information on how to test and run Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services in SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008, and SQL Server 2008 R2 in a production environment. The focus of this guide is how you can test, monitor, diagnose, and remove production issues on even the largest scaled cubes. This paper also provides guidance on how to configure the server for best possible performance. It is the goal of this guide to make your operations processes as painless as possible, and to have you run with the best possible performance without any additional development effort to your deployed cubes. In this guide, you will learn how to get the best out of your existing data model by making changes transparent to the data model and by making configuration changes that improve the user experience of the cube. Download SQL Server 2008 R2 Analysis Services Operations Guide Note: Abstract taken white paper. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Download, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQL White Papers, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Presented Technical Session at DevReach 2013, Sofia, Bulgaria – Oct 1, 2013

  - by Pinal Dave

  Earlier this month, I had a fantastic time presenting at DevReach 2013, in Sofia, Bulgaria on Oct 1, 2013. DevReach strives to be the premier developer conference in Central and Eastern Europe. It is organized annually in Sofia, Bulgaria. The 8th edition of the conference is moving to a new and bigger venue: Sofia Event Center. In my career, I have presented over 9 different countries (India, USA, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand), this was the first time for me to present in Europe. DevReach was perfect places to start my journey in Europe as an evangelist. The event was one of the most organized event I have ever come across in my life. The DevRech organization team had perfected every minute detail of the event to perfection. After the event was over I had the opportunity to see Sofia for one day. I presented with one of my most favorite Database Worst Practices Session. Pinal presenting at DevReach 2013, Sofia, Bulgaria DevReach 2013 DevReach 2013 DevReach 2013 Pinal presenting at DevReach 2013, Sofia, Bulgaria Pinal presenting at DevReach 2013, Sofia, Bulgaria Pinal Dave and Stephen Forte at Pluralsight Booth at DevReach 2013, Sofia, Bulgaria Pinal on City Tour of Sofia, Bulgaria Pinal on City Tour of Sofia, Bulgaria Pinal on City Tour of Sofia, Bulgaria Pinal on City Tour of Sofia, Bulgaria Pinal on City Tour of Sofia, Bulgaria Session Title: Secrets of SQL Server: Database Worst Practices Abstract: “Oh my God! What did I do?” Chances are you have heard, or even uttered, this expression. This demo-oriented session will show many examples where database professionals were dumbfounded by their own mistakes, and could even bring back memories of your own early DBA days. The goal of this session is to expose the small details that can be dangerous to the production environment and SQL Server as a whole, as well as talk about worst practices and how to avoid them. Shedding light on some of these perils and the tricks to avoid them may even save your current job. Thanks to Team Telerik for making this one of the best event in my life. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: About Me, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority Author Visit, T SQL

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• SQLAuthority News – Presenting at Virtual Tech Days TechEd Pre-Con – February 9, 2011

  - by pinaldave

  I will be presenting on following subject on Virtual Tech Days TechEd Pre-Con – February 9, 2011. Auditing Made Easy: Change Tracking and Change Data Capture Date and Time: February 9, 2011 11:45am-12:45pm Location: Online In this fast paced demo oriented session we will go over few of concept which are related to real life problem at customers. We often see developers and DBA looking for details like who has dropped the table, who has last modified any object as well what was actually modified. SQL Server 2008 has all the answers. It has various new methods for Auditing where not only you can know details about what was changed as well know who changed it as well. In addition to that we can capture way more details configuring Auditing. We can also work prevent changes if proper policy management is configured. If you have ever attended my session on this subject earlier, this is going to absolutely new session and very much demo oriented. There is going to be quiz at the end of the session and I promise that if you attend the session, you will get all the answers correct. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com)   Filed under: About Me, Pinal Dave, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – SQL Server Interview Questions And Answers Book Summary

  - by pinaldave

  Today we are using computers for various activities, motor vehicles for traveling to places, and mobile phones for conversation. How many of us can claim the invention of micro-processor, a basic wheel, or the telegraph? Similarly, this book was not written overnight. The journey of this book goes many years back with many individuals to be thanked for. To begin with, we want to thank all those interviewers who reject interviewees by saying they need to know ‘the key things’ regardless of having high grades in class. The whole concept of interview questions and answers revolves around knowing those ‘key things’. The core concept of this book will continue to evolve over time. I am sure many of you will come along with us on this journey and submit your suggestions to us to make this book a key reference for anybody who wants to start with SQL Server. Today we want to acknowledge the fact that you will help us keep this book alive forever with the latest updates. We want to thank everyone who participates in this journey with us. Though each of these chapters are geared towards convenience we highly recommend reading each of the sections irrespective of the roles you might be doing since each of the sections have some interesting trivia about working with SQL Server. In the industry the role of accidental DBA’s (especially with SQL Server) is very common. Hence if you have performed the role of DBA for a short stint and want to brush-up your fundamentals then the upcoming sections will be a great review. Table Of Contents Database Concepts With Sql Server Common Generic Questions & Answers Common Developer Questions Common Tricky Questions Miscellaneous Questions On Sql Server 2008 Dba Skills Related Questions Data Warehousing Interview Questions & Answers General Best Practices [Amazon] | [Flipkart] Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Best Practices, Database, Pinal Dave, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Interview Questions and Answers, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQL SERVER – Get 2 of My Books FREE at Koenig Tech Day – Where Technologies Converge!

  - by pinaldave

  As a regular reader of my blog – you must be aware of that I love to write books and talk about various subjects of my book. The founders of Koenig Solutions are my very old friends, I know them for many years. They have been my biggest supporter of my books. Coming weekend they have a technology event at their Bangalore Location. Every attendee of the technology event will get a set of two books worth Rs. 450 – ‘SQL Server Interview Questions And Answers‘ and ‘SQL Wait Stats Joes 2 Pros‘. I am going to cover a couple of topics of the books and present  as well. I am very confident that every attendee will be having a great time. I will be covering following subjects: SQL Server Tricks and Tips for Blazing Fast Performance Slow Running Queries (SQL) are the most common problem that developers face while working with SQL Server. While it is easy to blame the SQL Server for unsatisfactory performance, however the issue often persists with the way queries have been written, and how SQL Server has been set up. The session will focus on the ways of identifying problems that slow down SQL Servers, and tricks to fix them. Developers will walk out with scripts and knowledge that can be applied to their servers, immediately post the session. After the session is over – I will point to what exact location in the book where you can continue for the further learning. I am pretty excited, this is more like book reading but in entire different format. The one day event will cover four technologies in four separate interactive sessions on: Microsoft SQL Server Security VMware/Virtualization ASP.NET MVC Date of the event: Dec 15, 2012 9 AM to 6PM. Location of the event:  Koenig Solutions Ltd. # 47, 4th Block, 100 feet Road, 3rd Floor, Opp to Shanthi Sagar, Koramangala, Bangalore- 560034 Mobile : 09008096122 Office : 080- 41127140 Organizers have informed me that there are very limited seats for this event and technical session based on my book will start at Sharp 9 AM. If you show up late there are chances that you will not get any seats. Registration for the event is a MUST. Please visit this link for further information. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority Author Visit, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Monthly list of Puzzles and Solutions on SQLAuthority.com

  - by pinaldave

  This month has been very interesting month for SQLAuthority.com we had multiple and various puzzles which everybody participated and lots of interesting conversation which we have shared. Let us start in latest puzzles and continue going down. There are few answers also posted on facebook as well. SQL SERVER – Puzzle Involving NULL – Resolve – Error – Operand data type void type is invalid for sum operator This puzzle involves NULL and throws an error. The challenge is to resolve the error. There are multiple ways to resolve this error. Readers has contributed various methods. Few of them even have supplied the answer why this error is showing up. NULL are very important part of the database and if one of the column has NULL the result can be totally different than the one expected. SQL SERVER – T-SQL Scripts to Find Maximum between Two Numbers I modified script provided by friend to find greatest number between two number. My script has small bug in it. However, lots of readers have suggested better scripts. Madhivanan has written blog post on the subject over here. SQL SERVER – BI Quiz Hint – Performance Tuning Cubes – Hints This quiz is hosted on my friend Jacob‘s site. I have written many hints how one can tune cubes. Now one can take part here and win exciting prizes. SQL SERVER – Solution – Generating Zero Without using Any Numbers in T-SQL Madhivanan has asked very interesting question on his blog about How to Generate Zero without using Any Numbers in T-SQL. He has demonstrated various methods how one can generate Zero. I asked the same question on blog and got many interesting answers which I have shared. SQL SERVER – Solution – Puzzle – Statistics are not Updated but are Created Once I have to accept that this was most difficult puzzle. In this puzzle I have asked even though settings are correct, why statistics of the tables are not getting updated. In this puzzle one is tested with various concepts 1) Indexes, 2) Statistics, 3) database settings etc. There are multiple ways of solving this puzzles. It was interesting as many took interest but only few got it right. SQL SERVER – Question to You – When to use Function and When to use Stored Procedure This is rather straight forward question and not the typical puzzle. The answers from readers are great however, still there is chance of more detailed answers. SQL SERVER – Selecting Domain from Email Address I wrote on selecting domains from email addresses. Madhivanan makes puzzle out of a simple question. He wrote a follow-up post over here. In his post he writes various way how one can find email addresses from list of domains. Well, this is not a puzzle but amazing Guest Post by Feodor Georgiev who has written on subject Job Interviewing the Right Way (and for the Right Reasons). An article which everyone should read. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: Pinal Dave, PostADay, Readers Contribution, Readers Question, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Puzzle, SQL Query, SQL Scripts, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Meeting with Allen Bailochan Tuladhar – An Unlimited Experience

  - by pinaldave

  Allen  Tuladhar I recently came back from my 9-day trip in Nepal and I must say that this is one of the best trips I had in my lifetime. Allen Bailochan Tuladhar is a wonderful person and an extreme enthusiast for Microsoft Technology. Allen is the Chief Executive Officer of Unlimited Technologies Pvt Ltd., Country Manager of Microsoft MDP Nepal, the Member Secretary of Nepali Language in Information Technology, and member of the Steering Committee of the Government of Nepal. He is the person who keeps the Nepal’s Tech Community constantly motivating and taking it to the next level. I have met Allen for many times before, but this was the first time I was with him in Kathmandu, Nepal. I was very impressed with the amount of the work he does in the community. During my 9 days of stay, every single day was a new lesson for me. I was amazed and overwhelmed with the many things he does every single day. Not only he does he work closely with Government of Nepal ministry, but he is also the most known person in the Student Community. His expertise in the technical subject matter is not limited to one technology; rather, I have seen him actively engaging himself in  discussions of various tech topics. Allen presending at TechMela Kathmandu, Nepal Allen is currently active in working out to localize Windows and Office and incorporate it using the Nepali language. I was able to witness and experience how the localization works, as well as the procedure on how to do such. If you know the whole localization process, you must have realized how big and daunting of a process it is. I was glad that I became a part of it. Prominent Personality of Nepal on Panel Discussion Another great opportunity I had when I was at Allen’s office is that I have learned how the radio technology talk show works. Nepali Radio station has the weekly program in their local language, in which MS technology is discussed and industry leaders are invited to talk about their experience with the technology. I found the program so interesting because it has so much variety in terms of technology subjects. Well, my understanding of Nepali language is limited but I did understand quite a bit. Ravi, Nutan, Pinal, Gandip I got the chance to meet lots of Database Professionals as well. People in Nepal are very polite even though they are very strong in their technology fundamentals. I had in-depth discussion regarding High Availability scenarios, as well Query Tuning. Database professionals from the leading financial sectors of Nepal wanted me to visit their Data Center and help them out with a few advances. In no time, Allen organized a visit for me. He sent me a Nepali-speaking expert from his own organization to accompany me in overcoming any difficulties while I was on my way helping this financial district. Pinal (SQLAuthority) and Deependra (Unlimited) When I was going to Nepal, I was really not sure if I would be able to stay busy for 9 days straight in Community-related activity. However, on the 9th day I realize that I can still stay here for more than 9 days because in every single day, I feel enthusiastic enough to do something new. Allen Bailochan Tuladhar Even though I was working  very hard every day, I hardly had the chance to work with and talk to him one-on-one for the first few days. One of the evenings, Allen invited me to his home and we discussed about his future ideas. I was really surprised to see how much a man can do for his technical community and for his country. When I asked Allen’s wife and daughter if they ever think it’s getting too much with regards to Allen putting tough efforts to the community, their answer was something I did not expect. I found out that Allen’s wife manages all the back office and logistics of the community events and his daughter manages the websites. I felt that they do not have any complain,  and instead, their whole family is in this activity as deeply as it can get, which I thought is a very good thing. Pinal and Allen I want to end this post with an interesting story that happened during our lunch hour at one of the Nepali restaurants. While we were having our lunch and having some chitchat, Allen suddenly stood up and called several people walking along the pavement. He introduced them all to me as Microsoft Student Partners. He asked all of them to order their favorite dish and called the waiter to inform that he will pick up their tab. Figuring out the question written on my face, he just said one sentence: “They are all future technology professionals who are going to make all of us proud.” I guess I have a lot of things to learn. Hats off to Allen! Pinal and Allen at Microsoft MDP Unlimited Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com) Filed under: MVP, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority Author Visit, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – MS Access Database is the Way to Go – April 1st Humor

  - by pinaldave

  First of all, today is April 1- April Fool’s Day, so I have written this post for some light entertainment. My friend has just sent me an email about why a person should go for Access Database. For a short background, I used to be an MS Access user once (I will not call myself MS Access DBA), and I must say I had a good time with Database at that time. As time passed by, I moved from MS Access to SQL Server. Well, as for my friend’s email, his reasons considering MS Access usage really made me laugh. MS Access may have a few points where it totally makes sense to use it. However, in the email that I received, there was not a single reason which was valid.  In fact, I thought it is an April 1st joke- just delivered a little earlier. Let us see some of the reasons from that email. Thanks to Mahesh Bhesania for sending this email to me. MS Access comes with lots of free stuff, e.g. MS Excel MS Access is the most preferred desktop database system MS Access can import data from MS Excel and SQL Server MS Access provides a real time database MS Access has a free IDE-to-VB Script MS Access fits well in your hard drive I actually think that the above points are either incorrect beliefs of some users, or someone just wrote them to give some laughter with such inaccurate data. And, for the same reason I decided to browse the Internet and do some research on MS Access database to verify my thoughts. While searching on this subject, I found the following two interesting statements from the site: Microsoft Access Database, Why Choose It? Other software manufacturers are more likely to provide interfaces to MS Access than any other desktop database system Microsoft Access consulting rates are typically lower for Access consultants compared to Oracle or SQL Server consultants The second one is may be the worst reason for you to switch to MS Access if you are already an SQL Server consultant. With this cartoon, have you ever felt like you were one of these chickens at some point in time? I guess that the moment might have just happened before the minute we say “I guess we were on the same page?” Does this mean we are IN the same table, or ON the same table?! (I accept bad joke!) It is All Fools’ Day after all, so just laugh! If you have something funny but non-offensive to share, just  leave your comment here. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com), Cartoon source unknown. Filed under: Software Development, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Humor, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology Tagged: MS ACCESS

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• SQLAuthority News – Milestone of 1300th Post and A Few Updates

  - by pinaldave

  Today is my 1300th blog post and I realize that my blog has been quite running such a long journey. I have been writing for a lengthy time on this tech blog. Today I would like to go back and briefly recall the posts that were part of my blog’s history. Read all list of all my blog posts here. This blog only started as a list of personal bookmarks. I used to just write down scripts on the blog for my personal use. I was the one who wrote many scripts here for the servers that I was maintaining to keep them polished. I have included many links in my first blog posts which I view as just a collection of bookmarks on my very own blog; no intentions of publishing other contents besides the scripts, at all. Gradually, I realized that people read my blog and follow the advices which were supposedly meant only for me. I tried to write a code and a script which are generic in nature, so anyone can just use it right away. Nothing is perfect. When I was writing the last 1299 posts (and having 14 Million+ views), I have made a few mistakes and tweaks that I thoughtfully accepted. These are corrections that were pointed out by many kind souls and readers like you, which have helped me develop wonderful blogging experiences. I am very glad that I have this blog wherein I can express myself. After all, I would have not reached where I am today if I have kept myself worried in terms of expressing my knowledge and understanding SQL Server. I am happy that many of you appreciated my efforts and supported me all the way, which also helped me achieve where I am now. I promise to learn more about this fascinating subject and, of course, continue to share whatever I will learn to my dear readers. Again, I really thank YOU for reading this blog and supporting the SQL community. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.SQLAuthority.com), Filed under: Pinal Dave, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology Tagged: SQL Milestone

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• SQLAuthority News – First SQL Bangalore Event Report – Nov 24, 2012 – SQL Server User Group Bangalore

  - by pinaldave

  A very common question I often receive - Do we have SQL Server User Group in Bangalore? Yes! SQL Bangalore – we had very first meeting on Nov 24, 2012 and very soon we are going to have another User Group meeting. The goal is to keep up a monthly rhythm of User Group meeting. If you are in Bangalore area please join the Facebook page and you will keep on getting regular update about SQL Server. In the very first meeting we have five 30 minute session and had a fantastic time. We had the best of the best speakers presenting all the five sessions. The event was inaugurated by Vinod Kumar M by presenting on T-SQL Pitfalls. His excellent and eye-opening session was followed by Manas Dash. He enlightened everybody with functions introduced in SQL Server 2012. We had a surprise guest from Mumbai – Raj Chaodhary. If you know him he has a very interesting way to present sessions and he presented on SQL Joins. His hard to follow act was followed by Sudeepta who presented on Contained Database. This subject is quite entertaining and interesting. My session was last in order and I was eagerly waiting to present. I had decided to do something new this time so I had created around 52 slides and two demos. I was committed to go over all the 52 slides and both of the demos in 25 minutes of the time. I had interesting story as well. Though, I was a bit nervous I was able to go over a complete slide deck and demo in 25 minutes of the time I had. We also were very fortunate to have international guest Lynn Langit from USA present at the event as well. She presented an overview of the Big Data in very little time – something not everyone can do it efficiently. We are very thankful to our sponsor Pluralsight for awarding USD 300 worth Annual Subscription. It was the most awaited moment of the day. Well, overall we had a great fun with 100+ attendees learning SQL Server. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – SQL Server 2012 Upgrade Technical Guide – A Comprehensive Whitepaper – (454 pages – 9 MB)

  - by pinaldave

  Microsoft has just released SQL Server 2012 Upgrade Technical Guide. This guide is very comprehensive and covers the subject of upgrade in-depth. This is indeed a helpful detailed white paper. Even writing a summary of this white paper would take over 100 pages. This further proves that SQL Server 2012 is quite an important release from Microsoft. This white paper discusses how to upgrade from SQL Server 2008/R2 to SQL Server 2012. I love how it starts with the most interesting and basic discussion of upgrade strategies: 1) In-place upgrades, 2) Side by side upgrade, 3) One-server, and 4) Two-server. This whitepaper is not just pure theory but is also an excellent source for some tips and tricks. Here is an example of a good tip from the paper: “If you want to upgrade just one database from a legacy instance of SQL Server and not upgrade the other databases on the server, use the side-by-side upgrade method instead of the in-place method.” There are so many trivia, tips and tricks that make creating the list seems humanly impossible given a short period of time. My friend Vinod Kumar, an SQL Server expert, wrote a very interesting article on SQL Server 2012 Upgrade before. In that article, Vinod addressed the most interesting and practical questions related to upgrades. He started with the fundamentals of how to start backup before upgrade and ended with fail-safe strategies after the upgrade is over. He covered end-to-end concepts in his blog posts in simple words in extremely precise statements. A successful upgrade uses a cycle of: planning, document process, testing, refine process, testing, planning upgrade window, execution, verifying of upgrade and opening for business. If you are at Vinod’s blog post, I suggest you go all the way down and collect the gold mine of most important links. I have bookmarked the blog by blogging about it and I suggest that you bookmark it as well with the way you prefer. Vinod Kumar’s blog post on SQL Server 2012 Upgrade Technical Guide SQL Server 2012 Upgrade Technical Guide is a detailed resource that’s also available online for free. Each chapter was carefully crafted and explained in detail. Here is a quick list of the chapters included in the whitepaper. Before downloading the guide, beware of its size of 9 MB and 454 pages. Here’s the list of chapters: Chapter 1: Upgrade Planning and Deployment Chapter 2: Management Tools Chapter 3: Relational Databases Chapter 4: High Availability Chapter 5: Database Security Chapter 6: Full-Text Search Chapter 7: Service Broker Chapter 8: SQL Server Express Chapter 9: SQL Server Data Tools Chapter 10: Transact-SQL Queries Chapter 11: Spatial Data Chapter 12: XML and XQuery Chapter 13: CLR Chapter 14: SQL Server Management Objects Chapter 15: Business Intelligence Tools Chapter 16: Analysis Services Chapter 17: Integration Services Chapter 18: Reporting Services Chapter 19: Data Mining Chapter 20: Other Microsoft Applications and Platforms Appendix 1: Version and Edition Upgrade Paths Appendix 2: SQL Server 2012: Upgrade Planning Checklist Download SQL Server 2012 Upgrade Technical Guide [454 pages and 9 MB] Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: Database, DBA, PostADay, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Documentation, SQL Download, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQL White Papers, SQLAuthority News, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

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• SQLAuthority News – Keeping Your Ducks in a Row

  - by pinaldave

  Last year during my visit to SQLAuthority News – SQL PASS Summit, Seattle 2009 – Day 2 I have received ducks from the event. Well during the same event I had learned from Jonathan Kehayias the saying of ‘Keeping Your Ducks in a Row‘. The most popular theory suggests that “ducks in a row” came [...]

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• SQLAuthority News – Why I am Going to Attend #SQLPASS Summit 2012 – Seattle

  - by pinaldave

  I am going to Seattle I once again attend SQLPASS this year. This will be my fourth SQLPASS. Lots of people ask me why I am going to SQLPASS every year. Well there are so many different reasons for that. I go to SQLPASS because – I love it!  Here are few of the reasons I go to SQLPASS. Meet friends whom I have never met before Meet community at large – it is fun to hang around with like minded people Meet Rick Morelan – my book co-author and friend Attend various SQL Parties – there are so many parties around – see the list below Explore various new tools from various third party vendors Meet fellow Chapter Leaders and Regional Mentors And of course attend SQL Server Learning Sessions from industry known experts. The three-day event will be marked by a lot of learning, sharing, and networking, which will help me increase both my knowledge and contacts. PASS Summit provides me a golden opportunity to build my network as well as to identify and meet potential customers or employees. If I am a consultant or vendor who is looking for better career opportunities, PASS Summit is the perfect platform to meet and show my skills to my new potential customers and employers. Further, breakfasts, lunches, and evening receptions, which are included with registration, are meant to provide more and more networking opportunities. At PASS Summit, I gain not only new ideas but also inspire myself from top professionals and experts. Learning new things about SQL Server, interacting with different kinds of professionals, and sharing issues and solutions will definitely improve my understanding and turn me into a better SQL Server professional who can leverage and optimize SQL Server to improve business. I am going – are you joining? Note: This is re-blogged with modification from my 2 years old blog posts on a similar subject. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: About Me, Pinal Dave, SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority News, SQLServer, T SQL, Technology

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• SQL SERVER – History of SQL Server Database Encryption

  - by pinaldave

  I recently met Michael Coles and Rodeney Landrum the author of one of the kind book Expert SQL Server 2008 Encryption at SQLPASS in Seattle. During the conversation we ended up how Microsoft is evolving encryption technology. The same discussion lead to talking about history of encryption tools in SQL Server. Michale pointed me to page 18 of his book of encryption. He explicitly give me permission to re-produce relevant part of history from his book. Encryption in SQL Server 2000 Built-in cryptographic encryption functionality was nonexistent in SQL Server 2000 and prior versions. In order to get server-side encryption in SQL Server you had to resort to purchasing or creating your own SQL Server XPs. Creating your own cryptographic XPs could be a daunting task owing to the fact that XPs had to be compiled as native DLLs (using a language like C or C++) and the XP application programming interface (API) was poorly documented. In addition there were always concerns around creating wellbehaved XPs that “played nicely” with the SQL Server process. Encryption in SQL Server 2005 Prior to the release of SQL Server 2005 there was a flurry of regulatory activity in response to accounting scandals and attacks on repositories of confidential consumer data. Much of this regulation centered onthe need for protecting and controlling access to sensitive financial and consumer information. With the release of SQL Server 2005 Microsoft responded to the increasing demand for built-in encryption byproviding the necessary tools to encrypt data at the column level. This functionality prominently featured the following: Support for column-level encryption of data using symmetric keys or passphrases. Built-in access to a variety of symmetric and asymmetric encryption algorithms, including AES, DES, Triple DES, RC2, RC4, and RSA. Capability to create and manage symmetric keys. Key creation and management. Ability to generate asymmetric keys and self-signed certificates, or to install external asymmetric keys and certificates. Implementation of hierarchical model for encryption key management, similar to the ANSI X9.17 standard model. SQL functions to generate one-way hash codes and digital signatures, including SHA-1 and MD5 hashes. Additional SQL functions to encrypt and decrypt data. Extensions to the SQL language to support creation, use, and administration of encryption keys and certificates. SQL CLR extensions that provide access to .NET-based encryption functionality. Encryption in SQL Server 2008 Encryption demands have increased over the past few years. For instance, there has been a demand for the ability to store encryption keys “off-the-box,” physically separate from the database and the data it contains. Also there is a recognized requirement for legacy databases and applications to take advantage of encryption without changing the existing code base. To address these needs SQL Server 2008 adds the following features to its encryption arsenal: Transparent Data Encryption (TDE): Allows you to encrypt an entire database, including log files and the tempdb database, in such a way that it is transparent to client applications. Extensible Key Management (EKM): Allows you to store and manage your encryption keys on an external device known as a hardware security module (HSM). Cryptographic random number generation functionality. Additional cryptography-related catalog views and dynamic management views. SQL language extensions to support the new encryption functionality. The encryption book covers all the tools in its various chapter in one simple story. If you are interested how encryption evolved and reached to the stage where it is today, this book is must for everyone. You can read my earlier review of the book over here. Reference: Pinal Dave (http://blog.sqlauthority.com) Filed under: SQL, SQL Authority, SQL Query, SQL Server, SQL Tips and Tricks, SQLAuthority Book Review, SQLAuthority News, T SQL, Technology Tagged: Encryption, SQL Server Encryption, SQLPASS

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