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  • Metro UsernameToken Policy

    - by Rodney
    I created a web services client prototype using api's available in weblogic 10.3. I've been told I need to use Metro 2.0 instead (it's already being used for other projects). The problem I have encounter is that the WSDL does not include any Security Policy information but a UsernameToken is required for each method call. In weblogic I was able to write my own policy xml file and instantiate my service with it (see below), however I can not seem to figure out how to do the same using Metro. Policy.xml <?xml version="1.0"?> <wsp:Policy xmlns:wsp="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/ws/2004/09/policy" xmlns:sp="http://docs.oasis-open.org/ws-sx/ws-securitypolicy/200512"> <sp:SupportingTokens> <wsp:Policy> <sp:UsernameToken sp:IncludeToken="http://docs.oasis-open.org/ws-sx/ws-securitypolicy/200512/IncludeToken/AlwaysToRecipient"> <wsp:Policy> <sp:WssUsernameToken10/> <sp:HashPassword/> </wsp:Policy> </sp:UsernameToken> </wsp:Policy> </sp:SupportingTokens> </wsp:Policy> Client.java (Weblogic) ClientPolicyFeature cpf = new ClientPolicyFeature(); InputStream asStream = WebServiceSoapClient.class.getResourceAsStream("Policy.xml"); cpf.setEffectivePolicy(new InputStreamPolicySource(asStream)); try { webService = new WebService(new URL("http://192.168.1.10/WebService/WebService.asmx?wsdl"), new QName("http://testme.com", "WebService")); } catch ( MalformedURLException e ) { e.printStackTrace(); } WebServiceSoap client = webService.getWebServiceSoap(new WebServiceFeature[] {cpf}); List<CredentialProvider> credProviders = new ArrayList<CredentialProvider>(); String username = "user"; String password = "pass"; CredentialProvider cp = new ClientUNTCredentialProvider(username.getBytes(), password.getBytes()); credProviders.add(cp); Map<String, Object> rc = ((BindingProvider) client).getRequestContext(); rc.put(WSSecurityContext.CREDENTIAL_PROVIDER_LIST, credProviders); ... I am able to generate my Proxy classes using Metro however I can not figure out how to configure it to send the UsernameToken. I have attempted several different examples from the web which have not worked. Any help would be appreciated.

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  • Multiple WCF calls for a single ASP.NET page load

    - by Rodney Burton
    I have an existing asp.net web application I am redesigning to use a service architecture. I have the beginnings of an WCF service which I am able to call and perform functions with no problems. As far as updating data, it all makes sense. For example, I have a button that says Submit Order, it sends the data to the service, which does the processing. Here's my concern: If I have an ASP.NET page that shows me a list of orders (View Orders page), and at the top I have a bunch of drop down lists for order types, and other search criteria which is populated by querying different tables from the database (lookup tables, etc). I am hoping to eventually completely decouple the web application from the DB, and use data contracts to pass information between the BLL, the SOA, and the web app. With that said, how can I reduce the # of WCF calls needed to load my "View Orders" page? I would need to make 1 call get the list of orders, and 1 call for each drop down list, etc because those are populated by individual functions in my BLL. Is it good architecture to create a web service method that returns back a specialized data contract that consists of everything you would need to display a View Orders page, in 1 shot? Something like this pseudocode: public class ViewOrderPageDTO { public OrderDTO[] Orders { get; set; } public OrderTypesDTO[] OrderTypes { get; set; } public OrderStatusesDTO[] OrderStatuses { get; set; } public CustomerListDTO[] CustomerList { get; set; } } Or is it better practice in the page_load event to make 5 or 6 or even 15 individual calls to the SOA to get the data needed to load the page? Therefore, bypassing the need for specialized wcf methods or DTO's that conglomerate other DTO? Thanks for your input and suggestions.

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  • Using UCMA to connect to 3CX?

    - by Rodney Burton
    Has anyone used Microsoft's UCMA 2.0 SDK to connect to 3CX's free IP PBX to add voice capabilities to their application? If so, does it work? What I am trying to accomplish is having a windows form app running on 2 or more computers, and each person can connect to another person and carry on a voice conversation using their headset connected to their computer. App is in C# w/ .NET3.5 SP1.

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  • C# async callback on disposed form

    - by Rodney Burton
    Quick question: One of my forms in my winform app (c#) makes an async call to a WCF service to get some data. If the form happens to close before the callback happens, it crashes with an error about accessing a disposed object. What's the correct way to check/handle this situation? The error happens on the Invoke call to the method to update my form, but I can't drill down to the inner exception because it says the code has been optimized. The Code: public void RequestUserPhoto(int userID) { WCF.Service.BeginGetUserPhoto(userID, new AsyncCallback(GetUserPhotoCB), userID); } public void GetUserPhotoCB(IAsyncResult result) { var photo = WCF.Service.EndGetUserPhoto(result); int userID = (int)result.AsyncState; UpdateUserPhoto(userID, photo); } public delegate void UpdateUserPhotoDelegate(int userID, Binary photo); public void UpdateUserPhoto(int userID, Binary photo) { if (InvokeRequired) { var d = new UpdateUserPhotoDelegate(UpdateUserPhoto); Invoke(d, new object[] { userID, photo }); } else { if (photo != null) { var ms = new MemoryStream(photo.ToArray()); var bmp = new System.Drawing.Bitmap(ms); if (userID == theForm.AuthUserID) { pbMyPhoto.BackgroundImage = bmp; } else { pbPhoto.BackgroundImage = bmp; } } } }

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  • Delete all records that have no foreign key constraints

    - by Rodney Burton
    I have a SQL 2005 table with millions of rows in it that is being hit by users all day and night. This table is referenced by 20 or so other tables that have foreign key constraints. What I am needing to do on a regular basis is delete all records from this table where the "Active" field is set to false AND there are no other records in any of the child tables that reference the parent record. What is the most efficient way of doing this short of trying to delete each one at a time and letting it cause SQL errors on the ones that violate constraints? Also it is not an option to disable the constraints and I cannot cause locks on the parent table for any significant amount of time.

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  • Breeze Expand not working on WebAPI with EF

    - by Rodney
    I have published a WebAPI service which returns a list of items. I am implementing Breeze and have managed to get it basically working with filtering/sorting. However, the Expand is not working. http://www.ftter.com/desktopmodules/framework/api/dare/dares/?$filter=DareId%20eq%2010&expand%20eq%20ToUser You can see the ToUserId ForeignKey in the response above, but the ToUser properties are NULL (the user definitely exists) You can see the ToUser EF navigation property in the metadata. When I use .Include on the server side I can populate it with EF, but I don't want to do this. [HttpGet] [Queryable(AllowedQueryOptions = AllowedQueryOptions.All)] public HttpResponseMessage Dares() { var response = Request.CreateResponse(HttpStatusCode.OK, (IQueryable<Dare>)contextProvider.Context.Dares); return ControllerUtilities.GetResponseWithCorsHeader(response); } and here is the generated class from my EF model (using Database First) public partial class Dare { public int DareId { get; set; } public int ToUserId { get; set; } public virtual User ToUser { get; set; } }

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  • How to invoke a delegate with a null parameter?

    - by Rodney Burton
    I get a null exception if I try to pass a null parameter to a delegate during an invoke. Here's what the code looks like: public void RequestPhoto() { WCF.Service.BeginGetUserPhoto(Contact.UserID, new AsyncCallback(RequestPhotoCB), null); } public void RequestPhotoCB(IAsyncResult result) { var photo = WCF.Service.EndGetUserPhoto(result); UpdatePhoto(photo); } public delegate void UpdatePhotoDelegate(Binary photo); public void UpdatePhoto(Binary photo) { if (InvokeRequired) { var d = new UpdatePhotoDelegate(UpdatePhoto); Invoke(d, new object[] { photo }); } else { var ms = new MemoryStream(photo.ToArray()); var bmp = new Bitmap(ms); pbPhoto.BackgroundImage = bmp; } } The problem is with the line: Invoke(d, new object[] { photo }); If the variable "photo" is null. What is the correct way to pass a null parameter during an invoke? Thanks!

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  • RegEx expression to find a href links and add NoFollow to them

    - by Rodney
    I am trying to write a RegEx rule to find all a href HTML links on my webpage and add a 'rel="nofollow"' to them. However, I have a list of URLs that must be excluded (for exmaple, ANY (wildcards) internal link (eg. pokerdiy.com) - so that any internal link that has my domain name in is excluded from this. I want to be able to specify exact URLs in the exclude list too - for example - http://www.example.com/link.aspx) Here is what I have so far which is not working: (]+)(href="http://.*?(?!(pokerdiy))[^]+) If you need more background/info you can see the full thread and requirements here (skip the top part to get to the meat): http://www.snapsis.com/Support/tabid/601/aff/9/aft/13117/afv/topic/afpgj/1/Default.aspx#14737

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  • How to return an enum ID instead of the enum text in WebAPI

    - by Rodney
    I am using the WebAPI with .NET 4.5. I have a enum called DareStatus which is a list of statuses and their corresponding integer ID's. To minimize bandwidth traffic I want to send the int values of the enums, not the full text as it is currently doing. (I have control over the client so I can map it on the clientside). The strange thing is that in my RTFM-ing everyone seems to have the opposite issue! http://www.ftter.com/desktopmodules/framework/api/dare/getalldares public enum DareStatus : int { All = 0, Accepted = 2, Pending = 1, Declined = 3, Cancelled = 4, Failed = 5, Won = 6 } public IEnumerable<DareInfo> GetDares() { IEnumerable<DareInfo> dareInfos; using (IDataContext ctx = DataContext.Instance()) { var rep = ctx.GetRepository<DareInfo>(); dareInfos = rep.Get(); } return dareInfos; }

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  • Evaluating and Investigating Drug Safety Signals with Public Databases Webinar

    - by Roxana Babiciu
    In this one-hour webinar, BioPharm Systems' Dr. Rodney Lemery, vice president of safety and pharmacovigilance, will review a number of public databases available to use during the evaluation and investigation of identified safety signals. The discussion will focus on the use of free and paid longitudinal healthcare databases available online. After attending this presentation, you will better understand how these data sources can be used in your daily PV work. Read more here

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  • Integrating Oracle Argus Safety with other Clinical Systems Using Argus Interchange's E2B Functionality

    - by Roxana Babiciu
    Over the past few years, companies conducting clinical trials have increasingly been interested in integrating their pharmacovigilance systems with other clinical and safety solutions to streamline their processes. Please join BioPharm Systems’ Dr. Rodney Lemery, vice president of safety and pharmacovigilance, for a one-hour webinar in which he will discuss the ability to integrate Oracle’s Argus Safety with other applications using the safety system’s inherent extended E2B functionality. Read more here

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  • Managing Data Growth in SQL Server

    'Help, my database ate my disk drives!'. Many DBAs spend most of their time dealing with variations of the problem of database processes consuming too much disk space. This happens because of errors such as incorrect configurations for recovery models, data growth for large objects and queries that overtax TempDB resources. Rodney describes, with some feeling, the errors that can lead to this sort of crisis for the working DBA, and their solution.

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  • Consolidating SQL Server Error Logs from Multiple Instances Using SSIS

    SQL Server hides a lot of very useful information in its error log files. Unfortunately, the process of hunting through all these logs, file-by-file, server-by-server, can cause a problem. Rodney Landrum offers a solution which will allow you to pull error log records from multiple servers into a central database, for analysis and reporting with T-SQL....Did you know that DotNetSlackers also publishes .net articles written by top known .net Authors? We already have over 80 articles in several categories including Silverlight. Take a look: here.

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  • SSRS Reports as a Data Source in Excel 2013

    DBAs are expected to know how to administer the technologies that are available with and peripheral to SQL Server. To properly administer them, it certainly helps to understand the technology from the point of view of the user. By using an existing SSRS report as a data feed for Excel, Rodney Landrum explains how these users can now take advantage of development efforts in new ways. The seven tools in the SQL DBA Bundle support your core SQL Server database administration tasks.Make backups a breeze! Enjoy trouble-free troubleshooting! Make the most of monitoring! Download a free trial now.

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  • Interesting conversation about the nature of info-wars

    - by Malcolm Anderson
    Over at Schlock Mercenary, Howard Taylor has started a facinating conversation on the nature of Info-Wars. As Howard puts it:   Somebody (I forget who) tweeted that the Wikileaks fight right now is the first infowar in history. I disagree. I think we've fought numerous infowars in the last fifteen years. And that's really what I want to see discussed in the comments. We can argue right and wrong until the eCows come 127.0.0.1 but nobody is going to walk away convinced. I want to see a list of information-age conflicts that you feel qualify as "infowar." Me, I think the RIAA vs file-sharing qualifies. My buddy Rodney suggested RBLs vs Spammers (the spammers won that one.) Somebody pointed out that the Secret Service raid on Steve Jackson Games back in the 80's might qualify.

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  • asp.net httphandler stay on page

    - by rod
    Hi All, I have an ashx custom handler I goto to view my images. When I come accross an image that's not there I'm trying to throw a JavaScript alert saying the file is not found. But I want it to stay on the page? Is this possible? Insted it just goes to the blank page of the ashx handler. Thanks, Rodney

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  • 4 Top Tips from the Exceptional DBA Award judges

    - by Rebecca Amos
    There's still time to celebrate your achievements as a DBA – or those of a DBA you know – by submitting a nomination for the Exceptional DBA Awards 2011. To help you get started, here are some top tips from the judges on what they're looking for from this year's winner [hint: it's very likely you're already exceptional!]: "An Exceptional DBA must be able to communicate effectively and clearly with both technical people and the client." Steve Jones. "Exceptional DBAs are like police officers: we're here to serve and protect. Both serving and protecting are vital parts of the job, and we can't just focus on one." Brent Ozar "DBA work can be routine. Exceptional DBAs are enthusiastic about their work and are rarely bored, as there is always something new to learn and master." Brad McGehee. "Remember that cost is an important factor for your company. The ability to save your company money with a different technical solution will make you an Exceptional DBA, and can make you exceptionally well liked." Rodney Landrum. So whether you've brought a team together for a project, taken steps to protect the security of your servers, or learnt a new topic to understand an element of your job better, it's likely you’re already taking the steps that make you the Exceptional DBA the judges are looking for. To get more insider info from the judges, download your free poster of their top tips, and then get started on your entry: www.exceptionaldba.com.

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  • I spoke at SQL Saturday #77 and all I got was this really awesome speaker's shirt!

    - by Most Valuable Yak (Rob Volk)
    Yeah, it was 2 weeks ago, but I'm finally blogging about something! I presented Revenge: The SQL! at SQL Saturday #77 in Pensacola on June 4.  The session abstract is here, and you can download the slides from that page too.  You can see how I look in the speaker's shirt here. Overall it went pretty well.  I discovered a new bit of evil just that morning and in a carefully considered, agonizing decision-making process that was full documented, tested, and approved…nah, I just went ahead and added it at the last minute.  Which worked out even better than (not) planned, since it screwed me up a bit and made my point perfectly.  I had a few fans in the audience, and one of them recorded it for blackmail material posterity. I'd like to thank Karla Landrum (blog | twitter) and all the volunteers for putting together such a great event, and for being kind enough to let me present. (Note to Karla: I'll get the next $100 to you as soon as I can.  Might need a few extra days on the next $100.) Thanks to Audrey (blog | twitter), Peg, and Dorothy for attending and keeping the heckling down.  Thanks also to Aaron (blog | twitter) for providing room and board and also not heckling.  Thanks to Julie (blog | twitter) for coming up with the title for the presentation.  (boo to Julie for getting sick and bailing out on us)  And thanks to all of them for listening to a preview and offering their suggestions and advice! Cross your fingers that I get accepted at SQL Saturday 81 in Birmingham, SQL Saturday 85 in Orlando, or SQL Saturday 89 in Atlanta, or just attend them anyway!

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  • Exceptional DBA Awards 2011

    - by Rebecca Amos
    From today, we’re accepting nominations for the 2011 Exceptional DBA Awards. DBAs make a vital contribution to the running of the companies they work for, and the Exceptional DBA Awards aim to acknowledge this and make this contribution more widely known. Check out our new website for all the info: www.exceptionaldba.com  Being an exceptional DBA doesn’t mean you have to sleep at the office, or know everything there is to know about SQL Server; who ever could? It means that you make an effort to make your servers secure and reliable, and to make your users’ lives easier. Maybe you’ve helped a junior colleague learn something new about server backups? Or cancelled your coffee break to get a database back online? Or contributed to a forum post on performance monitoring? All of these actions show that you might be an exceptional DBA. So have a think about the tasks you do every day that already make you exceptional – and then get started on your entry! You just need to answer a few questions on our website about your experience as a DBA, some of your biggest achievements, and any other activities you participate in within the SQL Server community. Anyone who is currently working as a SQL Server database administrator can enter, or be nominated by someone else. We’ve got four fantastic judges for the Awards, who you’ll be familiar with already: Brent Ozar, Brad McGehee, Rodney Landrum and Steve Jones. They’ll pick five finalists, and then we’ll ask the SQL Server community to vote for their winner. Not only could you win the respect and recognition of peers and colleagues, but the prizes also include full conference registration for the 2011 PASS Summit in Seattle (where the awards ceremony will take place), four nights' hotel accommodation, and $300 towards travel expenses. The winner will get a copy of Red Gate’s SQL DBA Bundle – and they’ll also be featured here, on Simple-Talk. So what are you waiting for? Chances are you’ve already made a small effort for someone today that means you might be an exceptional DBA. Visit the website now, and start writing your entry – or nominate your favourite DBA to enter: www.exceptionaldba.com

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  • Aptronyms: fitting the profession to the name

    - by Tony Davis
    Writing a recent piece on the pains of index fragmentation, I found myself wondering why, in SQL Server, you can’t set the equivalent of a fill factor, on a heap table. I scratched my head…who might know? Phil Factor, of course! I approached him with a due sense of optimism only to find that not only did he not know, he also didn’t seem to care much either. I skulked off thinking how this may be the final nail in the coffin of nominative determinism. I’ve always wondered if there was anything in it, though. If your surname is Plumb or Leeks, is there even a tiny, extra percentage chance that you’ll end up fitting bathrooms? Some examples are quite common. I’m sure we’ve all met teachers called English or French, or lawyers called Judge or Laws. I’ve also known a Doctor called Coffin, a Urologist called Waterfall, and a Dentist called Dentith. Two personal favorites are Wolfgang Wolf who ended up managing the German Soccer team, Wolfsburg, and Edmund Akenhead, a Crossword Editor for The Times newspaper. Having forgiven Phil his earlier offhandedness, I asked him for if he knew of any notable examples. He had met the famous Dr. Batty and Dr. Nutter, both Psychiatrists, knew undertakers called Death and Stiff, had read a book by Frederick Page-Turner, and suppressed a giggle at the idea of a feminist called Gurley-Brown. He even managed to better my Urologist example, citing the article on incontinence in the British Journal of Urology (vol.49, pp.173-176, 1977) by A. J. Splatt and D. Weedon. What, however, if you were keen to gently nudge your child down the path to a career in IT? What name would you choose? Subtlety probably doesn’t really work, although in a recent interview, Rodney Landrum did congratulate PowerShell MVP Max Trinidad on being named after a SQL function. Grant “The Memory” Fritchey (OK, I made up that nickname) doesn’t do badly either. Some surnames, seem to offer a natural head start, although I know of no members of the Page-Reid clan in the profession. There are certainly families with the Table surname, although sadly, Little Bobby Tables was merely a legend by xkcd. A member of the well-known Key family would need to name their son Primary, or maybe live abroad, to make their mark. Nominate your examples of people seemingly destined, by name, for their chosen profession (extra points for IT). The best three will receive a prize. Cheers, Tony.

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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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  • It’s the thought that counts…

    - by Tony Davis
    I recently finished editing a book called Tribal SQL, and it was a fantastic experience. It’s a community-sourced book written by first-timers. Fifteen previously unpublished authors contributed one chapter each, with the seemingly simple remit to write about “what makes them passionate about working with SQL Server, something that all SQL Server DBAs and developers really need to know”. Sure, some of the writing skills were a bit rusty as one would expect from busy people, but the ideas and energy were sheer nectar. Any seasoned editor can deal easily with the problem of fixing the output of untrained writers. We can handle with the occasional technical error too, which is why we have technical reviewers. The editor’s real job is to hone the clarity and flow of ideas, making the author’s knowledge and experience accessible to as many others as possible. What the writer needs to bring, on the other hand, is enthusiasm, attention to detail, common sense, and a sense of the person behind the writing. If any of these are missing, no editor can fix it. We can see these essential characteristics in many of the more seasoned and widely-published writers about SQL. To illustrate what I mean by enthusiasm, or passion, take a look at the work of Laerte Junior or Fabiano Amorim. Both authors have English as a second language, but their energy, enthusiasm, sheer immersion in a technology and thirst to know more, drives them, with a little editorial help, to produce articles of far more practical value than one can find in the “manuals”. There’s the attention to detail of the likes of Jonathan Kehayias, or Paul Randal. Read their work and one begins to understand the knowledge coupled with incredible rigor, the willingness to bend and test every piece of advice offered to make sure it’s correct, that marks out the very best technical writing. There’s the common sense of someone like Louis Davidson. All writers, including Louis, like to stretch the grey matter of their readers, but some of the most valuable writing is that which takes a complicated idea, or distils years of experience, and expresses it in a way that sounds like simple common sense. There’s personality and humor. Contrary to what you may have been told, they can and do mix well with technical writing, as long as they don’t become a distraction. Read someone like Rodney Landrum, or Phil Factor, for numerous examples of articles that teach hard technical lessons but also make you smile at least twice along the way. Writing well is not easy and it takes a certain bravery to expose your ideas and knowledge for dissection by others, but it doesn’t mean that writing should be the preserve only of those trained in the art, or best left to the MVPs. I believe that Tribal SQL is testament to the fact that if you have passion for what you do, and really know your topic then, with a little editorial help, you can write, and people will learn from what you have to say. You can read a sample chapter, by Mark Rasmussen, in this issue of Simple-Talk and I hope you’ll consider checking out the book (if you needed any further encouragement, it’s also for a good cause, Computers4Africa). Cheers, Tony  

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  • Application Performance Episode 2: Announcing the Judges!

    - by Michaela Murray
    The story so far… We’re writing a new book for ASP.NET developers, and we want you to be a part of it! If you work with ASP.NET applications, and have top tips, hard-won lessons, or sage advice for avoiding, finding, and fixing performance problems, we want to hear from you! And if your app uses SQL Server, even better – interaction with the database is critical to application performance, so we’re looking for database top tips too. There’s a Microsoft Surface apiece for the person who comes up with the best tip for SQL Server and the best tip for .NET. Of course, if your suggestion is selected for the book, you’ll get full credit, by name, Twitter handle, GitHub repository, or whatever you like. To get involved, just email your nuggets of performance wisdom to [email protected] – there are examples of what we’re looking for and full competition details at Application Performance: The Best of the Web. Enter the judges… As mentioned in my last blogpost, we have a mystery panel of celebrity judges lined up to select the prize-winning performance pointers. We’re now ready to reveal their secret identities! Judging your ASP.NET  tips will be: Jean-Phillippe Gouigoux, MCTS/MCPD Enterprise Architect and MVP Connected System Developer. He’s a board member at French software company MGDIS, and teaches algorithms, security, software tests, and ALM at the Université de Bretagne Sud. Jean-Philippe also lectures at IT conferences and writes articles for programming magazines. His book Practical Performance Profiling is published by Simple-Talk. Nik Molnar,  a New Yorker, ASP Insider, and co-founder of Glimpse, an open source ASP.NET diagnostics and debugging tool. Originally from Florida, Nik specializes in web development, building scalable, client-centric solutions. In his spare time, Nik can be found cooking up a storm in the kitchen, hanging with his wife, speaking at conferences, and working on other open source projects. Mitchel Sellers, Microsoft C# and DotNetNuke MVP. Mitchel is an experienced software architect, business leader, public speaker, and educator. He works with companies across the globe, as CEO of IowaComputerGurus Inc. Mitchel writes technical articles for online and print publications and is the author of Professional DotNetNuke Module Programming. He frequently answers questions on StackOverflow and MSDN and is an active participant in the .NET and DotNetNuke communities. Clive Tong, Software Engineer at Red Gate. In previous roles, Clive spent a lot of time working with Common LISP and enthusing about functional languages, and he’s worked with managed languages since before his first real job (which was a long time ago). Long convinced of the productivity benefits of managed languages, Clive is very interested in getting good runtime performance to keep managed languages practical for real-world development. And our trio of SQL Server specialists, ready to select your top suggestion, are (drumroll): Rodney Landrum, a SQL Server MVP who writes regularly about Integration Services, Analysis Services, and Reporting Services. He’s authored SQL Server Tacklebox, three Reporting Services books, and contributes regularly to SQLServerCentral, SQL Server Magazine, and Simple–Talk. His day job involves overseeing a large SQL Server infrastructure in Orlando. Grant Fritchey, Product Evangelist at Red Gate and SQL Server MVP. In an IT career spanning more than 20 years, Grant has written VB, VB.NET, C#, and Java. He’s been working with SQL Server since version 6.0. Grant volunteers with the Editorial Committee at PASS and has written books for Apress and Simple-Talk. Jonathan Allen, leader and founder of the PASS SQL South West user group. He’s been working with SQL Server since 1999 and enjoys performance tuning, development, and using SQL Server for business solutions. He’s spoken at SQLBits and SQL in the City, as well as local user groups across the UK. He’s also a moderator at ask.sqlservercentral.com.

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  • It’s official – Red Gate is a great place to work!

    - by red@work
    At a glittering award ceremony last week, we found out that we’re officially the 14th best small company to work for in the whole of the UK! This is no mean feat, considering that about 1,000 companies enter the Sunday Times Top 100 best companies awards each year. Most of these are in the small companies category too. It's the fourth year in a row for us to be in the Top 100 list and we're tickled pink because the results are based on employee opinion. We’re particularly proud to be the best small company in Cambridge (in the whole of East Anglia, in fact) and the best small software development company in the entire UK. So how does it all work? Well, 90% of us took the time to answer over 70 questions on categories such as management, benefits, wellbeing, leadership, giving something back and what we think of Red Gate as a whole. It makes you think about every part of day to day working life and how you feel about it. Do you slightly or strongly agree or disagree that your manager motivates your to do your best every day, or that you have confidence in Red Gate's leaders, or that you’re not spending too much time working? It's great to see that we had one of the best scores in the country for the question "Do you think your company takes advantage of you?" We got particularly high scores for management, wellbeing and for giving something back too. A few of us got dressed up and headed to London for the awards; very excited about where we’d place but slightly nervous about having to get up on stage. There was a last minute hic up with a bow tie but the Managing Editor of the Sunday Times kindly stepped in to offer his assistance just before we had our official photo taken. We were nominated for two Special Recognition Awards. Despite not bringing them home this year, we're very proud to be nominated as there are only three nominations in each category. First we were up for the Training and Development award. Best Companies loved that we get together at lunchtimes to teach each other photography, cookery and French, as well as our book clubs and techie talks. And of course they liked our opportunities to go on training courses and to jet off to international conferences. Our other nomination was for the Wellbeing award. Best Companies loved our free food (and let’s face it, so do we). Porridge or bacon sandwiches for breakfast, a three course hot dinner, and free fruit and cereals all day long. If all that has an affect on the waistline then there are plenty of sporty activities for us all to get involved in, such as yoga, running or squash. Or if that’s not your thing then a relaxing massage helps us all to unwind every few months or so. The awards were hosted by news presenter Kate Silverton. She gave us a special mention during the ceremony for having great customer engagement as well as employee engagement, after we told her about Rodney Landrum (a Friend of Red Gate) tattooing our logo on his arm. We showed off our customised dinner jacket (thanks to Dom from Usability) with a flashing Red Gate logo on the back and she seemed suitability impressed. Back in the office the next day, we popped open the champagne and raised a glass to our success. Neil, our joint CEO, talked about how pleased he was with the award because it's based on the opinions of the people that count – us. You can read more about the Sunday Times awards here. By the way, we're still growing and are still hiring. If you’d like to keep up with our latest vacancies then why not follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/redgatecareers. Right now we're busy hiring in development, test, sales, product management, web development, and project management. Here's a link to our current job opportunities page – we'd love to hear from great people who are looking for a great place to work! After all, we're only great because of the people who work here. Post by: Alice Chapman

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