This is a bit off-topic, but I wanted to mention a great tool for beginners to learn how to program. This tool is especially ideal for those of us who have high schoolers who are interested in programming (this blog … Continue reading →
On a few occasions, I have opened up my PerformancePoint scorecard on SharePoint to see an error staring at me: So two of my KPI’s, which have been working fine for months, suddenly don’t work. Follow along and I will … Continue reading →
Source tables change over time. A data mart or data warehouse that is based on those tables needs to reflect these changes. This blog post will explain different solutions for solving this problem. When moving data into a data warehouse, taking … Continue reading →
Microsoft SharePoint Online is a cloud-based service that is part of the recently released Microsoft Office 365. For those of us who have installed SharePoint and maintained it, we know there is a lot of cost and overhead. Setting it all … Continue reading →
If you are using a SSIS lookup transformation editor to determine whether to update/delete/insert records and the reference dataset is large (millions of rows) and you are using “Full cache” on the lookup transformation (the default), you might run into … Continue reading →
There is a very interesting new Microsoft program that started back in January, called the SSAS Maestro Program. It is a five-day, deep-dive course on Analysis Services 2008 R2 that gives architects and consultants the education and hands-on experience needed to deliver the … Continue reading →
Released today, the SQL Server 2012, code name ‘Denali’, Community Technical Preview 3 (CTP3) Product Guide download contains the latest datasheets, white papers, click-through and auto-running demonstrations, hands-on lab previews, technical presentations, and other useful links to help you evaluate the SQL … Continue reading →
Replaying multiple threads of a captured trace in SQL Profiler is difficult, and you are limited to replaying the workload from a single computer. Distributed Replay is a new multi-threaded replay utility in Denali that solves this problem by allowing you … Continue reading →
For those of you who use MDX, I’m sure you share my opinion that MDX is a lot harder to master than SQL. One trick I have learned is that instead of trying to write MDX from scratch, use one … Continue reading →
I take it for granted that everyone knows all about Microsoft certifications and Microsoft MVP’s. But a few years ago, I had no idea what they were. I had seen a few people list Microsoft certifications on their résumé, but … Continue reading →
As a consultant or contractor, many times the client we are at does not provide us with a laptop, so we must use our own. Usually that is preferred anyway, as we have all the software and tools installed and … Continue reading →
Project Apollo is a new feature in CTP3 of SQL Server 2012 (code name of “Denali”) that enables a new columnstore index that offers 10-100x performance improvements for a star join or similar query. Apollo brings together the in-memory columnstore … Continue reading →
Here is a tip that could make you much more productive: At home, I have a desktop computer with dual-monitors (via a HDMI connection and a DVI connection with 1920×1080 resolution. One monitor is 24-inch, the other 21-inch). I also have … Continue reading →
Here is a got-ya that happened to me. In SQL Server I want to generate a script of all the tables in case I need to re-create them. This is usually the case in a development environment when I’m building … Continue reading →
Here is a common got-ya. You are modifying the cube dimension security for a role-playing dimension. You make the changes and the cube processes successfully. But when you try to connect to the cube, you get the following error message: The ‘XXX’ attribute in … Continue reading →
“vNext” is the codename Microsoft has chosen for the next version of the Visual Studio. A big feature is improving the application lifecycle management (ALM) process. Check out this pdf “Visual Studio VNext: Application Lifecyle Managment” or the video The Future of Microsoft Visual … Continue reading →
According to the post SQL Server “Denali” Experts–We Need You! that asks for your feedback on the Microsoft certifications for the next version of SQL Server, there will be seven exams: Four certification exams are planned for SQL Server 2012, code … Continue reading →
CTP3 of SQL Server 2012, code named “Denali”, was made available recently, and it offers a lot of new features for SSIS. Some of my favorites are: SSIS Projects, which is an encapsulation of multiple packages into a single unit … Continue reading →
As I play with the recently released CTP3 of SQL Server 2012, code name of Denali, I wanted to point something out about installing SSAS, since there is now two “modes” you can choose from due to the the new BI Semantic Model … Continue reading →
Microsoft has released the final build of SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1. It includes fixes from SQL Server 2008 R2 RTM Cumulative Updates 1 through 6, and some new features introduced since those cumulative updates. Release notes for SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 is available here. SP1 adds several … Continue reading →