Meta-Data Trends & Technologies

The term “Enterprise Metadata Management” has been in use since the late 1980’s when many of us worked in classic “mainframe environments” using “corporate data dictionaries” to manage our COBOL programs, Job Control Language (JCL), screens, reports, copybooks, and database schema definitions. Fast-forward to 2005 ~ has anything changed? What does “enterprise metadata management” mean today ? I recently surveyed a number of leading metadata management vendors, Global 5000 companies, and industry thought-leaders seeking their input.

A tale of preventable loss

In the race to secure data, one basic measure – encryption – is often overlooked. Philip Basham takes a look at the ramifications of data loss and how it can be prevented.

TechTalk: Kimberly L. Tripp on Developing for SQL Server

Kimberly L. Tripp talks about indexing best practices and what developers should know about SQL Server management. She also discusses stored procedure and parameterized queries caching, the new availability features in SQL Server 2005, and the SQL Server CLR.

Should you use a DataReader or DataSet?

In the beginning, there was the recordset, a central feature of classic ADO. Like a Swiss army knife, it wasn’t the perfect tool for every job, but given the correct configuration, it could do whatever you needed it to do.

The recordset wasn’t always pretty to watch, however, and it came into prominence at a time when client/server applications for which it was optimized were being replaced by web applications. Its dark side included an amazing level of complexity and the number of special cases when it was used with particular providers.

Database Geek of the Week - Bob Beauchemin

Bob Beauchemin is a developer who not only writes code and develops databases, but also teaches other developers to create applications and databases, often using the latest Microsoft technologies.

Bob has more than 25 years of experience working with IBM mainframes and Unix boxes, as well as Windows-based PCs. He has taught a number of database courses for DevelopMentor, a hands-on training company for experienced developers, and has given instruction on writing .NET web services and creating applications and components using C#.

SQL Server Performance Monitor

You can monitor the system performance by using the Performance monitor console and its related counters in Windows 2000. These counters allow you to view or save information about the overall performance of your server. When you install Microsoft SQL Server, additional Performance monitor objects and counters are automatically installed. While you must have administrative access to your SQL Server to use these objects, SQL Server admins should find them invaluable in monitoring and tuning the database server. Furthermore, the Performance monitor can be used either locally or remotely, which allows admins greater control in monitoring SQL Server.

Writing CLR Stored Procedures in C# - Returning Data (Part 2)

In Part 1 I covered a simple stored procedure that printed the current date. In this article I'll cover writing a stored procedure to return a recordset back to the client. In the process we'll learn a little bit more about .NET and C# including the SqlConnection, SqlCommand and SqlDataReader classes.

Many-to-Many Dimensions in Analysis Services 2005

See an example of using the Many-to-Many dimension in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services to analyze sales data, and get ideas for other uses such as treating medical conditions, software testing, and more.

MSDN TV: Report Authoring Tips and Tricks

Getting started with SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services or the new report controls in Visual Studio 2005? Brian Welcker demonstrates some tips and tricks that you can use to add interactive features to your own reports.

MSSQL Server Reporting Services: Mastering OLAP Reporting: Percent of

An important consideration, when designing a Business Intelligence system within any environment, is a consideration for "where to put the intelligence" among the various "layers" within the system. I have stated many times in the past, in both articles and presentations, that "multi-layered reporting solutions require multi-layered architects," and nowhere is this truer than within the design and implementation of the Microsoft integrated business intelligence solution. This article provides an excellent example of such considerations: the option for placing a needed calculation at either the Analysis Services level (within the cube structure) or the Reporting Services level.