We're putting this blog (Data Access blog) into suspended animation. That doesn't mean we will stop blogging about ADO.NET and data access stuff, or that we'll take down published posts or comments here - it's just means we'll carry on blogging about ADO.NET (current and future releases including info...

A new worldwide contest for developers has been launched by the folks at Visual Studio Express and SQL Server Express. Here's how it goes: you think of something cool using Visual Studio Express and SQL Server Express . It could be desktop app, a web app, a mobile app, whatever. Then you submit...

In November 2003 MSDN Online published a popular six-part series on using data structures in the .NET Framework. In 2005, the first part was updated to take advantage of the new data structures and features available with the .NET Framework version 2.0, and C# 2.0: "We'll examine both built-in...

Channel 9 has posted great video interview with Jim Gray, a researcher and manager of Microsoft Research's eScience Group . "This episode features Jim Gray . He is a "Technical Fellow" in the Scaleable Servers Research Group (Sky Server, Terra Server) and manager of Microsoft's Bay Area Research...

A new article published at Developer.com is worth checking out: Ten of the Biggest Mistakes Developers Make With Databases .

I often receive questions inquiring about the (channel) encryption capabilities in SQL Server 2005. Like SQL Server 2000, 2005 can use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to secure transmissions over the wire independent of the network protocol used. However, unlike its predecessor, SQL Server 2005 will always...

How many of you are coming to TechEd 2005 in Orlando ? A show of hands, please. Excellent! The DataWorks team will be at TechEd, delivering sessions, chatting in the cabana and in the booth, and attending various Birds of a Feather sessions. We'll be involved in the following sessions: 1. Monday...

We’ve been seeing several comments on email and blogs lately about changes in the APIs between CTP (Community Tech Preview) releases. I understand the frustration that these changes could cause, so I wanted to jump in and comment on the topic. As part of being increasingly more open in our development...