January, 2012

UPDATE: The final version of this ebook is available here . The version linked to below is out of date. Everybody interested in learning about what’s new in SQL Server 2012, today’s a good day because we’re releasing our second DRAFT preview of Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 , by Ross Mistry and Stacia Misner. (Please remember that “draft” means we haven’t completed our editorial/production work on the content.) This version updates the two chapters that appeared in our first DRAFT preview release and adds four more chapters. It contains the boldfaced chapters below: PART I DATABASE ADMINISTRATION (Ross’s part) 1. Denali Editions and Enhancements 2. High Availability and Disaster Recovery Enhancements 3. Scalability and Performance...

Everybody interested in learning about what’s new in SQL Server 2012, we hope you saw our first release of our Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 ebook in October . That was just a draft, two-chapter quick release to help celebrate PASS Summit 2011 (and that ebook is still available). Here’s our upcoming release schedule for the ebook at this point: On February 1 , we’ll release another draft version of the ebook. (“Draft” means we haven’t completed our editorial/production work on the content, by the way.) This version will include updated versions of the two chapters in the first release—Chapter 2, “High Availability and Disaster Recovery Enhancements,” written by Ross Mistry, and Chapter 6, “Integration Services,” written...

Editors, writers, and content creators: get in line to purchase the newest edition of the Microsoft Manual of Style ! Now in its fourth edition, the Microsoft Manual of Style provides essential style and usage guidance for everyone who writes about computer technology. Fully updated and optimized for ease of use, this reference features: ■ Glossary for 1000+ terms and acronyms ■ Clear concise usage guidelines with examples and alternatives ■ Guidance on style, “voice,” formatting, and grammar ■ Insights on emerging terminology and standards. ■ Guidance on accessibility considerations The list of contents can be found on this previous post . Below is an excerpt from Chapter, 3 “Content for a worldwide audience.” Chapter 3 Content for a worldwide...

We are very happy to announce that the Microsoft Manual of Style, Fourth Edition (464 pages, ISBN 9780735648715), has shipped to the printer. The Microsoft Manual of Style provides essential guidance to content creators, journalists, technical writers, editors, and everyone else who writes about computer technology. Direct from the Editorial Style Board at Microsoft—you get a comprehensive glossary of both general technology terms and those specific to Microsoft; clear, concise usage and style guidelines with helpful examples and alternatives; guidance on grammar, tone, and voice; and best practices for writing content for the web, optimizing for accessibility, and communicating to a worldwide audience. Fully updated and optimized for ease of use, the Microsoft Manual of Style is designed...

We’ve mentioned these in previous blog posts, but thought they deserved a reminder. Microsoft Excel 2010 Step by Step, Microsoft Word 2010 Step by Step and Windows 7 Step by Step are all available in video format free of charge. Each lesson is based on a chapter from the books. Lessons typically run about 15 – 25 minutes in length. Click here for Microsoft Excel 2010 videos Click here for Microsoft Word 2010 videos Click here for Microsoft Windows 7 videos

We’re pleased to announce that the new Microsoft Press book XAML Developer Reference (ISBN 978-0-7356-5896-7, 340 pages) is now available for purchase! This book covers XAML from the ground up for both Windows Presentation Foundation and Silverlight development—and of course, because XAML is a foundational technology in building Windows 8 applications, learning the information here will be useful for a long time to come. You’ll discover practical ways to build rich, interactive user interfaces with data integration capabilities and support for multimedia, graphics, and animation. This hands-on guide is ideal for Microsoft .NET developers and web designers alike. Written by two XAML experts, Mamta D and Ashish Ghoda, this book covers all the basic XAML elements, their...

Good news! Software Change Management: Case Studies and Practical Advice , by Donald J. Reifer, is now available for purchase. Donald J. Reifer is one of the leading figures in the field of systems/software engineering and management, with over 40 years of progressive experience. He has built businesses, steered troubled projects, and served in executive positions in industry and government. He specializes in the area of metrics and measurement. Besides being a trusted advisor to major corporations and the government, he has founded software businesses and served as an expert witness. Check out Donald’s recent post to the Microsoft Press blog. The list of contents and some additional information from the Introduction can be found in this previous post . If this sounds interesting...

Greetings. We’d like to make sure you know about some upcoming free training. Here are the details: Course: “Creating and Managing a Private Cloud with System Center 2012 Jump Start” Date/Time: February 21-22, 2012 from 9:00am – 5:00pm PST Where: Live virtual classroom (online from wherever you are) Cost: FREE! Target audience: IT Professionals (IT Implementers, managers, decision makers) You can register via MicrosoftCareerConferenceRegistration.aspx-pid=298 . And here’s much more information about the course: Why is this Jump Start a good time investment? Who should attend? This accelerated Jump Start is tailored for IT professionals familiar with Windows Server technologies, Hyper-V virtualization, and the System Center management...

Post from Kenyon Brown, editor, Microsoft Press Three Microsoft Visio MVPs and authors, including Microsoft Press author, Scott Helmers , who wrote Microsoft Visio 2010 Step by Step , have recorded two dozen 5-8 minute videos on key topics in Visio 2010. Microsoft will release one video per week, and make them available at The Visio 2010 MVP Sessions page . Most videos include one or more sample diagrams that you can download. Topics include: Containers and lists Layers Network and rack diagrams Shape data Backstage and the ribbon Working with CAD drawings BPMN and SharePoint Workflow diagrams and many, many more... Session 1, “ Get started with the right template , ” features Scott. Here’s a description: See how to get started...

Greetings. Perhaps you’ve heard that as of this week Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing (TwC) initiative is ten years young: “At 10-Year Milestone, Microsoft’s Trustworthy Computing Initiative More Important than Ever.” In this post, we’d like to point you to a couple of posts written by Microsoft Press authors who played key roles in the initiative: Steve Lipner (Senior Director of Security Engineering Strategy at Microsoft), along with Michael Howard, authored The Security Development Lifecycle (Microsoft Press, 2006), which described Microsoft’s implementation of the Security Development Lifecycle (SDL). (You’ll find much more about Microsoft’s use of the SDL and the software development community’s use of similar models...

For those attending TechReady: Mark Russinovich and Aaron Margosis , authors of Windows Sysinternals Administrator’s Reference (Microsoft Press, 2012; ISBN: 9780735656727), will be signing the book in the bookstore on Friday, February 3, from 12:00 to 1:00. Mark will also be signing his cyber-thriller Zero Day : http://www.zerodaythebook.com/ . By the way, everyone, you can download the Table of Contents and two complete sample chapters from Windows Sysinternals Administrator’s Reference via this blog post .

Donald Reifer here. Many firms are currently searching for ways to save money and cut cycle time in these times of economic contraction. To achieve these ends, many are trying to find ways to cut their costs and spur productivity growth. For example, some are simplifying their software development processes while others are out-sourcing work to try to realize such benefits. But, any change, no matter how trivial, can have adverse effects especially when the staff is not properly prepared and trained to accept it. Take something as petty as introducing a new trouble report. While the goal may be to simplify and reduce the effort associated with collecting defect data, the effort associated with training and bringing people up to speed so that they can effectively use it may diminish the anticipated...

Jan 12, 2012 Diagnosing and Repairing Difficult Problems in Windows 7 Mike Halsey Cost: Free It can be difficult enough finding out what's gone wrong with windows 7 or a program, but some problems can be a nightmare to diagnose. In this webcast, Mike Halsey, the author of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out talks you through how to diagnose really stubborn and hidden problems in Windows 7, and explains how you can go about fixing them. Time: 10:00 AM PT Register here: http://oreillynet.com/pub/e/2120 Jan 20, 2012 Introduction to Windows Media Architecture Anton Polinger Time: 1:00 PM PT Cost: Free This webcast will provide an introduction to media pipeline on Windows, comparing and contrasting DirectShow and Media Foundation architectures. Register...

A really in-depth, interesting reader review came by my desk today. It was such a helpful review, that I wanted to share it with all of you. Click Here: Book Review: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Internals A big Microsoft Press thank you to Jes Schultz Borland (Twitter alias @grrl_geek) for writing the review. We’re also happy to report that lead author Kalen Delaney and her team are currently working on the next edition for SQL Server 2012.

For information about the book, where to send press queries, and how to request a review copy, see our press release page for Microsoft Manual of Style, Fourth Edition . Here’s an excerpt: "However, change occurs rapidly in the world of technology, and so do the ways we talk about technology," continues Whitmire. "Even expert editors need a set of vetted guidelines that keep them up to date and protect them from making the same decisions repeatedly or in isolation. This edition of the Microsoft Manual of Style is about standardizing, clarifying, and simplifying the creation of content by providing the latest usage guidelines that apply across the genres of technical communication—1,000 decisions you don't have to make again."

Post from Kimberly Kim, group content publishing manager Six of six titles entered in chapter-level competition win awards, four move on to the international competition   Excellence Excellence Distinguished Distinguished Microsoft Press is pleased to announce that all six of the Microsoft Press titles entered in our local competition of the Society for Technical Communications (STC) were honored with awards! Each title was evaluated against rigorous standards for information design, use and appearance of visual elements, usability, writing and editing, and how well the publication meets the needs of the intended audience. Two titles received the highest level of award granted in the competition, and four qualified for submission to the International Summit Award competition. Huge congratulations...

Hello. We launched the Microsoft Press blog three years ago, so we’re no longer a baby blog. And we’re far beyond pulling ourselves up by the couch—we jump up and down on it—which means we’re not exactly toddlers. Plus, our vocabulary includes well over 350 words. But the best indication of our advanced development is the fact that we don’t see other children as “objects.” Frankly, we knew not to do that on Day 1. Thank you, everyone, for your interest and your responses over this time. We’ll keep sharing free ebooks, information about our publications, author news, Microsoft technology-related news, and more. Let us know if there’s anything else you’d like us to do.