Public Sector Developer Weblog

Displaying a lookup as a dropdown in a CRM 2011 form

PubSec — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:58:10 GMT

Another scenario from a customer:

We want to use a lookup to another entity because we want to store additional data in the entities fields and option sets don’t provide this capability. However, we want the selection of the entity in the form to be a dropdown to minimize the # of clicks a user must go through to select the entity. …read more…

Soundtracker Builds Global Geosocial Music Service on Multiple Platforms including Windows Azure and Windows Phone 7

PubSec — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:10:45 GMT

Daniele Calabrese, founder and CEO of Soundtracker, a Microsoft BizSpark One company, discusses with Zhiming Xue the enabling technologies behind their geosocial music service Soundtracker. The free global geosocial internet radio service, which currently supports smartphone and web users with 12 million songs in 10 languages, helps users discover, share and play in real-time their favorite music with friends and anybody nearby. With demos on a Nokia Lumia 800 Windows Phone, Daniele discusses their mobile-first strategy that focuses on smartphone users, their support for multiple mobile platforms including Windows Phone 7, and several key location aware and social music sharing capabilities of the service. He then explains the high-level architecture for the music service - how Amazon AWS is used to support the infrastructure and Microsoft Windows Azure powers the instant and predictive search function, and how data is managed in the backend and delivered to users. He talks about how HTML5 is used to provide optimized user experience to web users with Microsoft IE 9 and Google Chrome. Finally, Daniele shares their plan to extend the global music service to Windows 8 and XBOX Live users. You can follow Soundtracker at facebook and twitter.

For developers, you can download Windows Phone development tools and Windows Azure SDK, and get a free Windows Azure trial account.

Showing a jQuery UI dialog in a CRM 2011 form

PubSec — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:39:20 GMT

I was asked how to implement the following scenario in a CRM 2011 form (paraphrased):

Show an alert notification indicator in the header
When the user to click the notification indicator, show a dialog with the details of the alert

Here’s how I did it. …read more…

Referencing JavaScript files from a CDN in a CRM 2011 form

PubSec — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:42:04 GMT

I’m a big fan of referencing JavaScript files from a Content Delivery Network (CDN) when it makes sense. Why? …read more…

Please join us for a Microsoft TechCast next Tuesday, February 14, 2012!

PubSec — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:48:02 GMT

Register for Developing Applications Using Data from Microsoft Windows Azure Marketplace here !

Abstract

The Windows Azure Marketplace is an online market buying and selling finished Software as a Service (SaaS) applications and premium datasets. There is a wide variety of data including demographic, environment, financial, retail and sports. In this webcast, we will take a look at the application development features of the Windows Azure Marketplace and discuss how you can develop web and Windows Phone applications that consume data from the Marketplace.

Target Audience: Architect, Designer, IT Decision Maker, IT Manager and Pro Dev/Programmer

Presenter: Dr. Zhiming Xue “Z" is a senior Microsoft Architect Evangelist, based in the Washington DC area. He currently focuses on the Windows Azure platform while continuing to deliver technical presentations on Windows Phone, SharePoint, Silverlight, ASP.NET and the web platform at Microsoft events, workshops and conferences. Prior to his current role, he played lead developer and architect roles at Microsoft Services to support enterprise customers in both private sector and public sector. You can follow his blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/zxue.

Adding an Image Carousel to a CRM 2011 Form

PubSec — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 02:12:37 GMT

I recently had a customer request to display the pictures/images attached to a CRM form in an image carousel. This is one of those things where I’ve seen people write a bunch of Silverlight code to accomplish. In my opinion, using Silverlight for this is overkill…read more…

Top 10 Tips for Building a Windows Phone App

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:05:54 GMT

In this Visual Studio magazine article, my colleague Max Zilberman shares top 10 tips for developers to build Windows Phone apps in a right way.

Embrace Metro
Leave Some Space
Respect Margins
Get Controls out of the Way
Make Navigation Predictable
Learn How to Pin Tiles
Limit Results on Map Control to What the User Can See on the Viewport
Tombstoning Should Be Transparent
Properly Manage Network Failures
Avoid UI Thread Blocking

Read the full article here.

To get started, developers can download free tools including Windows Phone SDK.

Testing Sharepoint - Functional and Performance Testing for Sharepoint based applications using Visual Studio 2010

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:35:36 GMT

Register here for the Testing Sharepoint - Functional and Performance Testing for Sharepoint based applications using Visual Studio 2010 Webinar!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 2:00PM

Microsoft and ALP International invite you to a one hour webcast during which we'll demonstrate the Sharepoint specific testing capabilities of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server.

More and more Sharepoint is being leveraged as an application platform within organizations for both internal and external systems. Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server 2010 include features specifically designed for testing Sharepoint based development efforts.

· Discover new Unit Testing features designed for use in Sharepoint projects

· Witness the use of Intellitrace for advanced debugging of Sharepoint for both developers and testers to help find root cause and create actionable bugs

· See how Microsoft Test Manager can be used to manage testing efforts for Sharepoint based applications

· Experience creation of Coded-UI automation for testing Sharepoint based apps

· Learn how to create Performance Tests in Visual Studio 2010’s Web Test recorder with functionality specifically designed to deal with Sharepoint GUIDs and other characteristics of the platform

· Learn best practices for testing Sharepoint 2010 using Visual Studio

ALP International Corporation (ALPI) is a leading professional services firm specializing in the area of test automation and test process improvement. ALPI’s Software Testing Group provides a broad range of consultative testing services including: Test Process Reengineering, Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V), Test Planning, Test Management, Product Testing, Test Automation, and Load and Performance Testing. ALPI’s Training and Education Group provides courses in test tool technology implementation, IV&V, Test Process Improvement, and Tester Certifications. Courses are held at our state-of-the-art training facilities or on-site at customer locations.

Reporting and Dashboard Options in Team Foundation Server 2010

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:33:21 GMT

Monday, February 20, 2012 at 2:00PM EST

Microsoft and ALP International invite you to a one hour webcast during which we'll demonstrate the reporting and dashboard capabilities when using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server.

Visual Studio 2010 includes comprehensive and easy to use tools for creating dashboards and reports to track your software development and testing efforts in Team Foundation Server 2010.

· Discover the rich integration of Visual Studio and Team Foundation server with other Microsoft tools for reporting such as Microsoft Excel, Word, Sharepoint and Project

· Experience seeing your testing and development progress on a simple and easily accessible dashboard, drilling down into critical details as necessary

· Experience using Microsoft Test Manager queries to track status of work items assigned to you and to others

· Implement both included and custom Excel reports to track testing progress, defect status, requirements coverage, code churn, trends in key fields and much more

· See how you can also track the bugs for your whole team project to determine the overall quality of areas of the application under test

· Learn how to create robust reports from TFS and Visual Studio

Implementing Test Lab Virtualization with Microsoft Lab Management

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:31:15 GMT

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 2:00PM EST

Microsoft and ALP International invite you to a one hour demo during which we'll demonstrate the test lab virtualization capabilities when using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server.

Visual Studio 2010 introduces a new set of tools and capabilities that enable testers and developers to easily create virtual test environments using virtual machine technologies, templates and pre-defined environments. Microsoft Lab Management allows just in time deployment of test machines configured exactly to specification, and snapshotting of these environments when issues are discovered.

· Learn how to setup and teardown test environments with Microsoft Lab Management

· Reduce time required to build a test environment

· Eliminate the need to share test environments across your developer and testing groups via virtualization

· Experience the “out-of-the-box” rich integration with Microsoft Visual Studio and Team Foundation server capabilities

· Discover how virtual test environment snapshots enable:

o Reverting to ‘clean’ state for new builds or running tests

o On demand creation of environments as necessary

o Sharing a snapshot frozen at the point of failure with developers for more actionable bugs

Load and Performance Testing with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010- February 8, 2012

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:29:13 GMT

Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 2:00PM EST.

Microsoft and ALP International invite you to a one hour webcast during which we'll demonstrate the load and performance testing capabilities when using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server.

Visual Studio 2010 introduces a new set of tools and capabilities that enable performance testers to create load and performance test scripts and scenarios, run load and performance tests and generate detailed reports for bottleneck identification.

· Discover the load and performance test capabilities of Visual Studio 2010

· Learn how to create performance and stress tests using Web Performance Test recording and the Load Test creation wizard

· Explore powerful new configuration, emulation and settings options for your tests

· Learn how to create data-driven web performance tests

· Observe live system metrics into TFS while performing load tests

· Discover the rich integration with Microsoft Office tools for analysis and reporting

· Learn how to analyze and compare load test runs

ALPI has 18 years’ experience offering load-testing capabilities for clients who need to measure the performance of a specific application, develop loadtest baselines, or create load-test scripts and scenarios. We measure transaction performance time using various load scenarios and develop summary reports to help interpret results and take corrective action. Our complete solution includes initial installation and configuration of Microsoft VS2010, evaluation of client requirements, and development of performance tests that simulate current or projected application usage.

Manual and Automated Software Testing with Microsoft Test Manager- March 12, 2012

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:22:21 GMT

Monday, March 12, 2012 at 2:00PM EST

Microsoft and ALP International invite you to a one hour webcast during which we'll demonstrate the manual and automated testing capabilities when using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server.

Visual Studio 2010 introduces a new set of tools and capabilities that enable testers to easily create and maintain and execute both manual and automated tests.

• Imagine knowing which manual regression tests you had to run, given the code changes in the recent build!

• Consider being able to record your exploratory testing and turn that exploration into detailed test steps – with just a few commands!

• Imagine taking a manual test run and, in seconds, turning it into an automated test

• Learn how you can create recordings of actions you perform for a manual test case. You can play back this action recording to fast forward to a particular step in a manual test to verify a bug has been fixed, or you can use it to fast forward to save you time when you run a test

• Learn how you can now create automated UI tests, known as coded UI tests, using new automation libraries

• See how you can import an action recording and generate code that represents your UI controls, or you can locate your UI controls and perform actions on them. You can then add validation code to verify that your application under test is working correctly

Managing Requirements and Tracking Defects with Team Foundation Server 2010

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:17:45 GMT

Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 2:00PM EST

Microsoft and ALP International invite you to a one hour webcast during which we'll demonstrate the requirements management and defect tracking capabilities of Microsoft Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server 2010.

Visual Studio 2010 introduces a new set of tools and capabilities that enable analysts and testers to easily manage requirements and track defects.

• Learn how to manage requirements and defects through the lifecycle, including planning, workflow, traceability, review, change management, and reporting

• See how you can link each test case to the relevant requirements or user stories, depending on your project management methodology

• When requirements or user stories, or features are ready to be tested, you can run your tests for each configuration that you specified

• Explore reporting options for traceability and requirement validation documentation

Practicing Effective Test Management with Microsoft Test Manager and Team Foundation Server 2010

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:16:10 GMT

Register here for the Practicing Effective Test Management with Microsoft Test Manager and Team Foundation Server 2010 Webinar

Monday March 5, 2012 at 2:00PM EST

Microsoft Test Manager and Team Foundation Server 2010 With the introduction of Microsoft's 2010 ALM toolset, Test Management capabilities were significantly enhanced. Join us for a one hour webcast during which attendees will see Microsoft Test Manager, a new testing and test management interface for Visual Studio 2010 and be introduced to all of the test management features of the MS ALM toolset.

Improving Developer and Tester Collaboration using Visual Studio 2010

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:14:01 GMT

Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 2:00PM EST

Visual Studio 2010 introduces a powerful new set of tools and capabilities that enable testers and developers to collaborate like never before. Using VS 2010, testers can easily create actionable bugs when a defect is found. The level of data collected and attached to the bug enables developers to quickly take action and locate the root cause of the bug.

Microsoft and ALP International invite you to a one hour webcast during which we'll explore and demonstrate the collaboration capabilities of Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server.

• Learn how to stop the defect ping pong between testers and developers

• Imagine creating an ACTIONABLE BUG that contains enough information that you are able to take IMMEDIATE ACTION to find the root cause and repair the problem

• Discover how to quickly and completely capture bugs in such a way that developers can reproduce them

• Picture a world where testers can capture detailed diagnostics simply by running a test as they normally would, and attach these diagnostics to bug reports at the click of a button

SCRUM and Microsoft ALM: Using Team Foundation Server 2010 and the Microsoft SCRUM Process Template

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:48:59 GMT

Register here for the SCRUM and Microsoft ALM: Using Team Foundation Server 2010 and the Microsoft SCRUM Process Template Webinar !

Monday, February 27 2012 at 2:00PM EST

Microsoft and ALP International invite you to a one hour webcast during which we'll demonstrate the capabilities and use of the new Microsoft SCRUM MSFT template for Team Foundation Server 2010.

In 2010 Microsoft released a template for Team Foundation Server 2010 Team Projects designed for use in the SCRUM development methodology. This free template enables organizations practicing SCRUM or a variant thereof to manage TFS Team Projects with minimal customization.

· Discover the features on the new MSFT SCRUM template and how they could help your Application Lifecycle Management process

· Learn the new work item types included in the SCRUM template such as Sprint and Impediment

· Explore the differences between the SCRUM template and the traditional MSFT Agile template

· See the new workflow included in the template and how it fosters the use of this template for true SCRUM methodology

· See the new reports included in the template for SCRUM projects

· Witness the creation of a SCRUM Team Project and a scenario for use

Manual and Automated Software Testing with Microsoft Test Manager

PubSec — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:38:00 GMT

Register here for the Manual and Automated Software Testing with Microsoft Test Manger Webinar !

Monday February 6, 2012 at 2:00PM EST

Microsoft and ALP International invite you to a one hour webcast during which we'll demonstrate the manual and automated testing capabilities when using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server.

Visual Studio 2010 introduces a new set of tools and capabilities that enable testers
to easily create and maintain and execute both manual and automated tests.

Imagine knowing which manual regression tests you had to run, given the code changes in the recent build!
Imagine being able to record your exploratory testing and turn that exploration into detailed test steps – with just a few commands!
Imagine taking a manual test run and, in seconds, turning it into an automated test
Learn how you can create recordings of actions you perform for a manual test case. You can play back this action recording to fast forward to a particular step in a manual test to verify a bug has been fixed, or you can use it to fast forward to save you time when you run a test
Learn how you can now create automated UI tests, known as coded UI tests, using new automation libraries
See how you can import an action recording and generate code that represents your UI controls, or you can locate your UI controls and perform actions on them. You can then add validation code to verify that your application under test is working correctly

ALP International Corporation (ALPI) is a leading professional services firm specializing in the area of test automation and test process improvement. ALPI’s Software Testing Group provides a broad range of consultative testing services including: Test Process Reengineering, Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V), Test Planning, Test Management, Product Testing, Test Automation, and Load and Performance Testing. ALPI’s Training and Education
Group provides courses in test tool technology implementation, IV&V, Test Process Improvement, and Tester Certifications. Courses are held at our state-of-the-art training facilities or on-site at customer locations.

Deploying LightSwitch Applications to Windows Azure

PubSec — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:09:53 GMT

Microsoft Visual Studio LightSwitch is a simplified self-service development tool that enables you to build business applications quickly and easily for the desktop and web. How do you deploy a web-based LightSwitch application to Windows Azure? Read Mike Wade MSDN article here.

Get Windows Azure SDK, Windows Azure Free Trial Account, InfoKit, Windows Phone SDK, WebMatrix

Video: What is LightSwitch?

View this video as a WMV

Developing Applications Using Data from Microsoft Windows Azure Marketplace- February 14

PubSec — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:29:28 GMT

Register for Developing Applications Using Data from Microsoft Windows Azure Marketplace here !

Abstract

Target Audience: Architect, Designer, IT Decision Maker, IT Manager and Pro Dev/Programmer

Microsoft CRM and Visual Studio: Better Together- February 2, 2012

PubSec — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:20:05 GMT

Register today – Space is limited for this event!

Faced with a difficult choice between packaged software and custom development, IT organizations are forced to compromise on capabilities, budget, and delivery time for LOB applications. Microsoft Dynamics CRM is designed to help your enterprise get the best of both worlds with a flexible platform that rapidly accelerates application delivery. Whether you have custom LOB applications built on .NET or need to get a handle on the Access-based applications which have proliferated in your organization, the time to consider Microsoft Dynamics is now.

Here are just a few of the solutions which Microsoft Dynamics supports:

- Case Management

- Contact Center / 311

- Correspondence Tracking

- Field Inspections

- Funds & Grant Management

- Task Management

- License / Certification Tracking

The morning sessions will provide an overview of the Dynamics application architecture and demonstrate integration with other familiar Microsoft technologies such as the Office system, Visual Studio, Microsoft .NET Framework and SQL Server. You’ll hear about and see examples of Government solutions build on the CRM platform.

The afternoon will consist of a deeper dive into Dynamics CRM development and help you understand how to build applications using Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 and CRM Online. Microsoft Dynamics CRM uses familiar components such as WCF & OData web service endpoints, JavaScript, Silverlight, .NET 4, Workflow Foundation 4, SQL reporting and more; making it a general purpose framework for line-of-business applications. We will drill into the details of such development and explains how developers can connect, extend, and embed their applications with Microsoft Dynamics CRM. You will gain an understanding of the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) of Dynamics CRM Development using Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server 2010. We’ll cover concepts like build automation, automated testing, and handling environments (dev, test, prod).

Don’t miss the chance to help your agency solve the biggest request of the economic downturn: “How can your team do more with less and do it quicker?” Microsoft Dynamics CRM can help.

This event is free and will be hosted at the Microsoft Tempe Office. Lunch will not be provided, however, there are dining options nearby.

***Space is limited for this event. Please register today!

Presenters

Marc Schweigert, CRM Technology Solution Specialist, Microsoft

David Baliles, Developer Platform Evangelism, Government Sector, Microsoft

The Agenda and Recommended Audiences

Time	Agenda Topics
8:30 – 9:00	Registration
9:00 – 9:30	CRM Case studies—examples of government solutions built with Dynamics CRM
9:30 – 10:30	Overview of CRM as a Development Platform (CRM)
10:30 – 10:45	BREAK
10:45 – 11:30	Panel Discussion: When to use what – CRM, SharePoint, Office, LightSwitch, etc.
11:30 – 12:00	Visual Studio 2010 Application Lifecycle Management with Team Foundation Server
12:00 – 1:00	BREAK
1:00 – 2:30	Bringing it all Together: Building an CRM application with Dynamics CRM, Visual Studio, and Team Foundation Server
2:30 – 2:45	BREAK
2:45 – 3:45	Bringing it all Together: Building an CRM application with Dynamics CRM, Visual Studio, and Team Foundation Server (continued)
3:45 – 4:00	Q&A/Closing

Notice to all U.S. government employees (including Military and Public Education personnel)

Due to applicable government gift and ethics rules, Microsoft cannot provide government employees with “giveaways” of Microsoft products or other items of value. In an effort to comply with these rules, Microsoft will not be providing any food during this event. Further information on Microsoft compliance with U.S. government gift and ethics rules can be found here.

Leveraging SQL Azure in SharePoint Online

PubSec — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:02:00 GMT

SharePoint Online is the portal/collaboration platform of Microsoft’s Office 365 cloud service. SQL Azure provides a highly available and scalable cloud database service as part of Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. Can these two be used together? This session will investigate scenarios combining both SharePoint Online and SQL Azure. The session will be primarily be demonstration based with several code walkthroughs. An understanding of basic SharePoint development and SQL Server is preferred.

Speakers:

Dr. Zhiming Xue “Z" is a senior Microsoft Architect Evangelist, based in the Washington DC area. He focuses on the Windows Azure platform while continuing to evangelize Microsoft technologies such as Windows Phone, SharePoint, Silverlight, ASP.NET and the web platform. Prior to his current role, he played lead developer and architect roles at Microsoft Services to support enterprise customers in both private sector and public sector. His blog is blogs.msdn.com/zxue.

Ed Hild is the Technology Architect at the Microsoft Technology Center in Reston, VA specializing in Portal and Collaboration solutions. At the MTC, he meets daily with both commercial- and public-sector customer to discuss business requirements and map them to the Microsoft platform. He helps customers understand product features, best practices, and necessary customizations for them to realize SharePoint’s full potential. Ed is a dynamic speaker and has previously presented at Microsoft Dev Days, Tech Ed, and Microsoft SharePoint Conference events as well as many local area user groups. He has published SharePoint developer books including Pro SharePoint 2010 Solution Development and Expert SharePoint 2010 Best Practices. Ed’s previous experiences include a high school teacher, government contractor, and lead developer at a Microsoft partner.

FAQ: Microsoft Open Government + Open Data (Part III)

PubSec — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:04:00 GMT

Credits go to Mark Gayler (CSI) – Field Marketing Manager for updating this FAQ

Check Part I Here. and Part II Here.

1. Are There Any Open Data Applications Available for Windows Phone 7?

Yes, VanGuide was developed as an open data application using City of Vancouver open data and showcasing use of Windows Azure, Bing Maps, Silverlight, social integration with Twitter, plus a mobile client app that runs on iPhone and Windows Phone 7.

VanGuide on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZUHVQT24Is

VanGuide Web UI (on Azure) – http://vanguide.cloudapp.net

VanGuide code on Codeplex (Open Data Application Framework ODAF) – http://odaf.codeplex.com

VanGuide Windows Phone 7 Code on Codeplex - http://vanguidewp7.codeplex.com

2. Do Open Government or Open Data Technology Projects Require Open Source Software (OSS)?

No – open source software is not required for Open Government. Open Government and Open Data technology projects can be built with the same mixture of tools and technology as with any other IT project (both proprietary and open source). There are no particular advantages of open source software (OSS) in Open Government or Open Data initiatives. Government organizations should select technology based on ‘fit for purpose’ and taxpayer value.

Microsoft offers both commercial and open source solutions for Open Government and Open Data projects.

3. What Costs/Resources Does a Typical Startup Open Data Catalog Require?

Microsoft OGDI = Free download from Codeplex.

Windows Azure Subscription Cost = <$500 per month (budgetary, depends on volume of data and # transactions). Windows Azure and MSDN often have developer incentives and Starter Offers e.g. first 6 months Free. See www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/pricing

Time to Setup Open Data Catalog (Customer/Partner) = 1 - 2 persons up to 3-4 weeks

4. What Alternative Technologies Exist in the Open Data Arena?

There are no strong vendors or technologies that dominate Open Government or Open Data projects as yet. We are seeing many open data projects developed using technologies such as Drupal, Google Maps, PHP, and WebKit for iPhone.

For Open Data Catalogs and Portals, the primary alternative technologies we are seeing typically use Drupal, Google Maps, CKAN (open source), and/or Socrata (Commercial).

5. Can Microsoft and Alternative Solutions be Combined?

Yes.

We sometimes find the BEST solution for Government customers is to combine different (even competitive) technologies for a richer, hybrid solution e.g. Drupal with CKAN with OGDI/Azure. This has been done successfully in the following projects:

UK Data.gov.uk - http://data.gov.uk/metoffice-data-archive - UK Meteorological data hosted on data.gov.uk using Windows Azure DataMarket

http://www.emitter.ca – Provides localized tracking of environmental data. Uses Drupal combined with OGDI and Windows Azure for data storage.

http://datadotgc.ca – A catalog of Canadian Federal open data. Uses CKAN open source solution combined with OGDI and Windows Azure.

In particular, we often find that CKAN and OGDI are complementary technologies. CKAN is strong at data-publishing and self-service, whereas OGDI provides robust Cloud-based storage combined with an Open API for developers.

There is even a Drupal/OGDI integration module available at http://ogdifield.codeplex.com.

6. What Tools and Frameworks Are Available to Enable Development of Customized Solutions?

There are many demos, tools and framework projects available to help build customized solutions. These are some examples:

http://govdata.eu - European Open Government portal – EU datasets and application demos on here.

http://ogdifrance.cloudapp.net/ - Multi-Lingual OGDI with full support for FRENCH (MSFT France OGDI Starter Kit).

http://ogdifrancerdf.cloudapp.net/v1/data/museesfrance?format=rdf – France OGDI/RDF demo

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/fr-fr/details.aspx?FamilyID=420837f8-25ec-47ba-b558-b6a7f64b3348 –French OGDI v3 fork.

http://openturf.cloudapp.net/ - Multi-City/ Multi-Region Open Data Application Framework (evolution of VanGuide) --Web, iPhone, WP7 Mobile, iPad, Android (in development).

http://vanguide.cloudapp.net - VanGuide/Open Data App Framework for interacting with open data sets --Web, iPhone, WP7 Mobile.

http://mapway2.cloudapp.net - Web/BING Ajax framework for visualizing/plotting geographic open data feeds including OGDI.

http://www.vanpark2010.ca/ - Silverlight-based Parking Application using OGDI and Vancouver open data sources.

http://www.microsofttownhall.com/ - Citizen engagement Platform based on Azure/SQL Azure.

http://openlab.ca/foodtree - Museum of Vancouver open data / crowdsourcing data site for the Harvest Story Exhibit (precursor to bhangra.me) --Web, Desktop, WP7 Mobile

http://openhalton.ca/vanpark/ - JavaScript OSS Framework (Simile Exhibit) using OGDI JSON data feed for visualizing Vancouver Parks data

http://openhalton.ca/vancouver/ - PivotViewer Framework (Silverlight) using Open Data set for visualizing Council expenses.

http://culturafrance.cloudapp.net/ - Art and Culture mashup from France using OGDI/Azure

https://github.com/openlab/DataLab/ - MS Canada Open DataLab project on GitHub includes auto-loader for Drupal, OGDI, Azure, etc.

http://ogdifield.codeplex.com – Drupal OGDI Field Module

7. Are there Any Partner Solutions for Open Government and Open Data Projects?

Yes, there are several examples of Open Government solutions from Partners:

http://heygov.com - ISC’s 311 customer services platform powered by Azure/SQL Azure, Dynamics CRM, Silverlight, .NET.

· Miami311 using HeyGov! - http://www.heygov.com/default.aspx?MapID=Miami311V2

· San Francisco Open311 using HeyGov! - http://www.heygov.com/default.aspx?MapID=SanFran311

http://openintel.cloudapp.net/oi.aspx - ISC’s Open Source platform for geospatial/GIS data dissemination on Azure/SQL Azure

IDV Solutions produce Visual Fusion which is a data visualization technology that can be used with Open Government projects - http://www.idvsolutions.com/Demos/

8. What Are the Partner Opportunities for Open Government and Open Data Projects?

There are many opportunities for partners to develop products and services to service Open Government initiatives. For Open Data projects, these opportunities fall broadly into 3 categories:

Hope you find this FAQ series useful. Open and Mobile is the way of the now and tomorrow… it all starts here http://aka.ms/infokit.

FAQ: Microsoft Open Government + Open Data (Part II)

PubSec — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:33:00 GMT

Credits go to Mark Gayler (CSI) – Field Marketing Manager for updating this FAQ

Check Part I Here.

1. What Licensing is Required for Open Government Projects?

Before making any Government data open to the public, it is essential that licensing terms are defined and published. Many Government organizations re-use licensing terms from existing Open Government projects, e.g.

UK Government – http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/uk-gov-licensing-framework.htm

2. What Applications Have Been Developed Using Open Data?

Good examples of applications that use Open Data would include the following (these are generic examples – none use MS technologies specifically):

Fix My Street – http://www.fixmystreet.com This is a site developed by MySociety.org and enables citizens to report local problems that need fixing similar to 311 e.g. broken streetlight, graffiti, etc. This site enables the citizen to upload both the location of the problem and a photo to illustrate it.

EveryBlock – http://www.everyblock.com Enables citizens to find Government information such as projects, budget in any Zip Code for 78 Cities across USA.

Stumble Safely – http://www.stumblesafely.com Enables residents and visitors in Washington DC to find safest route home based on latest Transit and Law Enforcement data.

3. Why Do Governments Hold Competitions for Open Data Projects?

Once Open Data is released to the public, the intention is to generate interest, awareness and stimulate citizens and communities to build new applications and services with this data. This is also seen as a useful way to encourage participation and collaboration between the Government and citizens.

Good examples of Open Application Contests include:

Washington DC - http://www.appsfordemocracy.com – the first Open Apps competition generated 47 apps in 30 days at an estimated value of USD$2.3M (cost of only USD$50K)

BC Government – http://apps4climateaction.gov.bc.ca/ - 2010 Apps contest to raise public awareness and understanding of environmental issues, co-sponsored by Microsoft.

Italian Government - http://www.appsforitaly.org/ - 2011 Apps contest co-sponsored by Microsoft.

4. How Does the Cloud Benefit Open Data Projects?

The Cloud is a highly effective way to publish large amounts of Open Data quickly and inexpensively without having to invest in additional Server infrastructure.

Windows Azure, Microsoft’s Cloud operating system, provides interfaces enabling data to be loaded, stored, and accessed easily and cost effectively. Azure provides a highly scalable and reliable platform for storage and access to open data sources which are managed by the Government organization.

5. What Tools Does Microsoft Provide to Help Start an Open Data Project?

Microsoft provides the Open Government Data Initiative (OGDI) which is a free, open-source solution for Government organizations to load and store open data into the Microsoft Cloud – combined with an Open API enabling developers to utilize a wide variety of development languages e.g. .NET, PHP, Ruby, Python etc.

http://ogdisdk.cloudapp.net (OGDI data is available… no new updates – see Azure DataMarket)

Microsoft also provides the ‘DataMarket for Government’ managed service solution which is another way of storing and publishing large data sets in the Cloud for public and commercial consumption – http://www.microsoft.com/windowsazure/government/default.aspx

The UK Data.gov.uk is a good example of DataMarket being used to host open data - http://data.gov.uk/metoffice-data-archive - UK Meteorological data hosted on data.gov.uk using Windows Azure DataMarket

In general terms, think of OGDI as an ‘entry-level’ customizable solution for open data, whereas DataMarket is a managed Enterprise solution for open data.

6. Where Can I Find More Information on Microsoft’s Open Government Data Initiative (OGDI)?

(OGDI data is available… no new updates – see Azure DataMarket)

Open Government Data Initiative – http://ogdisdk.cloudapp.net
OGDI Source Code on Codeplex – http://ogdi.codeplex.com

7. Are there any OGDI Projects in French language? (OGDI data is available… no new updates – see Azure DataMarket)

Yes, go here for the download from Microsoft France - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/fr-fr/details.aspx?FamilyID=420837f8-25ec-47ba-b558-b6a7f64b3348

8. What Open Data Projects Have Been Developed Using Microsoft Technologies?

Eye on Earth – http://www.eyeonearth.eu Utilizes Windows Azure, Silverlight, Bing Maps
City of Medicine Hat – http://data.medicinehat.ca – one of the first Open Data Catalogs to run on Windows Azure and MS OGDI.
Ward Rep - http://wardrep.ca and http://govsocial.ca “Find your Local Representative” App built on OGDI and running on PHP / Windows and BING --Web, WP7 Mobile
Museum of Vancouver - http://bhangra.me/ - Museum of Vancouver open data / crowdsourcing data site for Vancouver Cultural Exhibit (Drupal/ Silverlight) --Web, Desktop, WP7 Mobile
Open Halton - http://openhalton.ca/splash - Ontario solution with Jquery - Jquery-ui-map plugin for finding water spots
Sweden Open Data - http://www.offentligadata.se/Apps.aspx – Swedish Open Data project using Azure and MS Pivot visualization
VanGuide – http://vanguide.cloudapp.net - VanGuide utilizes Windows Azure, OGDI, Bing Maps, Silverlight, Windows Phone 7
Edmonton Find-A-Home – http://findahome.cloudapp.net - Utilizes Bing Maps, Windows Azure, OGDI using Edmonton open data sources.
EU Govdata – http://govdata.eu Utilizes Windows Azure, OGDI and contains NL, FR, and UK open data. There are more European open data application examples on http://govdata.eu

9. Are any National Governments Using Microsoft Technologies for their Open Data Portals?

Yes, the following are examples of National Governments using MS technologies for their open data portals:

Colombia - http://datos.gov.co – Colombia Gov Open Data portal using OGDI/Azure

Portugal - http://www.dados.gov.pt/pt/catalogodados/catalogodados.aspx - Portugal Open Data project using OGDI/Azure

10. Are There Any Microsoft Open Data Applications Available for iPhone?

Yes, VanGuide was developed as an open data application using City of Vancouver open data and showcasing use of Windows Azure, Bing Maps, Silverlight, social integration with Twitter, plus a mobile client app that runs on iPhone and Windows Phone 7.

VanGuide on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZUHVQT24Is

VanGuide Web UI (on Azure) – http://vanguide.cloudapp.net

VanGuide code on Codeplex (Open Data Application Framework ODAF) – http://odaf.codeplex.com

VanGuide iPhone App – http://itunes.com/apps/vanguide

for more on this download the Windows Phone Infokit (http://aka.ms/infokit)

Part III coming Friday 1/27…

FAQ: Microsoft Open Government + Open Data (Part I)

PubSec — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:25:00 GMT

Credits go to Mark Gayler (CSI) – Field Marketing Manager for updating this FAQ

1. What is Open Government?

Open Government refers to a wave of transformation within Government organizations across the globe aimed at better connection with citizens and communities. The common principles of Open Government initiatives are:

Transparency – to enable greater accountability, efficiency, and economic opportunity by making government data and operations more open.

Participation – to create early and effective opportunities to drive greater and more diverse expertise into government decision making.

Collaboration – to generate new ideas for solving problems by fostering cooperation across government departments, across levels of government, and with the public.

2. What Countries Have Open Government Initiatives?

Many countries around the World are launching Open Government initiatives. The US is driving many Open Government programs directly sponsored by the White House - http://www.whitehouse.gov/Open/

Other countries and regions actively involved in Open Government include UK, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of European Union.

UK – http://data.gov.uk – UK Open Data site.

Australia – http://data.gov.au – Open Data site.

3. Is Open Government the Same as Gov 2.0?

‘Gov 2.0’ (also referred to as e-Government) typically refers to the use of Internet, Digital Media, and Web technologies to enable Open Government initiatives and improve connections with citizens.

4. What is Open Data?

Open Government initiatives usually contain 3 pillars – Open Data, Open Standards, and Open Technology. One of the first objectives of global Open Government initiatives is to publish Government data for public use. It is generally considered that government data is public property anyway and so the government has an obligation to make this raw source data available for public use.

5. Does Open Government or Open Data Require Open Source?

No. Open source software is not a prerequisite for Open Government or Open Data projects. Commercial, proprietary and open source technologies can all be considered for Open Government initiatives. Government organizations should make technology decisions based on ‘fit for purpose’ and taxpayer value.

6. What Can Open Data Be Used For?

Open Data is typically used for public awareness, analysis and research, data-journalism, citizen engagement and to stimulate the development of citizen-centric applications by communities. Open Data should be shared such that it is ‘machine readable’ e.g. it can be accessed independently of a device or technology, can be easily searched and indexed, and can easily be reused within an external application. Sharing of information in PDFs or Zip files, for example, is NOT considered true Open Data.

7. Does Open Data Contain Personal or Private Information?

Open Data typically does not contain personal or identifiable information about private citizens that is not otherwise available through existing Government services.

This generally means that Open Data projects are often able to take advantage of cross-border Online and Cloud technology platforms that may have restrictions for other Government initiatives.

8. Why Have So Many Cities Launched Open Data Initiatives?

Government data becomes even more useful when it has local relevance to the citizen. Many Cities and Municipalities have rich data about local transportation, construction projects, budgeting, projects, civic facilities, etc.

9. What Cities Have Launched Open Data Catalogs?

Notable projects include:

City of Washington DC – http://data.dc.gov – the first Open Data Catalog making City datasets public.

City of Nanaimo – http://data.nanaimo.ca – the first Open Data Catalog in Canada with focus on GIS data. Powered by a DERIVATIVE project (OSS) using OGDI code on Windows Server / SQL Server

City of Medicine Hat – http://data.vancouver.ca – Open Data Catalog launched as part of Open3 Council Motion.

10. What Terms of Use are Required for Open Data?

Before making any Government data open to the public, it is essential that Terms of Use are defined and published. Terms of Use can be remarkably simple. Many Government organizations re-use Terms of Use from existing Government open data projects, e.g.

Part II and III coming Thursday 1/26 and Friday 1/27…

Windows Azure App Helps Americans Living Abroad Vote in U. S. Elections

PubSec — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:36:20 GMT

According to TechFlash, Democracy Live is using the Windows Azure platform to host LiveBallot, a service that makes it easier for US military personnel and other citizens living abroad to vote in elections in the United States.

Democracy Live helps make ballots and election materials available electronically for all American citizens, including military and overseas voters and voters with disabilities. After initially building its LiveBallot software on the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud platform, Democracy Live switched to Windows Azure from Microsoft. The company found that Windows Azure programming is well supported by the robust Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 development system, and Windows Azure offers security and stability features that simplify development. In the 2010 elections, 250 local jurisdictions used LiveBallot, and they were able to markedly increase the participation of voters who live overseas or who have disabilities, while simultaneously reducing the cost of distributing voter materials and conducting elections. To find more info, read the case study “Electronic Balloting Experts Switch to Windows Azure to Improve Election Efficiency” here.

Developer Resources: Windows Azure SDK, Free Trial Account, InfoKit, Windows Phone SDK

Public Sector Developer Weblog

Displaying a lookup as a dropdown in a CRM 2011 form

Soundtracker Builds Global Geosocial Music Service on Multiple Platforms including Windows Azure and Windows Phone 7

Showing a jQuery UI dialog in a CRM 2011 form

Referencing JavaScript files from a CDN in a CRM 2011 form

Please join us for a Microsoft TechCast next Tuesday, February 14, 2012!

Adding an Image Carousel to a CRM 2011 Form

Top 10 Tips for Building a Windows Phone App

Testing Sharepoint - Functional and Performance Testing for Sharepoint based applications using Visual Studio 2010

Reporting and Dashboard Options in Team Foundation Server 2010

Implementing Test Lab Virtualization with Microsoft Lab Management

Load and Performance Testing with Microsoft Visual Studio 2010- February 8, 2012

Manual and Automated Software Testing with Microsoft Test Manager- March 12, 2012

Managing Requirements and Tracking Defects with Team Foundation Server 2010

Practicing Effective Test Management with Microsoft Test Manager and Team Foundation Server 2010

Improving Developer and Tester Collaboration using Visual Studio 2010

SCRUM and Microsoft ALM: Using Team Foundation Server 2010 and the Microsoft SCRUM Process Template

Manual and Automated Software Testing with Microsoft Test Manager

Register here for the Manual and Automated Software Testing with Microsoft Test Manger Webinar !

Deploying LightSwitch Applications to Windows Azure

Developing Applications Using Data from Microsoft Windows Azure Marketplace- February 14

Microsoft CRM and Visual Studio: Better Together- February 2, 2012

8:30 – 9:00

9:00 – 9:30

9:30 – 10:30

10:45 – 11:30

11:30 – 12:00

12:00 – 1:00

Leveraging SQL Azure in SharePoint Online

FAQ: Microsoft Open Government + Open Data (Part III)

FAQ: Microsoft Open Government + Open Data (Part II)

FAQ: Microsoft Open Government + Open Data (Part I)

Windows Azure App Helps Americans Living Abroad Vote in U. S. Elections