Dr. Z's Blog : Technology Discussion

Moving Data from SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2008

zxue — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:29:51 GMT

I recently helped move data from a small SQL Sever 2000 database to SQL Server 2008 from one hosting environment to a different hosting environment. I tried several approaches and fortunately found one that worked well. You can find the detail in the post.

Approach #1: SQL Server Import/Export Wizard

People who were familiar with SQL Server 2000 probably enjoyed the Import and Export wizard that came with SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Manager. I used it all the times to upload a local database to a hosted server and vice versa. The wizard did exactly what it was designed for. However, this wizard doesn’t work with SQL Server 2005 or 2008. In order to import/export or copy an entire database, you will need a different tool available to SQL Server 2005/2008.

This tool (DTSWizard.exe) in SQL Server Management Studio allows you to copy data from tables and views only; it doesn’t import/export other objects such as stored procedures. Therefore, this option didn’t work for what I wanted to do.

One quick note about the wizard. By default, the tool doesn’t create identity columns that exist in the source database. In order to create the identity columns, you will need to edit the mappings to open the dialog below and select “Enable identity insert.” Also, if you are running SQL Server Express, Web, or Workgroup edition, you can run the package that the Import and Export Wizard creates, but cannot save it. To save packages that the wizard creates, you must upgrade to SQL Server Standard, Enterprise, Developer or Evaluation.

Approach #2: Copy Database Wizard

You can use the Copy Database Wizard in SQL Server Management Studio to upgrade from a SQL Server 2000 database to a SQL Server 2005 or later database. If you are running a SQL Server Express edition, there are two potential issues in using the tool. First, the copy command is not available from the Tasks dropdown menu. Second, the destination server must be SQL Server 2005 or later. This means that you cannot copy a database from a SQL server to your local Express edition.

When I tried to use the tool to copy data from one SQL Server 2000 database with one hosting company to a SQL Server 2008 database at a different hosting company, the tool failed due to an error shown below: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.

I clicked on one of the two icons, and saw a bit more detail on the error. But the information wasn’t very helping in a solution. I tried several times but encountered the same error. So I decided to move on without wasting too much time. (I would like to find out the cause of the error, and will provide an update in another post if there is any finding I can share with you.)

Approach #3: Generate Scripts

My last resort was to use the “Generate Scripts” option in SQL Server Management Studio and at last, it worked. When using the script wizard, make sure you set the “Script Data” option to true. If you any triggers and indexes in the source database, set these options to true accordingly. To include stored procedures, you can select it from the “Choose Object Types” screen as shown below.

Before you complete the script wizard, you can choose to save the script for a file, which I did. You have other two options: script to clipboard or script to a new query window. You can find more detail from this post by Pinalkumar Dave, a SQL Server MVP and Database Administrator.

The script wizard worked well for small databases. For databases larger than 100 MB or 1GB, you may want to consider another approach: use the copy wizard to get a copy of the original database to your local SQL Server (not the Express edition). You can then copy it to from your local server to another database server. Or, send the database files to your hosting company and ask the tech support administrator there to help you attach the database to the database server assigned to you.

Watch Microsoft MIX10 Live Keynotes March 15 & 16

zxue — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 03:11:32 GMT

Join us to learn what’s new with Microsoft’s web platform and development tools such as Visual Studio 2010, Expression and Silverlight 4, and get the latest about Windows Phone 7 Series!

Find Out if Your Word Documents Contain Custom XML Markup

zxue — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:47:49 GMT

Gray Matter talks about a custom tool that helps detect if any Word documents (.docx and .docm) contain custom xml mark. You can find the detail about the tool and how to use it here.

A Free Antivirus Program: Microsoft Security Essentials

zxue — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:25:39 GMT

A few months ago Microsoft released a free antivirus program named Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). It is mainly for consumers and home users. You can download it here. To see how MSE works, check out this blog, Introducing Microsoft Security Essentials.

With MSE, you don’t need to run other antivirus, anti-spyware software products such as McAfee and Symantec (Norton). In fact, you need to uninstall these products first before installing MSE.

While MSE is not a direct replacement of Microsoft’s Defender, you don’t need to run it either. If you are an XP user, installing MSE will automatically remove Defender. If Defender is not removed, you should manually remove it from the Control panel. If you are a Vista or Windows 7 user, you will NOT be able to remove Defender. However, installing MSE will automatically disable Defender. If for any reason Defender is not disabled, you should manually disable it to prevent from performance degradation.

It is worth noting that Microsoft Forefront Client Security is another antivirus product from Microsoft. Unlike MSE, Forefront is designed for business customers. It provides a centrally managed interface and is integrated into enterprise IT infrastructure products such as Active Directory. You can find more info on Microsoft Forefront Client Security here.

Microsoft MultiPoint Server 2010

zxue — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:36:09 GMT

Would it be nice to share a computer simultaneously with multiple users? Yes, when Microsoft MultiPoint Server 2010 becomes available next year. While the new product is useful for many environments, it is ideal for educational institutions that want to provide more teachers and students with access to technology.

Key features of MultiPoint Server 2010 includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Mapping a USB 2.0 keyboard, mouse, and headset to a monitor to create a student station.
Providing each station with an individual Windows desktop, similar to the Windows 7 experience.
Providing a teacher-friendly management user interface, called the MultiPoint Manager, to manage desktops, student accounts, and student sessions.
Providing a fast and easy way to distribute content to students’ desktops.

To find more information on the product, visit the Microsoft MultiPoint Server 2010 web site.

Introducing SharePoint 2010 (Beta)

zxue — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:21:03 GMT

SharePoint Server 2010 Beta provides an extensible platform to rapidly build solutions using familiar tools such as Visual Studio 2010 and SharePoint Designer 2010. Beta is available for download here.

To learn more about SharePoint 2010, visit Microsoft SharePoint web site. Also, check out David Chappell’s white paper, SharePoint 2010: Developer Platform White Paper.

PDC09 Demo App: Tailspin Travel (Visual Studio 2010)

zxue — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:59:25 GMT

You can now download the Tailspin Travel application from Codeplex (download here).

System Requirements: Tailspin was built using Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate, and there are a few features in use in the demo that require that version (e.g. coded-UI tests). If you’re using a different SKU, you’ll still be able to run the solution, but there will be some features you won’t be able to take advantage of. Because we consider the new Windows Server AppFabric a key part to the Tailspin Travel application, we also require that you have it installed. This is what enables the memory-caching, as well as the service/workflow containers, and monitoring support. SQL Server 2008 R2 isn’t a hard requirement, but if you don’t have it installed you won’t be able to deploy the Data-Tier Application (DAC).

In addition to the features that were demoed at PDC keynote, the released version of Tailspin contains many additional scenarios to help developers see a broader view of possibilities with the respective technologies.

PDC 2009: Announcing Availability of ASP.NET MVC 2 (Beta), WIF (RTM) and AppFabric (Beta)

zxue — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:48:30 GMT

At PDC’s keynote Bob Muglia announced availability of several products and technologies. Some of them will be available for download shortly.

a. ASP.NET MVC 2 Beta (for Visual Studio 2008 SP1)

ASP.NET MVC 2 is a framework for developing highly testable and maintainable Web applications by leveraging the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern. The framework encourages developers to maintain a clear separation of concerns among the responsibilities of the application – the UI logic using the view, user-input handling using the controller, and the domain logic using the model. ASP.NET MVC applications are easily testable using techniques such as test-driven development (TDD).

The installation package includes templates and tools for Visual Studio 2008 SP 1 to increase productivity when writing ASP.NET MVC applications. For example, the Add View dialog box takes advantage of customizable code generation (T4) templates to generate a view based on a model object. The default project template allows the developer to automatically hook up a unit-test project that is associated with the ASP.NET MVC application.

Because the ASP.NET MVC framework is built on ASP.NET 3.5 SP 1, developers can take advantage of existing ASP.NET features like authentication and authorization, profile settings, localization, and so on.

b. Windows Identity Foundation RTM (aka “Geneva Framework”)

Microsoft Windows Identity Foundation helps simplify user access for developers by externalizing user access from applications via claims and reducing development effort with pre-built security logic and integrated .NET tools. Users can benefit through single sign-on and seamless collaboration across organizational boundaries.

c. Windows Server AppFabric Beta (New product)

Windows Server AppFabric is a set of integrated technologies that make it easier to build, scale and manage web and composite applications that run on IIS. The Beta 1 of Windows Server AppFabric will be available for download shortly.

You can watch PDC keynote live broadcast at http://microsoftpdc.com

Facebook Toolkit for .NET Developers

zxue — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:26:50 GMT

Microsoft has just released a Facebook SDK that enables .NET developers to quickly and easily leverage the various features of the Facebook Platform. This toolkit has evolved over time with input from the community and from Microsoft. The latest release (v3.0) includes new architectural improvements and provides an asynchronous interface for using the toolkit from Silverlight and from WPF.

You can find more info on the SDK and detailed instructions about how to create a Fackbook application here.

The Toolshed Man Starts a New Chapter

zxue — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:21:30 GMT

A colleague of mine, who I got to know while working out of the Microsoft New England office, decided to start a new chapter after 12 years of service. He is best known as Russ’s Tool Shed. If you think developing .NET applications can be fun, you are absolutely right. Check out one of his episodes on Channel9.

Resources for Developing Windows 7 Applications

zxue — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:01:15 GMT

Microsoft has put together a list of online resources to help developers get started with creating Windows 7 applications, including links to application compatibility tool, Windows SDK, managed code for Windows 7 APIs, and the training kit. See more detail here. The training kit includes many sample Windows 7 applications and presentations.

Also, you can download and run a reference Windows 7 application called “PhotoView” at the MSDN site. The application features the Image Viewer, a WPF application that runs on XP. But when you run the same application on Windows 7, it unlocks new technologies such as Taskbar, the Sensors and Location Platform, and Multitouch, as well as “old” Vista friends such as Application Recovery and Windows Search.

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,Application Development,Training Kit,PhotoViewer

Intel CEO Paul Otellini Speaks about Windows 7 and PC Refresh Cycle at FoxBusiness

zxue — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:11:23 GMT

(Starting at 2'50" of the video clip)

Why asked by FoxBusiness reporters why businesses may not put off upgrading to Windows 7 this time, Intel CEO Paul Otellini responds by saying that three are three things coming together. Most corporations are using XP. That's been almost ten years old now. Most computers are four to five years old; they are costing corporations more to keep than to buy the new one. CFOs are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of business improving for 2010. That could start the refresh cycle again.

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Beta 2 Available

zxue — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:50:07 GMT

The Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework Beta 2 is available to MSDN subscribers on Monday, October 19th, with general availability on October 21st.

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Beta 2

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/dd441784.aspx

Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4 Beta 2 Walkthroughs

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/dd441784.aspx

Setting Beautiful Bing Pictures as your Windows 7 Background

zxue — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:51:54 GMT

To set beautiful Bing pictures as your Windows 7 desktop background, download the custom theme file, install it on your Windows 7 computer and optionally modify the setting. A blog post outlines the three steps in detail.

If you are curious about how the custom theme works behind the scenes, and how the Bing images are downloaded to your computer via an RSS feed, read this blog post. Amazing!

For Windows XP users: the custom theme will not work on XP. However, you still can enjoy Windows 7 themes on your XP if you like. Watch this interesting youtube video to find out how.

Note: A Windows desktop theme is a combination of pictures, colors, and sounds on your computer. It includes a desktop background, a screen saver, a window border color, and a sound scheme. Some themes might also include desktop icons and mouse pointers. Windows comes with several themes including Aero themes you can choose from. Click here to learn more about Windows theme and how to change and customize your desktop theme. You can download additional themes from Microsoft.com and other web sites.

Insights to Six Concerns Over Windows Azure

zxue — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:26:31 GMT

In his blog post titled “Outlook for Azure – scattered clouds but generally sunny”, Vishwas Lele, CTO of Applied Information Sciences, addresses concerns over pricing, scalability, performance, remote desktop access and applicability of Windows Azure, and offers his insights based on his knowledge of and hands-on experience with Windows Azure in its pre-release versions.

In his closing mark, he states that while the Azure product team is working hard to address and improve some technical aspects of the Azure platform, “for the rest of us, who want to build cloud application using the .NET building blocks we know and the VS.NET based tools we love, work is cut out for us as well …”

An Architect’s perspective on Silverlight 3

zxue — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:56:50 GMT

October 27, 2009 at 11:00am – 12:30pm PST

Title: An Architect’s perspective on Silverlight 3

Presenter: Tim Heuer

Abstract: Many .NET developers are becoming more and more interested in the Rich Internet Application development space, and in particular Silverlight. In this session we will step back from a detailed implementation technology and take a higher level look at Silverlight from the architect’s perspective. We will discuss the types of applications where Silverlight makes sense and some scenarios where Silverlight may not be the appropriate technology. We will also delve into some of the architectural decisions that the architect must consider when writing applications for this platform and where some of the tradeoffs may lie.

Tim Heuer

I currently work for Microsoft as a program manager for Microsoft Silverlight, a web technology aimed at delivering rich internet experiences to users. Before this current role, I was a developer evangelist for Microsoft serving the Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana and Utah areas aiming to strengthen and support communities and software developers in these geographies.

Event ID: 1032427862

Link to Register: An Architect’s perspective on Silverlight 3

Deploying Windows 7 from an Infrastructure Architect’s Perspective

zxue — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:54:50 GMT

October 28, 2009 at 11:00am – 12:30pm PST

Title: Deploying Windows 7 from an Infrastructure Architect’s Perspective

Presenter: Doug Klokow

Abstract:

We’ll discuss 5 key areas centered on deploying Windows 7: Developing business justification – Evaluate the capabilities provided by Windows 7 and develop a plan for how to realize business value from these solutions; Where are you today – Explore the differences of preparing for Windows 7 based on your current desktop operating system; Application readiness – Explore the tools and resources available to gain insight into your readiness to deploy Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8, and/or Office 2007/2010; Deployment readiness – Explore the tools and resources available to create a design and deployment solution for your enterprise; Training your employees – Discuss available resources for training your IT Staff and End Users.

Doug Klokow

Part of Microsoft Consulting Services for 9 years focused on client desktop deployment solutions. He is part of the Virtual Deployment Practice that is focused on driving early customer deployment on Microsoft client technologies and is also supporting Microsoft’s Desktop Virtualization capabilities and service offerings.

Event ID: 1032427863

Link to Register: Deploying Windows 7 from an Infrastructure Architect’s Perspective

Choosing the Right Version of Windows 7

zxue — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:35:07 GMT

While Microsoft has made great effort to simplify the choice of the latest operating system -- Windows 7, there are still confusions among consumers and users as to which version of Windows 7 is the best for them. The Microsoft web site lists 3 versions, with retail pricing and high-level feature comparisons: Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate. A detailed comparison, feature by feature, is documented by this article at Wikipedia.

For home users, the Home Premium edition is the typical choice. For business users, the Professional edition is recommended. If you need some advanced features such as virtual disk boot (virtualization) and DirectAccess (a VPN-like solution), Ultimate is your best bit whether you are a home user or business user.

There are several variations to the three editions that may offer additional choices for you.

Windows 7 Starter edition is for netbooks only and comes with very basic features.
Windows 7 Home Basic will be available in emerging markets and will not be available in several countries including the United States.
Windows 7 Enterprise edition. This edition, which contains the same features as Windows 7 Ultimate, is a volume licensing option for enterprise customers.
European alternative editions and South Korea alternative editions. More detail to come.
All editions except the Starter edition support both 32-bit and 64-bit. If your PC hardware supports 64-bit architecture, you may choose the 64-bit version of your selected Windows 7 edition.

Molly Wood and Ina Fried at CNET recently interviewed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and asked him about Windows 7 editions, and other questions concerning Windows Mobile 6.5, Courier Tablet, Apple Tablet, Bing vs. Google, and Zune HD. Check out the video if interested.

Microsoft SQL Azure Database Community Technology Preview (CTP) Just Released

zxue — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:44:00 GMT

The SQL Azure Database CTP includes:

· Relational data model supporting Transact-SQL (T-SQL), including T-SQL stored procedures. Access SQL Azure with familiar data access APIs such as ODBC, OLE DB, ADO.Net, PHP, etc. The high degree of compatibility with SQL Server enables easy migration of existing Line of Business (LOB) or Web applications to the cloud.

· Self-provisioning, auto-healing and disaster recovery, with high availability and no physical database administration. Self service provisioning means you can provision any number of databases and not have to worry about machines, disks, or server configuration.

Pay-as-you-grow multi-tenant scalable service model.
Efficiencies from an enterprise class data center without the administrative overhead.
Support for familiar tools so developers can leverage existing skills to speed time to solution

SQL Server Driver for PHP CTP will include:

Support for SQL Azure, PHP version 5.3, and UTF-8
Support for Scrollable results and row count
Migration to the SQL Server 2008 Native Client framework with enhanced performance

Windows Azure Platform Training Kit - August Update

zxue — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:51:00 GMT

The Windows Azure Platform Training Kit includes a comprehensive set of technical content including hands-on labs, presentations, and demos that are designed to help you learn how to use the Windows Azure platform including: Windows Azure, SQL Azure and .NET Services. You can download it here.

Windows 7: Application Compatibility and Windows XP Mode

zxue — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:39:00 GMT

Many commercial and custom developed applications running on Windows XP and Vista should just work on Windows 7. However, it is highly recommended that customers test the applications before moving them to Windows 7. Microsoft provides many resources on application compatibility testing including Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Application Quality Cookbook and the Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit (free download). You can watch a series of videos on how ACT works and how to use it at the TechNet site.

For a small set of Windows XP applications that are not compatible with Windows 7, customers can continue to run these applications using the XP mode of Windows 7. Customers can either install the Windows XP mode manually or get it from new PCs that have it pre-installed. The Windows XP mode for Windows 7 (release candidate) is available for download. Note that Windows Virtual PC requires a CPU with the Intel Virtualization Technology or AMD-V feature turned on. For details on how to enable, visit the Configure BIOS page or check with your computer manufacturer.

Adding Microsoft Bing to your Web Site

zxue — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:53:00 GMT

TechFlash reports that Washington state goes with Bing. You can test how the Bing search engine works at the official website.

If you are interested to add Bing search box to your own web site, it is rather easy to do so. The detailed instructions are provided at http://www.bing.com/siteowner.

Add a basic search box to search the Web from your website

For a list of code-page values for all languages, see the Code Pages Supported by Windows webpage.

To let your visitors search the Web from your website, add the following code to your webpage:

<form method="get" action="http://www.bing.com/search">
<input type="hidden" name="cp" value="1252" />
<input type="hidden" name="FORM" value="FREEWS" />
<table bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
    <tr>
      <td>
        <a href="http://www.bing.com/">
          <img src="http://www.bing.com/siteowner/s/siteowner/Logo_51x19_Dark.png" border="0" ALT="bing" />
        </a>
      </td>
      <td>
        <input type="text" name="q" size="30" />
        <input type="submit" value="Search Web" />
      </td>
    </tr>
</table>
</form>

Add a basic search box to search just your website

Note: You need to replace the domain name "xyzdomain.com" with your own domain. Do not include prefix "www".

<form method="get" action="http://www.bing.com/search">
<input type="hidden" name="cp" value="1252" />
<input type="hidden" name="FORM" value="FREESS" />
<table bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
    <tr>
      <td>
        <a href="http://www.bing.com/">
          <img src="http://www.bing.com/siteowner/s/siteowner/Logo_51x19_Dark.png" border="0" ALT="Bing" />
          </a>
      </td>
      <td>
        <input type="text" name="q" size="30" />
        <input type="submit" value="Search Site" />
        <input type="hidden" name="q1" value="site:xyzdomain.com" />
      </td>
    </tr>
</table>
</form>

Windows 7 RTM Schedule

zxue — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 18:46:00 GMT

The Windows 7 Blog announced the following Win7 release schedule.

ISV (Independent software vendor) and IHV (Independent hardware vendor) Partners will be able to download Windows 7 RTM from Microsoft Connect or MSDN on August 6th, 2009.

If you are a Volume License (VL) customer with an existing Software Assurance (SA) license you will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English starting August 7th via the Volume License Service Center (VLSC). The rest of the languages for Windows 7 RTM should be available within a couple of weeks after that.

There are a few ways you can get Windows 7 RTM. IT Professionals with TechNet Subscriptions will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English on August 6th and remaining languages by October 1st.

Developers with MSDN Subscriptions will be able to download Windows 7 RTM in English on August 6th and remaining languages by October 1st.

Windows 7 will be in retail stores and shipping on new PCs starting October 22nd. If you pre-ordered Windows 7, it should be delivered sometime around the October 22nd timeframe (depends on the retailer).

Microsoft Windows Azure Pricing Announced

zxue — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:20:00 GMT

Windows Azure, SQL Azure and .NET Services will be commercially available at the Professional Developer Conference 2009 and we hope you will continue building on the Community Technology Preview (CTP) at no cost today. See detail here.

Microsoft Silverlight 3 and Microsoft Expression Studio 3

zxue — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:26:00 GMT

The Silverlight 3 RTW and the Release Candidate of Expression Blend 3 are now available on the Silverlight and Expression sites. The RTM of the entire Expression 3 suite is slated to come out shortly.