Jim O'Neil's Blog : SQL Server 2008

Data Camp v2.0 – Call for Sessions Ends 12/31

joneil — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:18:56 GMT

Below is a reminder from Adam Machanic, organizer of New England Data Camp v2.0 (AKA SQL Saturday #34) – fast approaching on January 30th. I’d like to second his encouragement for first time speakers…if you don’t have a New Year’s resolution set up yet – how about making one speaking at a Code or Data Camp! I just submitted my session and hope to see you there, as a speaker or attendee.

Our second New England Data Camp event is starting to shape up quite nicely at this point. We already have 20 fantastic session submissions, and--hopefully--more to come.

I'm sending this e-mail to remind you of two things:

First and foremost, our call for content is still open through December 31st. If you've ever considered giving speaking a try, this is a great opportunity to do so. The Data Camp is a laid back event with a casual atmosphere, and we encourage new speakers to use the opportunity to give it a shot. If you need any help coming up with a session or abstract, drop me a line--I will be happy to brainstorm with you and answer any questions you have about how to develop a great session. Every one of you on this list does interesting work; why not share it with others?

Second, I would like to remind you that registration is open. This is a free event, we have great content, and so it will almost certainly fill up. I highly recommend registering as soon as possible.

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns. Looking forward to seeing you on January 30!

Sincerely,

Adam Machanic

Data Camp v2.0

joneil — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:28:00 GMT

Shake off the winter chill, and join your fellow data geeks for the second edition of Data Camp (aka SQL Saturday #34), being organized by Adam Machanic of the New England SQL Server User Group and Grant Fritchey of the Southern New England SQL Server User Group.

New England Data Camp is a free training event for people who work with data--particularly in the Microsoft space. This event will feature content for SQL Server DBAs, .NET developers, and business intelligence professionals. Applications are only as good as the data that backs them; if you are a software professional working in any of these
disciplines then you are a data professional and this event is for you.

Date:	January 30, 2010
Location:	Microsoft Office 201 Jones Road, Suite 600 Waltham MA 02451
Cost:	FREE!
Registration:	register here

The call for speakers is open through December 31st, and you can view the list of sessions as they are submitted.

The organizers are also looking for sponsors to help defray the costs of this free community event. It’s a great way for companies, recruiters, and other organizations to tap into the best and brightest data professionals in the area.

SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 Released

joneil — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:50:21 GMT

SQL Server 2008 Service Pack 1 is ready for download!

There’s no significant new product features, consistent with the SQL Server teams commitment to focus on essential updates. As such, SP1 provides a roll-up of Cumulative Updates 1 through 3 and some additional fixes. It does, however, offer more significant improvements for installation and deployment including:

slipstream install, combining SQL Server 2008 and SP1 install into a single step,
service pack uninstall, enabling you to uninstall just the service pack, and
Click Once capability for Report Builder 2.0

Roadshow Recap (Including Some Answers!)

joneil — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:34:46 GMT

On Monday, Chris, Bob, and I wrapped up the latest edition of the Northeast Roadshow in Waltham. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve crisscrossed the region a couple of times (ok, not exactly like the map below, but you get the idea). In total, we visited five cities and had a chance to speak to over 500 of you in the process. As always, it was great fun for us, and we’re thrilled to see so many of you taking a day out of your busy schedules to join us.

If you misplaced the URL for the slides and demos, grab them here. We hope to provide a few screen casts as well over the coming weeks, and I’ll let you know when those are available.

During my sessions on SQL Server for Developers and .NET Debugging Tips and Tricks, I accumulated a number of questions across the venues and promised to follow up on them; so here goes. If I missed something, please let me know!

What’s the upper limit on error numbers in SQL Server?
How do CLR constructs show up in the query plan?
Can I use F# in SQL Server 2008?
I tried to use the Step Into Specific… debugging option, but it’s not there!
Are there improvements planned for LINQ debugging support?
When I execute code from the Watch Window, breakpoints are not triggered, but when I execute from the Immediate Window, they are. What’s up with that?
What is the scope of variable references created in the Immediate Window?
Can I override the setting Step Over Properties and Operators on an ad hoc basis?

What’s the upper limit on error numbers in SQL Server?

As you probably guessed, since the datatype of the error column in sys.sysmessages is int, the maximum value of an error number is 2,147,483,647 (2^31 – 1). The stored procedure sp_addmessage can be used to add custom messages (with numbers 50001 and greater) to your server.

How do CLR constructs show up in the query plan?

They’ll appear just as other T-SQL constructs appear; the .NET types can be indexed just like native types, so the query plans will reflect their use. Likewise, stored procedures, aggregates, and other modules you may build in C# and Visual Basic will appear in the plan.

In terms of additional monitoring, this article on MSDN is a great resource. Of course, since these constructs are executing in the CLR, you may wonder whether you can use something like the CLR Profiler to get even more information. From some quick analysis, it seems to work; CLR Profiler will enable you to profile both an application and a service. Note though, that CLR Profiler is fairly invasive, so you may want to optimize your CLR objects outside of SQL Server. Lastly, I did run across a blog posting that provides some insight on using a third party product, AQtime, to help profile CLR assemblies hosted by SQL Server. [N.B., this is not an endorsement of that product or any other].

Can I use F# in SQL Server 2008?

Well, my initial answer was sure, it’s all CLR under the covers. Visual Studio 2008 does provide templates for C# and Visual Basic database projects, but those are more for convenience than required. As this article documents, you can register your assembly and CLR methods via T-SQL or SQL Management Studio.

But it’s a bit trickier than that. I gave it a shot using Lewis Bruck’s blog post as a starting point. First of all, you need to register the core F# assembly with SQL Server; I used the following T-SQL within SQL Server Management Studio.
alter database AdventureWorks2008 set trustworthy on
go
create assembly fslib from
    'C:\Program Files (x86)\FSharp-1.9.6.2\bin\Fsharp.core.dll' 
   with permission_set = unsafe
go
Note that the assembly is marked unsafe. This is a requirement since F#’s core library implementation makes use of static fields that have not been marked as read-only, something not allowed at the safe level.

So, then I coded my simplistic F# procedure in a new F# library project. The procedure accepts a string argument and returns “Hello, <string>” via the SqlContext (a construct used in CLR objects hosted in SQL Server to communicate back to the client).

In this case, I gave my code file the name Sqlclr.fs, which is important since I use it to register the assembly via T-SQL below. Here, I did not declare it as unsafe, since my simple implementation doesn’t ‘break any rules’; your mileage may vary depending on the IL constructs that get generated from your F# implementation.
create assembly fsharp from 'c:\MyFSharpLib.dll'
go

I then followed this up with a T-SQL declaration of the procedure. [The C# and Visual Basic database projects would automatically do this, and also register the assembly for you by essentially issuing the same statements under the covers.]
create procedure sayHello (@name nvarchar(max))
    as external name fsharp.Sqlclr.sayHello
go

Note the external name is composed of the

assembly name I created in the previous step,

module (the name I gave my F# file), and

the method implementing my procedure

Now, I can execute the procedure, and get the expected output (Hello, Jim):
exec sayHello 'Jim'
go

This obviously just scratches the surface, and questions remain on whether all constructs you might use in C# and Visual Basic are supported. Since one of the sweet spots for F# is easier development of parallelizable constructs, I’m curious to as to how (or even if) SQL Server will negotiate the parallel extensions to .NET.

I tried to use the Step Into Specific… debugging option, but it’s not there!

Thanks to Sean for pointing out a need for clarification on my debugging session. We covered a lot of options in the debugger, but not all options are currently available in all environments, and I wasn’t as explicit as I could have been in that regard. Here’s an attempt to rectify that.

The Step Into Specific… option was introduced with Visual Studio 2008 SP1, so you need the service pack to see it.

The Object Id capability, in which you can create a reference (like 1#) to an object that does not go out of scope, is available only for C#.

In C#, I can create a new object in the Immediate Window (see below) and get a reference to $x that I can use elsewhere in the debugger; however, in Visual Basic you cannot create explicit variable declarations in the Immediate Window. You can create implicit variables; however, you won’t get a reference (the “$x”) that you can use in the Watch Window.

Are there improvements planned for LINQ debugging support?

There are some limitations in what you can do when debugging LINQ statements. For instance, you can’t step into predicate code and for the most part you can’t use Edit and Continue (although Visual Basic is a little more lenient on this that C#).

A few improvements in the debugging experience, somewhat related to LINQ, were included in Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and are documented here. I’m not sure what the future, namely Visual Studio 2010, holds.

When I execute code from the Watch Window, breakpoints are not triggered, but when I execute from the Immediate Window, they are. What’s up with that?

I took this one to the guru, John Robbins. The reason goes back to when Visual Basic was brought into Visual Studio 2002. Visual Basic folks were quite used to using the Immediate Window as a debugging tool, breakpoint triggering and all, and were pretty dismayed to have that functionality not get carried along. The Visual Studio team added the breakpoint capability back into the Immediate Window with Visual Studio 2003, and considered doing the same thing in the Watch Window, but that would have unexpectedly changed the experience for folks used to breakpoints not triggering when executing code there. So, what we have is essentially a compromise, and you can get either behavior regardless of your language (Visual Basic or C#)

What is the scope of variable references created in the Immediate Window?

As noted in item 4 above, you can create variable references in C# within the Immediate Window. Those variables will appear in the Locals window (with the $ preface), but they never go out of scope.

Can I override the setting Step Over Properties and Operators on an ad hoc basis?

The behavior to step over properties and operators defaults to ‘on ‘ with Visual Studio 2008 SP1 and can be modified in Tools>Options>Debugging>General, but it’s either always on or always off. If you have the default set and find you’d like to step into a property setting or reference on occasion, use the Step Into Specific… mechanism (which was also introduced with Visual Studio 2008 SP1).

'tis the Season...

joneil — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:57:25 GMT

... for Code Camps and other events that is. Over the next three months there are several community-run events in Massachusetts and New Hampshire spanning developers and IT professionals. Registration is open for all of these now; check out the specifics below and follow the links to sign up.

Data Camp v1.0 - Waltham, MA, Saturday January 24

It's all about the data! Today's applications are increasingly data-dependent, and whether you're a developer, DBA, or BI professional, you need to know how to work with a variety of data across a range of products. This free, full-day Code Camp-style event will feature three concurrent tracks to satisfy any tech professional who is interested in the latest and greatest tips and techniques for working with SQL Server 2005 and 2008, the Microsoft BI toolset, and all of the new .NET data access technologies--including LINQ and the Entity Framework.

Code Camp New Hampshire - Nashua, NH, Saturday, February 28

The New Hampshire event, held at Daniel Webster College, will feature a wide range of speakers on an even wider range of subjects.

With all of the material being delivered - Visual Studio 2008, SQL Server 2008, and new flavors of Windows - this will be your chance to get a look at some of the new technologies, to see what other local developers are doing these days, and to even present what you have learned to our local community.
Potential speakers, note: we are open to a wide range of subjects, and since it is developer-to-developer forum, it will be a relaxed environment for any first-time speakers among you.

SQL Server 2008 Loadfest - Waltham, MA, Friday, March 27

Join us for this event and perform a hands-on installation of SQL Server 2008.
The session starts with a discussion of the different editions of SQL Server and where each might be appropriate. Before the installations there will be a discussion on preparation steps:

Server sizing
Preparing disks for SQL Server
Security preparation

During the install process you’ll receive step-by-step instruction and view live demonstrations. Several SQL Server experts will be on-hand to help with any issues that might arise.

The session will continue with post-installation steps to ready your SQL Server for production use, such as

Creating a backup strategy

Database maintenance, such as index-reorganization and DBCC
Managing database growth

Following the installation tasks, the day will continue with breakout sessions.

N.B. There are a limited number of tables for bringing in servers, so be sure to read the entire note on the registration site regarding reserving space.

New England Data Camp v1.0 In Waltham - Jan 24th

joneil — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:17:16 GMT

The New England SQL Server User Group and the Southern New England SQL Server Users Group have joined forces to host a free, full-day Code Camp-style event at the Microsoft Office on Jones Road in Waltham, Massachusetts, on Saturday, January 24.

What's a code camp, you ask?

Check out the Code Camp Manifesto.

What is the format, and what topics are being presented, you wonder?

Three concurrent tracks throughout the day providing the latest and greatest tips and techniques for working with SQL Server 2005 and 2008, the Microsoft BI toolset, and all of the new .NET data access technologies--including LINQ and the Entity Framework.

"I want in," you say, "where do I sign up?"

https://www.clicktoattend.com/invitation.aspx?code=133996

"Wicked cool," you add. "I'd love to present on a topic too! Is there a call for speakers?"

Yup. Register at http://thedevcommunity.org/

D.C.: Got a (Silver)light?

joneil — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:34:08 GMT

Apologies to my friends in the Washington D.C. area for the delay. As promised I've recorded the Silverlight 2 session from this quarter's MSDN events. This is my inaugural effort at doing a screencast at Microsoft, and I just found out that I don't have all the accounts setup internally to post this quite yet. I've started that process, but in the meantime have uploaded the WMV file to my SkyDrive so you can get to it right away. Be warned: it's a hefty download (25 MB) and runs just about 30 minutes; I'll post a link to the streaming version as soon as it gets set up.

I have also posted three ZIP files containing the latest version of the slides and demos from all three sessions:

Building Applications with SQL Server 2008 (2.0 MB)

Building Powerful Applications Using Visual Studio Tools for Office (15.2 MB)

Silverlight 2: A Developer Overview (3.7 MB)

Last Call! SQL Server, VSTO, Silverlight 2

joneil — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 03:48:16 GMT

This coming Thursday, November 13th, marks the last stop of this quarter's MSDN tour in the Northeast District. I'll be at the Sheraton Boston, 39 Dalton Street, from 1 to 5 presenting on three topics:

SQL Server 2008 for Developers
Building Applications with Visual Studio Tools for Office
Silverlight 2, A Developer Overview

It's not too late to register! Hope to see you there.

Some Upcoming Events

joneil — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:51:30 GMT

I'll be out and about in New England during the first two weeks of November, so just wanted to let you all know of a few events

Nov 4th, 5 - 8 p.m.	Rhode Island .NET User Group Roger Williams University Bristol, Rhode Island Topic: ASP.NET Dynamic Data
Nov 5th, 1 - 5 p.m.	MSDN Event (click to register) Courtyard by Mariott 63 Grand Street Waterbury, Connecticut
Nov 13th, 1 - 5 p.m.	MSDN Event (click to register) Sheraton Boston 39 Dalton Street Boston, Massachusetts

SQL Server 2008 - Hold Your Horses...

joneil — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:33:50 GMT

Keep in mind, I'm just the messenger here... Apparently, you cannot install SQL Server 2008 if you have Visual Studio 2008 RTM installed; SQL Server 2008 requires Visual Studio SP1, which isn't quite available yet!

There is a KB article on the subject, and the release notes for SQL Server 2008 have been updated to reflect the requirement:

KB Article 956139 requires Visual Studio 2008 SP1, which is not available until the week of August 11, 2008. You should not install the Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta to meet the Visual Studio 2008 SP1 requirement for installing SQL Server 2008. Visual Studio 2008 SP1 Beta does not provide the necessary functionality for installing SQL Server 2008. The following describes options for installing SQL Server 2008 before Visual Studio 2008 SP1 is available.

If Visual Studio 2008 is not currently installed on your computer, you can install SQL Server 2008 and no further action for installing Visual Studio is required.
If Visual Studio 2008 is currently installed on your computer, you cannot install SQL Server 2008 successfully unless you perform one of the following actions:

Wait until Visual Studio 2008 SP1 is available and then install it before installing SQL Server 2008.
Uninstall Visual Studio 2008 and then install SQL Server 2008. After Visual Studio 2008 SP1 is available, you can install Visual Studio 2008 and then install Visual Studio 2008 SP1.
Only install components of SQL Server 2008 that do not require Visual Studio 2008. For example, do not select the Management Tools (both Basic and Complete), Integration Services, or Business Intelligence Development Studio features.