Watch SQL Server Modeling videos from PDC09

PDC09 Keynotes and Session videos are available online now.  Here are links to videos for data modeling related sessions:

Modeling for the Microsoft .NET Developer

• Data Programming and Modeling for the Microsoft .NET Developer

 Coming in VS 2010

• Evolving ADO.NET Entity Framework in .NET 4 and Beyond
• ADO.NET Data Services: What’s new with the RESTful data services framework
• Developing REST Applications with the .NET Framework

 SQL Server Modeling (previously “Oslo”)

• Microsoft Project Code Name “M”: The Data and Modeling Language
• Building Data-Driven Applications Using Microsoft Project Code Name "Quadrant" and Microsoft Project Code Name "M"
• SQL Server Modeling Services: Using Metadata to Drive Application Design, Development and Management

Using SQL Server Modeling

• The ‘M’-Based System.Identity Model for Accessing Directory Services

SQL Server Modeling CTP is available for download

Download the modeling CTP here and read about changes to it in this blog entry.

My team, SQL Server Modeling Services team (previously "Repository") delivered the following as part of this CTP: Repository patterns, System.Runtime domain and Microsoft.Uml2 domain.  This introductory video provide a high level overview of SQL Server Modeling Services.  Besides Douglas Purdy's blog, you can get answers to SQL Server Modeling CTP FAQ at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd129873.aspx. 

I am not at PDC 2009 this year, but have been reading the keynote summaries online.  The following PDC 2009 Resources Page contains download links for key application development technologies including:

• Windows Azure Platform Training Kit
• Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0 Beta 2
• ADO.NET Entity Framework Feature CTP2
• Microsoft Application Architecture Guide, 2nd Edition

Even though you can obtain relevant information being presented at the conference remotely, it is not same as physically attending a conference in person and feeling the energy from other attendees. Also, it is sunny and 67 degrees in Los Angeles today - compared to cloudy, rainy 48 degrees here in Seattle!

"Oslo" becomes SQL Server Modeling

"Oslo" technologies ("M", "Quadrant", "Repository") have found their home and are now part of Microsoft SQL Server family of products.

Read more details at: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Application-Development/Microsofts-Oslo-Becomes-SQL-Server-Modeling-117207/

Douglas Purdy's post on this topic has generated many remarks from community around the name change. Many folks have expressed their concern and disappointment with this move - especially around "M" language, schema and grammar being part of the SQL Server group.  The ask is to let "M" be standalone and decouple from storage technology. Doug has posted his reply to these remarks and mentioned that he will be posting another blog entry regarding impact of the name change on DSL strategy.

The code name "Oslo" project started in Connected Systems Division (CSD). Earlier this year, CSD merged with Data and Storage Platforms Division, forming a new division called Business Platform Division (BPD).  Besides "Oslo", other CSD technologies included Windows Application Server, BizTalk Server, .NET Framework (WF, WCF) and  .NET cloud services.  BPD, as a whole, has a focus on delivering an integrated and comprehensive application platform for customers as part of the Microsoft Server and Tools Business (STB). The BPD division has a modeling charter that is broader than data modeling, ER modeling and OR mapping - so I do hope our leadership will promote driving clarity towards investments in both data and application modeling.

What got me attracted to "Oslo" project was its original vision of providing a mainstream approach to modeling that makes it easy for all application lifecycle personas - information workers, developers, architects, business analysts and IT professionals - to collaborate throughout the application development lifecycle.

By putting model-driven innovation directly into the .NET platform, organizations will gain visibility and control over applications from end-to-end, ensuring they are building systems based on the right requirements, simplifying iterative development and re-use, and enabling them to resolve potential issues at a high level before they start committing resources.

The vision, no doubt, is compelling, however, the devil is in the execution. The modeling strategy and framework needs to be woven into the fabric of all products and technologies not only within BPD, but also STB. And that's a significantly complex challenge! The number of internal group re-orgs, even though done for compelling strategic alignments, have also led to confusion for our customers - especially when the technology is in incubation phase. Also, not to mention the term "model-driven-X" (substitute X with Architecture, Design, Engineering) can have different connotations and level of understanding.

I am currently a member of "Repository" team. Since a large part of "Repository" is about persistance of metadata, it feels natural for "Repository" to be part of the SQL Server ship vehicle. Our team's high-level mission is to provide shared application lifecycle metadata, that can be used by application lifecycle tools and runtimes to break the silos in IT departments. I acknowledge this is still a vague/too broad/cliche mission statement, however getting a clear product alignment will help us focus on designing (and shipping) only high priority features that will solve real customer problems.  We know we have a challenge ahead of us to communicate our vision and execute on our action plan effectively. We are currently working on refining V1 scenarios and will soon begin customer engagements to get feedback on scenario prioritization.

If you happen to be at PDC09 next week, check out "Repository" talk being presented by our GPM Shoshanna Budzianowski: Microsoft Project Code Name "Repository": Using Metadata to Drive Application Design, Development and Management. 

Simplify UML

I found this interesting quote in Ivar Jacobson's blog entry "Taking the temperature of UML".

Still, UML has become complex and clumsy. For 80% of all software only 20% of UML is needed. However, it is not easy to find the subset of UML which we would call the “Essential” UML. We must make UML smarter to use.

Steve Cook, from Microsoft, an OMG member, has been leading a task force to discuss simplification of UML.

And in another article titled "Grady Booch on Design Patterns, OOP, and Coffee", Grady Booch responds to the question about developer hostility towards UML. 

The most important artifact any development team produces is raw, running, naked code. Everything else is secondary or tertiary. However, that is not to say that these other things are inconsequential. Rather, our models, our processes, our design patterns help one to build the right thing at the right time for the right stakeholders.

Yet, while code is king, one must realize that it is also a servant, for it in the end must serve some constituency, deliver some measurable value. Just as I loathe architecture astronauts—people who have no skin in the game, people who are so divorced from the reality of executables that they melt in the sight of a line of code—I also loathe code bigots who are so blinded by their own prowess and tools that they lose sight of why or for whom they are toiling. Design for design's sake is meaningless; code for code's sake may be fun but it is also meaningless.

When asked his views on whether UML diagrams should be 'napkin' or highly semantically meaningful diagrams, Grady Booch responded:

When Jim, Ivar, and I began our journey that became manifest in the UML, we never intended it to become a programming language. I think that there's a fairly narrow domain for which model-driven development makes sense (and Ericsson is the classic example of value, for they use the UML deeply in the creation of all their cell base station equipment) but that we should return to the roots of the UML, which was to be a language for visualizing, specifying, constructing, and documenting the artifacts of a software-intensive system—in short, a graphical language to help reason about the design of a system as it unfolds. Most diagrams should be thrown away, but there are a few that should be preserved, and in all, one should only use a graphical notation for those things that cannot easily be reasoned about in code.

As I've also often said, the code is the truth, but it is not the whole truth, and there are things such as rationale, cross-cutting concerns, and patterns that cannot easily be recovered or seen from code.... These are the things for which a graphical notation adds value, and any such notation should be used only if it has predictive power or reasoning power (meaning, you can ask questions about it.

It will be interesting to get formal market analysis on usage patterns of UML in the industry. 

XMI as an interchange format - OMG announces model interchange working group

My team has been building a UML XMI Loader and Exporter for a repository that's provisioned with OMG UML 2.1.2 model schema.  One of the key questions that we needed to address was – what version and variant of XMI are we going to support.  The May CTP bits of LoadUml.exe utility in "Oslo" work with UML semantic models created in Eclipse UML2 Tools. 

Even though XMI is positioned as an OMG standard for UML model interchange between tools, there have been enough differences an intricacies in XMI variants that there are companies like Meta Integration that do mapping between tools. 

In a recent press release by OMG, OMG has announced a model interchange working group to demonstrate and facilitate interoperability between UML-based modeling tools. 

Here is an excerpt from the press release:

“The MIWG's approach is to create an export of the same UML model from each participating vendor's tool and then import those models into each other's tool. The XML Metadata Interchange (XMI) format, the OMG standard for exchanging models, is used by the MIWG to transfer the model data among the participating tools. This approach will be applied across a number of test cases representing different types of models. The first test case, representing a UML Class Model, has been successfully completed, and is available on the group's Wiki page at http://www.omgwiki.org/model-interchange. Subsequent test cases will also be posted to the Wiki.”

I think this is a great effort and alleviates the vendors to add their own extensions that prohibit interoperability going-forward (unless lack of interoperability is an intentional choice!).

UML Domain in Oslo

Yes, I have been bitten with the modeling bug.  It has been a challenging, yet interesting roller-coaster ride doing program management within different Oslo feature teams, particularly focusing on domains.   Bill Gibson eloquently defines what it entails in building a domain over “Oslo” platform.  I initially started out by investigating the provider/adapter story for Oslo and its integration with Visual Studio, but quickly moved on to working on creating new ‘concept’ domains using a new modeling language named “M”.   With the future vision of modeling a BPM/SOA domain over “Oslo” platform, we had fragmented teams building different pieces of this end-vision.  

My team worked on modeling Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) 1.1 and creating a prototype Microsoft Visio Add-In to load Microsoft Visio BPMN diagrams into the Oslo Repository.  Just individual domains are not sufficient for a complete integrated IT end-to-end solution, there needs to be a web of interconnected domains that cross disciplines and role boundaries.   The natural progression from BPMN in a typical BPM system is to transform it into an executable model such as Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) 4.0 or Business Process Execution Language (BPEL).   I worked with .NET Framework team to define a WF/WCF model and my feature team extended “Quadrant” to demonstrate different viewers over the WF model including a Diagram Editor.  At PDC 2008, we were successfully able to demonstrate creating a new WF model in Quadrant and deploying it in Microsoft code name “Dublin”.   David Chappell captured this work in his October 2008 paper titled Workflows, Services and Models.  The WF and WCF models were part of this overarching model called Application Model, which resembled loosely with the Component and Deployment models found in Object Management Group’s Unified Modeling Language (UML) Domain.   

After PDC 2008, we made a call to focus on more infrastructure domains that can be then used iteratively in conjunction with or part of some broader domains including (but not limited to) domains such as BPM/SOA.   We prioritized investing in an extensible modeling platform in early releases, while iteratively creating an eco-system for diverse domains over this platform.  We reset our plans to start with more foundational domains such as UML and Common Language Runtime (CLR).   These domains play a small yet important role in the end Microsoft Dynamic IT vision.   Keith Short elaborates about Oslo and UML in his blog.  

Dynamic IT is Microsoft’s long-term strategy for providing critical technologies that enable IT and development organizations to become more strategic to their businesses. A dynamic infrastructure is Microsoft’s vision for what an agile business looks like—a business in which IT works closely with business to meet the demands of a rapidly changing and adaptable environment. Dynamic IT is Microsoft’s technology strategy for products and solutions that help businesses enhance the dynamic capability of their people, processes, and IT infrastructures.

“No one can whistle a symphony.  It takes an orchestra to play it.” (H. E. Luccock).  Ultimately, many inter-related domains with appropriate tooling need to come together to provide an environment for different personas involved in building IT solutions for their businesses.   The following diagram shows a web of interconnected domains that are required to fully realize Dynamic IT strategy.   UML and CLR domains fit in the left box close to a Developer and Application Architect personas. 

In May CTP of Oslo, you can find a subset of OMG UML 2.1.2 model specification modeled in M, along with a utility tool called LoadUml.exe that lets you load UML Class Models from an XMI 2.1 file.   I have created an Eclipse plug-in that calls LoadUml.exe executable from within Eclipse Ganymede Modeling Tool Platform and loads the Eclipse UML2 semantic model into the Oslo Repository.   If there is enough interest, I can share the plug-in with you.  Currently the UML team is on the path to complete the modeling of entire OMG UML specification up to L3 Compliance Level for RTM.  Also, the team plans on providing an XMI Loader to load UML2 model instances into Oslo Repository and an XMI Exporter to serialize UML2 model instances from Oslo Repository as XMI.  We are also planning a sample transform feature between CLR and UML domains. 

In most of our references to UML Domain, we are thinking beyond the static diagrams that are created to communicate the design which then gather ‘dust’ after the system is built.   We think of the UML Domain as the conceptual/abstract model over the runtime models that represent the actual running business application. 

We are in the early phases of building this domain.  We are very interested in hearing your feedback and incorporating the results in our next CTP.  Are you an ISV who provides UML Tools as part of a suite of designing and developing software? Do you think you can benefit by having a repository under the covers that gives you more granular access over each UML model element?  What scenarios do you envision with respect to various domains and how can we help?

Looking forward to PDC 2008

It has been a while since I posted updates for WCF LOB Adapter SDK ... and it is good to see that Adapters product team has been very active at blogging about WCF LOB Adapter SDK and BizTalk Adpter Pack.  

I have been working on Microsoft Codename "Oslo" modeling platform since last year.  In a nutshell, the "Oslo" modeling platform consists of:

1. "Oslo" Repository  
2. "Oslo" Modeling Language (Microsoft Codename "M")
3. "Oslo" Modeling Tool (Microsoft Codename "Quadrant")

Douglas Purdy and Don Box are primary champions officially talking about "Oslo".   I, in particular, am part of "Quadrant" PM team and responsible for creating Quadrant domain-specific editing experience over the .NET 4.0 Workflows and Service models.

I can be found at the .NET (WCF, WF) and Windows Application Server booth at the PDC, around the Lounge or proctoring one of the hands-on-labs.  The following "Oslo" related talks are scheduled at PDC:

• A Lap around "Oslo" (Douglas Purdy, Vijaye Raji) 
• "Oslo": Repository and Schemas (Martin Gudgin, Chris Sells) 
• "Oslo": The Language (Don Box, David Langworthy)
• "Oslo": Customizing and Extending the Visual Design Experience (Florian Voss) ["Quadrant" focused talk]
• "Oslo": Building Texual DSLs (Chris Anderson, Giovanni Della-Libera)

Come by the booth if you have questions, feedback and/or want to learn more about "Oslo" modeling platform.

WCF LOB Adapter SDK SP1

Download WCF LOB Adapter SDK SP1 at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=106906.

Announcing the BizTalk Adapter Pack

At 2008 Microsoft Office System Developer Conference on Feb 11, 2008, Microsoft announced the availability of the BizTalk Adapter Pack.  You can find the links to the data sheet and BizTalk Adapter Pack Office Program at the following website (look for the two hyperlinks at the top).

http://www.microsoft.com/biztalk/evaluation/adapter/default.mspx

Here is some high level information about availability:

• The BizTalk Adapter Pack will be generally available on March 1, 2008. The adapter pack is licensed per processor.
• The WCF LOB Adapter SDK SP1 will be available for free download from Microsoft Downloads site.
• An evaluation version of the BizTalk Adapter Pack will be available on http://download.microsoft.com after April 1, 2008.

FAQ

How is the BizTalk Adapter Pack Sold?

The BizTalk® Adapter Pack is offered separately from BizTalk Server, and does not require deployment of a middle-tier SOA or BPM infrastructure to connect to LOB applications.  The adapter pack is licensed per processor.  All Microsoft customers will be able to purchase the adapter pack through normal Volume Licensing channels.

Do I need BizTalk Server to use the BizTalk Adapter Pack? 

No.  The BizTalk Adapter Pack uses Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) for simple connectivity to line-of-business systems.  For more complex integration (orchestrations, use of business rules, etc.) customers that start with the BizTalk Adapter Pack can upgrade to BizTalk Server. 

Will BizTalk Server customers get the BizTalk Adapter Pack?

When the Adapter Pack ships, it will then be included with BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Developer, Standard, and Enterprise editions. It is not included in the Branch edition. Customers that have already purchased BizTalk Server 2006 R2 with Software Assurance will also have access to the BizTalk Adapter Pack through the Software Assurance program. 

Can I still get the adapters that were included with BizTalk Server 2006 R2?

The adapters that shipped with BizTalk Server 2006 R2 (including, JD Edwards, MQ Series, etc.) will continue to ship with BizTalk Server.  At this time, they are not available with the BizTalk Adapter Pack.

Can customers migrate from the Adapter Pack to BizTalk Server?

As a customer’s solution evolves and they need more extensive business process orchestration or scale, adapters can be easily migrated to a full BizTalk® Server implementation due to shared use of the WCF programming model.

When do customers use BizTalk Adapter Pack vs. BizTalk Server?

The BizTalk Adapter Pack provides a simplified way to connect to data from line of business systems or any custom .NET applications.  BizTalk Server provides additional capabilities such as service orchestration in SOA environments, EDI, RFID and business rules. 

With the BizTalk Adapter Pack customers can start with a simple point-to-point connect and then simply upgrade to BizTalk Server as their needs evolve.  This means that our customers have a broader set of choices for connecting systems across platforms. 

Are we planning an update to the BizTalk Adapter Pack?

Yes.  We are working on updates.  A roadmap will be available in the near future.

What is the BizTalk Adapter Pack: Office Developers Program?

This program is for Office developers who would like to build applications or connections from line of business systems to SharePoint using the BizTalk Adapter Pack.  We provide access to the BizTalk Adapter Pack, support and guidance.  Through the program, we will make it easier for Office developers to connect line of business data to the Office applications commonly used by millions of people around the world.

What is the goal of BizTalk Adapter Pack: Office Developers Program?

The goal of this program is to engage the SharePoint community and to provide us with customers who can help us expand the BizTalk Adapter Pack scenarios, specifically those that include MOSS and OBAs. 

Are any customers live on the Adapter Pack today?

Yes, 7 customers that participated in the TAP program are live today.  Case studies will be available in the near future.

WCF-based BizTalk Adapter Pack is released to manufacturing!

The adapters team is very happy to announce the release of the following products on Jan 31, 2008:

• BizTalk Adapter Pack
• WCF LOB Adapter SDK SP1

BizTalk Adapter Pack contains the new WCF-based adapters for SAP, Siebel and Oracle Database. These adapters are developed using WCF LOB Adapter SDK and can be used within any .NET application including SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) and BizTalk Server 2006 R2.

The details of GA and product launch will be launched in next few days.  Stay tuned!

The next adapter planned for addition to the BizTalk Adapter Pack is WCF-based adapter for SQL Server 2005/2008 (yes, it's about time!)  The adapter team would like to get your feedback on types of features you would like to see in this new SQL adapter.  If interested, you can either submit your comments publicly or contact us.

Understanding various WCF communication options

David Chappell has written an interesting paper outlining various messaging options available in the .NET Framework 3.5 including WCF channels, RESTful communication and BizTalk Services.  There is also a section on WCF LOB Adapter SDK in this document under the heading - "Communication with line-of-business applications using adapters".  I recommend reading this paper, if you want to get an high level overview of the WCF LOB Adapter SDK.  The paper is called Dealing with Diversity: Understanding WCF Communication Options in the .NET Framework 3.5.

Bill Gates' last day at work video from CES 2008

Happy New Year to everyone!

Check this funny video out about Bill Gates' supposed last day at work with cameo appearances by many celebrities including Matthew McConaughey, George Clooney, Jay-Z, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Bono, Jon Stewart and Sen. Barack Obama. This video was shown during his final keynote session at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2008 in Las Vegas.

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-us&tab=soapbox&from=msnvideo&showPlaylist=true&playlist=videoByUuids:uuids:be9075bb-df0a-41c9-8d86-7ded46627e26

Read this article for more information about the keynote.

WebSphere Web Services and WCF Protocol Level Interoperability

The following articles from IBM demonstrate achieving interoperability at the protocol level (SOAP, WS-A, WS-RM, WS-SC) between the IBM WebSphere Application Server 6.1 Feature Pack for Web Services and WCF.  The multi-part article is named "Achieving Web Services interoperability between the WebSphere Web Services Feature Pack and Windows Communication Foundation".

• Part 1 - SOAP & WS-Addressing interoperability for sync & async message exchange patterns 
• Part 2 - Configure and test WS-Security

The articles make use of WCF custom bindings to configure version of SOAP, and apply WS-Addressing and WS-Security policies.

SOA, SAAS, ESB, ISB, REST, WCF, BizTalk Services Channel 9 Video

Check out Steve Swartz, Clemens Vasters and David Chappell talk about above buzzwords in this Channel 9 video. It's a great video that covers a wide variety of topics related to services.  See the video also to see what answers were provided when Charles asked the question - Is WCF complex?".

Power of instructional mini-videos

Besides technology, I have interest in "reading" and "watching" home improvement articles.  And this interest usually gets stronger during major life events like buying/selling/moving. I go to a book store and my eye naturally gravitates towards the Home and Garden magazines or when I turn TV on, I naturally have to switch to HGTV to see what's going on. Vern Yip, Carter Ooserhouse, you rock! :-) I hope to put this learning in practice when I buy my own next home. 

My sister recently bought a new house and she have been asking me lots of tips about things such as home organization, remodeling, etc.  I sent her links to various resources available on the Web.  But she kept asking me the same questions again and again! She basically wanted me to fly over there and just do it for her!  I then tried another tactic, which basically involved sending her selected "How to" Videos from Expert Village. I initially started with sending her the "How to organize your life" videos.  The key was to send her useful and filtered information in a display format that she liked.  Now she is asking me less and going to Expert Village to search for a video first, but ofcourse, she still wants me to come there and do it for her. :-)

Anyways, it is important to have a collection of related information in a site that you can trust.  The MSDN Channel9 is such venue for Microsoft and its customers to share conversations and dialogs.  Many of Microsoft's MVPs and RDs have their own blogs and websites that provide useful information for Microsoft technology users around the world.  What if Microsoft was to provide a venue like Expert Village for MVPs/RDs to podcast short and sweet "how-to" videos on MS technologies?