Cristian's Blog

Announcement from Microsoft:

"We have recently discovered an issue with SQL Server 2008 CTPs that result
in SQL Server 2008 not starting or installing on Feb 29 GMT only. We
recommend that you do not run, install or upgrade this CTP on Feb 29 GMT to
minimize any impact in your environment. You can install starting on March 1
GMT. If you have an immediate issue that cannot wait until march 1st GMT
contact csskat@microsoft.com before taking any further steps."

IT IS NOT A JOKE!

I had problems all day because of this bug!

When: Monday March 13, 2008 11:00am PST

With whom: Microsoft SQL Server development team

Link: http://www.microsoft.com/communities/chats/default.mspx

Add to Calendar

Be There!

Step 1: Accessing the site - http://www.microsoft.com/virtualevents/

Result:

Found solution on this link http://silverlight.net/blogs/jesseliberty/archive/2008/01/31/download-error-code-4001.aspx Refresh until you get in. It took me 45 minutes of refreshing.

Step 2: Second bug

And after that a forever loading page.

Solution. Reinstall Silverlight.

Step 3: Authentication

Step 4: Managed to log-in. Access the heroeshappenhere site. Surprise:

Step 5: Join a SQL Server 2008 chat as SME (Subject Matter Expert). Instead of 2 hours I staid 3. The application sometimes gave me - your session expired messages and as you can see I was lonely lonely lonely.

Conclusion: I am not the kind of guy that gets upset too easy. But this time it was too much.

BTW If you want to see the VLE get directly to the link http://www.microsoft.com/virtualevents/vle.aspx

It's hard to believe that readers of my blog haven't heard  about SQL Server Magazine. Now, we have SQL Server Store, I mean Microsoft SQL Server Store.

What you can buy from it at this point?

• SQL Server 2008 July CTP                               Price: 0.00
• SQL ServerTM 2005 System Views Poster        Price:  9.61
• SQL Server Manageability HOL and VM DVD      Price: 1.69
• SQL Server 2005 Always on Technologies         Price: 1.69
• SQL Server 2005 180-day Evaluation                Price: 3.59
• SQL Server Readiness DVD November 2007      Price: 1.69

Featured Item:

SQL Server Readiness DVD November 2007 Use this SQL Server resource kit to learn more about the hundreds of features that enable users to obtain results faster and make better decisions while using a trusted platform. This kit contains webcasts, datasheets, brochures, white papers, demos, hands-on labs about SQL Server 2005 and the upcoming release of SQL Server 2008.

Someone asked me today about SharePoint resource so I pointed him to the following links:
http://blogs.msdn.com/scaravajal/archive/2008/01/16/free-sharepoint-training.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/arpans/archive/2006/07/14/665637.aspx

Maybe someone else will find them useful too!

More details here: http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6899949

What's new

• Sparse Columns and Column Sets
• SQL Server PowerShell Provider and Cmdlets
• Compressed Storage of Tables and Indexes
• Filtered Indexes and Statistics
• SQL Server Management Studio Enhancements (Improved Database Engine Query Editor IntelliSense, Service Broker Nodes in Object Explorer,
• Enhanced SQL Server Management Studio Object Explorer)
• Enhanced Parallel Query Processing on Partitioned Objects
• Policy-Based Management Enhancements
• Policy-Based Management (formerly the Declarative Management Framework)
• SQL Server Audit
• Backup Compression Enhancements (limit CPU usage using Resource Governor)
• iFTS - Integrated Full-Text Search
• T-SQL CONVERT function allows conversions between binary and character hexadecimal values.
• OPTIMIZE FOR Query Hint Option Includes UNKNOWN Variable Value
• INSERT… EXECUTE Against Linked Servers
• SSIS - New Debug Dump Files
• SSIS - Package Upgrade
• Reporting Services - new Gauge data region
• Reporting Services - integration of Tablix data region into Report Designer within SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio
• Service Broked - Updated Runtime Diagnostic Utility (ssbdiagnose can be used to analyze running conversations for errors)
• Service Broker Elements in Object Explorer (Conversation priorities, Properties for existing items etc)
• Service Broker - New Activation Tutorial
• Service Broker - New System Monitor Counters (Activation Errors Total, Corrupted Messages Total, Dequeued TransmissionQ Msgs/sec, Dropped Messages Total, and Enqueued TransmissionQ Msgs/sec)

New Samples and Sample Databases

• Sample Databases for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 February CTP (AdventureWorks 2008 ...)
• SQL Server 2008 February CTP Samples

SQL Server 2008 February CTP Bug Bash (XBOX 360, XBOX Arcade, XBOX Elite)

• Find SQL Server 2008 February CTP Bugs and take an XBOX home 

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946608/en-us

Nope, it's not SP3

As I love this feature (Deprecation feature warns you through perf counters or SQL Trace events that you are using features that will be removed in future versions of SQL Server), I played a lot with it and I found some surprises:

• They were not included in the sqlserver package of XEVENT
• They cannot be traced using SqlTrace Collector (or at least not yet)

For the first one I filled a connect request http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=327088 and what do you know: Jerome Halmans (the Program Manager of SQLOS) give me the good news that CTP7 will include deprecation events in sqlserver package of XEVENT.

What is not clear yet and I am waiting for an answer from Microsoft is "Can you use the SQL Trace Collector on a custom trace or just on the Default Trace?". I am still waiting for this one.

How time flies. It's seems like yesterday when this XML thing came and conquered the world. Happy anniversary!

Check out the post of the Data Programmability Program Manager - Irinel Crivat: Happy 10th anniversary, XML!

How just vote here: https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=327537

If you search at this point for the recording of this webcast you will discover that is pretty hard to locate it. To make things easier for you here's the link: MCP Live Meeting: SQL Server 2008 and Your Microsoft Certifications The source of the link is Trika's blog, one of the blogs that should be on your RSS Reader if you are serious about MS certs.

Watching the webcasts I found some interesting things such as:

• Number of certified people per certification:
  • MCDBA – 149,590
  • MCTS: SQL Server 2005 – 24,939 (We have over 10 MCTS on our forum )
  • MCITP: Database Administrator – 4,006
  • MCITP: Database Developer – 1,596
  • MCTS: Business Intelligence - 801
  • MCITP: Business Intelligence Developer - 364 (Why this number?)
  • MCA: Database – 10
• SQL Server 2008 RTM is annouced for the 3rd quarter of calendar year 2008 and SQL Server 2008 will follow the RTM.
• The certs have the same format as the certs in SQL Server 2005:
  • Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS):
    • 70-432: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance
      • Description: the SQL Server 2008 counterpart to 70-431 on SQL Server 2005 (dba part)
      • Objectives: Installing and Configuring, Maintaining SQL Instances, Managing Security, Maintaining a database, Data Management Tasks, Monitoring and Troubleshooting, Optimizing, Implementing High Availability
      • Exam availability – estimated for August 2008  
    • 70-433: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Database Development
      • Description: the SQL Server 2008 counterpart to 70-431 on SQL Server 2005 (dev part)
      • Objectives:
      • Exam availability – estimated for September 2008  
    • 70-448: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance
      • Description: the SQL 2008 counterpart to 70-445 on SQL 2005
      • Objectives: Configuring, Deploying, Maintaining and Implementing SSIS SSRS SSAS
      • Exam availability – estimated August 2008
  • Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP)
• MCDBA exams are planned to be retired in 2009
• There will be upgrade paths from MCTS 2005 to MCTS 2008