March 17th and spring sure seems to be here already!
Fun with a small EDM Designer bug, for now…
Yesterday I accidentally discovered that you can edit a multiplicity end point in the EDM Designer:
It’s a known bug and is fixed already (post-RC). The changes don’t get saved with the EDMX.
March 24 VTSQL Meeting: BI with SQL Server guru Rushabh Mehta
When: March 24th, 6PM
Where: Competitive Computing, Colchester Vermont (www.competitive.com)
From Zero to BI in 10 Minutes or less
By Rushabh Mehta
Finally a technology that the Information Worker can use to take raw data and turn it into valuable information in a matter of minutes from the comfort of their own desktop! In this very exciting and interactive session full of exciting demos, we will walk you through taking raw information from a variety of sources and building a powerful analytical model that can then be used for deep analysis and reporting. We will further see how this set of technologies revolving around the Office 2010 platform and SQL Server 2008 R2 will transform the way information workers will become self-sufficient with their ad-hoc BI and reporting needs.
If you are an information worker, a data junkie, a BI wannabie, want to see some amazing advancements in the Microsoft SQL Server technology stack or just spend an evening and have dinner with us then plan to attend this incredible session.
Rushabh Mehta is the President of PASS (The Professional Association for SQL Server), a leading BI expert working with Solid Quality Mentors and also the Managing Director for Solid Quality India P.L. Rushabh has been architecting and implementing large and complex Business Intelligence solutions for organization like Raymond James, Microsoft, US Department of Defense, Jackson Hewitt and many more for over 10 years. He has also developed a number of industry best practices in Business Intelligence arena. Rushabh has also written multiple advanced training courses in Business Intelligence and to date has delivered over 4000 hours of advanced classroom training to over 250 organizations around the world. Rushabh has also mentored a large number of BI professionals around the world, providing them the know-how to successfully build BI solutions for their organizations. Rushabh speaks regularly at large conferences such as PASS, Tech Ed and many others around the world and can frequently be found speaking at some local user group during his travels. Rushabh is also a recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award in the SQL Server competency consecutively for the past 4 years and was recently a contributing author for a book on SQL Server Integration Services 2008 (Problem-Design-Solution) where he wrote a chapter outlining a solution for building a scale-out ETL process with SSIS based on work he did at Microsoft for building the analytical platform for Windows Azure.
About Solid Quality Mentors
Founded in 2002, Solid Quality Mentors is comprised of over 100 of the leading experts in over 10 active subsidiaries around the world, specializing on Microsoft Data Platform and providing advanced and custom training, mentoring and expert consulting services. Our customers include Microsoft, AT&T, Associated Press, Alcoa Howmet, BBC, Capital One, Career Builder, Concord Group Insurance, Conoco Phillips, Georgia Pacific, Harris Interactive, Jackson Hewitt, Lockheed Martin, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance, Premier Bankcard, Progressive Insurance, Raymond James, USDA, US Veterans Health Administration, US Department of Defense, Zillow.com and many more. You can find more information at www.solidq.com or contact us at info@solidq.com.
Two Introductory VS2010 Entity Framework Videos on Pluralsight on Demand
These are the first two. I’ve got more coming!
If you don’t have a Pluralsight subscription, grab a free guest pass and you’ll have have access since these are part of the subset of guest pass content along with a ton of other great videos.
These will also be on MSDN online shortly.
If timestamp is deprecated, why do none of the current db tools support rowversion?
Perhaps the title of this blog post will suffice, but I just wanted to highlight this problem.
If you were to look up the timestamp data type in the SQL Server 2008 documentation, this is waht you will find within the topic article:
“The timestamp syntax is deprecated. This feature will be removed in a future version of Microsoft SQL Server. Avoid using this feature in new development work, and plan to modify applications that currently use this feature.”
It’s been there for quite some time.
The functionality of rowversion and timestamp are the same. It’s just a name change to align with the rest of the world and end the confusion caused by the word “time” in the name.
So let’s say you are good at following these types of recommendations and as you create a new table in SQL Server Managmenet studio, you attempt to use rowversion rather than timestamp.
Here’s what you’ll see:
rowversion is not an option.
It’s also not an option if you try to use the column’s properties window.
You can use TSQL to create the column:
ALTER TABLE dbo.Address ADD RowVersion rowversion
But the designer will still display it as a timestamp. The object explorer also says its a timestamp.
What about Visual Studio 2010?
The server explorer doesn’t grok rowversion either and shows the field as a timestamp.
And finally, the tool I use frequently, the Entity Data Model designer also does not recognize rowversion.
If I create an entity from this table, the store schema’s representation of the field is:
<Property Name="RowVersion" Type="timestamp" Nullable="false" StoreGeneratedPattern="Computed" />
I can change this manually and it is valid within the schema.
I’m confused. Microsoft wants us to use rowversion but they sure don’t make it easy!
Again, timestamp and rowversion do exactly the same thing. This is only a “decorative” change.
Yet, I care a lot about this because I use timestamp fields in the sample database for my book, Programming Entity Framework. The term “timestamp” shows up in many screenshots and I discuss it frequently throughout the book. I am considering taking on the task of changing every visual and textual reference to rowversion to be in line with Microsoft’s recommendations. Bt if it’s not easy for users to use the rowversion type, I’m very hesitant to force it on them.
Vermont IT Jobs: Burlington based Microsoft Gold Partner looking for .NET Devs
Software Engineers
Competitive Computing, aka C2, is seeking Software Engineers to design, architect, and maintain .NET applications to support our clients’ eCommerce business requirements. The successful candidates will create high-quality ASP.NET web and eCommerce sites using web-based tools and techniques. Experience with languages including C#, VB.NET, ASP.NET, and JavaScript are a must. The ideal candidate will have a thorough understanding of internet and database architecture, and a high level of technical expertise in web development.
Key responsibilities include:
• Contribute individually to the design, architecture, and development of large-scale custom application development projects
• Interact with internal technical, business and management staff, as well as clients
• Work in a team environment to develop web portals and ASP.NET applications for major client projects
• Establish, support, and evolve C2 development and process standards within all projects
• Review code of other developers while applying strict adherence to quality standards and control points
• Interface with Program Managers, Project Managers/Analysts, Creative/UI Designers and clients
• Keep current with technology trends and industry developments
Qualifications
• Three+ years of experience in .NET development of eCommerce solutions
• Experience with ASP.NET (C# or VB.NET) using the Visual Studio development environment, SQL Server 2000/2005, XHTML, XML, Windows 2k and 2k8 Server and Internet Information Server (IIS)
• Strong foundation in the concepts of web-based application development
• Strong understanding of the SDLC
• Client-side development in JavaScript and a comfort with Object-oriented development methods
• Experience with eCommerce development
• Experience in Content Management Systems (i.e. Sitecore)
• Experience in one or more of the following technologies: MS Commerce Server, Content Management Systems, AJAX, jQuery
• Experience with standards-compliant HTML development using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
• Professional service experience
• Creative, flexible self-starter with a strong desire to learn
• Team- and solutions-oriented
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field
• Technical certifications a plus
Competitive Computing offers a comprehensive benefit package and is an equal opportunity employer. Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume to: jobs@competitive.com
Heading to San Francisco for the ESDC Conference and the East Bay .NET User Group
Tomorrow I am planning to do something that has caused my husband to laugh uncontrollably. I’m going to get out of bed at 4am. Yes it’s true! That’s because I have a 6:30am flight that will take me first to O’Hare airport and then to San Francisco.
Why am I leaving beautiful Vermont just when the lovely ski-able snow has returned?
Ill be attending and speaking at the Enterprise Software Development Conference March 1-3 in San Mateo and then co-presenting at the East Bay .NET User Group with my friend (and one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, only because I haven’t met her two progeny who she says are smarter), Kathleen Dollard. Kathleen is presenting at ESDC as well.
ESDC is focused on agile development and I’ll be doing one talk on Agile Entity Framework 4 and a talk on using Entity Framework 4 with WCF. Kathleen will be presenting talks on the new Managed Extensibility Framework, aka MEF.
At the user group meeting, I’ll spend the pre-pizza half hour of the meeting showing off some fo the new features in the Entity Data Model designer in Visual Studio 2010. After the pizza, I’ll do an abbreviated version of the Agile EF4 focusing on a first look at the POCO support in EF and then Kathleen will be doing an intro talk on MEF.
It seems that the weather in SF is not much better than Vermont. It’s in the 40’s and 50’s, overcast and rainy. SO much for pretending that this is a vacation to sunny California. The tsunami warning should have passed by the time we arrive.
I”m looking forward to the conference as I’ll get a chance to meet some software legends like Kent Beck (maybe), see friends I haven’t seen in a while and finally return Kathleen’s Sigg bottle that she left behind at DevTeach in Vancouver last June and someone gave it to me because I live so close (vermont…colorado?). I actually spent a lot of time in November with Kathleen at another conference but had forgotten the bottle. It’s now on my kitchen counter waiting to go in my bag. I plan to fill that space on the way home with some Mrs. See’s chocolates. 🙂
Vermont IT Jobs: Database Developer/Admin at Gardener’s Supply
Join the team at Gardener’s Supply Company! We work hard AND offer a fun place to work with summer bocce games, BBQs, ping-pong tournaments, employee garden plots and much more! We also offer strong cultural values, competitive wages and outstanding benefits (including a tremendous discount on plants & product!).
Database Developer/Administrator: Our IT team is looking for an individual that has a solid understanding of software development concepts and methodologies, relational database design, object oriented programming and N-Tier architecture. You will be working in an environment that values industry recognized best practices to build and deploy secure, extensible, scalable and maintainable applications. You will be expected to work with other members of the IT team and different business areas to translate requirements into smart solutions using the Microsoft’s technology stack (Dynamics AX, .Net, SQL Server, SharePoint, Exchange, and IIS). The team will be counting on you to perform the database administration tasks for our SQL and Oracle servers to keep them running at peak performance.
We are an employee-owned company and America’s leading catalog & web-based gardening company! Interested? Please send your cover letter & resume to Gardener’s Supply Company, 128 Intervale Rd., Burlington, VT 05401 or to jobs@gardeners.com.
Vermont IT Jobs: Some more .NET Developer Jobs, Drupal and FoxPro, too, in Seven Days
This week’s Seven Days listed a few more .NET developer jobs and one for a Drupal dev. One company I hadn’t even heard of before so happy to discover them.
1. Here’s one I blogged about recently at an wonderful (I’ve worked with them) insurance company in Middlebury, Co-Operative Insurance
2. Here’s one for a Sr. .NET Developer at Aurora North Software. I hope to meet these guys at an upcoming Vermont.NET meeting someday.
3. Here’s the Drupal job at the very wonderful Eating Well Magazine in Charlotte
4. There is one in the paper that is not on 7Days website yet but I’ve verified that it is still available. It’s a short-term part time job at UVM doing ASP.NET development with VB . This is for the Vermont Center for Children, Youth & Families.
Look on page C-13 of the 2/17- 2/24 issue of Seven Days or leave a comment here and I’ll send you details.
Here’s a linkk to it’s listing on Vermont Job Link, but this requires logging in to see it.
https://www.vermontjoblink.com/ada/skillmatch/jobseeker_sm/jbs_gapanalysis_dsp.cfm?joborder_id=75116&rand=615208
5. Last one is the part time, short term FoxPro job at UVM that I blogged about earlier this week, at the Breast Cancer Research Center
6. Bonus – not in Seven Days but I found it on UVM’s site:
This one is working on software for people doing brain research at UVM. How cool is that? Details at https://www.uvmjobs.com, search for Requisition # 032952
Crystal Reports and Visual Studio 2010
If like me, you have a “can’t live with it, can’t live without it” relationship with Crystal Reports and have made a significant investment in reporting with their tools, you might be digging around the VS2010 RC looking for Crystal.
CR has been embedded into Visual Basic and Visual Studio for many versions. My experience goes back as far as Visual Basic 4, but in fact it started in 1993 with VB 2!
But it’s not in VS2010 RC. Well, kinda not in there.
Crystal Report is included in the project item templates:
But when you select it, something odd happens. Rather than a designer, you will get this window:
So it’s still available as a free extension to VS, just not built in. It’s odd that Crystal isn’t listed in the Extensions gallery that you can access through the VS2010 Extension Manager (on the Tools menu) or online at www.visualstudiogallery.com.
There’s an extensive blog post on the SAP website about Crystal Reports for Visual Studio 2010 which also lists new features, including a WPF report viewer.
I haven’t tried any of them out yet. What I’m most interested in is the design time experience with Entity Framework graphs. In VS2008, neither CR nor MS Reports recognizes navigation properties. A quick look at MS Reports (rdlc) in VS2010 suggests that this hasn’t changed. I’ll have to dig further at some point.