Microsoft

SQL Server 2005 Integration Services – Not bad

colinizer Microsoft, Server Application, Software Development, Tools

I have colleagues that have been using this for 8 months or so, and I just took the dive into using it properly myself yesterday.

SQL Server 2005 Integration Services is part of the Business Intelligence set of SQL tools that replaced DTS packages from SQL Server 2000. It’s heart is in the right place, but it’s definately a V1 product.

I should have probably looked at the Adventure Works samples because it wasn’t easy to get into. However, once you figure out what all the bundled task and data flow tools do, you are ready to go…

Well almost:

  • the designer interface is slow (even on an fast machine)
  • error messages are all horribly truncated with the hover tool tips not being too helpful
  • the debugging is pretty bad in terms of being able to really see what’s going on
  • it’s possible to get items corrupted in which case you need to delete, reinsert and reconfigure

However, it is doing the job I want it to do – create a data warehouse from database, webservice and CSV sources using excel reference data – put it’s a little painful at times. Getting the security right to run one of these packages in SQL is also a fun configuration job. Of course, I can create custom tasks and data flow items if I want to which is a plus.

I admit to not yet having installed SQL Server 2005 SP2 and Visual Studio 2005 SP1, so I’ll give those a go.

I’m about to shift to Vista and I know SP2 is needed (plus a hot fix) to make scripted tasks work in the new OS.

I’m wondering whether they will replace the control takes with Windows Workflow Foundation at some point. I can see how needs could have arisen simultaneously but that either the fit or the timing wasn’t quite right…

Xbox 360 coloured sheep

colinizer Consumer, Gadgets, Gaming, Marketing, Microsoft, Sheep

Today I feel like a marketing sheep but I will resist the urge.

Microsoft’s new Xbox 360 Elite apparently has HDMI and a 120GB hard drive…

… and comes in Black and Silver… cool… I’d like one just for the HDMI (there’s some ghosting on the component output with my 1080p display, compared to the lovely solid digital output from my PS3 on HDMI) and use the old one as a media center extender now that my HP extender doesn’t have an upgrade to work with Vista !#$#

… oh wait: my controllers, and battery charger and camera are all white.

Bugger.

I guess they aren’t trying to appeal to the colour-co-ordinated enthusiast – way to go J Allard!

So I either have to put up with white controllers with a black & silver unit or be a total sheep and buy new controllers to match, right after I sucker up and buy a Gillette Fusion Phantom (‘cos I haven’t collected that colour yet) – yeah right.

Check back to see what happens…

Does Microsoft have the right Mix?

colinizer Internet-based Service, Microsoft, mix07, Software As A Service

Mix 07, Microsoft’s web dev conference is coming up very shortly but for some this is too little too late.

AJAX.NET was just released in January – a little bit late really.

Microsoft has delivered a ton of stuff recently – probably too much all at once – trying to get developers to get behind Vista, Office and Exchange 2007. I also think that Microsoft’s huge gap of wow and even anti-wow (WinFS what?) has left despondant loyal developers to watch all the cool web 2.0 mashup juice float by and wonder why their software-king has not been there fore them. I think they are really neglecting the grassroots or enthusiast developer.

Where’s the full push for live clipboard Ray Ozzie? Where’s the Amazon S3-like storage solution? Where’s the Live ID Relying Party Suite? Where are the Live ID CardSpace cards (and the CardSpace documentation is awful)? Where is the finished WPF/E? Where are the XPS-supporting printers? Perhaps Ray will wow everyone at Mix 07 but the silence is not building loyalty. Right now Microsoft needs to provide released SDKs, services (and no US$10,000s for Live ID integration), tools, etc.

Microsoft has the wrong Mix, because it should have been last year’s Mix for announcing all the cool things (and in contrete form) that will hopefully be released (and not in beta) this year.

Microsoft is behind on the web – OK their priorities are with Windows, Office, etc. – but if they fall behind on the offline app to as Mack is talking about, then life is not good.

Perhaps I’ll be saying “wow” after Mix 07, but I do think I’ll be amongst a decreasing number of people that still care.