A new version of SQL Server Data Tools ( SSDT) was released yesterday. You can read more here: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ssdt/archive/2014/03/25/sql-server-data-tools-for-sql-server-2014-is-available.aspx. You can get the new version here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/hh297027
One of the coolest features in this version is the support for custom code analysis (yay finally). This version supports SQL Server 2014 also.
Microsoft released SQL Server 2014 to manufacturing so the wait is finally over for the newest version of SQL Server. According to the press release, it will be generally available April 1, 2014.
OpenID Foundation has released a new version, 3.0, called OpenID Connect. For more information about what OpenID Connect is, check the link here: http://openid.net/connect/
As an attempt to describe what it is, OpenID Connect provides a way to use a single identity to sign on to a service. For example, if you have a Google account, you already have an OpenID. You can use this ID to log into sites and services that support OpenID, like some sites created with popular Content Management Systems. You can find a better explanation here: http://openid.net/connect/faq/.
This decentralization of logins can be a great thing. Let us say you have users on a certain site and the site gets hacked. If the site uses OpenID, username and passwords are not exposed (but the OpenID itself may be exposed but may be entirely useless). This site used OpenID for years (as a matter of fact, it’s how this post was created) and hopefully this new version may have greater industry support since it is now much easier to implement.
Trying to find the meaning of error codes I find in SSIS logs led me to seek the codes from Microsoft. For example, I had an error code in a log, -1071607685, and when initially searching for error codes I didn’t find anything with that code. So I pulled up the trusty calculator, converted that code to Hex, which ended up looking like FFFFFFFFC020907B. This looked a bit familiar so I started searching for 0xC020907B. This led to eventually finding the Microsoft page, which has both codes.
Here’s the link (until it dies): http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms345164.aspx
SSDT January 2014 was released today, main benefits being it supports SQL Server 2012 Parallel Data Warehouse and Parallel Data Warehouse Appliance Update 1. What this release loses is the support for Visual Studio 2010. According to the link here, “We will no longer update SSDT for Visual Studio 2010. Projects and DACPACs are fully compatible across shells. Please download the toolset for VS2012 or VS2013 using the links above for continued updates.” What it gains, it seems, is support for Visual Studio 2013 and an interesting new reference as there is a link to “Download Visual Studio 2013 with SQL Server Tooling“
Every time I change mobile devices, after setup, on the new device I can only see my calendar but not any calendars that are shared out to me. Since I always forget how to fix it, the purpose of this post is to post where to find how to fix this problem. First, Google has a starting point at the following link (until the link dies): https://support.google.com/calendar/topic/13950?hl=en.
As of the date of this post, the link has information about how to sync calendars with a mobile device. It has links for mobile browsers, Android, and Apple (iOS). For mobile browsers, they basically say to go to http://www.google.com/calendar or http://calendar.google.com/a/your_domain/m if you are a Google Apps user. I assume most people who have a smartphone or tablet won’t use this option though so that leads to the next option. For Android users, it’s fairly simple (as it should be since Android is a Google product) and is slightly different depending on if you have a phone or tablet and also depending on what version of Android the device is running. Even with the slight variation, the setting can be made either by going to the Android system settings or from the menu on any Calendar screen, super easy. Last option they offer is iOS. For iOS, go to the settings of the Google account, make sure Calendar option is turned on, then go to https://www.google.com/calendar/syncselect or https://m.google.com/sync/settings if you are a Google Apps user. Once there, select the calendars you would like to sync and click the save button. It states for this option for iOS devices, you have to run iOS 3 or higher.
What’s missing on their page is what to do regarding Windows Phone. Well, the same instructions that work for iOS will also work for Windows Phone and most likely any other device that supports CalDAV.
Now the next time I change mobile devices, I know where to go find my answer.
I had a much longer post here but when I published it, the content disappeared. So until I decide to go through the steps again and redocument them, the short story is: Managed Service Accounts are great. I like them better than the standard way service accounts were handled in the past. When creating an account, be sure the account is not longer than 15 characters. If longer than 15 characters, you will not be able to install them on the computer you want to use them on.
These can be used only on a Windows 2008 R2 and Windows 7. They can only be created on a domain controller that has been upgraded to the 2008 R2 Schema but the domain itself can be either 2008 R2, 2008, 2003, or mixed-mode. Only the 2008 R2 domain level can provide automatically managed passwords and SPN.
Main commands to be able to use Managed Service Accounts are:
These commands have to be run from the Active Directory Module for Windows Powershell as an administrator or some of the commands will fail. The first command creates the account in AD. The second command assigns the account to the computer to use the account. The last command should run from the computer you plan to use the account.
SQL Server Data Tools makes life much easier for me. I now can easily version control all of my SQL objects. The only thing right now I don’t like is the fact that it cannot perform data comparisons or migrations yet.
It’s easier to work with database projects with SQL Server Data Tools compared to the database projects in Visual Studio 2010.
After going RTM March 6, SQL Server 2012 is now generally available from Microsoft.
First, download the Microsoft JDBC driver.
Once extracted, I copied the sqljdbc4.jar file into the lib folder under the jdbc folder of the SQL Developer Data Modeler but you just need to know where the jar file is located.
Go to Tools > Preferences > Data Modeler > Third Party JDBC Drivers and click the plus to add the location of the jar file. Then click the OK button.
If on a Windows machine and you want to use integrated security, edit your system path to include the location of the sqljdbc_auth.dll file or copy the sqljdbc_auth.dll to an existing location in your system path, like Windows\System32.
Then click File > Import > Data Dictionary.
Click the Add button.
Click the JDBC tab
Choose Other ThirdParty Driver
For JDBC URL, type jdbc:sqlserver://[serverName[\instanceName][:portNumber]][;property=value[;property=value] – or look here for details about how to form the URL.
For Driver Class, type com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver
For Database Type, choose SQL Server.
Assuming your URL is correct, click the test button and you should get success.