Topic:  MDX for SQL Programmers
Date:  Thursday, February 26, 2009, 6:30-8:30
Speaker:  Barry Ralston
Location:  Heritage Hall at Seville Quarter
 

This session will introduce the language for accessing data in SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) cube structures.    SSAS is not just about ad hoc tools and end-user ‘slicing and dicing’ of data.  The speaker will present the basic concepts of MDX including hierarchical navigation functions, sorting and ranking and creation of calculated members.  The session will incorporate demonstration queries using OLAP structures readily available for self-led follow-up training.

Speaker Bio:

Barry is currently Chief Architect for Business Intelligence with Birmingham-based ComFrame Software. Since joining ComFrame in 2001, his client successes include Aflac, Honda, and the Children’s Hospital of Alabama. In addition to speaking at the Alabama .Net Code Camps 1, 4 and 5, Barry has delivered presentations on Business Intelligence with Microsoft technologies at SQL Saturday 1 and 4. With a career in Business Intelligence spanning 14 years, he has previously been an invited speaker to the Oracle Development Tools User Group, International Oracle User Group - Americas and JavaOne.  Barry’s blog is at http://sqlbi.blogspot.com and ComFrame www.comframe.com

Hope to see you there!

Karla and Rodney

That’s right, Pensacola has been chosen again for the Tiki Hut Roadshow Winter 2009 Tour!  One afternoon of free training that you won’t want to miss out on!  Check out below the topics coming Tuesday, February 11th from 1:00 to 5:30…Be sure to register online by Friday, February 6th…if there aren’t enough registered, they will pull Pensacola off the tour!  So show your support and come on out!

Here are the details:

MSDN Tiki Hut Roadshow
Event ID: 1032401102
Be sure to register either at Joe’s site, www.devfish.net
or at
https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032401102&Culture=en-US

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 1:00 PM - Wednesday, February 11, 2009 5:30
PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Welcome Time: 12:30 PM

Seville Quarter
Heritage Hall
148 East Government Street Pensacola Florida 32502
United States

Event Overview
Session 1 – jQuery with ASP.NET - JQuery is an open source JavaScript
library that has a passionate following among Ajax developers. Microsoft
is integrating the open source JQuery library into both the ASP.NET Web
Forms and ASP.NET MVC frameworks and providing full product support. Learn
how you can take advantage of JQuery to build richly interactive
client-side Ajax applications when developing either ASP.NET Web Forms or
ASP.NET MVC applications. Also see how JQuery works in combination with
ASP.NET AJAX to provide the best framework for building Ajax applications.

Session 2 – Data Services - OnPremise and Off - In the near future,
applications will be developed using a combination of custom application
code and online building block services, including data-centric services.
In this session we discuss advancements in the Microsoft development
platform and online service interfaces to enable seamless interaction with
data services both on-premises (e.g., ADO.NET Data Services Framework over
on-premises SQL Server) and in the cloud (e.g., SQL Server Data Services).
Learn how you can leverage existing know-how related to LINQ (Language
Integrated Query), data access APIs, data-binding, and more when building
applications using online data.

Session 3 – Architecting for the Cloud using Windows Azure - This session
provides a tour of the Windows Azure cloud computing platform, an overview
of its various components, and explains how these fit together to provide
best-of-cloud experiences. We will explore the architecture that links
many of the Microsoft .NET services and lets ISVs and businesses deliver
compelling solutions. Learn how to compose these services with SQL Data
Services to create applications in the cloud and connect them with
on-premise systems. We will also examine the next generation of messaging,
data, access control, and directory services, and how they fit together to
provide a seamless integration into the cloud.

Speaker’s Bios:

Joe Healy (http://www.devfish.net) is the Developer Evangelist for
Microsoft Gulf States Accounts, based out of Tampa Florida. Joe’s
geographical responsibility is to provide ‘developer care’ for the state
of Florida. Joe serves a multitude of clients, from corporate accounts to
broad reach events and User Groups. He lectures on various development and
architectural topics focused around the .Net Frameworks, Visual
Studio.NET, and associated servers. Joe has also served time with
eAngler.com, Arthur Andersen, Cap Gemini, EDS, and IBM in various
capacities.

Jeff Barnes (Architecture: The Harmony of Mathematical Precision;
http://blogs.msdn.com/jbarnes) is the Microsoft Architect Evangelist for
the Gulf States District where he engages with the local Architect
community to help solve tough business problems with leading-edge
technology. Jeff has been with Microsoft for over 10 years and has spent
over 7 of those years as an architect in the Microsoft Consulting Services
organization working with large enterprise customers throughout North
America. He especially enjoys the freedom and flexibility that .NET brings
to the table in order solve the next generation of tough technical
challenges.

Topic:  NEC Enterprise Server Platform Technologies
Date:  Thursday, January 29, 2009 6:30pm
Speaker:  Michael Nixon
Location:  Heritage Hall at Seville Quarter

NEC’s Itanium-based enterprise server offering (Express5800/1320Xf) scales to 8 cells (32 sockets, 64 cores and 1 TB of RAM) and represents the first platform certified by Microsoft to support “Dynamic Hardware Partitioning” under MS Windows Server 2008, as well as “Dynamic Reconfigure” certification under MS SQL Server 2008.  This mainframe-like feature combination facilitates a nearly always-on operation for your business critical SQL operations. Also NEC’s dynamic hardware partitioning enables hot-addition and hot-replacement of CPU, memory, and I/O resources with no downtime required.  For SQL database applications that require the RAS capabilities of Intel Itanium-2 processors, along with the single server high-uptime availability of NEC’s Dynamic Partitioning capability, the NEC Express5800/1320Xf is in a Wintel server in a league of its own.
 
During the course of this presentation, Michael will play a video clip demonstrating this Dynamic Partitioning technology in action.
 
In addition to the mainframe class NEC Express5800/1320xf, NEC also offers a high performance midrange x86 product based on new 6-core Intel Xeon® processors. NEC’s Express5800/1160A enterprise server, aka NEC’s Monster Xeon Server, scales to 16 sockets, 96 cores, and 1 TB of RAM.  This platform from NEC was the first to establish world record TCP-E SQL database benchmark performance results that reached 1,400 transaction per second (November of 2008). NEC’s Monster Xeon Server platform supplies the maximum number of execution cores that can be exploited by SQL Server 2008 today (64 cores). NEC’s A1160 delivers excellent bang-for-the-buck performance when the advanced RAS capabilities of the Itanium-based Dynamic Partitioning platform are not required by the functional specifications of the database environment.
 
Speaker Bio:
Michael Nixon is Director of midrange and high-end enterprise SQL server platform product groups at NEC Corporation of America. He is responsible for leading and developing technical, product, and go-to-market business strategies and programs for NEC Enterprise Servers. Mr. Nixon’s background spans both enterprise servers – Windows and UNIX – and enterprise storage. Mr. Nixon holds Electronic Engineering and MBA degrees.

Our “SQL Track” on this evening will be presented by Rodney Landrum.

Topic: Bulk Loading SQL in Space (disk space).

This session will demonstrate the numerous ways to quickly and efficiently import and export large data volumes to SQL Server. Using BCP, BULK INSERT, OPENROWSET and third party tools, you will learn how to “minimally” log transactions to avoid run away log file growth as well as the best method to backup and restore large databases, 300GB or more. We will see how much we can fill a database in the course of the hour and discuss why we (or your business) would want to store so much data in the first place.

If you attended our recent meeting where I presented the SQL Green (Red) thumb where DBAs could store their 1000 (5) queries on their thumb,  you may be interested to know that a follow up article has been posted on the Simple Talk site.  There is even a cool pitcure of the sought-after Red Gate thumb drive where I do store most of my scripts.  You can check it out at:

http://www.simple-talk.com/sql/database-administration/the-dba-script-thumb/

Rodney

Topic:  MDX for SQL Programmers
Date:  Thursday, December 4, 2008
Speaker:  Barry Ralston
Location:  Heritage Hall at Seville Quarter

This session will introduce the language for accessing data in SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) cube structures.    SSAS is not just about ad hoc tools and end-user ‘slicing and dicing’ of data.  The speaker will present the basic concepts of MDX including hierarchical navigation functions, sorting and ranking and creation of calculated members.  The session will incorporate demonstration queries using OLAP structures readily available for self-led follow-up training.

Speaker Bio:

Barry is currently Chief Architect for Business Intelligence with Birmingham-based ComFrame Software. Since joining ComFrame in 2001, his client successes include Aflac, Honda, and the Children’s Hospital of Alabama. In addition to speaking at the Alabama .Net Code Camps 1, 4 and 5, Barry has delivered presentations on Business Intelligence with Microsoft technologies at SQL Saturday 1 and 4. With a career in Business Intelligence spanning 14 years, he has previously been an invited speaker to the Oracle Development Tools User Group, International Oracle User Group - Americas and JavaOne.  Barry’s blog is at http://sqlbi.blogspot.com and ComFrame www.comframe.com

This meeting will be our holiday social as well, so we will only be having one presentation.  We will have food, spirits, and entertainment, and no one will be leaving without some “swag” this night…everyone will be a winner!  You will not want to miss this one, and be sure to bring a friend or colleague!

Don’t forget November 13th, the MSDN Tiki Hut Roadshow at Heritage Hall, begins at 1:00. 

Also coming up quickly, the SQL PASS Summit, November 19-21.  Go to our sponsors page to register for this event, and receive your users group discount of $100!

If you know of any local companies interested in supporting our users group in way of donation or giveaways, please contact me at karla@pensacolasql.com. 

Topic:  Improving Organizational Effectiveness with Microsoft SharePoint 2007!
Date:  Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Speaker:  Matthew Panzano
Location:  Heritage Hall at Seville Quarter

Microsoft SharePoint has been the fastest growing product in Microsoft history. By making it easier to manage content and streamline processes, Microsoft SharePoint 2007 helps organizations derive more value from their information assets, and accelerates everyday business activities. SharePoint 2007 enables users to easily assemble and analyze critical business information from disparate systems, leading to better-informed decisions at all levels of the organization. It enables people to effectively connect with the information and resources they need, both within and across organizations. Enhanced interoperability support facilitates integration with non-Microsoft IT investments, while the tight integration into familiar desktop applications and browsers accelerates end user adoption.

Whether you are a current SharePoint customer or not you should learn about the next generation of SharePoint and the ways it can improve your business.

Matt has been in the information systems field for 20 years. He has worked at companies such as Prudential and was the Director of Information Systems for the largest non-for-profit vocational rehabilitation center in New Jersey. Matt was one of the first 500 people in the world to become Windows NT certified. He worked for Tech Data as the lead in their Microsoft tech support department for 5 years before joining Microsoft in 1996 where he worked for 9 years. Matt has been working with Microsoft SharePoint since its inception and was on the internal Microsoft SharePoint advisory council while he worked at Microsoft.  Currently Matt is with Tribridge out of Tampa, Florida.  Tribridge is the 2008 WORLDWIDE Microsoft Dynamics Partner of the Year

Also on this evening:

“Lost in SQL”

Providing the SQL Server track for this evening will be Rodney Landrum.  For this meeting, Rodney is following up with answers to questions posed to him via email (rodney@pensacolasql.com) from users who will be attending this meeting.  An example of a question that Rodney will be addressing is how to convert a DTS package to a SSIS package.  Please email him any other questions that you need help with.  He will try to fit in as many as he can during his session this evening.

Reminder that SQL Saturday Orlando is coming Saturday, October 25th in Lake Mary, FL.  Register at www.sqlsaturday.com.

Pensacola SQL Server Users Group and Microsoft invite you to the MSDN Tiki Hut Roadshow, November 13th at Seville Quarter’s Heritage Hall, from 1:00 to 4:00.  Presenting at this MSDN are Microsoft MVPs Joe Healy, Russ Fustino and Jeff Barnes. 

Register now at Joe Healy’s blog, http://devfish.net/

Session 1 - What’s New in SQL Server 2008 for Developers - SQL Server 2008 adds numerous new capabilities for developers – from support for Spatial Data types to a storage mechanism for SQL BLOB data using the NTFS file system, and much, much more. The new release also delivers several improvements to development-related areas, from T-SQL to SQLCLR to XML. This presentation will provide a technical dive into the latest and greatest features you’ll find in SQL Server 2008, while offering insight into how to effectively apply them to your upcoming development projects.

Session 2 – Build next generation applications with Silverlight 2.0 - Silverlight provides a powerful platform for building the next generation of rich interactive applications on the Internet. In this session, we’ll take a look at the programming model and tools that developers and designers can leverage to build these true next generation experiences for consumers and business, and demonstrate how to build a rich interactive application (RIA) using Silverlight and Microsoft .NET. We’ll explore how to use Microsoft Visual Studio to create applications, and  networking, how to retrieve data from a Web service, and various other aspects of building Silverlight applications.

Session 3 – Real World Application - How to create an end-to-end Mobile GPS tracking application using the .NET Compact Framework, WCF, LINQ, Silverlight, Deep Zoom, and Virtual Earth - Inspired by a true-story mobility case study recently published on the Microsoft.com website, this session will walk you through how to create a mobile GPS tracking application using the .NET Compact Framework, Windows Mobile SDK, and Compact SQL.   At the Web host layer,   we will create a Windows Communication Foundation service and generate a Compact framework client proxy to send the GPS tracks to a host web server - where finally, the GPS trail can then be viewed using LINQ, Silverlight, Deep Zoom, and Virtual Earth.

Optional Session 4 (dependent on available event time) - Power up your Office applications with VSTO - In this presentation, we’ll focus on the power and productivity of Visual Studio Tools for the Microsoft Office System (VSTO) – a .NET Smart Client technology. We’ll give you tips and tricks for designing and building smart client applications with VSTO, which allows you to create managed code applications with .NET languages including Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Visual C#. VSTO also makes it simple to manifest the functionality of those applications in the rich user interfaces of Microsoft Office Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio, Outlook and others from the Office stack. VSTO addresses some of the biggest challenges that Office solution developers are facing today, including separation of data and view elements, server-side and offline scenarios, seamless integration with the Visual Studio tools, deployment and updating. Join us for this eye-opening session and learn just how easy it is to build and deploy powerful applications with VSTO.

Attendance is Free!

Topic:  Demystifying WPF

Today’s applications need to do more than simply work. They need to draw in the user, and provide a differentiated experience. This means moving beyond battleship gray forms, boxy UIs, and providing a positive user experience. Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) provides powerful capabilities to develop a compelling user interface, the kind that makes an application stand out. In this session, we’ll examine the core concepts of WPF such as layout panels, data binding, styles and control templates, and we’ll use them to develop an application UI from the ground up. 

Speaker:  Russ Fustino

Bio:  Russ Fustino wisely shelved dreams of rock and roll stardom in order to share his vast knowledge with developers nationwide. Given that he can’t sing or play an instrument, we’re all very grateful. Russ has more than 25 years of software development. He’s the creator of the Russ’ Tool Shed developer seminar series and has donned his trademark suspenders, hardhat and tool belt in presentations for over 60,000 developers at 1,500 events. Russ also has expertise in developing Visual Basic and Web-based solutions using Microsoft tools. Before joining Microsoft ten years ago, Russ worked as a VB instructor, headed up a development department, and created several client/server applications and system software products. His specialties include development with VB.NET, XML Web services, ASP.NET, XNA, Silverlight, Development Tools and debugging. But make no mistake – Russ is not all brains. His big heart led him to establish Take a Swing at Cancer, Inc., a non-profit organization that holds softball and golf-based fundraisers to battle cancer. You have to know the code to get in the shed. KNOW THE CODE!

Date and Time:  Wednesday, October 1st  6:30 - 8:30 pm

Location:  Seville Quarter - Heritage Hall

Hello Pensacola SQL UG Members,

We hope you made it through the rain and winds this weekend, and didn’t
encounter any of those nasty tornadoes up close!

Rodney and I want to thank all of you who were able to come out last
Thursday. We really enjoyed the new venue (thank you Bill and TEK
Systems!), and having Joe Healy (my total inspiration!) come all the way
to Pensacola and giving a spectacular presentation on Visual Studio 2008
SP1! I hope everyone got a lot out of it!

As I mentioned at the meeting, we have Russ Fustino (creator of Russ’ Tool
Shed) presenting at the Wednesday, October 1st meeting. We are very
excited ourselves to see this one, as we have heard a lot about Russ and
had some fun partying with Russ at the Tweener after event!

We have several others emailing us now wanting to speak at our users group
meeting here, so we are excited about that…and of course, makes my job
much easier! wink, wink!!!

I would like to know from everyone your thoughts on November and December.
I have spoken with some other user group leaders and they don’t do
anything in these months due to the holidays, but if you are up for it, so
are Rodney and I! So just let us know…we usually try to aim for the
last Wednesday of the month, but that may not be practical for Nov/Dec, so
just let us know your thoughts…we will work around whatever will work
best for the majority of our members.

Reminder that the next SQL Saturday is October 25th, put on by Andy Warren
and crew. Be sure to attend if you can, Rodney will be doing a
presentation (or two), and Shawn and I will be attending as well. Maybe
we can load up a van full and head out that Friday! Let us know! If you
are interested in signing up, go to http://www.sqlsaturday.com/.

This week, from SQL ServerCentral.com, the 5 candidates for Exceptional
DBA of the Year have been listed, along with some of the judges comments
(Rodney was one of the 4 judges). You can read all about them and put
your vote in at www.exceptionaldba.com.

(Sorry, I know I am being lengthy this time…lots to talk about!)…

A reminder that we are now an Offical Chapter of PASS, go to our Sponsors
page on our website to sign up and receive a discount if you plan to
attend PASS this year. Rodney, Shawn and I will all be going. Would love
to see you there, and see a big presence from the Pensacola SQL Users
Group!

Thank you again, and please do send me any feedback that you may have.
Also if you yourself would be interested in presenting at one of our user
group functions.

Cheers,
Karla Kay

As previously announced, Joe Healy, MicroSoft Developer Evangelist, will be presenting on Visual Studio 2008 Service Pack 1 Overview – “more than a service pack”. It will deliver significant new components for web developers, including ASP.NET Dynamic Data, ADO.NET Entity Framework, and ADO.NET Data Services. Also including are a myriad of other features that Joe will cover with us.

This exciting meeting is this Thursday, August 28th. We will be having our meeting at Zea’s Restaurant at 605 E Gregory St, starting at 6:30. Our venue and buffet are courtesy of our newest sponsor TEK Systems, which they are an IT recruiting company expanding and opening an office here in the Panhandle. You will get to meet with one of their reps, Bill Meeboer, at the meeting, so if anyone is job searching, do bring your resume and/or contact info with you! 

In keeping up the SQL DBA track, Rodney will also be presenting on his top 5-10 list of queries and tools that DBAs can use daily. From simple T-SQL statements to full blown SSIS packages, the session demonstrate how to interogate, diagnose, report on, and resolve issues that are most prevalent for DBAs: disk space, security, backup locations, database and server documentation and performance.
 
Thank you to all those for getting the flyers out there for this meeting! 

I have some very exciting news to share with you at this next meeting, so I hope all of you can make it! With the attendance growing like it has been, we will definitely keep bringing in the top Microsoft and industry leading “gurus” to our meetings!

So, we will see you at Zea’s Thursday night, be ready to learn and be hungry! Also, do bring a business card, we have LOTS of giveaways this time, courtesy of three of our ongoing sponsors, Red-Gate, O’Reilly and WROX (Wiley) Books! And a special surprise giveaway, just released last week!!! And autographed by all the authors!!! (Can you guess???)

Looking forward to seeing you all! Do bring a friend!

Cheers,
Karla