Toad World

You might have noticed that Microsoft has recently launched a cool set of Trust Services for Azure.  This is an application-level encryption framework that can be used to protect sensitive data stored on the Windows Azure Platform.

One of the hindrances to adoption of Azure that I keep hearing about is trust and security.  If you want to learn more about protecting your data in the cloud you can read up HERE.  I’m not pushing you to get into Azure (even though you should), nor am I subtly trying to make you feel guilty for ignoring the cloud in general nor Azure specifically (subtle, ain’t I?).  But you really should consider learning a few things about database applications running in the cloud.  Our reticence to learn about cloud computing is rough analogous to data processing professionals in the 1980′s who thought the microcomputers where a passing fad.  They weren’t.  And neither is cloud.

Let me know what you think … after you’ve read about  Trust Services for Azure.  Enjoy,

-Kev

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Steve Balmer very publicly pronounced that Microsoft was “all in” for cloud computing and Windows Azure.  So that means Microsoft is using cloud for its internal IT as well as building products to utilize the cloud.  If you want to learn how Microsoft IT is using Windows Azure to move existing applications to the cloud and creating new applications for the cloud, click here: IT Showcase on Windows Azure.

Let me know what you think.  Accurate and informative? Or marketing fluff?

Thanks,

-Kevin

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I hope you’ve taken a few minutes to peek in on the nice refresh that’s happened on a bunch of the System Center engineering blogs.  Good things are afoot there.  And if you haven’t checked in, avail yourself of these great resources:

System Center: Service Manager

System Center: Operations Manager

System Center: Virtual Machine Manager

System Center: Orchestrator

System Center: Data Protection Manager

And, as always, I’m interested in your feedback. Tell me what you think!

Enjoy,

-Kevin

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One last reminder –  If you’re interested in learning more about troubleshooting and optimizing SQL Server performance, please consider coming to the full-day seminar I’ll be giving this Friday.  Full details are here: http://sqlperftuning.eventbrite.com/.  We’ll be working some exercises, so bring your laptop with an instance of SQL Server 2008 (or later) running on it.  It’ll be fun!

I also encourage you to come on down to SQL Saturday 130  the following day – whether there’s an official registration for you or not.  (But don’t tell ‘em I said that).  :^)

Come by the booth for a visit.  I’ll be hanging out most of the day and have some nice swag to give away.

Enjoy,

-Kev

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What is TEC?

The Expert’s Conference (TEC) is a multi-day event featuring five co-located Microsoft educational conferences at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina April 29-May 2.  It’s pretty – see!

The event includes advanced 400-level training on Microsoft Directory & Identity (including Active Directory), Exchange Server, SharePoint, Virtualization (Microsoft Hyper-V) & Workspace Management, and PowerShell Deep Dives.  There are lots of great activities for Quest and Microsoft customers and partners.  In addition, there’s a Quest Software Day, with User Groups sessions; Focus Groups to steer product direction; and Executive Briefings.

In the registration section, be sure to mention my name when it asks “How did you hear about TEC?”  If I get enough people to sign on, they’ll let me off of the chain and give me fresh bread and water instead of the old moldy stuff they usually slide under the cell door.

Click on the pretty picture below to get more info!

Here’s another one to add to your list of browser bookmarks!

The TechNet Wiki covers Microsoft technologies from writers throughout the community for use by the community. As with all wikis, this grassroots effort needs your help.

Microsoft is encouraging everyone to contribute the effort – all you have to do is join. So start a whole new article, add your knowledge or draw from your experience to improve an existing article. You can start small or large… Join in at http://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/ or simply use the wiki as a new resource to answer your tough technology questions.

Enjoy,

-Kev

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I’m not one to whine.  Really.  I’m totally not a whiner.  However, I’m going to sound like one with this statement…

I fricken HATE iTunes.

There, I said it.  I’m already starting to feel better.

Playing on Elisebeth Barrett Browning and her fantastic poem, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”, I’m going to count some ways that iTunes is filling me with inhuman, Hulk-like rage:

1. Ridiculously frequent updates. Not the “Update Tuesday” sort of thing we get from Microsoft, but the “I’m going to interrupt you all the time, any time sort of upda…” – hold on, iTunes wants me to update it.
2. Genius. You’re an idiot.
3. Shuffle. You don’t.
4. Home Sharing. If by “sharing”, you mean making it impossible to get music onto other devices without copying and moving it manually, you’re perfect.
5. Relentless Focus on Making a Buck.  Yeah, I know that Apple is the biggest capitalized company since the Iron Age and that they had a better Q4 in 2011 than the rest of humanity combined.  But couldn’t you give it a rest for plain ol’ music, especially if you’re a user who still uses CDs?  It seems like they’d monetize punctuation marks if they had the opportunity, for Pete’s sake!
6. Duplicate Songs in Library. Take a few minutes and Google on ‘Remove duplicates from iTunes library’. (See it on Let Me Google That for You). People are about to grab torches and pitchforks on this one. WHY ISN’T THIS BUILT IN?!?  WHY DOESN’T THE TOOL HANDLE THIS?!!!?  Someone please make an app for this!
7. Duplicate Songs on Disk. So my last disk backup took a lot longer than usual.  Hmmm, I wonder why? So I looked at my backup info and saw this (image).  Just in case you don’t see what I saw – 70.3 GB of hard disk sucked down for music.  Keep in mind that I actually have only about 6 GB of music files.  So, in the vernacular, W-T-F?!?

I’m now going to spend hours of precious time burning down iTunes and rebuilding my library.  And I must’ve already done this two or three times in the past few years already.  Look, Apple, I don’t fricken need this.  I need troublefree music that doesn’t require an IT certificate to manage.  Didn’t Apple used to be the company where everything was slap-your-mammy easy?  Well, it ain’t so now.  And it’s pissin’ me off.

I’m sure that there are other things about this product that makes your blood boil.  Lay it on me!  I want to hear your rant!

Enjoy!

-Kev

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Two quick notes from our friends over at INETA:

Component Code Challenge

Ever had these two distinct thoughts – “I have a good idea for an application, however what can I get for it?” and “I would love to go to a big conference DevConnections or Tech·Ed, but how would I pay for it?”.  Haven’t we all had thoughts like that at some time or another?

Well, you are in luck.  The INETA Component Code Challenge for 2012 will send one lucky winner to their choice of those aforementioned conferences for slinging some serious code. All you need to do is create an application using 2 approved controls from 2 approved vendors, create a video talking about your application, and submit it to their judging panel.  The judging panel consists of Bill Reiss (blog | twitter), Nikita Polyakov (blog | twitter), Matt Hidinger (blog | twitter), and Greg Leonardo (blog | twitter) are on the lookout for innovation and creativity in the use of approved controls.  To read official rules click here.

Grab your computer and Visual Studio and GET YOUR CODE ON!

Fine Print: INETA covers one conference ticket, hotel, and travel to the conference as is outlined in INETA’s travel policy. Please visit the site for additional rules.

INETA Community Champs

Are you a hardworking community builder in the coding world?  Then INETA wants to know about you!  Check out the latest round of INETA Community Champ nominations.  According to INETA:

The mission of the Community Champs program to recognize and thank those members of our community that make it all possible. The first quarter is flying by, so this is your friendly reminder that you should submit your entries for Community Champs. Are there any “Rock Stars” in your community who should get a “thank you” for their hard work be sure to let us know. The deadline for submissions is March 31, so what are you waiting for go to http://www.inetachamps.com. If you have any questions about the program feel free to contact us at noram.champs@ineta.org.

Enjoy,

-Kev
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The big Hadoop news of the week is that Oracle has partnered with Cloudera to bring their Hadoop expertise to Oracle’s Big Data Appliance. As Computer World notes the prevailing wisdom had been that Oracle would put together their own distribution, and it may seem surprising that the world’s largest database vendor would use someone else’s database software. The next year will certainly be interesting – is this a try before you buy move for Oracle? Or is it rinse and repeat of what they did with RedHat; partner first, then try to take them out?
Anyway, the net of all of this for Quest and Toad for Cloud Databases is positive. Quest users want to be assured that Toad has them covered whatever the database landscape looks like and however it changes. We brought our product to market early, and have broad support for the Hadoop ecosystem with HBase and Hive support, as well as having partnered with Cloudera in 2010 on the Quest Data Connector for Oracle and Hadoop , a high-speed data connector to move data between Oracle and Hadoop that unlike Oracle’s Hadoop loader enables you to move data in both directions. We also have support for other systems – Cassandra, MongoDB, Amazon, and Microsoft SQL Azure and Azure Table Services. In 2012 we’ll be adding support for Oracle’s noSQL database and a couple of others that I’ll write about as our roadmap gets firmed up.

Looking back on 2011, I’m surprised by two occurances. First, I got a lot of work done, despite myself. My biggest obstacles to high-performance are all self-derived; procrastination, disorganization, and plain ol’ laziness.  Second, I’m surprised I survived my personal travails. I’ve had my fill of frowns this year, from wayward children to caring for sick loved ones to self-inflicted injuries in 2011.  I’m glad to be closing the door on a few of those chapters and look forward to better times in 2012.

Here’s a run-down on my professional activities over the course of 2011:

• Articles: 3
• Conference Spoken: 14
• Customer Calls: 124
• Customer Visits: 7
• Magazine Columns: 14
• PASS Chapter Presentations: 12
• Pre-cons/Full-day Seminars: 7
• SQL Saturdays: 4
• SSWUG Sessions: 8
• Webcasts: 16

Plus, I got to got on an awesome SQLCruise and was featured on Richard Campbell’s RunAsRadio show at least once (Richard’s blog | twitter).  (I was thinking that I’d been on twice in 2011. But that other appearance may have been in late 2010. My records aren’t clear.)

I was also put in charge of the SQLServerPedia portion of the DBPedias sites.  Some statistics there:

• 133 contributing bloggers
• 4,500 blog posts added in 2011 (out of a total 9,000 blog posts)
• 57,000 content items added in 2011 (out of a total 138,000 content items)
• Monday-Thursday all Pedias average 8,700 visits combined
• 1.9 million visits in 2011 (out of a total 3.8 million visits to Pedia sites since SQLServerPedia was started in 2008)

2011 was also my year to jump into Twitter.  By years end, I had accumulated:

• 3,452 Tweets
• 531 Following
• 2,656 Followers
• 230 Listed

I think that my increase in tweets had a direct correlation on my decrease in blog posts.  Ironically, I have accumulated even more topics to blog about (I’ve somewhere around 630 nascent blog posts), but simply run out of time to put them into WordPress.  My blogging activity for 2011 was down to 77 entries, about half what I wrote in 2010.

I’ll talk a little about my plans for 2012 in another post.  I hope to see you following me on Twitter soon!  Thanks,

Kevin