SQL Server Magazine UPDATE, January 18, 2007--A New Day, or Microsoft All the Way?

In This Issue:
Microsoft’s first-ever BI conference will certainly offer an in-depth view of the complete Microsoft BI package. But how will a large show such as this one affect attendance at other independent shows?

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January 18, 2007

1. Perspectives

2. SQL Server Watch

3. Hot Articles

4. Events and Resources

5. Featured White Paper

6. Announcements

7. Web Community

Sponsor: Microsoft
Join us for the first-ever Microsoft Business Intelligence Conference,
to be held May 9–11, 2007 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle. The inaugural, worldwide event for customers and partners will showcase Microsoft’s market-leading business intelligence (BI) products, solution expertise and customer successes. The event will feature keynote addresses by Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, Ted Kummert, Corporate Vice President, Data and Storage Platforms Division, and Jeff Raikes, President, Microsoft Business Division, and is designed to educate customers and partners on every aspect of Microsoft’s BI offering. You can also expect educational tracks, customer best practices sessions, the first-ever Microsoft BI Awards presentation, hands-on labs, and more. You won’t want to miss this exciting and informative event!

1. Perspectives

A New Day, or Microsoft All the Way?
by Brian Moran, [email protected]

To steal Microsoft’s tag line, it’s a new day for BI. At least it’s a new day for business intelligence conferences. Microsoft Business Intelligence Conference 2007, the company’s first-ever large-scale BI conference, will be May 9-11 in Seattle. I’m sure that the show will offer great value to the Microsoft BI community, and it will certainly be interesting to see what, if any, affect this type of show has on attendance levels for the other major SQL Server shows.

Read the full article at: http://www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/94896/sql_server_94896.html.

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2. SQL Server Watch

SQL Server Compact Edition Released
Microsoft announced the release of SQL Server Compact Edition, the thoroughly updated version of SQL Server Mobile Edition. The lightweight, embedded database supports single-user client applications for all Windows platforms including tablet PCs, pocket PCs, smart phones and—unlike SQL Server Mobile Edition—desktops. Microsoft touts the flexibility of this portable edition for database users and administrators and database and application developers. Full details of the new edition, including a feature list and download information, are available from the product’s Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/sql/editions/compact/default.mspx. You can download SQL Server Compact Edition at: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/editions/compact/downloads.mspx.

For details about the history and naming of SQL Server Compact Edition, see Michael Otey's editorial "Just a Sequel Edition?" featured below in the Hot Articles section in this newsletter.

Product Watch
by Blake Eno, [email protected]

.NET Application Monitoring
AVIcode announced updates to its .NET application monitoring solution, Intercept Studio 4. The software includes operational monitoring that simultaneously monitors and delivers real-time notification of any performance or code problem that occurs, including root-cause analysis. Disconnected monitoring functionality enables monitoring and root-cause data collection on non-networked computers. Intercept Studio also collects and correlates key performance counters, provides computer-centric and application-centric views, and features on-the-fly configuration. Pricing for Intercept Studio is per monitored computer and starts at $12,000 for a single monitoring console and server agent. For more information, contact AVIcode at 443-543-0030 or visit http://www.avicode.com.

Visualize and Manage Architecture of Database Systems
Lattix announced Lattix LDM 3.0, an architecture-management solution that creates lightweight dependency models for software applications. Lattix LDM provides a new way to visualize and manage the architecture of database systems, by capturing the relationships that can exist between database elements, including schemas, tables, views, stored procedures, sequences, and triggers. Lattix LDM then groups these elements together based on access and setting rules on their relationships. Lattix LDM extends its approach to system architecture by spanning different domains, from the database to services and applications. Pricing for Lattix LDM starts at $495 for the Professional Edition. You can download a free evaluation license of the software at Lattix's Web site. For more information, contact Lattix at 978-474-5022 or visit http://www.lattix.com.

3. Hot Articles

Q&A: IF Statements and Stored Procedure Performance
by Brian Moran, [email protected]

Q. I have a stored procedure that executes one of two queries based on a value passed into it. Will I get better performance if I break the procedure into separate procedures? As I understand it, SQL Server determines a query execution plan based on the values specified the first time the query is run, so splitting up the stored procedure might help performance. But I'm not sure whether this behavior pertains to IF statements.

Read the answer to this question today at http://www.sqlmag.com/Articles/ArticleID/44717/44717.html.

Editorial: Just a Sequel Edition?
After all of its name changes, you might wonder whether the SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition is a new edition in name only. But the new name was only one change in the new edition; Microsoft also added a variety of new functions. Get the scoop on the origin and features of this latest release at http://www.sqlmag.com/Article/ArticleID/94384/sql_server_94384.html.

Puzzled by T-SQL: Views and Dynamic PIVOT
In this week’s blog, Itzik Ben-Gan answers the reader question, “Do you know of any way that a stored procedure can be selected from or accessed in a view or table returning function?” Read the answer in the blog and post your comments at http://www.sqlmag.com/article/articleid/94856/sql_server_blog_94856.html.

In a Nutshell: The Future of MSDN and TechNet
In this week’s blog, Kevin Kline lets you know how to submit your requests for changes to the MSDN and TechNet Web sites. Follow the links to the sandbox sites and post your responses to the blog today at http://www.sqlmag.com/article/articleid/94866/sql_server_blog_94866.html.

Hot Threads:

4. Events and Resources

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5. Featured White Paper

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6. Announcements

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7. Web Community

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