Martin Poon - Microsoft MVP blog [SQL Server]

Silverlight 3 RTW (3.0.40624.0) is released

Martin Poon — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:44:39 GMT

Silverlight 3 is released! Grab your copy here…

===== For more information =====

~ Silverlight 3 RTW (3.0.40624.0)

http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/handlers/getsilverlight.ashx

~ Install Silverlight

http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/get-started/install

Windows 7 Application Compatibility: Your Questions Answered (Part 1) - Springboard Series Virtual Roundtable

Martin Poon — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 08:34:47 GMT

Date: Thursday, June 18th, Thursday
Time: 11:00am Pacific Time

Or, 2:00am Hong Kong Time on June 19th, Friday

Windows 7, is approaching fast and from the application standpoint is very similar to Windows Vista. We are going to examine Windows 7 application compatibility not only from the perspective of moving from Windows Vista, but also for those coming from Windows XP. Join us to discuss the most common challenges around application compatibility when coming from a legacy operating system, why changes were made along the way, compatibility technologies inside the OS and methods for getting incompatible applications to run on Windows 7. Along the way we share tips and tricks, demonstrate free tools to analyze and fix applications and answer your specific questions about application compatibility live.

In Part 2 of this Virtual Round Table discussion (planned for later this Summer/Fall), we will discuss the options and approaches for using virtualization tools In depth to address application incompatibilities, including presentation virtualization, desktop virtualization and application virtualization. We will be sending out more details and posting information to www.microsoft.com/springboard for part 2 as the dates are finalized.

Find answers to your Windows client OS deployment and management questions with resources, tools, monthly feature articles, and guidance from subject matter experts and early adopters. To learn more, visit www.microsoft.com/springboard

As part of the Virtual experience, you may submit your questions about Windows 7 Beta to the panel live during the event, or submit questions in advance to vrtable@microsoft.com.

Springboard Series: The resource for Windows desktop IT professionals

SQL Server 2008 SP1 is released. Get your copy here!

Martin Poon — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 04:09:02 GMT

~ SQL Server 2008 SP1

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=66ab3dbb-bf3e-4f46-9559-ccc6a4f9dc19&displaylang=en

~ SQL Server 2008 Express Edition SP1

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=01AF61E6-2F63-4291-BCAD-FD500F6027FF&displaylang=en

Windows Live Mail Error ID: 0x800C0148; Protocol: SMTP; Port: 0; Secure (SSL): No <--- error prompts in Windows Live Mail after installation of IE8

Martin Poon — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:32:00 GMT

After the installation of Internet Explorer 8 on my Windows Server 2008 (64-bit), my Windows Live Mail starts to prompt the following error, while the mail folders sometimes disappear.

===== Error =====

(Some errors occurred while processing the requested tasks. Please review the list of errors below for more details.)

An unknown error has occurred.

Windows Live Mail Error ID: 0x800C0148

Protocol: SMTP

Port: 0

Secure (SSL): No

And sometimes, the error dialog just pop up without stating specific error!

===== Solution =====

[1] The {Port: 0} error in Windows Live Mail usually relates to anti-virus application, and thus, I tried to disable the email scanning feature of my anti-virus application… but, this cannot resolve the problem.

[2] I suspect that some of the registered interfaces of the DLL files are corrupted. I used REGSVR32 to register them again, and this seems to have resolved the problem. I do not know exactly which DLL is required this time, while here comes my list of REGSVR32 *.DLL…

regsvr32 actxprxy.dll
regsvr32 oleaut32.dll
regsvr32 urlmon.dll
regsvr32 jscript.dll
regsvr32 vbscript.dll

===== For more information =====

~ [Open in New Windows] and [Open in New Tab] commands do not work in IE8

http://msmvps.com/blogs/martinpoon/archive/2009/03/20/open-in-new-windows-and-open-in-new-tab-commands-do-not-work-in-internet-explorer-8.aspx

SSMS - Unable to cast COM object of type 'System.__ComObject' to interface type 'Microsoft .VisualStudio .OLE .Interop .IServiceProvider'. Exception from HRESULT: 0x80004002 (E_NOINTERFACE))

Martin Poon — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:48:38 GMT

I am working on Windows Server 2008 SP1 Datacenter Edition 64-bit, with SQL Server 2008 installed.

After installing Windows IE8, I got the following error upon starting SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) 2008.

===== Error 0x80004002 =====

SSMS - Unable to cast COM object of type 'System.__ComObject' to interface type 'Microsoft.VisualStudio.OLE.Interop.IServiceProvider'. This operation failed because the QueryInterface call on the COM component for the interface with IID '{6D5140C1-7436-11CE-8034-00AA006009FA}' failed due to the following error: No such interface supported (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80004002 (E_NOINTERFACE)). (Microsoft.VisualStudio.OLE.Interop)

===== Solution =====

After a bit of investigation, I found that the registry is somehow corrupted, and the solution is to re-register DLL.

~ Run [ Command Prompt ] (You will need to use the **Run as administrator** option)

~ regsvr32 actxprxy.dll

===== For more information =====

~ SSMS Object Explorer/Server Explorer Error

http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/sqltools/thread/d5d3e5fc-d8ce-4f42-b7ea-9bbbb7756a20/

~ Windows Internet Explorer 8

http://www.microsoft.com/ie8

The module “actxprxy.dll” was loaded but the call to DllRegisterServer failed with error code 0x80070005

Martin Poon — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:42:25 GMT

The module “actxprxy.dll” was loaded but the call to DllRegisterServer failed with error code 0x80070005.

===== Solution =====

Most probably, what you are trying to do is [ regsvr32 actxprxy.dll ].

For doing this, you will need to use a command prompt that is executed as administrator. So, grab your mouse… and

~ Right-click on the command prompt icon

~ Select [ Run as administrator ]

You may be prompted for administrator credential.

[ Open in New Windows ] and [ Open in New Tab ] commands do not work in Internet Explorer 8 RTW

Martin Poon — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:24:00 GMT

So, I have installed Internet Explorer 8 on my Windows Server 2008 SP1 Datacenter Edition 64-bit, but… not that smooth. Somehow, something goes wrong somewhere, and I got the following problems after the installation of Windows IE8 RTW.

- In Windows Explorer (I mean those file explorer for browsing folders/files), when I double-click on a folder, a new Windows Explorer is popped up instead of (my default behavior is) showing the folder in the same explorer.

- In Windows IE8, when I right-click a web address on a web page, and then click [Open in New Window] or [Open in New Tab], the web page cannot be opened in a new window / tab.

- In Windows IE8, when I click a link on a web page that uses scripting to open a new window, the new window cannot be opened. (This is absolutely inconvenience as I need to use some kind of banking services immediately, while that bank uses JavaScript to open a new window.)

After investigating the problem for a while, I found that a registry entry was (somehow!) missing after the installation of Windows IE8, that relates to [ actxprxy.dll ].

===== Solution =====

Run [ Command Prompt ] (You will need to **Run as administrator**)

Type the following command. ( regsvr32 actxprxy.dll )

All go smoothly!… and, I am now enjoying the much faster explorer engine. :)

===== For more information =====

~ ‘Open in New Window’ command does not work in Internet Explorer

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/180176

~ Windows Internet Explorer 8

http://www.microsoft.com/ie8

===== Other posts that points here… =====

~ IE 8 slow? This tweak won’t help.

http://www.withinwindows.com/2009/03/29/ie-8-slow-this-tweak-wont-help/

~ Fix Broken and Slow Tab Issues in Internet Explorer 8

http://www.tweakvista.com/articles/39473/fix-broken-and-slow-tab-issues-in-internet-explorer-8/

http://tweakxp.com/article39473.aspx

http://tweaks.com/articles/39473/fix-broken-and-slow-tab-issues-in-internet-explorer-8/

http://www.tweakwin7.com/articles/39473/fix-broken-and-slow-tab-issues-in-internet-explorer-8/

Internet Explorer 8 RTW is released… make your web even better… faster, easier, safer

Martin Poon — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:28:39 GMT

It’s soooo excited that IE8 RTW is finally released and is available in 25 languages! Let’s see how it goes beyond the RC1 version.

===== For more information =====

~ Download Windows IE8

http://www.microsoft.com/ie8

~ Windows IE8 fact sheet

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/newsroom/windows/factsheets/IE8FS.mspx

~ IE8 deployment guide

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc985339.aspx

~ Microsoft Application Compatibility Toolkit

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=24DA89E9-B581-47B0-B45E-492DD6DA2971&displaylang=en

~ IE8 Blocker Toolkit

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2009/01/06/ie8-blocker-toolkit-available-today.aspx

~ IE Blog

http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/

~ IE @ MSDN

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/default.aspx

~ IE @ Microsoft TechNet

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/default.aspx

SSIS – Converting string / numeric (yyyymmdd and hhmmss) to datetime inside Derived Column Transformation Editor

Martin Poon — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:35:18 GMT

It takes me some time to figure out how a string / numeric value can be converted to a datetime value inside the Derived Column Transformation Editor of SSIS, and so, I would like to share my $0.20 here (in order to save others’ $0.20). :)

Here, the original TradeDate (e.g., 20090316) and TradeTime (e.g., 230533) are numeric values.

This one returns a datetime value with TradeDate only.

(DT_DBTIMESTAMP)(SUBSTRING((DT_WSTR,8)TradeDate,1,4) + "-" + SUBSTRING((DT_WSTR,8)TradeDate,5,2) + "-" + SUBSTRING((DT_WSTR,8)TradeDate,7,2))

And here’s how I obtain the datetime value including both TradeDate and TradeTime. I intentionally use the function DATEADD() to add hour, minute, and second to TradeTime.

DATEADD("ss", TradeTime - ROUND(TradeTime / 100, 0) * 100, DATEADD("mi", ROUND(TradeTime / 100, 0) - ROUND(TradeTime / 10000, 0) * 100, DATEADD("Hh", ROUND(TradeTime / 10000, 0), (DT_DBTIMESTAMP)(SUBSTRING((DT_WSTR,8)TradeDate,1,4) + "-" + SUBSTRING((DT_WSTR,8)TradeDate,5,2) + "-" + SUBSTRING((DT_WSTR,8)TradeDate,7,2)))))

You may also concatenate both TradeDate and TradeTime into a string that can be read by DT_DBTIMESTAMP.

===== For more information =====

~ SQL Server Product Samples: SSIS

http://www.codeplex.com/MSFTISProdSamples/Wiki/View.aspx?title=SS2008!Execute%20SQL%20Statements%20in%20a%20Loop%20Sample%20Package&referringTitle=Home

~ Converting Strings to Dates in the Derived Column Component

http://toddmcdermid.blogspot.com/2008/11/converting-strings-to-dates-in-derived.html

Microsoft Certification coaching sessions!… With certification promotion code ( HKEBA99B )

Martin Poon — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 08:12:57 GMT

Are you ready for Microsoft Certification? Sign-up to join the following Live Meetings to help you have a better understanding of Microsoft Certification and the coaching sessions to prepare for your Vista and SQL 2008 exams.

Certification 101: Getting Started with Microsoft Certification. Learn about the value, benefits, and process of getting certified: choosing a certification path, preparing for your first exam, taking an exam, and what to expect at March 10, 2009 (Pacific Time) : 7:30 A.M. or 5:00 P.M. Pacific Time.

Microsoft Certification Coaching Session: Preparing for your Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client Exam (70-620) at March 17, 2009 (Pacific Time) : 7:30 A.M. or 5:30 P.M. Pacific Time

Microsoft Certification Coaching Session: Preparing for your Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance Exam (70-432) at March 24, 2009 (Pacific Time) : 7:30 A.M. or 5:30 P.M. Pacific Time

The good news - when you are ready to take the Microsoft Certification Exam, go to www.learnANDcertify.com by March 31, 2009 and key in the HKEBA99B to obtain a 10% discount on your next Microsoft Certification Exam plus free retake if you fail plus the US$35 offer on eLearning. You will receive an email with the exam voucher code and a eLearning Promotion Code. Both offers will be valid till June 30, 2009. Happy Certifying…

Offer Details:

The certification promotion code ( HKEBA99B ) can only be used in Hong Kong.

The Offer is valid for a Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) or Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) exams. Not valid for Academic Exams.

Refer to the following links for applicable exams :
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcts/default.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcitp/default.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcpd/default.mspx

Exam candidates must request an Exam Offer Voucher Code using the unique MVP Certification Promotion Code by March 31, 2009 via www.learnandcertify.com.

To receive a 10% discount on the cost of an applicable Microsoft Certification exam, exam candidates must use the Exam Offer Voucher Code provided by an MVP when they register for an exam and sit for an exam by May 31, 2009.

Limited to one (1) exam at 10% discount with a free retake (if necessary) per individual. Both exams must be taken by May 31, 2009.

The Exam Offer Voucher Code may not be combined with other vouchers or discounts and are void if altered or revised in any way.

Refer to http://learnandcertify.com/Terms.aspx for complete Terms & Conditions of Exam Voucher usage.

Are You Certifiable? Compete in the ultimate Tech IQ Challenge!… With certification promotion code ( HKEBA99B )

Martin Poon — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:29:04 GMT

Looking to test your expertise? If you’re an IT pro or a developer considering certification, or if you simply want to sharpen your skills, then you may be interested in checking out “Are You Certifiable?”, a new online game from Microsoft and Fuel Industries.

The game takes the form of a trivia show, but includes a broad range of technical questions geared towards one of two disciplines: Developer, or IT. Some of the questions appear to be taken straight from the pages of Microsoft Certification, so it looks like a good primer for someone preparing to take a MS Certification exam. Also, stay on the look out for “rogue” questions, usually in the form of trivia (does anyone know who invented the mouse?). Choose a character, select your field of expertise, and pit yourself against the entire online tech community in a quest for Tech IQ supremacy, a top spot on the leaderboard—and ultimate bragging rights.

Check out the game at www.areyoucertifiable.com . The good news - when you are ready to take the Microsoft Certification Exam, go to www.learnANDcertify.com by March 31, 2009 and key in the HKEBA99B to obtain a 10% discount on your next Microsoft Certification Exam plus free retake if you fail plus the US$35 offer on eLearning. You will receive an email with the exam voucher code and a eLearning Promotion Code. Both offers will be valid till June 30, 2009. Happy Certifying…

Offer Details:

The certification promotion code ( HKEBA99B ) can only be used in Hong Kong.

Exam candidates must request an Exam Offer Voucher Code using the unique MVP Certification Promotion Code by March 31, 2009 via www.learnandcertify.com.

Limited to one (1) exam at 10% discount with a free retake (if necessary) per individual. Both exams must be taken by May 31, 2009.

The Exam Offer Voucher Code may not be combined with other vouchers or discounts and are void if altered or revised in any way.

Refer to http://learnandcertify.com/Terms.aspx for complete Terms & Conditions of Exam Voucher usage.

Microsoft Certification Exam – 10% discount voucher

Martin Poon — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:49:19 GMT

Great news – Microsoft is offering self-paced, eLearning collections to you when you sign up for the Certification Campaign using the code HKEBA99B. You will enjoy a eLearning collection at US$35 for a 90-days use. This is a great resource for those who prefers self-paced learning option. To sign-up, go to www.learnANDcertify.com by March 31, 2009 and key in HKEBA99B (this exam voucher code is valid in Hong Kong only) to obtain a 10% discount on your next Microsoft Certification Exam plus free retake if you fail plus the US$35 offer on eLearning. You will receive an email with the exam voucher code and a eLearning Promotion Code. Both offers will be valid till June 30, 2009. Happy Certifying…

Offer Details:

The certification promotion code ( HKEBA99B ) can only be used in Hong Kong.

Exam candidates must request an Exam Offer Voucher Code using the unique MVP Certification Promotion Code by March 31, 2009 via www.learnandcertify.com.

Limited to one (1) exam at 10% discount with a free retake (if necessary) per individual. Both exams must be taken by May 31, 2009.

The Exam Offer Voucher Code may not be combined with other vouchers or discounts and are void if altered or revised in any way.

Refer to http://learnandcertify.com/Terms.aspx for complete Terms & Conditions of Exam Voucher usage.

Upgrade and migration to SQL Server 2008 webcast

Martin Poon — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:30:07 GMT

SQL Server 2008 is released, and you are invited to join this webcast that highlights the tools and procedures to make your move to SQL Server 2008 easy and troublefree.

*** For more information

~ Upgrade and migration to SQL Server 2008 webcast

http://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/WebCastEventDetails.aspx?EventID=1032384669&EventCategory=3&culture=en-US&CountryCode=US

~ SQL Server 2008 is available for download for MSDN subscribers

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 - free unlimited installation and compatibility support

Martin Poon — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:53:14 GMT

Free unlimited installation and compatibility support is available for Windows Vista, but only for Service Pack 1 (SP1). This support for SP1 is valid until March 18, 2009. Chat and e-mail support is available only in the United States and Canada.

Both email support and phone support (@ Hong Kong: (+852) 2388-9600) are available.

=== For more information ===

- Microsoft Help and Support ~ Windows Vista Service Pack 1

http://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.aspx?LN=en-hk&prid=11274&gprid=500921&x=9&y=15

Fujitsu Shock Sensor on Vista SP1 - This program is blocked due to compatibility issues

Martin Poon — Thu, 29 May 2008 04:41:21 GMT

After the Windows Update installation of [ Update for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems - English (KB937286) ] and [ Update for Windows Vista for x64-based Systems (KB947562) ], the application [ Fujitsu Shock Sensor Utility ] does not work on my Vista x64 SP1 (ENU) on my Fujitsu Lifebook S6410.

There is an update available for Fujitsu Shock Sensor Utility, and can be downloaded from the Fujitsu (Taiwan) official site, while you will need to uninstall the utility, and reboot your Vista box before installation.

To completely remove Fujitsu Shock Sensor Utility, and all of its features...

--> Start --> Control Panel

--> Classic View --> Programs and Features --> Shock Sensor Utility --> Uninstall/Change

You will need to restart your computer, and then install the latest version of Fujitsu Shock Sensor Utility that supports Windows Vista SP1.

===== For more information =====

~ Fujitsu LifeBook Shock Sensor Utility修正程式 @ http://www.fujitsu.com/tw/support/lifebook/Shock_Sensor_Utility.html

Create a Game in Microsoft Silverlight 2... and win an Xbox 360!

Martin Poon — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:54:00 GMT

Silverlight gives a lot of love to .NET coders, especially those versed with Microsoft development tools like Visual Studio 2008 and the new Microsoft Expression Studio. PHP developers have a lot to benefit from Silverlight as well. Using the Silverlight runtime, XAML, PHP code, and a touch of JavaScript, you can add a lot of splash to your PHP apps. Now, your mission--should you choose to accept: Take your shot at gaming stardom if you think you have what it takes to build a cool RIA game and you could win an Xbox 360 or other fabulous prizes. Hurry! You only have until May 15, 2008 to enter your game!

Note: No purchase necessary to enter or win. Open only to residents of the 50 United States (includes D. of C.) who are 17+. Game ends May 15, 2008

=== For more information ===

~ RIA Run Registration

http://www.devx.com/RIA/Door/37507

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 { JumpStart }... your data, any time, any place

Martin Poon — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:58:00 GMT

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 { JumpStart } @ http://sqlserver2008jumpstart.microsofttraining.com

This site contains presentations, recordings, hands-on labs and demonstrations for the SQL Server 2008 JumpStart technical training event, while there are 5 tracks in this event: Overview Sessions, Database Infrastructure and Scalability, Business Intelligence Part I & II, Developer & Software + Services, and Application Compatibility & Upgrade. -->Overview Sessions, Database Infrastructure and Scalability, Business Intelligence Part I & II, Developer & Software + Services, and Application Compatibility & Upgrade

Lateral SQL injection in Oracle

Martin Poon — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:41:00 GMT

David Litchfield has just released a paper, showing that it is possible to do SQL injection using DATE or even NUMBER data types to exploit a PL/SQL procedure in Oracle RDBMS! The attacker can exploit a PL/SQL procedure that doesn't even take user input!

The trick is to apply an ''ALTER SESSION SET NLS_DATE_FORMAT'' command in order to change the NLS variable such that the PL/SQL compiler will accept an arbitrary SQL as a ''DATE'' (even though it is not).

=== For more information ===

~ Lateral SQL Injection: A New Class of Vulnerability in Oracle

http://www.databasesecurity.com/dbsec/lateral-sql-injection.pdf

Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie talks open source, mesh

Martin Poon — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:08:00 GMT

Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie says the company has been dramatically changed by open source and the concept of using the Web as a hub. So, here's more to go.

http://www.infoworld.com/archives/emailPrint.jsp?R=printThis&A=/article/08/04/17/Microsofts-Ozzie-talks-open-source-mesh_1.html

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/exec/ozzie/04-17MVP.mspx

Microsoft Office Live Workspace

Martin Poon — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:53:00 GMT

Microsoft Office Live Workspace offers storage space for sharing documents online, such that you can access them directly using Microsoft Office Word, Excel, or PowerPoint.

There are dozens of ways to use Microsoft Office Live Workspace for work, school, and home projects! The documents can be saved and accessed from any computer. Feedbacks and/or comments can be gathered within a project. Meeting agenda, minutes, and action items can also be shared with colleagues, classmates, or family. You can even save documents to your workspace directly from Word on your PC.

=== For more information ===

~ Video – Office Live Workspace

[ http://www.microsoft.com/winme/0710/31052/current.htm ]

~ Office Live Workspace

[ http://workspace.officelive.com ]