Iron Speed Designer: Web App Development Made Easy
Database Journal columnist Danny Lesandrini calls Iron Speed Designer 'without a doubt, the most ingenious product I've ever reviewed.'

Use the Cloud to Manage License Key Authentication
As Access developers begin thinking in terms of "the Cloud", all sorts of possibilities open up. Things that used to be hard, like managing licenses for your home grown software apps, are simplified by employing online database services.

Exploring the Access 2010 Interface
This excerpt, extracted from Microsoft Access 2010 Inside Out packs hundreds of time-saving solutions, troubleshooting tips, and workarounds, all in concise, fast-answer format.

Book Review: Access Solutions Tips, Tricks and Secrets
Microsoft Access 2010 is a significant release. It's the version that developers will start to use in earnest and they're going to benefit from a little guidance. Access Solutions Tips, Tricks and Secrets from Microsoft Access MVPs will help you get the most out of Microsoft Access 2010.

Microsoft Access Code Snippets and Other Useful Bits
Over the course of some years, a programmer collects useful code snippets into a library for reuse. Danny Lesandrini shares a few of his indispensable Microsoft Access code snippets, a few interesting ones and one dangerous one.

Leveraging Data Macro in Microsoft Access 2010
Finally, Microsoft Access developers have a version of table triggers at their disposal. Follow along as Danny Lesandrini walks through an example of implementing a Data Macro in Access 2010.

9 New Features in Access 2010
Read along as we count down the newest and hottest features in Microsoft Access 2010 and take a look at how they work.

Book Review: Access 2010 Programmer's Reference
Back in June we evaluated four great Access 2010 books that had just been released. There's now another volume available written especially for programmers. Danny Lesandrini peeks inside to see if this book lives up to its name.

Top 10 Productivity Tips for Microsoft Access 2010
Are you just getting used to working in Microsoft Access 2010? Danny Lesandrini shares some tips on how to work around the annoyance factor of the new format and increase your productivity.

Exploring Relational Database Theory and Practice
Microsoft Access 2010 has a collection of wizards to lead you step-by-step through each process involved in developing and using a production-grade database application. ' Exploring Relational Database Theory and Practice ' is extracted from ' Microsoft Access 2010 In Depth', published by Que.

Migrating your Access/SQL Server App to the Cloud
Have you ever wanted to share your Microsoft Access application to users outside of your LAN? Typically, this means either rewriting it as a Web application or implementing replication but the Cloud changes all that. The following article will show you simple steps to moving your Microsoft Access database to the Cloud.

A Microsoft Access Developer's Path to Dot Net
One Microsoft Access developer's search for an exit path from Access into .Net development led him to Microsoft Silverlight and MVC2. If you're serious about adding technologies to your toolkit, are looking for a web solution or just something new, Silverlight or MVC2 might be it.

Getting Up To Speed With Microsoft Access 2010
Danny Lesandrini scopes out a bundle of newly released books geared towards getting you up to speed quickly with Microsoft Access 2010.

Book Review: The Excel Analyst's Guide to Access
The 'Excel Analyst's Guide to Access' is especially good for Excel users who need an introductory but aggressive tutorial into the world of Microsoft Access. Read on to find out why Danny Lesandrini decided to keep this particular book in his own personal library.

Microsoft Access File Backup and Maintenance Options
Backup and recovery solutions for Microsoft Access abound. Danny Lesandrini shares some of the utilities he has collected over the years and what he finds practical to use on a daily basis.

Microsoft Access Small Business Solutions
Microsoft Access Small Business Solutions, published by Wiley, proves that Microsoft Access can be used to create valuable business solutions in theory and in practice by providing both the reasoning for the database design and the databases themselves in the CD that accompanies the book.

Microsoft Access: Business Intelligence on a Shoestring
Learn how to deliver dynamic content by building a meaningful Business Intelligence Application, utilizing only what is available on the client's desktop, when a Data Warehouse BI Application, SQL Server and SSIS/SSRS aren't an option.

SQL Server 2008 : Accessing Audit Details
Learn how to use the SQL Server 2008 catalog view and dynamic management view to access the audit details of existing server and database level audits.

T-SQL Equivalents for Microsoft Access VBA Functions
If you need to migrate your Access application to SQL Server, don't count on The SQL Server Upsize Wizard in Microsoft Access to automatically convert your VBA functions. If you want to push the complex query processing done by your Access queries to the back end, you'll have to rewrite them in T-SQL.

Top 10 Reasons Why Access Still Rocks for Developers
Microsoft Access is fun, but it is also powerful and more importantly, it has a place in the development community and in the real world of production applications. What follows are the top 10 reasons why Danny Lesandrini believes this is still true.

Tuning Your ERP System for DB2
Poor performance or response time could mean that your ERP system needs tuning. Here are some things to look at.

Top 10 DB2 Support Issues
Here are 10 DB2 disasters - and how to avoid them.

Monitoring an ERP Application in DB2 for z/OS
Monitoring an ERP application suite involves using several basic measurement techniques - and separating ERP package performance measures from those of other applications.

A Guide to Better Risk Management for DB2 LUW DBAs
IBM DB2 DBAs intuitively deal with risk identification and management every day, yet they may still be impacted by risk management in ways that they may not recognize. Rebecca Bond discusses seven steps to help DB2 LUW DBAs better understand Risk Management.

Data in Memory
In-memory databases are becoming increasingly popular and an ever-more important factor in performance-critical activities such as stream processing and deep data analytics. Join Julian Stuhler as he delves into the world of in-memory databases: a technology that’s both reassuringly familiar and intriguingly novel at the same time.

DB2 for z/OS Database Recovery - Get it Right
Database backup copies may not be enough to ensure data recoverability. The DBA must "bake" recoverability into the database design process; additionally, for current systems, the DBA needs to know whether current backup processes support recovery procedures that will meet application recovery objectives.

GRC 101 for DB2 LUW DBAs
Rebecca Bond attended IOD recently where the "hall conversation" centered on Governance, Risk Management and Compliance (GRC) and the potential impact for DB2 DBAs. Read what she discovered as she researched answers to some basic GRC questions.

PureScale Performance Proven
DB2 for z/OS provides mainframe users with unmatched levels of resilience and scalability through technology known as data sharing. IBM announced that similar capabilities would be delivered for DB2 for LUW, in an optional facility dubbed pureScale. Read on to learn whether DB2 pureScale has met or exceeded expectations.

Dynamic SQL Performance Tuning Techniques for IBM DB2 z/OS
Applications running with dynamic SQL are ever-increasing. Without some methods to contain the onslaught of queries, performance drops and phone calls increase. What can a DBA do to remain sane and avoid a visit from the head of IT?

Understanding IBM DB2 DB2SET
Despite the fact that db2set has been around for a while, it seems that db2set is not always well understood. According to IBM’s documentation, the IBM DB2 Profile Registry command (db2set) allows for centralized control of environmental variables. Read on to learn more...

Let's Do the Time Warp: Temporal Data Comes To IBM DB2
A couple of months ago, I included DB2's new temporal data capabilities as one of my "Top 10 IBM Data Management Trends for 2010". As DB2 10 for z/OS is now Generally Available, we're going to dig into this popular new feature in a little more detail in this month's column.

Performance Tune IBM DB2 z/OS Applications using Resource Constraint Analysis
For the DB2 for z/OS professional the two most common systems tuning scenarios are tuning a DB2 data sharing group or tuning a series of application SQL statements. The data sharing group environment can involve multiple hardware installations and many other cross-system features and functions such as coupling facilities and management policies. Resource constraint analysis is a useful tool in both situations.

Top 10 IBM Information on Demand Inspirations
Rebecca Bond returns from IBM's Information on Demand (IOD) Conference with a Top 10 list from the DB2 LUW sessions and some other interesting insights on the conference.

IBM Shakes Up Data Warehousing Market
IBM has been on the acquisition trail again, and this time it was Netezza's turn to take the call. In this month's column, we'll take a look at some of the possible implications of the purchase, as well as rounding up a couple other significant announcements around pureScale and DB2 for z/OS.

Logical and Physical Locking in IBM DB2 for z/OS
Many DBAs and analysts are confused by the variety of serialization mechanisms used by IBM DB2 for z/OS to ensure data consistency and maintain concurrency control. Understanding logical and physical locking can help you better understand and improve application and system performance.

IBM DB2 LUW Database Hardening with Data Classification and LBAC
IBM DB2 LUW Label Based Access Control (LBAC) provides a robust security protection that is too seldom used. Join Rebecca Bond as she provides some tips you can use to harden your databases with LBAC and Data Classification.

Top 5 New DB2 10 for z/OS Features Aimed at SAP Applications
As IBM draws ever nearer to announcing an availability date for DB2 10 for z/OS, the list of new features has solidified. This month’s article examines the top five features aimed specifically at SAP applications running under DB2 for z/OS.

How an IBM DB2 LUW DBA Prepared for the OCA Exam
Can an IBM DB2 DBA learn Oracle? Follow one DB2 DBA as she prepares to take the Oracle Certified Associate Examination.

The Effect of Function Invocation on SQL Query Performance in IBM DB2
Function use is common in IBM DB2 SQL. However, use and misuse of functions can affect query access paths and performance. Here are a few tips to help you tune IBM DB2 queries and avoid using functions that consume precious CPU resources.

IBM DB2 LUW Security Helps DBAs Beat the Odds
IBM DB2 DBAs fight many security battles, but they don't have to fight them alone. Rebecca Bond, the IBM DB2 Locksmith, shares five tips to help DB2 LUW DBAs beat the database security odds.

Guide to Browser Security and Safe Web Browsing
Ensuring a safe web browsing experience is a key part of any effective Internet security strategy. Are you up-to-date on the latest browser vulnerabilities, security add-ons, and best practices? Download this Internet.com eBook to learn which browser offers the best security, how to extend your browser's security capabilities, and how to stay clear of the top web malware threats.

Windows Phone 7 Quick Start Developer Guide
If you have already developed for other mobile platforms you probably don't want to ignore Windows Phone 7. Or maybe you haven't developed for mobile devices yet but would like to start with the Windows Phone. Either way, this eBook is for you.

40 Ways to Make Your Data Center More Efficient
Managing a collection of computer systems is no easy task. But, through better management and proper planning even the most inefficient data center can change its ways. Download this eBook for 40 steps you can take to the most out of your data center and its employees.

Solving Storage for Your SMB
Many Storage solutions are aimed at large enterprises and are designed to address their concerns surrounding infomation lifecycle management and corporate compliance. But small and medium-sized businesses have storage concerns of their own. Download this Internet.com eBook for a guide to choosing a storage server and building a storage strategy for your SMB.

Exploring the Private Cloud for Your Organization
One of the ways around the issues of security and control that make some businesses wary of cloud computing is to build a private cloud -- one that remains within the corporate firewall and is wholly controlled internally. Private clouds also increase the agility of IT an organization's IT infrastructure and make it easier to roll out new technology projects. Download this eBook to get the facts behind the private cloud and learn how your organization can get started.

Schooner Releases Active Cluster for MySQL
New clustering system promises fully synchronous replication for MySQL databases.

Xeround Brings MySQL to Heroku
The MySQL in the cloud vendor extends its platform for Ruby developers.

MySQL Data Fragmentation - What, When and How
Fragmentation can leave large holes in your table, blocks which must be read when scanning the table. Optimizing your table can make full table scans and range scans more efficient.

Converting between MySQL Date and Time Formats
MySQL's thorough and flexible date handling allows you to switch between internal and external date/time formats with relative ease.

MySQL InnoDB File Formats
Versions of MySQL now come equipped with the powerful and stable InnoDB plugin. We will cover file formats in this article, a very important part of the InnoDB plugin feature set.

Using MySQL's Analysis Tools to Improve Query Performance
One nice feature added to the EXPLAIN statement in MySQL 4.1 is the EXTENDED keyword which provides you with some helpful additional information on query optimization.

Five Considerations for MySQL Security and Compliance in the Cloud
Security and compliance are big worries in the cloud. We give you some strategies for coping.

Comparing MySQL Statement-Based and Row-Based Replication
There are many ways you can replicate MySQL data, whether it be a simple two-node cluster, chain or master/master. This article explains the two types of data replication (Statement-Based Replication and Row-Based Replication) available in MySQL.

Identify Slow Queries using MySQL’s Analysis Tools
Using MySQL analysis tools, you can identify and optimize slow queries in order to eliminate the bottlenecks that they cause. Rob Gravelle examines the Slow Query Log and Explain command, which can both help identify slow queries.

Top 5 Considerations for MySQL Administration in the Cloud
Cloud deployments of internet sites are becoming much more prevalent every day. Let's take a look at what type of special considerations we'll need to make for hosting MySQL successfully in the cloud.

Top 10 MySQL Best Practices
Rob Gravelle lists his top 10 MySQL best practices for database administrators, architects, developers, and security personnel.

MySQL Workbench - Top 13 things you should know
MySQL Workbench has come a long way and keeps getting better! I honestly don't think that millage may vary on this one as it is one of the best no-cost GUI tools created for MySQL.

Writing Reusable Queries in MySQL
While stored procedures are an integral part of writing reusable code, they are only one ingredient in a bigger pie. Other key players include views and native as well as user-defined functions. This article explains how all of these elements fit together so that your SELECT statements can be applied to a greater variety of queries.

Limiting the Number of Rows in MySQL Result Sets
In the Web 2.0 world where smart phone and Web applications are competing to access terabytes of data, there is a new imperative for speeding up retrieval times as much as the technology permits. Rob Gravelle lists a few coding techniques that we as database administrators and developers can use to whittle down unwieldy results sets into manageable chunks.

Troubleshooting MySQL Slow Queries with Tcpdumps
MySQL has a wonderful facility for capturing slow queries called the slow query log. However if yours is not enabled when trouble occurs, and restarting the database is not an option, you'll need another solution. This is where a tcpdump can come in handy.

Optimizing MySQL Query Retrieval Speed Through Table Joins
A poorly optimized query can become the bottleneck in an otherwise highly optimized process. In many cases, the source of the slow performance is improper table joining in the WHERE clause. With that in mind, this article looks at ways to optimize table joins for speedy data retrieval.

MySQL Point in Time Backups
Point in time backup and recovery is a crucial component of any part of any MySQL environment. This article describes how to implement the basic point in time recovery and describes a few mechanisms to accomplish this goal.

Use Derived Tables in Your MySQL Queries to Improve Database Performance
There has been much debate as to whether derived tables, views, or temporary tables are actually faster in terms of database performance. The fact is that there is no simple answer, as different queries require different optimizations. Rob Gravelle presents and evaluates some uses for derived tables that highlight their value in many applications.

MySQL Hotbackups with XtraBackup
Hotbackups are a staple of many different database platforms, but they remain sadly absent from the core MySQL distribution. Not to worry, the open-source utility has just arrived to rescue you.

Eliminating Duplicate Rows from MySQL Result Sets
The go to solution for removing duplicate rows from your result sets is to include the distinct keyword in your select statement. It tells the query engine to remove duplicates to produce a result set in which every row is unique. The group by clause can also be used to remove duplicates.

Extending Applications with Oracle Database Replication
In an Oracle database, database replication is the process of duplicating objects and moving them out to multiple databases so users have continuous access to shared data even in the event of a disaster.

Oracle Coherence Adds Flash to In-Memory Database
Oracle's in-memory database update provides new elasticity to help scalability.

Oracle 11gR2 I/O Performance Tuning: Implementing I/O Performance Improvements
Oracle 11g Release 2 (11gR2) makes it easier than ever to isolate and identify potential root causes of poor I/O performance.

Adding a Node to Oracle RAC 11g Release 2
Learn how to add a node to Oracle RAC 11g on Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.

Top 10 New Features for Oracle 11g Data Guard - Part One
Disaster recovery is an ongoing concern for Oracle database administrators. Data Guard is one of your best options for creating a "hot" standby database.

Oracle Database Security and Regulatory Compliance - What's a DBA to Do?
The best way to meet regulatory and privacy mandates is to emphasize proper configuration and hardening of all your technology components.

Creating Dump Files in Oracle GoldenGate
In addition to performing replication, Oracle GoldenGate can also be used to dump the contents of a table into a formatted file, according to this DBA Support article.

Oracle Enterprise Manger and Real-Time Database Performance
Oracle Enterprise Manger (OEM) is a great tool for dealing with database performance issues in real time, according to an article by James Koopmann.

Oracle Debuts Database Firewall
Oracle pulls the wraps off new technology that secures databases against SQL injection.

Getting Started with Oracle GoldenGate
Steve Callan looks at the four steps involved in configuring Oracle GoldenGate and talks about what transpires within Oracle GoldenGate in terms of how data gets from the source database to the target database.

Understanding 4KB Sector Support for Oracle Files
An important decision that DBAs make when they are first creating a new Oracle database is what the standard database block size should be. Once the database is created, it is virtually impossible to change the standard block size without recreating the entire database. Read on to learn how to create tablespaces with different block sizes.

Configuring Oracle for Automatic Database Monitoring in 3 Easy Steps
The homegrown automatic monitoring of an Oracle Database can result in lost DBA hours and increased development costs. Oracle's Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor (ADDM) is a more elegant way to monitor database performance automatically. This article will get you started by showing you how to configure ADDM.

Significant Update to Oracle WebCenter Suite 11g
Database giant promises a significant new array of collaboration and social applications with release of latest version of Fusion middleware component.

Oracle Database 11g R2 RAC - The top 5 changes
The introduction of the Oracle Grid Infrastructure product essentially combines Automatic Storage Management (ASM) and Oracle Clusterware into the same oracle home and product. With this new configuration, five main changes have been incorporated into Oracle Database 11g RAC. Read on to learn more.

Oracle Database Replication: Streams vs. GoldenGate
Steve Callan compares Oracle Streams with GoldenGate, covering their similarities and differences as well as their limitations.

How to Monitor an Oracle Database Automatically
In the past, automatic monitoring of an Oracle database often resulted in DBAs developing a variety of scripts, scheduled to run against the database. Oracle's Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor (ADDM) provides a more elegant way to monitor database performance automatically.

Fundamentals of Oracle GoldenGate
With all of the companies that Oracle Corp. has acquired of late, it’s getting to be a job to keep up with things. That being said, GoldenGate, is one of the products you’ll definitely want to be familiar with; it's still kind of under the radar, but it’s going to be big. Really big.

Finding performance problems using statistics
Statistics are at the core of determining whether your tuning efforts are working or if you still have a system that is suffering from performance problems. This article focuses on Oracle's performance method to give us a better understanding of how to tune a database with statistics.

Identifying and Evaluating I/O Bottlenecks in Oracle Database
Discover the wealth of I/O performance tuning information that Oracle 11gR2’s Automatic Workload Repository (AWR) reports provide, and learn how to use that information to determine if any I/O performance bottlenecks actually exist, and how to form initial hypotheses to resolve those bottlenecks within the database's underlying input/output (I/O) subsystem.

Oracle DBA: 5 Technologies You Can't do Without
Become complacent at your job and your job could be at risk. These days, an Oracle DBA needs to be adept in one or more areas of advanced database administration. Steve Callan discusses the top 5 skill areas for the advanced DBA.

Guide to Browser Security and Safe Web Browsing
Ensuring a safe web browsing experience is a key part of any effective Internet security strategy. Are you up-to-date on the latest browser vulnerabilities, security add-ons, and best practices? Download this Internet.com eBook to learn which browser offers the best security, how to extend your browser's security capabilities, and how to stay clear of the top web malware threats.

Windows Phone 7 Quick Start Developer Guide
If you have already developed for other mobile platforms you probably don't want to ignore Windows Phone 7. Or maybe you haven't developed for mobile devices yet but would like to start with the Windows Phone. Either way, this eBook is for you.

40 Ways to Make Your Data Center More Efficient
Managing a collection of computer systems is no easy task. But, through better management and proper planning even the most inefficient data center can change its ways. Download this eBook for 40 steps you can take to the most out of your data center and its employees.

Solving Storage for Your SMB
Many Storage solutions are aimed at large enterprises and are designed to address their concerns surrounding infomation lifecycle management and corporate compliance. But small and medium-sized businesses have storage concerns of their own. Download this Internet.com eBook for a guide to choosing a storage server and building a storage strategy for your SMB.

Exploring the Private Cloud for Your Organization
One of the ways around the issues of security and control that make some businesses wary of cloud computing is to build a private cloud -- one that remains within the corporate firewall and is wholly controlled internally. Private clouds also increase the agility of IT an organization's IT infrastructure and make it easier to roll out new technology projects. Download this eBook to get the facts behind the private cloud and learn how your organization can get started.

Math Gets Sexy
Enterprises need a lot more developers who understand applied mathematics.

How to Create a WCF Service Running on Windows Azure
Windows Azure offers a plethora of programming modes to harness the power of cloud computing. In this article, we explore how to create a WCF service running on Windows Azure.

MySQL Database Creation with CASE Tools
Find out why using CASE tools to create MySQL databases can increase your development speed and productivity.

Exploring the Windows Azure Toolkit for Android
Microsoft is working hard to improve adoption of its cloud computing platform. To tap into non-Windows markets, it has released toolkits for both iOS and Android. In this article, we explore the offerings of the Windows Azure Toolkit for Android.

Heroku Launches Database as a Service
Salesforce.com has added a PostgreSQL-based database to its cloud development offerings.

VMware Previews Cloud Data Migration Tool
Caldecott makes it easier to move application data between Cloud Foundry clouds.

Hadoop for Data Analytics: Implementing a Weblog Parser
How does Hadoop handle big data? Really well, actually. Find out exactly how by implementing a Hadoop-based log parser.

Oracle Debuts NoSQL Database
Developers can now download Oracle's first NoSQL offering.

Apache Releases Cassandra 1.0
The popular NoSQL database is ready for enterprise use.

Google Adds a Relational Database to App Engine
Google Cloud SQL will make it easier to deploy SQL-based applications in the cloud.

Oracle Launches Public Cloud
CEO Larry Ellison takes a swipe at Salesforce.com.

LexisNexis Releases Code for Its Hadoop-Killer
You can now download the High Performance Computing Cluster (HPCC) code from Github.

VMware Announces New Database as a Service Offering
VMware's vFabric Data Director aims to make it easier to control "database sprawl."

NoSQL Databases Reinvent the Data Store
Today's new applications require faster, highly scalable databases.

Getting Started with Google Analytics on Android
The Google Analytics SDK for Android allows you to track user activity and generate useful statistics about your Android apps. Learn how to set up and use this SDK.

HP Opens Up Vertica Database with New SDK
Developers can now write their own methods to call data directly from the database.

NewSQL: The Relational Model Meets Distributed Architectures
Research firm The 451 Group coins "NewSQL" to categorize a new breed of database designed for distributed environments -- like the cloud.

QMetry Leverages BI-based Reporting to Improve SDLC
QA and the SDLC require superb reporting. To meet that need, test case management vendor QMetry has embedded Jaspersoft's JasperReports into its reporting and business intelligence (BI) engine.

Exploring the Windows Azure Marketplace
Cloud developers are excited about the business opportunities the Microsoft Windows Azure platform presents. This article discusses the business opportunities Windows Azure offers to developers in the form of the Windows Azure Marketplace.

How to Read Environment Variables in SQL Server Using T-SQL
The xp_cmdshell extended stored procedure in SQL Server enables you to read environment variables in T-SQL.

Top 10 SQL Server Counters for Monitoring SQL Server Performance
Greg Larsen lists his top 10 SQL Server counters for maintaining database performance.

Obtaining Identity Column Values in SQL Server
When you enter a new record into a table that contains an identity column, the identity value will be set with the next available value. Your database design often requires you to obtain that value, so you need to be able to find it.

Re-generating SQL Server Logins - Part 3
We wrap up our series by drilling through schema, object and column-level permission.

TOP 10 SQL Server Requests That Should Be Automated
What DBA wouldn't want to make their job a little easier?

SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 Integration Services - Managing Remote Processes Using Script Task
Marcin Policht discusses ways to launch processes for remote systems using SQL Server 2008 R2 Integration Services.

SQL Server 2008 Service Broker - Conversation Priorities
SQL Server 2008 Service Broker lets you process higher priority messages and conversations earlier than those with lower priority.

Using SQL Server Templates
SQL Server Templates are a handy way for creating and using canned SQL Server scripts.

SQL Server Service Broker - External Activation
SQL Server Service Broker allows for two types of messaging activation, Internal Activation or External Activation. In this article we discuss External Activation.

SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 Integration Services - Managing Local Processes Using Script Task
SQL Server 2008 R2 Integration Services includes a number of predefined tasks that implement common administrative actions to help with data extraction, transformation and loading (ETL). While in a majority of cases they are sufficient to deliver required functionality, there might be situations where an extra level of flexibility is desired.

Generating Surrogate Keys Using an Identity Column in SQL Server
Surrogate keys are made up keys and do not appear naturally in the data. In this article Gregory A. Larsen shows you how to generate surrogate keys using an identity column.

Re-generating SQL Server Logins, Part 2
In the second article on re-generating SQL Server logins, Claire Hsu writes about server-level and database-level role assignments, securables and how to generate logins to include securable granting and denying.

SQL Server Service Broker – Internal Activation
SQL Server Service Broker (SSBS) is a new architecture that allows you to write asynchronous, decoupled, distributed, persistent, reliable, scalable and secure queuing/message-based applications within the database engine itself.

Using Schemas in SQL Server 2008
There are a number of very good reasons to use SQL Server Schemas, particularly for cloud applications.

SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2 Integration Services - Starting Local Processes
SQL Server 2008 R2 Integration Services offers a variety of methods that allow you to extend the range of its capabilities beyond those traditionally associated with data management.

Top 10 Transact-SQL Statements a SQL Server DBA Should Know
Microsoft SQL Server is a feature rich database management system product, with an enormous number of T-SQL commands. With each feature supporting its own list of commands, it can be difficult to remember them all. MAK shares his top 10 T-SQL statements that a DBA should know.

How to Communicate Between SSBS Applications Across Instances
Arshad Ali demonstrates how to verify the SQL Server Service Broker (SSBS) configuration when both the Initiator and Target are in different SQL Server instances, how to communicate between them and how to monitor the conversation.

Column-Level Encryption in SQL Server
Beginning with SQL Server 2005, column-level encryption and decryption capabilities were made available within the database, providing a solution for situations where one-off types of data need to be secured beyond your existing authorization, authentication or firewall settings. This article provides an overview and example of securing a column using native SQL Server cryptography functions.

SQL Server: Natural Key Verses Surrogate Key
When designing a database to support applications you need to consider how you are going to handle primary keys. This article explores natural and surrogate keys, and discusses the pros and cons of each, allowing you to determine what makes the best sense in your environment when you are designing your databases.

Re-generating SQL Server Logins
SQL Server stores all login information on security catalog system tables. By querying the system tables, SQL statements can be re-generated to recover logins, including password, default schema/database, server/database role assignments, and object level permissions. A comprehensive permission report can also be produced by combining information from the system metadata.

SSIS Script Task and Microsoft Office Automation
While using Microsoft Office Excel to store a variety of semi-structured data tends to be more economical and convenient than SQL Server, it lacks data mining and data warehousing capabilities. This article explores importing spreadsheets onto SQL Server and taking advantage of Office Automation through managed code running inside a Script Task.

Make Your Site's RSS Feed Shine
RSS is a way of life these days, but there's no reason your site's RSS feed needs to look like it was written by a computer. Sure, in order for an RSS feed to be read by most RSS readers it needs to be valid XML, but who says you have to stop there?

An Introduction to XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language)
XBRL (short for eXtensible Business Reporting Language) is an XML-based standard for handling corporate financial information. This article explains what XBRL is, provides an introduction to some of it's uses, and provides links to a number of XBRL related resources for you to continue learning about XBRL.

Converting Data to XML with LINQ to XML
Sometimes when you have all kinds of data what you really need is XML. LINQ to XML let's you employ functional construction to convert your data into XML.

Exploring HTML 5 Forms
One of the major initial goals of the HTML 5 effort was to update the core HTML form elements to reflect more contemporary thinking. Find out how well the HTML 5 specification has fulfilled that goal so far.

Build an AJAX Content Management System with Visual WebGUI: Adding Menu Components
Menus are basic components of any application. A well-designed menuing framework should be flexible, customizable for both look-and-feel and functionality, and easy to integrate into applications.

Introducing PowerBuilder 12 .NET
A dormant giant gets a new lease on life as a .NET-compatible development environment.

Quick C# Project Documentation in Visual Studio
Here's a quick way to document your .NET projects.

Using RDFa with DITA and DocBook
Learn how to add RDFa metadata to DITA and DocBook documents, how to keep those documents valid, and what advantages this technique can bring to a DITA- or DocBook-based publishing system.

WPF Wonders: Transformations (and Robots!)
WPF's transformations make it easy to move, scale, or rotate objects, and simplify building complex moveable 3D shapes.

WPF Wonders: 3D Drawing with Textures, Transformations, and Realism
To build realism into 3D scenes, you need to draw with the appropriate materials—and transformations help make the drawing process much simpler.

WPF Wonders: 3D Drawing
WPF makes drawing three-dimensional scenes quick and easy.

Building Declarative WCF Services in .NET 4.0
Building WCF services declaratively in XAML lets you integrate services with workflows and provides flexibility that identical services implemented in code cannot.

XML and .NET Namespaces Collide in XAML
Namespace can get a little confusing these days, thankfully Bill Hatfield is here to help clear things up.

Use Cases Dictate How You Adopt the Semantic Web
Designing Semantic Web applications involves a much more sophisticated and forward-thinking set of use cases than traditional web applications do. Find out why.

Android XML Parser Performance
Shane Conder will show us how different XML parsers affect performance with Android and the answers might surprise you. The article provides developers with data for choosing a particular XML parser and Android code that demonstrates all three parsers.

Web Services—Not Always the Best Solution
Did XML, SOAP, and web services really save the world?

Going Beyond XML Manipulation with Apache AXIOM
Explore how to process Axiom and how to serialize Axiom into an output stream. Also learn to use the Axiom APIs for processing SOAP.

XML Manipulation with Apache AXIOM
Apache AXIOM (AXis2 Object Model) is a pull-based, XML Infoset-compliant object model that supports on-demand building of the object tree. Learn the basis of Axiom and how to use it.

Take the Pain out of Creating Word Documents by Using C# and XML
Learn how to create Word documents in your application without using Office Interop or third-party libraries.

LINQ to XML
Gain an understanding of LINQ (Language Integrated Query) to XML and see why you'll never want to use the DOM again.