I get really frustrated most times I use connect. (connect.microsoft.com). The latest reason is one I've hit many times.

When I do a connect visit I generally look at new feedback. Almost always I come across one like this

https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=368538

This person has an immediate problem, and I can't do anything to get in touch with him.

In this situation the person should have contacted Microsoft Support and not raised a connect bug.

If you have an operational issue that is causing your application to fault then you MUST raise a Support case.

The feedback loop for connect has no SLAs, guarantees and no easy ship vehicle for fixes.

You might think that you don't want to riase a support case as it will cost you money. Well if your problem is due to a bug then you WILL NOT be charged.

If the bug is non critical then fine raise a connect issue because it is likely that you will need to get a number of votes to convince the product team that the bug needs fixing.


This is cross posted from my SQLBlogcasts blog which can be found here, http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/simons/Should I use connect or Mcirosoft Support (PSS)?

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The create table statement doesn't allow you to create a table with more than 1024 columns.  So how do you do it.

You have to create the table and then add them after the fact.

[21/9/2008 Thanks to Kalen for pointing out that you can if you create the table with a columnset at the same time].

Even if using column sets you have to define all the columns that you want to store. The XML columnset doesn't act like an XML overflow column, it is a computed representation of the sparse columns on the table.

The following highlights that. The first three inserts fail as they are trying to populate columns that con't exist

create table test2 (

id int not null primary key

,sp1 int sparse

,cs  xml column_set for all_sparse_columns)

go

insert into test2 (id,cs)values (1,'<col1>12123</col1>')

insert into test2 (id,cs)values (2,'<col2>aaa</col2>')

insert into test2 (id,cs)values (3,'<col3>1/1/2008</col3>')

go

select * from test2

go

declare @i int = 0

while @i<2000

begin

      declare @sql varchar(100)= 'alter table test2 add col' + cast(@i as varchar(10)) + ' int sparse'

      execute (@sql)

      set @i = @i+1

end

go

 

sp_help test2

 


This is cross posted from my SQLBlogcasts blog which can be found here, http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/simons/Getting more than 1024 columns in a table

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If you don't believe me then come along on Friday before SQLbits and learn about the great things you can do with .net in SQL.

http://www.sqlknowhow.com/events/sqlbits20080912.aspx

During the one day seminar we will cover

  1. How CLR is hosted in SQL Server
  2. Creating CLR objects using a .Net language
  3. Comparing the performance with TSQL and other options
  4. Providing guidance on when to use CLR objects and when not to
  5. Getting the best performance from your CLR objects

I hope you will come away not afraid of using .net in SQL, it means you can write simpler code, that is performs better and in some cases achieves things not possible in TSQL.


This is cross posted from my SQLBlogcasts blog which can be found here, http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/simons/Using .Net in SQL is faster than TSQL in many situations

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We've finalised the sessions for SQLBits and they can now be found on the agenda page http://www.sqlbits.com/information/mainagenda.aspx.

We've got 20 sessions across all areas.If you've been holding off registering until the sessions have been decided nows your time to get registering.

http://www.sqlbits.com/information/registration.aspx

 


This is cross posted from my SQLBlogcasts blog which can be found here, http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/simons/Sessions finalised

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If you are interested in SQL Server Performance then you attending a course by Kimberly Tripp and Paul Randal is a must.

We are fortunate to have Kimberly and Paul over in the UK and they are doing two sessions,

Best Practices in Performance and Availability for SQL Server 2005/2008 on the 1st - 3rd September 2008 in Hatfield

Indexing for Performance in SQL Server 2000/2005/2008  on the 8th - 9th September 2008  in Edinburgh

The early bird discount is ending soon so if you want to get on these at an amazing price then get in soon.


This is cross posted from my SQLBlogcasts blog which can be found here, http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/simons/SQL Server Performance

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We will be closing voting on the sessions for the next SQLBits very soon. If you haven't yet voted then go to http://www.sqlbits.com/information/PublicSessions.aspx to vote.

Once voting has closed we will be finalising the agenda.

Even when voting closes you will still be able to register by going to http://www.sqlbits.com/information/registration.aspx

Simon


This is cross posted from my SQLBlogcasts blog which can be found here, http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/simons/SQLBits Session voting closing soon

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For SQLBits III (www.sqlbits.com ) we have decided to run a training day on the Friday before the free conference.

We have 4 seminars covering a range of SQL related topics.

You can find the details of the seminars on the Training Day page of the SQLBits site or by clicking on the links below.

Seminar

Register

Early Bird

Full Price

Using .Net inside SQL Server

click to register

£150

£200

Advanced SQL Server Troubleshooting

click to register

£150

£200

Making the most of data through business intelligence

click to register

£150

£200

Introduction to using SQL Server for the Jack of All Trades

click to register

£100

£150

Simon


This is cross posted from my SQLBlogcasts blog which can be found here, http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/simons/SQLBits Training Seminar registration is open

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Session submission for SQLBits III on 13th September closes today. You can still submit a session by going here http://www.sqlbits.com/information/SessionSubmission.aspx

Its also the last day for you budding Monets to get your logo submissions in. Please send these to logos@sqlbits.com if you want details of the competition you can find them here http://www.sqlbits.com/LogoCompetition.aspx. Don't forget you can win an XBox 360 if your logo wins the competition.


This is cross posted from my SQLBlogcasts blog which can be found here, http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/simons/SQLBits Sessions - Don't forget submission closes today

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We have an exciting meeting planned for London in August.

I’m sure you’ve heard of LINQ, LINQ to SQL or Entity Framework, or you might have heard of over ORM solutions such as NHibernate. ORMs are all about being able to have a set of objects which developers can use with out having to worry about data access.

So what do these tools mean for the SQL Server Developer and DBA.

Mike Taulty has volunteered to do a couple of sessions on what LINQ is all about and what LINQ to SQL and the Entity Framework mean to you as a database professional. Is it going to kick you out of a job or provide you more work ???

 

The Agenda for the evening is.

6pm – 6:30 News and open session

Simon will do a stint on whats going on in the world, betas, release candidates service packs, best practices, training etc.  And then will open up the floor to any one that has something to say.

6:30pm – 7:30 Whats LINQ all about? And how does LINQ fit in with LINQ to SQL and the Entity Framework Part 1

Mike will go through LINQ as  programming feature and how it is used by Linq to SQL and the Entity Framework. He’ll also discuss what LINQ to SQL and the entity framework is.

7:30pm – 7:50 Beer and Pizza

7:50pm – 9pm Whats LINQ all about? And how does LINQ fit in with LINQ to SQL and the Entity Framework Part 2

The discussion, demos and presentation will continue from part 1.


This is cross posted from my SQLBlogcasts blog which can be found here, http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/simons/August London UG Meeting - All things LINQ

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