Community developer blogs

Andrew Watt

Recent Posts

• XML and SQL Server Webcast tomorrow

  Posted: 27 Apr 2005 at 15:11 by SQLHeretic

  I stumbled across tomorrow's SQL Server 2005 and XML webcast almost by accident. Further information is available at MSDN Webcast: Optimizing and Troubleshooting XML Applications at the Server (Level 300). It's at 10:00 Pacific time. The SQL Server 2005 and XML webcasts from Michael Rys and Shankar

• XML and SQL Server Webcast tomorrow

  Posted: 27 Apr 2005 at 12:11 by SQLHeretic

  I stumbled across tomorrow's SQL Server 2005 and XML webcast almost by accident. Further information is available at MSDN Webcast: Optimizing and Troubleshooting XML Applications at the Server (Level 300). It's at 10:00 Pacific time. The SQL Server 2005 and XML webcasts from Michael Rys and Shankar

• Towards more effective and more customer-centric CTP and beta testing - Part 3

  Posted: 26 Apr 2005 at 13:50 by SQLHeretic

  This post dissects out factors that can play a part in achieving effective and meaningful bug reports and product suggestions. It seems to me that several of the factors could benefit product quality, if a more proactive approach were taken by Microsoft. The following lists the factors which I see a

• Towards more effective and more customer-centric CTP and beta testing - Part 2

  Posted: 26 Apr 2005 at 12:58 by SQLHeretic

  One of the issues which needs to be examined when considering the value to Microsoft of external product testing is where the value in a product lies. It is unrealistic, given commercial realities, to expect Microsoft to assign significant resources to support effective external testing where no ret

• Towards more effective and more customer-centric CTP and beta testing - Part 3

  Posted: 26 Apr 2005 at 10:50 by SQLHeretic

  This post dissects out factors that can play a part in achieving effective and meaningful bug reports and product suggestions. It seems to me that several of the factors could benefit product quality, if a more proactive approach were taken by Microsoft. The following lists the factors which I see a

• Towards more effective and more customer-centric CTP and beta testing - Part 2

  Posted: 26 Apr 2005 at 09:58 by SQLHeretic

  One of the issues which needs to be examined when considering the value to Microsoft of external product testing is where the value in a product lies. It is unrealistic, given commercial realities, to expect Microsoft to assign significant resources to support effective external testing where no ret

• Visual Studio Beta 2 can break Report Manager on April CTP

  Posted: 23 Apr 2005 at 14:48 by SQLHeretic

  Installing Visual Studio Standard Beta 2 on the same machine as SQL Server 2005 April CTP seems able to alter settings so that Report Manager does not work. Windows Server 2003 RTM. Running the following command from the command line, aspnet_regiis.exe -i solves the problem. Installing Visual Studio

• Report Services April CTP - Report Builder fails on first use

  Posted: 23 Apr 2005 at 14:44 by SQLHeretic

  Report Builder on April CTP failed on first use on two Windows 2003 RTM machines. The problem was easily solved. Running Report Builder a second time, while making no other change, resulted in it running successfully. Report Builder ran successfully first time on a Windows 2003 SP1 machine.

• Visual Studio Beta 2 can break Report Manager on April CTP

  Posted: 23 Apr 2005 at 11:48 by SQLHeretic

  Installing Visual Studio Standard Beta 2 on the same machine as SQL Server 2005 April CTP seems able to alter settings so that Report Manager does not work. Windows Server 2003 RTM. Running the following command from the command line, aspnet_regiis.exe -i solves the problem. Installing Visual Studio

• Report Services April CTP - Report Builder fails on first use

  Posted: 23 Apr 2005 at 11:44 by SQLHeretic

  Report Builder on April CTP failed on first use on two Windows 2003 RTM machines. The problem was easily solved. Running Report Builder a second time, while making no other change, resulted in it running successfully. Report Builder ran successfully first time on a Windows 2003 SP1 machine.

• Express Manager hasn't changed in April CTP

  Posted: 19 Apr 2005 at 10:30 by SQLHeretic

  If you are interested in testing Express Manager, then April CTP doesn't provide an opportunity to test any new Express Manager features. It appears that the development team is currently focussing on getting SQL Server Management Studio "just so". With finite developer time that means that Express

• Towards more effective and more customer-centric CTP and beta testing - Part 1

  Posted: 19 Apr 2005 at 10:12 by SQLHeretic

  It was interesting to read yesterday's press release, Microsoft Delivers Latest Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 Releases and other material about Microsoft's commitment to continuing testing of SQL Server 2005 using Community Technology Previews. For me, that was both good and expected news.

• Express Manager hasn't changed in April CTP

  Posted: 19 Apr 2005 at 07:30 by SQLHeretic

  If you are interested in testing Express Manager, then April CTP doesn't provide an opportunity to test any new Express Manager features. It appears that the development team is currently focussing on getting SQL Server Management Studio "just so". With finite developer time that means that Express

• Towards more effective and more customer-centric CTP and beta testing - Part 1

  Posted: 19 Apr 2005 at 07:12 by SQLHeretic

  It was interesting to read yesterday's press release, Microsoft Delivers Latest Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 Releases and other material about Microsoft's commitment to continuing testing of SQL Server 2005 using Community Technology Previews. For me, that was both good and expected news.

• SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition April CTP will be available today

  Posted: 18 Apr 2005 at 14:27 by SQLHeretic

  It is already on BetaPlace. Hopefully it will be on MSDN soon.

• April CTP SQL Express install fails on Windows XP SP1

  Posted: 18 Apr 2005 at 13:54 by SQLHeretic

  April CTP of SQL Express failed to install on Windows XP SP1 for me. See my lengthy post at April CTP SQL Express Install Saga - Serious Setup Bug? for details. Very disappointing. I subsequently tried a further uninstall then an install of Client Tools only as a workaround, someone having suggested

• SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition April CTP will be available today

  Posted: 18 Apr 2005 at 11:27 by SQLHeretic

  It is already on BetaPlace. Hopefully it will be on MSDN soon.

• April CTP SQL Express install fails on Windows XP SP1

  Posted: 18 Apr 2005 at 10:54 by SQLHeretic

  April CTP of SQL Express failed to install on Windows XP SP1 for me. See my lengthy post at April CTP SQL Express Install Saga - Serious Setup Bug? for details. Very disappointing. I subsequently tried a further uninstall then an install of Client Tools only as a workaround, someone having suggested

• SQL Server 2005 Express Edition April CTP is available for download

  Posted: 18 Apr 2005 at 10:01 by SQLHeretic

  SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is available for download, SQL Server Express Edition April CTP. Currently only one link to the download itself, this one, is working. Read the uninstall instructions, Uninstalling Express Editions, carefully. The order in which components of .NET Framework 2.0, SQL S

• SQL Server 2005 Express Edition April CTP is available for download

  Posted: 18 Apr 2005 at 07:01 by SQLHeretic

  SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is available for download, SQL Server Express Edition April CTP. Currently only one link to the download itself, this one, is working. Read the uninstall instructions, Uninstalling Express Editions, carefully. The order in which components of .NET Framework 2.0, SQL S