Practice Your PASS Session on the SQL Lunch

We at the SQL Lunch would like to extend an invitation to all of the PASS speakers.  If you are looking for a place to practice your PASS session please email us at webmaster@sqllunch.com.  Don’t worry, you can have up to 90 minutes or you can break your session into small 30 minute sessions.  It’s completely up to you.  This is our way of saying thanks to all of you for giving your time and knowledge to all of us in the SQL Community.

Also, it is completely up to you if the sessions are recorded and if any materials are shared.  Thanks again.

Talk to you soon,

Patrick LeBlanc, SQL Server MVP, MCTS

Founder www.TSQLScripts.com and www.SQLLunch.com.

Visit www.BIDN.com, Bring Business Intelligence to your company.

Free SSIS Training – SQL Lunch #24 (Looping in SSIS)

Join Brad Schacht this week on the SQL Lunch to learn about Looping in SSIS.  Go to SQL Lunch and add this event to your calendar or use the link in this posting.  To receive notifications about upcoming SQL Lunches please go here.  Every week this month we will be hosting a lunch time meeting. 

Title:  #24 Looping in SSIS

Add to Outlook:  Add to Calendar

Speaker:  Brad Schacht

Join Meeting:  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usergroups/join?id=SBMB3K&role=attend

Description:  In this session Brad will walk you through the loops available in SQL Server Integration Services. Topics to be covered include the ForLoop and the value it provides, as well as the most common uses for the ForEach Loop; such as looping over files. Setup and configuration will be discussed along with when a loop should be used. We will also discuss how to use these loops to dynamically name a file for archiving after it is done being used inside the package.

BIO:  Brad is a BI Consultant and Trainer for Pragmatic Works. His experience on the Microsoft BI platform includes DTS, SSIS, Reporting, and migrations and conversions. His background in creating custom solutions for clients and partners provides great experience for delivering real-world value through his courses. Brad uses this experience to make the topics real for those he’s working with and teaching. Brad also participates as a speaker at events such as SQL Saturday and is an active member of the Jacksonville SQL Server User’s..

Talk to you soon,

Patrick LeBlanc, SQL Server MVP, MCTS

Founder www.TSQLScripts.com and www.SQLLunch.com.

Visit www.BIDN.com, Bring Business Intelligence to your company.

SQL Lunch Call for Speakers – Quarter 3

One of my quarterly goals is to get speakers for the SQL Lunch webcasts.  Q1 and Q2 of 2010 are in the books, so its time to start working on Q3.  To all of you out there who want to share your knowledge with all of us, please send an email to webmaster@sqllunch.com if you are interested in speaking on the SQL Lunch.  Include a short bio, the topic that you want to discuss and a brief description of the topic.  Please attach a head shot so I can share your picture with the world.  Remember the SQL Lunch webcasts are 30 minutes or less.   It does not matter if you are  a seasoned speaker or a new speaker, we at the SQL Lunch welcome you with open arms. 

Talk to you soon,

Patrick LeBlanc, MCTS

Founder www.TSQLScripts.com and www.SQLLunch.com.

Visit www.BIDN.com, Bring Business Intelligence to your company.

twitter:  @sqllunch, @patrickdba

How to Create a Reporting Services 2005/2008 Template

 

At most large companies one business requirement is that all reports have the same look and feel.  This may vary by department, but there is typically some level of standardization amongst the business entities.  In most cases there is a header and footer template that needs to be seen on all reports.  Often developers I have seen developers start from scratch or copy and paste and existing report.  Those days are gone.  For all of you still using Reporting Services 2005, don’t worry this method is available to you also.  Here are the steps:

1.  Create a template report, maybe and .rdl that contains only the header and footer information.  These are items that are typically used throughout a company or department.

2.  Copy the .rdl file to one of the following directories

(SSRS 2005) - C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies\ProjectItems\ReportProject

(SSRS 2008) - C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 9.0\Common7\IDE\PrivateAssemblies\ProjectItems\ReportProject

The next time you create a report, right click on the Reports folder in the Solution Explorer of your Reporting Services Project.  Then choose Add –> New Item.  A dialogue box will open, similar to the one below:

In the above screen shot, my template is named Dashboard Template.  Choose that item and click Add.  When the report is added to you project it will look exactly like the template you created.  Happy Report Writing!

Talk to you soon

Patrick LeBlanc, founder www.TSQLScripts.com and www.SQLLunch.com

SQL Lunch Recordings Now Available

After several tries I think we finally have it working.  If you were unable to attend the last two SQLLunches, go to www.SQLLunch.com and go to the Archived November meetings.  They are both available for your viewing.  If you have any questions or comments about the SQL Lunch, please send an email to webmaster@sqllunch.com.

Talk to you soon

Patrick LeBlanc, founder TSQLScripts.com and SQLLunch.com

SQLDownSouth

Today’s SQL Lunch – Integrating Table Valued Parameters with Reporting Services 2008

Meeting URL: Join Meeting

Click the above Meeting URL around 11:30 AM CST on 11/16/2009 to join the meeting

Date: 11/16/2009

Time: 11:30 AM

Meeting URL: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usergroups/join?id=NHHGB9&role=attend

Presenter: Patrick LeBlanc, currently the Sr. Database Administrator for Lamar Advertising. I have worked as a SQL Server DBA for the past 9 years. My experience includes working in the Educational, Advertising, Mortgage, Medical and Financial Industries. I am the founder of TSQLScripts.com, SQLLunch.com and the President of the Baton Area SQL Server User Group.

Topic: Integrating Table-Valued Parameters with Reporting Services

Patrick LeBlanc, currently the Sr. Database Administrator for Lamar Advertising. I have worked as a SQL Server DBA for the past 9 years. My experience includes working in the Educational, Advertising, Mortgage, Medical and Financial Industries. I am the founder of TSQLScripts.com, SQLLunch.com and the President of the Baton Area SQL Server User Group.

If you would like to receive email notification about upcoming SQL Lunches go here:

http://www.sqllunch.com/Register.aspx

Talk to you soon

Patrick LeBlanc, found TSQLScripts.com and SQL Lunch

SQL Down South

SQLLunch – Accidental DBA and Performance Data Collector

If you haven’t had a chance to attend the SQL Lunch Live Meeting learning series then sign in Monday at 11:30 CST for our next meeting.  Barry Ralston will be presenting on the Data Collector. 

Speaker:  Barry Ralston

Time: 11:30 AM CST

Meeting URL:  https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/usergroups/join?id=3GBFMJ&role=attend

Add to Outlook Calendar

BIO: Barry is currently Vice President for Technical Solutions with Birmingham-based ComFrame Software. Since joining ComFrame in 2001, his client successes include Aflac, Honda, and the Children's Hospital of Alabama. In addition to speaking at the Alabama .Net Code Camps 1, 4 and 5, Barry has delivered presentations on Business Intelligence with Microsoft technologies at SQL Saturday 1 and 4.

Topic: #2-Accidental DBA and Performance Data Collector
A new feature in SQL 2008 may well improve the ability of “accidental DBA’s” to monitor, manage and tune SQL Server. This presentation will outline how to setup Performance Data Collector (PDC) and use the included Management Data Warehouse reports to take action on your database server based on information and not ‘gut feel’ or hunch.

If you would like to receive updates about upcoming meetings click here to sign up.

 

Talk to you soon

Patrick LeBlanc, founder www.tsqlscripts.com and www.sqllunch.com

SQL Down South

August 2009 Baton Rouge SQL Server User Group – Near Real-time Data Warehousing 1.0

Fresh off of my presentation of the SQL Profiler at SQL Saturday #17 in Baton Rouge this past Saturday, I am now preparing to speak at our next user group. The topic is Near Real-time Data Warehousing. I gave this talk at the SQL Saturday in Pensacola it was well received. However, before I could really get started presenting in Pensacola one of the participants asked, “Why do you need a Near Real-time Data Warehouse”. I was prepared to answer that question, but instead of using the rehearsed version of the answer I decided to traverse down another path. My answer went like this:

Have you ever actually tried to find a “Needle in a hay stack”? Of course trying to find that needle would by very difficult and time consuming and everyone agreed. I went back to my slide deck and revealed a query that consisted of THIRTY-FIVE joins. The results of that query was simply a detailed customer listing, which included columns like first name, last name, address, phone number, city, state, etc.. I continued by explaining why the query was so long and complicated. Our developers designed somewhat of an Object-Oriented database. As a result, we have a database that is at a level of normalization that does not exist (smile). Therefore, our team was posed with the task of de-normalizing the database to make it more report friendly.

The project was initially tasked as flattening the operational tables into a less normalized state, which was to include lots and lots of T-SQL and SSIS packages. However, as the project progressed someone suggested that we just make it a warehouse and try to populate it at certain intervals though out the day. I had built some very small warehouses, but nothing of this magnitude and visibility. As a result, I accepted the task. The result of the project is six FACT table and 23 dimensions that are built in intervals of 15 minutes using the following technologies:
1. Transactional Replication
2. Triggers
3. SQL CLR
4. Message Queuing
5. SSIS
6. A Custom ETL application.

If you want to find out more and you can’t make it to our local SQL Server Group (go to http://batonrouge.sqlpass.org to get information about our local group) send me an email at pleblanc@tsqlscripts.com to receive and invitation to a LIVE MEETING broadcast of our use group. If you can’t make either don’t worry, I am writing an article on the entire process that hopefully will be published somewhere soon. Please note that this is version 1.0, version 2.0 does not rely on items 2,4, and 6 of the aforementioned list. Instead we have incorporated Change Data Capture, which makes life so much easier.

Talk soon Patrick LeBlanc,
SQL Down South.