WARDY IT Solutions

WARDY IT is now a Gold Microsoft Partner

admin — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 01:39:10 GMT

WARDY IT Solutions has continued to demonstrate its experience with the Microsoft data platform and has been awarded as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Gold Certified Partners represent the highest level of competence and expertise with Microsoft technologies, and have the closest working relationship with Microsoft.

We are getting close

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:04:16 GMT

The release of SQL Server 2008 is getting very close. At the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference it was announced that SQL Server 2008 will be available on the price list for partners and customers. Full details of the Press Release can be found here.

Last Monday’s Date

admin — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:08:25 GMT

Often when reporting there is a need to determine what Monday's date was for the previous week. For example give me all sales from Monday to Sunday for last week. The following Reporting Services snippet will calculate what last Monday's date was:

DateAdd("d", -6,DateAdd("d", 1 - Weekday(Today), Today)

July 08 WARDY IT Community Dinner

admin — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:15:56 GMT

After missing a month due to Tech-Ed US the WARDY IT Community is back for the new financial year.

The WARDY IT Community Dinner is typically held on the second Monday of the month and is a great opportunity to share knowledge, information and experiences with other IT professionals in South East Queensland. This month the WARDY IT Community Dinner is being held at Zenbar in the City on Monday the 14th of July. To RSVP to be at this event send an email to peter @ wardyit.com.

WHERE Zenbar | Park Level | Post Office Square | 215 Adelaide Street | http://www.zenbar.com.au/contactzen.htm

WHEN Monday 14th July | 6:30PM

RSVP Friday 11th July

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Please note that you are responsible for the cost of your own dining.

SQL Server 2008 RC0 Released

admin — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:44:49 GMT

The much anticipated release of SQL Server 2008 Release Candidate 0 has been made just in time to be announced at the IT Professional week at Tech-Ed US. Andrew Fryer announced in this blog post that RC0 is available for download for MSDN and TechNet subscribers. Release Candidate 0 is the final step before SQL Server 2008 is released later this year.

May 08 WARDY IT Community Dinner

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:29:00 GMT

The WARDY IT Community Dinner is typically held on the second Monday of the month and is a great opportunity to share knowledge, information and experiences with other IT professionals in South East Queensland. This month the WARDY IT Community Dinner is being held at La Dolce Vita at Milton on Monday the 12th of May. To RSVP to be at this event send an email to peter @ wardyit.com.

WHERE La Dolce Vita | Shop 13 & 14 | 20 Park Road | Milton

WHEN Monday 12th May | 6:30PM

RSVP Friday 9th May

Please note that you are responsible for the cost of your own dining.

Peter Ward re-awarded as MVP

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:49:00 GMT

I have been rewarded for the second year as a Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP) for Windows Server System - SQL Server.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) are exceptional technical community leaders from around the world who are awarded for voluntarily sharing their high quality, real world expertise in offline and online technical communities. Microsoft MVPs are a highly select group of experts that represents the technical community's best and brightest, and they share a deep commitment to community and a willingness to help others.

For more details regarding this award refer to http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/

Code Camp Oz 2008

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:40:00 GMT

Jeff Wharton will be presenting a session on SQL Server CE for developers at Code Camp Oz 2008.

Code Camp Oz is a free .Net community event that is held at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga (NSW) over the Anzac Day long weekend in April. For more details refer to http://www.codecampoz.com/.

Presenting at Tech-Ed US

admin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:34:00 GMT

Not only is Jeff Wharton presenting at Microsoft Tech·Ed North America 2008 IT Professionals, but I am also. I will be presenting the session Using Server Management Objects to Manage Microsoft SQL Server.

Wellington SQL Server User Group

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 10:03:20 GMT

I will be presenting at the Wellington SQL Server User Group in New Zealand on Thursday the 13^th of March. In this session I will be presenting on SQL Server indexing and the new features in SQL Server 2008. For more details regarding this presentation refer to http://dot.net.nz/Default.aspx?tabid=101.

February 08 SQL Server Newsletter

admin — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 09:28:46 GMT

The February 2008 edition of the WARDY IT Solutions SQL Server Newsletter has been e-mailed to everyone on the distribution list. For those not on the distribution list you can view the newsletter using the following URL http://www.wardyit.com/newsletters/feb2008.htm.

Why I like Vista

admin — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:54:00 GMT

As I travel around a lot of people see me running Windows Vista and are surprised. Often the comment is something like 'How can you run Vista and still be productive?'. I am the first to admit that there were challenges to start with. However these challenges had more to do with change than anything else. The fact of the matter was I knew XP inside out and Vista was different, so all of a sudden someone moved my cheese and I had no idea how to configure my network settings let alone configure Reporting Services to run on Vista. That's not to say that I haven't had some pain adapting to the change, as I remember one night before a presentation I was about to throw my laptop out the window as I was having all sorts of difficulty ensuring that a Reporting Services demo would work.

Recently the lease on my Subaru Forester came up and I leased another Forester. I was always particularly fond of having the volume control on the right hand side of the radio as it was within easy reach when my favourite song came on. However the new Forester has the volume on the left hand side of the radio which is not quite as convenient, meaning I sometimes miss the first few lines of a song being at volume 10. So am I going to downgrade my new car just because the volume is in a different spot – of course not. Instead I found out that there is a volume button on my steering wheel which is actually a better option than before, however I just need to get used to reaching for the steering wheel instead of the radio.

The more and more I use Vista, the more of these little features that I find. I have often used Norton Ghost and more recently Drive Snapshot to back up my laptop's. I have used these programs as they provide the ability for me to mount the backup as a drive which I can then copy a file from when needed. Over the weekend I decided to re-build my main laptop and decided to give the backup in Windows Vista a shot. To my surprise when I created a full backup the backup was a VHD. Meaning I could simply copy the file to any machine and fire up Virtual PC and use it as though I was sitting on my laptop. I even have the option of using Vhdmount in Virtual Server to mount the VHD as a drive.

So just because the volume control has moved it doesn't mean that you should start looking for a new car.

March 08 WARDY IT Community Dinner

admin — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:50:00 GMT

The WARDY IT Community Dinner is typically held on the second Monday of the month and is a great opportunity to share knowledge, information and experiences with other IT professionals in South East Queensland. Due to popular demand we are finally heading to a Mexican restaurant. So this month the WARDY IT Community Dinner is being held at Montezuma's at New Farm on Monday the 10th of March. To RSVP to be at this event send an email to peter @ wardyit.com.

WHERE Montezuma's | Shop4, 455 Brunswick Street | New Farm

WHEN Monday 10th March | 6:30PM

RSVP Friday 7th March

Please note that you are responsible for the cost of your own dining.

Add this event to your Outlook Calendar

Jeff Wharton - Speaker Extraordinaire

admin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:31:48 GMT

Winning Speaker Idol 2007 at Tech-Ed Barcelona was not enough for Jeff Wharton. Not only will Jeff be presenting at Tech-Ed Europe 2008, he has just received notification that he will be presenting at Tech-Ed US 2008 in Orlando.

The Week of Releases

admin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 03:21:32 GMT

Over the last week there have been two significant rereleases for SQL Server. The first in the long anticipated release of the February Community Technology Preview for SQL server 2008 (aka CTP6) which can be downloaded from here. The second is Cumulative update package 6 for SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2. For details about the issues resolved in this update package refer to here.

Perfect Valentines Gift

admin — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 01:15:56 GMT

If you are looking for the Perfect gift for Valentine's Day then why not check out SQLServerDVD.com. Production of the first DVD with Kalen Delaney is almost complete hence the pre-order price of only $19.95 plus shipping is only available until Valentine's Day (14^th February).

February QLD SQL Server User Group

admin — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 22:17:00 GMT

Don't miss the opportunity to see Kalen Delaney present on SQL Server Architecture, Internals and Optimisation.

Kalen Delaney is the author of the bestselling books Inside SQL Server 2000, Inside SQL Server 2005 – The Storage Engine and Inside SQL Server 2005 – Query Tuning and Optimization, Kalen has been a columnist for SQL Server Magazine since the first issue as well as writing for MSDN and TechNet Magazines. Kalen's SQL Server seminars have been delivered both internally for Microsoft events and as recommended training for premier Microsoft partners around the world.

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Please note this event is being held a week earlier than usual on the 3^rd Thursday of the month.

January 2008 SQL Server Newsletter

admin — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 23:09:55 GMT

The January 2008 edition of the WARDY IT Solutions SQL Server Newsletter has been e-mailed to everyone on the distribution list. For those not on the distribution list you can view the newsletter using the following URL http://www.wardyit.com/newsletters/jan2008.htm.

Cheap SQL Server Training

admin — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:33:00 GMT

MVP Chuck Boyce and I have started a new venture SQLServerDVD.com. SQLServerDVD.com will be focusing of developing world class SQL Server Training DVD's at prices that anyone can afford.

The first DVD that is available is from Kalen Delaney and focuses on SQL Server 2005 metadata. You can pre-order this DVD right now for a $10.00 discount. To order this first DVD simply go to SQLServerDVD.com.

The pre-order price for this DVD is only $19.95 and the Regular price is $29.95. Shipping is $2.98 in the US and $12.29 International.

Updated Best Practices Analyzer

admin — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 14:43:19 GMT

The January 2008 release of the SQL Server 2005 Best Practices Analyzer (BPA) can be downloaded from here.

Want to earn $200

admin — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:51:00 GMT

As of the 1^st of January I am the new Technical Editor for Sql-Server-Performance.com which is a site that has over 45,000 pages of SQL Server information. I am currently looking for authors that would like to publish regular articles for the site. Apart from the recognition that you get for your article there is also the opportunity for you to get paid for your efforts. To find out more about contributing refer to here or email me at editor @ sql-server-performance.com.

February 08 WARDY IT Community Dinner

admin — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:36:00 GMT

The WARDY IT Community Dinner is typically held on the second Monday of the month and is a great opportunity to share knowledge, information and experiences with other IT professionals in South East Queensland. The February WARDY IT Community Dinner is being held at the Himalayan Cafe at New Farm on Monday the 11th of February. To RSVP to be at this event send an email to peter @ wardyit.com.

WHERE Himalayan Cafe | 640 Brunswick Street | New Farm | http://brisbane.citysearch.com.au/restaurants/map/1119945819575/1137462813147

WHEN Monday 8th February | 6:30PM

RSVP Friday 11th February

Please note that you are responsible for the cost of your own dining.

Add this event to your Outlook Calendar

January 08 SQL Server User Group

admin — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 02:16:55 GMT

This month at the QLD SQL Server User Group we have a session on SQL Server data security titled Protecting the Crown Jewels & Your Butt. For more details regarding this event refer to here. Why not stay on after the session for a chance to catch-up with other SQL Server professionals at the Pig 'N' Whistle on Eagle Street.

WHERE Microsoft Brisbane Office | Level 9, Waterfront Place | 1 Eagle Street | http://www.microsoft.com/australia/technet/usergroups.aspx

WHEN Thursday, 24th January | 5:30PM for a 6:00PM start

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January 08 WARDY IT Community Dinner

admin — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:23:00 GMT

I hope that you all had a great festive season and that however you spent the season, you are all refreshed for 2008.

If one of your New Year's resolutions was to network with other IT professionals in Brisbane in order to share knowledge, information and experiences then the monthly WARDY IT Community Dinner is a great way to cross this resolution off the list. So why not start the year off at the Breakfast Creek Hotel next Monday night? To RSVP to be at this event send an email to peter @ wardyit.com.

WHERE Breakfast Creek Hotel | 2 Kingsford Smith Drive | Breakfast Creek | http://www.breakfastcreekhotel.com

WHEN Monday 14th January | 6:30PM

RSVP Friday 11th January

Please note that you are responsible for the cost of your own dining.

Add this event to your Outlook Calendar

Jeff Wharton now a SQL Server MVP

admin — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:58:00 GMT

Jeff Wharton who is WARDY IT Solutions Chief Solutions Architect and the President for the Canberra SQL Server User Group was awarded as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Windows Server System - SQL Server on the 1^st of January 2008. This award is testament to not only Jeff's technical excellence but his commitment to the SQL Server Community around the world.