James works at Microsoft as a big data and data warehousing solution architect where he has been for most of the last eleven years. Before that he was an independent consultant working as a Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence architect and developer. He is a prior SQL Server MVP with over 40 years of IT experience. Check out his book Deciphering Data Architectures: Choosing Between a Modern Data Warehouse, Data Fabric, Data Lakehouse, and Data Mesh.
SQL Server 2012 (codename “Denali”) is the name for the next version of SQL Server. The CTP1 of Denali was released on Nov 8, 2010, and you can download it here. The next CTP will be available this summer, and you can signup to be … Continue reading →
There are three tools I use every day without exception. They all save me valuable time in surfing the net: Delicious – This is a free bookmarking tool that works so much better than the built-in bookmarking in IE. You … Continue reading →
While nothing beats going to a conference, the next best thing is to watch the recorded sessions. Fortunately, Microsoft has posted ALL the session videos for Tech·Ed North America 2011 and they are available for free! Here is the list … Continue reading →
A nice new little add-in available for SSMS on Codeplex. It helps with repetitive tasks involved with SSAS such as processing and deployment. As the site says, the goal for the Analysis Services Helper is to fill in gaps in the toolset inside … Continue reading →
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have published a list of job-market hotspots, and in the top ten is Data Mining and Analytics. The study is based on enrollment figures, national employment statistics and interviews with San Diego business … Continue reading →
Microsoft has just released a new SSIS transform, called the SSIS Balanced Data Distributor (BDD). You can download it here. UPDATE: The BDD has been released for SQL Server 2012 (download). See Balanced Data Distributor (BDD) for SQL Server 2012 … Continue reading →
Check out What’s New in PerformancePoint Services and SP1? to see a list of the major features and updates included in SP1 for PPS. Note that SP1 is an Office 2010 service pack, and it’s due at the end of this month. … Continue reading →
A Fuzzy Lookup Task in SSIS that I was working on was bombing out, and I had a heck of a time figuring out why. The error did not tell me much: Error: 2011-05-18 10:42:09.33 Code: 0xC0047022 Source: Fuzzy Match … Continue reading →
Ever get a timeout error when using the “View History” for a SQL Server Agent job? I find this happens when you have a lot of rows of job history and/or the SQL Server box is getting hit hard. So, … Continue reading →
BIDS helper is Visual Studio add-in with features that extend and enhance the functionality of the SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008 BI Development Studio. Version 1.5 can be downloaded here, and read up on the new features. It’s a must-have … Continue reading →
Virtualization is becoming a hot topic lately, and there is no doubt it provides a ton of benefits. But you don’t have to be a system admin that is virtualizing servers to take advantage of it. If you deal with computers every day … Continue reading →
Interesting video on eWeek.com called Business Intelligence Takes Higher Education Students to the Head of the Class that talks about how colleges are noticing that there is a high demand for employees with business intelligence and analytics expertise, and are now … Continue reading →
A fantastic white paper just released: Microsoft EDW Architecture, Guidance and Deployment Best Practices. It’s a must read if you are a data architect, data developer, or DBA involved in an Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW). As the paper says, the … Continue reading →
While there is no way to use a source control system such as Team Foundation Server (TFS) or Subversion with PerformancePoint 2010, all is not lost. You can use the version control in SharePoint as your source control since all PerformancePoint … Continue reading →
A Windows 8 demo was just released. Looks really cool. Check it out at Previewing ‘Windows 8’ as well as Microsoft’s Windows 8 Demo From D9 (Video) and Windows 8 partner demo. If you just want screen shots, check out this … Continue reading →
One item on my PerformancePoint wish list is the ability to change a datasource for an Analytic Chart/Grid. There is no way to do this. Instead you must create a new datasource and build the Analytic Charts/Grids from scratch using the new … Continue reading →
I have been compiling a list of what things a person can do to become an expert, or guru, in his chosen field, whether that be in specific fields like SQL Server, BI, .Net, or in a broad field like career … Continue reading →
Ever see a Windows group and want to know all the users in that group without having to ask your system admin? There is an easy way to do this. Just create this shortcut on your desktop: %SystemRoot%\SYSTEM32\rundll32.exe dsquery,OpenQueryWindow Call … Continue reading →
If you have been in the IT field for any length of time, I’m sure you have heard the phrase “Always Be Learning”. If you want to be successful and make the big bucks, you are going to have to … Continue reading →
When using role security in SSAS, one point of confusion is when a person sees the grand total for a measure that includes the total of ALL members in the cube, even though the security has limited the members that person can … Continue reading →