Windows 7 - Bootable USB creation

Great find with a link to the Microsoft utility to create a bootable USB Drive for Windows 7 / Vista

http://kmwoley.com/blog/?p=345

http://images2.store.microsoft.com/prod/clustera/framework/w7udt/1.0/en-us/Windows7-USB-DVD-tool.exe

MDX Utility Belt of Calculations

Another really good find if you are working with SQL Server - SSIS, SSAS

http://www.bidn.com/blogs/DevinKnight/ssis/221/mdx-utility-belt-of-calculations-part-1

Microsoft Business Intelligence Project Booster Kit

Great find on SQL Server Central - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/SSIS/68341/

Windows Virtual PC - download and configure

Microsoft Virtual PC for Windows 7

Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010: SharePoint 2010 Public Beta is now available for download

Today we are announcing the general availability of the public beta of Office 2010, SharePoint Server 2010, Visio 2010, Project 2010 and Office Web Apps for our customers and partners. Millions of people can download the beta at http://www.microsoft.com/2010.

Office Mobile 2010 has also reached the public beta milestone and is now available on the Windows Mobile Marketplace for Windows Mobile 6.5 phones.

As part of the beta, we are unveiling several new capabilities, including:

• The Outlook Social Connector, a new feature which brings communications history, business and social networking feeds into the Outlook experience.
  • At beta, the Outlook Social Connector will support SharePoint social networking and support Windows Live at launch.
  • We are also announcing that LinkedIn will be the first social networking site to provide a connector for the Outlook Social Connector.
  • We are also releasing the Outlook Social Connector SDK for developers to build connectors to third party social networks.
• Technology and design advancements including deeper integration between Office 2010 and Office Web Apps, improved navigation, visual design and icon updates, a new Office logo and increased performance and stability.

We’re also announcing our plan to deliver Duet Enterprise for Microsoft SharePoint and SAP which will expand the long standing Duet partnership. The joint solution from SAP and Microsoft will enable interoperability between SAP applications and SharePoint 2010 and provide complete flexibility and extensibility to compose solutions that blend the worlds of process and collaboration. Duet Enterprise is built on top of the new Business Connectivity Services in SharePoint 2010. The solution is planned to be released in the second half of calendar year 2010.

SharePoint Public Beta Resources

• General information about SharePoint 2010: http://sharepoint2010.microsoft.com/Pages/default.aspx
• Resources for Developers on MSDN: http://www.mssharepointdeveloper.com
• Resources for IT Pros on TechNet: http://www.mssharepointitpro.com
• Have a SharePoint 2010 question? Ask it in the SharePoint 2010 forums

Where can I download SharePoint 2010 public beta?
You can download SharePoint and Office 2010 public beta from http://www.microsoft.com/2010

Is the SharePoint public beta supported?
The SharePoint public beta is not supported. However, we recommend looking at our resources listed above and asking questions in the SharePoint 2010 forums.

When is the final release of SharePoint and Office 2010?
We are planning to release SharePoint and Office 2010 in the first half of calendar year 2010.

Will there be a migration path from SharePoint public beta to final release?
We do not plan to support a SharePoint 2010 public beta to release bits migration path. The SharePoint 2010 public beta should be used for evaluation and feedback purposes only.

If I’m on SharePoint 2007, how do I get ready for SharePoint 2010?
Take a look here for getting ready guidance.

Is there a downloadable SharePoint 2010 VHD?
We plan to make a VHD available for download sometime in the future. We will announce its availability on our team blog.

How do I get trained on SharePoint 2010?
Please review the Getting Started page, the IT Professional learning guide , the Developer learning guide , and the End User resources to ramp up on SharePoint 2010.

Business Intelligence In The Cloud

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Business Intelligence In The Cloud

View more presentations from The Data Warehousing Institute (TDWI).

SharePoint Training

I am currently developing end to end SharePoint 2007 training with implementation Best Practices included within the lessons. Typically, training only ever covers the basics of "how-to", my training will include shortcuts and things to avoid.

I will post once I have completed and would appreciate any comments or general feedback you may have regarding the individual sessions.

Thanks, JT

SharePoint Conference in VEGAS!

I had the opportunity to go to the SharePoint Conference in Vegas! It was a Blast!

http://www.mssharepointconference.com/pages/default.aspx

Expanding the "interface"

Future of the Screen: Terminator-Style Augmented-Reality Glasses

The idea of VRD was first tossed around at the University of Washington's Human Interface Technology Lab back around 1991. Thomas Furness, who'd been working on helmet-based displays for the Air Force in the '80s, and research engineer Joel Kollin were part of the team that put together the initial (and enormous) prototype. The concept was that tiny, ultra-low-power lasers could paint an image onto the human retina by scanning across it at high speed, essentially treating it as a tiny TV screen. If you could assemble a set of microscopic red, blue and green lasers, stick them where they could project onto your eyes, and hook them up to a computer, you could still see whatever you'd normally see, but with three-dimensional, full-color displays of additional information or imagery overlaid on the visible world—an effect called "augmented reality." Think of Arnold Schwarzenegger's sunglasses in Terminator, and you're on the right track.

Display - taken to the next level!

Future of the Screen: After the CRT, a Display Deluge

While the LCD-backlit LED has so far brought incremental advances to the mobile-computing space, the place where it's poised to have the most dramatic impact is in televisions. A high-end LCD HDTV has a contrast ratio of about 30,000:1, whereas LED LCDs have contrast ratios between 1,000,000:1 and 2,000,000:1. Power consumption and weight savings of LED-backlit LCDs are between 30 and 50 percent, and these savings translate into very attractive form factors—the latest LED LCD TVs from Sharp and others are only a little over 1 inch thick, despite their large (46 inch and up) screen sizes.

Surgical Robots Operate With Precision

Surgical Robots

Dread going the doctor? It could be worse. Your next physician could have the bedside manner of a robot. In fact, your next physician could be a robot.

Business Intelligence and Collaboration: The new frontier of decision making

By Kristina Kerr
How often do consult with your colleagues or an expert when you're making an important business decision? Probably most, if not all, of the time. A natural step in the decision-making process is to collaborate with people to ensure expertise, insight and stakeholder opinions are factored into each decision. Technology is evolving to support this growing trend (see Gartner's report titled The Rise of Collaborative Decision Making). Microsoft customers, like Univerzal Banka, are at the front of this technology curve using Microsoft SharePoint Server, Microsoft SQL Server, and Microsoft Office Excel for BI and collaboration. This allows Univerzal Banka personnel to boost their productivity and work more closely with colleagues.

Effective decision-making also requires data in the hands of everyone who needs it. That's why Microsoft has made large investments in managed self-service BI that enables end users to quickly manipulate large datasets in Office Excel 2010 (often millions of rows), streamline the integration of data from heterogeneous sources, and effortlessly share analysis through SharePoint 2010. Scroll down to get a sneak peek at some minute-long vignettes of a project code named 'Gemini'.

I encourage you to learn more about these important trends and their benefits at the upcoming SharePoint Conference 2009 and PASS Summit Unite 2009 - please note the special discount code for Microsoft guests below - where the BI team will show you how these innovations will help you make the most of your investments in the Microsoft BI platform.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Kristina Kerr
Group Product Manager
Microsoft Business Intelligence

Upgrade Windows 7 RC to the Final RTM Release

To perform the hack for yourself, simply open up the cversion.ini file in the sources folder and change the MinClient value to 7000. Once you've done so, you can upgrade without any issues.

http://lifehacker.com/5332036/upgrade-windows-7-rc-to-the-final-rtm-release

John Holliday, MVP Office SharePoint Server 2007

John Holliday, MVP Office SharePoint Server 2007: "SharePoint Designer 2007 - It's FREE!"

SilverLight and SharePoint 2007 - Step by Step

CJG : SilverLight and SharePoint 2007 - Step by Step: "http://sl4sp.codeplex.com/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=19961"

Leaked: Office 2010 Technical Preview screenshots

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/05/leaked-office-2010-technical-preview-screenshots.ars

Earlier this week we learned that Microsoft would be giving out the Office 2010 Technical Preview to select testers on an invite-only basis. In January, screenshots of the alpha (then still codenamed Office 14) were leaked a week after select testers got them. This time, testers don't even have the Technical Preview yet, but new screenshots have already arrived (see below). Office 2010 will be available in 32-bit and 64-bit, and both flavors have been leaked.

Gartner Gives BI a High 5

"You only find out who's swimming naked when the tide goes out." The famous Warren Buffett quote has been used more than once in reference to the fate awaiting many businesses in today's economic crisis, and according to a Gartner report about business intelligence (BI) trends for 2009, one revelation driven by the recession will be which organizations have it together -- and which are struggling.

Windows 7 - Beta fun!

I have decided to join the public group of testers of the newly released Windows 7 operating system. It is soo pretty. First I installed it on a laptop I have laying around just to see how long it would take to load- surprisingly fast. I then began to poke around to see what it came with and if there was anything interesting/new to peak my exploring further- updated Media Center (love it!)

Just when I thought Microsoft was on the right track, I checked device manager and found a few devices missing drivers. Typically this would not be an issue as incorrect or missing drivers is some to expect in the Windows world but Windows 7 is too new for manufacturers to provide supported drivers. More to my disappointment, my ATI video card was not supported. :(

I then tested installing the OS on my MacBookPro (VM Ware Fusion). I used Windows 2008 as the guest OS preference (since Windows 7 was not an option). Gave it a 40gb drive, 1GB RAM, NAT for networking. Fired right up and also appeared to be working great until I went to device manager and noticed, yet again, unrecognized devices...Urrrgh!

I am still working through the kinks and will follow-up with more as I continue to explore this new OS.

One bright note - the new Media Center functionality includes a larger online content library which made me very happy (news, photos, video, etc...)

The future of transportation - Intelligent Design

The Ultimate Flying Machine: Sexy as a Sports Car, Portable as a Jet Ski

Kirk Hawkins started Icon Aircraft, and he has spent the past five years designing and building the A5. It's a plane like no other—the wings fold at the push of a button, making it easy to store and trailer. The side windows pop out so pilots can feel the wind, and the cockpit has just a few gauges. Meant to evoke something sporty, like a jet ski, instead of a lumbering Cessna or a tough-to-fly experimental kludge, the plane is supposed to let anyone who can afford the $139,000 price tag become a barnstormer. In a few weeks, a prototype will be on display at the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin—mecca for air enthusiasts. If the A5 flies today, and flies well, it could create a new market for airplanes.

Top 10 SQL Server Tips of 2008

As the year comes to a close, here are the top 10 SQL Server tips for 2008. Whether defining various data types, recommending memory configuration settings or providing stored procedures to assist with SQL Server table and log size issues, these tips were the most viewed by SearchSQLServer.com's readers in 2008.

Kerberos authentication and delegation for Monitoring Server

The articles in this section outline the changes that are required to get PerformancePoint Monitoring Server working using delegation.

Delegation enables a Web application or service to use the caller’s identity to access remote network resources. Delegation operates based on Integrated Windows authentication and the Kerberos protocol. Scenarios that require the use of delegation are commonly referred to as double-hop scenarios. In the case of PerformancePoint Monitoring Server, this would include scenarios where Internet Information Services is located on a different computer from the target data source.