Kurt Shintaku's Blog

SQLServer 2012 Special Ops Tour – Irvine, CA – March 5, 2012

Irvine Marriott
18000 Von Karman Ave
Irvine, CA 92612
http://specialops.sqlpass.org/Agenda.aspx#fbid=v6awmYddPoK

Event Details
The time to activate is now. Microsoft SQL Server 2012 is launching soon. Be a part of this highly anticipated event! Join us for our 12-city road tour where Microsoft experts and local DBAs will show you the power of SQL Server 2012. At the Tour stop in your city, you will:

• Dive deep into the tools, solutions and options that will enable mission critical confidence at a low TCO
• Discover breakthrough insight with pervasive data discovery
• Learn options to create & scale your current business solutions by managing the cloud on your terms
• Preview RC0 with tips and tricks to help you succeed, & build your learning plan for certification

THE TOUR AGENDA

• 1:30 – 2:30 PM – SQL Server 2012 – The New World of Data
  SQL Server 2012 as the Mission Critical, cloud-enabled Data Platform, ready for the world of BigData. Learn about SQL Server 2012, as the Mission Critical, cloud-enabled Data Platform, ready for the world of BigData. We’ll introduce SQL Server 2012 key pillars: Mission Critical Evidence, Breakthrough Insights and Cloud on Your Terms. You will learn how SQL will enable mission critical confidence at a low TCO, and be introduced to the Fast Time to Solution scenarios with SQL Server Appliances, Developer Tools and blazing fast performance.
• 2:30 – 3:15 PM – Introduction to SQL Server 2012 AlwaysON – Availability Groups
  In this session, you’ll learn how to configure and implement SQL Server AlwaysOn Availability groups. We’ll explore the architecture, concepts, and steps for configuring High Availability in SQL Server 2012.
• 3:15 – 3:30 PM – BREAK
• 3:30 – 4:15 PM – Self-Service BI using PowerPivot and PowerView
  Discover the new capabilities of PowerPivot and Power View in SQL Server 2012, allowing people from all levels of the organization to unlock new insights with pervasive data discovery across structured, unstructured and cloud data resources, backed by self-service managed B.I. We’ll dive deep into the technical underpinnings and integration with SharePoint and Excel for rapid data exploration and visualization.
• 4:15 – 4:45 PM – Understanding Microsoft Training & Certifications for Microsoft SQL Server 2012
  Are you interested in becoming certified in SQL Server? Do you already hold a SQL certification and wonder about getting certified in the new program? In this session, Pete Harris will provide an overview of the certifications and training offered by Microsoft for SQL Server 2012. We’ll discuss the value of being certified, and then discuss the different certifications, upgrade paths and the related training options offered by Microsoft Learning.
• 4:45 – 5:15 PM – In Summary
  15 minute session to go over the highlights + QA

—————————–

Date/Time:
March 5^th – 1:00PM

Location:
Irvine Marriott
18000 Von Karman Ave
Irvine, CA 92612

Registration:
http://specialops.sqlpass.org/Agenda.aspx#fbid=v6awmYddPoK

How can you meet advanced analytical, data warehousing and application performance needs while keeping costs under control?

Join renowned visionary Bill Inmon, the father of data warehousing, at our upcoming seminar at the Irvine Microsoft Technology Center on Wednesday, February 29th to find out.

Learn how leading organizations are realizing significant cost savings and performance gains with an integrated architecture that combines servers, storage, and database software into a unified system.

For more information – including event agenda, speaker bios and complimentary admission, visit the seminar Web site.

To reserve your seat, call Jen Tobin on (617) 431-9722 or apply online:

About this seminar:

What: A free, half-day seminar sponsored by Microsoft, HP and Intel®

When: Wednesday, February 29th, 2012, 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Where: Microsoft Technology Center, 3 Park Plaza, Suite 1600, Irvine, CA

Who: Senior IT and LOB decision makers, CIOs, VPs of IT, BI directors, data warehousing professionals, IT managers, business analysts, data analysts, database managers, solution architects, etc.

Event highlights:

• Featured keynote presentation by Bill Inmon, the father of data warehousing
• Hear strategies for reducing data management operating costs
• Learn how to consolidate workloads to reduce data center complexity
• Discover the latest technologies available from HP, Microsoft and Intel®
• Join in lively, interactive roundtable discussions with local peers and leading data warehousing industry experts.

Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to interact with senior IT decision-makers and line of business professionals grappling with similar data warehousing challenges you face.

Call Jen Tobin on (617) 431-9722 or apply online today:
We look forward to hosting you in Irvine on February 29th!

Each attendee will receive a complimentary copy of Bill Inmon’s recently published book, Building an Unstructured Data Warehouse.  In addition, attendees will be entered into a raffle and eligible to win an HP Mini !

NOTE: Public sector employees are not eligible to participate in the HP Mini prize drawing.

P.S. This event will highlight how leading companies are currently benefiting from the latest advances in data warehousing technology.  Apply online today!

The PST Capture tool for Exchange 2010 & Office 365 just hit RTW.  The tool is used to discover and import .pst files into Exchange Server or Exchange Online.

Today marks the much anticipated release of the Microsoft Exchange .PST capture tool that allows businesses of all types and sizes to methodically seek out and destroy err, find all the local archive files (AKA .PST files) and then migrate them into the user’s mailbox. This tool works with both Exchange 2010 and Office 365 and helps address the corporate email compliance that personal archives pose inside of an organization. Keeping with the Exchange 2010 theme of large, low-cost mailboxes, pulling a user’s old personal archives back into their mailbox not only brings these emails back into the control of the Exchange Admins, but it also increases user productivity as all of these emails will now be indexed and searchable through both Outlook and Outlook Web App.

…

PST Capture is used to discover and import Outlook Personal Folder (.pst) File Format files into Exchange Server and Exchange Online. PST Capture helps an organization that wishes to gain more control over their email data repositories by placing them into Exchange. By optionally installing PST Capture Agents on target machines, administrators can determine where .pst files are located and who their file owner is via the PST Capture Console. Administrators can import .pst files via Import Lists to Exchange Server or Exchange Online. Data can be directly imported into the primary mailbox or associated archive mailbox.

Read more about the PST Capture Tool here:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/bobh/archive/2012/01/30/microsoft-pst-capture-tool-for-exchange-2010-and-office-365-released-deep-dive-technet-radio-episode-coming.aspx

Read the Exchange Blog post about the PST Capture Tool here:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/exchange/archive/2012/01/30/pst-time-to-walk-the-plank.aspx

Download the PST Capture Tool here:
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=28767

View documentation on the PST Capture Tool here:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh781036.aspx

Windows XP and Office 2003 End of Support is just over 800 days away! 

More specifically, Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will no longer be supported from April 8, 2014 onwards. After this date, Microsoft will not provide any public support for these products, including security patches, non-security hotfixes or incident support.

Running Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 in your environment after their end of support date may expose your company to potential risks, such as:

• Security & Compliance Risks – Unsupported and unpatched environments are vulnerable to security risks. This may result in an officially recognized control failure by an internal or external audit body, leading to suspension of certifications, and/or public notification of the organization’s inability to maintain its systems and customer information.
• Lack of Independent Software Vendor (ISV) & Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Support – A recent industry report from Gartner Research suggests "many independent software vendors (ISVs) are unlikely to support new versions of applications on Windows XP in 2011; in 2012, it will become common". And it may stifle access to hardware innovation: Gartner Research further notes that in 2012, most PC hardware OEMs will stop supporting Windows XP on the majority of their new PC models. See Creating a Timeline for Deploying Windows 7 and Eliminating Windows XP SP3, June 2011.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the great End of Support resources available at www.microsoft.com/endofsupport.

Also… for your desktop:
Windows XP End of Support Countdown Widget

The biggest & most ubiquitous sight at CES 2012 this year were everyone’s Ultrabooks.  It seemed as if every OEM – even consumer electronics companies like LG – had one.

What are Ultrabooks, anyway?
Ultrabooks are the next evolution in the traditional PC/Notebook form-factor.  Intel holds the trademark for the name “Ultrabook,” and provides Ultrabook specs:

• Weight <3.1lbs;
• Thickness <21mm;
• Battery life 5-8 hours;
• Price ~$1000

Upcoming Ultrabooks:
All major OEMs have announced their own Ultrabook versions (HP Envy 14 Spectre, Dell XPS 13, ASUS UX 31, Lenovo Ideapad Yoga, etc.) and even smaller OEMs are coming.

• The Samsung Series 9 revolutionized PC design last year with the ultraslim notebook. This year they are making it lighter, with softer edges, and better touchpad integration.
• Both the Acer Aspire S3 (available now) and the Acer S5 (coming soon) are touted to be the thinnest PCs in the world.
• The Toshiba Z835 offers business class performance and includes an on-board TPM security device.
• Keep an eye on the super light HP Folio 13, with up to 9.5 hours of battery life.

Microsoft’s Ben “The PC Guy” Rudolph flew into CES 2012 this year in Vegas and offered a simple challenge:  Come on by the Microsoft booth and if you think your phone can beat the speed & execution of how things are done on Windows Phone, race us.  If you beat us, we’ll give you $100.

Otherwise, you need to stand in front of the camera, announce your phone model, and declare that you were “smoked by Windows Phone”. 

The tests varied depending upon what the challenger was comfortable with.  Some folks were interested in simply Social Networking tasks like posting to Twitter and Facebook, others wanted network performance tests and still others wanted to look up restaurants and addresses to get directions.

34 challengers came by with a variety of phones including:
(This is just the list of phones I’m positive competed)

• iPhone 4S
• Motorola Droid Bionic
• Palm Pre Plus
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus
• Samsung Skyrocket
• Droid Charge
• HTC Evo 4T
• …

Here’s a video summary of all the challengers that came by:

Final score:  30 wins, 3 losses, 1 tie

And most of the time, they weren’t just beaten… they really were smoked.  For a full recap of all the challenges, check this link out:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE0328D93355727B7&feature=view_all

(Side note: Regarding the 3 losses, all three devices that won were very close… and also subsequently beaten in other tests against other challengers.)

Did you know you might be licensed for the Lync PLUS CAL already?

In July 1^st, 2009, Microsoft announced that they’d be splitting off the “Voice over SIP/PBX integration” licensing from the OCS Enterprise CAL into a new separate CAL called the “Voice CAL” – later renamed to the “Lync PLUS CAL”.  This had the effect of reducing the cost of OCS/Lync Enterprise CALs but requiring customers to license a new 3^rd CAL to get voice-over-SIP/PBX integration.

• To compensate customers that had already licensed the OCS Enterprise CAL on Software Assurance, Microsoft granted licensing for the Lync PLUS CAL automatically to customers that had made a OCS Enterprise CAL purchase under SA prior to the release of Lync 2010. (Jan 21^st, 2011)  The number of Lync PLUS CAL licenses granted were equal to the number of OCS Enterprise CALs owned at that time under SA – these come at no cost.  Beyond this, customers could then get SA on the Lync PLUS CAL to get WAVE 15 licenses.
• Additionally, if the OCS Enterprise CAL purchase was made prior to July 1^st 2009, the customer was entitled to not only the Lync 2010 PLUS CALs but also “Lync PLUS CALs for WAVE 15” coming this year, assuming again that OCS Enterprise was on SA.  This means that for two releases, the customer does not have to pay for anything to get the Lync PLUS CAL.  Not even Lync PLUS CAL SA costs.

Note that the Lync 2010 PLUS CAL is worth $107/CAL retail.  It’s a huge value. (http://lync.microsoft.com/en-us/HowToBuy/Pages/pricing.aspx)
…hence, knowing exactly when you purchased OCS Enterprise CALs on SA is very important.

Here are the documented Lync 2010 PLUS CAL grandfathering rules:

• Purchased prior to July 1st 2009 and maintain SA:
• You will receive a perpetual license of Lync Server 2010 Plus CAL at its general availability (GA) date.
• If you maintain SA on the Office Communications Server ECAL or the ECAL Suite, you will have access rights equivalent to the rights under the Lync Server 2010 Plus CAL for two releases (Lync Server 2010 and release N+1 where N=Lync Server 2010).
• You may separately renew the Lync Server 2010 Plus CAL SA at your first renewal period post the release N+1 in order to maintain SA benefits of future releases.
• Purchased after July 1st 2009 and before the release of Lync Server 2010 and maintain SA:
• You will receive a perpetual license of Lync Server 2010 Plus CAL at its GA date.
• You may separately renew the Lync Server 2010 Plus CAL SA at your first renewal period post the Lync Server 2010 GA in order to maintain SA benefits of future releases.

Written documentation on this is available here: http://download.microsoft.com/documents/UK/Danmark/partner/ocs/Lync_Server_2010_-_Grandfathering_Reference_Guide_Customer_Ready.docx

NOTE:  Lync 2010 was released for General Availability on 1/21/2011 per the Microsoft Support Lifecycle web site:
http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=15708

I haven’t posted much about CES 2012 because I’m too darned busy.  That being said, I pointed this out to a customer of mine and thought I’d say a few words about this.  This product is FREAKIN’ COOL:

• Targus SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Dual Display Docking Station
  http://www.targus.com/us/productdetail.aspx?regionId=7&sku=ACP70USZ

Why is this so cool?  USB 3.0 is not only a super high bandwidth connection to other peripherals – fast enough for video – is UBIQUITOUS.  I haven’t bought a single new laptop/ultrabook that doesn’t have a USB 3.0 port on them.  Meanwhile I haven’t seen EVEN ONE laptop with Lightpeak/Thunderbolt in it.  That tells me who’s gonna win right there.

Here’s what’s on this docking station/port replicator:

Enjoy an increase in speed and more power by utilizing the latest USB 3.0 technology for your workstation. The Targus USB 3.0 SuperSpeed Dual Video Docking Station offers dual video ports that deliver beyond HD video and graphics up to 2048 x 1152(1x DVI-I, 1x HDMI) to two monitors. In addition it includes a DVI to VGA adapter, 1 HDMI to DVI adapter, 2 USB 3.0 ports for your USB 3.0 peripherals and 4 USB 2.0 ports for all of your USB 2.0 items. The docking station also includes a Gigabit Ethernet port, audio In/Out ports to connect speakers and a security lock slot to help secure the dock and avoid theft. A 6A AC adapter and 2ft USB 3.0 cable are also included to help make it easy to connect your device to a complete workstation – including dual monitors, a mouse, keyboard, printer and other peripherals you may need to connect with by simply docking your laptop. The docking station also has two high-powered USB ports, providing extra power and stays on even when the laptop is disconnected.

Wow, this bugged me forever but I never had time to investigate it thoroughly.

• What do you do if Adobe Flash is clearly installed on your PC but when you go to a site that uses Flash, it says that you need to either “install Flash” or “update Flash to the latest version”?

This had me baffled.  Why?  Because after some quick research, I saw that this could be caused by a Flash update failure and that there were only a few things that you could do to fix the issue:

1. UNINSTALL/REINSTALL FLASH
   Of course we all try this.  To no avail.  The behavior is the same in the new install and Flash continues to respond as if it’s not installed or needs to be updated.
2. UPDATE FLASH IN-PLACE
   We all attempt to do an update of Flash once we see this and update over the existing install in the hopes that the problem will go away.  This didn’t work for me.  Ever.
3. DISABLE HARDWARE ACCELERATION
   This was an interesting one because apparently some machines will exhibit this behavior if it’s an old ATOM machine for example and doesn’t have any graphics acceleration on chip or discrete at all.  The problem is, I see no way to disable HW acceleration manually this if you can’t actually get to a working Flash object at all.

It turns out that there’s a FOURTH thing you can do:

• UNINSTALL FLASH USING THE SPECIAL UNINSTALL TOOL
  You read that right.  Apparently there is a tool specifically designed to reallyreallyreally uninstall Flash from a system.  Doing a straight uninstall from Add/Remove Programs on your Windows system isn’t enough because the uninstall process doesn’t actually uninstall everything.  It leaves behind registry keys and values, directories, etc.  Not good.

  …in any case, this finally worked for me after I ran it and then reinstalled Flash 11 again.  Hope it works for you too:

  KB: Uninstall Flash Player | Windows
  http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/141/tn_14157.html

Apparently this does stem from the registry keys and values that remain from the previous install.  Before this uninstaller, you had to actually go into the registry and manually delete all these keys and values by yourself per Adobe’s web site during the Flash 9 and Flash 10 days.  Nowadays, if you use the Uninstaller, it automatically cleans things up for you in the registry – which is one of the reasons they produced this tool. 

Here’s a pointer to the uninstallers referred to in the above KB Tech Note (tn_14157):

…

Download the uninstaller for Flash Player

Download the correct Flash Player uninstaller for your version of Windows. (For assistance with this step, see How to determine whether a computer is running a 32-bit version or 64-bit version of the Windows operating system.)

• 32-bit uninstaller (229 KB)
• 64-bit uninstaller (229 KB)

…

Be sure that when you’re running it, you have everything shutdown that could possibly be using Flash.  IM programs, browser windows, other apps, etc.

Here are some research articles I flipped through.  But the important was is above:

• Can’t install Flash Player
  http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/494/cpsid_49419.html
• Installation problems | Flash Player | Windows
  http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/191/tn_19166.html
• Flash Player doesn’t work | Windows
  http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/837/cpsid_83715.html

Pop quiz. 

“Name one prognostication that the world’s leader in parts and components tracking, the world’s largest technology think tank, and the leader in sourcing marketshare, breadth, & statistics all agree with.”

Time’s up:

• “Windows Phone will surpass iOS’s marketshare By 2015”

Yup.  For all the hype & ubiquity that you hear and see in around this part of the world for ‘the other guys’, if you keep hearing the same thing from smart people over and over again, it’s probably a good idea to take heed. 

Gartner Group, IDC, and iSuppli all agree that iOS will be the 3rd place marketshare holder by 2015:

• iSuppli: Windows Phone To Surpass iOS By 2015
  http://techcrunch.com/2012/01/19/isuppli-agrees-with-idc-gartner-windows-phone-to-surpass-ios-by-2015/
• Gartner: Windows Phone will overtake iPhone, BlackBerry by 2015
  http://blog.seattlepi.com/microsoft/2011/04/07/gartner-windows-phone-will-overtake-iphone-blackberry-by-2015/
• IDC: Windows Phones to Overtake iPhone iOS by 2015
  http://www.pcworld.com/article/230151/idc_windows_phones_to_overtake_iphone_
  ios_by_2015.html

That now makes 3 authorities that agree on the same prediction.  For those that are in the “tl;dr” group, wondering “WHY?!?” here’s some things for you to consider:

• NOKIA.  Nokia’s worldwide presence & expertise as a phone designer & phone distributor gives it a distinct advantage over iPhone.  Some examples include exclusive distribution rights in certain countries, the ability to economize designs faster & more efficiently, the fact that it remains the 2nd largest producer of phones worldwide, second only to Samsung by a thread, and that Nokia is moving all it’s rich mobile services to it’s Windows Phone devices.  And Nokia is exclusively investing it’s technology into Windows Phone.
• MICROSOFT.  Windows on the desktop will look like Windows on the phone.  The Windows Phone interface is about to become the Windows 8 interface.  Don’t think that’ll make a difference?  Most people attribute iPad’s success with it’s familial connection to iPhone.  This is exactly what Windows Phone is doing.  And if you doubt Windows 8’s coming dominance, consider that 90% of the PC market are Windows OEMs and ONLY SHIP THE CURRENT VERSION OF WINDOWS.  In 2011, over 350 Million PCs shipped with Windows 7 on it, an 8% increase over the previous year.  In 2012, all these shipments will be with Windows 8 on it – PERIOD.  Microsoft doesn’t allow older versions of Windows to ship on OEM PCs.
• DEVELOPERS.  Windows Phone, in just 1 year will have more developers for it than iOS and Android combined.  How?  Any developer writing to Windows 8 using Microsoft’s developer tools will be able to republish their products for Windows Phone.  The same compiler, the same design tools, and the same skills will provide Windows PC developers with the ability to expand their customer base to Windows Phone users simply by modifying the UI & republishing their touch control app for Windows Phone.