David Boschmans' Weblog

SQL Server 2005 Express - SSEUtil

Earlier this week Microsoft released on the MSDN Download Center the SQL Server Express Utility, a tool that lets you easily interact with SQL Server.

SSEUtil.exe is a tool that lets you easily interact with SQL Server. Among other things, it allows you to:

• Connect to the main instance or user-instance of SQL Server.
• Create, attach, detach, and list databases on the server.
• Upgrade database files to match the version of the server.
• Execute SQL statements via the console (similar to SQLCMD).
• Retrieve the version of SQL Server running.
• Enable and disable trace flags (for example, to trace SQL statements sent to the server by any client application)
• List the instances of SQL Server on the local machine or on remote machines.
• Checkpoint and shrink a database
• Measure the performance of executing specific queries.
• Create and playback lists of SQL commands for the server to execute.
• Log all input and output.

If you're looking for an overview of SQL Server Express check this MSDN article: SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Overview. Fabrice Romelard provides us with an article covering the installation of SQL Server 2005 Express Edition on the ASP-PHP community site.

Other SQL Server 2005 related donwloads:

• Application Platform (SQL Server, Visual Studio, and BizTalk Server) White Paper: This paper outlines the Microsoft application platform—the confluence of servers, clients, and devices that can help connect people with business-critical information across the enterprise, thus driving overall business success. This paper focuses on Microsoft’s latest investments in business intelligence, integration, and developer productivity with updated releases of Microsoft SQL Server 2005, Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006, and Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, respectively.
• Using SQL Server 2005 Integration Services in a Scalable Business Intelligence Solution: Discussion on how Microsoft IT used SQL Server 2005 Integration Services to create a flexible and scalable business intelligence solution. By using SQL Server 2005 Integration Services, Microsoft IT was able to reduce data processing time by 80 percent.
• AdventureWorks OLTP Database Diagram: Download a diagram of the AdventureWorks sample OLTP database. The AdventureWorks sample OLTP database is used in samples for SQL Server 2005 and product documentation for SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. The diagram is available in both HTML and Visio 2003 format.
• SQL Server Health and History Tool (SQLH2): This version of SQLH2 supports SQL Server 2005 RTM collection.SQLH2 collects four main types of information:

1. Feature Usage – What services/features are installed, running and level of workload on the service.
2. Configuration Settings – Machine, OS and SQL configuration settings, SQL instance and database metadata.
3. Uptime of the SQL Server service
4. Performance Counters (optional) – Used to determine performance trends

System.Workflow (Beta 1.2) for Office 12

The Windows Workflow Foundation is one of the core components of WinFX, the next generation .NET Framework that will be available to all users of Windows running Windows Vista, Windows Server 200X, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. The Windows Workflow Foundation is an engine and a framework - a set of assemblies System.Workflow and not a product - that can be used across many scenarios:

• workflow within line-of-business applications
• user interface page flow
• document-centric workflow
• human workflow
• composite workflow for service-oriented applications
• business rule-driven workflow
• workflow for systems management

Typically developers and ISVs are very interested in this extensible approach to workflow.

One of the many scenarios where this workflow approach will be very valuable is in Office 12. One of the key requests for the next version of Office was the capability to collaborate on documents using workflow. The great news is that Office 12 uses the Windows Workflow Foundation engine that is embedded in SharePoint host for workflow. This means that the workflow is executed on SharePoint. Of course several prebuilt workflows like review, approval and document expiration will ship with Office 12  Also custom workflows will be supported. There's even a wizard interface in FrontPage 12 that you can use for developing workflow for Office.

The excellent news is that for the professional developers using Visual Studio 2005 there is now the Windows® Workflow Foundation Beta 1.2 for Office "12" (Beta 1). It's important to know that for this wokflow beta you have to use the release versions of .NET Framework 2.0 and Visual Studio 2005, as well as Office "12" (Beta 1). The Windows Workflow Foundation Beta 1.2 runtime components are required for Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services "3.0" (Beta 1), Office "12" servers (Beta 1), and "FrontPage 12" (Beta 1) and the Visual Studio 2005 Extensions for Windows Workflow Foundation are required for customers who are designing workflows in Visual Studio 2005 and/or require the Windows Workflow Foundation SDK.

Microsoft Windows Defender

[Via Steve Dodson & the Anti-Malware team blog] Microsoft Windows Defender is the new name of the Microsoft anti-spyware technology. As one might have expected the good news is that it's going to be part of Windows Vista. The Windows Security Center in Vista will even be redesigned to detect if an Anti-Spyware application such as Windows Defender is running and operating normally.

Signature updates for Microsoft Windows Defender will be available through the automatic updates of Windows Update.

More info can be found on the Anti-Malware Engineering Team Blog.