Virtual Lab looks at WCF fundamentals

New MSDN Virtual Lab event covers the basics of programming in Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). Included is a PDF document with detailed step-by-step instructions covering the tasks required to complete several scenarios.

/Gill

WebParts: From SharePoint to ASP.NET 2.0

By Dino Esposito
Wintellect's Dino Esposito shows how to build custom Web Parts for SharePoint Portal Server and SharePoint Services using Visual Studio 2003 with the WebPart Templates. He then shows how to build a similar Web Part using the Portal Framework in ASP.NET 2.0 without using SharePoint.

/Gill

What to know your KPIs ?

Here is a full length step by step tutorial with explanation for KPI especially for OLAP Reporting.

Mastering OLAP Reporting: Reporting with Analysis Services KPIs
By William Pearson
http://www.databasejournal.com/features/mssql/article.php/3605826

Want a real-world .Net app to try out various secure development scenarios?

Well there is the Hacme Bank™(Copyright 2004-2006 (c) by McAfee, Inc.http://www.foundstone.com)

It is designed to teach application developers, programmers, architects and security professionals how to create secure software. Hacme Bank simulates a "real-world" web services-enabled online banking application, which was built with a number of known and common vulnerabilities. This allows users to attempt real exploits against a web application and thus learn the specifics of the issue and how best to fix it. The web services exposed by Hacme Bank are used by our other testing applications including Hacme Books and Hacme Travel.

/Gill

Create Reports from Any Data Source Using SQL Server Reporting Services Custom Data Extensions

I used SQL Server Reporting Services 2005 many times in SQL 2005 trainings i conducted and also at presentation at IT events and always loved to tell people how one can reports from any data source. You do not need to store you data source on a Microsoft SQL Server to get reports.

Here is a nice article (not MSDN whitepaper) which shows you just how to take advantage of Reporting Services' unique extensibility model to build reports from ADO.NET datasets.
It is written by by Teo Lachev

SQL 2000 Performance Tuning ? Want a book ?

Read a lot of good reviews for this book. It is written 2004 but very applicable to even SQL 2005.

SQL Server Query Performance Tuning Distilled
Product Details
Paperback: 624 pages
Publisher: Apress; 2 edition (October 11, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN: 1590594215

Five common Web application vulnerabilities

The following Infocus technical article was published on SecurityFocus today:
Five common Web application vulnerabilities By Sumit Siddharth and Pratiksha Doshi Published 2006-04-28

This article looks at five common Web application attacks, primarily for PHP applications, and then presents a short case study of a vulnerable Website that was found using Google and easily exploited. It would be useful too if you were doing any web applications in general.

Microsoft to extend SQL Server Mobile to all versions of Windows

Exec says it's 'naive' to think all data will live in the data center

My blog entry referenced. I feel useful.

I had made an entry into my blog about web part development. Recently someone had reference my web part blog entry in their blog. It is in French.

I would get it translated soon and find out what was written about my blog. I think he was happy to have all that he needs to know about Web Part development, especially the information on Smart Part.

Here is his blog http://blogs.developpeur.org/redo/archive/2005/02/08/4387.aspx (in French)

/Gill

BEA ups ante for SharePoint integration and .NET development

Two new BEA Systems products aim to increase value and ease of use for customers using both Java and .NET platforms; the new releases are a milestone on what BEA calls its "unified portal roadmap," announced last December.

BEA made the announcement at the Gartner Portals, Content & Collaboration Summit in Las Vegas earlier this week, saying the products in their portal portfolio are designed for customers using .NET-based apps and services with investment in Microsoft technologies. The announcement covers both the new AquaLogic Interaction SharePoint Console, designed to support integration and governance of Windows SharePoint services within a BEA portal deployment; and the Portal .NET Application Accelerator, an integrated toolset for ASP .NET developers working with the WSRP standard.

By ADT Staff

How to invoke a BizTalk Orchestration using Office InfoPath 2003

Here is a nice article at CodeProject.com. I work Biztalk and InfoPath quite a lot. Never got to writing a guide and whitepaper but i thought this would be a good read.

It is written by Naveen Karamchetti

Microsoft eyes XAML to wed designers, developers

It sees Windows Presentation Foundation Everywhere as a more flexible alternative to Flash.

Read more (at computerworld.com)

The Worst Web Design Techniques Featured on Web Pages That Suck in 2005

Q&A: Microsoft exec details Team Foundation Server launch

Multiple Active Resut Sets (MARS) in SQL

Here is a small FAQ on MARS. It is short but it has got some important details. Read it...

What is BASE64.

If you want to learn more about Base64, there's a pretty good article over at Wikipedia.

Free Encryption By: Michael Coles (from SQLServerCentral.com)

Free SQL Server 2000 Encryption for your data!!! Author Michael Coles has put together a toolkit and some XPs that you can use to encrypt your data with the Blowfish algorithm. It is hard to write good applications that encrpyt data and manage the keys and security. This will give you a great headstart on protecting your data.

How-To-Select an Obfuscation Tool for .NET™

From the How-To-Select™ Guides at http://www.howtoselectguides.com/

Automated Smart Client Deployment and Update - Today and Tomorrow

March 31, 2005 (at http://www.theserverside.net)
Smart client application architecture is gaining ground as a replacement for many intranet and some internet web applications. Smart client architectures have many considerations that you need to take into account to build a well robust, reliable, scalable, performant, and secure app. However, building the application is only part of the battle.

Once you get the smart client application designed and tested along with its supporting middle tier components, you need to deploy the application to client machines and support it with (possibly frequent) updates while it is there.

This article will discuss some of your options, including capabilities that exist today with .NET 1.1 such as Windows Installer, No Touch Deployment, and the Updater Application Block, as well as those that will soon arrive with the release of .NET 2.0, specifically ClickOnce.

A Case Study in Performance Tuning

Columnist : Gordon Pollokoff Posted: 01/24/2005 at sqlservercentral.com

Summary:SQL Server does a wonderful job of tuning itself, selecting the optimum query plans and in general performing very well under a variety of conditions. That does not mean the a good DBA cannot add value by setting up the system and ensuring the optimizer receives the information that it needs. New author Gordon Pollokoff brings us a short case study from a project he as recently involved in where a new application required a bit of tuning.