New HTML 5 tags and IE 8.0 Beta

I tried some of the HTML 5 only tags and did not see any difference. It could not play audio and Video. The browser was not using the IE 7.0 Emulate switch.

One thing did happen: My Blog editor went crazy. Lost the place holder for Title and the formatting buttons on the editor lost control. This was posted using FireFox 2.0.

Can the new tags be used in CSS rules?
<article><aside><audio src="http://localhost/bing.wav">Can you hear this?</audio>
<canvas><command>
<datagrid><datalist><details><dialog>
<embed><event-source>
<figure><footer><header><m>Local News>/m><meter>
<nav><nest>
<output>
<progress>
<rule>
<section><source>
<time>Monday March 31, 2008</time>
<video src="http://localhost/WHIDBEY_03.wmv">Do you see this displayed?</video>

Panorama: SQL Anywhere 11's BETA is out

I down loaded 'Panorama' and installed it on the same machine side by side with others SQL Server 2005, Oracle 10G Xe, IBM DB2 and also SQL Anywhere 10.

Initial findings extremely encouraging...

* The installation was uneventful, easy and smooth. A very positive feature

* The document installation was easy

* Visual improvements many, especially the dialogue boxes for connections [ the only one I evaluated in detail]

* The installation updated the .NET related items that you would see on VS 2005, namely, the Sybase Central and ISQLAnywhere.

* Ás per my original wishes, SQL Anywhere queries can now return data in 'JSON'

* Here is a quick view of the 'Demo' database's overview in Sybase Central 11.

Strange behaviour of Data Link File

Problem started here...
I removed an instance of SQL Server 2005 (evaluation edition) but some how parts of it remained. I tried to clean up to remove the existing SSRS and in the process the ability to create a UDL file presented a problem.

The Problem
In the Data Link properties page when I try to refresh the server I get the 'Microsoft Data Link error "Error enumerating data servers. Enumerator reports Únspecified Error". Normally it would reveal all available servers.



My troubelshooting begins...
I associated this with the MS Ole DB errors (bad guess) and tried to repair the MDAC 2.8 which in itself was another tedious web search followed by a final repair. Apparently this is not straight forward with Windows XP SP2. You need the original CD's and also know where the files are(see tags). This was a good resource I found on the web.

http://www.macropool.com/en/download/mdac_xp_sp2.html

And now..
However this did not solve the original problem. Probably there was no error with the MS OLEDB but something else that the Wizard is doing. This is the problem with the Graphic User Interfaces.

Now instead of hitting the Refresh button on Data Link Properties window, I directly enter the local server with a [.] & enter the credentials. Now the connectivity test succeeds.

I still do not understand what caused the problem.

My problems with the Reporting Services in Visual Studio 2008

I have used Reporting Services with VS 2003 and VS 2005 and I am beginning to work with VS 2008. I have come across a strange problem. I used the Reporting Services Configuration utility that comes with the default installation of SQL Server 2008 November CTP. The Configuration gets completed without a hitch and I can see the Report Server databases in my Server but when I try to access the Web URL or even the Object Browser in the Management Studio I get an exception. I am trying to find out the reasons for this.



What I have found so far is that while the Reporting Services Configuration provides me with a default web URL [that I can happily click on] it does not write it to the configuration file, the RSReportServer.config. Could this be the reason?

Strangers in a strange land

During early 1960's walking around Kempegowda Circle in Bangalore I used to see these strange people selling odd things whose total value did not exceed a few rupees at that time. They definitely looked strange and they looked even stranger because their fair skins were scorched dark by the southern sun. These were the refugees from Tibet and they had come as far as they could. It was heartbreaking to think of them as refugees, and they had come from the very abode of the gods.

My sympathies are with the Tibetans who have been displaced. Indian Government gave them refuge and made 'Dharmashala' lives upto its name, dispensing Dharma. But economic ties and pragmatism has driven India to the cautious side which does not help these people. The World is sitting on the side walk and seems not to have lifted a finger.

It's time for China to give autonomy to Tibet if not an outright independence.

Also visit this important link to see how they are surviving and thriving in Karnataka, India

More here:

https://hodentek.blogspot.com/2017/12/want-to-see-elephants-and-drink-great.html#google_vignette

Run a web query and get lottery results for analysis

Three easy steps to get web data into your Excel Spread Sheet. This shows how you may get megamillion lottery results for later analysis (speculation?).

Step 1:
Open the web query window using Microsoft Excel as shown.



Step 2:Enter the following (or cut and paste) URL
http://www.megamillions.com/winningpicks/last_25.asp into the address box


Step 3:
Accept Excel's default location for pasting the data



La voila!, the results (only part of it shown here) are in your spread sheet now.

Do you want to mine text?

This article shows how you may mine information buried in the body of a text using the Term Extraction Transformation. You can find nouns, noun phrases, or both nouns and noun phrases in sentences presented to the transformation.

Term Extraction Transformation

Expression Blend with SharpDevelop

About SharpDevelop:

SharpDevelop is an Open Source Development Environment for .NET. Actually it is pretty useful and I could open many of the Microsoft Samples from Expression Blend quite easily. The samples displayed fast and you could even see the threads running and the modules loaded. You can even download the code and executables. May be you should take a look at this link:
SharpDevelop

Example from Expression Blend:

A part of the output excised is shown here.

Want to take a XAML quiz?

What is the difference between a Windows Markup File and a XAML file? While the IE brings up a nice little button in one the other brings up a message to save the file. Opened with Notepad there is no difference between the two. Both have the same extension.

What do you understand by XAML_auto_file?

Don't Google it, you won't find an answer.

Silverlight(1.0) - 101

There are many products that can deliver rich internet applications to the user which includes Java, Adobe, Google, Yahoo, several JavaScript based frame works which includes Silverlight from Microsoft. Silverlight has moved to version 2.0 which is still in Beta. This article is based on Silverlight 1.0

Read this Silverlight 1.0 article to get a full flavor of what is needed to get Silverlight experience with your browser. This is a beginners tutorial, and if you already know how to work with Silverlight this may not be for you. There is so much written up on Silverlight 1.0 from its early days to the present that there are different ways of referring namespaces that a beginner can find it difficult to comprehend. The present article places the code in the article in the defined context of the article.

Silverlight 101

Look for similar articles at:

Windows Presentation Foundation
Accordion Pane: AJAX Toolkit
Dojo vs Microsfot: Battle of wizards
Dojo Ajax with JSON
Ajax Toolkit animation
On Dojo button -based on early version
JSON articles
Dojo TabContainer
Basic Dojo -Early version
Many more archived...

Retrieve a saved package into Visual Studio 2005

Say, you have a package stored in your Integration Services Server adn you want to bring it up into Visual Studio.

This is what you need to do:

Create a BI Project. Right click the SSIS Packages node in the Solution Explorer and choose Add Existing Package.This brings up the screen where you need to locate the package you want to bring it in. You need to know the name of your server; provide authentication, and identify the packge on the server, or file system as shown in the following figure.

If you are a beginner I suggest you take a look at my book which will bring you up to speed in under two weeks.

Beginners book on SSIS

DTS packages with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005

You should be able to access a DTS package (Of course created in SQL Server 2000) using the Execute DTS 2000 package task. You need to provide all relevant information regarding the package, its storage location, permissions, etc.

If you want to migrate a package to SSIS then you may do so from Project-->Migrate DTS 2000 Package.

End of days for Cathode Ray TV Tubes

On hearing that Sony is going to stop making TV CRTs...

This endangered species is facing imminent extinction, but you will not regret it. This is yet another dinosaur fading away.

I personally feel great loss as I used to harvest the High Voltage sources from thrown away TV sets to power my lasers during Sydney days.