The MSDN Library May 2006 an essential resource of information for developers using Microsoft tools, products, and technologies is now available for free download.
The download is available as three separate ISO image files totaling 2gb. Unfortunately you can't pick and choose content and there is no TOC for each ISO, though on the download page you are told to download the files most appropriate for you... There are other inconsistencies on the page, and MS really needs to review the text, and consider custom download options based on content.
2007 Office System Video: Portals Customizing search capabilities, building custom portal interfaces, providing personalized views, and aggregating connections to line-of-business data.
Office 2007 Ribbon To Be "Tweaked"
Microsoft has announced that the Technical Refresh of the current Beta 2 of Office 2007 will make changes to the operation of the RibbonBar. See my post of July 2 on my take on the Access 2007 RibbonBar.
This is news to me: you can use Ctrl-F1 to collapse the RibbonBar since the first beta to provide more viewing and working space for documents. Microsoft Office 2007 GUI program manger Jensen Harris has outlined changes on how the RibbonBar will be invoked in future builds. In the latest builds, you can right-click anywhere in the Ribbon to bring up a context menu which includes an option to minimize the Ribbon. This is in addition to Ctrl+F1 and double-clicking the selected tab. Jensen has also posted a short video showing the new feature in action. The Menu Tabs also activates a tab as a pop-up in a minimized Ribbon with a left-click. When users finish with the tab pop-up or click away from it, it disappears, and returns the interface to a ribbon-minimized state. The new feature can be seen in another video clip posted to Jensen's blog.
But from what I can gather all this does is return some screen real estate to the GUI, and still does not allow Access developers to implement a classic menubar/toolbar navigation paradigm.
2007 Office System Video: Solutions and Partners Industry experts demonstrate how to integrate Office clients, servers, services, and tools to build real world solutions.
2007 Office System Video: Enterprise Content Management View conference breakout sessions about the new, extensible content management features.
Enterprise Project Management Project 2007 and enterprise project management.
Download this series of developer-oriented videos from Microsft.com to view conference breakout sessions about building smart client and browser-based BI solutions leveraging a wide array of extensible capabilities, including key performance indicators, PivotTables, Web parts, and spreadsheet-based Web services.
Download an updated version of the documentation and tutorials for Microsoft SQL Server 2005. See the Additional Information section for an update on SQL Server Express Books Online.
Download over 100 samples and three sample databases for SQL Server 2005 from Microsoft.com.
Microsoft Access tips, solutions, tutorials, help, and examples from Allen Browne Articles for beginners and advanced users of Access. Examples and solutions, bugs and traps to avoid, and sample code & utilities to download. All free.
The first two years of the Hey, Scripting Guy! column, gathered in one fully-searchable archive. This HTML help file includes all the text, graphics, and hyperlinks for nearly 500 Hey, Scripting Guy! columns. Includes many useful scripts using the Windows Scripting object.
Webcast: Ensuring High Availability for SQL Server A live TechRepublic.com Webcast to see a walkthrough demonstration of such a product, WANSyncHA SQL, XOsoft's business continuity solution for Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and 2005.
From TechRepublic.com: Top 10 advanced features of SQL Server SQL 2005 New features enhance productivity, efficiency, availability, and administrative ease. A discussion of the more advanced new features of the SQL Server 2005 Database Engine.
921024 Error message when you use Access 2003 to open a database file: "Error 1706. No valid source could be found"
Microsoft has released MSXML 6.0. with improved reliability, security, conformance with the XML 1.0 and XML Schema 1.0 W3C Recommendations, and compatibility with System.Xml 2.0. Download details.
I have just launched my latest free Access tool: The Access DASHBOARD®. Launch multiple versions of MS Access Databases. Supports Access 97 or later and JET 2 or later, and these Access files types:*.mdb;*.mda;*.mde;*.adp;*.ade. Windows file associations are NOT affected.
Download from the Free Access Tools tab on my Access Tools page.
The DASHBOARD® automatically determines in which version of JET adatabase was created. Each file is opened in the appropriate versionof MS Access. Users can manually override the version applied bythe DASHBOARD. You can use the Shortcut Builder to create customDesktop shortcuts.
In-built Tools allow you to Backup, Repair, Compact, and Decompile database files without leaving the DASHBOARD.
As an option, you can have your Windows Explorer Right-click PopUp Menu available friom within the DASHBOARD.
Building Office Business Applications: A New Breed of Business Applications Built on the 2007 Microsoft Office System This white paper introduces Office Business Applications (OBAs), a new breed of easily customizable solutions that address real-world business problems through the 2007 Microsoft Office system.
Data Access Tracing in SQL Server 2005 Learn how to apply the new tracing functionality in Microsoft data access technologies such as ADO.NET 2.0, MDAC 2.82, SQL Server Native Client, and the JDBC driver; and in the SQL Server network protocols and the SQL Server 2005 database engine.
Microsoft has just announced that the SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) for MS Access, to operate properly requires registration, download, and update of a license key. This page provides access to a download of the license key as well as instructions on how to update the SSMA installation.
The functionality Microsoft forgot... Export unlimited MS Access objects and data in bulk. The Access 2002/2003 version supports XML.
My Access Database Mechanic tool is the top free download on aadconsulting.com.
The Mechanic automates the process of attempting to recover a corrupt MS Access database, using four operations: compact & repair, JET compact, decompile, and complete rebuild of an .mdb. The applet also features a fail-safe mechanism that creates a uniquely named back-up copy of the .mdb before any recovery operation is attempted. Versions are available for Access2000/2002/2003.
On the download page there are also comprehensive resources and links to assist you in your Access database recovery efforts.
Install went smoothly and existing Access installations were not affected.
The RibbonBar navigation paradigm is bewildering and, from a developer's perspective, possibly a big mistake. It takes up a lot of screen space and the eye candy does not make up for the loss of accessibility and functionality from the ditching of the classic menubar/toolbar paradigm. It is telling that the VBA Editor retains the classic menubar and toolbars. It seems that Microsoft is deliberately pushing developers away from Office and VBA, while the Visual Studio Express applications retain the classic menus. There is a customizable QuickToolbar, to which you can add all available RibbonBar commands, but you can't create groups or nested hierarchies, and you can't add text to the icon buttons.
The change in the database format seems to stem from the need to handle RibbonBars and the new themes. This hardly compensates developers for the loss of Access security and the inability to implement classic menus. Changes to MDBs made in Access 2007 will be saved only in the new format. So for MDBs, Access 2007 offers only legacy support.
This means that developers that need to support multiple Access versions, now also need to cope with incompatible file formats, as well as switching to and from the classic menus in Access prior versions and the clunky RibbonBars in Access 2007, and back again in the Access 2007 VBA Editor.
Ironically, the Switchboard Manager does not receive a make-over, using the Access 95 navigation paradigm AND the Access 95 format and colors.
Expect more posts as I delve further.