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THE SQL Server Blog Spot on the Web
Last week Microsoft released CTP3 of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), code name: Denali. In this blog post I will look into the new key features and some of the minor improvements in SSIS Denali.
Shared Connection Managers Connection Managers can now be shared on SSIS project level. You can create them in the solution explorer, in the folder Connection Managers:
Once created, they will appear automatically in all your SSIS packages. The names are in bold so you can recognize them between your package-level connection managers:
You can also create Shared Cache Connection Managers for your cached lookups. This will be very useful for lookups that are performed multiple times, for example when you look up dimension tables multiple times from your fact table ETL. You can just convert the local cache connection manager by right clicking it:
What happened to the Shared Data Sources we knew from prior SSIS versions? Well they are no more. Shared Data Sources only lived at design time and not at runtime so they were not really useful anyway. Shared Connection Managers do live at runtime and offer even more possibilities as I will show later on, so they replace the old Shared Data Sources.
Data Flow - Column mappings SSIS always mapped columns from source to transformations or destinations with the help of lineage ids. Every column had a unique metadata ID that was known by all components in the data flow. If something changed in the source this would break the lineage ids and raised error messages like: The external metadata column collection is out of synchronization with the data source columns. To fix this error you would re-map all broken lineage ids with the "Restore Invalid Column References Editor". In Denali lineage-ids are no longer used. Mappings are done on column names, which is great because you can now use auto map on column names and even copy/paste pieces of another data flow and connect them by mapping the corresponding column names.
Data Flow - Flexible order of authoring This improvement helps you edit data flow components even when they don't have an input attached. Theoretically you can build your data flow backwards; start with the destination and track back to the source.
Data Flow - Groupings You can now group data flow components. Select the components you wish to group, right click and select Group:
The result is some sort of a data flow sequence container:
By clicking the arrow it will collapse:
Data flow groups are 100% eye candy; you can't set any properties on them.
Data Flow - Data Quality Services Cleansing transformation With this transformation you can apply data quality rules in the data flow. This is done by using a Knowledge Base which can be created by yourself or downloaded from the Windows Azure Marketplace. For example you could apply a rule that checks if a given postal code column is valid for a particular town column in your record.
Data Flow - Data Tap In Denali, we have the possibility to attach a "tap" at a data flow path (arrow). This tap captures all data coming through and dumps it in CSV files.
SSIS Denali is fundamentally different to its predecessors when it comes to the concept and usage of configurations. SSIS package configurations are obsolete (they will still be available if you really want to use them ;-)) and parameters and environments are in the new kids in town.
Parameters SSIS Parameters look a lot like SSIS variables but there are some differences. There are two types of these parameters: 1. Package Parameters: Look at Package parameters as C# parameters, which are passed as input to a C# function(=your package). You can set them when executing (call) a package and the lifecycle of the parameters are limited to the SSIS package itself.
The difference with SSIS variables? You can set the parameters while executing a package with SSMS or an Execute Package Task.
Define your Package Parameters at the Package Parameters tab:
2. Project Parameters: Identical to Package Parameters, except for the scope, these Parameters exist on project level and can be referenced throughout all SSIS packages in your project. Package Parameters only live inside a single SSIS package.
You can define Project Parameters in the solution explorer within your SSIS project:
Both Package and Project Parameters can be referenced from your SSIS packages, you recognize them by their prefix, $Package or $Project:
Setting parameters in a Execute Package Task is achieved by the new Parameter bindings tab:
It's also possible to parameterize SSIS tasks on the Control Flow by right clicking them and choose Parameterize:
Loads of capabilities here! I now realize that I have created a workaround for Package Parameters with my SSIS Package design pattern for loading a data warehouse where I (mis)used Package Configurations as Package Parameters. Creating a new package design pattern for Denali definitely goes on my TODO list!
Environments Environments are a collection of SSIS package settings that can be define on the SSIS Server. At runtime, the environment will override these settings in the SSIS packages. You can create multiple environments and when you run your SSIS packages you can select which environment it should use. It's also possible to let multiple SSIS projects run under one environment, so flexibility all around the clock.
To make you understand the principle of Environments right away I have created a simple example that you will commonly use: Create two Environments, one with development settings and one with production settings.
I have deployed a Test SSIS project to SSMS which contains one SSIS package with one Shared Connection Manager. Notice the new Integration Services folder structure:
Next right click Environments and choose Create Environment:
Type Development as name for the Environment and click OK:
Now double click the Development Environment:
Click on the Variables tab and create an Environment Variable which will overwrite the Shared Connection Manager. Type in the connection string for the development server as the Value and click OK:
Next create another Environment with the name Production and also create an Environment Variable with the name SCM_EnvironmentVar. The only difference between these two variables should be the value of the variable; it contains the production server connection string instead of the development value. You now have two Environments with one Environment Variable for the Shared Connection Manager each:
We now need to reference the Development and Production Environments in the Test project so they can be used. Right click the Test project and choose Configure:
Go to the references page and click Add..
Add both Environments:
Both environment are now referenced from the Test SSIS project and are available. Let's configure the Shared Connection Manager so it will use the value specified in one of the environments. Click on the Parameters page, the Connection Managers tab and the … next to the ConnectionString property of the Shared Connection Manager:
Now select Use Environment Variable and select SCM_EnvironmentVar. Click OK:
The name of our Environment Variable is shown in the Value box of the ConnectionString property:
We have now succesfully attached the Environment Variable to override the ConnectionString property with a value from either the Development or the Production Environment. Executing the package under one of both Environments is very easy. To do so, right click the package and choose Run:
The Run Package dialog box appears and you instantly see a message that reminds you to assign a value to the ConnectionString property of connection manager SharedConnectionManager:
At the bottom of the dialog box you can select the Environment your package should use. Select the .\Development Environment and click OK:
In the overview report you see the package has succesfully ran under the Development Environment:
If you change the package to use the Production Environment and you run the package again, you'll get the following execution information:
Pretty straightforward and easy to use. The big difference? All the configuration work has been done in SQL Server Management Studio! Exactly the place where it should be done. In the current SSIS versions most of this work was done within Visual Studio and the configuration was done by editing tables. So unfriendly! Big improvement, great work MS! In this example I have set a property of a Shared Connection Manager but of course it is possible to set Package or Project Parameters with Environment Variables.
We have had the option to deploy SSIS packages from Visual Studio for a long time thanks to BIDS Helper. Microsoft finally added this functionality out of the box in Denali. They even did more: you can now also build your projects from within Visual Studio!
There are two ways to deploy (push) your projects to the new SSIS server, directly from Visual Studio or by using an Integration Services Project Deployment File. They both use the new Integration Services Deployment Wizard. Deployments directly from Visual Studio can be done by right clicking your project and then choose Deploy. Now, the Deployment Wizard will pop straight up:
The other way is building your project first. This was already possible in SSIS version(s) prior to Denali but did not really have useful meanings.
In Denali this is different. Building your project will generate an .ispac file which contains your entire project and this can be used by the Deployment Wizard. Again a very nice new feature.
Handing over a new release of a SSIS solution to a customer's IT department for deployment can now be done in a very nice, professional, manner. Ispac files can also be opened by Visual Studio to import your SSIS project. Building your project can be done by right clicking your project and choosing Build:
The output window displays the following:
When looking at the bin\Development folder we see the new Test.aspac file:
Double clicking (or choosing Deploy in Visual Studio) this file will start the new Integration Services Deployment Wizard:
You can now select the project that you wish to deploy. You can either select to use the .ispac Project deployment file or choose to deploy an existing project located in any Integration Services catalog. The last option is useful when you wish to deploy from, for example, a TEST SSIS solution that is already located in a catalog to an ACCEPTATION environment in another catalog.
The project is loaded and validated:
Next, you now need to select the destination, which has to be a SSIS Server:
Review your selections and click on Deploy to start the actual deployment:
The results show a successful deployment. Notice the protection level has been changed. What happened here? The wizard clears the protection level, as we know from Visual Studio, to prevent "cannot decrypt password" errors.
Instead of using protection levels, passwords will be stored in clear text. The entire package (with the passwords in it) will be stored encrypted in the SSIS Server tables you are deploying to.
The project has now been deployed to the server:
When you right click the Test project and choose for Versions you are able to see the current version of your project:
If you deploy a newer version later on, the existing version(s) stay on the server and you can easily role back to a previous version if you've made a bad deployment.
The diagram below shows the entire deployment life cycle (source: TechNet):
The new SSIS Server is the central storage and administration point of your SSIS solutions. No longer is this a standalone server that you'll need to manage. Basically it is a database with Stored Procedures.
You now have an Integration Services node available in SSMS when you connect to the database engine:
Under the Integration Services node you will find your SSISDB catalog which holds all your SSIS solutions with its packages, environments, etc. The physical storage of these objects will be conducted in a SQL Server database with the same name as the catalog:
This database also contains all the stored procedures containing all the programming code for the SSIS Server:
With the help of these stored procedures you can manage your SSIS Server: e.g. your parameter values, connection managers, and override properties by using environments. Next to the configuration functionalities I have discussed earlier you can also implement security to control access to the catalog, both on folder level and package level. When you right click a folder/package in the catalog and choose the properties you'll get the following window where you can manage security access:
Finally you'll get an out of the box reporting dashboard which is built on the out of the box logging functionality that SSIS offers. On this dashboard you'll get information about the execution history of your package and its sub packages, view which parameters were used, view specific messages and get a performance report over time. All the information is logged automatically if any package runs on the server. The information is very detailed; you can even get the row counts between SSIS data flow transformations!
When running a package you are able to select a logging level on the Advanced tab: You can choose for: - None: turn logging of for performance reasons - Basic: error and warning logging - Performance: detailed trace information - Verbose: diagnostics and fault debugging
When I run my Test package I'll get the following execution dashboard. There are some hyperlinks that navigate to more detailed reports.
So no need for creating your own logging framework anymore, it's all out of the box!
We recently had a few customers where a connection to Oracle on a 64 bit machine was necessary. A quick search on the internet showed that this could be a big problem. I found all kind of blog and forum posts of developers complaining about this. A lot of developers will recognize the following error message: Test connection failed because of an error in initializing provider. Oracle client and networking components were not found. These components are supplied by Oracle Corporation and are part of the Oracle Version 7.3.3 or later client software installation. Provider is unable to function until these components are installed. After a lot of searching, trying and debugging I think I found the right way to do it!
Because BIDS is a 32 bit application, as well on 32 as on 64 bit machines, it cannot see the 64 bit driver for Oracle. Because of this, connecting to Oracle from BIDS on a 64 bit machine will never work when you install the 64 bit Oracle client. Another problem is the "Microsoft Provider for Oracle", this driver only exists in a 32 bit version and Microsoft has no plans to create a 64 bit one in the near future.
The last problem I know of is in the Oracle client itself, it seems that a connection will never work with the instant client, so always use the full client. There are also a lot of problems with the 10G client, one of it is the fact that this driver can't handle the "(x86)" in the path of SQL Server. So using the 10G client is no option!
My advice to BI consultants is to get an Oracle DBA or professional for the installation and configuration of the 2 full clients (32 and 64 bit). Tell the DBA to download the biggest client available, this way you are sure that they pick the right one ;-)
Testing if the clients have been installed and configured in the right way can be done with Windows ODBC Data Source Administrator: Start... Programs... Administrative tools... Data Sources (ODBC)
It seems that, unfortunately, some additional steps are necessary for SQL Server 2008 R2 installations:
1. Open REGEDIT (Start… Run… REGEDIT) on the server and search for the following entry (for the 32 bits driver): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSDTC\MTxOCI Make sure the following values are entered:
2. Next, search for (for the 64 bits driver): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\MSDTC\MTxOCI Make sure the same values as above are entered.
3. Reboot your server.
In my last blog post I explained the principles of Replication Services and the possibilities it offers in a BI environment. One of the possibilities I described was the use of snapshot replication as an ETL extraction tool: "Snapshot Replication can also be useful in BI environments, if you don't need a near real-time copy of the database, you can choose to use this form of replication. Next to an alternative for Transactional Replication it can be used to stage data so it can be transformed and moved into the data warehousing environment afterwards. In many solutions I have seen developers create multiple SSIS packages that simply copies data from one or more source systems to a staging database that figures as source for the ETL process. The creation of these packages takes a lot of (boring) time, while Replication Services can do the same in minutes. It is possible to filter out columns and/or records and it can even apply schema changes automatically so I think it offers enough features here. I don't know how the performance will be and if it really works as good for this purpose as I expect, but I want to try this out soon!" Well I have tried it out and I must say it worked well. I was able to let replication services do work in a fraction of the time it would cost me to do the same in SSIS. What I did was the following:
Fortunately I was able to create the SSIS package with the desired functionality. I have made a step-by-step guide that will help you configure the snapshot replication and I have uploaded the SSIS package you need to execute it.
Configure snapshot replication
The first step is to create a publication on the database you want to replicate. Connect to SQL Server Management Studio and right-click Replication, choose for New.. Publication…
The New Publication Wizard appears, click Next
Choose your "source" database and click Next
Choose Snapshot publication and click Next
You can now select tables and other objects that you want to publish
Expand Tables and select the tables that are needed in your ETL process
In the next screen you can add filters on the selected tables which can be very useful. Think about selecting only the last x days of data for example.
Its possible to filter out rows and/or columns. In this example I did not apply any filters.
Schedule the Snapshot Agent to run at a desired time, by doing this a SQL Agent Job is created which we need to execute from a SSIS package later on.
Next you need to set the Security Settings for the Snapshot Agent. Click on the Security Settings button.
In this example I ran the Agent under the SQL Server Agent service account. This is not recommended as a security best practice. Fortunately there is an excellent article on TechNet which tells you exactly how to set up the security for replication services. Read it here and make sure you follow the guidelines!
On the next screen choose to create the publication at the end of the wizard
Give the publication a name (SnapshotTest) and complete the wizard
The publication is created and the articles (tables in this case) are added
Now the publication is created successfully its time to create a new subscription for this publication.
Expand the Replication folder in SSMS and right click Local Subscriptions, choose New Subscriptions
The New Subscription Wizard appears
Select the publisher on which you just created your publication and select the database and publication (SnapshotTest)
You can now choose where the Distribution Agent should run. If it runs at the distributor (push subscriptions) it causes extra processing overhead. If you use a separate server for your ETL process and databases choose to run each agent at its subscriber (pull subscriptions) to reduce the processing overhead at the distributor.
Of course we need a database for the subscription and fortunately the Wizard can create it for you. Choose for New database
Give the database the desired name, set the desired options and click OK
You can now add multiple SQL Server Subscribers which is not necessary in this case but can be very useful.
You now need to set the security settings for the Distribution Agent. Click on the …. button
Again, in this example I ran the Agent under the SQL Server Agent service account. Read the security best practices here
Click Next
Make sure you create a synchronization job schedule again. This job is also necessary in the SSIS package later on.
Initialize the subscription at first synchronization
Select the first box to create the subscription when finishing this wizard
Complete the wizard by clicking Finish
The subscription will be created
In SSMS you see a new database is created, the subscriber. There are no tables or other objects in the database available yet because the replication jobs did not ran yet.
Now expand the SQL Server Agent, go to Jobs and search for the job that creates the snapshot:
Rename this job to "CreateSnapshot"
Now search for the job that distributes the snapshot:
Rename this job to "DistributeSnapshot"
Create an SSIS package that executes the snapshot replication
We now need an SSIS package that will take care of the execution of both jobs. The CreateSnapshot job needs to execute and finish before the DistributeSnapshot job runs. After the DistributeSnapshot job has started the package needs to wait until its finished before the package execution finishes. The Execute SQL Server Agent Job Task is designed to execute SQL Agent Jobs from SSIS. Unfortunately this SSIS task only executes the job and reports back if the job started succesfully or not, it does not report if the job actually completed with success or failure. This is because these jobs are asynchronous.
The SSIS package I've created does the following:
Quite simple and the package is ready to use as standalone extract mechanism. After executing the package the replicated tables are added to the subscriber database and are filled with data:
Download the SSIS package here (SSIS 2008)
In this example I only replicated 5 tables, I could create a SSIS package that does the same in approximately the same amount of time. But if I replicated all the 70+ AdventureWorks tables I would save a lot of time and boring work! With replication services you also benefit from the feature that schema changes are applied automatically which means your entire extract phase wont break. Because a snapshot is created using the bcp utility (bulk copy) it's also quite fast, so the performance will be quite good.
Disadvantages of using snapshot replication as extraction tool is the limitation on source systems. You can only choose SQL Server or Oracle databases to act as a publisher.
So if you plan to build an extract phase for your ETL process that will invoke a lot of tables think about replication services, it would save you a lot of time and thanks to the Extract SSIS package I've created you can perfectly fit it in your usual SSIS ETL process.
In this blog post I will explain the principles of SQL Server Replication Services without too much detail and I will take a look on the BI capabilities that Replication Services could offer in my opinion.
SQL Server Replication Services provides tools to copy and distribute database objects from one database system to another and maintain consistency afterwards. These tools basically copy or synchronize data with little or no transformations, they do not offer capabilities to transform data or apply business rules, like ETL tools do. The only "transformations" Replication Services offers is to filter records or columns out of your data set. You can achieve this by selecting the desired columns of a table and/or by using WHERE statements like this: SELECT <published_columns> FROM [Table] WHERE [DateTime] >= getdate() - 60
There are three types of replication: Transactional Replication This type replicates data on a transactional level. The Log Reader Agent reads directly on the transaction log of the source database (Publisher) and clones the transactions to the Distribution Database (Distributor), this database acts as a queue for the destination database (Subscriber). Next, the Distribution Agent moves the cloned transactions that are stored in the Distribution Database to the Subscriber. The Distribution Agent can either run at scheduled intervals or continuously which offers near real-time replication of data! So for example when a user executes an UPDATE statement on one or multiple records in the publisher database, this transaction (not the data itself) is copied to the distribution database and is then also executed on the subscriber. When the Distribution Agent is set to run continuously this process runs all the time and transactions on the publisher are replicated in small batches (near real-time), when it runs on scheduled intervals it executes larger batches of transactions, but the idea is the same.
Snapshot Replication This type of replication makes an initial copy of database objects that need to be replicated, this includes the schemas and the data itself. All types of replication must start with a snapshot of the database objects from the Publisher to initialize the Subscriber. Transactional replication need an initial snapshot of the replicated publisher tables/objects to run its cloned transactions on and maintain consistency. The Snapshot Agent copies the schemas of the tables that will be replicated to files that will be stored in the Snapshot Folder which is a normal folder on the file system. When all the schemas are ready, the data itself will be copied from the Publisher to the snapshot folder. The snapshot is generated as a set of bulk copy program (BCP) files. Next, the Distribution Agent moves the snapshot to the Subscriber, if necessary it applies schema changes first and copies the data itself afterwards. The application of schema changes to the Subscriber is a nice feature, when you change the schema of the Publisher with, for example, an ALTER TABLE statement, that change is propagated by default to the Subscriber(s).
Merge Replication Merge replication is typically used in server-to-client environments, for example when subscribers need to receive data, make changes offline, and later synchronize changes with the Publisher and other Subscribers, like with mobile devices that need to synchronize one in a while. Because I don't really see BI capabilities here, I will not explain this type of replication any further.
Replication Services in a BI environment Transactional Replication can be very useful in BI environments. In my opinion you never want to see users to run custom (SSRS) reports or PowerPivot solutions directly on your production database, it can slow down the system and can cause deadlocks in the database which can cause errors. Transactional Replication can offer a read-only, near real-time database for reporting purposes with minimal overhead on the source system.
Snapshot Replication can also be useful in BI environments, if you don't need a near real-time copy of the database, you can choose to use this form of replication. Next to an alternative for Transactional Replication it can be used to stage data so it can be transformed and moved into the data warehousing environment afterwards. In many solutions I have seen developers create multiple SSIS packages that simply copies data from one or more source systems to a staging database that figures as source for the ETL process. The creation of these packages takes a lot of (boring) time, while Replication Services can do the same in minutes. It is possible to filter out columns and/or records and it can even apply schema changes automatically so I think it offers enough features here. I don't know how the performance will be and if it really works as good for this purpose as I expect, but I want to try this out soon!
Update: I got a questing regarding the supported Replication Services features in the different versions of SQL Server (Standard,Enterprise,etc). There is a nice table on MSDN that shows this!
When watching the SQL PASS session "What's Coming Next in SSIS?" of Steve Swartz, the Group Program Manager for the SSIS team, an interesting question came up:
Why is SSIS thought of to be BI, when we use it so frequently for other sorts of data problems?
The answer of Steve was that he breaks the world of data work into three parts:
Next, Steve told Microsoft is developing SSIS as part of a large push in all of these areas in the next release of SQL. So SSIS will be, next to a BI tool, part of Enterprise Information Management in the next release of SQL Server.
I'm interested in the different ways people use SSIS, I've basically used it for ETL, data migrations and processing inputs. In which ways did you use SSIS?
Last week Microsoft announced the "BI Semantic Model" (BISM). I wrote a blog post about this and now the Analysis Services team wrote an article named: Analysis Services – Roadmap for SQL Server "Denali" and Beyond.
At the PASS Summit that is happening in Seattle at the moment Microsoft announced the "BI Semantic Model" (BISM).
It looks like BISM is something like the UDM that we now know from SSAS. While the UDM was the bridge between relational data to multidimensional data, BISM is the bridge between relational data to the column-based Vertipaq engine. Some compare BISM to Business Objects universes. The next version of SSAS will be able to either run in the old "UDM" mode or in "BISM" mode, a combination is not possible. Of course this will have some radical consequences, because there are a few major differences between the two modes:
So multidimensional cubes and MDX will be deprecated? No, not really, SSAS as we know it now will be a product in the future and will remain supported. But it looks like Microsoft will concentrate on BISM, mainly because multidimensional cubes and MDX are very difficult to learn. Microsoft wants to make BI more approachable and less difficult, just like with Self Service BI. I would say that it's really time to start learning PowerPivot and DAX right now, if you have not already started learning it. If Microsoft will focus on the new BISM/Vertipaq technology that will be the future if you ask me.
Chris Webb wrote an interesting article about BISM and it looks like he is not very enthusiastic about the strategy Microsoft takes here because this could be the end of SSAS cubes within a few years: "while it's not true to say that Analysis Services cubes as we know them today and MDX are dead, they have a terminal illness. I'd give them two, maybe three more releases before they're properly dead, based on the roadmap that was announced yesterday."
What's also very interesting is the comprehensive comment on this article from Amir Netz. He explains BISM and UDM will live together in Analysis Services in the future and MOLAP is here to stay: "Make no mistake about it – MOLAP is still the bread and butter basis of SSAS, now and for a very long time. MDX is mature, functional and will stay with us forever."
Read the article from Chris Webb here and make sure you don't miss the comment from Amir!
SQL Server Denali (SQL Server 2011) CTP1 has been released!
Download it here
SQL 2011 is expected to be ready in the third quarter in 2011! I've already blogged about a few new SSIS features here
I will keep you posted!
With SQL Azure Reporting Services you can use SSRS as a service on the Azure platform with all the benefits of Azure and the most features and capabilities of premise. It's also possible to embed your reports in your Windows or Azure applications.
Benefits of the Azure platform for Azure Reporting Services are:
Disadvantages are:
Despite the disadvantages of the first version I think SQL Azure Reporting Services offers great capabilities and can be extremely useful for a lot of organizations. I'm really curious about the CTP, which will be available before the end of this year. You can sign up for the SQL Azure Reporting CTP here
Read more about SQL Azure Reporting here
Recently I passed the 70-455 exam. This exam upgrades your SQL 2005 MCTS and MCITP certifications to SQL 2008.
The exam contains 2 sections(basically separate exams), each with 25 questions: - A part which covers exam 70-448: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Business Intelligence Development and Maintenance - A part which covers exam 70-452: PRO: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008
You need to pass on both of the sections with a score that's at least 700. If you fail one section, you fail on the entire exam.
How did I study
I searched the internet and the conclusion was that there is no preparation material available for the 70-452 exam but fortunately there was a self-paced training kit for the 70-448 exam, which also covers this exam. So i bought the book, scanned it for subjects that needed attention and fortunately that was enough to pass the exam for me.
For the entire list of preparation materials for the 70-448 and 70-452 exams follow the links below:
70-448 preparation materials
70-452 preparation materials
My Current Transcript
The latest releases of SQL Server contained (almost) no new SSIS features. With the release of SSIS 2008 the ability to use C# scripts, the improved data flow and the cached lookup were most thrilling new features. The release of SQL 2008 R2 only gave us the ability to use a bulk insert mode for the ADO.NET destination, which was a bit disappointing.
Fortunately Matt Mason from the SSIS team announced that the next version of SQL Server (SQL 11) contain quite some exiting new functionality for SSIS!
- Undo/Redo support. Finally, this should have been added a long time ago ;-)
- Improved copy/paste mechanism. Let's hope we keep the formatting of components after copy/pasting them!
- Data flow sequence container
- New icons and rounded corners for tasks and transformations
- Improved backpressure for data flow transformations with multiple inputs (for example a Merge Join). When one of the inputs get to much data compared to the other, the component that receives the data can tell the data flow that it needs more data on the other input
- The Toolbox window will automatically locate and show newly installed custom tasks
I'm Curious about the first CTP!
Quite often one or more sources for a data warehouse consist of flat files. Most of the times these files are delivered as a zip file with a date in the file name, for example FinanceDataExport_20100528.zip
Currently I work at a project that does a full load into the data warehouse every night. A zip file with some flat files in it is dropped in a directory on a daily basis. Sometimes there are multiple zip files in the directory, this can happen because the ETL failed or somebody puts a new zip file in the directory manually. Because the ETL isn't incremental only the most recent file needs to be loaded. To implement this I used the simple code below; it checks which file is the most recent and deletes all other files.
Usage is quite simple, just copy/paste the code in your script task and create two SSIS variables:
Note: In a previous blog post I wrote about unzipping zip files within SSIS, you might also find this useful: SSIS – Unpack a ZIP file with the Script Task
Public Sub Main()
'Use this piece of code to loop through a set of files in a directory
'and delete all files except for the most recent one based on a date in the filename.
'File name example:
Dim rootDirectory As New DirectoryInfo(Dts.Variables("SourceFolder").Value.ToString) 'Set the directory in SSIS variable SourceFolder. For example: D:\Export\
Dim mostRecentFile As String = ""
Dim currentFileDate As Integer
Dim mostRecentFileDate As Integer
Dim currentFileCreationDate As Date
Dim mostRecentFileCreationDate As Date
Dim dateInFilename As Boolean = Dts.Variables("DateInFilename").Value 'If your filename ends with the date YYYYMMDD set SSIS variable DateInFilename to True. If not set to False.
If dateInFilename Then
'Check which file is the most recent
For Each fi As FileInfo In rootDirectory.GetFiles("*.zip")
currentFileDate = CInt(Left(Right(fi.Name, 12), 8)) 'Get date from current filename (based on a file that ends with: YYYYMMDD.zip)
If currentFileDate > mostRecentFileDate Then
mostRecentFileDate = currentFileDate
mostRecentFile = fi.Name
End If
Else 'Date is not in filename, use creation date
'Check which file is the most recent
For Each fi As FileInfo In rootDirectory.GetFiles("*.zip")
currentFileCreationDate = fi.CreationTime 'Get creation date of current file
If currentFileCreationDate > mostRecentFileCreationDate Then
mostRecentFileCreationDate = currentFileCreationDate
mostRecentFile = fi.Name
End If
End If
'Delete all files except the most recent one
For Each fi As FileInfo In rootDirectory.GetFiles("*.zip")
If fi.Name <> mostRecentFile Then
File.Delete(rootDirectory.ToString + "\" + fi.Name)
End If
Dts.TaskResult = ScriptResults.Success
End Sub
Since my last blog post about a SSIS package design pattern I've received quite some positive reactions and feedback. Microsoft also added a link to the post on the SSIS portal which made it clear to me that there is quite some attention for this subject.
The feedback I received was mainly about two things: 1. Can you visualize the process or make it clearer without the whole technical story so it's easier to understand. 2. How should the Extract phase of the ETL process be implemented when source tables are used by multiple dimensions and/or fact tables.
In this post I will try to answer these questions. By doing so I hope to offer a complete design pattern that is usable for most data warehouse ETL solutions developed using SSIS.
SSIS package design pattern for loading a data warehouse
Using one SSIS package per dimension / fact table gives developers and administrators of ETL systems quite some benefits and is advised by Kimball since SSIS has been released. I have mentioned these benefits in my previous post and will not repeat them here.
When using a single modular package approach, developers sometimes face problems concerning flexibility or a difficult debugging experience. Therefore, they sometimes choose to spread the logic of a single dimension or fact table in multiple packages. I have thought about a design pattern with the benefits of a single modular package approach and still having all the flexibility and debugging functionalities developers need.
If you have a little bit of programming knowledge you must have heard about classes and functions. Now think about your SSIS package as a class or object that exists within code. These classes contain functions that you can call separately from other classes (packages). That would be some nice functionality to have, but unfortunately this is not possible within SSIS by default. To realize this functionality in SSIS I thought about SSIS Sequence Containers as functions and SSIS packages as classes. I personally always use four Sequence Containers in my SSIS packages: - SEQ Extract (extract the necessary source tables to a staging database) - SEQ Transform (transform these source tables to a dimension or fact table) - SEQ Load (load this table into the data warehouse) - SEQ Process (process the data warehouse table to the cube)
The technical trick that I performed - you can read about the inner working in my previous post - makes it possible to execute only a single Sequence Container within a package, just like with functions in classes when programming code. The execution of a single dimension or fact table can now be performed from a master SSIS package like this:
1 - [Execute Package Task] DimCustomer.Extract 2 - [Execute Package Task] DimCustomer.Transform 3 - [Execute Package Task] DimCustomer.Load 4 - [Execute Package Task] DimCustomer.Process
The package is executed 4 times with an Execute Package Task, but each time only the desired function (Sequence Container) will run.
If we look at this in a UML sequence diagram we see the following:
I think this sequence diagram gives you a good overview of how this design pattern is organized. For the technical solution and the download of a template package you should check my previous post.
How should the Extract phase of the ETL process be implemented when a single source table is used by multiple dimensions and/or fact tables?
One of the questions that came up with using this design pattern is how to handle the extraction of source tables that are used in multiple dimensions and/or fact tables. The problem here is that a single table would be extracted multiple times which is, of course, undesirable.
On coincidence I was reading the book "SQL Server 2008 Integration Services: Problem – Design - Solution" (which is a great book!) and one of the data extraction best practices (Chapter 5) is to use one package for the extraction of each source table. Each of these packages would have a very simple dataflow from the source table to the destination table within the staging area. Of course this approach will be more time consuming than using one big extract package with all table extracts in it but fortunately it also gives you some benefits: - Debugging, sometimes a source has changed, i.e. a column's name could have been changed or completely deleted. The error that SSIS will log when this occurs will point the administrators straight to the right package and source table. Another benefit here is that only one package will fail and needs to be edited, while the others can still execute and remain unharmed. - Flexibility, you can execute a single table extract from anywhere (master package or dim/fact package).
I recently created some solutions using this extract approach and really liked it. I used 2 SSIS projects: - one with the dimension and fact table packages - one with only the extract packages I have used the following naming conventions on the extract packages: Source_Table.dtsx and deployed them to a separate SSIS folder. This way the packages won't bother the overview during development. A tip here is to use BIDS Helper; it has a great functionality to deploy one or more packages from BIDS.
Merging this approach in the design pattern will give the following result: - The dimension and fact table extract Sequence Containers will no longer have data flow tasks in it but execute package tasks which point to the extract packages. - The Extract Sequence Container of the master package will execute all the necessary extract packages at once.
This way a single source table will always get extracted only one time when executing your ETL from the master package and you still have the possibility to unit test your entire dimension or fact table packages. Drawing this approach again in a sequence diagram gives us the following example with a run from the master package (only the green Sequence Containers are executed):
And like this with a run of a single Dimension package:
Overall, the design pattern will now always look like this when executed from a master package:
Conclusion I think this design pattern is now good enough to be used as a standard approach for the most data warehouse ETL projects using SSIS. Thanks for all the feedback! New feedback is of course more than welcome!
I recently had a chat with some BI developers about the design patterns they're using in SSIS when building an ETL system. We all agreed in creating multiple packages for the dimensions and fact tables and one master package for the execution of all these packages.
These developers even created multiple packages per single dimension/fact table:
I like the idea of building the Extract, Transform and Load logic separately, but I do not like the way the logic was spread over multiple packages. I asked them why they chose for this solution and there were multiple reasons:
To me these are good reasons, running the E/T/L phases separately is a thing a developer often wants during the development and testing of an ETL system. Keeping the loading window on the source system as short as possible is something that's critical in some projects.
Despite the good arguments to design their ETL system like this, I still prefer the idea of having one package per dimension / fact table, with complete E/T/L logic, for the following reasons:
So basically my goal was clear: to build a solution that has all the possibilities the aforesaid developers asked for, but in one package per dimension / fact table; the best of both worlds.
The solution I've created is based on a parent-child package structure. One parent (master) package will execute multiple child (dim/fact) packages. This solution is based on a single (child) package for each dimension and fact table. Each of these packages contains the following Sequence Containers in the Control Flow:
Normally it would not be possible to execute only the Extract, Transform, Load or (cube) Process Sequence Containers of the child (dim/fact) packages simultaneously. To make this possible I have created four Parent package variable configurations, one for each ETL phase Sequence Container in the child package:
Each of these configurations is set on the Disable property of one of the Sequence Containers:
Using this technique makes it possible to run separate Sequence Containers of the child package from the master package, simply by dis- or enabling the appropriate sequence containers with parent package variables. Because the default value of the Disable property of the Sequence Containers is False, you can still run an entire standalone child package, without the need to change anything.
Ok, so far, so good. But, how do I execute only one phase of all the dimension and fact packages simultaneously? Well quite simple:
Add Execute Package Tasks for all your packages in every Sequence Container
If you would execute this master package now, every child package would run 4 times as there are 4 Execute Package Tasks that run the same package in every sequence container. To get the required functionality I have created 4 variables inside each Sequence Container (Scope). These will be used as parent variable to set the Disable properties in the child packages. So basically I've created 4 variables x 4 Sequence Containers = 16 variables for the entire master package.
Variables for the EXTRACT Sequence Container (vDisableExtract False):
Variables for the TRANSFORM Sequence Container (vDisableTransform False):
The LOAD and PROCESS Sequence Containers contain variables are based on the same technique. Results: Run all phases of a standalone package: Just execute the package:
Run a single phase of the ETL system (Extract/Transform/Load/Process): Execute the desired sequence container in the main package:
Run a single phase of a single package from the master package:
Run multiple phases of the ETL system, for example only the T and L: Disable the Sequence Containers of the phases that need to be excluded in the master package:
Run all the child packages in the right order from the master package: When you add a breakpoint on, for example, the LOAD Sequence Container you see that all the child packages are at the same ETL phase as their parent:
When pressing Continue the package completes:
This parent/child package design pattern for loading a Data Warehouse gives you all the flexibility and functionality you need. It's ready and easy to use during development and production without the need to change anything.
With only a single SSIS package for each dimension and fact table you now have the functionality that separate packages would offer. You will be able to, for example, run all the Extracts for all dimensions and fact tables simultaneously like the developers asked for and still have the benefits that come with the one package per dimension/fact table approach.
Download the solution with template packages from the URL's below. Only thing you need to do is change the connection managers to the child packages (to your location on disk) and run the master package!
Download for SSIS 2005
ATTENTION: See Part-2 on this subject for more background information!
How to: Use the Values of Parent Variables in a Child Package: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms345179.aspx
Recently I had to create a fact table with a lower grain than the source database. My source database contained order lines with a start- and end date and monthly revenue amounts.
To create reports that showed overall monthly revenue per year, lowering the grain was necessary. Because the lines contained revenue per month I decided to blow out the grain of my fact table to monthly records for all the order lines of the source database. For example, an order line with a start date of 1 January 2009 and an end date of 31 December 2009 should result in 12 order lines in the fact table, one line for each month.
To achieve this result I exploded the source records against my DimDate. I used a standard DimDate:
The query below did the job; use it in a SSIS source component and it will explode the order lines to a monthly grain:
Some explanation about this query below:
· I always want to connect a record to the first day of the month in DimDate, that's why this WHERE clause is used:
· Because I want to do a join on the month (format: YYYMM) of DimDate I need to format the start and end date on the same way (YYYYMM):
The source, order lines with a start and end date:
The Result, monthly order lines:


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Super Powered Legends: Pendragon
Super Powered Legends: Pendragon
Sometimes what your campaign needs is a hero of legend, who everyone recognizes, even though they've never met her before.
Pendragon (PL 10) is one of the Great Heroes of WWII, a patriotic defender of justice and foe of tyranny, who survived decades in suspended animation to be revived in a world that more-than-ever needs a heroic role model!
Designed and illustrated by Jacob E. Blackmon.
Super Powered by M&M!.

subset: commoncrawl


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Rock Print Silk Dress
sold out
Rock Print Silk Dress
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This silky shirt dress from Tryb212 is nothing short of stunning. Made from a custom printed delicate silk, with a colorful and edgy rock crystal print, it feels nearly made of air. A true work of art to wear.
Model wears size 4, but the cut is very forgiving and will fit most.
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KEEN buyers, mainly from China, are submitting multiple offers on homes in the southside suburb of Robertson.
RP Data results reveal the suburb's median sale price jumped 7.9 per cent in the past year to $717,500, compared to $600,000 in Macgregor and $584,000 in Sunnybank.
Yong Real Estate sales agent Tom XiaoYi said Robertson was perceived as an expensive, prestigious suburb and 10-20 per cent of his sales were cash offers.
"As the market has gone up, people are facing competition from other buyers so to stand out, they're submitting cash offers," Mr XiaoYi said.
Harcourts Sunnybank principal John White said he had a list of people waiting to buy in Robertson who were willing to pay a premium to live in the exclusive pocket.
"Buyers are quite excited about Robertson and as soon as something is listed, it goes," Mr White said.
"It's a very sought-after suburb as it has larger homes on good-sized blocks."
He said Robertson was also facing a "changing of the guard" with families replacing empty nesters.


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US VERSUS THEM "Black Sideways" Snapback Cap
Posted by Kevin, March 12th, 2013 12:03 am under Snapback
Straight from US VERSUS THEM's Spring '13 first headwear delivery is the "Black Sideways" snapback cap. The 100% cotton snapback has an all-over side-ways stripe pattern on a Black colorway. The cap also features a Red under-lid for added contrast. The front panel has an embroidered US VERSUS THEM patch logo in White and Black. Purchase yours at www.usversusthem.com.


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During 9th October to 30th November, PNB would waive off processing fee for housing, car and personal loans
New Delhi: To cash in on the festive fervour, state-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) has announced waiver of processing fee for housing, car and personal loans, reports PTI.
The offer is valid from 9th October to 30th November, PNB said in a statement.
To meet the sentiments and aspirations of public, it said, the bank has announced a series of relaxations and concessions.
It further said rate of interest on housing loans up to Rs75 lakh was slashed to 10.50% last month.
The base rate or minimum lending rate of the bank stands at 10.50%.
Similarly, the car finance would be made available up to 100% of ex-showroom price at very competitive rates of 11.5-12%, it said.
Loans for purchase of consumer durables also available at a very attractive rate of interest of 15% with no processing charges, it added.
According to the RBI deputy governor, debt-laden Kingfisher Airlines, which owes 17 banks about Rs7,000 crore, does not pose any systemic risk to the banking system
Mumbai: The debt-laden Kingfisher Airlines, which owes 17 banks about Rs7,000 crore, does not pose any systemic risk, reports PTI quoting Dr KC Chakrabarty, deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
When asked about the troubles at Kingfisher Airlines, Chakrabarty said that "it does not pose any systemic risk to the banking system".
He was talking to reporters on the sidelines on an SME event organised by the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The aviation regulator DGCA had recently served a show-cause notice to the company asking why its licence should not be revoked.
Within the lenders consortium, SBI has the single largest exposure with Rs1,580 crore, followed by IDBI Bank (Rs720 crore), Punjab National Bank (Rs435 crore), Bank of India (Rs575 crore), Bank of Baroda (Rs530 crore), Central Bank of India (Rs420 crore), UBI (Rs350 crore), Corporation Bank (Rs150 crore), and Federal Bank (Rs80 crore which is not a loan but an en-cashed bank guarantee to BPCL).
The central bank is trying to redefine sick units and would soon come up with the new definition, says Dr Chakrabarty
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will come out with a new definition of sick units shortly, reports PTI quoting RBI Deputy Governor KC Chakrabarty.
"We are trying to redefine sick units... very soon we will come up with a new definition," Chakrabarty said while addressing a conference on SMEs organised by the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Talking about bank financing to SMEs, the senior most deputy governor said entrepreneurs have to be trustworthy and units have to be credit-worthy for getting bank finances. The SMEs have to maintain utmost transparency in their transaction with banks.
"Availability of timely credit is more important for SMEs than the cost of credit," he said, adding businesses can't only run on borrowed money and promoters have to bring in capital for growth.
He also said that SMEs should foresee their cash flow for at least the next 18 months to arrange for timely availability of bank credit.


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Creation Station is at 11am & 2:00pm. Join us daily at our Creation Station on the second floor for a fun activity or craft!
It's a brand new year. What do you want to do this year? Who do you want to be? Let's make a collage to show what we want to accomplish this year.
*Special events scheduled at the same time as a Creation Station replace that activity.
© Copyright 2015 THEMUSEUM


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I reported on this back when it was debated in committee a couple weeks ago. While it's great for public sector employees to be well taken care of, a couple things about Carrasco's pay raise seemed excessive. For one, it's a hell of a raise all at once—more than $100,000 extra dollars a year. For another, the committee discussion of the raise came just days after the council approved compromise $15 minimum wage legislation, in which wage raises for the city's lowest paid workers will phase in over the course of three to seven years. The city council had even delayed that slow phase-in, pushing back the start date of the minimum wage hike to April of 2015. But then when it came to rewarding the city's top exec? Carrasco's raise, as the committee passed it, would be retroactive from January 1 of this year. Not only that, his salary is paid by the utility's ratepayers, something Council Member Kshama Sawant was quick to point out.
While the council ultimately approved this raise, they clearly heard some of the frustration that this move has caused among city ratepayers and lower-paid workers, some of whom came to testify today. Council Member Sally Bagshaw put forward an amendment to delay the effective date of this pay hike until July 1 of this year, eliminating the six months' retroactive pay initially proposed. That amendment passed unanimously, with Sawant calling it "a little bit less of a slap in the face" to low-wage workers whose raises were delayed by council.
In the end, the vote was 6 to 2, with Council Members Sawant and Nick Licata voting no (Bruce Harrell was absent). While Council President Tim Burgess stressed the routine nature of these salary adjustments, it just didn't sit well after such a careful, labored compromise for so many people on the low end of the pay scale. Frankly, they should've seen that coming.
And it's also renewed media attention on City Light—the Seattle Times just publicized the fact that the public utility recently spent $17,500 of a potential $47,500 contract with an online reputation-management firm to polish City Light and Carrasco's image online, so that Google search results for the utility and its CEO would be more positive. Wonder what this pay debacle will do to his online image?


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More than 800 million Indians are getting ready to elect their next set of leaders, including a Prime Minister. Here are some of the issues that they are thinking about when casting the ballot.
India's general election, the largest democratic exercise in history, is underway and people are in the process of electing 543 members to the lower house of parliament and eventually the country's next prime minister.
The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Congress party are going head to head, but whoever gets elected will have a host of issues to resolve. However, some of the problems are more persistent than others – 5 of them to be exact.


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This fun, family-orientated hotel was fully renovated in 2006 and comprises a total of 288 rooms spread over 9 floors. Amongst the facilities count a foyer with a 24-hour reception desk, a safe, a lift, a TV room, a video games room, conference facilities and Internet access. Moreover, there is a terrace relax on, a newspaper stand, a hairdressing salon, Bar Iguana and the gulf-front Jimmy's Restaurant where casual and fine dining in an island ambience are on offer. Room and laundry services are available and there is car parking for those arriving by car.
This hotel overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and it is just a short walk from the local white, sandy beaches, local shops and restaurants.
Each of the spacious rooms comes with an en suite bathroom with a hairdryer, individually controllable air conditioning and heating, a direct dial telephone, satellite/ cable TV, a radio, an Internet connection, a coffee machine, ironing equipment, a hire safe and a double or king-sized bed.
There is a terrace area with a swimming pool and a paddling pool for kids to make use of in the outdoor complex. Guests are able to pay a visit to the new tiki bar.
Jimmy's Fish House and Iguana Bar, featuring seafood and other culinary delights creatively prepared and served in the beautiful Gulf front setting. Dine on the spacious waterfront deck for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and VISA are accepted.
A fee of USD 8.00 + tax applies per day for parking.
Room Facilities:
Direct dial telephone
Satellite cable TV
Internet access
Tea Coffee
Iron and board
Double bed
King size bed
Individual airconditioned
Individual heating


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Pier Groen
LOCATION: Vaassen, Netherlands, The
Professor of Meteorology and Physical Oceanography, Free University, Amsterdam. Author of The Waters of the Sea.
Primary Contributions (1)
any of the cyclic deformations of one astronomical body caused by the gravitational forces exerted by others. The most familiar are the periodic variations in sea level on Earth that correspond to changes in the relative positions of the Moon and the Sun. The tides may be regarded as forced waves, partially running waves and partially standing waves. They are manifested by vertical movements of the sea surface (the height maximum and minimum are called high water [HW] and low water [LW]) and alternating horizontal movements of the water, the tidal currents. The words ebb and flow are used to designate the falling tide and the rising tide, respectively. Ocean tides At the surface of Earth, the gravitational force of the Moon is about 2.2 times greater than that of the Sun. The tide-producing action of the Moon arises from the variations in its gravitational field over the surface of Earth as compared with its strength at Earth's centre. The effect is that the water tends to accumulate...READ MORE


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Added: Thursday, February 10, 2011
Share My Cock Michelle Avanti
What a lovely ass shot this is to open the video clip and we can safely say that the rest of the movie is this tastefully done folks. You get lots of fucking and sucking and also two pussies for the price of one (although you're actually not paying for what you see here you lucky thing!) This guy doesn't know which one to fuck and when in this movie he's really at his wits end. He just ends up fucking wherever he points the camera; and that suits us just fine!
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Amateur slutsViews: 562


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01326 389272
Find A Cottage
You are here:
The Manse (Porthleven)
The Manse is cosy and welcoming with a multi fuel burner in the main living room and full oil fired central heating, as well as being spacious enough for modern family living by having the advantage of a smaller separate den, fully equipped with a TV, games, books and sofabed - ideal for the children to have their own space. Downstairs you will also find a separate large dining room, kitchen and conservatory area, with a separate utility. There is a small shower suitable for washing wet suits or sandy feet and a separate w.c.
Upstairs there are three bedrooms with one king sized bed, one double and one twin. The upstairs bathroom has a bath with mixer taps and shower hose, basin, wc and a separate shower cubicle with electric shower. There is an additional reading/quiet room equipped with a telescope so you can see details of the great view.
Outside to the rear of the house you will find a pretty terraced, enclosed garden with seating, and again, those lovely sea views. There is unrestricted parking on the road in front of the house.
Accommodation Details
3 bedrooms - 1 king, 1 double and 1 twin
Woodburner and Full Central Heating
TV, DVD & iPod Dock/CD/Radio
Washing Machine, Tumble Dryer, Dishwasher and Microwave
Pets Welcome
Travel Cot & Highchair at property
Private Garden
Linen, Towels, Electricity & Heating all included
© Copyright 2017 - Above Beach Cottages


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Powerful tool used for an application code protection from reverse engineering.
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Use this security logo:
Tutorial not found. Let know us about any useful video tutorial.
software protection, software copy protection, shareware protection, program code encryption, hack, crack, debugger, softice, frogice, exe file protection, uncrackable, source code obfuscation, anticrack, drm, antihack, entry point protection
EXECryptor registration changed. you need use new serial numbers


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- Why do people need vaccines? What is immunization? What is immunity?
- How can people become immune (protected)?
- Are there different types of vaccines?
- Can people receive multiple vaccinations during one visit to the doctor?
- Are there any dangers to being immunized?
- Can people with severe egg allergies still get an annual influenza vaccination?
- What reactions are likely after an immunization?
- Who should not receive a vaccine?
- What vaccines can women receive while pregnant?
- What are invalid reasons for postponing vaccination?
- Are side effects associated with vaccines?
- Why do people keep getting vaccines if the numbers of cases of the vaccine preventable diseases are at a record low in the United States?
- What should people do if they experience a reaction to a vaccine?
- Is there any financial help for people who have been seriously injured by vaccines?
- Is there anything different that health-care workers need to do compared with non-health-care workers?
- Do people need any additional vaccinations for foreign travel?
- Where can people find additional information on immunizations?
Why do people need vaccines? What is immunization? What is immunity?
Vaccines are medications that boost our ability to fight off certain diseases. Many of the vaccine-preventable diseases are highly contagious and even fatal in non-immunized individuals (Table 1). Prior to the development of vaccines, these diseases disabled or killed millions of people. Many people living in developed countries today do not appreciate the value of immunizations because the successful use of vaccines has almost eradicated many of these diseases. These diseases are still dangerous and can kill people who are not adequately protected from them.
|Cervical cancer
|Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib)
|Hepatitis A
|Hepatitis B
|Human papillomavirus (HPV)
|Influenza (flu)
|Japanese encephalitis (JE)
|Lyme disease
|Meningococcal disease
|Pertussis (whooping cough)
|Pneumococcal disease
|Poliomyelitis (polio)
|Rotavirus (severe diarrhea)
|Rubella (German measles)
|Tetanus (lockjaw)
|Varicella (chickenpox)
|Yellow fever
Immunization is the act of receiving a vaccine. Immunity is the ability of the body to recognize specific infecting organisms as foreign and thereby protect against them.


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1971 Beyond Borders
The most awaited big budget Mohanlal starrer movie "1971 Beyond Borders" directed by Major Ravi has started in Rajasthan.
Mohanlal appears in a double role on the movie.The shoot for the movie will be held at the places like Punjab,Kashmir,nearby places in Rajasthan.
Samudra Kani, Allu Sirish, Saiju Kurup, Sudheer Karamana will do the lead roles in the movie.The film is based on the 1973 Indo-pak war.
Sujith Vasudev handles the cinematography for the movie.Rahul Subramanium and Sidharth Vipin will do the music for 1971 Beyond Borders.


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The Mental Health Association of San Francisco is excited to launch our inaugural membership drive. #JoinUs in our efforts to educate, advocate, and empower our community by becoming a supporting Member of our association.
We have an uncertain road ahead. We need to mobilize and unleash the full force of our community. We need to be empowered to take an active role in our wellness and ensure equity, safety, and dignity for all mental health consumers. We can only face the challenge together!
Our goal is 100 new Members in the next 100 days. To do this, we are offering these introductory membership prices! So don't wait, #JoinUs today!
An affiliate of national Mental Health America


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Michael Jackson Death Bed Removed Auction
November 16, 2011 by staff
Michael Jackson Death Bed Removed Auction, Michael Jackson's deathbed has been pulled from auction. The late singer's estate stepped in and asked Julien's Auctions to remove the grisly item – which had a pre-sale start price of between $3,000 and $5,000 – from going under the hammer.
The queen-sized headboard was previously removed from the auction, but the mattress was reportedly never on sale because it was taken away for evidence when the 'Thriller' hitmaker died from acute Propofol intoxication in June 2009 aged 50.
A number of items from Michael's rented mansion – located at 100 North Carolwood Drive in Los Angeles – where he spent his final hours are set to go on sale at the auction house's gallery on Wilshire Boulevard on December 17, including high-priced paintings by Maurice Utrillo and Henri Rosseau, candles and silverware.
A kitchen chalkboard with a handwritten note which reads "I [heart] Daddy. SMILE, it's for free," written in childlike text – which is thought to have been penned by one of Michael's three children, Prince, 14, Paris, 13, and 'Blanket', nine, who were also living at the house – is also set to go under the hammer.
Darren Julien, president of Julien's Auctions, said: "We want to preserve the history of these items."
Michael's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in relation to the King of Pop's death earlier this month.
Please feel free to send if you have any questions regarding this post , you can contact on
Disclaimer: The views expressed on this site are that of the authors and not necessarily that of U.S.S.POST.


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From the time we walked in the door it was great. We were greeted and immediately found our reservation. The staff is very courteous and helpfull. We reserved a room with a view of Michigan Ave and that is what we got. I have had reservations that were not as projected on websites and this was not one of them. The room was on a corner of the building looking south to the river and was a great view night or day.
- Official Description (provided by the hotel):
- A downtown Chicago, IL hotel offering suites, spa services, pet friendly rooms, meeting space and wedding venues. Guests can also enjoy nightlife at the hotel's bar and lounge. ... more less
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Expedia, Hotels.com, Orbitz, Booking.com, Priceline, Travelocity, Hotwire, TripOnline SA, Cheap Tickets, Cancelon, getaroom.com and HotelQuickly so you can book your Hard Rock Hotel Chicago reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Hard Rock Chicago
- Chicago Hard Rock Hotel


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Azir Build Guide by My Giant
Not Updated For Current Season
This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page.
Azir Build
Ability Sequence
Not Updated For Current Season
The masteries shown here are not yet updated for the current season, the guide author needs to set up the new masteries. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
From what little I've read, I've gathered some core data about Azir that really helped me get a vision.
- Sand soldiers do not proc on-hit effects
- Attack speed and cooldown reduction % aren't necessary to maintain zone control
- Spell vamp and Liandry's make for an interesting option
I think I'll give this build a try out, and if it does something neat, I'll post some result!


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How Birminghan can Step Forward in a post-EU Britain
Councillor Brett O'Reilly, cabinet member for jobs and skills, talks about meeting counterparts in Rotterdam and how Birmingham needs to Step Forward in a post-EU Britain.
It should go without saying that jobs and skills are key to tackling the many problems faced by cities and most importantly their citizens.
Earlier this week I was at Jaguar Land Rover talking about how we need to improve the skills of the people of Birmingham and the region. Yesterday I met colleagues in Rotterdam to discuss the importance of finding – and funding – local solutions for local issues. And for me, how we move forward post-EU.
If cities are given the funding and powers to tailor localised solutions to localised problems we will step up and achieve sustainable outcomes that simply cannot be achieved by national policies alone.
A good example of this is the Youth Promise Plus. The UK employment and skills landscape is generally driven by national policies and implemented via national agencies. Here in Birmingham we have challenged this model for a number of years and although there has been little appetite for such a radical change centrally, there is a recent example of what can be achieved if cities are empowered to act.
The way the EU's Youth Employment Initiative was set up meant initiatives could not be delivered by Government national bodies, so cities could make direct bids for funding. Birmingham pulled together a substantial strategic partnership involving all key actors and stakeholders in our city to create the Birmingham and Solihull Youth Promise Plus. The city council took strategic ownership and strategic leadership to broker a partnership which pulled together knowledge, expertise and resources from across the city that could ensure we could get provision to the most deprived and excluded residents in the city which previous national provision never reached. We ultimately secured an approval for a £50m project which will provide individualised, tailor-made and wrap-around support for over 16,000 young unemployed people in Birmingham.
This is project is still in its infancy so we can't yet say whether it will be a success. But in the context of today, it is an illustration that, given the powers and funding, cities are able to step up to the challenge, mobilise partners, and broker an effective local response to very individualised challenges faced by young unemployed people today. This sure has to be a model and blueprint for jobs and skills provision moving forward.
But of course the elephant in the room is that we are leaving the European Union. So not only do we need to ensure we maintain investment plans based on current EU funding, and ensure long-term repatriation of funds comes down to local level, we have to think about how our skills base will change.
If the freedom of movement – and consequent variety of skills – that this city has benefited from is curtailed it becomes even more important to broaden and improve the skills base in Birmingham, something I talked about yesterday to employers from across the city. Skills don't automatically convert into jobs and growth; they have to be the right skills and people need to be able to adapt to changes in the labour market. So it was great to learn from colleagues in Europe about what we can all do – whether we are in or out of the EU – to develop the right skills from an early age, ensure they are properly utilised, and stimulate the creation of high-skilled and high value-added jobs so we can compete more effectively in the global economy.
So as the UK negotiates the terms of its exit from the EU it is critical that English cities are able to sustain and create jobs and skills for the future. This includes sharing ideas and good practice with other cities as well as fully understanding the real impact of any free movement restrictions in critical sectors in Birmingham. Most importantly, the lessons learned from projects such as the Youth Promise Plus should provide the evidence needed to demonstrate the positive impact cities can make if they are given tools and funding to step up. A post-EU Birmingham, through accelerated and enhanced devolution, will maximise opportunities and make Birmingham the Skills City.


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Pleasant St is closed westbound from Myrtle St. to Becon St. due to road construction. 7:00am- 3:00pm.
BB guns and air guns are becoming popular among youths. In order to help prevent injuries to youths and others, it is important for parents to know and understand the law pertaining to BB guns and air guns (this law […]
Pleasant St. westbound from Myrtle St. to Bacon St. will be closed due to road contruction on Thursday, April 8th from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
On Tuesday evening at approximately five pm, Watertown Police responded to Hunt St in Watertown on a report of a suspicious male in a car attempting to lure young children that were playing in the yard. Officers discovered that a […]
Spring Street closed from Main St. to Baptist Walk due to flooding conditions
Nonatum Road closed due to flooding conditions
Pleasant Street is closed between Howard Street and Myrtle Street due to road construction. From 0700 am – 3:00 pm.
Pleasant Street – westbound between Myrtle St to Bacon St. will be closed due to construction from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on March 24, 2010.
Pleasant Street is closed westbound from Myrtle Street to Bacon Street due to construction till 3:30 pm.


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Allscripts, McKesson, Meditech and Siemens are losing market share in hospitals with more than 200 beds, as the better integrated product lines of Epic and Cerner lead the pack, according to vendor research firm KLAS Enterprises.
A study of market share across 1,470 U.S. hospitals and 151 in Canada shows larger hospitals favoring higher levels of integration and clinical functionality, with Epic the leader, followed by Cerner.
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Definition Edit
A real dollar is
|[a] dollar value adjusted to remove the effects of inflation by dividing the nominal value (also called the current dollar value) by the appropriate price index. The resulting amount can be labeled real or inflation-adjusted. Real dollar values can reflect a measure of purchasing power, such as real income, or a measure of quantity, such as real GDP. Real dollar is frequently called constant dollar when referring to measures of purchasing power.


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McDermott Middle East, Inc., part of McDermott International, has been awarded initial work for a significant power supply system replacement contract by Saudi Aramco for the Marjan field, offshore Saudi Arabia. Work is expected to be executed through the fourth quarter of 2016 and will be included in McDermott's first quarter 2015 backlog.
The overall brownfield project comprises integrated engineering, procurement, construction, installation (EPCI) and replacement of the decks of two existing tie-in platforms, as well as the removal and salvage of existing gas turbine generators, and the installation of two new 115kV subsea power and communication cables. The initial scope of work awarded today, comprises the engineering, procurement, fabrication and load-out of the platforms and cable.
McDermott International
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Copyright 1973-2016. Scandinavian Oil-Gas Online. ISSN 1500-709X.
Tel: +47 22 44 72 70, Fax: +47 22 44 72 87


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Jobs for Students and Recent Graduates
Developing the next generation of leaders and innovators.
At SP+, we recognize the importance of investing in our employees, and are committed to cultivating their talent. We offer mentoring and training programs to ensure employees have the knowledge and skills to succeed.
We are looking for the next generation of innovators to help drive our standards relating to integrity, professionalism, excellence, and customer service.
Our interns are immersed in a training program that allow them to observe, participate, and gain knowledge of the parking and transportation industry. Interns are responsible for assisting with the operational management of their assigned locations, fostering good client and customer relations, and assisting with the development of programs to improve property level financial and operational goals.
Manager in Training Program
Our Manager in Training Program is designed to prepare highly talented college graduates for leadership roles in SP+ operations. The program includes leadership, operations, and customer service curriculum, and promotes continuous learning. Management supports participants through mentoring and ongoing training, development, and performance feedback. Upon completion of the program, participants will be considered for Facility Manager opportunities within SP+.
Partnerships with Schools
We participate in local career fairs and partner with colleges and universities across the country to place new talent in management roles. Our recruiters work with students in translating the skills that they learned in school into successful careers at SP+.


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I saw that in my profile page and item page that it's bolded, I'm not a fan, it looks too bold now
It's on product pages as well. Very ugly.
A bit too bold IMO . font-weight: 600; would look more descent.
I don't like it as well…
I have to agree that the bold is too much.
Yep, I agree with the others… It's too bold.
Guess I'll add another vote for 'too bold' Noticed it on the 'purchases' stats on the right of an item page.. looks quite off there.
Oh well, not a difficult fix I suppose
It would look good if it was more #333 than #000.
Don't take this the wrong way, but I'd be happier if they got stuck into the long list of other changes recommended in this post: http://codecanyon.net/forums/thread/what-should-change-about-codecanyon/47750
The bold text is such a small and meaningless change in comparison with other suggestions. I'm quite indifferent about it really, I think it looks OK, wouldn't say it was an improvement nor a regression.
ThemeProvince saidI agree on you.. bold is too much black.
It would look good if it was more #333 than #000.


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History of Calhoun County, Michigan: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its People, and Its Principle Interests, Volume 1
Lewis Publishing Company, 1913 - Calhoun County (Mich.)
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adopted Albion College anti-slavery appointed Bank Battle Creek became Board building built Calhoun county cashier Cass Charles church citizens Commissioners committee Company Congress constitution convention Convis court Crary Crosswhite Democrat Detroit district dollars early Eckford Eckford township elected Erastus Hussey erected farm Fugitive Slave Law fund George Gorham Governor graduate held Henry Homer inaugurated January institution Isaac Jackson James John Joseph Kalamazoo Kalamazoo river Kentucky Ketchum Lake land large number later legislature Lewis Cass located Marengo Marengo township Marshall meeting Methodist Michigan organized party Pierce pioneers present president Public Instruction Railroad Rice creek road Samuel sanitarium saw mill school house secretary Senate settlers slavery street Superintendent of Public Supervisors teachers Tekonsha territory Thomas tion town township Troutman trustees Underground Railroad Union village Washington Gardner William Wilmot Proviso Zachariah Chandler
Popular passages
Page 73 - That we inscribe on our banner Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, and Free Men, and under it will fight on and fight ever, until a triumphant victory shall reward our exertions.
Page 6 - There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted...
Page 69 - That we accept the issue which the Slave Power has forced upon us, and to their demand for more Slave States and more Slave Territory, our calm but final answer is: No more Slave States and no more Slave Territory.
Page 472 - We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners.
Page 6 - The utmost good faith shall always be observed towards the Indians; their lands and property shall never be taken from them without their consent ; and in their property, rights and liberty, they never shall be invaded or disturbed, unless in just and lawful wars authorized by Congress; but laws founded in justice and humanity shall from time to time be made for preventing wrongs being done to them, and for preserving peace and friendship with them.
Page 472 - Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.
Page 472 - Editor. designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.
Page 471 - Constitution and laws; to discountenance whatever tends to weaken loyalty, incites to insurrection, treason or rebellion, or in any manner impairs the efficiency and permanency of our free institutions; and to encourage the spread of universal liberty, equal rights and justice to all men.
Page 472 - Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of springtime ; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor ; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us, a sacred charge upon a nation's gratitude, — the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.
Page 105 - America, their successors and assigns, shall be, and are hereby, created a corporation and body politic, by the name and style of " The president, directors, and company, of the bank of the United States...


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We here at Homeoanimal want to see all our furry clients feel much better fast which is why we are recommending what we would without a doubt use for our own dog Westin!!
In case you were not aware of these other great remedies that, combined to the Anemia, remedy will give you even better results FAST!
"The Ultimate 'Anemia' Remedy MAXIMIZER Pack" will:
- Maximize results of the Anemia Remedy;
- Nourrish the blood;
- Exceptional anti-anemic strengthener;
- Rebuilder.
This package is made to maximize the results of the Anemia remedy. Therefore, it is important to buy the Anemia remedy to get the full benefits and great results from the combination of this package.


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Brannon Letter January 29, 1947
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John G. Brannon
[enclosures: letter from Thomas E. Walsh to John G. Brannon and newspaper clipping] State of Brannon's office in Kansas City. Newspaper clipping regarding the Prosecution's case.
Permanent Linkhttp://hdl.handle.net/10822/555566
The library requests that any reproduction of these materials in whole or in part provide Georgetown Law with proper credit. For reproduction within a publication please provide credit with language such as: "Item is reproduced from the Georgetown University Law Library [Digital Manuscript Collection]. All electronic reproductions should include that language along with a link to the Georgetown University Law Library [Digital Manuscript Collection]. Before reproducing the work please notify the Head of Patron Services. Proper credit includes the statement: [Digital Manuscript Collection], Georgetown University Law Library, Special Collection.
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Brannon Letter January 19, 1949 & January 22, 1949 John G. Brannon (1949-01-19)First letter recounting his argument before the Supreme Court. Second letter last letter from Japan.
Brannon Letter January 12, 1947 John G. Brannon (1947-01-12)Brannon decides to stay in Japan and continue to help out on the defense team. Brannon takes on the defenses of Admiral Shimada, Admiral Oka, General Hashimoto and General Sato. The possibility of helping with Prime ...
Brannon Letter January 13, 1947 John G. Brannon (1947-01-13)Brannon details the death of Nagano and Nagano as a person. Morality of the trial and the lack of concern for the Japanese by Americans in occupation. Unfair treatment of the Japanese prisoners. (This letter was referenced ...


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The Backyard Axe Throwing League is deeply familiar with the need to operate axe throwing locations efficiently. To address the unique nature of this rapidly expanding sport, we've leveraged 10 years of experience to build a software solution to service its nuanced needs. Recently, we've applied our expertise and over 5,000 hours of coding to develop a proprietary system specifically engineered to service axe throwing operations.
We now offer access to our unique web based solution on a monthly subscription basis, and rely on this same infastructure to manage our own locations servicing in excess of 100,000 customers per year.
Summary Features and Functionality
If interested in learning more about our Customer Management Software, including live demonstration of its event booking, scoring and axe throwing league management capabilities please Contact Us.
11am - 8pm ET: Monday - Saturday
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I would tell you more, but I'm allergic to writing lengthy answers. But def. ask me if you want to know!
Boom boxes are the next big thing!
j/k - I'm a graphic designer
Movies: Various documentaries, City of God, Apocalypse Now, Stand By Me, Motorcycle Diaries
TV: Breaking Bad, 30 Rock, The Office, Arrested Development, Girls, Homeland
Music: Miike Snow, Phoenix, Mumford and Sons, RHCP, Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan
Food: Hummus and Pita!
2. Clean sheets
3. Avocados
4. Music
5. Good company
6. Candles


text:
Building Set River Pebbles (Grimm's)
Build, stack, and find just the right balance with these organic, rounded off pebble shapes. 4 pieces in blue tones. Materials: lime wood, non-toxic water based color stain.
Don't Miss Anything!
Join our mailing list to learn about new products and special offers, and get an $8.00 coupon!!


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|Click the flower to see a pdf brochure of
information about our Hilltop Women.
|(the brochure is a Microsoft Word document.)
|We are proud of the work the ladies
do to help make the Lancaster
Camp Ground what it is.
|Creighton Corner is a place where
the ladies of the Camp Ground dedicate
their time to serve Saturday evening
meals downstairs, open to the public.
Upstairs they rent out 4 Bedrooms
to sleep up to 6 overnight guests.
A cozy seating area
and a shared bathroom.
Rent the seating area
for $ 25.00
2011 Rates are per person / per night
$20 - Linens provided
Call for more information.
|The Hilltop Women
|We've made great upgrades to Creighton Corner,
if you haven't seen it in awhile,
be sure to stop in this summer and take a peek!
|Rent the 50 seat Dining Room for $ 35.00
Dining Room and Kitchen $ 50.00
Call for more information.


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Thanks for accessing the web page of Speech Tree Service App. We have worked hard to gain the reputation of being the best tree service in the area. Over the years, people now turn to us as their first call for any arbor care needs that they might have. We strive to protect and nurture both our reputation and our relationships with our clients.
On this web site, you will find information about the services that we offer as well as our company's beginnings and how to contact us. On this page, you will find a general overview of our goals as a company as well as some words from our customers about us.
Our Company Goals
First and foremost, our company is committed to providing you the best service that we can give you with the lowest price possible. We know that in this day and age, everything is incredibly expensive. It's hard to find good products for a low and reasonable price. The same thing goes for services. It seems that whenever you want something to be done, it costs an arm and a leg. Here at Speech Tree Service App, we are concerned with affordability and quality of service. We've worked with a lot of clients and we know how to work in any kind of budget. We're committed to affordability because when it comes down to it, we are just humans helping other fellow humans.
However, even though our services might have a low price tag on them, that doesn't mean that our work reflects any kind of cheap nature. We make sure that we give the appropriate amount of time and attention to every single job that we do. In addition, we have some highly trained staff who know how to get the job done right.
A Word from our Clients
We're proud of the work that we do. However, it makes more sense for you to hear about the quality of our service from those who actually paid for it. We've included a review from an actual customer who paid us for a job. Read on down below to find out more about it!
"A few months ago, I hired Speech Tree Service App to do some work on some trees in our backyard. We wanted to put in a small patio but needed to remove some trees and cut some branches in order to do that. I had never contacted a certified arborist before. In the past, I had just done small things on my own. However, I knew that the job would be big and that I needed to call outside help. So, I gave Speech Tree a call. Right off the bat, they were very friendly on the phone. I was impressed with how professional they were about everything. We set up an appointment for them to come look at the potential job. They arrived on time, did the inspection, and gave us an honest quote that was much lower than I had anticipated. The next day, they showed up and did the job perfectly. Thanks, Speech Tree!"
Other Resources
If you're interested in checking out some of our partners in other areas of the country, be sure to look at these websites. Some of our staff were trained at these companies, so you can trust them like you trust us!
Longview – longviewtreeservice.com – affordable prices & free quotes
Wixom – oakstreeservices.com – Wixom & Walled Lake, MI company


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The conference had been billed as a disaster and opened to extremely low expectations.
Right up until the last minute, few countries had confirmed their delegations and many had expressed very strong reservations about pledging money to Iraq in its current state.
The pace of political change is slow, there is ongoing violent unrest and a lack of transparency about which country or
multi-lateral organisation would handle and distribute donated funds remains.
In the end though, despite the gloomy expectations, governments and international agencies have pledged billions of dollars
in aid and loans to help get Iraq back on its feet.
But the final total has still come in considerably below the amount originally hoped-for.
The United Nations and the World Bank say Iraq needs $56bn to rebuild over the next four years.
The United States has already pledged around $20bn of that.
And Washington had hoped to make up the remaining $36bn here in Madrid.
But they did not get even close to achieving their goal.
The pledges that have trickled in have also come in a confusing mixture, including humanitarian and reconstruction aid, export credits and project finance, and covering different time periods.
Saudi Arabia - one of the richest and most powerful of Iraq's neighbours - announced a $1bn financing package, split equally between project finance and export credits.
Japan will provide a total of $5bn in aid for Iraq's reconstruction for a four-year period from 2004 to 2007.
Half of the $20bn pledged by the US comes in the form of aid and the remainder in grants and bilateral aid linked to contracts for US firms, many of which are linked to developing Iraq's huge oil reserves.
For their part the Iraqi delegation at the conference made it plain they were after hard cash, not pretty promises.
Wary commitment
It is, of course, one thing to pledge money and quite another to foot the bill.
Experience in countries such as Afghanistan shows that converting paper pledges to banknotes can be a long and slow process.
And then there is the issue of what happens to the money - how fast and how wisely will it be spent?
The US-led Coalition Authority came under renewed fire on Thursday.
Christian Aid, a leading British relief organisation said it had not properly accounted for $4bn dollars in Iraqi assets.
The Coalition Authority has dismissed these allegations but as a carrot to hesitant donors the US has approved the establishment of an International Advisory and Monitoring Board - which includes the UN, the World Bank and the IMF.
Its powers include approving external auditors for the US-controlled Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) established by the UN
Security Council and evaluating their reports.
Doubts remain though as to just how independently the international board can act when on the ground in Iraq.
This sort of wrangling aside the Iraqi Governing Council President Iyad Allawi said Iraqis would not forget those who them in their hour of need.
And in what many have interpreted as a veiled threat, Mr Allawi also added that Iraq would also never forget those it felt had turned its back.
This conference has struggled against scepticism from critics of the Iraq war.
The outspoken opponents of the Iraq invasion, Germany and France said no new money would be forthcoming as long as political
change in Iraq was slow in coming and instability in the region remained high.
Also they ask why they should pay for the damage to a country they didn't think should be invaded in the first place?
Self-interest too has been quite plainly at play with countries hoping for lucrative business contracts in the reconstruction
This could be seen as a further reason for France and Germany to keep their purses snapped shut, after the opposition they have shown to the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation in Iraq, it is unlikely their businesses would be rewarded with
So "less bleak than expected - though could have done better," will probably be the verdict of the Madrid meeting overall.
Still the money raised is more than enough to get re-construction started.
The World Bank says that under the unstable circumstances and with infrastructure so very basic in Iraq, it won't be possible to spend more than $5.6bn in first year.
The next stage will be to tackle Iraq's crippling debt - estimated to be between $100-120bn.
The US Treasury Secretary John Snow said after this donor's conference, the US administration has a plan to do just that.