BI Book - Free SQL Server 2012 e-book

Dear friends,
If you want to know the new Microsoft SQL Server 2012, I highly recommend you to download the SQL Server 2012 free e-book (288 pages - 10.8MB) wrote by Ross Mistry and Stacia Misner. I already read it! It's a very interesting book that you should take a look!

PART I - DATABASE ADMINISTRATION (by Ross Mistry)

1.   SQL Server 2012 Editions and Engine Enhancements
2.   High-Availability and Disaster-Recovery Enhancements
3.   Performance and Scalability
4.   Security Enhancements
5.   Programmability and Beyond-Relational Enhancements

PART II - BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPMENT (by Stacia Misner)

6.   Integration Services (SSIS)
7.   Data Quality Services
8.   Master Data Services
9.   Analysis Services (SSAS) and PowerPivot
10. Reporting Services (SSRS)

And not forget… if you want a more specific book about SSIS 2012, don’t forget to buy the book I wrote and will be published during the next days.

BI Conference – SQL Saturdays #115 Portugal 2012

Dear Friends,
Next Saturday I’ll present a session on SQL Saturdays Portugal! On this session I’ll show the first look to the SQL Integration Services 2012 based on my last 6 months experiences writing a book about it with my friend Reza Rad. We are currently writing the latest chapters and very excited with the updates made to this version. Some of those, are highlighted below:

Legacy and Project deployment Models
The deployment approach used in the previous version of SSIS is called Legacy Deployment Model and the new one is the Project Deployment Model. If the new approach (Project Deployment Model) is used, almost custom logging made in the legacy deployment mode (previous versions) doesn’t make more sense now. This new approach has an important new SSIS Catalog that automatically logs all package execution activity along with some built-in reports that provide a more intuitive perspective over log activity and performance

Change Data Capture (CDC) tasks and components
Change Data Capture (CDC) feature was included in SQL 2008 version and provides other possibility to detect change on data under a database. This version include a new CDC task and components to make the life easier for those persons that choose this approach to deal with changed data

SQL Server Data Tools
The old Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) does not exist anymore. Now is the SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) and has a very intuitive layout with new tasks and components design and is under the very interesting Visual Studio 2010 environment

Simple and important improvements
Several simple and important improvements were made. Some examples are the improvement on the variables toolbar, Undo & Redo capabilities, easier way to zoom and several other improvements

More new features
In addition to CDC task and components, I should highlight some other new features like: data flow column mapper, the expression task, package parameters, data quality services and several other very interesting features that I’ll highlight on the next weeks!

I hope to see you next Saturday on my session! More details about the conference could be shown here!
I’ll add the slide presentation soon here
Just to remember that the book I wrote with Reza is not on Pre-Order here! I hope to get feedback from you soon! :-)

BI Tool – SQL Server 2012 Released to Manufacturing

Today… I have one more reason to write here… Microsoft announced that SQL Server 2012 has released to manufacturing. Now it’s your turn to download and evaluate this new amazing version. Relating to SSIS 2012 I’ll write more often about it just because I passed the last 6 months investigating it through the SSIS book that I’m finishing with my friend Reza rad. For now, I want to highlight the following new updates:

Microsoft SQL Server Data Tools
Business Intelligence Development Studio known as BIDS there will not exist anymore. Now, the name is Microsoft SQL Server Data Tools. Take a look here.
Download SQL Server Data Tools

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Data Mining Add-ins for Office 2010
I thought Data Mining strategy had died, but has not yet! Fortunately Microsoft update the old Add-In to the new SQL 2012 and Excel 2010 versions. This package includes two add-ins for Microsoft Office Excel 2010 (Table Analysis Tools and Data Mining Client) and one add-in for Microsoft Office Visio 2010 (Data Mining Templates)
Download Data Mining Add-In

Today, don’t forget to attend the SQL Server 2012 Virtual Launch Event, featuring keynotes by Ted Kummert and Quentin Clark and a number of video presentations about SQL Server 2012 by other SQL Server expert.