Rodney Landrum demonstrates an ingenious way to monitor blocked SQL Server processes across all your servers, using nothing but SSRS in his posting "The Reporting Services 3-Trick Pony"

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Today at the BI Conference in Seattle Jeff Raikes from Microsoft has given a first official impact - just slides - on the next SQL Server version.

I have seen a new feature called Change Data Capture (also mentioned in the datasheet) in the session "PL208 Data Warehousing with Microsoft SQL Server 2005" presented by Gopal Ashok, Program Manager with the SQL Server Product team, which was quite impressive.

Ever dealt with the problem of having mass data in a table and no "real" marker to identify the specific rows for incremental data operations like inserts, updates and deletes?
The Change Data Capture should ease your pain by creating a kind of audit table to watch data modification without the need of programming stored procedures, triggers and so on.
I am extremely curious how this feature proves in real life scenarios. And I am also a little bit surprised if the SSIS team will not bring up some new tasks to enable the use of the audit table of the Change Data Capture - or do we still need to develop the handling concerning load cycles, deleting of successfully loaded records, etc by our own? A kind of automatic delta queue mechanism and handling like in SAP systems would be great!

Tomorrow Ted Kummert, corporate vice president of the Data and Storage Platform Division at Microsoft will have a keynote at the morning - I hope that he will show some more live impressions.

You will find the official press release here.

And there also is a information website online.

Regarding to the press release, "SQL Server “Katmai” is scheduled to be delivered in 2008" - but there is no information about CTP´s available on the website yet.

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Vera Noest provides a really great link collection of ressources which will be very usefull while doing troubleshoting.

Vera also provides troubleshooting tips for Terminal Server and Citrix.

Worth reading - check it out!

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Interested in all the new things in SP2? Here is a complete list.

And this is the complete download site with links for the SP2 itself, a new BOL, new Samples, new Feature Pack and especially the links to SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint Technologies and SQL Server 2005 Data Mining Add-ins for Microsoft Office 2007.

To avoid a restart after the installation of the SP2 you should stop the neccessary services which could be done with the following commands on the command line - if you have used the standard instances:

net stop MSSQLSERVER
net stop MSSQLServerOLAPService
net stop msftesql
net stop MsDtsServer
net stop ReportServer

After the installation the "SQL Server 2005 User Provisioning Tool is started automatically if you use Windows Vista. As you probably know, Windows Admins are not automatically also SQL or AS Admins  - this tool enables to set the right privileges to the administartor accounts.

But do not forget to start the services before you try to set the privileges...

If you want to add a new account you will have to start the Provisioning Tool again, but unluckily it is not added to the Start Menu, you will find it at:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Shared\SqlProv.exe - assumed that you have a standard installation and an english version of MS Windows Vista.

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HowTo install Reporting Services on server with more than one website:

http://www.atrevido.net/blog/PermaLink.aspx?guid=3f1a7332-e4e1-4dda-be02-527bfe07e98c

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This article shows how easy it really is to write custom code for SQL Server Reporting Services

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The "Microsoft Architect Insight Conference" was held on 22 - 23 March 2006 and the slides are now available for download.

I would highly recommend that you read the PPT about Service-oriented Business Intelligence (SoBI) by Sean Gordon, Robert Grigg, Michael Horne, and Simon Thurman, which brings up some really good new approaches.
The authors also have published an article, which contains a more detailed descriptions and is available online.

And here are two additional links extracted from the article page:

• Data on the Outside vs. Data on the Inside
• Information as a Service: Service-Oriented Information Integration

You also should have an eye for the slides of Eric Nelson, who tries to explain that there are seven new servers in the SQL world...

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You surely know "Project REAL", the SQL Server 2005 reference implementation at Barnes & Noble. It contains information on all upcoming topics in a BI project.

And now...
your are not only able to read about it - you are able to download a whole subset of the project REAL data and the various parts of the implementation

Extract from the website:
"The kit contains:

1. A set of instructions for setting up the environment
2. Guidance on how to explore the implementation
3. A sample relational data warehouse database (a subset of the Project REAL data warehouse)
4. A sample source database (from which we pull incremental updates)
5. SSIS packages that implement the ETL operations
6. An SSAS cube definition and scripts for processing the cube from the sample warehouse
7. Sample SSRS reports
8. Sample data mining models for predicting out-of-stock conditions in stores
9. Sample client views in briefing books for the Proclarity and Panorama BI front-end tools

This kit will guide you through the key points to observe in the Project REAL implementation. Use it to learn and to get ideas for your own implementation. (While we believe it represents a very good design and generally follows best practices, it should not be regarded as the solution for every BI situation.) It will be helpful to see the overview presentations about the BI tools in SQL Server, or read documentation, before exploring the kit. One good source of information is to go through the tutorials that ship with SQL Server (the tutorials are installed when you select “Workstation components, Books Online and development tools” at installation time)."

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Chris Webb has blogged about the "Business Intelligence Architecture and Design Guide" downloadable at gotdotnet.

I agree with Chris, this is not really new stuff, but I personally think it is good to have informations like this in a kind of "complete package".

Extract from the website:
"The patterns & practices team is please to announce the availability of Architecture and Design Guidelines for Business Intelligence Applications. This exploratory community project provides prescriptive guidance on how to overcome architectural challenges and design issues when building Business Intelligence solutions using Microsoft platform. This guide is intended for software architects and developers who are developing Business Intelligence applications on the Microsoft .NET Framework using SQL Server 2005 - Integration Services and Analysis Services. Being an exploratory community project - anticipate gaps and scope for improvement. For more information see: http://codegallery.gotdotnet.com/biguide."

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PASS Germany is doing a BI BootCamp again!
[Even if it is an event in german language I am writting in english - please spread this news around in your blogs though interested community members have the chance to participate]

Better, bigger, more content, more networking, more speakers than 2005 - if even possible! :-)
And also a suprising night session again - stay tuned!

If you want to register, please use this link.

Here is the eight-slide-presentation for download:
PASS BI-BootCamp2006_8-Slides.pdf (190,66 KB)

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With SP1 SQL Server Reporting Services 2005 will now also accept SAP BW as a data source. The connection will be established without any custom code in SAP BW (and therefor no need of installation assistance by SAP Administration) using XML/A (XML for Analysis, XML standard for Online Analytical Processing [OLAP] using standard Internet protocols), which is an established standard as described at the website of the organization (http://www.xmla.org/, http://www.xmlforanalysis.com/).

Microsoft provides a really good white paper, which includes a step-by-step guidance and also describes some prerequisites and basics. There is also a video, which visualizes the described steps of the white paper.

The whole documentation and the connect to SAP BW is real good work, but some things regarding "real life" is not included in the white paper or is not mentioned as clearly as needed - in my personal opinion.

Basic Information

The SDN at http://www.sdn.sap.com/ (SAP Developers Network - do not hesitate to surf there, you will not get infected... :-) ) provides a real good basic information as pdf-file for XML for Analysis from the SAP point of view.

SAP System Prerequisites

If you are authorized to connect to the SAP system and would like to test if the XMLA SOAP Services is up and running please use transaction SICF (Service Maintenance) to check this - as described in the above mentioned pdf-file on page 14. And if SAP Administration does not know how to verify this hand them over the pdf-file...

You will also be able to discover the service url using the transaction SE37 and the function module RSBB_URL_PREFIX_GET as desribed on page 13.

Patch Level

As described in the white paper, there is a certain patch level required to assure a working XMLA-Connect.

• Support Package 30 for SAP BW 3.0B
• Support Package 24 for SAP BW 3.1
• Support Package 16 for SAP BW 3.5
• Support Package 6 for SAP NetWeaver 2004s (BW 7.0)

Other patch levels will also work BUT... will not support real interesting things like selections via variables for example. But I would suggest that you COULD use Reporting Services to do a real smart master data reporting for example - the best way to convince the stakeholder of the SAP System that doing the patching will be really worth the work.

You will not be able to convince the SAP Administration to do the patching required for Reporting Services, because implementing a Patch is not as "easy" as in the SQL Server World, doing a patch in SAP BW definitely means a own and time intense project, because all implementations in the system have to be checked, if they would work as expected and as designed at the current patch level.

So just think about this point and do not hassle with SAP Administration and please do not start moaning, if they are not willing to do the patch update - remember, it is not as in other worlds...

Language / Communication with SAP BW Developers

Do not wonder about the terms that SAP Developers are using while talking about the objects in SAP BW - this will be different from the terms you will encounter using XMLA or you certainly will know from the SQL Server world. So communication sometimes will be difficult but an accurate translation will be helpful and is also provided in the pdf-file on page 19 and 20. 

Security & Single Sign on (SSO)

To be shure, that we think and talk about the same thing while having SSO in the mind first a definition:

"What’s the Difference Between Authentication and Single Sign-On?

Authentication, or initial authentication, occurs when users first identify themselves to a system, and in turn this identification is verified. Initial authentication in SAP environments can take a number of different forms, ranging from anonymous or guest access to a Web site through the familiar user ID and password procedure, to using X.509 digital certificates.

Where single sign-on is in place, the user is issued credentials in one form or another following initial authentication. This allows the user to forego subsequent authentication steps when accessing further systems, offering not only convenience, but also increased security by limiting the number of times users enter sensitive information. This reduces the temptation for users to choose an easy-to-guess password. Single sign-on authenticates the user to access all the applications they have been given rights to in the SSO landscape, and eliminates future authentication prompts when the user switches applications during that particular session."
[from the SAP Developers Network]

But what does this mean regarding RS on SAP BW?
While SAP BW is a data storage and reporting system whith an own authorization system you definitely would like to make the usage of the reports as comfortable as possible. Though a user should not need to athenticate against the SAP system as backend while running the different reports and provide his credentials again and again. Therefor a automatic authentification should be possible and established by the system without contacting the user.

Normally in enterprise environments you will not face a homogeneous landscape whith SAP BW residing on a Windows Server but will discover, that SAP BW is running on a UNIX OS.

If you are a lucky one with SAP in a windows environment, you probably will be able to use kerberos and the SAP CUA (central user administration) and this will be the right documentation:

• http://www.microsoft-sap.com/doc/SAP_AD_Final.doc
• https://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/servlet/prt/portal/prtroot/docs/library/uuid/8302a929-0501-0010-05b5-d48f544bc572

But what to do, if you are facing the "standard", SAP BW on UNIX OS??
There are alos certain ways to implement a SSO solution between Windows and UNIX, including Kerberos, or 3rd-Party-Tools like the ticketing with the Tivoli Access Manager or the solution from secude. You will find appropriate documents on the SDN or other sources like:

• UNIX and Kerberos
• IBM Tivoli Access Manager
• secude

If you do not like to establish the SSO via a 3rd-Party-Tool and are using the SAP ITS (Internet Transaction Server) than you should read this article provided by Thomas Jung very intendly.

If you can not solve the above mentioned topics, you probably could use a technical user to connect RS via XML/A, but please consider, that the user authorization in SAP BW normally is based on so called authorization objects (for example key identifiers like company code) and you will not be able to use this build-in security concept for the user while using a technical one and though you will have a loose of security. If you are just planning to deploy master data reports, than the use of a technical user could be without security concerns.

I would highly recommend that you avoid a scenario where you implement your own security structure in Reporting Services or in SQL Server. Then you are only building up certain places for administration and could not be sure that your "home-made" security provides the same security settings for the users as the settings in SAP BW. And because of SAP BW normally being the leading system and the main reporting system you should prevent this situation.

Please do not forget to ONLY use the https-SOAP-Connection, whether you are using SSO nor provide the credentials via the reporting manager application during the report call.

Conclusion

Doing Reporting Services on SAP BW is a good option to enhance enterprise reporting towards the microsoft plattform regardless, which data source is connected. Doing so also will bring up some points for discussion or some pain points - if you face a hardliner SAP Administration for example... :-)
But to be honest, you also would not be really glad if your SQL Server data would be assimilated by a SAP BW system, would you?

If someone has other arguements, opinions and especially hints on the SSO-topic please feel free to use the comments

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The SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 1 is available now, which updates your SQL Version to Build 9.00.2047.

• download english version
• download german version
• List of bugfixes
• List of new features

Microsoft also now has published the "SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services", which contains Reporting Services now, and the "Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition Toolkit", which contains the Business Intelligence Development Studio and a Software Development Kit!
SQL Server 2005 Express now really is worth a look and it is for free, you will be able to download it here:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/sql/download/

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english version:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms159106(en-US,SQL.90).aspx

german version:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/de-de/library/ms159106(SQL.90).aspx

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You shurely know, that Microsoft provides a control to display reports in your own applications without just linking to the SQL Server Reporting Services by http or SOAP. It is a little bit difficult to understand how this control works and especially the difference between the remote mode and the local mode needs to be clarified, I think...

It´s a pity that the the ReportViewer control cannot be extended by adding custom renderers or custom report items - that is the only disadvantage.

Here are some links, that should bring up light into the dark:

Microsoft Report Viewer Redistributable 2005
[As a german developer you will need the Microsoft Report Viewer 2005 Language Pack Deutsch to bring up the right screen messages]

http://www.gotreportviewer.com/, which provides informations and sample codes to give a quick start. Especially the difference between local mode and remote mode is described clearly.

MSDN article about ReportViewer Controls (Visual Studio)

MSDN Forum: Visual Studio Report Controls

Teo Lachev, Building Report-enabled Applications with the New ReportViewer Controls (Part 1 of 2)

Teo Lachev, Building Report-enabled Applications with the New ReportViewer Controls (Part 2 of 2)

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If you want to have changing colors in the background of your details of your report, for example first row grey, second white and so on, you should use this expression:

=IIF(RowNumber(Nothing) mod 2=0,"#FFFFFF","#E8E8E8")

Sam Batterman - a Business Intelligence Evangelist with Microsoft Corporation in Malvern, Pennsylvania - has posted interesting approaches for conditional formatings in his blog.

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Project REAL is a cooperative effort between Microsoft and a number of technology partners in the business intelligence (BI) industry to build on actual customer scenarios to discover best practices for creating BI applications based on SQL Server 2005. The term REAL in Project REAL is an acronym for Reference implementation, End-to-end, At scale, and Lots of users.

This page gives tons of informations and really is worth reading carefully and staying for hours!

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I do not know why Microsoft hides there sample applications in that way - especially the RSExecutionLog.

But there is a good articel on how to install it, this is the german one and this is the english version.

But do not forget to install the samples first using the MSI-Package or you will find nothing on your harddrive...
;-)

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Lukasz Pawlowski has published an article "Populating the Cache before your users pound your report server" which gives really interesting hints about options how to do a kind of prerendering to fill up the cache of a reporting services server.

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MSDN TV: Developing a Model for Report Builder and End-user Report Authoring

Extract from the website:
"Report Builder is the ad hoc query tool for SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services and allows users to build reports using a business model of the underlying database. Carolyn Chau shows how to build a model for Report Builder and some customizations that can be made to enhance the end-user experience."

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Microsoft offers free e-learning courses for SSAS, SSIS and SSRS as a kind of delta-courses to enable an update of your knowledge to SQL 2005.

Course 2942: New Features of Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 Analysis Services

Extract from the website:
"Description:
This course will enable business intelligence developers experienced in SQL Server 2000/7.0 and Analysis Services to upgrade their skills to SQL Server 2005. The course is broken into five modules.

• Exploring SQL Server™ 2005 Analysis Services Core Concepts and Architecture
• Designing and Deploying a Unified Dimensional Model
• Administering SQL Server™ 2005 Analysis Services
• Programming in SQL Server™ Analysis Services 2005
• Working with Data Mining Solutions in SQL Server™ 2005 Analysis Services

Objectives:
At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Build a Cube in SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services
• Administer SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services
• Program in SQL Server Analysis Services 2005
• Work with Data Mining Solutions"

Course 2943: Updating Your Data ETL Skills to Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 Integration Services

Extract from the website:
"Description:
This course will enable business intelligence developers experienced in SQL Server 2000/7.0 and Analysis Services to upgrade their skills to SQL Server 2005. The course is broken into four modules.

• Exploring SQL Server™ 2005 Integration Services Architecture and Core Concepts
• Designing and Debugging SQL Server™ 2005 Integration Services Packages
• Rich Functionality in SQL Server™ 2005 Integration Services
• Extensibility

Objectives:
At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Design and debug SSIS Packages
• Configure and deploy SSIS Packages "

Course 2944: Updating Your Reporting Skills to Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 Reporting Services

Extract from the website:
"Description:
This course will enable business intelligence developers experienced in SQL Server 2000/7.0 and Analysis Services to upgrade their skills to SQL Server 2005. The course is broken into three modules.

• Exploring the Features and Core Concepts of SQL Server™ 2005 Reporting Services
• Designing Reports Using Report Designer
• Deploying and Managing Reports
• Working with Ad Hoc Reports

Objectives:
At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Design Reports Using Report Designer
• Deploy and Manage Reports
• Work with Ad Hoc Reports"

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The Beta 2 of Internet Explorer 7 is available now.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie7/ie7betaredirect.mspx

And the IE Product Team is blogging too:
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/

Today I tested it and now Reporting Services is not working anymore!
Calling a report just brings up this error message:
"The report server cannot decrypt the symmetric key used to access sensitive or encrypted data in a report server database. You must either restore a backup key or delete all encrypted content and then restart the service. Check the documentation for more information. (rsReportServerDisabled)"

I am really curious why the installation of the IE7 has to touch the Reporting Services repository?

And be assured - before installing IE7 B2 Reporting Services worked fine...

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This article, Implementing Smart Reports with the Microsoft Business Intelligence Platform, is a very interesting excerpt from Teo Lachev´s book "Applied Microsoft Analysis Services" about "smart" Reports.

A download of the sample codes is also available, but this seems not to work at the moment...

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As Chris Webb posted here, there is a "SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence Metadata Samples Toolkit", which brings up "Tools and Sample reports for Metadata Dependency Analysis of SSIS, SSAS", available for download for free.

Extract from the website:
"Microsoft SQL Server 2005 BI Metadata Samples provides tools and samples for analysing dependencies within and across SSIS and SSAS. The source code for the tools is provided.
The following are the components of this pack:
DependencyAnalyzer: a utility that scans SSIS packages and SSAS databases for enumerating metadata (objects, properties and dependencies).
DependencyViewer: a utility to view metadata organization & inter-dependencies (lineage/impact analysis).
Analysis Services Samples : sample SSAS packages that can be analyzed
Integration Services Samples: sample SSIS packages that can be analyzed
Report Model Samples (Report Builder): report builder model
Reports: sample reports built from metadata store
SQL: SQL script for creating metadata store"

Extract from the website:
"This white paper covers several interesting and unique methods for managing metadata in SQL Server Integration Services, Analysis Services and Reporting Services using built-in features including data lineage, business and technical metadata and impact analysis."

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