Rants Tagged with “SQL Server”
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I've been digging deep into SQL Server 2005's CLR integration over the last few days. I am surprised by several specific omissions. My guess is that they have been dropped because of time constraints:
- Server-side cursor in Managed Code (SqlResultSet) is now missing and will probably be MIA in the release.
- Good solution for translating a SqlDataReader's schema into SqlMetaData (which is used with SqlDataRecord to share schema with the client).
- No access to current Transaction. (Used to be part of the SqlContext, but now is missing).
In addition, the current release of the InProc Managed provider has made some interesting choices that are different from earlier version:
- SqlContext no longer gives access to the current connection, but if you create a command object and execute it, it magically is done on the current connection.
- No way to enlist a command to the current transaction.
Its going to be interesting to see where it goes from here. All of these changes are only since the February CTP. I can't imagine it's going to stop here...
Forget everything I told you. It's all changed in the April CTP. I hope to re-give this talk soon in the Atlanta area with the new bits.
A client came across this link to a great workaround for the nasty problem of not being able to put data driven fields or calculated fields in the footer of reports written for
SQL Server Reporting Services. At the bottom is a second link to working around the same thing for database images too!
In response to Sahil Malik's recent post on CLR Types as UDT's in Yukon, I have to say I prefer the Typed Xml in Yukon to CLR Types.
In Yukon there are two paths to creating User Defined Types. The CLR path has some limitations, (primarily the 8K size limititation). I am a big fan of the XML Type path. Typed XML inside the server is a better way to create complex types in the database IMHO. Typed XML is schema based. This means the types in your database can be exposed externally as well if needed (like through web services <some of you might be seeing a pattern emerge here>).
In addition, Microsoft's extensions to XQuery (which I hope the standards board adopt) allow you to do in-place editing of Typed XML which means you don't have to do wholesale replacement of xml documents any longer (or wholesale changes to CLR based UDF's). The syntax allows you to do insert, updates and deletes to individual nodes (or series' of nodes).
The book Richard Blewett and I have been working on the past year or two has been cancelled. Putting out a beta book this late just does not make sense. O'Reilly is working hard to finish up the full “Programming
SQL Server 2005” book, so look for that in the future.
I've spent the last few days extending Reporting Services for a client. I am very impressed by their open model, I just wish that there was more 3rd Party support for designers. The
Visual Studio .NET designer is just ok, not great. And a conversion from Crystal to RDL would really rock.
Evidently MS slipped on thier pledge to deliver the betas at the conference. This article implies that they are claiming that the betas are “imminent“...wonder what that really means? Q3? Q4?
UPDATE: Evidently the article is wrong about the VS.NET Beta...hopefully the Yukon beta isn't far behind.
Looks like MS is going after the 'hobbyist' with their new “Express” line of development products. Wonder if this will really stem the MySQL tide or not. Perhaps the SQL Server Express edition will be a better solution than MSDE.
It's official, Yukon and Whidbey are both being slipped to 1st half of 2005.
I am very impressed with RS at the moment. I looked briefly at this stuff a year ago when it was to be part of Yukon and liked what I saw a lot. Now the Report interface is done via Visual Studio and it is very powerful. My days of trudging through Crystal Reports or creating ad-hoc aspx pages may be over. The feature I really like are:
- Ability to use DataSets as data sources (as well as standard ODBC, OLEDB, and ADO.NET Managed Providers).
- The ability to render to different formats (including HTML, PDF, image, Excel, etc.)
- A rich sub-report system for indepth reporting.
- Intuitive UI
While I am just toe deep into the RS pool, I will undoubtedly find wrinkles I don't like. But at first glance I am very impressed.
