BIFocal LLC

Month: March 2012

  • Presenting “SharePoint Logging & Debugging: The Troubleshooter’s Best Friend” tonight at NYCSPUG on 3/7/2012

    If you are in the greater NYC area and are looking for a way to put an exclamation point on a great day of geeking out during the Virtual SQL Server 2012 launch, find your way over to the Microsoft offices at the Avenue of the Americas and come hear all about SharePoint Logging & Debugging. 

    Here is the primer:

    Troubleshooting and debugging issues in Enterprise SharePoint farms is a daunting task at best. SharePoint 2010 provides the tools to tackle the task, but not the roadmap. Come and join us as we lift the veil on the new and exciting features in SharePoint 2010, providing the roadmap to save you a ton of time every time you troubleshoot or debug an issue in SharePoint. Reclaim your evenings and weekends once and for all by taming the SharePoint debugging beast!

    There will be food and drinks provided, and a SharePint following the event that promises to be a great time.  I have even heard that there will be some other out-of-towners making an appearance.

    If all of that isn’t enough to rope you in, I will be giving away a Lync certified Plantronics Voyager PRO UC.

    You can also check out my deck here: http://slidesha.re/wxIvNe

    Hope to see you there!

    spflogging_32

  • The SQL Server 2012 Launch is almost here!

    We are a mere 2 days away from the Virtual Launch of SQL Server 2012 and there is a ton of great information & free training (and some pay for) that is primed and ready to go for us to digest. Here is a list of some of the events that you can partake in:

    SQL SERVER 2012 VIRTUAL LAUNCH EVENT

    This is it people! What we have been waiting so long for has finally arrived. There is a full day of speakers in multiple tracks to enlighten us on all that is new and wonderful in this version of SQL Server.

    Date & Time: March 7th, 2012 @ 11a Eastern Time
    Cost: Free
    Registration Link: https://www.sqlserverlaunch.com/WW/Register
    Keynotes: Ted Kummert & Quentin Clark
    Full agenda: http://www.sqlserverlaunch.com/ww/Agenda

    A few of the highlights:

    Powerful Self Service Analysis with PowerPivot

    Julie Strauss

    Empowering End User Insight Through Rapid Data Exploration & Visualization with Power View

    Carolyn Chau

    Going Under the Hood with the New BI Semantic Model

    Ashvini Sharma

    A Technical Best Practices Tour with ColumnStore Index

    Susan Price & Eric Hanson

    Introduction to SQL Server 2012 AlwaysOn, New High Availability Solution

    Santosh Balasubramanian


    SQL SERVER 2012 SPECIAL OPS TOUR

    A 12 City Tour featuring 4 of the SQL Server Product group of highly-skilled experts who have come to divulge the most revealing facts and features around SQL Server 2012.

    Date & Time: Various
    Cost: Free
    Registration Link: http://specialops.sqlpass.org/FreeRegistration.aspx


    24 HOURS OF PASS

    Join SQL Server experts as they take an in-depth look at the hottest SQL Server topics over 24 consecutive (and free!) technical webcasts.

    Date & Time: March 21, 2012 beginning at 00:00 GMT (8pm Eastern Time)
    Cost: Free
    Registration Link: Big long ugly link

    A few of the highlights:

    Performance Tuning for Pirates!

    John Sterrett

    VertiPaq Under the Hood

    Marco Russo

    SQL Server First Responder Kit

    Kendra Little

    Moves Like Jagger – Upgrading to SQL Server 2012

    Mark Broadbent

    Automate Policy-Based Management Using PowerShell

    Allen White

     

    SQL SERVER CONNECTIONS

    During the Spring Connections Conference in Las Vegas the in-person SQL Server Launch event will be taking place.

    Date & Time: March 21, 2012 beginning at 00:00 GMT (8pm Eastern Time)
    Cost: See website
    Registration Link: https://www.devconnections.com/shows/sp2012/register.aspx?s=185
    Keynotes: Shawn Bice

    A few of the highlights:
    SQL Server Connections happens to be going on alongside Visual Studio Connections, ASP.Net Connections, SharePoint Connections (where I will be speaking), Silverlight Connections, HTML5 Connections, and Cloud Connections.


    PASS SQLSATURDAY

    PASS SQLSaturday’s are free 1-day training events for SQL Server professionals that focus on local speakers, providing a variety of high-quality technical sessions, and making it all happen through the efforts of volunteers.

    Date & Time: Various
    Cost: Free
    Registration Link: http://sqlsaturday.com/

  • PowerPivot & Claims Based Authentication–Is there hope in SQL 2012?

    I promised an update on this in my previous article and it is time to share what I have learned.

    The issue:

    As many of us have painfully found, PowerPivot v1 on a Claims Based Authentication web application is not supported in SharePoint 2010.  I had a case open with Microsoft last year that had the aspirations of rectifying that situation.  We had hoped that working with the PowerPivot team (a part of the SQL Server Product team) and the SharePoint Product team that we would be able to find a way for Microsoft to change their stance and provide us a way to allow PowerPivot v1 to be supported. 

    The answer for v1:

    Sadly, the changes that would have to be made were too drastic for Microsoft to make in the middle of PowerPivot v1’s existing product lifecycle. 

    The new and improved question:

    That begs the question: Is there hope that PowerPivot v2 will be able to work on a Claims Based Authentication web application?

    The caveated answer:

    Keeping in mind that the product has not launched yet and things can still change (they won’t, but lets keep hoping) and that all of the SQL 2012 TechNet that are posted currently have the following statement at the top of them:

    [This documentation is for preview only, and is subject to change in later releases. Blank topics are included as placeholders.]

    The answer is still no.  In the TechNet article entitled “Hardware and Software Requirements (PowerPivot for SharePoint and Reporting Services in SharePoint Mode)” you will find the section under PowerPivot Sofware Requirements says in reference to SharePoint web applications:

    “PowerPivot for SharePoint only supports SharePoint web applications that are configured for classic-mode authentication. If you are adding PowerPivot for SharePoint to an existing farm, be sure that the web application you plan to use it with is configured for classic-mode authentication. For instructions on how to check authentication mode, see the section “Verify the Web application uses Classic mode authentication” in Deploy PowerPivot Solutions to SharePoint.“

    Well damn.  Is there any hope that this is ever going to change?

    Keep your chins up.  Rumor in the interwebs is that there is going to be a new version of SharePoint coming in sometime soon.  I can tell you that Microsoft has heard and continues to hear our cries out about this matter.  The more we raise this up as an issue, the more real it will be to Microsoft and the more likely they will be to invest in making the change.  If there is no perception that this is an issue, then there is no attention that will be paid and no investment dollars that will be spent.

    If this is an issue for you, make sure that your Microsoft reps hear about it.  I talk about this with every Product Team member that I can get to listen to me for 5 minutes and I have never met with anything other than a warm reception and a sincere desire to know the feedback on how to make the product better.

    Is this going to stop you from deploying PowerPivot v2 and Power View?

    Not a snowman’s chance in the hot Jamaica sun.  I cannot wait for the final bits to drop so that I can get this amazing new product suite into the hands of every customer who wants to do BI.  The new BI story is too game changing not to get on the bus, and if I am riding it why not be driving smile

  • Holy time gap in posting!

    It has been almost 6 weeks since my last post and it is time to bring to light what has been going on in my world during that time. 

    While I am not someone who discusses my employer regularly on my blog, I joined Sentri 6 months ago and couldn’t be happier.  Especially in light of recent developments.  Some of you may have noticed the press release, twitter storms, webcasts, etc about Sentri’s acquisition of the KMA SharePoint Practice.  Over night my small practice grew to more than 4 times its size and was endowed with even more dynamic, and highly talented people. 

    Anyone who has ever lived through the M&A process can tell you that it is a nail biting & hair raising process as you never know if things are going to move forward or if Murphy is going to stick his head up and yell “GOTCHA!”

    In the weeks since my last posting life has been extremely interesting and exciting preparing for and then finally working through the details of integrating two different SharePoint Practices into one.

    Needless to say since I am writing this post, we are in the lucky 17% that went into the M&A process and came out the other side smiling.  I am sincerely thrilled to be working closely with Mike Gilronan (check out his take on this here), Derek Cash-Peterson, and the entire Sentri SharePoint team.

    As for my commitment to the SharePoint community, it remains as strong as ever.  I have added a Speaking Engagements section to my blog so that you can find out where and when I will be speaking next.  This week I will be speaking at the NYC SPUG on Wednesday March 7th, 2012 at 6pm.

    And now back to posting content…. smile