Thursday, November 30, 2006

Save as PDF or XPS Add-In for Office 2007

2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS (Beta 2 Technical Refresh) This Beta 2 Technical Refresh download from Microsoft allows you to export and save to the PDF and XPS formats in eight 2007 Microsoft Office programs. It also allows you to send as an e-mail attachment in the PDF and XPS formats in a subset of these programs.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Towards Better and Faster VBA Code

Aivisto Oy, who develops coding tools for VB, has just posted two excellent articles on creating better and faster VB code, which apply equally to VBA and Office applications:

Optimize Loops  Performance tricks for squeezing the maximum speed out of your code. Restructure loops, rebuild function calls, fine-tune conditionals, choose fast operators, pre-calculate values, and access arrays the proper way.

Release Checklist for Programs  A code review checklist to go through before releasing an application to users.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Cool New Search Engines ;)

Click to get Clearification    How can Ms Dewey help you?

Clearification    Ms Dewey

Practical Data Normalization

Practical database normalization tips  From TechRepublic.com. Normalization is a series of steps to guide you through analyzing and designing relations in your database schema.  Find out why a database in the third normal form is sometimes not very practical, and why a hybrid approach to table normalization may be more parctical.

Using Common Table Expressions in SQL Server 2005

Using common table expressions in SQL Server 2005 queries  From TecgRepublic.com. Common table expressions (CTEs), a powerful new feature in SQL Server 2005, make your SQL more readable and easier to maintain. See how you can use a CTE more than once in a SQL Server statement.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Access Database Documenters Package: Save 33%

Object Dependency Browser (ODB) v2.0
Ezy Documenter Premium Edition (EDP) v6.0

Add-Ins for Microsoft© Access

A package of the only documentation tools you need to easily document your Access databases is now available from aadconsulting.com:  

  • Object Dependency Browser for visually exploring all objects, object collections, and dependencies of your Access database.  Each object can be fully documented in a formatted Access report by clicking the Document button. More
  • Ezy Documenter Premium  automatically documents and prints in fully formatted Access reports all the objects in your Access database: tables and fields, table relations, query definitions, forms and record sources, reports and record sources, code modules, macros, data access pages, references, custom command bars, and database properties. More

The package is only US$39.95 A saving of US$20 if each product is purchased separately. Secure payment with PayPal.

Friday, November 24, 2006

New Access 2007 Resource Center

I have expanded my Access Resources page on aadconsulting.com to include a new section devoted to Access 2007 and related Office 2007 technologies, with over 50 links to MS resources and downloads for 2007.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

XML Notepad 2007

The just released free XML Notepad 2007 provides a simple intuitive user interface for browsing and editing XML documents.

Handy features include:

  • Tree View synchronized with Node Text View for quick editing of node names and values.
  • Incremental search (Ctrl+I) in both tree and text views, so as you type it navigates to matching nodes.
  • Cut/copy/paste with full namespace support.
  • Drag/drop support for easy manipulation of the tree, even across different instances of XML Notepad and from the file system.
  • Infinite undo/redo for all edit operations.
  • In place popup multi-line editing of large text node values.
  • Configurable fonts and colors via the options dialog.
  • Full find/replace dialog with support for regex and XPath.
  • Good performance on large XML documents, loading a 3mb document in about one second.
  • Instant XML schema validation while you edit with errors and warnings shown in the task list window.
  • Intellisense based on expected elements and attributes and enumerated simple type values.
  • Support for custom editors for date, dateTime and time datatypes and other types like color.
  • Handy nudge tool bar buttons for quick movement of nodes up and down the tree.
  • Inplace HTML viewer for processing xml-stylesheet processing instructions.
  • Built-in XML Diff tool.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

NEW ASP Web Switchboard for Access Databases



My latest Access Switchboard has just been uploaded.

The ASP Web Switchboard for Access Databases, which uses the native MS Access Switchboard Items table and the free Open Source TreeView Control from obout.com, can be used for any Access database MDB on a Web Server that supports ASP. View the Demo

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Calling Excel Web Services from SharePoint

SharePoint Server 2007 Sample: Web Part That Calls Excel Web Services This download contains a sample solution that demonstrates how to create a Web Part that calls Excel Web Services to perform custom calculations. It includes a deployment package sample that can be deployed to Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Major BETA Upgrade to SQL Server Products Announced

This week, Microsoft, at its Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) Community Summit, Microsoftannounced a new community technology preview of:

  • Service Pack 2 (SP2) for SQL Server,
  • the Release Candidate (RC) of SQL  Server 2005 Compact Edition, and
  • Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals.

From: www.internetnews.com

The CTP for SP2 adds data compression, increased business intelligence functionality, security updates, and support for Windows Vista and Office 2007. Excel, Excel Server and Sharepoint have all been integrated with SQL Server, allowing for Excel data analytics to be done within SQL Server.

Microsoft [has] also added interoperability with Hyperion Essbase and Oracle data sources, allowing administrators to build reports on top of both SQL Server and SAP applications.

SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition is a rebranding of SQL Server Mobile Edition, which is designed for small footprint devices. It shares the SQL Server database syntax and ADO.NET programming model and is aimed at what Microsoft called 'occasionally connected systems'. "This is for developers that need to build apps that store and need to synchronize data," said Francois Ajenstat, director of SQL Server for Microsoft. "Your phone or laptop are not always connected to the data center where you data is stored. This is designed for when you get connected to synchronize your data."

Friday, November 17, 2006

Cool New Office 2007 Icons Gallery Add-In

2007 Office System Add-In: Icons Gallery Download this macro-enabled Excel worksheet to see a gallery of built-in icons available for solution development.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Calendar Printing Assistant for Outlook 2007

Calendar Printing Assistant for Outlook 2007 An MS applet that provides an easy way to print and customize Outlook 2007 calendar information.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

New v1.1 of TrayIE: The Free IE Windows Manager

TrayIE sits in your Windows Desktop Icon Tray as an icon and lets you easily manage your Internet Explorer windows. The tray icon changes according to the current status of IE windows on your Desktop:

  • No IE windows is open. Click Launch IE to open IE window.
  • At least one IE window is visible. This icon also appears on your IE Links toolbar: clicking the icon sends the active IE window to the Icon Tray.
  • At least one IE window is hidden.

Left-click on the tray icon to use the pop menu, where you can manage all open IE windows, and set an alternate global hot key. The default hot key is {Win} + i and saves you clicking the tray icon anywhere in Windows.

Have Floppy Office: Will Travel

Floppy Office from XTORT.NET is a collection of small, self contained no-install free office software applications and at 1.4mb is an essential mobile companion software package for your USB stick. Just extract all the zip files containing each application to your USB, configure, and you are ready to  hit the road.

The GUI applications include: an encryption program, a zip utility, an FTP client, a multiple document interface Rich Text editor, a notepad-style editor, secure file shredder, full POP email client, web server for hosting files via http, a mini tree-style outliner, vector graphics editor, a spreadsheet program compatible with Excel, file renaming utility, and a PDF creator, and more.

Thanks to TroisJ for this link.

Download the Access 2007 Vision Document

A complete customer-ready overview for Access 20007 from Microsfot is available here.  A more technical document is in the pipeline.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Office 2007 Out!

Microsoft Office 2007 is available for MSDN and Technet Subscribers Bink.nu has posted that Office 2007 is available for MSDN and Technet Subscribers.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Three SQL Server Tips

From TechRepublic.com:

Add Bulk Copy Program (BCP) to your SQL Server Arsenal  "The Bulk Copy Program (BCP) is a command-line utility that ships with Microsoft SQL Server. With BCP, you can import and export large amounts of data in and out of SQL Server databases quickly and easily. Any DBA who has utilized this functionality will agree that BCP is an essential tool."

Achieve High Availability with log Shipping in SQL Server 2000 Log shipping is a technology in SQL Server that database administrators can use to provide a standby database to failover to in the event of a primary database failure.

Running Totals in SQL Server Queries An example of how to run totals in SQL Server queries. Two advantages to such a query include: you don't have to store the results, and you end up with a transaction log that can be inspected row by row.

Office 2007 Migration and Conversion Tools

InfoPath 2007 Tool: Server Upgrade and Migration Tool for Microsoft Office InfoPath Allows a SharePoint farm administrator to change hard-coded URLs in InfoPath form templates, Universal Data Connection (UDC) files, and content types for specific scenarios.

2007 Microsoft Office System Open XML Format converters Administrative Template (ADM) An administrative template which can be used to modify the default behavior of the Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 Open XML Format converters.

Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 File Formats (preview) Open, edit, and save documents, workbooks, and presentations in the file formats new to Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

New SQL Server Readme Files

Readme Files for SQL Server 2005 SP2 and SQL Server 2005 SP2 Express Editions and Tools

Before you install SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 (SP2), download, extract, and read the SP2 Setup documentation (sqlhotfix_setuphelp.exe), and review the SP2 readme file.

Before you install SQL Server 2005 SP2 Express editions and tools, read the related readme files. This information can help you avoid common installation issues, and answers other installation questions.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

SQL Server 2005 Books Online SP2 CTP Out Now

    SQL Server 2005 Books Online SP2 CTP (November 2006) Download a Customer Technology Preview (CTP) version of the documentation and tutorials for Microsoft SQL Server 2005.

    SQL Server Reporting Services Add-In for SharePoint

    SQL Server Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint Technologies CTP The Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services Add-in for Microsoft SharePoint Technologies is a Web download that provides features for running a report server within a larger deployment of Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

    Get New Visual Studio 2005 Extension Tools for Office 2007

    Get the latest Visual Studio 2005 extensions for Windows Vista Office 2007 Download a collection of tools you can use today with Visual Studio 2005 to develop solutions for Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system. Take advantage of these innovative new platforms to create clear, connected, and confident user experiences.

    Monday, November 06, 2006

    New Client-Server Tools

    SQL Server Compact Edition Books Online CTP  SQL Server Compact Edition CTP Books Online and Release Candidate Readme. 

    Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Tools: Visual Studio 2005 extensions for Windows SharePoint Services 3.0  Tools for developing custom SharePoint applications: Visual Studio project templates for Web Parts, site definitions, and list definitions; and a stand-alone utility program, the SharePoint Solution Generator.

    SQL Server Compact Edition Runtime Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition RC1 is the compact database for rapidly developing applications in both native and the managed environment that extend enterprise data management capabilities to desktop applications.

    SQL Server 2005 VHD This download comes as a pre-configured VHD. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 is a comprehensive, integrated, end-to-end data solution that empowers your people by providing a more secure, reliable, and productive platform for enterprise data and BI applications.

    Sunday, November 05, 2006



    MSDN Library August 2006 Edition Now Available for Download

    The MSDN® Library is an essential resource of information for developers using Microsoft® tools, products, and technologies, and provides access to essential programming information, including technical white papers, software development kits and code samples necessary to develop web services and applications. This is an updated version of the MSDN Library for Visual Studio® 2005.

    Saturday, November 04, 2006

    New Version 1.1 of SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access

    SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access (SSMA) automates database migration from Access to SQL Server 2005, by converting Access database objects to SQL Server database objects, loading those objects into SQL Server, and migrating data from Access to SQL Server.  SSMA supports Access 97 - Access 2003 databases.

    Friday, November 03, 2006

    Business Intelligence Portal Sample Application for Office 2003

    Business Intelligence Portal Sample Application for Microsoft Office 2003 This sample application enables an organization's employees to create and share OLAP/Relational/XML-based views using SharePoint Portal Server, SQL Server Reporting Services, and Office Web components.

    SharePoint Language Packs

    Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 x64 Beta 2 (All Language Packages and Deployment Documents) This download is a self-extracting executable that contains all languages of Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Beta 2 for the x64 processor architecture.

    FREE Office Accounting 2007

    Office Accounting Express 2007 Office Accounting Express 2007 helps small business bookkeepers save time on everyday tasks and grow their business through online sales, online invoicing, and payment processes.

    Office Accounting 2007 Update: Microsoft Office Accounting 2007 Transaction Migration This download provides the update to Microsoft Office Accounting 2007 to enable import of transactions from Intuit QuickBooks.

    Office Accounting 2007 SDK This SDK includes documentation and samples-everything developers need to write, build, and deploy Microsoft Office Accounting integrated applications.

    Multilingual Office Comunicator

    Multilingual User Interface Package for Microsoft Office Communicator 2005 This package adds Multilingual User Interface (MUI) functionality to the English version of Microsoft Office Communicator 2005.

    Thursday, November 02, 2006

    Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Database Professionals

    Visual Studio 2005 Team Edition for Database Professionals - CTP 7 Tools for building SQL databases in a managed project environment with support for versioning, deployment, unit testing, refactoring, and off-line SQL development.

    Microsoft Outlook Connector

    Microsoft Office Outlook Connector With Outlook Connector, you can use Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2002(XP), Outlook® 2003 or Outlook® 2007 to access and manage your Windows Live Mail or Office Live Mail accounts, including e-mail messages, calendar, tasks, notes, and contacts.

    Wednesday, November 01, 2006

    Thanks!

    AccessExtra.Net has just achieved a Google PR of 5 :) Thank you to all my readers and subscribers!

    Creating Managed Add-Ins for Access 2007

    Creating Managed Add-ins for Access 2007  Learn how you can extend Access 2007 by creating and incorporating managed add-ins into your applications. This article demonstrates how to create a simple add-in that consumes data returned from a Web service, by using the Visual Studio Shared Add-In template. (26 printed pages)