Security Update for SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4 and MS Access MSDE 2000 (KB948111)

A security issue has been identified in the SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 4 and the MSDE 2000 sql server engine used by MS Access that could allow an attacker to compromise your system and gain control over it. Download the hot fix.

Quick Details:
Version: 8.00.2273
Date Published: 9/26/2008
Download Size: 16.5 MB - 39.4 MB Download size depends on selected download components.

Latest SQL Server Fixes

FIX: SQL Server 2005 Service Pack 2 is not successfully updated when you try to install or to uninstall security update KB948108 or security update KB948109

FIX: No rows are returned when you use the sp_replqueuemonitor stored procedure to list the queued messages for a queue-updating subscription in SQL Server 2005

New v4.0 of SQL Server Migration Assistant 2005 for MS Access

Microsoft SQL Server Migration Assistant (SSMA) 2005 for Access is a tool for migrating databases from Microsoft Access to Microsoft SQL Server 2005. SSMA for Access converts Access database objects to SQL Server database objects, loads those objects into SQL Server, and then migrates data from Access to SQL Server. SSMA for Access supports Access 97 - Access 2007 databases.

Access 2003 and 2007 Hot Fixes

Hot fixes are now available for the following Microsoft Access issues:

Access 2003

• An Access 2003 project (.adp) stops responding when in table Datasheet view, you delete all child rows from a parent row and then delete the parent row. This issue applies only to an Access 2003 project.
• A database in .mdb format in Access 2003 SP3 stops responding when you try to delete a parent record from a table in Datasheet view and the Datasheet view uses a sub-datasheet that is expanded to show the related child records.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/956722

Access 2007

• In Access 2007, you create a query that does not contain a parameter. When you export the query to a Microsoft Office Excel Worksheet, the Enter Parameter Value dialog box opens.
• When you open a chart object in Access 2007 on a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, you see a blank chart.
• After you upgrade Access 2003 to Access 2007, operations on existing forms have slow performance.
• You cannot use the SetValue macro in the click events of a Button control to set the Locked property of a Check Box control in Access 2007.
• You have a printer that has a staple feature. When you print an object in multiple copies in Access 2007, all the copies are stapled as one unit. However, you expect that each copy is stapled individually.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/956054

Security Update for Office 2007

Microsoft today issued a security patch for a vulnerability in Office 2007 that could allow arbitrary code to run when you open a maliciously modified file.

XML in Office 2007

Open XML Format SDK 2.0
Online version: Open XML Format SDK 2.0
XML in Office Developer Portal

Latest SQL Server 2008 Downloads

SQL Server 2008 Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Books Online Release Notes
SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services - English
SQL Server 2008 Express
SQL Server 2008 Upgrade Advisor
SQL Server 2008 Books Online
SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Evaluation: Trial Experience for Developers
SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Evaluation: Trial Experience for IT Professionals

Free Open Source Spell-Checker for Access Run-time

You can download free PCESoft.com's MS Access Spell Checker for Access 97 -2007, including source code from their web site.

Configuring the Windows Firewall to Allow SQL Server Access

Configuring the Windows Firewall to Allow SQL Server Access To access an instance of SQL Server through a firewall, you must configure the firewall on the computer that is running SQL Server to allow access. This MSDN article discusses how to configure the Windows firewall, but the basic principles apply to other firewall programs.

New SQL Server 2008 Articles

New articles from Techrepublic.com on SQL Server 2008:

• More New SQL Server 2008 Features
• How do I use the Microsoft SQL Server Best Practices Analyzer?
• Windows Server 2008 drops RDP console option
• Backup compression in SQL Server 2008

2007 Office Resource Kit Technical Library in Compiled Help format

This downloadable CHM file (3.5mb) is a copy of content in the 2007 Office Resource Kit technical library. The CHM is current as of 29 August 2009.

NEW Ezy Dashboard Builder for Access 2002/2003/2007

My latest Access tool is Access Dashboard Builder, a free cutting-edge tool from aadconsulting.com for quickly building a fully-functional Access database dashboard.

You don't need a switchboard in your existing application to build a dashboard using the Builder, and you don't need to know VBA or write any macros - the builder automatically handles everything.

You add this cool professional-looking dashboard to your existing database:




using an easy to use 1, 2, 3 wizard:







Download

Untangle MS Access Relations with Ezy Documenter Premium

One of the great features of MS Access is the interactive Table Relations Window, where you graphically create and review table joins. But once the joins start to multiply, the relations window becomes unwieldy, and understanding the joins is like untangling a hopelessly tangled ball of string. This is the relations window that greets you when you open the Access 2007 Northwind sample database:


click to zoom...

You can try moving tables around in an effort to get a better perspective, but perversely it appears even more tangled:


click to zoom...

My Ezy Documenter Premium Access add-in to the rescue! With the Table Relationships Report you can in one mouse-click easily review and automatically document even the most complex table relations - click on the screenshot to zoom:


click to zoom...

This report is only one of a number of reports that this Access Add-In produces:


click to zoom...

Check it out - only US$39.95 - demo available

Cool Firefox PDF Plug-In

I must confess to using Firefox (FF) and not IE - it has so many free high quality plug-ins to enrich the browsing experience. The Open in IE add-on allows you to open any web page in an embedded IE window inside a FF tab. This has allowed to me save pages as MHT files. The problem with MHT files are that they takes ages to load in IE and are easily corrupted.

Now NitroPDF has added a cool new feature to its pdfdownload plug-in for Firefox: Convert Web pages to PDF. By clicking File|Save Page as PDF... from the FF menubar you can convert and download any Web page to a PDF file. The quality of the PDF produced is excellent.

Neat Office Toolbar Tricks

There is always something you can learn about MS Office. In a post today on her Tech Republic blog, Susan Harkins reveals two really neat tricks to quickly copy or move a toolbar button in any Office 97 to Office 2003 application

New Excel Chart Wizard

Microsoft Office Labs has developed the Chart Advisor: a prototype add-in that provides an alternate approach for creating charts in Excel 2007 and uses an advanced rules engine to scan your data and, based on predefined rules, displays charts according to score.

Top scoring charts are generated charts, ranked, and displayed as thumbnails in a dialog for preview and tweaking by filtering data and how it is mapped.

I have asked for an Access version.

Latest SQL Server Express Releases

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services a version of SQL Server Express that includes a graphical management tool and powerful features for reporting and advanced text-based searches.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express with Tools a version of SQL Server Express that includes graphical management tools.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Report Builder 2.0 provides an intuitive report authoring environment for business and power users. It supports the full capabilities of SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services. The download provides a standalone installer for Report Builder 2.0.

Running Stored Procedures in SQL Server from Access

Randall Rode has posted an article on the process of running parameterized stored procedures in a SQL Server database from an Access client application.

Data Mining: The Parallax View

This look into the future of the semantic web will be fascinating for anyone involved in databases:




More: The Future of the Web

The Lowdown on SQL Server 2008 Express

Destination.NET has published a concise article by Ty Anderson introducing the features and capabilities of the free SQL Sever 2008 Express Edition. In summary:

SQL Server 2008 Express is an easy-to-use database for learning and building small server applications while also providing a seamless upgrade path. It is a solid database intended for real-world applications, and provides most of the security and manageability features available in the full version of SQL Server. The main caveat is that these features come with built-in performance limitations:

• Max CPUs Supported: 1
  
• Max RAM: 1 GB
  
• Max Database Size: 4 GB