Check out TFS files directly from SQL Server Management Studio

The other day I explained how to configure the external tools feature of Edit Pad Pro to allow direct checking out of files from TFS.

Today I did the same thing in SQL Server Management Studio.

Configuring TFS Checkout in SQL Server Management Studio

Here are pictorial instructions:

Command: we are using the environment variable created by VS2012 to provide a generic path to the TF.exe command line tool. If you are not using VS2012, open a command prompt, type "set" and see which path is closest. Alternatively, just put in the absolute path to tf.exe.

If you do not have Visual Studio at all you can install the standalone Team Explorer for Visual Studio 2012 which includes tf.exe.

Arguments: we are passing the "checkout" command to tf.exe with a parameter of the full path to the .sql file we are working on.

Use Output window: this is optional but it will show you the information returned by the tf.exe command line tool.

Using the External Tool

This is simple. The tool item you just created now shows up in the Tools menu. Just click it and it will checkout the current file you have open in the IDE.

Last Words

There is a small annoyance: SSMS will try to save all unsaved files before running the external tool. In this case, if we've modified the file then it will try and save over a Read-only file, causing it to try and Save As to a new file name.

I believe this is a bug in SSMS, or a well-intentioned, yet obstructive feature. I can't see a way to disable this behaviour. Just press Escape to avoid this - the external tool will then run.

Let me know in the comments if you need any more information!

A couple of useful tools for managing stored credentials in Windows Vista/7

While messing around with a problem with cached IE credntials today, I came across these Windows user management tools.

(put the commands into the "Run" box in the start menu)

Stored usernames and passwords:

Command: rundll32.exe keymgr.dll, KRShowKeyMgr

- in this tool you can see commonly stored credentials for websites, servers and programs. Some interesting things in here. TBH, not entirely sure what these are used for!
- this is also useful if you want to transfer all your credentials over to another computer.

User Accounts

Command: control userpasswords2
- this is a simplified version of the usual user manager
- under Advanced -> Passwords, you can get to the stored usernames tool mentioned above

Regular user manager
Command: lusrmgr

The Microsoft Store

I only recently became aware of the Microsoft Store. It seems they are trying hard to improve the experience people get when they buy a Windows PC.

I actually heard about it on Windows Weekly, when they had a representative from that division on. He was talking about the 'Signature' program, which actually sounds pretty cool. The basic idea is to strip away all the garbage that you usually get on a new PC, as well as pre-configuring Windows and other common software with recommended settings.

The end goal? A PC you can boot up and be using to do actual productive work within a minute. The alternative has traditionally been to spend an evening configuring things, removing trial-ware, and getting it how you like it. Check out the whole Signature thing at the Microsoft store.

Update!
Over President's Day weekend, there's a special deal: $150 off a new PC from the Windows Store - click here for details!

How To Drop All Foreign Keys in a MS SQL Server Database

Today I needed to remove all foreign keys in a database. This was necessary because I was building a script to build a database from an initial import, plus a bunch of new tables, and alter statements.
So I needed a clean slate before running the initial import (DROP + CREATE) script.

The script below completely blows away ALL foreign keys in your DB.

Enjoy!

SET NOCOUNT ON
GO

DECLARE Fkeys CURSOR FOR
SELECT 'ALTER TABLE ' + TABLE_SCHEMA + '.[' + TABLE_NAME + '] DROP CONSTRAINT [' + CONSTRAINT_NAME + ']'
FROM information_schema.table_constraints
WHERE CONSTRAINT_TYPE = 'FOREIGN KEY'

OPEN Fkeys

DECLARE @Statement NVARCHAR(500)

FETCH NEXT FROM Fkeys INTO @statement
WHILE (@@FETCH_STATUS = 0)
BEGIN
   PRINT N'RUNNING ' + @statement
   EXEC sp_executesql @statement
   PRINT CHAR(13) + CHAR(13)
   FETCH NEXT FROM Fkeys INTO @statement
END

CLOSE Fkeys
DEALLOCATE Fkeys
GO
SET NOCOUNT OFF
GO

Are you an Internet Explorer 6 user?

If you answered a resounding, 'Yes!', then read on because I have some info that's really going to help you. For years now, if you wanted integrated search, tabbed browsing, streamlined RSS handling, and the ability to customize your browser, you really had to use Firefox. More recently, IE7 was an option, but a lot of people (45% of the readers of this blog) still use IE. So all of you 45% were left out in the cold when it came to a turbo-charged browsing experience.

Well no more! Windows Live Toolbar fully supports Internet Explorer version 6 and gives you everything that IE 7 has and more. Main features include:

• Search: Search box in tool bar. Suggested searches as you type. Choose to search only for images, news etc.
• Feeds: auto-detects feeds in page. One click subscribe.
• Tabbed browsing: My tabs - open all your favorite sites with one click.
• Customization: add custom buttons to show you things like News, Airfares, Weather, Movie Reviews right on your toolbar.
• Security and Privacy: integrated OneCare Advisor tells you when sites are risky.
  

[If you're ready to grab it now then: Click here to download Windows Live Toolbar for free.]


As a web developer, I use Firefox for my base browser, and IE all the time to test sites. Windows Live Toolbar has really made my web development tasks easier, with the excellent features it adds. I get the same integrated search, easy RSS subscription, tabbed browsing, and customisation ability that I get in Firefox - and it's just a one-click install to get it.

Another group of people who will benefit from Live Toolbar are your family members who are always asking you for help. The great thing about the Toolbar is that it makes a lot of the tasks people want to do these days easy. For example, take subscribing to RSS. I know people who work in Online Media who don't even know how to do this. They are Firefox users and they can't even work it out - and they'd love to know! In this case, it is really just easier for them to stick to IE 6 + Live Toolbar. They'll get all the features they want, delivered in an easy way they can understand.

So I downloaded the Toolbar for IE6 yesterday while doing some site testing for a client. Once installed, I was skeptical about how it would compare to Firefox. After using it for a while, I was quite impressed. Yes, you could say, 'Well Firefox has had this for aaaaaaaaages!'. But that really isn't the point - the point is - IE6 now has the features - so use them!

Click here to download Windows Live Toolbar for free.

Use the link above to download Windows Live Toolbar from Microsoft. There is no signup required. It also comes in many languages other than English. The full list of languages is here. Enjoy your brand new IE6 browsing experience.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions - any.. at all!



p.s. see below for the main features.

	Start a search from anywhere The search box on Windows Live Toolbar makes it convenient to find anything you're looking for online. To get you the answer faster, the toolbar shows you the most popular queries as you type. You can also choose the kind of answers you want, such as news or images.		Personalize your web experience Custom buttons let you customize your Windows Live Toolbar to get the information you care about most, like movie reviews or airfare updates. Download custom buttons from Windows Live Gallery. (Don't see the custom button you want? It's easy to create your own.)
	Stay informed about topics you care about Interested in specific content? Windows Live Toolbar lets you detect and add feeds to your Live.com home page with a single click.		Help protect yourself against phishing scams and viruses Windows Live OneCare Advisor is included with your toolbar to help keep you safer. We've also improved our blocking technology to better protect your personal information from unauthorized access.
	Make web surfing simple with tabbed browsing Easily manage a bunch of web pages in a single browser window. Quickly open new tabs and switch between web pages. You can open your favorite sites with one click by using My Tabs.

Microsoft Word: How to cross-reference a sequence number

If you found this post, then you are getting into the more advanced areas of Word. Namely, creating sequences, presumably to form your own custom lists. Sequences are a simple yet powerful tool which allows you to create an automatically-incrementing sequence of digits. As a software professional, I use this feature a lot when creating ordered list of tests or requirements.

A sequence is a type of Field in Word.
To create one, you just click on the Insert menu, then Field...
Change the Categories value to Numbering, and select Seq in the Field Names box.
In the Field codes box, add a unique name, e.g. MySeq, after the word SEQ. Leave a space between SEQ and the sequence name.

You can also add options which control the way the sequence is displayed, but that is out of scope. A good site to look at is: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HP051861901033.aspx?pid=CH061047291033.

When creating a sequence you give it a name and I believe you can have an unlimited amount in your document. You often combine a prefix with the sequence, e.g. E1, R1, N1, to indicate which sequence is being used. Another common way to use them is to place the sequence field in a table cell, as a way of numbering each table row.

Anyway enough of the general stuff - amazingly, in Word (up to 2003, haven't checked in 2007) you cannot just go ahead and cross-refence a sequence. You would think this would be a normal feature, as it is a common task to want to reference a sequence number elsewhere. For example you may want to say "see requirement R37" and reference sequence number 37 in the Requirements sequence.

So the way you accomplish this is:

Go to each sequence value you want to reference.
Select the whole item, including the sequence number and any prefix/suffix.
Click on the Insert menu, then Bookmark...
Under Bookmark name, create a unique bookmark name, e.g. Req37.
Click Add.

You sequence value is now bookmarked.
Now you can reference it elsewhere:
Click on the place in your document where you want the cross-reference to be placed.
Click on the Insert menu, then Reference, then Cross-Reference...
Select Reference Type "Bookmark" and select "Bookmark text" in the "Insert reference to" list.
You will see your bookmark in the list. Click on it, then click on the Insert button.
You should see the sequence value inserted into your document.
Test it by Ctrl-clicking on the reference.

That's it! Hope that helps.

Error while installing .NET Framework 3.5 Beta 1

It seems that on Windows XP SP2, if you already have .NET Framework 3.0 installed, you will get an error while trying to install the pre-release .NET 3.5 beta 1.

The installed will complain about dependencies, one of such is:

Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0SP1 WCF

You will not find this to download anywhere!

The fix!
Uninstall .NET Framework 3.0, then start the 3.5 installation process. The 3.5 installer will grab the bits of 3.0 that it needs. This will fail again BUT it will have installed the necessary prerequisites. You'll get similar DepCheck errors again.

Then, install the: Visual Studio 2005 extensions for .NET Framework 3.0 (Windows Workflow Foundation)

Now, start the 3.5 installation one more time. This time it should complete.
Restart the PC and you're done.

If you're tearing your hair out with the SSIS 'Failed to acquire connection...' error...

.. try setting the TransactionOption property on the package to NotSupported.
Your problem could be that MSDTC is either not running, incorrectly configured, or being blocked by a firewall.

This problem is common when migrating a package, which you've been working on a local dev machine, to a staging or production server. Servers commonly have tighter security restrictions than desktops or perhaps the admin hasn't even enabled MSDTC.

If you really need transactions then you'll have to delve into this issue deeper!

Here's some links to help you:
http://blogs.conchango.com/jamiethomson/archive/2005/11/02/2339.aspx
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/forums/shwmessage.aspx?forumid=146&messageid=266032

etc..

Repair of a corrupt Microsoft Access ADP file

1. Open a brand new ADP file.
2. Enter the connection details when prompted.
3. File->Get External Data->Import
4. Select the corrupted ADP file
5. Select all Forms, Reports, Macros, Modules that you need. Click OK
6. If all goes well, you'll have a working ADP file again. If it doesn't go well, try being more selective with the imported data. You might have a badly corrupted Report that you'll have to skip.

This may give you some more ideas.