A special episode at cstechcast.com this week as we record our podcast live from PASS Camp. This keynote address features an expert panel to explore the upcoming SQL Server 2008 database release with questions on features, technology, and strategy for our panel. Featured on our panel are Paul Nielsen - Microsoft SQL Server MVP and author of the “SQL Server Bible” book series (SqlServerBible.com), Kevin Cox – member of the SQL Server Product Group in the Customer Advisory Team at Microsoft (sqlcat.com), and Ben Hoelting - a .NET developer with Colorado Technology Consultants (benhblog.com). Of course, we also have our own co-hosts contribute; Eric Johnson, Microsoft SQL Server MVP, and Josh Jones, published author on many SQL topics. Author and co-host of the podcast Eric Beehler moderates the discussion. We are offering a video version of this episode as well; check it out at cstechcast.com.

Detailed topics include the delay of the official launch and it's effect on the market and its supporters. We also discuss SQL Server 2008 in the enterprise and how it takes on its biggest competitors, IBM and Oracle. On the flip side, we discuss perhaps the smallest competitor, mySQL, and what SQL Server is doing to stay small business friendly. Attendees bring up questions on horizontal scalability and data modeling tools. We get into it with new developer feature LINQ and the possible consequences to proper database management. We also get a read on the panelist's favorite new features of SQL 2008.

We would like to thank Quest Software for allowing us to bring you this event through their sponsorship of this episode. Find out how they can help you with their suite of database management solutions at quest.com.

Don't forget our drive to find new listeners through our Amazon.com gift certificate giveaway. Go to cstechcast.com and "refer-a-friend". Leave your comments at this blog post and thanks for listening.

Link to CS Techcast Episode 15 podcast: http://www.cstechcast.com/home.aspx?Episode=15

- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)

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Episode 2 of CS TechCast is posted and ready for your consumption at www.cstechcast.com. Here you will find notes and links on the topics discussed in CS TechCast # 2. This week we talk with Bill Inmon, the Father of Data Warehousing, about his now book "Tapping into Unstructured Data". In the news, new stuff from Microsoft, a new old DNS flaw, Sun goes virtual, compliance audits, and IT spending. Plus, "The Worst Tech Move of the Week", "IT Shout Out", and "The Tech Tip of the Week".

Please visit Bill Inmon's web site at www.inmoncif.com. In addition, pick up the latest book from this definitive authority, Tapping into Unstructured Data: Integrating Unstructured Data and Textual Analytics into Business Intelligence, due out in a couple weeks.

Show Notes

Here are link to stories discussed during our news and other segments:

http://entmag.com/news/rss.asp?editorialsid=9308#10

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2228177,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03129TX1K0000610

http://www.eweek.com/slideshow/0,1206,a=220909,00.asp

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2228717,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594

http://entmag.com/news/rss.asp?editorialsid=9307#5

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/140340/global_tech_spending_growth_to_slow_in_2008.html

http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,1397,2228885,00.asp

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2227513,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,140268-pg,1/article.html

It looks like the DNS flaw we discussed has not been addressed in the latest round of patches. For now, all you can do to protect yourself is to disable Auto-discovery in Internet Explorer or other browsers that use this feature, but see the full Microsoft Advisory 945713. The complete list of December patches can be found at the Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for December 2007.

Our user group spotlight this week is Pacific IT Professionals at https://owa.consortioservices.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.pacitpros.org. Get involved with your local technology community and learn from each other!

Leave your comments about our podcast at this blog post. Thanks for listening.

- Eric Beehler (consortioservices.com/blog)

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