Programmer productivity -- Dr. Dobbs

Article on ALM products, but the first part is so true…  Worth a read 

Multitasking is good when it comes to computer programs, letting them do more with less. But when computer programmers start multitasking, productivity flies out the door. 

For one thing, when programmers have to shift tasks, it takes "a really, really, really long time," says Joel Spolsky, host of the Joel On Software Web site and co-founder of Fog Creek Software. Programmers have to keep a lot of things in their heads at once, Spolsky says, and the more they remember, the more productive they are. "A programmer coding at full throttle is keeping zillions of things in their head at once," he says, "everything from names of variables, data structures, important APIs, the names of utility functions that they call a lot, even the name of the subdirectory where they store their source code." 

On top of that, as applications have become more collaborative, complex, modular, and distributed, developers are having to track an increasing number of tasks and deal with more interruptions from the people with whom they're collaborating. As a result, they're multitasking more frequently and becoming less productive. 

How bad is the problem? Developers spend an average of 11 minutes on one task before being interrupted to deal with another, according to Gloria Mark of the University of California at Irvine's Department of Informatics, who has spent years examining developers' work environments. It then takes them 25 minutes to return to the original task. 

Keeping programmers productive in these fragmented work environments is a challenge for large software developers as well as for IT shops developing for end users. In both cases, application life-cycle management tools and processes can help. They automate steps -- such as change management, build processes, and testing -- in the development process, off-loading work from developers and cutting back on the number of interruptions they face. 

Rest of Article --- http://www.drdobbs.com/tools/programmer-productivity/220100341

ASP.NET Coding Thoughts

Sometimes you just have to bang your head until you get it.  I worked till 9:00 PM EST yesterday to figure out the Network App App.

It was very challenging and frustrating, but I did learn quite a few things.

Using TryCast() or DirectCast() methods don't work well if  you are not in the correct container that you are trying to cast, aka our famous formview container.

Hint Hint… the most of the user controls are all in the formview --- That got me.

I keep saying to myself, why the hell are you not picking up the usercontrol (Then it clicked)

 The past programmer did a great deed by hard coding values on properties when you pass the value to the properties…  No problem that was fixed for the  Show_Add() Property.   

Finally the call of the user control was overwriting the properties that I set because of the ASP.NET Page Load Cycle.  As a result the user control properties value sets are set in the Me.PreRenderComplete Event (GOTCHA)

So in all lessons learned.

My takeaways.

1. Use DirectCast when you know the value type and in this scenario were casting the user control  with ID = ctrl_db_commands1 

2. Find the control in the correct container, never trust old applications and always research where these controls exist

3. If your properties are not changing you better debug and find out why in this case the values where hard coded in the properties, which was updated to work correctly.

Wow, what a challenge, what next does work have for me, from this point forward I will not take any of this code for granted.

Clustered and Non-Clustered Indexes by Vijay Modi

What is cluster and Non-Cluster index and why we need it? Do you know? Just read this article and you will know all about it.

Most database administrators are familiar with the potential performance benefits they can gain through the judicious use of indexes on database tables. Indexes allow you to speed query performance on commonly used columns and improve the overall processing speed of your database.
Microsoft SQL Server supports two types of indexes:

-> Clustered indexes define the physical sorting of a database table’s rows in the storage media. For this reason, each database table may have only one clustered index. If a PRIMARY KEY constraint is created for a database table and no clustered index currently exists for that table, SQL Server automatically creates a clustered index on the primary key.
-> Non-clustered indexes are created outside of the database table and contain a sorted list of references to the table itself.
SQL Server 2000 supports a maximum of 249 non-clustered indexes per table. However, it’s important to keep in mind that non-clustered indexes slow down the data modification and insertion process, so indexes should be kept to a minimum

One of the hardest tasks facing database administrators is the selection of appropriate columns for non-clustered indexes. You should consider creating non-clustered indexes on any columns that are frequently referenced in the WHERE clauses of SQL statements. Other good candidates are columns referenced by JOIN and GROUP BY operations.
You may wish to also consider creating non-clustered indexes that cover all of the columns used by certain frequently issued queries. These queries are referred to as “covered queries” and experience excellent performance gains.

SQL Server provides a wonderful facility known as the Index Tuning Wizard which greatly enhances the index selection process. To use this tool, first use SQL Profiler to capture a trace of the activity for which you wish to optimize performance. You may wish to run the trace for an extended period of time to capture a wide range of activity. Then, using Enterprise Manager, start the Index Tuning Wizard and instruct it to recommend indexes based upon the captured trace. It will not only suggest appropriate columns for queries but also provide you with an estimate of the performance increase you’ll experience after making those changes!

Calendar Mask and AJAX

<asp:TextBox ID="txt_prov_srvc_from_dt" runat="server" MaxLength="10" />
                    <asp:ImageButton ID="ibtnServFromDtCal" AlternateText="Calendar" ImageUrl="~/images/calendar_icon_blue.gif" runat="server" CausesValidation="false" />
                                    <ajaxtoolkit:MaskedEditExtender ID="maskExtenderServFromDtCal" TargetControlID="txt_prov_srvc_from_dt" MaskType="None" Mask="99/99/9999" ClearMaskOnLostFocus="False" runat="server" />
                                    <ajaxtoolkit:CalendarExtender ID="maskCalExtenderServFromDtCal" TargetControlID="txt_prov_srvc_from_dt" PopupButtonID="ibtnServFromDtCal" Format="MM/dd/yyyy" runat="server" />
                    <asp:CompareValidator ID="ProvSrvcFromDtValidator" runat="server" ErrorMessage="CompareValidator" Type="Date" ControlToValidate="txt_prov_srvc_from_dt" Operator="DataTypeCheck" Display="Dynamic" Font-Bold="True">?</asp:CompareValidator>
                    <asp:TextBox ID="txt_prov_srvc_to_dt" runat="server" MaxLength="10" />
                    <asp:ImageButton ID="ibtnServToDtCal" AlternateText="Calendar" ImageUrl="~/images/calendar_icon_blue.gif" runat="server" CausesValidation="false" />
                                    <ajaxtoolkit:MaskedEditExtender ID="maskExtenderServToDtCal" TargetControlID="txt_prov_srvc_to_dt" MaskType="None" Mask="99/99/9999" ClearMaskOnLostFocus="False" runat="server" />
                                    <ajaxtoolkit:CalendarExtender ID="maskCalExtenderServToDtCal" TargetControlID="txt_prov_srvc_to_dt" PopupButtonID="ibtnServToDtCal" Format="MM/dd/yyyy" runat="server" />
                    <asp:CompareValidator ID="ProvSrvcToDtValidator" runat="server" ErrorMessage="CompareValidator" Type="Date" ControlToValidate="txt_prov_srvc_to_dt" Operator="DataTypeCheck" Display="Dynamic" Font-Bold="True">?</asp:CompareValidator>

ADO.NET 2012 - GET DATA from SQL with Using Statements

VB.NET
Private Function GetData() As String

        Dim intDataID As Integer
        Dim strFinalizedDate As String = "Not Completed"

        Try
            intDataID = Int32.Parse(lblDataID.Text)

            Using conn As New SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("conn_string").ConnectionString)
                conn.Open()
                Using cmd As New SqlCommand("SELECT update_dt FROM table WHERE data_id = " & intDataID, conn)
                    cmd.CommandType = CommandType.Text
                    Using reader As SqlDataReader = cmd.ExecuteReader()
                        If reader.HasRows Then
                           While reader.Read()
                                strFinalizedDate = reader("update_dt").ToString()
                            End While
                        End If
                    End Using
                End Using
            End Using

            Return strFinalizedDate

        Catch ex As Exception
            Throw

        End Try

    End Function

C#
try {
intDataID = Int32.Parse(lblDataID.Text);

using (SqlConnection conn = new SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("conn_string").ConnectionString)) {
conn.Open();
using (SqlCommand cmd = new SqlCommand("SELECT update_dt FROM table WHERE data_id = " + intDataID, conn)) {
cmd.CommandType = CommandType.Text;
using (SqlDataReader reader = cmd.ExecuteReader()) {
if (reader.HasRows) {
while (reader.Read()) {
strFinalizedDate = reader("update_dt").ToString();
}
}
}
}
}

return strFinalizedDate;

} catch (Exception ex) {
throw;

}

To find out who is connected to database in SQL Server

There are three ways to find who is connected to a database in sqlserver.
First one:

• Use the SQL SERVER Management Studio -- Management -- Activity Monitor
• This gives a list of users, database names, status, command, transactions, application with which they are using the database, CPU, IO and Memory usage, Login time etc.

Second One:

• Use the built in stored procedure called sp_who2
• Run the command exec sp_who2
• This gives a list of users, database names, status, command, program with which they are using the database, CPU time, Login time etc.

Happy New Year

Goals for New Year

- .NET Entity Framework, know backwards and forwards
- JQuery
- Keep up with SharePoint

- Most important, GET IN SHAPE

Importance of Audit in Windows Servers

From - http://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Auditing_Windows_Server_2008_File_and_Folder_Access

Importance of Folder and File Auditing to track changes on Windows Servers.   If something gets change that your job requires you to be responsible, it is to your benefit to:

A) Lock down and password protect and minimize the password to (3) people only
B) Turn File Auditing on.  
C) Ensure that the only change capability is assigned to individuals rather than a service account.  If a service account is compromised you will not know be able to track the changes down.

How to write efficient database JOINs

How to write efficient database JOINs

Last updated March 27, 2009. Created by moshe weitzman on June 21, 2003.
Edited by bekasu, gkallenberg, puregin, Steven. Log in to edit this page.

This page is based on an e-mail posted by Craig Courtney on 6/21/2003 to the drupal-devel mailing list.

There are 3 kinds of joins: INNER, LEFT OUTER, and RIGHT OUTER. Each requires an ON clause to let the RDBMS know what fields to use when joining the tables. For each join there are two tables: the LEFT table and the RIGHT table. The syntax is as follows:

{left table} (INNER | LEFT OUTER | RIGHT OUTER) JOIN {right table} ON (join criteria)

An INNER JOIN returns only those rows from the LEFT table having a matching row in the RIGHT table based on the join criteria.

A LEFT OUTER JOIN returns all rows from the LEFT table even if no matching rows where found in the RIGHT table. Any values selected out of the RIGHT table will be NULL for those rows where no matching row is found in the RIGHT table.

A RIGHT OUTER JOIN works exactly the same as a LEFT OUTER JOIN but reversing the direction. So it would return all rows in the RIGHT table regardless of matching rows in the LEFT table.

It is recommended that you not use RIGHT OUTER JOIN since a query can always be rewritten to use LEFT OUTER JOIN which tends to be more portable and easier to read.

If there are multiple rows in one table that match one row in the other table, the join will return that same row many times.

For example:

Table A

tid, name

1, 'Linux'

2, 'Debian'

Table B

fid, tid, message

1, 1, 'Very Cool'

2, 1, 'What an example'

Query 1: SELECT a.name, b.message FROM a INNER JOIN b ON a.tid = b.tid

Result 1:

Linux, Very Cool

Linux, What an example

Query 2: SELECT a.name, b.message FROM a LEFT JOIN b ON a.tid = b.tid

Result 2:

Linux, Very Cool

Linux, What an example

Debian, NULL

Visual Examples
codinghorror.com example

Hope that helps in reading some of the queries.

SQL Data Cache

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178604(v=vs.100).aspx Very good stuff. Cache data, but poll SQL Server for changes. Read the article above. http://www.codeproject.com/Articles/144344/Query-Notification-using-SqlDependency-and-SqlCach Service Broker issue http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms188798.aspx

SortedDictionary Powerful tool

Dim CheckSecurity As ctrl_secure = ctrl_secure Dim bValue As Boolean Dim dic As SortedDictionary(Of String, Int32) = CType(Session("UserAuthorizations"), SortedDictionary(Of String, Int32)) If ((dic.ContainsKey("A")) And (dic.Item("A") > 1)) Or ((dic.ContainsKey("B")) And (dic.Item("B") > 1)) Then bValue = True End If

Here are five questions great candidates ask:

Here are five questions great candidates ask:

What do you expect me to accomplish in the first 60 to 90 days?

Great candidates want to hit the ground running. They don't want to spend weeks or months "getting to know the organization."

They want to make a difference--right away.


What are the common attributes of your top performers?

Great candidates also want to be great long-term employees. Every organization is different, and so are the key qualities of top performers in those organizations.


Maybe your top performers work longer hours. Maybe creativity is more important than methodology. Maybe constantly landing new customers in new markets is more important than building long-term customer relationships. Maybe it's a willingness to spend the same amount of time educating an entry-level customer as helping an enthusiast who wants high-end equipment.


Great candidates want to know, because 1) they want to know if they fit, and 2) if they do fit, they want to be a top performer.


What are a few things that really drive results for the company?


Employees are investments, and every employee should generate a positive return on his or her salary. (Otherwise why are they on the payroll?)


In every job some activities make a bigger difference than others. You need your HR folks to fill job openings... but what you really want is for HR to find the rightcandidates because that results in higher retention rates, lower training costs, and better overall productivity.


You need your service techs to perform effective repairs... but what you really want is for those techs to identify ways to solve problems and provide other benefits--in short, to generate additional sales.


Great candidates want to know what truly makes a difference. They know helping the company succeed means they succeed as well.


What do employees do in their spare time?


Happy employees 1) like what they do and 2) like the people they work with.


Granted this is a tough question to answer. Unless the company is really small, all any interviewer can do is speak in generalities.


What's important is that the candidate wants to make sure they have a reasonable chance of fitting in--because great job candidates usually have options.


How do you plan to deal with...?


Every business faces a major challenge: technological changes, competitors entering the market, shifting economic trends... there's rarely a Warren Buffett moat protecting a small business.


So while a candidate may see your company as a stepping-stone, they still hope for growth and advancement... and if they do eventually leave, they want it to be on their terms and not because you were forced out of business.


Say I'm interviewing for a position at your bike shop. Another shop is opening less than a mile away: How do you plan to deal with the new competitor? Or you run a poultry farm (a huge industry in my area): What will you do to deal with rising feed costs?A great candidate doesn't just want to know what you think; they want to know what you plan to do--and how they will fit into those plans.

XML Transformation on MSBuild TFS 2010

Many thanks to http://kjdaly.com/Blog/Details/5 Blog ----


<Target Name="BeforeBuild">
</Target>
<!--<Target Name="AfterBuild">
<AspNetCompiler VirtualPath="temp" PhysicalPath="$(ProjectDir)" />
</Target>-->    <Target Name="AfterBuild" Condition="$(IsAutoBuild)=='True'">
     <ItemGroup>
     <DeleteAfterBuild Include="$(WebProjectOutputDir)\Web.*.config" />
    </ItemGroup>
    <TransformXml Source="Web.config" Transform="$(ProjectConfigTransformFileName)" Destination="$(WebProjectOutputDir)\Web.config"/>
   <Delete Files="@(DeleteAfterBuild)" />
  </Target>
</Project>

Assuming you have saved and checked in your project file and are in the process of creating a build definition, on the Process step of your build definition you will find under the Advanced heading a field labeled “MSBuild Arguments”. Enter the value /p:IsAutoBuild=”True”.

Simple GOTCHA, be sure to check in the PROJECT File back to Source Control before testing (DUH!)

Microsoft Exam 70-515 CSharp Sample Questions – 9

Microsoft Exam 70-515 CSharp Sample Questions – 9

Move Window between monitors with keystrokes

Windows 7 function to move an application window between monitors to be very useful (by default, it is bound to the Windows Logo key + Shift + left/right arrow).  

SQL Connection and Command Example

Private Function IsClientAdmitted(ClientID As Integer) As BooleanDim conn As SqlConnectionDim cmd As New SqlCommandDim passOrFail As StringpassOrFail = Falseconn = New SqlConnection(ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings("conn_string").ConnectionString())
Trycmd.CommandText = "csp_validate_progress_notes_entry"cmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedurecmd.Connection = conn
cmd.Parameters.Add(
"@ClientID", SqlDbType.Int).Value = ClientIDcmd.Connection.Open()
passOrFail = cmd.ExecuteScalar()

Return passOrFail
Catch ex As ExceptionRaiseEvent StatusMessageChanged(New StatusMessageEventArgs("Error Connecting to Database", StatusMessageEventArgs.StatusMessageType.ErrorMsg))
Return passOrFail
FinallyIf Not conn Is Nothing Thenconn.Close()End IfEnd TryEnd Function

10. Ctrl+Alt+plus sign (+)—Dealing with capturing screen images from a Remote Desktop session can be a mystery. If you press Print Screen, you get an image of your local desktop—not the remote desktop. Pressing the Ctrl+Alt+plus sign (+) keyboard shortcut captures a snapshot of the entire client window area of Remote Desktop and is the same as pressing Print Screen on your local desktop.
9. Ctrl+Alt+minus sign (-)—Sometimes you don't want an image of the entire desktop; sometimes you want just a selected window. Pressing the Ctrl+Alt+minus sign (-) keyboard shortcut captures a snapshot of just the active window within the remote desktop session. This key combination is the same as pressing Alt+Print Screen on your local desktop.
8. Alt+Home—Pressing the Alt+Home keyboard combination with Remote Desktop displays the Start menu on the remote system. The Start menu gives you quick access to the different programs installed on the remote system. This key combination is the same as pressing the Windows key on your local desktop.
7. Alt+Delete—Pressing the Alt+Delete keyboard combination in the Remote Desktop session opens the Windows menu of an application running on the remote system. The Windows menu is typically displayed under the icon in the extreme upper left corner of most Windows applications, and it lets you move and resize the application.
6. Ctrl+Alt+Break—Sometimes you might want the Remote Desktop window to be displayed in full-screen mode just as if you were using your local desktop. If you want to toggle the Remote Desktop session between a window and a full-screen display, you can press the Ctrl+Alt+Break keyboard combination.
5. Ctrl+Alt+Pause—Like the previous item, the Ctrl+Alt+Pause keyboard combination switches between full screen and windowed mode. However, with this keyboard shortcut, the remote desktop window remains at its standard size and doesn't fill the entire local desktop. Instead, it's displayed on a black background.
4. Alt+Insert—Sometimes you want a quick way to switch between the different programs that you have running. Pressing the Alt+Insert keyboard combination lets you cycle through the programs on the remote system in the order that they were opened. This process is the same as using Alt+Tab on your local desktop.
3. Alt+Page Down—Another way to cycle through the running programs on your Remote Desktop session is to use the Alt+Page Down keyboard shortcut. Pressing this key combination lets you switch between programs on the remote desktop session, moving from right to left in the Windows task switcher. This is the same as Alt+Shift+Tab on your standard desktop.
2. Alt+Page Up—Pressing Alt+Page Up lets you switch between programs on the Remote Desktop session, moving from left to right in the Windows task switcher. This is the same as Alt+Tab on your standard desktop.
1. Ctrl+Alt+End—One of the most common yet hard-to-find things that you'll need to do in a Remote Desktop session is to send a Ctrl+Alt+Del signal to the remote system. Press Ctrl+Alt+End if you need to send a Ctrl+Alt+Del keystroke combination to the remote system. This keystroke opens the Microsoft Windows Security dialog box, which lets you lock the computer, log off, change your password, and start Task Manager.

SharePoint 2010 User Profile Synchronization

Know the difference between FQDN and NETBIOS, before configuring SharePoint 2010 User Profile application be sure to know which one you need to use before setting up the Profile Application, because once setup you will have to delete the current application and perform a brand new full import.

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/russmax/archive/2010/03/20/sharepoint-2010-provisioning-user-profile-synchronization.aspx

SharePoint 2010 Day at Microsoft Campus in Charlotte

Getting questions answered and great overview of SharePoint 2010 for the current MOSS 2007 to SharePoint 2010 project I am currently working on in my current contract.

SharePoint 2007 & 2010 Index and Search sizes

If you need to review sizing of current implementation of SharePoint Index and Search

Go to > Central admin > Operations > Services on Server > Office SharePoint Server Search Service Settings

Copy the Default index file location : Run paste

Select and review properties that will provide the size of index

Next for Search simply navigate on SQL Server and right click on Search DB and review properties.