Yes, sometimes dreams do come true. Although it's not the final match, it is a match with Germany playing Portugal.
I'll be at the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium this evening watching the 3rd place game, and not thinking about Team System!
Huge thanks to my friend Jeff Temple for purchasing the tickets. He and his wife Beate will be there too. 
Fawcette (FTPOnline) just published a smattering of new articles on Team System, including my new article on the forethcoming edition for Database Professionals.
Yep, these are the RDs and other MVPs that I hang out with on a regular basis.
Caution: Before clicking this link, let me warn you that you are going to see things that you can't un-see!
Hat-tip to Carl Franklin for his camera and assembly skills for this page.
A friend of mine, John Paul Cook, has tricked out SQL Server 2005 database diagrams to show more than just relationships between tables.
Read the DevX article and download the code.
Brian Harry discloses some of the expected features and fixes in TFS SP1 as well as features in the new version of the MSSCCI provider (GetLatest on Checkout being one of them).
Read more here.
Here are some of the useful resources on the Web for the Team System Edition for Database Professionals:
Aside from MSF, Scrum, XP, and RUP, I've been finding some other methodologies and frameworks as I travel and meet with teams. Some might make for interesting Process Templates in Team System. Here are just a few, in no particular order ...
- Prince2 - a process-based approach for project management providing an easily tailored and scaleable method for the management of all types of projects. The method is the de-facto standard for project management in the UK and is practiced worldwide.
- Six Sigma - a methodology to manage process variations that cause defects, defined as unacceptable deviation from the mean or target; and to systematically work towards managing variation to eliminate those defects
- Lean Software Development - a translation of lean manufacturing principles and practices to the software development domain.
- Zachman Framework - a framework for Enterprise Architecture which provides a formal and highly structured way of defining an enterprise's systems architecture.
- DoDAF - a framework for development of a systems architecture or enterprise architecture (EA).
Added Later ...
- Team Software Process (TSP) - helps a high-performance engineer to ensure quality software products, create secure software products, and improve process management in an organization
- Personal Software Process (PSP) - shows engineers how to manage the quality of their projects, make commitments they can meet, improve estimating and planning, reduce defects in their products
Do you know any others? If so, provide links in the comments.
If nothing else, I now know how to spell my name in Russian! 
Here's a link to view the back of the book as well.
Thanks to our friends at AVICode for sending me this copy. We enjoyed co-presenting with them at Tech-Ed in Boston.
Pascal Belaud, a .NET evangelist at Microsoft France, has started a beta plan for his popular OlyMars product. Version 1.5 will support .NET 2.0 and SQL Server 2005.
So what exactly is OlyMars?
It is a SQL Server Centric .Net Code Generator and is a both flexible and powerful generator based on database modeling. It allows instant generation of both T-SQL and .Net code providing a complete library of stored procedures, .NET classes and ready-to-use custom web and form controls related to the database modeling, including associated documentation. These elements are illustrated in two default Windows and Web applications and can be used in custom applications. SQL Server centric .Net code generator is fully extensible to use custom templates and extended properties and consequently can be adjusted to generate any custom code respecting a homogeneous implementation scheme.
At Tech-Ed in Boston, we ran our first Regional Director Talent Show. John Alexander was courageous enough to warm up the crowd with a series of impressions. He did impressions of famous people such as US Presidents, film stars and…well, other Regional Directors! It was hilarious. Next, Ken Spencer sang and played guitar for the crowd. He performed his version of Margaretaville while everyone cheered and clapped to the beat. Next was Carl Franklin who started by impersonating Bruce Springsteen and then performed a spirited acoustical guitar instrumental. Michele Leroux Bustamante also played guitar and sang her amusing and unforgettable rendition of Smelly Cat which originates from a performance by Phoebe on the TV Show Friends. Each of these RDs did a phenomenal job and the judging was very close.
The winner was one of our new RDs, Alexander Wechsler from Germany. He sang his version of the Rolling Stone’s hit Honky-Tonk Women, breaking out in a harmonica solo to cinch the deal. He brought the house down. 
He may be a new RD, but everyone knows his name now. He is the winner of the custom painted Fender Stratocaster guitar. Special thanks to Tim Heuer for donating the Fender Stratocaster guitar. He helped make this fun event possible. Thanks Tim!
... or at least obtain the ISV competency as a Microsoft certified partner or Microsoft certified gold partner. The full Team Foundation Server (not just the workgroup edition) will be made available as part of the ISV competency MSPP benefits. It should be in the July MSDN shipment.
Learn more about the ISV program here.
We just finished up a VSTS training class in Johannesburg, South Africa. Thank you to my students and the Netscope training center for making this a fun class.
From left to right: Oliver, Shereen, Robin, Richard, Esendal, and Anton.
I remember two years ago, Steven Borg, told me about TradeSports, an Irish Website where you can trade "futures" on just about anything, such as election results, sporting events, entertainment, and even when the bird flu will hit the US (no kidding). I believe Steve even made some money on the 2004 presidential election using TradeSports.
Well, naturally, with the largest sporting event in the world starting tomorrow, I checked them out, and they've got exchanges setup by group, by game, overall index, by scorer, and by outright ranking at the end of the tournament. So, if you are looking for extremely accurate predictors, check them out. If you want to trade, be sure to read up on them. You can find more about TradeSports here.
Follow your favorite teams and players during the FIFA World Cup tournament with Microsoft Soccer Scoreboard. This fun program allows you to access all the latest tournament news and information with the click of a button! Live game data allow you to monitor your favorite teams progress in real-time. Want more? Check out your team’s fixture (schedule), standing, and news as they advance through the tournament. If you are a soccer fan, don’t miss a minute of the action. Download Microsoft Soccer Scoreboard today!
The Microsoft Soccer Scoreboard displays all dates and times according to your Windows XP’s time zone setting. No more calculating start times only to find out you are off by an hour or more. Microsoft Football Scoreboard is available in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), Swedish, and Ukrainian.
Wow, I'm honored! One of my sharper students at a recent talk in Reston, VA was actually paying attention to my discussion of extensibility and customization and has built a VSTS Check-In Policy to help track time working on team projects.
It looks promising. You can read about it at the VSTS Forums, or go to the GotDotNet site. I'll have it available on the Widgets page soon, too.
It's been awhile, but Bill is blogging again. I know he's been busy working on his latest Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server 2005 book and speaking for INETA.
The secret is out! I can finally breathe a sigh of relief and not have to look over both shoulders before saying the words "Data Dude" or "K2".
That's right, Database Professionals will soon get a chance to be part of the Team!
Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals delivers a market-shifting database development product designed to manage database change, improve software quality through database testing and bring the benefits of Visual Studio Team System and life cycle development to the database professional.
Read more here.
|