That's right. My friend, and fellow MVP and INETA guy, Carl Prothman has signed-on to Microsoft as a full time employee (sucker). Carl is the man when it comes to many things, especially the collecting of connection strings. I pitch his site wherever I travel.

He is going to be working in the Community group as a Software Developer Engineer (SDE). Rumor has it that he'll be working for Doug Seven (another community soul who went to the blue-side a few years ago).

It seems that Microsoft has been hiring a record number of folks over the last several weeks (as many as 150/week Carl said).

I think this is a perfect fit for Carl, as he is "Mr. Community" up in the Seattle area.

Be sure to pick this book up next month. It should be good, and was was written by some friends of mine (Wally and Scott).

Thanks to my colleague Kalen Delaney for letting us know that the BOL and Samples have been updated. Download your updates today!

The InfraGard (Boise Chapter) is pleased to invite you to a public session in which we will have an in-depth cyber security discussion with national leading experts from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Critical Infrastructure Protection Center. The event will be held on:

Date:  August 1st, 2006 (Tuesday)
Time:  1:30 – 3:00 pm
Location:  Idaho State Capitol, Gold Room (4th Floor)

The discussion will focus on cyber security issues for supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and control systems, current security threat indicators, common vulnerabilities and recommended mitigations. The presenters will help us to focus on activities that can benefit multiple industries in protecting our infrastructure and businesses that support our national and state economy. Even if you do not maintain traditional SCADA systems within your organization, this discussion is definitely still relevant to you as many of the threats, vulnerabilities and countermeasures are applicable to all types of organizations that depend on information technology. 

If you are planning to attend, please RSVP to Ken Dunham.

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:

• MSDN Site
• PowerToys Site
• Team Blog
• Thomas Murphy's Blog
• Cameron Skinner's Blog
• Matt Nunn's Blog
• Gert Draper's Blog
• Richard Waymire's Blog
• Sachin Rekhi's Blog
• MSDN Forum

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.