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Importing/Exporting data with SQL Server 2005 Express Edition

Posted by Carlo - 30/10/06 at 09:10:31 am

The first time I launched the SQL Server Management Studio Express (formerly known as Sql Server Enterprise Manager) I was amazed! It was good, fast and had a nice layout.

WOW! I thought. But I suddenly stopped when I tried to import some databases from another server. Yes because after having created an empty database I right clicked on it… tools… …tools… And where the hell is “Import/Export Data”????? I tried to find out what was wrong: The Sql Express was correctly installed; the Service Pack has been already applied… but the import/export functionalities where still missing!

I looked through some blogs to understand why I didn’t have that functions, but the only thing I was able to get was as simple as terrifying: The SQL Server Management Studio Express Edition does not include the import/export functionality! 

Gosh! Gosh… (yes, I have to admit that “gosh” was not the real word I had used… but I like to be polite on the blog).

But I didn’t lost my nerves and I tried… and tried until I found something related to the DTS service, but how to install it was quite impossible to understand, so I managed to TRY (yes, risking the stability of my system), but in the end I was able to import/export data from/to Sql Server 2005 Express Edition: this is an Idiots’ guide to save your time….

Continue reading Importing/Exporting data with SQL Server 2005 Express Edition…

Fear of Refactoring?

Posted by Carlo - 27/10/06 at 12:10:29 pm

I have noticed that lately this blog hadn’t covered one of the issues this blog was born for: Analysis, Design and Development. This is what I do every day!

In the latest weeks I have been working hard on a project that was underrate to support all the stuff I needed, so two words come into my mind: Redesign and Refactoring. Scary?

Not at all!

If redesigning is a word that speaks for itself, Refactoring isn’t, is it? Refactoring is one of the words that scares a lot of Developers (or worst… Coders) and it is easily explained:

Refactoring is the process of rewriting a computer program or other material to improve its structure or readability, while explicitly preserving its meaning or behavior.

Well, try to immagine a house, where you are the builder. Immagine that this house is quite good, but that one day you see that the walls are faulty, or simply they are not what you really need. What can you do? Nothing. In programming this is not true, because you can restructure all the code in order to obtain what you want (or what you really need). The main issue does not change, wouldn’t you be scared?

The answer is: Yes, someone can be scared about it. Putting your hand in a “working code” with the risk of messing everything up is scary, but small people doesn’t see other than small things!

Obviously you cannot tear down the walls of your house, this is why development is very flexible! A good Refactoring refreshes the code, speed up the processes, clean up bugs and allow your application to be expandable!

“Refactoring fear you should not!” Master Yoda would have said “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

Refactoring means learning every day, applying new practices to old ideas.

Harry Potter filming location?

Posted by Carlo - 27/10/06 at 07:10:41 am

Yesterday evening and this morning, during my route from home to work and vice versa, I have seen some strange happenings in a road near West Smithfield, where I work. Once there was a Bank Of Scotland there, whose signboard has been removed some weeks ago. Yesterday the signboard was quite different… “England Exchange Bank” (or something similar) with a telephone box just in front of it.

Now, if I remember well from “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” all of this resembles me the entrance of the Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter has been there twice during that book).

Of course these are only thoughts… but maybe within a year, when the film will be released, I will think “Hey, look! I was there when they were filming it!”

Kid stuff? Probably I’m not so accustomed to these things, that are quite normal in a city like London!

(RED) + MacBook?

Posted by Carlo - 18/10/06 at 09:10:38 am

In these days Apple has released a new verison of the iPod Nano, all coloured in a beautiful Red, in order to support Bono’s campaign for helping the AIDS/HIV victims in Africa. Steve Jobs has hadded his company name to those who are supporting the U2 singer in his campaign, but it seems that the long friendship between the two could be expanded, with more Cupertino products to wear the (RED) logo (or (PRODUCT)RED) .

If the rumors will be proven true, as Think Secrets suggests, we should see Apple releasing an iMac and a MacBook on the same line.

(PRODUCT)RED is a real interesting campaign, that devolves part of the money you spend on some items for a humanitarian cause.

With these premises (and I hope Jobs will confirm these rumors) we should see a RED MacBook. If this will happen I think that I will decide not to buy a MacBook Black, but I will go for the (RED) one, not only because I would be amazed by a MacBook of such colour, but also because I will know that some of the money I pay would go for a good cause.

Join the RED Campaign, or follow their Blog!

Sorry for the Long Silence

Posted by Carlo - 17/10/06 at 01:10:25 pm

Grretings to All of you!

First of all I’d like to say “Sorry” for this very long time of silence, expecially to Biagio, who has demonstrated me once more that people can make the difference.
Here in London lifes goes on, quite busy and with a lot of decisions and very thoughtfull moments, but it is Good! Fabiana has just started her new job, the first here in the UK. Yes, the stress of the interviews, of the waiting for the decision and for the analysis on the possible job has played a stressfull game with us. But now she has started and it’s good this way.

Sorry again for the long time without a single post, but between the news I’ve just told you, the computer crashes (I hate Windows… I want a Mac!) and some social life, we hadn’t had the mental freshness to write anything!

Well, we’re now online again!

Cheers!

PS: A big cheers also for Francisco, who did manage to find his first job in London too! Well done, mate!

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Carlo Nicora is at home in London.