Creating Master Data Services Applications/Objects

Master Data Services (MDS) is a master data management platform that allows you to create a centralized hub for your master data. Keeping master data in an external centralized system as a single authorative source helps to remove several master data challenges. This single authorative master data source acts as a System of Record by integrating master data from all the upstream sources and as a System of Entry by providing consistent master data to all the downstream applications. This article talks about how to get started on Master Data Services, understand different components of it and create master data services' objects. For details, click here.

Event Notifications in SQL Server

SQL Server 2005 and onwards provides event notifications mechanism for tracking all events or changes happening at the database or instance level. This can be done with DDL triggers or SQL traces, but event notifications have the advantage of being asynchronous in nature and running outside of the scope of the transaction and hence it can run inside (or be a part of) a database application to capture defined events without using the resources allocated to the transaction. For more details, click here.

SQL Server - Physical Joins Operators

We use logical operators when we write queries to define a relational query at the conceptual level (what needs to be done). SQL implements these logical operators with different physical operators to implement the operation defined by the logical operators (how it needs to be done). Although there are dozens of physical operators but for logical joins it uses three physical join operators. Although we have different kinds of logical joins at the conceptual/query level, but SQL Server implements them all with three different physical join operators, click here for details.

Getting started with SQL Server 2008 R2's Master Data Services

The Master Data Management (MDM) platform, called Master Data Service (MDS), is built on top of the SQL Server 2008 R2 database and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF). This article talks about what it is in detail, then offers a step-by-step guide to installing and configuring this new capability, called Master Data Services (MDS), click here for more details.

A First Look at SQL Server 2008 R2 Master Data Services

Redundancy, caused by integrating multiple definitions of master data across different lines of business into a data warehouse can cause reports to depict inaccurate results. Master Data Services, introduced in SQL Server 2008 R2, overcomes this problem, allowing you to create, organize and manage master data centrally. This article talks about Master Data Management, Master Data Services (MDS), MDS Architecture, MDS components etc click here for detail.

Configuring Proactive Caching in SQL Server

The proactive caching feature ensures a cube or a measure group partition or dimension reflects current data on its own. Depending on your choice of proactive caching enabled storage mode, interception of data change notification, storage location and update frequency will vary.

You use the Storage Settings dialog box in BIDS (Business Intelligence Development Studio) to set the proactive caching feature, storage location, and notification settings for a dimension, cube, measure group, or measure group partition, for more details click here.

Introduction to SQL Server Proactive Caching

Mostly data warehousing and Business Intelligence (BI) applications work on historical data, which are normally refreshed once in a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Although there are some near real time data warehousing and BI applications, their query performance is painfully slow. To help in this scenario, Analysis Services (Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services and later versions) provides an amazing feature called "Proactive Caching". This new feature gives a query performance, similar to what you had with historical data, with near real time data and minimal impact on the overall system. As a BI developer, you just need to configure proactive caching, and then SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) will ensure that you get the performance of a fully processed data warehouse on near real time data, for more details click here.

Manage Database Projects With Visual Studio 2010

Prior to Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, managing database projects had been a real challenge. Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Database Professional Edition (also known as Data dude) simplified this process and Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Database Edition GDR 2 further, along with several bug fixes, enhanced its capability to support newest feature of SQL Server 2008. New release i.e. Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 brings a whole lot of new features and enhancements compared to its earlier versions. For example, you can now connect to SQL Server from Visual Studio IDE (Integrated Development Environment) itself with new in-built T-SQL Editor without actually going to SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), you will get T-SQL Intellisence support while writing or modifying your T-SQL code etc. To learn more click here.