Monthly Archives: March 2010

Eight Tips To Help Take Control Of Your Inbox

Posted by Steven Swafford on March 26, 2010

No matter how you look at it email more often than not can be your nemesis. Don’t believe me? Take the time to track how much of your day is spent inside your inbox spending time that would best be served accomplishing real work. Now I am not saying that email is not important rather it is a wonderful communications tool but it is only as effective as one makes it. I would be willing to bet that in an eight hour day you will find that one hour or more is spent in email. Stop and ask yourself the following question. Is my inbox controlling me or is it the other way around? If you answer the former then I offer up tips that has worked well for me.

Subject Lines

The subject line is just as important as the body of the email if not more important. Be clear and to the point so the reader can derive what the email is about. In fact I suggest prefixing the subject line with subject actions such as:

  • Project ABC: Release Scheduled this weekend
  • Decision Required: Purchase Authorization
  • Schedule: The Team Wishes to Meet

Schedule Time To Read and Manage Email

This just about sounds entirely too simple. If you make a decision as to what time or times during the business day that you will spend in email you will find more often than not that your communication becomes much more effective and manageable. I highly suggest that you not begin reading email first thing in the morning. The reason I say this is because more often than not you may be required to make decisions and starting down this road first thing can eat into a number of your hours and before you have realized it your day has slipped out of control. If you must take on email first thing then address those items you feel are urgent and then revisit your inbox at the appointed time.

Sorting Email

Many email clients show the last in email first. In other words they are listed by the current date and so on. This may work in many cases but as you begin a routine which will eventually turn into habit you may find sorting and filtering works better based upon your needs. There is no hard fast rule here, I recommend that you find what works best for you and stay with it.

Avoid Sensitive Topics

This is one area that I personally have fell victim to in the past. Stop and think about what you are putting in an email and ask yourself the following question. Am I okay with management reading what I am saying? If the answer is no then by all means rethink your response. I have even found that drafting a response then revisiting the draft later in the day or even the next day works best. Chances are if you take a breather you will find for yourself that the draft response requires an edit. If it is possible to handle these type of topics in person this may be the best approach, however this is not always possible. Use your judgment.

Organize Your Inbox

Number one, never leave email sitting in your inbox under any circumstance. Create folders such as action, defer, someday, and etc to organize email via your priorities.

Utilize Task and Reminders

These two features can greatly assist you when it comes to remembering an action that you need to take. Engaging these features will ensure that you do not forget to follow up on any single email. Be sure to use this sparingly or you may find you have too many reminders and you begin to feel overwhelmed.

Use the “Four D’s for Decision Making” Model

The “Four D’s for Decision Making” model (4 D’s) is a valuable tool for processing e-mail, helping you to quickly decide what action to take with each item and how to remove it from the inbox. Decide what to do with each and every message:

  1. Delete It
  2. Do It
  3. Delegate It
  4. Defer It

Control Junk Email

Unfortunately spam seems to have become a fact of life. Set up a rule that automatically moves email from those companies or individuals directly to the delete box. By doing so you will not waste precious time reading about that latest get rich quick scheme.

Do you have a tip that I have not covered? Please share it so we all may benefit.

Open XML SDK 2.0 for Microsoft Office

Posted by Steven Swafford on March 25, 2010

Recently I ran into a need to generate a Microsoft Word document via a ASP.NET web application and while there are a number of ways to accomplish this such as using third party products or even Response.ContentType neither of these was an option in my case. I must admit that while I was familiar with the Open XML SDK from Microsoft, I really had not taken the time to look closely at this SDK and I now see that as a mistake on my part. Are you not sure what Open XML is and what it means to you? Here is what Microsoft states:

Open XML is an open ECMA 376 standard and is also approved as the ISO/IEC 29500 standard that defines a set of XML schemas for representing spreadsheets, charts, presentations, and word processing documents. Microsoft Office Word 2007, Excel 2007, and PowerPoint 2007 all use Open XML as the default file format. The Open XML file formats are useful for developers because they use an open standard and are based on well-known technologies: ZIP and XML.

How true is the above statement? Have you ever taken you preferred archive utility and opened a Word 2007 document? If not you may want to give it a try for yourself. Here is a screen shot of a local document.

word document contents

If you take the time to drill down into the archive what you will find of course is XML. Therefore by engaging the Open XML SDK you can begin developing code that will generate you Word documents without any additional cost in relation to purchasing third party software products. No that reason alone may or may not benefit your specific need and only you can address this question. It is important to understand that most if not everything you need is at your disposal with the Open XML SDK. To demonstrate a simple case I will take a the names of two industry leaders and generate a title and then write this information out to a Word document, but before I provide a code example be sure to take the time to review the help document. Inside this document you will find information detailing getting started, how to, and the all important class library reference.

open xml sdk help

When you’re ready to begin jumping into the code I want to take a moment to provide a simple demonstration. There is so much more and I have barley scratched the surface. As I mentioned earlier I want to generate a document that provides a title and list the industry leaders. To do this consider the following:

public class RadDevWord
{
private const string _filePath = @"C:tempCustomersHistory.docx";
string[] names = new string[2] { "Bill Gates", "Steve Jobs" };

public void CreateWordDocument()
{
WordprocessingDocument doc = WordprocessingDocument.Create(_filePath, WordprocessingDocumentType.Document);
MainDocumentPart mainPart = doc.AddMainDocumentPart();
mainPart.Document = new Document();

Body documentBody = new Body();
mainPart.Document.Append(documentBody);

Paragraph titleParagraph = new Paragraph();

Run titleRun = new Run();
Text titleText = new Text("Industry Leaders");
titleRun.Append(titleText);
titleParagraph.Append(titleRun);

documentBody.Append(titleParagraph);

foreach (var name in names)
{
Paragraph customerNameParagraph = new Paragraph();
Run customerNameRun = new Run();
Text customerNameText = new Text(String.Format("{0}", name));

customerNameRun.Append(customerNameText);
customerNameParagraph.Append(customerNameRun);

documentBody.Append(customerNameParagraph);
}

/* Save the results and close */
mainPart.Document.Save();
try
{
if (doc != null)
doc.Close();
}
catch (Exception)
{
throw new Exception("The document could not be closed");
}
}
}

That is all it takes to product the desired Word document. The result is:

word open xml result

Not bad! While this demonstration is extremely simple in nature, I hope that I have perked you interest at giving this product a closer look and see for yourself what you can do. Have you been using the Open XML SDK? If so, I would be very interested in hearing your opinion. The ability to create and work with not only Word but Excel and PowerPoint if very intriguing.

What Portable Applications Are On Your USB Thumb Drive?

Posted by Steven Swafford on March 24, 2010

Any geek worth their weight in gold carries around a USB thumb drive that contains all of their favorite applications should they find themselves in a pinch. Even if you do not want to admit publicly that you’re a geek face the truth that you are and be proud of this fact. Also check out a previous article titled Quickly And Easily Download And Install Applications With InstallPad which is also a great time saver. Now to get back to the original subject I have compiled a list of portable applications that you must have or consider at the very least. These are:

Development

Utilities

Office

Internet

What have I missed here and what tools do you have on your thumb drive?

Product Review: RedGate SQL Prompt

Posted by Steven Swafford on March 22, 2010

As a software engineer I am always watching for products that can both increase productivity and produce a high return on investment. Red Gate’s SQL Prompt absolutely fits the criteria. No matter if you’re a developer, database administrator, or a seasoned data analyst, I am sure that you will find this product a much welcomed addition to your tool belt. Stop and contemplate the utter size of the SQL syntax and how perplexing it is to remember keywords and the syntax are. Do you pull out your preferred reference book or search for an example by means of your favorite search engine? Chances are you do and with SQL Prompt you never have to be interrupted again to search for the information that you cannot recall from memory. Face it, no one can remember everything. If you come from a background of developing software in the Visual Studio .NET IDE you undoubtedly have become accustomed to the benefits that Intellisense provides. SQL Prompt makes the most of the same characteristics and carries Intellisense to a considerable higher level while interfacing with the database.

Be sure to enter the contest I have for one lucky winner. See the details at the end of this review.
Congratulations goes to Suzanne Franco as the winner!

Features

SQL Prompt delivers a number of features. For example:

  • Insert table(s) names from list of those available
  • Insert column(s) names from list of those available
  • SQL snippets that rapidly provide access to common syntax
  • Share SQL Snippets with your team
  • Apply keyword formatting while you type
  • View and copy schema info & DDL scripts
  • Search database objects
  • Database schema decryption
  • Assists in sustaining standards when writing code

Review

SQL Prompt, once installed, runs as a service resides in your system tray so you know the service is running as well as providing swift access to the options interface. You may be pleasantly surprised to hear that during my test this service on average consumed 21,632K of memory which essentially leaves an insignificant footprint on the operating system.  The next mechanism of gaining access to the options is via SQL Server Management Studio. In either event you can quickly and effortlessly configure what works best for you. The physical work comes into play as you type, just like you may be familiar with in Visual Studio. I recognize what you may be thinking; the question on your mind may be why I should consider this product over the native Intellisense built into SQL Server 2008. If I had to sum up this reason in one word then that word is robustness. SQL Prompt simply out performs the default Intellisense feature of SQL Server 2008. In fact, if you’re working with SQL Server 2005 or even SQL Server 2000 then you are most likely aware Intellisense is not a feature of these versions where SQL Prompt steps in to deliver this much needed productivity increase.

Another nice option is the ability to deactivate the serial number. Why is this important? Consider you’re moving to another PC or want to reassign the license to another team member. The deactivation tool allows you to do exactly that all without having to contact customer support which cuts down on time you may have otherwise spent explaining what you need to do.

Now we will begin discussing the true functionality of SQL Prompt, but before we get started exploring the actual working functionality of this product, I want to cover the Options dialog. This dialog is the heart of the product and is arranged in a clear manner to best understand customizing the numerous options.

  • Behavior: Here you can enable or disable the product as well as setting visibility times, tooltips, and insertion keys. By default the insertion keys are mapped to the Enter and Tab keys however if you prefer the Space bar you can easily set this preference.
  • Suggestions: Here you can list all database columns, system objects, and enable support for linked servers. Linked servers allow you to access data on a different SQL Server instance which is a very useful feature should you fall into this category.
  • Objects and Statements: SQL prompt can automatically complete syntax for statements such as alter, execute, and insert.
  • Qualification: Support to qualify objects by owner, table, or both.
  • Aliases: If you prefer to alias you objects you can assign an alias, include AS in the definition, create custom aliases, and define prefixes which you want to ignore.
  • Formatting: The ability to enforce best practices in the realm of formatting is worth its weight in gold. Here you can configure everything from basic formatting all the way to tabs and wrapping.

Now that we have a better understanding of what value SQL Prompt brings to the table, it is time to begin using this product. For this I log into a SQL Server instance and begin querying this data store for the information a sales team many need concerning product categories. As I initiate a SELECT statement SQL Prompt leaps into action both by providing a list of the database objects as well as a summary of the object.

Next assume that you only want to query for specific columns. Here you can utilize the suggestions or exploit the column picker. Column picker is great from the point of view that I can simply check a box for the columns I want and the work is accomplished for me and saves a excessive number of key strokes.

I find the ability to drill down into the database object as well as pulling in the SQL for a given object very insightful. As you are inside the query window and mouse over the database objects additional properties display about said object.

Now as you mouse over the Categories table you quickly gain access to the table creation script all without ever leaving the query window. I must say this can come in handy in the event you need to generate a given object’s script.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary

SQL Prompt is for anyone who writes SQL syntax and you should contemplate the investment. If you’re on the fence and you’re questioning why you should purchase this product to replace the out of the box functionality that Microsoft provides in SQL Server 2008, then you have missed the substance of this review. SQL Prompt hands down runs circles around the Intellisense capability provided by Microsoft. The fine folks at RedGate have fashioned a top quality product that does the job extraordinarily well and should you find yourself interested, they offer a cost effective support plan and a particularly reasonable price for the product. You can download a free trial of SQL Prompt from RedGate and tell them you heard of this tool from Radical Development.

Vendor Details

Name: RedGate Software
MSRP: $195.00

Product Giveaway Detail and Rules

I have partnered with RedGate and I am holding a contest at tweets win where I will giveaway 1 SQL Prompt user license with six months of support and upgrades, a value of $195.00.

  • Void where prohibited or restricted by law local and national regarding contest.
  • Radical Development not responsible for anything that goes wrong after you receive your prize.
  • By entering, each contestant agrees to be bound by the rules. Radical Development, its promotional agents and co-sponsors are not responsible for illegible, lost, delayed or misdirected mail, errors in faxes or shipments, busy phone signals, or incomplete entries.
  • Contest is held via Tweets Win and the winner is selected at random. See the contest information here for details on how to enter.
  • Once the winner is selected this winner has 72 hours to contact Steven via Twitter or by using the contact form on this site to claim the prize. Should the 72 hours elapse then the contest will run again until a winner is selected.
Void where prohibited or restricted by law local and national regarding contest.

T-Mobile USA iPhone Rumors

Posted by Steven Swafford on March 20, 2010

As a long time consumer of T-Mobile I can say without any doubt that I for one do not care what so ever if the iPhone makes it way into T-Mobile. I just will never purchase the iPhone myself however I do understand that other T-Mobile customers want this phone but ane not willing to move to AT&T. I firmly believe that the iPhone’s days are numbered and from the poll I conducted it seems many of you agree. I asked is the iPhone losing market share and 67% said yes.

So here we go with another rumor pertaining to the iPhone , T-Mobile and our hopes and dreams for its arrival. Whatever you think about the iPhone, its appearance on the magenta network would certainly give a boost to a fourth place T-Mobile. Deutsche Telekom CEO Rene Obermann hinted in an interview today that the T-Mobile USA branch is indeed hoping to land a deal for the iPhone.

Continue reading here:
T-Mobile USA iPhone Rumors (Again)

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