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IMHO, I think that SQL Server Developer Edition should have a “switch” to permit developers (ideally on a connection-by-connection basis) to “select” which version of SQL Server is being executed. As most of you know the difference between the versions is all done with mirrors as the bits are the same for the most part. I can’t see that it would be that hard to expose that selection switch so a developer could test his application and the server-side executables on the version of SQL Server he or she is targeting.

Well, thanks to Dave Sell (etal.) at Microsoft I was able to get the latest service pack for SQL Server 2005 installed. Unfortunately, it took almost a month to get this resolved by some hard-working Microsoft engineers. The error logs were only partially helpful. The web sites we were lead to were not.

During the MVP Summit I had an opportunity to interact with members of the SQL Client team (in the SQL Server group). While I can’t talk about their future plans, I can talk about the suggestions I made:

Another developer asked how to import CSV files using INSERT statements. Instead of simply saying “Go get a copy of the book” (again), I decided to provide the example from the book’s DVD.

SqlBulkCopy leverages the considerable work the SQL Server team has done to make importing data fast (really fast). Consider that none of the data access interfaces are designed to do bulk imports—except DBLib. That is, until ADO.NET 2.5 when the SqlBulkCopy API was added to the .NET SqlClient namespace the only way to do bulk operations was to use the BCP utility, SSIS or a TSQL bulk operation.

Using INSERT statements can be fairly easy to setup but really slow down the operation. It’s like delivering coal with a Toyota 1/4 ton pickup. This is great until you have to move 800 tons of coal to the local power plant.

Here’s the code extracted from “Hitchhiker’s Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)”

I'm giving my ever-popular Pragmatic Application Design workshop that's been newly updated to discuss the latest SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008 SP1 upgrades. And yes, DevTeach is including a copy of my book "Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Studio and SQL Server (7th Edition)" to everyone signs up. It's a $59.99 value! Well, it's really $37.79 at Amazon, but it's still worth it.

DevTeach and SQLTeach are announcing a rebate for 350$ with your TechDay coupon...
What? A rebate of 350$? How is that possible! Well if you still have your TechDay/DevTeach rebate coupon you can use it for the December Montreal event and you will get a 350$ rebate. Originally the coupon was good for 100$ rebate but we like Microsoft so much that DevTeach changed its database and the coupon you have in your hand is worth 350$! This rebate will be effective until December 2nd. So hurry, don't miss the opportunity to attend a conference with renowned speakers coming from all over the world.

And there’s even more. Just announced …

Every attendees will get Visual Studio 2008 Pro, Expression Web 2 and Tech-Ed DEV set in their bag!

DevTeach believe that all developers need the right tool to be productive. This is what we will give you, free software, when you register to DevTeach or SQLTeach. Yes that right! We’re pleased to announce that we’re giving over a 1000$ of software when you register to DevTeach. You will find in your conference bag a version of Visual Studio 2008 Professional, ExpressionTM Web 2 and the Tech-Ed Conference DVD Set. Is this a good deal or what? DevTeach and SQLTeach are really the training you can’t get any other way.

And yes, I'm not the only speaker. There are a bevy of French and English speakers to bring you up to speed on the latest Microsoft technology.

For some reason, I have been unable to create new SSMS 2008 projects or open existing projects without getting a "Class Not Registered" exception or simply an empty project/solution window. I did see a response from a fellow MVP that suggested I need to apply SQL Server 2008 Customer Update 1 (CU1) but not before I had attempted to "repair" my existing installation. Unfortunately, this triggered a number of other issues as discussed below:

This short entry is simply a discussion of what happens when you attach a populated database to a different SQL Server. I do this all the time when I build demo systems or move test databases into production.