Antics (SQL 2005 Documentation Updates)

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It's been a couple of weeks since my last entry. Lately, we have been working on plans for SQL Server "Katmai" as well as taking some much needed down time. Last weekend, the entire SQL team went up to Whistler, BC for some winter fun. It was especially interesting because the hotel we were in was also the site for the SQL Server 7.0 ship party in December, 1998. At the 7.0 party, we had about 250 or 300 people (including family members). This time, we had over 1,200 people. SQL Server sure has grown a lot in the last 7 years.

My last blog entry asked for feedback on the next release of Reporting Services. There have been some great suggestions and I would encourage you to keep them coming. Even if we can't finish a specific feature, it's good to know about it. You can also submit product bugs and ideas at the MSDN Product Feedback Center.

One new thing I want to point out is the new Books Online update for SQL Server 2005. The documentation team has been working hard since we released the original version of the product to provide an updated set of docs and samples. For example, now there are 12 RS tutorials (instead of the original 6) that include topics like how to use a Report Model as a data source in Report Designer. The new samples now include the CustomReportItem sample that was originally published on Chris Hays' blog. The nice thing is that you can download and install them locally or view them online in the BOL shell (once the online version gets updated). Here are the download links:

Kudos to the SQL Server documentation team for getting these out!