MSDN FLASH IRELAND - INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES - 1 April 2009

Top News
Microsoft will announce the technical details of the Tabular Data Stream (TDS)-based SQL Data Services (SDS) at MIX 2009 later this week. SDS will expose SQL Server's existing network protocol, TDS, directly as the service protocol. SDS will become the first relational database service in the market to provide customers with the ability to use existing investments in T-SQL development and use a full relational data model in the Cloud.
The ASP.NET MVC RC2 release provides a new Model-View-Controller (MVC) framework on top of the existing ASP.NET 3.5 runtime. Developers can take advantage of the MVC design patterns to create their Web applications. The ASP.NET MVC framework defines a specific pattern to the Web Application folder structure and provides a controller base-class to handle and process requests for "actions."
ServerQuest II   
What's your creativity worth? Build, shape and code your game concepts, and you stand to win US$5,000. Through April 15, Microsoft is asking game developers to dust off their best game ideas and bring them to life using Silverlight 2, the flexible new platform for delivering rich online content to your audience.
Have you ever considered taking a certification exam? Here's your chance to practice, in a very fun way. Choose an avatar, select your expertise, and pit yourself against a worldwide community in a quest for tech IQ supremacy, a top spot on the leader board, and ultimate bragging rights. "Are You Certifiable?!?" Find out today.

Featured Content
Virtualization can make your life much easier when it comes to modeling and creating a test environment with a specific OS and set of applications. Download the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit to see if your existing servers can be virtualized into a consolidated virtual environment for your development and test.
Get responses to your questions within eight business hours. Find sample code, learn about best practices, and receive ad hoc advice about Visual Studio platform design and development.
Do you want to expand your development productivity, and at same time, increase savings? Act before June 30, 2009 and you can save 30% when you step up to Visual Studio Team System, or save up to US$500 on an MSDN Subscription.
This 4-part on-demand webinar series will discuss tips and tricks that will help you better manage and use SQL Server 2008.
Learn about the components found in .NET Services - Access Control, Service Bus, and Workflow. We will use the Microsoft .NET Services SDK to write code for an on-premises application that leverages .NET Services in the cloud.
Learn how to leverage the Live Framework to access information from both on-premise and cloud-based applications.
Learn common issues encountered by developers who write custom code by using the SharePoint object model.
Use the Immediate window in the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor to save time and accomplish tasks that cannot be done from within the user interface.
Learn two ways in which developers and designers can create Microsoft ASP.NET 2.0 master pages that define a site's global appearance in SharePoint Sever 2007 publishing sites.
Learn how to retrieve recurring appointments in Outlook 2007 by using the Outlook object model. The solution requires running a short macro.
Learn how to run a macro in Outlook 2007 to list items on a calendar that occur within a specified date range and that contain a specified term in the subject.
Sometimes you need a workflow that goes beyond the built-in workflows. Learn how to create custom workflows by using SharePoint Designer and Visual Studio Designer for Windows Workflow Foundation.
Learn three different ways to insert a date stamp (or other text) into an item, several methods for creating complex HTML messages, and techniques for creating, inserting, and removing a signature.
By writing code to automate Outlook, Excel, and Word, developers can produce custom reports with every imaginable feature. MVP Sue Mosher shows how in this book excerpt.
The new controls that can help you duplicate the look of almost any standard form page include date and time pickers, an info bar, a control to display tracking information, and controls to show contact pictures and electronic business cards.
The Developer Guide provides Office Live Small Business developers with the details they need to be able to create custom business applications. The guide includes how-to articles, schemas, and documentation for the Office Live Small Business Web services.
This sample code presents a headcount request approval workflow solution that makes use of the workflow capabilities of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.
.NET KB Articles
Visual Studio 2008, Visual Studio 2005, and Visual Studio .NET KB Articles
ASP.NET and ASP KB Articles
SQL Server and Data Access KB Articles

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Web Resources
Watch Stephen Elop's keynote session, attend the breakout sessions, explore the Partner Pavilion, sign up for a free hosted trial of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and get a firsthand experience of the product (for registered participants).
On Demand This program outlines a proactive approach to building a successful Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) program. Topics include the benefits of SDL, best practices for adoption, and the value of industry standards.
Visual Studio Team System 2008 Overview WebcastApril 23, 11:00 A.M. Pacific TimeIn this webcast, we will cover, from a high level, all the tools that make up Visual Studio Team System, including Team Foundation Server and the different editions of Visual Studio Team System.
Team Foundation Server 2008 Overview WebcastApril 9, 11:00 A.M. Pacific Time April 30, 11:00 A.M. Pacific Time In this webcast, we will cover Team Foundation Server 2008. We will discuss architecture, installation, work item tracking, version control systems, and organization.
Visual Studio Team System 2008 Developer Edition Overview WebcastMarch 19, 1:00 P.M. Pacific TimeApril 30, 1:00 P.M. Pacific TimeSome of the tools that will be covered include static code analysis, unit testing, code coverage, code metrics, and code profiling.
Visual Studio Team System 2008 Database Professional Edition Overview WebcastApril 16, 11:00 A.M. Pacific TimeSome of the tools that will be covered include database projects, how to version control your database schema, unit testing of store procedures, automatic test data generation, and comparing data and schema information between databases and database projects.
Visual Studio Team System 2008 Tester Edition Overview WebcastApril 16, 1:00 P.M. Pacific TimeIn this webcast, we will show how the Visual Studio Team System 2008 Tester Edition can be used by testers to help them succeed at their job. Some of the tools that will be covered include web testing, load testing, and manual testing.
In this short video, CSD MVP Aaron Skonnard from Pluralsight guides you through how to configure bindings on your WCF endpoints, allowing you to customize the precise communication details you wish your service to support.
In this short video, CSD MVP Aaron Skonnard from Pluralsight guides you through how to configure Windows Process Activation Service (WAS) for TCP-based activation, making it possible for you to host your WCF service in IIS with TCP-based endpoints.
In this short video, CSD MVP Aaron Skonnard from Pluralsight guides you through how to configure your WCF service with Metadata Exchange (MEX) endpoints, both over TCP and HTTP - allowing consumers to automatically retrieve metadata from your Web service at runtime.
This lab provides an introduction to the development of a Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) client with Visual Studio 2008. You will also see how LINQ features can be used against a SQL database, access a WCF-based service after generating a service reference.
After completing this lab, you will be better able to bind Ribbon Events to Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Service methods, form region creation, and host a Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) custom control.
After completing this lab you will be better able to host a Silverlight 2 application in a Web Part, communicate data between SharePoint and Silverlight applications, and build custom field types with rich user interaction using Silverlight.
In this demo-focused webcast, we show how building data-centric business applications in Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is now easier with the new DataGrid, Ribbon, and Calendar/DatePicker controls.
The goal of ADO.NET Data Services is to enable applications to expose data as a Representational State Transfer (REST)-based data service that can be consumed by Web clients within a corporate network and across the Internet.
In this episode of geekSpeak, industry guru Jon Flanders introduces us to the "Oslo" project and the Microsoft code name "M" language that works with it. Jon highlights how "Oslo" and "M" let you create models that can be stored in the Repository or any Microsoft SQL Server database using a simple text file format.
The Azure Services Platform supports popular standards and protocols, including REST and SOAP, and provides a range of functionality to build applications that span from consumer Web to enterprise scenarios. Participate in a webcast, download a podcast, or step into a virtual lab to see how you can use the Azure Services individually or together.
Learn some of the challenges involved in maintaining a framework that supports Windows Forms, Web Forms, Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Microsoft Silverlight, and several other interface technologies at the same time.
Security for Developers
Learn about different mechanisms for providing a great and secure experience for Web Slices and feeds.
Training
With this specially-packaged solution, you'll get leading Microsoft Office Project Professional 2007 software combined with Microsoft Office Project 2007 Core Essentials e-learning for the low price of US$799.
Deep Training offers intensive, expert-taught, custom, hands-on classes in ASP.NET & SQL Server Reporting Services at your organization. New courses cover ASP.NET 3.5, LINQ, ASP.NET AJAX, and more. Plus, get a 40% discount on our SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services DVD- or CD-based training courseware.
The easy-to-access content (provided by subject-matter gurus) teaches the important skills in a guided path, making the learning process easier and more efficient.
ALM Catalyst Live Workshops are a free series of two-hour interactive workshops that help you understand and implement Team Foundation Server (TFS) to help simplify and accelerate the software development process and improve quality for teams of all sizes.
The ProDev Partner Briefing for Application Development PartnersYou've heard the buzz around Azure and Live Mesh, the upcoming release of Windows 7 and IE8, and the advances we are making with Visual Studio 10. Now come see firsthand how these emerging technologies will make a difference for you and your customers.
Get an AppDev OnDemand Learning Library Visual Studio 2008 for just US$495 (discounted from regular price of US$995) through March 31. You'll get a full year of online access to up to 8 in-depth courses covering development, programming, ASP.NET, AJAX, LINQ, and more.
Case Studies
The company's Web site, kbb.com, averaging 12 million visits per month, leveraged Silverlight's DeepZoom technology to deliver a next-generation experience for visitors browsing vehicles, and used ASP.NET to deliver support for mobile device users.
In order to quickly react to changes in the market, Mohawk Industries opted for Microsoft BizTalk Server, in combination with the .NET Framework 3.5, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF).
By using Microsoft .NET, the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner migrated from its old mainframe system, gaining 30 percent more functionality, and accelerating collection of licensing revenue.
Partner News
ALM Catalyst Live Workshops are a free series of two-hour interactive workshops repeated over a period of sixteen weeks, giving you the flexibility to fit with your schedule.
Kentico CMS for ASP.NET allows developers to easily build Web sites with community features. Download free trial from our site.
A powerful set of Silverlight input controls with the focus on fluent data input and clear validation strategies - from FarPoint.
April 14 - 16, New York, NY Attend Devscovery 2009 and get 48 in-depth technical sessions from industry experts including Jeffrey Richter, Jeff Prosise, and John Robbins.
OpenAccess is a free ORM solution for building solid data access layers. Features include forward/reverse mapping, caching, stored procedures and more.