Deploying merge replication is generally a simple process. You simply subscribe to a merge publication, allow the snapshot to transfer the schema and data, and you are up and running. What happens though when you have disconnected users, remote subscribers over slow links, unstable connections, or

If you are really interested in the fastest performance, don't use Access as a front-end to a SQL Server database. While Access is relatively easy to learn and fast to develop in, its performance if poor when compared to other front-end options. But if you like to develop in Access, or don't

This paper discusses the design and implementation of a series of test scenarios that include building and querying cubes using Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and Analysis Services.

While ADO makes database manipulation easy for the ASP page developer, using ADO methods to access SQL Server data can often kill SQL Server performance. As a rule of thumb, encapsulate your DML (Data Manipulation Language) in stored procedures instead of using ADO methods. This bypasses object libr

Leveraging Skilled SQL Developers When Building Client/Server Applications This white paper is an excerpt from Hitchhiker's Guide to Visual Basic and SQL Server, 5th Edition by William R. Vaughn (MS Press); used with permission by the author. To order the complete book, contact Microsoft Pr

By Kalen Delaney – Many SQL Server 2000 marketing documents refer to this new release's enhanced "SAR-abilities," where SAR stands for scalability, availability, and reliability. Constant (or near constant) availability is essential for anyone running a round-the-clock business or a serv

This document describes how the Microsoft SQL Server 2000 query processor interacts with an OLE DB provider to enable distributed and heterogeneous queries. It is intended primarily for OLE DB provider developers, and assumes a solid understanding of the OLE DB specification.

By Ron Talmage – Log shipping is a robust yet low-tech, low-cost way to achieve high availability and disaster protection in your SQL Server environment. Log shipping automatically ships—copies and restores—a production server's transaction logs to a standby server, which stands ready to take th

By Brian Knight – Since its introduction in SQL Server 7.0, Data Transformation Services (DTS) has helped many SQL Server professionals migrate data from OLE DB-compliant data sources to any compliant destination. But in SQL Server 2000, DTS has really grown up.

By Tom Moreau – On a recent contract, the client was a large financial institution with thousands of machines—servers and workstations. They had a somewhat standardized naming convention for machines, involving some letters, followed by a W or S for workstation or server, followed by a five-digit nu