Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine

 

Feb. 23, 2010
MCPmag.com News
http://MCPmag.com
MCPmag.com: Variable Pipeline Planning; Database Wars; Win7 Anti-Piracy Update; IE 9

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IN THIS ISSUE:
- Prof. PowerShell: Variable Pipeline Planning
- Data Driver: Who Has the Edge in Database Wars?
- Redmond Radio: Win7 Anti-Piracy Update; SQL Service Packs; IE 9
- RedmondReport.com: Cloud Ices Office 2010 Profits; MS Security Guru
  Jumps to Amazon
- Special Offers: Tools for Distributed IT Systems; Exchange 2010 Archiving  

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MCPmag.com

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PROF. POWERSHELL
http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=4338775:1390871


VARIABLE PIPELINE PLANNING
Leave it to the -OutVariable parameter to get you the results that
can be reused later.

By Jeffery Hicks
jhicks@jdhitsolutions.com

If you've been using PowerShell for a while, you've probably created
some complex pipeline expressions. I'd say the pipeline is probably
one of the reasons PowerShell shines as an administrative and
automation tool. However, you may have also run into problems trying
to re-use or access a variable from earlier in the pipeline. Here's
a one-line example:

PS C:\> get-childitem $env:temp -recurse | where {-Not
$_.PSIsContainer} | group-object extension | Sort Count,Name |
format-table Count,Name -autosize

This works just fine but perhaps you'd also like to add a custom
column in the table that shows a percentage based on the total
files, found from Get-ChildItem. By the time Format-Table is run,
the file objects are no longer in the pipeline.

The solution is to take advantage of the common parameter -OutVariable.
Every cmdlet supports this parameter. In this example I need to use it
with Where-Object:

PS C:\> get-childitem $env:temp | where {-Not $_.PSIsContainer}
-OutVariable files

The parameter has an alias of -ov. When I run this command, I still
get normal output but a new variable called $files is also created
that stores the results. When you use the parameter just specify
the name you want for the variable. You don't include the $ character.

By the way an expression like this sort of achieves ...

Continue reading.
http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=4338776:1390871

Jeffery Hicks, MCSE,MCSA,MCT, is a Microsoft MVP and an IT veteran
with almost 20 years of experience, much of it spent as an IT
consultant specializing in Windows server technologies. He works
today as an independent author, trainer and consultant. Jeff has
co-authored or authored several books, courseware, and training
videos on administrative scripting and automation. His latest
book is Windows PowerShell 2.0: TFM (SAPIEN Press 2010)
http://tinyurl.com/yjd39lj . You can follow Jeff at
http://twitter.com/jeffhicks and http://jdhitsolutions.com/blog .

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DATA DRIVER
http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=4338777:1390871

DATABASE WARS -- WHO HAS THE EDGE?
IBM and Microsoft have been positioning themselves for times like
these. One report offers its theories as to why they'll win customers
at the expense of Oracle.

By David Ramel
dramel@1105media.com

I found all kinds of interesting stuff in Information Technology
Intelligence Corp.'s recent 2010 Database Deployment Trends Survey,
which predicts more companies will be upgrading their infrastructure
this year, thus allowing database vendors a rare chance to persuade
customers to switch their RDBMS allegiances.
http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=4338778:1390871

Usually, the cost and hassle of switching database systems is
prohibitive.

In a blog posted Thursday titled "Database Competition Heats Up," ITIC
wrote:
http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=4338779:1390871

   A wholesale switch from one platform to another requires
   significant capital expenditure monies. Additionally, the
   business must also invest a lot of time and energy in
   converting to a new platform, testing new applications,
   rewriting scripts and re-training DBAs and getting them
   certified on the new environment. For CIOs, CTOs and IT
   departments this prospect has roughly the same appeal as
   having root canal without Novocain.

But with companies scrambling to remain competitive after two and half
years of cutting costs amid the economic downturn, they will be
upgrading their systems and possibly switching their vendors, ITIC said.

The research firm concluded: "What will distinguish the DBMS market
this year is that the always intense and vociferous vendor rivalries
will heat up even more over the next 12 months."

So I wondered which of the Big 4 database vendors have an advantage
going forward, specifically related to ...

Continue reading.
http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=4338780:1390871

David Ramel is features editor at MSDN Magazine http://www.1105newsletters.com/t.do?id=4338781:1390871 .

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REDMOND RADIO, WEEK OF FEB. 22
Hosted by Michael Domingo
mdomingo@1105media.com

In this week's episode:

- Windows 7 Gets Anti-Piracy Update
- New SQL Server Service Packs Coming
- IE 9 Details Expected in March
- Dell Buys KACE

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REDMONDREPORT.COM
You said you can't get enough Microsoft news. We heard ya, so we've
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site. Here's what crossed the wire recently:


* Cloud Computing Is Disrupting Microsoft Office 2010 and its
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* Microsoft on EU Antitrust Talks: Just Like 'Fatal Attraction'
  (Main Justice)

* Microsoft security guru jumps to Amazon in latest defection
  (TechFlash)

* Report: Chinese programmer wrote code used against Google (CNET)

Check out RedmondReport.com here: http://redmondreport.com/

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