Outlook Integration with SharePoint

This article applies to both Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server, using Office 2003.

For earlier versions of Microsoft Office please refer to Microsoft?s article Good,Better, Best at http://download.microsoft.com/download/0/7/b/07be58b3-7791-4316-8795-30f8d43cd7ef/
goodbetterbest.doc

Integrating Outlook Contacts and Tasks with SharePoint:

Outlook 2003 has a one way synchronisation with SharePoint. You can do a once only upload of your Contacts or Tasks to a specific list, but after that, you can only edit these via Internet Explorer and not via Outlook.

Outlook synchronisation with SharePoint only applies to the default set of columns in a newly created 'Contacts List'. For example, the field 'Children' is not included as a default column in a SharePoint 'Contacts List' but it exists by default in Outlook. However, if you were to add this column to a SharePoint 'Contacts List' and click on 'Link to Outlook', any data in this column is NOT imported into Outlook.

As a workaround to this, the SharePoint 'Contacts List' can be exported to an Excel spreadsheet, saved as a .csv and then imported into Outlook. To use the example from above, using the 'Children' field in SharePoint would correctly import into Outlook via this method.

Without the use of VBA code, it is not possible to import user-defined contact fields in Outlook and have Outlook create these fields on the fly. At best, you can only map user-defined contact fields to existing default Outlook contact fields. Again, you can only do this via a contact list import from excel or a .csv etc.

A simpler and more practical way to have a list of Contacts or Tasks in SharePoint is to use the Excel 2003 Integration with SharePoint. This is able to synchronise both ways and allows you to update entries in Excel, rather than having to click around in Internet Explorer to get to a SharePoint List.

Integrating Outlook Messages with SharePoint:

Saving messages into Windows SharePoint Services or SharePoint Portal Server can be done from the save as menu item in Outlook 2003. This allows you to save messages in Document Library. The saving method is fine if there is only one document library you want to save this to. The way to find this isn?t very intuitive. You have to type the URL of the site and then browse to the document library. There are a few other items to consider if you want to share your messages this way.

The searching in SharePoint is only enabled to search a few types of files. These are:

• Text, Html , Archived HTML, ASPX and XML Files
• Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio and Publisher Files
• PDF Files will need the iFilter from Adobe.

** Microsoft Outlook produces .msg Files which contain the attachment as well as the body of the message. To search a .msg file, one needs an iFilter for the SQL Server Full Text Search Engine. Also, the search only applies to documents added or changed after the iFilter is applied. The search also looks in the metadata including the values in document library columns. If you type in ?Automating Legal Systems?, you?ll return all documents with the word ?Automating? in them, plus any with the word ?Legal? etc. SharePoint Portal Server provides more detailed indexing of content so you can use document properties or column names in your search criteria, allowing more targeting searching.

Noel Williams is the Managing Director of a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner called MacroView Business Technology who specialises in solutions that make good use of Microsoft Office and SharePoint.

MacroView can help you with:

a) a Document Management framework which integrates Microsoft Office with SharePoint, including Outlook messages

b) Integration and Automation of Microsoft Office with SharePoint and

c) Customisation and Training on Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server.

http://www.macroview.com.au

Printer Buying Guide

Printers are essential peripherals, performing a critical role as they render electronic information into tangible records or material output. You're simply not using your computer to its fullest potential if you are unable to print reports, presentations, letters, photos, or whatever it is you need to output. Choosing a printer can be confusing, however, in today's competitive, ever-changing landscape. This buying guide rounds out some of the more important criteria to consider before you make that all-important purchase decision.

Printing Technologies

This is the biggest decision to make before anything else. Your choice should be based on how you work and the kind of output you will be expecting from the printer.

?Inkjet: Inkjet printers can deliver stunning color, so this is the way to go if you are mostly concerned with printing photos. Inkjets can be used for printing text, but the print speed is too slow if the primary purpose of the printer is document printing. To obtain more photo-realism, choose inkjets with an expanded range of colors that includes light cyan and light magenta in addition to the standard four-color CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black). The extra colors deliver more subtle color gradations in blue skies and skin tones. And if you print a great deal of black-and-white photos, consider photo printers with more than one variation of black ink or with gray inks. Many photo printers use color inks to produce a composite black, resulting in a muddy tint. A second black-ink cartridge and different shades of gray help maintain a neutral tone, with the gray ink allowing for subtle shading and thus improving the quality of black-and-white photos.

?Dye-sublimation: Dye-sub printers can print continuous tones and a superior range of colors that laser printers are unable to, making them ideal for more demanding graphic applications or color printing. Dye-sub prints are also less prone to fading and distortion over time than dye-based ink prints. In addition, many consumer-based dye-sublimation printers can print directly from digital cameras and also accept memory cards. They are, however, more limited in the range and size of printing media that can be used - usually letter-size paper or smaller.

?Laser: Laser printers are the perfect choice if you need to print large amounts of text documents. They print faster than inkjets and have a lower cost of operation over the long-term - even though they may cost more to buy initially. There are trade-offs, however. Monochrome laser printers produce crisp black-and-white text but cannot be used for color printing. Color lasers deliver excellent text and graphics but are much more expensive and can be costly to maintain.

Printer Usage

Some printers are good for general printing, while others are better at specialized tasks or combine several functions into one machine.

?Photo: If you take lots of pictures, consider getting a photo printer. Photo printers can be in the form of photo inkjets - which can print both photos and text; snapshot photo printers - for outputting small 4x6-inch prints; or professional photo printers - for large, tabloid-size photos and often including network connections to enable printer sharing. Most consumer and professional photo printers use inkjet technology, while most snapshot photo printers that print 4x6-inch prints rely on dye-sublimation technology. Regardless of the type or technology that is used, the most important thing to look for in a photo printer is photorealistic quality. Everything else is secondary.

?General Purpose: As the name implies, general purpose printers can be used for printing almost anything, including text and photos. Choose a general printer with a laser format if you print more text than photos; and choose an inkjet format if you print more photos than text.

?Multifunction: Multifunction printers (MFPs) combine in one device several functions such as printing, scanning, faxing, and copying. MFPs cost less than buying separate stand-alone devices and cut down on the hassle of setting up individual machines. If you are strapped for budget or space, consider these all-in-one devices. Take note, however, that a malfunction with one component takes down the whole device, and individual components may not be upgradeable. MFPs are available with either laser printers to emphasize speedy text printing and the occasional graphics output; or they are available with inkjet printers for vibrant photo printing.

Printer Specs and Key Features

Printers feature various specifications, so navigating the spec sheet intelligently requires familiarity with what each specification entails according to the printing technology involved or for the type of usage planned for the printer.

?Resolution: For laser printers, 300 dpi is adequate if all you need is to print black-and-white text, but choose at least 1200 dpi for photorealistic grayscale or color printing. For inkjets, choose one featuring 1200-dpi or higher resolution with a droplet size of 4 picoliters or smaller for sharp, clean output. With photo printers, resolution varies according to technology: Output at 300 dpi by photo printers using dye-sublimation technology is comparable to photo printers using inkjet technology outputting at 1200 dpi or higher.

?Speed: Speed ratings vary greatly, and the print speeds cited by manufacturers usually refer to printing in draft mode or at the lowest resolution. For laser printers, a more accurate way of measuring actual print speed is to time just how long it takes from the minute you hit Print - to the time that it takes the printer to warm up, spool the job into the print queue, and for the printed output to finally come out. For inkjets, print speed is not one of its stronger suits; so don't be overly concerned with this spec.

?Memory: Extra memory will come in handy for laser printers to enable them to handle large graphics and documents more easily. Check the maximum upgradeable memory allowed for your printer, if it features a hard drive with similarly upgradeable memory, and if the printer can use generic memory or needs the manufacturer's brand. In the case of inkjets, memory is built-in and not upgradeable, but this is not an issue inasmuch as processing occurs on the side of the computer - so there's no need for large amounts of installed RAM to begin with on inkjets.

?Connectivity: Most printers today no longer support the older parallel connection but feature instead USB 1.1 or Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0) - either of which should work fine with USB computers. For printers to be used on a network, it will need to have an Ethernet port to enable printer sharing. For more flexible printing options, you may want to look for printers with infrared input/output ports that allow wireless printing from notebooks or other devices with infrared ports. And if high-speed or long-distance printing is what you need, consider printers with a FireWire port.

Consumables and cost per page

The purchase price of the printer is just the beginning of its overall cost because over time, the hidden cost of ink or toner, paper, and parts will add up. These hidden costs are the consumables; dividing the total cost of consumables by the number of pages that can be produced from the consumables gives you the cost per page. Laser printers offer the lowest cost per page, using relatively inexpensive toner and normal-weight, uncoated paper. On the other hand, cost per page for inkjets can be four or five times as much, depending on how much ink you use and the cost of the paper - normally more expensive, coated, glossy paper for higher-quality color output. The tank configuration for inkjets should also be taken into consideration. Inkjets with a single cartridge for the colored inks will incur higher replacement costs because the cartridge must be replaced as soon as one color runs out - even if the cartridge still contains plenty of ink for the other colors. To save costs, get an inkjet with separate cartridges for black and each individual color.

Microtek Lab Inc. is a consumer electronics company focused on scanners, plasma and lcd televisions, digital projectors, lcd monitors, digital cameras, home theatre equipment, and accessories. You can view their online store at store.microtek.com Use of this article is permitted provided that the article is used in its entirety.

Wireless Networking Laptop Labs for Schools

Purchasing laptops for mobile labs is often a daunting task for an educator. Mobile labs can be a great asset if the right equipment is purchased. Mobile labs have been shown to increase test scores and help students focus. If the wrong type of equipment is purchased the mobile laptop lab will become one giant paper weight.

Student laptops need to have the following qualities: They need to be ?Light?, a really light laptop is less than four pounds. A heavy laptop is over 8LBS. The problem is that a really light laptop costs over $2,000 and schools can?t afford that, so a laptop in the range of six pounds is good.

CD-ROM?s for school laptop labs are optional if not totally unnecessary. I say this because they are usually the first thing to break. Second your computer techs will install all necessary software via ghosting or over the network. Third not having CD-RW?s or DVD-ROMs remove the temptation of using the laptops for non-educational use.

Next the laptops need at least 512 mb of ram (Memory), most educational software is very graphic intensive and need a lot of memory. Anything less that 512mb of memory will cause the laptop to freeze off and on causing frustration for the students and teacher.

Hard drives only need to 30gigs. Installed software for a school laptop should max out at about 4 gigs. Students will not be downloading music or movies so a larger hard drive is not needed.

Next the actual profile of the laptop needs to be thin. Children have smaller hands and the thicker the laptop the more awkward it is for them to type.

Fourth the laptops need to have a integrated wireless 802.11g adapter. The Adapter must be integrated into the laptop. If you decide to use a PCMICA wireless adapter they will get bumped and bruised and broken with in the first month of use.

The laptops need to have a Pentium M processor or Centrino CPU. This extends the life of the battery to 3.5 hours verse 2 hours with out the Centrino technology. The usual rule with batteries is that you can expect to replace them every year. The replacement period for the laptop batteries can be extended by not letting the batteries completely drain. The monitor for the laptop should be 14? or 15?. Anything smaller will be too small for the children to read, and anything larger will be too big and bulky.

Next, the laptops need to have Ethernet network adapters in case they need to plug directly into the network. Finally windows XP professional must be installed for the operating system.

A mobile cart to house the laptops is often the most over looked item for your mobile labs. Your cart will need a power strip to charge the laptops. Your cart will need some sort of lock to prevent theft. It also needs to be easily moved from class to class. If the cart is too large and bulky teachers will hesitate to use it. Next, your cart must be user friendly so students can take out the laptops and place them back in easily. I have seen schools make there own laptop carts and you can purchase them from various vendors. Just remember if the cart isn?t easy to use then your laptops won?t be safe, teachers won?t use them and they will get stolen or broken.

Finally, before you decide on a line of laptops check websites such as cnet.com and amazon.com and read the reviews. Also call your local districts and find out what sort of technology they are using for there mobile labs. A good rule in buying technology is you don?t want to be someone else?s test case.

Eric R Meyer is an expert in wireless networking. You can view other articles like this at http://www.wirelessninja.com

The iPod Factor

The iPod is the biggest product Apple has. It is the majority bread winner for the company. The iPod helped cement Apple?s improvement by expanding its now large market from computers. To increase growth of the rapidly growing iPod market.

Apple?s entry into the mp3 music player market with its iPod expanded the company?s market and started a turn in the companies strategy. The iPod is a market star that is capitalizing on the convergence of digital consumer electronics and the computer, and Apple?s position as an early mover enabled it to achieve the top position in the mp3 market. It took Apple just over a year to sell its first million iPods. Its second million came in six months and its third million came in four. That's nice growth! In fact, it appears that only its suppliers can slow it down. Apple has indeed dominated the market from all other electronic makers.

Japanese electronic makers like Sony can only watch from a distance as the American computer maker Apple has huge supremacy in the market.

The iPod's counterpart system iTunes software system has also put large profits in the backend of the iPod. The software tag along allows media downloads like music for a fee.

For the future of Apple and iPod only serious mistakes would seem to slow this product down.

The Author of this article is an iPod user and is currently starting a service for video iPod service. Download iPod Movies - http://www.limitlessipodvideos.com/

Cisco CCNP / BCMSN Exam Tutorial: Changing Root Bridge Election Results

Your BCMSN and CCNP studies will include mastering the details of Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). While you learned some of these details in your CCNA studies, quite a bit of it may be new to you. Before going on to the intermediate and advanced STP features, let's review the root bridge election process and learn how to change these results.

Each switch will have a Bridge ID Priority value, more commonly referred to as a BID. This BID is a combination of a default priority value and the switch's MAC address, with the priority value listed first. For example, if a Cisco switch has the default priority value of 32,768 and a MAC address of 11-22-33-44-55-66, the BID would be 32768:11-22-33-44-55-66. Therefore, if the switch priority is left at the default, the MAC address is the deciding factor.

Switches are a lot like people - when they first arrive, they announce that they are the center of the universe! Unlike some people, the switches will soon get over it. BPDUs will be exchanged until one switch is elected Root Bridge, and it's the switch with the lowest BPDU that will end up being the Root Bridge.

If STP is left totally alone, a single switch is going to be the root bridge for every single VLAN in your network. Worse, that single switch is going to be selected because it has a lower MAC address than every other switch, which isn't exactly the criteria you want to use to select a single root bridge.

The time will definitely come when you want to determine a particular switch to be the root bridge for your VLANs, or when you will want to spread the root bridge workload. For instance, if you have 50 VLANs and five switches, you may want each switch to act as the root bridge for 10 VLANs each. You can make this happen with the spanning-tree vlan root command.

SW1(config)#spanning-tree vlan 1 ?

forward-time Set the forward delay for the spanning tree

hello-time Set the hello interval for the spanning tree

max-age Set the max age interval for the spanning tree

priority Set the bridge priority for the spanning tree

root Configure switch as root

In this example, we've got two switches, and SW1 has been elected the root bridge for VLANs 10, 20, and 30. We'll use the spanning-tree vlan root command on SW2 to make it the root bridge for VLANs 20 and 30.

SW2(config)#spanning-tree vlan 20 root primary

SW2(config)#spanning-tree vlan 30 root primary

SW2#show spanning vlan 20

VLAN0020

Spanning tree enabled protocol ieee

Root ID Priority 24596

Address 000f.90e2.1300

This bridge is the root

SW2#show spanning vlan 30

VLAN0030

Spanning tree enabled protocol ieee

Root ID Priority 24606

Address 000f.90e2.1300

This bridge is the root

SW 2 is now the root bridge for both VLAN 20 and 30. Notice that the priority value has changed from the default of 32768.

In the next CCNP / BCMSN tutorial, we'll take a look at more STP features.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNP and CCNA tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, ?How To Pass The CCNA? and ?How To Pass The CCNP?, just visit the website! You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNP exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Spyware ? Back to Basics

Due to the massive demand for computers and the use of internet by such a high population, there is a need to know about what all of these symptoms that your computer can get. As each new generation is born, more and more people join the internet and learn about computers everyday, and with this more and more viruses, spyware, adware and a whole list more gets distributed around computers worldwide.

You start to know that something is going wrong with your computer when it all of sudden starts working at a much slower pace than what you have been used to. The term spyware is quite common in modern times, but what exactly is spyware? Spyware is software that has managed to install itself on your computer without your permission. It is also referred to as adware or malware as well. It controls your computer without you knowing it, and can send out pop up ads, record your key stroke pattern, redirect you to other websites that you have not requested. It can track where you have been searching, and basically monitor everything you do, which in turn can lead to your identity theft.

There are many things that identify whether or not you have an unwanted spyware program installed on your computer, and whether there is a need for you to invest in a spyware remover. Common indicators include sudden changes or repeat changes in pages you are viewing or your homepage. Tool bars appearing, and increased pop up ads. Icons appearing and masses of error messages. Typically your computer will run very slow, and take ages to change pages, and when it does it is not what you requested. The list can go on.

You should always be careful when downloading from websites. Make sure you can trust the site, and if you do download anything you know exactly what it is. It is quite easy to get roped into downloading free games and videos, but normally when it is too good to be true, you can expect to be downloading a whole lot more than you bargained for. You should also always have your pop up blocker on, as some sites pop ups instantly infect your computer with unwanted programs. A firewall should always be switched on, and invest in a good virus program that helps block spyware.

More information on Spyware Removers can be found at the author?s website at http://www.spyware247.info

How to Replace Battery on iPaq 3800 and 3900 series

Before you begin installation, please ...
- Use caution when handling iPaq and the battery.
- Use common sense care for handling the battery such as not flexing (ie, bending), away from metal, away from extreme heat, etc.
- Make sure that all data in iPaq have been backed up. All data will be lost after installing the new battery.
- Read the whole instruction before your first attempt to replace the battery. This will help you to visualize the process before it has begun.

1. Turn the power off, and also make sure the reset key on the bottom of the unit is turned off to ensure the power is completely off.

2. Take stylus out from iPaq before proceeding.

3. Using Torx T6 screwdriver, get the four screws off from each corner. Make sure not to misplace screws. Split the back cover from the main body using your fingernail or any flat type device such as a Phillips screwdriver. Just make sure that you don't scratch the surface if using a screwdriver.

4. Once the back cover is split from the main body, open the back cover from the top. Do not pull it out all the way as the battery is attached to the main board via a flexible PCB connector. Note: A, hard reset button slide door and stylus lock are not attached to the body, and therefore, they may be loose as the back cover is pulled off. They are easy to put back but it is wise to take a note of their location and position.

5. As you pull the back cover up gently, you will see a connector between the battery and the main board. Gently remove the connector from the battery. Please note that the battery is glued to the back cover, and can be removed after you disconnect the battery connector from the main board.

6. Once you have the old battery taken out, align the new battery so that the edge of the battery that is closer to the connector goes to the bottom (ie, the taped side is the top).

7. Firmly press the connector to the battery. Make sure that all corners are inserted firmly.

8. Starting from the bottom, reinsert the backcover. Do not force the cover when closing. This means that the battery is not properly seated onto the back cover. Simply realign the battery so that it is properly seated.

9. Put four screws back, and turn the reset key and the power button on, in that order, to ensure that the unit operates normally.

10. You should fully recharge the battery, and leave it charged for additional 30-60 minutes after a full charge indicator is on. This ensures that the battery is fully charged.

A full guide with pictures are located at www.fusionteq.com

James Kim is a project manager at Fusionteq Co, a solution provider for iPaq battery replacement.

Iggy's New Toy

After many years of faithful service, I recently realised that it was time to trade in my trusty old mobile phone. Despite the jeers from my friends, I had held on to my chunky old phone well after my phone company had offered me a free upgrade. It had always performed reliably and more importantly, I knew exactly where I stood when it came to use it.

As you may have guessed, I like my gadgets and was fairly excited about the prospect of getting a new phone, especially with the incredible host of features now available on the latest phones. After much research, I settled on the Sony Ericsson K750i with its colour screen, digital camera (with panoramic feature), video capture, bluetooth connectivity, access to the internet, MP3 Player and FM Radio. It also allows use of a separate memory card up to 1Gb so I can store loads of photos, songs and video. It made phone calls too!

After receiving the phone I started to look into the daunting prospect of learning how to use the thing. The first task I had to tackle was getting all my phone numbers onto the phone. After consulting the manual, I found that it was possible to copy my address book directly from Microsoft Outlook on my computer over to the phone, saving me from having to manually key in all of my phone numbers. This would save me a lot of time, as long as I could get it to work!

All I needed to do was install the phone's software onto my computer from the supplied CD-ROM and connect the phone to my computer using the supplied data cable. I also had the option of connecting my phone to my computer wirelessly using the Bluetooth facility to connect to my computer, this sounded very interesting, but meant I would have to get a USB Bluetooth Dongle for my computer, so I decided to leave that for later.

As these things have a habit of not working first time round, I thought I would follow the instructions to the word, rather than just delving in as I normally do! To my surprise, after following the steps in the Quick Set-up Guide, it actually worked! it was really that easy, my phone was connected to my computer and it worked. I made a few setting changes (as mentioned in the instructions) on the mobile phone software and within moments I had transferred all of my telephone numbers and addresses into my phone! The great thing here is that now I can update any new person and telephone number to my phone and my computer at the same time, all I need to do is connect the phone to the computer and one button automatically updates my computer with information on my phone or vice versa.

I then got even more adventurous and thought I would try and get some music onto the phone. I have never used MP3's before, but heard loads about it and following the instructions, within 5 minutes I had music on my phone! It even sound good. Using the camera is great too, easy and useful at times, not having to carry a separate digital camera for snaps.

I thing that amazed me was how straightforward everything was, I had avoided changing the phone mainly because I did not fancy the hassle, but it was actually easier to set up then my old phone which was so basic in comparison. Within an hour I had charged the battery, added my lengthy contacts list and appointments onto the phone's calendar as well as recorded a few songs. Brilliant!

Now all I need to do is expand the memory capacity of the phone as the few songs I have put onto the phone have already used most of the memory that comes free with the phone. Apparently, I just need to buy a Memory Stick and slot it into the phone then enjoy, will try it soon.

Article by Iggy Quazi director of Ecommerce business Mouse2House based in Essex, England stocking a wide range of digital imaging devices. For more info see http://www.mouse2house.co.uk for the latest digital media products. For Flash Memory Cards visit http://www.mouse2house.co.uk/index.php?CatURN=637

How to Play Corona Solitaire

Corona Solitaire is a fun solitaire game, requiring skill, planning, and patience. There are decisions to make throughout the game, but you may not know if the game can be finished until the very last card. It is quite an obscure solitaire game, but those that play it find it immensely fun... in fact, it's one of my personal favourites, and I can't stop playing!

The aim is to build 8 ascending suit sequences in the foundation stacks.

The opening tableau is maed up of 2 decks, and consists of:

• 8 foundation stacks, which are all empty,
• 12 manoeuvre stacks, each with 3 face-up cards, and
• a talon, with 68 face-down cards.

Cards can be moved in the manoeuvre zone if they are the same suit and 1 less in rank. So a 7 of Diamonds can be played onto an 8 of Diamonds, and a Queen of Spades can be played onto a King of Spades. Kings cannot be moved in the manoeuvre zone at all.

When a manoeuvre stack becomes empty, a card is automatically taken from the top of the waste pile. If the waste pile is empty, a card is automatically taken from the talon.

Clicking the talon will move a single card to the waste pile. You can only cycle through the talon once.

Only a single card can be moved at any time, and stacks can not be moved as a whole.

Whilst the rules seem simple, the game itself is quite complex, often requiring considerable planning. In particular, deciding when exactly to clear a stack can have a huge impact on the game, because it changes what cards you currently have in play. It often pays to hold-off on clearing a stack, so that a more valuable card is put into play.

At the start of the game, it helps to look for inversions. This is where a card is obscured by the same suit but higher rank. For example, a 2 of Diamonds underneath a 7 of Diamonds. Inversions can make the underneath card hard to expose, and not paying attention to them can cause games to become unsolvable. It often pays to try and move inversions where possible, so in the example above, it would be beneficial to move the 7 of Diamonds onto an 8 of Diamonds, to get access to the 2, rather than put a 6 of Diamonds onto the 7.

If you play solitaire, or like a challenge, then give Corona Solitaire a go... I'm sure you'll love it!

Dan Fletcher is a developer at dogMelon. They make classic solitaire, a fun pack of solitaire card games for Palm, Mac, and PC. Classic Solitaire includes many great solitaire games, including Corona Solitaire, and Spider Solitaire

Database Guru James F. Koopmann Reviews DBxtra Reporting and Query Tool

DBxtra is a powerful query and reporting tool that hides many of the complexity and technical expertise required for creating connections to disperse data sources, building queries, designing reports, and delivery information throughout an enterprise or to your customer base.

With the ability to connect to multiple databases or data sources at the same time, DBxtra allows for cross platform data aggregation and the ability to answer questions that would typically take IT time to migrate data into a single reporting database. Through powerful query and filtering mechanisms users have the ability to browse and achieve fine grained retrieval of data to answer detailed business questions.

DBxtra uses a project level approach and Explorer type tree structure to categorize database and DBxtra objects that facilitates the production queries and reports. This explorer tree structure drastically improves the reusability of objects, speed in access to information, and reduces the man-hours required to design and produce subsequent reports.

The production of reports can be produced in a variety of formats including HTML, Microsoft Excel, CSV, XML, or PDF with the option to be merged into personalized E-mails. Also available is a visual report designer where your choice of formatting options can be employed to produce just the right look for your report.

DBxtra comes very close to their goal of ?no programming or database knowledge required?. All the while creating a new breed of power end-users.

Getting familiar with DBxtra

How a product ?feels? is always a big concern when delivering a product that will actually improve the productivity of end users and reduce the burden on IT. I personally like to try a product without reading the documentation. While I have years of experience as a DBA, analyst, developer, and data modeler I honestly try to block all that information out of my mind to ?feel? what it would be like to operate under limited expectations. The only mind-block I needed to get over was double clicking on objects to activate their usage. Honestly if I would have read the help on the top and bottom of the screens this could have been eliminated.

DBxtra has a very nice step by step approach, almost like an Install Shield approach, that drives you through creation of queries and reports. Once getting use to clicking through this stepwise approach I was building queries and reports quicker than I could think of examples to model. All of which I didn?t need to know anything about data models other than identification of which database my tables where. The only database modeling concepts that end users need to understand are tables, columns, joins, filters, sorting, and aggregate functions. All of which are very teachable and most end users understand a large subset of these concepts.

DBxtra comes with a load of documentation including tutorials and video streams. All of which are very helpful and will walk you through the major features of this product. I watched all the tutorial videos and picked up some valuable hints on how to use the product. It is very unusual for vendors to go to this length to educate their end users. I read this as a true commitment on the vendor?s side to make sure you are able to use the product and it not to become shelf-ware. Very admirable!

Another training aid is the shipment of a sample data source, with queries, reports, and schedules. This allows you to quickly dive into the product and get a good feel for the product without ever touching your data sources. Of course you will eventually want to produce some queries and reports against your databases as there is nothing better for determining the effectiveness and usefulness than seeing your own data.

Corporate Profile
Quanticus S.A. de C.V. is a software developer located in Quer?taro, M?xico. We have more then 10 years experience in developing database software tools and ERP software for the small and medium sized company. Our staff includes 4 administrative, 8 sales, 6 support and 12 developers people. The company was established about 4 years ago. The product DBxtra was released November 2004. Morelos 166B Col. Centro Quer?taro, Qro. C.P. 76000 M?xico Tel.: +52 (442) 215 44 96 USA: (201) 399 22 18

Problems Solved

Can your end users get to the data they need? How often do they need to wait for a developer to provide assistance in the extraction of vital information? It does not matter if you are part of the executive team or an end user. Often times when you want to get to information from a database or restricted system you need to request work to be done on your behalf. You are at the mercy of your IT staff and in particular developers, data analysts, data administrators.

With DBxtra end users are liberated from the ever-increasing queue that is experienced every time they need IT staff to produce reports or extract data. DBxtra allows users to access multiple data sources in disperse database systems and pull information from these sources in a systematic pint and click fashion. The ease in which it is to produce reports, and more importantly alter reports when business rules change, will have a drastic impact and increased productivity for your end users while also reducing the burden on IT.

Since DBxtra can connect to most any database or data source, you can provide a tool the is truly cross-platform independent. This actually reduces the toolset required, provides a single access point to data, and reduces training requirements.

Who should use it

Anyone who wants to produce quality reports or just query data in an ad hoc manor can benefit from DBxtra. With a powerful toolset DBxtra assists end users as well as the IT staff. in the categorization and processes around defining where information is, how it is retrieved, and who needs the information. Developers, analysts, and DBAs will benefit from this tool as they interrogate data across multiple systems.

Working with DBxtra

Below is presented with my experiences working with the DBxtra product. While the demos and tutorials take you through many of the feature set it is highly recommended you use the product to see how it works in your environment.

When you first start up DBxtra you are prompted to accept the license agreement and then need to create a DBxtra database for housing reports. Within the directory you supply to house the DBxtra database a new directory will be created along with a .mdb (Microsoft database) file. While using DBxtra additional directories and files may be created in this directory. I was then prompted to create an administrator password for the Microsoft database and then required to login. These few setup procedures and only need to be done once and were not time intensive.

All work is done through projects and you will need to create one before producing any report or querying any data. After you have defined a project you can define the connections to databases and add database objects to use within the newly created project. I was very happy to experience an error free mechanism for creating connections to Oracle, SQL Server, and Microsoft Excel.

After defining a project and adding database objects to it you are then put into the Data Explorer. The Data Explorer is the heart of the organizational system for DBxtra where you access and place objects such as database objects, reports, and queries. Data Explorer is a tree structure that, as you get familiar with the toolset, allows for easy retrieval and quick access to previously defined objects. At this point it is a nice place to click the ?Show Data? option and prove to yourself the ease at which DBxtra can extract information from different data sources. You may also at this point get familiar with one of the more powerful filtering mechanism through the ?Show field values? option. With this feature you can extract values for an object that can be used in equality matches on columns. Just click the ?Show field values? box, select a field for the equality operation, and magically you can use the drop down list and assign a value for the equality. Powerful and very user-friendly. Now just hit the ?Show Data? button to return the filtered result set.

Query Builder allows for the definition and saving of queries within the Data Explorer tree structure. Defining a query is accomplished through naming the query, selecting data sources, selecting objects for the query, building relationship and filters where necessary, and then possibly sorting the data. As you use DBxtra you will soon notice that tabs across the top of the screens present the order in which you should follow. It is an easy approach to define the object or procedure you are building and very intuitive at the same time. I personally like things that have a definite flow and DBxtra provides that for me.

Building reports where again just as easy. Just follow the script presented in the tabs on the screen. Reports have the ability to be exported to text, XML, PDF, Microsoft Excel, and HTML. A unique feature of the DBxtra is to export the report to a Microsoft Excel pivot table and chart where the Excel spreadsheet is pre-built with a constant connection to the data sources. Whenever the database is updated and the user of the Excel report presses the refresh button the data in the spreadsheet is also updated.

Other options that I did not try were the E-mailing and scheduling of reports. I did watch the demos and looked at the screens. Again the common thread of the step by step tabular approach existed in these options and thus presented no surprises. An interesting feature was the ability to write a simple e-mail merge operation that allows for the sending of a report in an email while tailoring the e-mail on merge fields for personalization.

Hardware / Software Requirements

?Processor 600Mhz
?128 MB RAM
?25 MB available space on hard disk drive
?Microsoft Windows 98 SE or later
?Microsoft Excel 97 & Outlook 97 for higher level features

Download and Installation

You can get a free 15 day trial off DBxta?s web site at http://www.DBxtra.com/DBxtra/registro.asp

If you would like to keep in touch with DBxtra and receive some free support and other valuable information about using the product while you are in trial then you should give them your name. But name registration is not required for the free trial. As an interesting feature to the download, if you decide to not purchase by the end of the trial the product deprecates itself from the Professional Edition into the Free Edition. I have never seen this before and like the concept because you don?t need to worry about removing the product. Plus at the end of the trial you still have a product that is usable. The download and installation went very swiftly with a clean and very few clicks to install the software.

License

There are three distinct products for DBxtra that include a standard, professional, and report viewer. After a trial period of 15 days the product deprecates to a free version. Pricing is currently available for a single concurrent user and you are given price breaks as the number of concurrent users increase. This ranges from around 25%-33% depending on how many licenses you buy. Also to note is that the license is for concurrent users and not for installed copies of DBxtra. This means that you can install everywhere and use where you like. The pricing is very reasonable in my opinion and depending on the number of licenses you purchase you can put the power of data extraction into end users for less than $150 USD. Support is free as are upgrades for year 2005.

Rudolf Vanek

See more information: http://www.dbxtra.com

Rumination on the PS3 Game and Console

PS3 games have been long awaited by its fans. With the expected release of the PlayStation 3 console in November, 2006 approaching fast, gamers are enthusiastic about the new experience it offers. Sadly though, the new experience comes together with the PS3 games itself and not the game console that offers backward compatibility. Ergo, it is the new format of the games that is much awaited and not the actual player.

Just what does the new format of the PS3 games offer? Well due to its being written on Blue-Ray Discs, the gaming experience would be parallel to HDTV in terms of its quality. This is because of the ability of the disc to store 10x as much data as the DVD. Having the ability to store more data, it means that programmers are able to incorporate more features that would enable it to deliver high picture and interactive quality.

Given that, how much quality do we really need to enjoy a game? Gamers in the early 90s were satisfied with the picture and gaming quality of the popular Pacman game from Nintendo, the level at which people of today are satisfied with the quality of their gaming experience has always been in accord with the developments in technology. PS3 games would expectedly offer picture quality that is unmatched by any of its competitors.

After PS3 games, then what? Well, one would think that developments in the next decade would definitely grow at an exponential rate. It would not be unreasonable to expect that developers would come up with some gaming console that would enable its users to literally be in the game. Considering that virtual games are now present, continued research on the technology would probably yield devices that can be hook to our nervous system, and would function somewhat like holograms. It is, I guess, only our human imagination that truly limits what we can come up with in the next couple of decades.

So what are the potential problems that could arise from this advancement in gaming technology aside the declining academic performance of children? While PS3 games would definitely give out optimum performance, another aspect that grows in accordance to developments in technology is the cost.

The production of the game console, which is actually more than just a gaming console, as well as the PS3 games would most probably be only affordable for the high-end consumers. That is, during the first two years of production. Fortunately, the prices always go down after a couple of years. That is the only time when children, as well as adults in the lower ranks of society are able to enjoy a magnificent gaming experience. I guess that's how things really work in this society.

Oh well. But nevertheless, PS3 games and all the others that will come soon will always be appreciated by the consumers. They would not really manufacture these things had there been no demand for it, won't they? So enough with the ranting about its costs. PS3 games and others will remain and will continue to develop. So long as the technology is available, people will always find ways to apply them to whatever they could think of.

For more valuable information on ps3 games please visit http://www.ps3-game.com.

IT Consultants: Recommending Video Monitors and PCs

Most PC vendors will give good prices to consumers that buy monitors at the same time as desktop PCs. IT consultants that normally recommend brand name PC products should keep certain things in mind when talking to their clients.

Actual Cost For Your Clients

As IT consultants, you should price every PC both with and without the monitor to gauge what clients are actually paying. After pricing using both systems, you can figure out whether or not the monitor price is actually similar to the price it would be if you purchased a monitor separately.

Soft cost considerations are the most important to think about as IT consultants recommending PCs and monitors. When buying the monitor as part of a package with the desktop PC, the monitor warranty is typically included in on-site warranty coverage. This means if your client's monitor needs to be replaced during the warranty period, the PC vendor can ship a replacement at no cost.

Warranty Benefits

Warranties can offer very useful benefits, including the following pluses:

1.Clients of IT consultants don't need to store and keep packing materials for both monitors and PCs because they don't need to remember the details for the monitor purchased. They also don't need to buy return shipping supplies because they can return the broken monitor in the same box when the replacement arrives.
2.Clients don't have to find a local shipping outlet because PC vendors typically will include return shipping labels for their preferred freight carrier in the replacement package.
3.Customers of IT consultants can save money on freight costs. When the PC vendor sends return shipping labels it saves the cost of sending the package back, which can easily save at least $25.

Buying a monitor with a PC and getting both purchases as a package with an on-site warranty, besides saving money can save a half hour or an hour each time a monitor needs to be replaced.

Copyright MMI-MMVII, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance

Joshua Feinberg, co-owner of Computer Consulting 101, gets computer consulting businesses more steady, high-paying consulting clients. Now you can too. Just sign-up now for your free access pass to these field-tested, proven computer consulting secrets at Computer Consulting 101.

Cisco Certification: The OSI Model Part I

To conquer the Introduction To Cisco Networking exam, and to begin the process of becoming an expert network troubleshooter, you have to master the OSI model and learn what happens at each of the seven layers.

In this three-part series, we'll examine each level of the OSI model, paying particular attention to the details that will help you pass the CCNA exams and give you the foundation you need to become a true networking professional.

We'll start at the top layer, the Application layer.

It won't surprise you to find that the Application layer is the OSI model layer where most end users have interaction with said applications. Passing the CCNA exam is all in the details, though, and you need to know what happens at the Application layer, as well as the common and not-so-common applications that run at this layer.

The Application layer?s tasks include identifying the remote communication partner, ensuring that the needed resources for communicating with that partner exist, and user authentication. If you?re prompted for authentication, you?re most likely at the Application layer of the OSI model.

Keep that in mind if asked to identify Application layer protocols. I?ve noticed that CCNA candidates tend to identify Telnet as running at the Application layer. That?s an understandable misconception, since the first thing you enter in Telnet is an IP address, and it?s often used to communicate with a router. However, keep in mind that Telnet is an Application layer service, not a Network layer service. You?ve got to authenticate to Telnet to a Cisco router in the first place, remember!

Other common applications that run at Layer 7 are Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP, port 25) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP, port 21).

In short, if an end user is interacting with a program, especially if they?re being prompted for authentication by a program such as Telnet or FTP, they?re working at the Application layer of the OSI model.

Let?s take a look at the Presentation layer.

Layer 6 of the OSI model is the Presentation Layer. While we don?t have a great deal of interaction with this layer, you need to know what happens at this layer to pass your Intro and CCNA exams.

The main purpose of the Presentation Layer is making sure that the communication that will be seen at the Application Layer is presented in the appropriate format.

That?s all well and good, but what does it mean? J Have you ever opened a document with MS Word and gotten screens and screen of garbage? That?s a presentation layer problem ? the program being used to open the document is unable to present the data in an appropriate format.

The three major tasks of the Presentation layer:

1. Compatibility with the operating system.

2. Proper encapsulation of data for network transmission.

3. Data Formatting (ASCII, binary)

Encryption and compression of data is also handled at the presentation layer.

Let?s keep working our way down the OSI Model. Next up, the Session Layer!

The Session layer of the OSI model basically acts as the manager for the entire model. Some have called it the PHB (Pointy-Haired Boss) of the OSI model if that helps you remember its role, that?s fine with me!

The Session layer establishes, manages, and tears down connections between applications. The Session layer uses port numbers to keep multiple conversations between two end points separate. You may have heard the term well-known port-numbers before. That term refers to port numbers that are often-used and static in that they use the same port numbers every time. You?ll be expected to know common well-known port numbers to pass your Intro exam, such as 23 for Telnet and 21 for FTP.

That?s about all there is to Layer 5, the Session Layer. From here on out, there?s more you need to know about each layer, and that starts with Layer 4 ? the Transport Layer. We'll take a look at that layer in Part II of this OSI tutorial.

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, ?How To Pass The CCNA? and ?How To Pass The CCNP?, visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

How To Print Postage Stamps Directly From Your Home

With the internet and computer industry continuing to boom in all directions, it was just a matter of time that you would be able to print postage stamps from your very own computer. No longer do you have to waste time going to purchase postage stamps. You can now print postage stamps from your printer with no special hardware required and be on your way to delivering your package in no time. So how does it work you may ask?

As mentioned, there is no special hardware required to print postage stamps. All you need is a Microsoft windows operating system, a laser or inkjet printer and a subscription to one of a couple different postage sites. The cost for the subscription varies from site to site. One of the more popular sites, stamps.com, offers a subscription for a low cost of $15.99/month. There are no hidden costs or unexpected fees you will receive and you are able to cancel your subscription at any time.

Many sites allow you to print postage of many types besides just stamps. You can print postage stamps, shipping labels, print directly on envelopes for a professional look and much more. This makes it convenient to get all your shipping needs taken care of directly from your home. You can print postage directly onto your envelopes now with new technology that has been made. No more do you have to worry about licking stamps.

How it works is you will use a special postage meter that is provided with your subscription to whatever site you choose. This will help you calculate the rates between first class, priority, express, media mail, and international mail. With this new technology, you can now print postage and purchase stamps 24 hours a day all from your computer.

You can try to print postage stamps with a free trial before you purchase a subscription. This allows you to test out the new technology and determine whether it is for you or not. With the extreme ease and convenience, more and more people are beginning to print postage as oppose to purchasing stamps outside of the home.

The billing cycle works very similar to a bank account. When you?re billing cycle ends, the site will calculate your monthly service fee according to your service plan, and charge your credit card. You can save up to 80% compared to the cost of the traditional postage meter.

With the new online print postage feature, more and more people are becoming familiar with it and trying it out. With all of the features and advantages you will find, it is guaranteed that you will love saving yourself a trip to the post office. All that is left for you to do now is to get started with your risk-free trial.

Craig Thornburrow is an Author and Business Owner. Find out how to print postage stamps at http://www.printingpostage.com

Buy Gold On World Of Warcraft

The World of Warcraft revolution is here, with millions of people from across the globe, battling it out in different realms. In order to take your game to new heights and give you the leverage you need whether you are sided with the Alliance or the hordes, you have to be able to buy gold on World of Warcraft.

There are various items that you will need as you encounter your opponents through progressing stages. You will need to farm, make, or buy gold on World of Warcraft, whether you are going into combat, or need to buy a pick for your next quest. Gold is one of your currencies in this Massive Multiplayer Online Game, and you will need it to up your characters power to the next level.

You are also able to purchase this gold from various online gaming distributors. To buy gold on World of Warcraft, allows your character to be one step ahead of your opposition, and ensure your characters survival. There are far more advantages and opportunities to grab on to, like being able to buy training, equipment whenever you need it, profession recipes, profession components, extra space at your bank, combat pets to give you the edge, or battle armor, you will have to make sure your World of Warcraft account is full.

You can search throughout the internet for various sites that allow you to buy gold on World of Warcraft. Depending on your character type, the realm that your character is from and whether they are Horde or Alliance, can alter the price slightly. Usually though for 4000 gold, you could pay anywhere between $500 and $700.

As you buy gold on World of Warcraft, limitless possibilities open up, and there are Merchants available to trade with, which can be more expensive than buying items from other willing players, but they are always around and are more likely to have exactly what you need. You are able to buy gold on War of Warcraft among other lesser currencies, and carry it around on you. You do not have to put it into your bank like you would normally do. The bank is only for inventory, and other special items that you can store when moving to a new region, and can also be saved for friends Gold currency does not take up any inventory slots, and is great to have on at all times.

As well as being able to buy gold on World of Warcraft to up your power leveling, there are a couple of sites that will show you how to cheat, and give shortcuts to move up a level and into new regions. For those true World of Warcraft fans, however, you will fight to the death, and play righteously gathering Quest items, and making money the old fashioned way. In order to make money on WOW, you can also take advantage of the Auction House, where most characters do there trading and you are also able to buy back certain things.

All in all, it is easier to buy gold on World of Warcraft from the special MMOG sites than farming for gold on World of Warcraft. You have a lot of freedom, and it is also safer and in most cases cheaper to use these sites rather than buying your World of Warcraft gold from other individuals, that may not be reliable. They are always fully stocked, and sell other important items that you cold also use to power up your character, but however you choose to acquire your gold, use it wisely and happy gaming.

Gen Mason plays World of Warcraft almost everyday. Discover free World of Warcraft tactics and tricks at WOW Powerleveling