Posts Tagged ‘SQL Server’

It’s Part of SQL Server 2008 R2?

Friday, March 5th, 2010

SQL Server 2008 R2 includes some impressive new features and functions. But, when you run setup they are nowhere to be found. Included in the list are the new StreamInsight, PowerPivot (sort of), and Master Data Services. Where are these features and why are they not included in the setup wizard?

Except for PowerPivot for SharePoint, the features are in their own distribution folders on the setup DVD. StreamInsight is in the StreamInsight folder and Master Data Services is in the MasterDataServices folder. PowerPivot for SharePoint is actually included in the setup wizard, but you need to know where to look. More on that later.

To answer the question as to why StreamInsight and Master Data Services are not part of the setup we need to look at the big picture as Microsoft defines it. Microsoft has decided to migrate all data management and analysis applications under a single umbrella and that umbrella is their flagship database, SQL Server 2008 R2. This is much like what they are doing with SharePoint by including PerformancePoint as a feature beginning with SharePoint 2010.

The thinking is that creating a comprehensive data management suite is simpler if the components are marketed as a single platform. Not only does this make sense logistically, it makes sense financially. Instead of socking companies with more fees as they continue to build their data management infrastructure, Microsoft has rolled many of their previous offerings into the SQL Server 2008 R2 platform. Companies now benefit financially by no longer being required to fork out thousands of dollars for each of the features that they want to implement. Rather than forking out thousands of dollars for each application, they can purchase the appropriate edition of SQL Server and find everything they need.

I mention this because StreamInsight, in particular, is not a SQL Server based product. StreamInsight sits outside of the SQL Server resource pool and performs Complex Event Processing on incoming data streams. Designed to handled massive volumes of data in memory, StreamInsight enables a company to create processes that scan the incoming data streams and discard or redirect the data based criteria written in a .NET compliant language and using LINQ.

StreamInsight can use SQL Server based data tables to hold static data used for comparison purposes. It can also pass selected data through and ouput adapter to SQL Server for storage. Because StreamInsight runs against memory based data, it can process the queries without the I/O overhead required by a traditional database server.

Master Data Services is another application included with SQL Server 2008 R2. Master Data Services does store data in SQL Server. However, the processing it does is not a pure database or data warehouse function. Master Data Services (MDS) enables and organization to gather multiple copies of significant master data together, merge and standardize the data, and then send it back out the original applications. Those applications then contain a consistent and accurate representation of the common data. A previous blog contains a more detailed discussion of what constitutes master data so I will not go into that here.

Finally, we have the new PowerPivot for SharePoint. PowerPivot for SharePoint is a new addition to SQL Server Analysis Services in SQL Server 2008 R2. Microsoft created the SharePoint add-in to enable users to create, share, and manipulate PowerPivot workbooks in concert with PowerPivot for Excel 2010. The only way to install PowerPivot for SharePoint is to perform a SQL Server Analysis Services installation with SharePoint integration. After selecting SharePoint integration, the wizard walks through the essential configuration tasks for PowerPivot. A standard Analysis Services installation does not include PowerPivot. For a more in depth discussion of PowerPivot for SharePoint and PowerPivot for Excel please see my previous blogs.

By combining all of these features into SQL Server 2008 R2, Microsoft is proving even more that they are committed to improving the way businesses handle data without requiring excessive investments. I am sure that there is even more to come and that the next release of SQL Server will continue this trend of managing data where ever it is so that companies can continue to gain ground in managing and analyzing business critical data.

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SQL Server Reporting Services on Windows Server 2008 R2

Friday, March 5th, 2010

In the tradition of the entertainment awards season, I want to thank Microsoft for taking IIS out of the equation with SQL Server 2008 Reporting Services. That made installation and configuration of Reporting Services much simpler. For those who began working with Reporting Services 2008, this is the first version with a dedicated web server. The main advantage is simplified configuration without worries about the impact on IIS and the web applications that depend upon it.

SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services, however, does depend upon IIS to manage and share reports. This works very well with Windows Server 2003 and IIS 6.x. If you need to install the 2005 version of Reporting Services on Windows Server 2008 R2 you will need to pay special attention to the IIS installation. This version of Reporting Services is not fully compatible with IIS 7.5, which is provided with the operating system.

I recently needed to get Reporting Service 2005 installed on Windows Server 2008 R2 and quickly ran into my first issue. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the Reporting Services to show up as a selection during setup. After doing some research, I found that the IIS 6 components of IIS 7.5 are required for Reporting Services. Most of the blogs and articles simply indicated that adding IIS 6.0 Management Compatibility would fix that. However, the problem still existed.

After reading many articles and literally days of following the recommendations, I finally stumbled upon an article located at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938245 with all of the answers I needed. It seems that IIS 6.0 compatibility is not the only thing required.

The most common services and features are automatically included when you install the IIS 7.5 role on Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2. It turns out there are a few more features that Reporting Services 2005 requires. The first one we have already mentioned: IIS 6.0 Management Compatibility. When you select this feature, make sure that all of the sub-features are selected.

Moving up to the Common HTTP Features section, you will notice that not all of the sub-features are selected. The HTTP Redirection and WebDAV Publishing are not selected for installation. HTTP Redirection is required so make sure to install it. The WebDAV Publishing feature is not required by Reporting Services 2005.

In the Application Development section, select the ASP.NET option.

The Windows Authentication option is a required security feature. Check Windows Authentication under the Security section.

If a dialog appears to tell you that other features are required as you make these selections, click OK to install those features.

After installing the new role features is complete, go to the Services control panel and confirm that the World Wide Web Publishing Service is set to start automatically, and is running.

Now you can run the SQL Server 2005 setup and install Reporting Services. When installing Reporting Services, go ahead and select the configuration option for standalone or SharePoint integration. Setup will walk you through the configuration process and you are now ready to go.

Note that this is how to install SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services 64-bit version. If you need to install the 32-bit version on Windows Server 2008, take a look at the Microsoft Knowledge Base article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/934162/ for details.

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