Tuesday, December 30, 2008

SQL Server 2008 Express Installation experience

Finally I had just completed installing SQL Server Express 2008 in my Acer Laptop
(AMD Athlon X2 2 X 1,9 , 2 GB RAM ,160 GB HDD).

It took nearly three days to source all pre-requestie and install updates , service pack even though I had a VS 2008 Express DVD including dotnet 3.5.
At first installer seems it had good tools to verify pre-validation and well organized, But even after passing thru' pre-validation installation failed due to
1. MSI does n't exist
Downloaded latest microsoft installer from microsoft web site
2. Powershell does n't exist.
Tricky part is powershell download option is available for geniune windows only. However direct download is available from the following site.
ftp://ftp.ku.lt/pub/Windows/systems/XP/PowerShell/1.0/WindowsXP-KB926139-x86-ENU.exe

3. Dot net framework 3.5 SP1 is not there.
http://download.microsoft.com/download/7/0/3/703455ee-a747-4cc8-bd3e-98a615c3aedb/dotNetFx35setup.exe
4. VS 2008 SP1
If you choose Business intelligence development studio (BIDS) you need latest Service pack
which can be obtained from microsoft website.
The following are the all conditions required for SQL 2008 installation

Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Setup - System Configuration Check Report
Computer Name(s): SIV Report Date/Time: 12/30/2008 6:55 PMSaved to Directory: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20081230_185158\SystemConfigurationCheck_Report.htm
Rule Name
Rule Description
Result
Message/Corrective Action
GlobalRules: SQL Server 2008 Setup configuration checks for rules group 'GlobalRules'

AclPermissionsFacet
Checks if the SQL Server registry keys are consistent.
Passed
SQL Server registry keys are consistent and can support SQL Server installation or upgrade.

MediaPathLength
Checks whether the SQL Server installation media is too long.
Passed
The SQL Server installation media is not too long.

OsVersionCheck
Checks whether the computer meets minimum operating system version requirements.
Passed
The operating system version meets the minimum requirements for this product.

RebootRequiredCheck
Checks if a pending computer restart is required. A pending restart can cause Setup to fail.
Passed
The computer does not require a restart.

ThreadHasAdminPrivilegeCheck
Checks whether the account running SQL Server Setup has administrator rights on the computer.
Passed
The account running SQL Server Setup has administator rights on the computer.

WmiServiceStateCheck
Checks whether the WMI service is started and running on the computer.
Passed
The Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) service is running.
InstallGlobalRules: SQL Server 2008 Setup configuration checks for rules group 'InstallGlobalRules'

SSMS_IsInternetConnected
Verifies that the computer is connected to the Internet. When a Microsoft .NET application like Microsoft Management Studio starts, there maybe be a slight delay while the .NET security check validates a certificate.
Not applicable
This rule does not apply to your system configuration.

AclPermissionsFacet
Checks if the SQL Server registry keys are consistent.
Passed
SQL Server registry keys are consistent and can support SQL Server installation or upgrade.

Bids2005InstalledCheck
Checks for previous releases of SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence Development Studio
Passed
Previous releases of SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence Development Studio are not installed.

BlockInstallSxS
Checks whether there is an existing SQL Server 2008 CTP installation.
Passed
There are no previous CTP installations of SQL Server 2008.

FacetDomainControllerCheck
Checks whether the computer is a domain controller. Installing SQL Server 2008 on a domain controller is not recommended.
Passed
This computer is not a domain controller.

FacetPowerShellCheck
Checks whether Windows PowerShell is installed. Windows PowerShell is a pre-requisite of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services.
Passed
Windows PowerShell is installed or not required.

FacetWOW64PlatformCheck
Determines whether SQL Server Setup is supported on this operating system platform.
Passed
SQL Server Setup is supported on this operating system platform.

FusionRebootCheck
Checks if a computer restart is required because of broken fusion ATL. A pending restart can cause SQL Server Setup to fail.
Passed
The computer does not require a restart.

PerfMonCounterNotCorruptedCheck
Checks if existing performance counter registry hive is consistent.
Passed
The performance counter registry hive is consistent.

SqlUnsupportedProductBlocker
Checks whether SQL Server 7.0 or SQL Server 7.0 OLAP Services is installed. Server Server 2008 is not supported with SQL Server 7.0.
Passed
SQL Server 7.0 or SQL Server 7.0 OLAP Services is not installed.

IsFirewallEnabled
Checks whether the Windows Firewall is enabled.
Warning
The Windows Firewall is enabled. Make sure the appropriate ports are open to enable remote access. See the rules documentation at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=94001 for information about ports to open for each feature.
InstallFeatureSpecificRules: SQL Server 2008 Setup configuration checks for rules group 'InstallFeatureSpecificRules'

BlockCrossLanguageInstall
Checks whether the Setup language is the same as the language of existing SQL Server features.
Passed
There are no existing SQL Server features, or the Setup language is as same as the language of existing SQL Server features.

BlockMixedArchitectureInstall
Checks whether the installing feature(s) are the same CPU architecture as the specified instance.
Passed
The CPU architecture of the installing feature(s) matches the specified instance.

EditionRequirementCheck
Checks whether the SQL Server edition is supported on this operating system.
Passed
This SQL Server edition is supported on this operating system.

FAT32FileSystemCheck
Checks whether the specified drive is FAT32 file system volume. Installing on a FAT32 file system is supported but not recommended as it is less secure than the NTFS file system.
Passed
The specified drive is not the FAT32 file system.

InstanceClashRule
Checks whether the specified instance name is already used by an existing SQL Server instance.
Passed
The specified instance name can be used.

LibertyASInstallRule
Checks whether a default instance of SQL Server 2000 (64-bit) Analysis Services is installed.
Passed
This install action scenario is supported.

RS_DoesCatalogExist
Checks whether the Reporting Services catalog database file exists.
Passed
The Reporting Services catalog database file does not already exist.

RS_DoesCatalogTempDBExist
Checks whether the Reporting Services catalog temporary database file exists.
Passed
The Reporting Services catalog temporary database file does not already exist.

Sql2005SsmsExpressFacet
Checks whether SQL Server 2005 Express Tools are installed.
Passed
The SQL Server 2005 Express Tools are not installed.

StandaloneInstall_HasClusteredOrPreparedInstanceCheck
Checks if the selected instance name is already used by an existing cluster-prepared or clustered instance on any cluster node.
Passed
No clustered or cluster-prepared instance with the selected instance name is installed on any cluster node.

VSShellInstalledRule
Checks for previous releases of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008
Passed
Previous releases of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 is not installed or already upgraded to SP1.
Rules Documentation: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=94001 Community: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/aa336317.aspx Setup Help File: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb500469(SQL.100).aspx

Happy SQL 2008 programming :)

Sunday, December 14, 2008

What BI is doing ?

BI - Business Intelligence is big talk in recent days. It is more of old wine - Dash board or Decision Services software (DSS) in a new bottle. Only difference is BI tools gives 360 degree entrise reporting, integrated in one place. As of now there is not much intelligence is there in any of B.I tools be it Microsoft 's Reporting Services or Business objects ...etc., It gives organized data and aids in decision making does not itself intelligently do anything.


If all B.I went in right direction, we won't face economic crisis today.
This is perfect example of Man proposes God Disposes and law of nature. In recent years, whole world is shifting from Agri-based industries to hi-tech industries. We should remember that we can't bite bytes.

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