Oct'18 Meeting Wrap-up

I would like to thank Guy Royse (DataRobot) for presenting "Machine Learning for Gamers" at the last meeting of the Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group

Listed below are the links for the presentation recording and events in area/region.

Presentation Recording: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU4ffaIzhsvMr_cCt9kjQMw

Local Events
Nov 6: ONSQL-Cleveland(https://www.meetup.com/Ohio-North-SQL-Server-User-Group-Cleveland/)
Nov 21: Hudson SC (https://www.meetup.com/Hudson-Software-Craftsmanship-Meetup/) 
Nov 29: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group(https://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-C-VB-Net-User-Group/) 

Regional Events
Oct 19-21: SpaceApps Cleveland Hackathon (https://2018.spaceappschallenge.org/locations/cleveland-oh/)
Oct 20: Cleveland Medical Hackathon (http://clevelandmedicalhackathon.com) 
Oct 27: Columbus Code Camp (https://columbuscodecamp.com/) 
Nov 3: NuGet Essentials (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nuget-essentials-tickets-48803794463)

Summer .Net Events

Listed below are the various .Net events happening in the Cleveland area and surrounding region:

May Events
May 24: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group: Building Hololens Apps (https://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-C-VB-Net-User-Group/)
May 30: Cleveland User Experience: Exploring the New CSS with Eric Meyer: (https://www.meetup.com/make-the-internet/)

June Events

Jun 2: PGH Tech Fest (http://pghtechfest.com/) 

Jun 5: ONSQL-Cleveland (https://www.meetup.com/Ohio-North-SQL-Server-User-Group-Cleveland/)

Jun 19: ONSQL-Akron (https://www.meetup.com/Akron-SQL-Database-Professionals-Meetup/)
Jun 20: Hudson Software Craftsmanship (https://www.meetup.com/Hudson-Software-Craftsmanship-Meetup/)
Jun 20: Cleveland Web Design and Development: Building apps with Blazor (https://www.meetup.com/CLE-WDD)
Jun 23: BSides Software Security Conference: (https://www.bsidescleveland.com/)
Jun 23: Cleveland User Experience: Hands-on UX (https://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-User-Experience-Meetup)
Jun 28: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group: Building apps with Blazor (https://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-C-VB-Net-User-Group/)

July Events
Jul 17: Cleveland User Experience: Explore Your Inner Maker (https://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-User-Experience-Meetup)
Jul 20-22: Cleveland Give Camp: (http://clevelandgivecamp.org/)
Jul 28: SQL Saturday Columbus (http://www.sqlsaturday.com/736/EventHome.aspx)

Not only are these educational events, but they're also great networking opportunities.  Get out there and get involved!

February 2018 .Net Events

Cleveland User Group Events

—Feb 13: “Advance Automation Strategies” https://www.eventbrite.com/e/neo-advance-software-testing-conference-tickets-42512510062 

—Feb 21: Hudson Software Craftsmanship Group (https://www.meetup.com/Hudson-Software-Craftsmanship-Meetup/)   

—Feb 21: NEOISF (http://www.neoisf.org/)

—Feb 22: CLE C#/VB.Net: (www.meetup.com/Cleveland-C-VB-Net-User-Group)

Ohio Regional Events

—Feb 3: SQL Saturday CLE(www.sqlsaturday.com/708/EventHome.aspx) 

—May 4: StirTrek (https://www.stirtrek.com/) 

October 2017.Net Events

Listed below are .Net events happening in the Cleveland area and surrounding region for October 2017

Local Events 
Oct 3: ON SQL User Group (ohionorth.pass.org)
Oct 10: Cleveland .NET User Group (www.bennettadelson.com/ComingEvents.aspx)
Oct 19: Akron AITP (http://akron-aitp.org/) 
Oct 25: Cleveland WDD (https://www.meetup.com/CLE-WDD/events/239855298/)
Oct 26: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group (https://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-C-VB-Net-User-Group/?_cookie-check=FWQcEWsRV8pW0oJU)

Regional Events 
Oct 5-6: DogFood Conference (http://dogfoodcon.com/)
Oct 14: Columbus Code Camp (http://columbuscodecamp.com/)

Exam 70-533 Study Resources

If you're considering taking Exam 70-533 "Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions", here are some resources you might find valuable:

https://crpietschmann.github.io/Azure-70-533-Practice-Test/

https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-v1:Microsoft+DEV205Bx+3T2016/course/

https://buildazure.com/2015/06/12/preparing-for-70-533-implementing-microsoft-azure-infrastructure-solutions-exam/

https://buildazure.com/2016/11/06/azure-infrastructure-exam-70-533-gets-arm-refresh/

http://www.azureman.com/certification/azure-infrastructure-exam-70-533-study-guide/

As always, if you have any questions about the exam, please leave a comment.

Windows 10 Developer Resources

With the launch of Windows 10 and Visual Studio 2015, developers around the world are becoming very excited about writing apps on the Windows Universal Platform.  To help with this growing need, Microsoft has provided a variety of free online resources:

Developer Tools Download: https://www.visualstudio.com/?Wt.mc_id=DX_MVP5000378
What’s New for Developers in Windows 10: https://dev.windows.com/en-us/getstarted/whats-new-windows-10/?Wt.mc_ic=DX_MVP5000378
Get Started: https://dev.windows.com/en-us/getstarted/?Wt.mc_ic=DX_MVP5000378
Design: https://dev.windows.com/en-us/design/?Wt.mc_ic=DX_MVP5000378
Develop: https://dev.windows.com/en-us/develop/?Wt.mc_ic=DX_MVP5000378
Publish: https://dev.windows.com/en-us/publish/?Wt.mc_ic=DX_MVP5000378
Windows 10 courses on MVA: https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/en-US/training-courses/getting-started-with-windows-10-for-it-professionals-10629/?Wt.mc_ic=DX_MVP5000378
Channel 9: https://channel9.msdn.com/windows/?Wt.mc_ic=DX_MVP5000378

Net-related events in the Cleveland area and Midwest region

Listed below are .Net-related events happening in the Cleveland area and Midwest region for June... and beyond:

.Net-related User Groups:
June 4: ON SQL User Group (www.ohionorthsqlserverug.org)
June 10: Cleveland .NET User Group (www.bennettadelson.com/ComingEvents.aspx)  
June 17: Cleveland WPF User Group (www.ClevelandWPF.info) 
June 18: Hudson Software Craftsmanship (http://hudsonsc.com)
June 24: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group (www.clevelanddotnet.info) 
June 25: SharePoint User’s Group (www.sharepointCleveland.com)   

Regional Events:
June 4: Security Summit (https://www.informationsecuritysummit.org/)
June 13: Cleveland SharePoint Golf Outing (http://www.sharepointcleveland.com/default.aspx)
June 13-15: Circle City Con (http://www.circlecitycon.com/)
June 14: SQL Saturday #299 (http://www.sqlsaturday.com/299/eventhome.aspx)

July 11-12: CodeStock (http://www.codestock.org/)
July 18: Cleveland GiveCamp: (http://clevelandgivecamp.org/)

August 11-13: "That Conference" (http://www.thatconference.com/)
August 15: CloudDevelop (http://clouddevelop.org)
August 27-29: DevLink (http://www.devlink.net)

September 29-30: "Dog Food Conference" (http://www.dogfoodcon.com/)

Visual Studio “14” CTP released

On June 3, 2014, Microsoft released Visual Studio “14” CTP (Community Technology Preview).  Listed below are some useful links relating to this release:

 

Downloads: Download the Visual Studio “14” CTP (also available on MSDN subscriber downloads). Alternatively, save some time and use the provided VM in Azure.

Blogs & Release Notes: Read announcements by Soma& Brian. Check out the team blogs, including Visual Studio, Web Dev (web tooling), Web Dev (ASP.NET vNext), Entity Framework, C#, VB, and C++. See the Visual Studio “14” CTP release notes for a list of new features. Discuss on Facebook & Twitter.

Known Issues: This release should be installed in a test environment, such as a VM or a clean machine. Do not install on a machine with another version of Visual Studio installed. For other known issues, please see the Visual Studio “14” CTP KB.

Feedback: Submit bugs through Connect, suggestions on UserVoiceand quick thoughts through Send-a-Smilein the Visual Studio IDE.

Local & Regional October Events

Local Events
10/1: ON SQL User Group (www.ohionorthsqlserverug.org)
10/8: Cleveland .NET User Group (www.bennettadelson.com/ComingEvents.aspx) 
10/10: Cleveland Riak (http://www.meetup.com/Cleveland-Riak)
10/12: Techie Family Meet & Play (http://www.meetup.com/UX-Akron/events/141530432/)
10/15: Cleveland WPF User Group (www.ClevelandWPF.info) 
10/16: Software Engineering 101 (https://swe101october2013.eventbrite.com/)
10/16: Hudson Software Craftsmanship (http://hudsonsc.com) 
10/22: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group (www.clevelanddotnet.info) 
11/22: Build Highlights (https://msevents.microsoft.com)
12/4: Monetization of Real-World Windows Apps (https://msevents.microsoft.com)

Regional Events
10/23: Azure Dev Camp – Columbus, OH (https://msevents.microsoft.com/)
11/2: CODODN – (http://cododn.azurewebsites.net)
11/2: SQL Saturday: Kalamazoo, MI (http://www.sqlsaturday.com/256/eventhome.aspx)
11/9: Raleigh Code Camp (http://codecamp.org/)
11/20: Windows 8 & Windows Phone Hands-on-Lab (https://msevents.microsoft.com)
11/21-22: Dog Food Conference: (http://dogfoodcon.com)
12/7: SQL Saturday: Washington DC (http://www.sqlsaturday.com/233/eventhome.aspx)
4/26: Kalamazoo X: (http://kalamazoox.org)

Object reference not set to an instance of an object when using HTMLEditorExtender

Question: While working on an AJAX-enabled application, I got "Object reference not set to an instance of an object when using HTMLEditorExtender". How do I fix this?

Answer: Add a register page directive referencing the AjaxControlToolKit. This is in addition to the steps mentioned at http://www.asp.net/ajaxLibrary/AjaxControlToolkitSampleSite/HTMLEditorExtender/HTMLEditorExtender.aspx

July 2013 Local and Regional Events

Local Events
7/2: ON SQL User Group (www.ohionorthsqlserverug.org)
7/9: Cleveland .NET User Group (www.bennettadelson.com/ComingEvents.aspx)
7/16: Cleveland WPF User Group (www.ClevelandWPF.info)
7/17: Hudson Software Craftsmanship Group (hudsonsc.com)
7/23: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group (www.clevelanddotnet.info)
7/24: Cleveland SharePoint User’s Group (www.sharepointCleveland.com)


Regional Events
7/12-13: Codestock – Knoxville, TN (http://codestock.org)
7/19-21: Cleveland GiveCamp – Cleveland, OH (http://clevelandgivecamp.org/)
8/12-14: That Conference-Wisonsin Dells, WI (http://www.thatconference.com/)
8/28-30: DevLink - Chattanooga, TN (http://www.devlink.net)
8/30: CloudDevelop – Columbus, OH (http://www.clouddevelop.org/)
9/15: SQL Saturday – Pittsburgh, PA (http://www.sqlsaturday.com/250/eventhome.aspx)

June 2013 Local and Regional Events

Local Events
6/4: ON SQL User Group (www.ohionorthsqlserverug.org)
6/11: Cleveland .NET User Group (ww.bennettadelson.com/ComingEvents.aspx)
6/14: CLE SharePoint Golf Outing: (http://clesharepointgolfouting.eventbrite.com/#)
6/15: Web SIG: Intro to HTML5 (http://www.gcpcug.org/websig)
6/18: Cleveland WPF User Group (www.ClevelandWPF.info)
6/19: Hudson Software Craftsmanship (hudsonsc.com)
6/25: Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group (www.clevelanddotnet.info)
6/26: SharePoint User’s Group (www.sharepointCleveland.com)


Regional Events
6/1: Pittsburgh Tech Fest (http://pghtechfest.com/)
6/8: SQL Saturday – Columbus (http://www.sqlsaturday.com/217/eventhome.aspx)
7/12-13: Codestock – Knoxville, TN (http://codestock.org)
8/12-14: That Conference - Wisonsin Dells, WI (http://www.thatconference.com/)
8/28-30: DevLink - Chattanooga, TN (http://www.devlink.net)

SQL Server Collation

Question: I was putting together a small bit of SQL code the other day, and I was running into a bug. While debugging it, I was completely shocked to discover:

IF 'a' < 'A'
SELECT 'a < A'

IF 'a' = 'A'
SELECT 'a = A'

IF 'a' > 'A'
SELECT 'a > A'

IF 'a' <> 'A'
SELECT 'a <> A'

displays only 'a = A'.

I investigated and found out that the reason for this result is that the database's collation sequence is set to one of the "CI" values (Case Insensitive). I took a look at a couple of other databases, and they were also "CI". Oddly enough, they were slightly different collation sequence values, but definitely "CI". This includes the [master] database.

Yes, I know it could have been configured the other way. That's not the point of this note. Is "CI" the expected standard configuration?

In addition to the crazy logic implications, I've got to believe that it's at least a bit slower to execute, since all text-based columns needs to be compared in a case-insensitive way. That character set translation can't come for free.


Answer:
The collation setting is specified during the installation of SQL Server. As seen in Figure 1, the default settings used during the installation of SQL Server 2012 are:

Database Engine: SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS
Analysis Services: Latin1_General_CI_AS


Figure 1: SQL Server 2012 Default Collation Settings

Technically, there is no "expected CI standard". It all depends on the collation setting of the database. This is not to say you're stuck with that setting forever. If you visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143726.aspx, you will see the following excerpt:

Setting collations are supported at the following levels of an instance of SQL Server:
Server-level collations
The default server collation is set during SQL Server setup, and also becomes the default collation of the system databases and all user databases. Note that Unicode-only collations cannot be selected during SQL Server setup because they are not supported as server-level collations. After a collation has been assigned to the server, you cannot change the collation except by exporting all database objects and data, rebuilding the master database, and importing all database objects and data. Instead of changing the default collation of an instance of SQL Server, you can specify the desired collation at the time that you create a new database or database column.

Database-level collations
When a database is created or modified, you can use the COLLATE clause of the CREATE DATABASE or ALTER DATABASE statement to specify the default database collation. If no collation is specified, the database is assigned the server collation.
You cannot change the collation of system databases except by changing the collation for the server. The database collation is used for all metadata in the database, and is the default for all string columns, temporary objects, variable names, and any other strings used in the database. When you change the collation of a user database, know that there is the potential for collation conflicts when queries in the database access temporary tables. Temporary tables are always stored in the tempdb system database, which will use the collation for the instance. Queries that compare character data between the user database and tempdb may fail if the collations cause a conflict in evaluating the character data. You can resolve this by specifying the COLLATE clause in the query. For more information, see COLLATE (Transact-SQL).

Column-level collations
When you create or alter a table, you can specify collations for each character-string column by using the COLLATE clause. If no collation is specified, the column is assigned the default collation of the database.

Expression-level collations
Expression-level collations are set when a statement is run, and they affect the way a result set is returned. This enables ORDER BY sort results to be locale-specific. Use a COLLATE clause such as the following to implement expression-level collations:

SELECT name FROM customer ORDER BY name COLLATE Latin1_General_CS_AI;

For more information on changing collation, please visit http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms179254.aspx.