Featured Article(s)
SQLXML : How To Save XML Query Results to a File Using BCP
Creating XML from within SQL Server 2005/2008 has been greatly simplified with the introduction of the XML data type, FOR PATH mode, and the support for several XML XPath functions. However exporting these XML documents to an external file can still remain a challenge. This article walks you through how to export your XML document to an external file using bcp (bulk copy).
Reader Feedback on Oracle/Sun
From Chris: "I guess it’s all in how you view either of the two companies. Many in the open source community did not trust IBM to not gut the best and leave the rest in ruins. Others don’t know how, as Steve said, Oracle will interact with the open source community? I tend to think IBM was going at this in a slash and burn, raid and go take over. Oracle could well do the same thing. But in business as in war to the victor go the spoils!"
Sujit: "I feel that the takeover was to compete with IBM as it has more tools that support their software and hardware sales. Many also feel that Oracle wants to sack any other databases which come their way like MySQL. We are already seeing articles from Oracle on comparing Oracle with MySQL and how Oracle can be cost effective."
Wayne: "Actually I think the Oracle+Sun deal makes more sense than the IBM+Sun deal. With IBM there was a great deal of overlap that would either have to be rationalized and/or integrated … and might even have raised an anti-trust eyebrow … well it might have had the Republicans stayed in power … and would have reduced the employment opportunities for IT professionals and reduced choices for IT consumers.
With the Oracle deal Oracle becomes more of a vertically integrated provider … more of a one-stop shop and from Oracle’s POV they are providing their product from their own resources, thus less of a need to share revenue. This deal creates three major IT “soup to nuts” providers … IBM, HP and now Oracle (I wonder if Sun servers will be re-branded “Oracle Servers”?).
The big question that I have is what will Microsoft and perhaps SAP do? Will Microsoft look for a hardware vendor to merge with? Dell perhaps? Will SAP look to a European hardware maker? Will anyone want little beleagured Unisys … which still makes hardware …. well sort of.
Even the younger “new generation” IT providers like Google or the re-born Apple might react (in their own ways) to what appears … at least at this point … as a return to the monolithic single provider IT market model. Could this be that inevitable road block to any serious open source market penetration. We will all have to wait and see."
Send in your feedback on the deal here.
Featured White Paper(s)
Continuous Data Protection : Increasing Backup Frequency without Pain
Daily data backups are an important, yet painful, operation slowing (even halting) production, requiring hands-on management… (read more)