automatically expand identity specification node?

subject says it all -- is it possible to automatically expand the identity specification node in table properties for the Management Studio or VS2005 diagram mode? when creating a DB, it seems ridiculous that for EVERY table I have to add an extra click to get to just one more clickable item that ought to be exposed by default.Yeah, that's kind of a pain. If you have a lot of design to do at once, it's easier to use T-SQL than the GUI tools. I don't know of a method to auto-expand that.|||

thx for the reply ... even if it's a year later

sure, T-SQL would be easier for the identity aspect ... but when I'm modelling a DB, it's too organic of a process to do in script. One of SQL Server's strengths has always been the DB modeller. I don't need to create an ERD and work off of that because the SQL Server diagram IS my initial ERD. Implementing ideas visually at the conceptual stage of DB design is critical IMO. Making the identiy attribute more accessible, whether by default, by choice, or by rearranging that portion of the GUI, would be a big value add, again, IMO ...

|||Have you gone to the Microsoft site to make that suggestion? They have a place where they rank them.|||

Buck Woody - MSFT wrote:

Have you gone to the Microsoft site to make that suggestion? They have a place where they rank them.

Where at? Connections?

|||That's right - here is the link:

http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer

|||thanks for the link, hadn't used Connect in a while.

automatically expand identity specification node?

subject says it all -- is it possible to automatically expand the identity specification node in table properties for the Management Studio or VS2005 diagram mode? when creating a DB, it seems ridiculous that for EVERY table I have to add an extra click to get to just one more clickable item that ought to be exposed by default.Yeah, that's kind of a pain. If you have a lot of design to do at once, it's easier to use T-SQL than the GUI tools. I don't know of a method to auto-expand that.|||

thx for the reply ... even if it's a year later

sure, T-SQL would be easier for the identity aspect ... but when I'm modelling a DB, it's too organic of a process to do in script. One of SQL Server's strengths has always been the DB modeller. I don't need to create an ERD and work off of that because the SQL Server diagram IS my initial ERD. Implementing ideas visually at the conceptual stage of DB design is critical IMO. Making the identiy attribute more accessible, whether by default, by choice, or by rearranging that portion of the GUI, would be a big value add, again, IMO ...

|||Have you gone to the Microsoft site to make that suggestion? They have a place where they rank them.|||

Buck Woody - MSFT wrote:

Have you gone to the Microsoft site to make that suggestion? They have a place where they rank them.

Where at? Connections?

|||That's right - here is the link:

http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer

|||thanks for the link, hadn't used Connect in a while.sql

automatically expand identity specification node?

subject says it all -- is it possible to automatically expand the identity specification node in table properties for the Management Studio or VS2005 diagram mode? when creating a DB, it seems ridiculous that for EVERY table I have to add an extra click to get to just one more clickable item that ought to be exposed by default.Yeah, that's kind of a pain. If you have a lot of design to do at once, it's easier to use T-SQL than the GUI tools. I don't know of a method to auto-expand that.|||

thx for the reply ... even if it's a year later

sure, T-SQL would be easier for the identity aspect ... but when I'm modelling a DB, it's too organic of a process to do in script. One of SQL Server's strengths has always been the DB modeller. I don't need to create an ERD and work off of that because the SQL Server diagram IS my initial ERD. Implementing ideas visually at the conceptual stage of DB design is critical IMO. Making the identiy attribute more accessible, whether by default, by choice, or by rearranging that portion of the GUI, would be a big value add, again, IMO ...

|||Have you gone to the Microsoft site to make that suggestion? They have a place where they rank them.|||

Buck Woody - MSFT wrote:

Have you gone to the Microsoft site to make that suggestion? They have a place where they rank them.

Where at? Connections?

|||That's right - here is the link:

http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer

|||thanks for the link, hadn't used Connect in a while.

Automatic Email subject

Good Morning,

I have created a varible in a report which displays as a text box i.e contains data like "LWD Apps 450" where the value will change each day. The report is emiled to a list of users, is there a way to automatically enter this value so that it is in the subject bar when the email is automatically sent?

Thanks in advance.

Steve

Hi Steve,

The entry form for subscriptions only allows for two variables (@.ReportName and @.ExecutionTime).

The only way I can think to modify the subscription on the fly would be to each day programmatically create a new subscription with a subject. Here's an msdn article with sample code:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.wssux.reportingserviceswebservice.rsmanagementservice2005.reportingservice2005.createsubscription.aspx

In the code, you would perform whatever operation you needed to get the same information that the RDL is getting. Then instead of this line:
extensionParams(4).Value = "@.ReportName was executed at @.ExecutionTime"
you would use this line:
extensionParams(4).Value = "LWD Apps " & variableThatIJustRetrieved

You would set the report to run once and the time to run right then (or a minute in the future). You would also want to delete the subscription after it has run, so that you would have a clean slate for tomorrow's run.

It's definitely kludgy though. Does anyone else have any thoughts?
-Jessica

Automatic Email subject

Good Morning,

I have created a varible in a report which displays as a text box i.e contains data like "LWD Apps 450" where the value will change each day. The report is emiled to a list of users, is there a way to automatically enter this value so that it is in the subject bar when the email is automatically sent?

Thanks in advance.

Steve

Hi Steve,

The entry form for subscriptions only allows for two variables (@.ReportName and @.ExecutionTime).

The only way I can think to modify the subscription on the fly would be to each day programmatically create a new subscription with a subject. Here's an msdn article with sample code:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.wssux.reportingserviceswebservice.rsmanagementservice2005.reportingservice2005.createsubscription.aspx

In the code, you would perform whatever operation you needed to get the same information that the RDL is getting. Then instead of this line:
extensionParams(4).Value = "@.ReportName was executed at @.ExecutionTime"
you would use this line:
extensionParams(4).Value = "LWD Apps " & variableThatIJustRetrieved

You would set the report to run once and the time to run right then (or a minute in the future). You would also want to delete the subscription after it has run, so that you would have a clean slate for tomorrow's run.

It's definitely kludgy though. Does anyone else have any thoughts?
-Jessica

Automate MSDE can it be done,

hey, well just like the subject says, is there a way to automate MSDE, maybe
a script,... because MSDE is going to be distributed along with my software,
and if the client does not have MSDE installed, i would like to have a script
that automatically sets up MSDE... either before or after doesn't matter but
CAN this be done?
regards, Matt... thanks ahead for any help.
Are you using VS.NET? Have you checked out the MSDE Deployment Toolkit?
I've heard mixed reviews on it and have not tried it myself but that is one
option. It seems to be a bit buggy and AFAIK has not yet had a final
release. Check out The MSDE Deployment Toolkit (RC) in Action for more
information:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de.../msdedepl.asp.
I've seen recommendations for dotNetInstaller - Setup Bootstrapper for .NET
Application (http://www.devage.com/dotNetInstalle...Installer.html).
This seems like a better, more robust option. Looks like you should be able
to have it install MSDE if not present on the destination machine, and then
run a .SQL file to do the needed setup.
Terri Morton
MVP - ASP/ASP.NET
"Matt" <matt_brunet@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:18D31209-33D8-44BC-A1DE-A7816318226C@.microsoft.com...
> hey, well just like the subject says, is there a way to automate MSDE,
> maybe
> a script,... because MSDE is going to be distributed along with my
> software,
> and if the client does not have MSDE installed, i would like to have a
> script
> that automatically sets up MSDE... either before or after doesn't matter
> but
> CAN this be done?
> regards, Matt... thanks ahead for any help.
|||Hi Matt -
This may not be the officially recommended approach, but I've (so far) had
success with NOT embedding MSDE setup in my app installation. Instead, when
my app is run, I check to see what's installed. If MSDE is not installed, I
run the MSDE setup from my VB.NET app.
Note that I distribute the MSDE files with my install and simply copy them
to a specified directory. But I don't run setup until my app is running.
- Jeff
"Matt" <matt_brunet@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:18D31209-33D8-44BC-A1DE-A7816318226C@.microsoft.com...
> hey, well just like the subject says, is there a way to automate MSDE,
maybe
> a script,... because MSDE is going to be distributed along with my
software,
> and if the client does not have MSDE installed, i would like to have a
script
> that automatically sets up MSDE... either before or after doesn't matter
but
> CAN this be done?
> regards, Matt... thanks ahead for any help.