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Training Session

  • Training Session
  • This page is for conference sessions or tech breakfasts - that are about 1-2 hours long. For full day events see...

SSW Developer Training

SSW provide training in the latest Microsoft Technologies at our offices or your premises. Our instructors have substantial experience and speak at development conferences around the world.

Material is presented to small groups in a workshop type format. All courses provide comprehensive coverage of the subject matter with extensive code samples intended to plug into your existing applications. Sample applications are provided to show the "big picture".

Please note that in general each Training Topic takes one half-day training session.

Comprehensive list of .NET training topics

Note: As audience interaction changes from session to session, SSW cannot guarantee to cover all items listed for each session. If you have a burning desire to hear about a particular item, please mention it to the speaker during the session.

Training Topics

Reporting Services

  1. The best ways to show your data  *New*
  2. Up and Running with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services
  3. What's new in Reporting Services 2005 + Developing Custom Report Items  *New*
  4. Migrating from Access Reports to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services
  5. Reporting on Data in Microsoft Exchange Using SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services
  6. Twelve Tips for Better Reporting Services

Business Intelligence

  1. Microsoft PerformancePoint 2007

Visual Studio .NET

  1. Visual Studio for Database Professionals (Data Dude) *New*
  2. Visual Studio 2005 Team System - An Overview *New*
  3. Visual Studio 2005 Team System - Drilling into Work Items and Customization *New*
  4. Visual Studio 2005 Team System - Extending Check in Policies  *New*
  5. Visual Studio Team System 2008 (aka VSTS and TFS)   *New*
  6. Data Binding in ASP .NET 2.0 *New*
  7. Favourite Third Party Tools for Team Foundation Server (TFS) and Visual Studio Team System (VSTS)  *New*
  8. The Top 15 tips for Real World Windows Forms Applications (including "What's new for Visual Studio 2005 ")
  9. A big peek at ASP .NET 2 Applications
  10. Building Rich Mobile Applications for Pocket PC 2002
  11. ADO.NET - Introduction to ADO.NET
  12. ADO.NET Going Hardcore with SQL Server 2005
  13. Building a VB.NET Windows Service
  14. XML Web Services in .NET
  15. An Examination of DotNetNuke
  16. An Examination of IBuySpy.com - the .NET Northwind
  17. Visual Studio .NET Tips and Tricks
  18. Building Windows Applications with VB.NET
  19. Building Web Applications with ASP.NET
  20. Using Office Web-Component Graphs in .NET
  21. Building Advanced Data-Centric Winform Smart Clients
  22. eXtreme Programming for .NET Developers
  23. Boost Your Productivity with the best Microsoft's .NET Application Blocks (Configuration & Exception Block
  24. Migrating from Access Forms to .NET Windows Forms
  25. Real World ClickOnce
  26. Up and Running with Expression Web Designer
  27. 10 CSS Best Practices
  28. LINQ
  29. 'LINQ to SQL' vs 'LINQ to Entities'
  30. Hardcore LINQ to Entities

SQL Server

  1. Planning and Managing a Smooth Migration from Access to SQL Server
  2. Top 15 SQL Server DBA Tasks for SQL Server 2005
  3. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services
  4. The best tools to Audit Your SQL Server Database "The SQL 2000 Best Practices Analyzer"
  5. Writing a Newsletter application with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services
  6. Design and Implement Database Solutions Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005
  7. Favourite 3rd Party Tools for SQL Server
  8. Introduction to SQL Indexing

Office

  1. What's new and different in Office 2007?
  2. Getting Started with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007
  3. Using Office 2007 and SharePoint 2007 together
  4. Connect your enterprise data to Microsoft Office with VS.NET (aka Smart Tags)
  5. Build on Your Knowledge of Microsoft Access
  6. Microsoft Access 2007

Other

  1. Windows SharePoint Services
  2. 15 Rules to Better Code + Tools to Keep your Code Healthy (including FX Cop) *New*
  3. Rules to Better Code and Successful Projects
  4. Great solutions via Extreme Programming (XP)
  5. An A- Z on Writing Better Specs
  6. Component-based Design in .NET
  7. Developing for Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server and the Web Storage System
  8. Favourite 3rd Party Tools
  9. Microsoft Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  10. How to Earn More $$$

Day-long Courses

  1. Creating Reporting Solutions Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services

Discontinued

  1. Advanced MS Excel (For Power-Users)
  2. Utilising XML as the Solution for n-Tier Development
  3. XML & e-Business
  4. Get to know ALL about ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)
  5. Advanced ADO
  6. Usability - Rules to Better Web Forms

Reporting Services

  1. The Best Ways to Show Your Data

    Today there are a myriad of ways to connect to and display your data. What are the options? Which technology gets you across the finish line with the lowest cost and greatest flexibility? In this session we will compare the most popular reporting technologies in the industry:

    • Reporting Services 2005
    • ASP.NET 2.0
    • Crystal
    • Access (via SSW Access Reporter)
    • Office Web Components (OWC)
    • OLAP - Reporting Services 2005, Data Analyzer and 3rd Party Web Solutions

    We will take you through developing the same sample report using all these technologies so you can make an informed decision on what is best for your organization

  2. Up and Running with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services

    OK so you know about how the new powerful reporting platform from Microsoft will change the landscape of enterprise reporting. Come see Sydney based SQL Guru and MS Regional Director Adam Cogan show the developer features of this latest addition to the Microsoft SQL Server family of products. You will see real world examples of this server-based platform when used for creating, managing, and delivering both traditional, paper-oriented reports and interactive, Web-based reports. Reporting Services 2005 combines the data management capabilities of SQL Server and Microsoft Windows Server with familiar and powerful Microsoft Office System applications to deliver real-time information to support daily operations and decisions.

  3. What's new in Reporting Services 2005 + Developing Custom Report Items

    Reporting Services makes viewing your data a breeze and SQL Server 2005 brings database reporting to a whole new level. In this session you will learn how to take full advantage of the new Report Designer that is integrated into Visual Studio 2005. We will discuss the core product improvements, reporting improvements, the better integration, and the richer developer experience.

    You will also discover how to create and implement Custom Report Items - custom data visualization controls that allow you to make powerful reports.

  4. Migrating from Access Reports to Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services 2005

    Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services is a new web-based reporting solution from Microsoft. It solves many of the issues with existing reporting solutions, such as deployment, scalability and availability.

    In this session, you will learn about all the important differences between Access Reports and Reporting Services, and equip yourself with the knowledge to make a decision on whether or not to move your reports into Reporting Services. You will also be taken through a real demo of an Access to Reporting Services migration.

  5. Reporting on Data in Microsoft Exchange Using SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services

    Come see a code packed session that will show how to extend the out-of-the box features of Reporting Services. Everyone who has an Exchange Server 2000/2003 should be reporting on it - but nobody does. Following this, we will explore the creation of a real Reporting Services solution. You will learn about the important issues of security, data access, rendering, and delivery. We will also discuss the deployment issues of an application that requires Reporting Services. Sample code is provided so you can use this useful solution.  

  6. Twelve Tips for Better Reporting Services

    OK so you know about how powerful this reporting platform from Microsoft is. Come see Sydney based SQL Guru and MS Regional Director Adam Cogan show the right and wrong ways to develop reports and show data to users.

Business Intelligence

  1. Microsoft PerformancePoint 2007

    Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 is an integrated performance management application designed to help improve operational and financial performance across all departments and all levels of your organization.

    With Office PerformancePoint Server 2007, you can monitor progress, analyse what is driving variances, and plan your business from budgeting to creating management reports. You can have metrics, key performance indicators (KPIs), and reports delivered to every desktop through intuitive scorecards, dashboards, and the easy-to-use 2007 Microsoft Office system environment. A key component of the Microsoft Business Intelligence (BI) offering, Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 can help you understand how performance can align with personal and departmental

Visual Studio .NET

  1. Visual Studio for Database Professionals (Data Dude)

    In this session Adam will provide introduction to Visual Studio Team Edition for Database Professionals and will cover: schema maintenance, unit testing and data generation, including a discussion on ways of extending this newly released product.


  2. Visual Studio 2005 Team System - An Overview

    Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team System is an integrated software development platform to build the mission-critical applications that businesses depend on. It extends Visual Studio’s integrated and productive experience from the developer to the entire development team by delivering powerful new role-based tools for software architects, developers, testers and project managers. In this session you will see an overview of these tools and how they can improve your software development cycle.

  3. Visual Studio 2005 Team System - Drilling into Work Items and Customization

    Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) and Team Foundation Server (TFS) combine to integrate the whole development cycle from initial design, testing and development as well as bug tracking and project management tools. In this session you will be taken through everything you need to know to optimize your software development cycle using VSTS:

    1. How a bug tracking system should work
    2. How TFS work items work
    3. The missing pieces
    4. Customizing TFS to work in your organization
    5. Integrating work items and your bug tracking system
    6. A review of third-party tools
  4. Visual Studio 2005 Team System - Extending Check in Policies

    Visual Studio Team System (VSTS) and Team Foundation Server (TFS) combine to integrate the whole development cycle from initial design, testing and development as well as bug tracking and project management tools.

    Check in policies can stop developers checking in code that:

    • does not comply with existing unit tests
    • does not comply Static Code Analysis Rules (aka FXCop)
    • is not associated with a Work Item

    But what if you want more checks? In this session you will learn about extending check in policies and what you can do with them. You will also see the steps that were involved for SSW Code Auditor ?the first commercial check in policy for TFS.

  5. Visual Studio Team System 2008 (aka VSTS and TFS)

    Microsoft Visual Studio Team System has given us the integration of development, project management, testing and analysis tool that was missing in the previous version of Visual Studio. In this talk you will learn about what’s coming up in the next version of Visual Studio Orcas, Visual Studio Team System 2008 (Rosario) and Team Foundation Server 2008. You will also see what’s currently hot on the Visual Studio widgets scene with a demo-driven session on the most useful tools for Visual Studio Team System

    Features covered include:

    • What’s coming in Visual Studio Orcas Beta 2
    • What’s new in Rosario and Team Foundation Server 2008
    • Hot widgets: Team Foundation Power Tools, MSSCCIs, Team Plain, Diff Dog, SSW Code Auditor, MS Build GUI and much more!
  6. Data Binding in ASP.NET 2.0

    Do you want to connect people to your data? You will learn how to unleash the data binding potential of ASP.NET 2.0 to assist you in creating powerful data-driven websites in a snap. You will discover how to utilize the newest ASP.NET 2.0 data-bound controls to give your users a rich and responsive web experience. You will also see how the improved caching works.

    Are you ready to be connected? Let us show you how!

  7. Favourite Third Party Tools for Team Foundation Server (TFS) and Visual Studio Team System (VSTS)

    Learning the big world of Microsoft Team System can be made easier when you know the great tools that 3rd party vendors have released. These smart cookies have built some great programs and utilities.

  8. The Top 15 tips for Real World Windows Forms Applications (including "What's new for Visual Studio 2005 ")

    Creating solid and flexible windows forms applications, only comes from experience. Learn the top 15 rules that every developer should follow when making windows applications. Adam will demonstrate techniques such as configuration management, the right and wrong way of making inherited forms and 3rd party controls. See how to benefit from user controls and effective exception management.

    Also see how Windows Forms 2.0 is a giant step forward. Learn how Windows Forms 2.0 makes it easy to build professional looking applications and see demonstrations of the new Grid, ToolBar, Menu and Layout controls.

    Learn how less code is more, and how code reuse really reduces your development time.

  9. A big peek at ASP .NET 2.0 Applications

    Adam Cogan will give a talk on: ASP.NET overview, working with data, caching improvements to significantly boost the performance of the next generation of ASP.NET applications, master pages for consistent web sites, new membership features, and personalization.

  10. Building Rich Mobile Applications for Pocket PC 2002

    Mobile computing has been a promise for ages. PDAs are a really convenient device for many business uses. This session shows how .NET developers can use VS.NET and the .NET Compact Framework to create real world applications. This demo will be using SQL Server on a handheld device. Along the way Adam will highlight some of the features and technologies that you need to be especially careful with and show how you can overcome their limitations.

  11. ADO.NET - Introduction to ADO.NET

    ADO.NET is a significant upgrade from ADO, and it changes the techniques for working with data. Whether the data is from SQL Server 2005, a Jet MDB file, an XML file, or almost any other data source, ADO.NET provides the tools for working with your data. This session introduces the basics of ADO.NET, and demonstrates how to retrieve and update data.

  12. ADO.NET Going Hardcore with SQL Server 2005

    This session focuses on one of the hottest new areas in data access development. Learn how you can harness Visual Studio .NET's deep XML support with ADO .NET to integrate interoperable, robust data access into your applications and components. The .NET framework includes many new classes for data access that require a fundamentally different way of using data than in ADO classic. This includes relational data, XML data, and other data stores, collectively making up the new ADO.NET. It is designed to simplify data access, reduce network traffic, and support distributed, disconnected applications. You'll find out how to code the ADO .NET to access the data in SQL Server 2005 and the use of strongly typed datasets using XSD and SQL Server 2005 stored procedures.

  13. Building a VB.NET Windows Service

    Building a Windows Service in VB6 was a tricky affair and so rarely done. With VB.NET, the Windows Service is now easier to build and deploy. This session will:

    • Let you know when you need a Windows Service
    • Show you how to build a Windows Service that is a useful real life utility
    • Provide tips and tricks for developing Windows Services
    • Help you understand .NET remoting
    • Assist to to use it for real performance
  14. XML Web Services in .NET

    Are programming Web Services hard or easy? Is it a real paradigm shift for developers? Well you will see how Web Services provide a rich set of components that are easy to use. They communicate using standard Internet protocols and are becoming the key building blocks for the next generation of both Microsoft Windows or Web based applications. In this fast paced session, see how to speed your development by plugging Web Services into your own application development projects.

  15. An Examination of DotNetNuke

    Developing a web site...the quick way!
    Adam will compare IBuySpy Portal vs DotNetNuke, then he will take a deeper look into the new DotNetNuke 2.0, which now offers a mature portal framework that helps increase everyday organizational efficiency.

    DotNetNuke is an open source reference application for everyone from the aspiring webmaster to the experienced ASP.NET developer. Adam discusses:

    • The history of the Project
    • Multiple Database Support
    • Portal Features
    • Portal Architecture
    • Skinning (via a two-tiered presentation model)
    • Module Development
    • Run-time extensibility
  16. An Examination of IBuySpy.com - the .NET Northwind

    www.IBuySpy.com can be considered the "Northwind" of ASP.NET applications. As the model for .NET Web apps, this session will step you through the important features IBuySpy promotes including:

    • Cross-browser support for Netscape and Internet Explorer
    • Clean code/html content separation using server controls
    • High performance catalogue pages that use output caching
    • 3-tier ADO.NET data access using Stored Procedures
    • Forms authentication
    • SOAP XML web services

    An essential session for advanced ASP.NET developers.

  17. Visual Studio .NET Tips and Tricks

    A fun fast-paced session about getting the most from the Visual Studio .NET IDE. The Visual Studio development environment is full of new features to make developers more productive. Learn the favourite tips and tricks that our own developers use in Visual Studio .NET. See examples of how third-party products can extend Visual Studio .NET. Learn how to take advantage of the free Web hosting feature. This session is 99.9% demo.

  18. Building Windows Applications with VB.NET

    Learn how to take advantage of Visual Studio .NET support for Windows Forms to build more powerful Windows apps with SQL Server and connect them to Web Services.

    This session will detail how to create a VB.NET/ SQL Server desktop database application. We will discuss the advantages of VB.NET over Access and VB. You’ll also learn about:

    • Using .NET as a replacement for Enterprise Manager
    • Data Binding in a Windows Form using SQL Server
    • How to utilise a UDL and connection strings
    • Using the SubMain for application startup
    • Using client side sorting and filtering
    • Using the new error handling Try-Catch-Finally
  19. Building Web Applications with ASP.NET

    ASP.NET is a revolutionary new version of Microsoft's Active Server Pages. It provides a wealth of new features that make developers more productive and the applications they build faster, more reliable and scalable. There's a lot to learn about ASP.NET and this session is devoted to bringing you the latest and best information. You will walk away with code samples you can plug into your application.

    • ASP.NET and the .NET Framework
    • Validating Data Using the ASP.NET Validator Controls
    • Moving from ASP to ASP.NET
    • Building Web Services
    • Making Sense of ADO.NET
    • ASP.NET Configuration and Deployment

    Comprehensive list of .NET training topics

  20. Using Office Web Components Graphs in .NET

    Too often we expect users to read and understand data in a table instead of showing them an easy to understand graph. This was because we had to rely upon expensive 3rd party charting tools. The new expanded charting function in Office XP Office Web Components offers developers a great solution to this problem.

    This session will show you how to create a dynamically driven graphs in ASP.NET with tips and tricks for fine–tuning your chart with some of the new features in OWC 10, such as automatic axis scaling, label orientation, and color control, and as well as some of the manual override features. We also discuss the features of good and bad charts.

  21. Building Advanced Data-Centric Smart Clients

    Get techniques for performing data validation, dirty' record recognition logic, and many other routine capabilities of data applications, with minimal code. See the end result: a set of tools and techniques that allow a typical data maintenance program to be created in just a few minutes, and also allow it to be extended and improved for a specific application.

  22. eXtreme Programming for .NET Developers

    Presented by Adam Cogan, this session will cover how to incorporate eXtreme Programming practices with .NET- connected technologies to create high quality, low cost software. Adam will walk you through the 12 tenants of eXtreme Programming and then tell you what works and what doesn't.
    How to implement is discussed and demo'ed in the context of Visual Studio .NET.

  23. Boost Your Productivity with the best Microsoft's .NET Application Blocks (Configuration & Exception Block)

    All developers need exception management and all developers need to store settings. Microsoft has built these two code sets called: Application Blocks to address these tasks. They are ready to use but are missing some important functionality. Come see how they have been extended, ready for you to insert them straight into your applications.

  24. Migrating Access Forms to .NET Windows Forms

    Do you have Microsoft Access Database applications in use in your organization? Are you challenged with upgrading them to the most recent version or are you looking to move the data or reporting into SQL Server for greater reliability and scalability? If so, this session is for you. It will help you understand what your options are and how to move forward with confidence.

  25. Real World ClickOnce

    ClickOnce is a technology that allows developers to write Windows Forms applications that utilize the powerful features of the client, yet are as hassle-free to deploy and update as a Web page.

    ClickOnce provides a rich set of easy to use capabilities for deploying and updating smart client applications, including lots of options and ways of approaching things. Once you understand how to get your application out the door and updated, using the myriad of options that ClickOnce provides, lots of other questions arise, including how to make it more secure and how things will change in the future.

    The problem for developers is that ClickOnce provides so much flexibility for getting your smart client applications into your users hands. Come learn how to conquer the challenges of employing ClickOnce in real world enterprise environments. This session will quickly review the process of deploying an application with ClickOnce, focusing on what is placed where and what security mechanisms and configuration is involved. It will then cover how to move ClickOnce applications from development machines onto production servers including the server configuration required and the modifications needed to your manifest files.

    Also covered will be how to version your ClickOnce applications to control who gets what version when, as well as how to tighten down security using trusted publishers and avoiding user prompting. (The goal being to take the trust decisions out the users hands and put them back in control of your enterprise administrators).

    Strategies for tracking application usage and restricting access to ClickOnce applications will also be discussed.

  26. Up and Running with Expression Web Designer

    Tristan Kurniawan is SSW Graphic Designer and the person responsible for the Web 2.0 look on SSW and other sites. He will begin by explaining how Microsoft’s latest offering can integrate Web design and development teams. Then Tristan will show how to use Expression Web through each stage of a website design and share his tips on real-world web development and modern web standards. You will see how this is a tool for creating great CSS-based, standards-compliant Web sites.

  27. 10 CSS Best Practices

    Sick of style saturation? Tristan Kurniawan, SSW Graphic Designer, will show you how to apply these CSS best practices to regain creative control over the layout and design whilst streamlining the process of creating and maintaining your website.

  28. LINQ

    Linq is the future of ORM on the .NET platform and with the release of Visual Studio 2008 only months away it will become mainstream. In this presentation you will learn about the different types of LINQ and how to use LINQ to quickly build data-driven applications.

  29. 'LINQ to SQL' vs 'LINQ to Entities'

    LINQ (Language Integrated Query) is a key innovation introduced with .NET 3.0 which brings SQL-style query expressions into VB and C#.

    In this session Adam will compare 'LINQ to SQL' and 'LINQ to Entities' showing the strengths and weaknesses of each and in what situations each should be used, providing you with a roadmap of what tools/techniques should be used in what situations.

    Adam's discussion will include:

    • Introduction to both 'LINQ to SQL' and 'LINQ to Entities'
    • Building models in the data designers of each framework
    • Mapping your database in a conceptual schema and modifying the schema
    • Hooking up your application to your new data layer
    • Show the advantages of LINQ over more traditional ADO.NET methods

    To finish Adam will build an application that uses both data layers and how easily you can make your applications data aware.

  30. Hardcore LINQ to Entities

    Adam will take a deep dive into LINQ to Entities showing you best practices, pitfalls to avoid, and answers to the most frequently asked questions, telling you exactly what you need to know. Adam will pull apart all the key components of the LINQ to Entities framework, discussing and showing how each part integrates with each other, and how you can quickly create and modify your data access conceptual schema.

    This session will provide samples on how you can use the power of LINQ plus the new ADO.NET Entity Framework, to build advanced and fully featured data access layers immediately, without pain.


SQL Server

  1. Planning and Managing Your Smooth Migration from Access to SQL Server

    When Access mdb's hit their limit of scalability, corrupting too often and unable to handle the number of concurrent users required, it's time to upsize to SQL Server. But upsizing your application involves a lot more than running the Upsizing Wizard...

    This session will demonstrate what changes to make to your application before running the Upsizing Wizard and what to do after. You will be walked through development tools, application interface changes, query design and stored procedures to bring scalability for more users. You'll begin by learning how to:

    • Maximise the benefits of MS SQL server in your application
    • Upsize MS Access applications to MS SQL Server/MSDE while maintaining the user interface in Access
    • Design efficient applications for MS SQL Server
    • Weigh up when to use the new ADP Access 2000 option as opposed to link tables
    • Move processes to stored procedures (action queries) and views
    • Use triggers for de-normalised fields
  2. Top 15 SQL Server DBA Tasks for SQL Server 2005

    Examine how to automate your SQL Server 2005 servers and set them on "auto-pilot" for routine tasks. Examine how best to take advantage of the DBMaint utility to automate your backups and reorgs. Take a look at how to configure your alerts and operators to get proper notifications when events occur. Examine administering proper security, testing your restores, and routine performance monitoring/tuning. Examine resources to help you diagnose problems as they occur on your SQL Servers.

  3. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services

    Come learn about the premier platform for developing and deploying a new class of scalable Web applications that deliver personalized, timely information updates to a variety of mobile devices.

  4. The best tools to Audit Your SQL Server Database - The "SQL 2000 Best Practices Analyzer"

    Microsoft recently released a tool called "Best Practices Analyzer". All SQL Server developers and administrators should run this tool. Come learn about many issues you can't afford to ignore from Database Design and SQL Server 2005 Readiness to T-SQL issues and poor Configuration choices.

    This is a great session for everyone - from the new SQL Server developer to the old DBA! You'll all be impressed when you see how to run the tool and how to fix the identified issues.

  5. Writing a Newsletter application with Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services

    Come see a session using SQL Server Notification Services. During this session you will see the code to develop a number of Event Providers. It is a new way of developing and deploying scalable Web applications that deliver personalized, timely information updates to a variety of devices. The version we will build, will monitor web pages and deliver HTML emails.

  6. Design and Implement Database Solutions Using Microsoft SQL Server

    Microsoft SQL Server has set the fastest TCP-C Performance record ever and is setting itself as the preferred database for both developer and industry. In this session you'll learn to:

    • Plan and initiate a logical data model
    • Create solutions for performance, maintainability, and scalability
    • Implement stored procedures and triggers
    • Develop and maintain explicit, implicit, and distributed transactions to ensure data integrity
    • Run Index Tuning Wizard and Database Maintenance Wizard
    • Utilise SP Mail as the most powerful work-horse in your application
    • Use DTS (Data Transformation Services) effectively
  7. Favourite 3rd Party Tools for SQL Server

    Microsoft's tools don't have all the answers. Let someone else's hard work save you time in SQL Server development. Adam reviews some of the best SQL Server tools on the market from Red-Gate, Lecco, Embarcadero, FMS and others.

  8. SQL Server 2005: Advanced Indexing Strategies

    In this session we look at a fast-paced collection of indexing tips and tricks based on an already optimized base table structure. How you create your base table - as well as cluster it - has a big impact on that table's performance.

    Once the base table structures have been defined and you have to further improve system performance, where do you look and how do you do this? In this session we will talk about targeting both the known and finding the unknown performance problems. Once you know where the problems are we'll go through numerous options to improve the performance using indexes.

Office

  1. What's new and different in Office 2007?

    In this fun and informative session, you will discover the upcoming suite of tools in Office 2007. You will be led through the new features including:

    • New collaboration capabilities that enable workers to more easily share, access and synchronize information and documents across a wide range of devices
    • Improved Business Intelligence capabilities such as OLAP reporting within Excel 2007
    • New User Interface to streamline access to common functions
    • Extensible XML-based file formats and improved XML support
  2. Getting Started with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007

    In this session, we will explore the design goals and features of Office SharePoint Server 2007. You also manage documents and Web content using Office SharePoint Server 2007. We will cover:

    • The design goals and features of Office SharePoint Server 2007
    • How to manage documents and Web content using Office SharePoint Server 2007
    • The Office SharePoint Server 2007 features for organizing and finding data
    • How to implement business solutions using Office SharePoint Server 2007
  3. Using Office 2007 and SharePoint 2007 together

    SharePoint 2007 and Office (and especially Access 2007) have had an enormous amount of work done in this version and they work together beautifully.

    SharePoint 2007 to many is a web version of Access. Come see Adam Cogan show you how you have a lot of options including:

    • using SharePoint data in your Access solution
    • using Access to report on your SharePoint data
    • upsizing your access data to SharePoint and then continue with Access as the frontend
    • upsizing your entire Access solution to SharePoint and then finish using Access as your platform

    In addition we will look at using SharePoint data in other Office applications.

  4. Connect your enterprise data to Microsoft Office with VS.NET (aka Smart Tags)

    Wondering how to develop better Word, Outlook and Excel solutions that can either communicate over XML Web Services or automatically make your applications more productive through intelligent hyperlinks? Smart tags provide a way to connect directly to your database. With or without defined terms you can associate user actions right from within these applications. We will build a real world solution from woah to go. Smart tags work by recognizing certain types of text and then offering related functions and commands - this session will cover both topics: Smart Tags and XML Web Services in Word, Outlook and Excel. Join us on the journey as we teach you how easy it now is to build interactive applications that leverage XML web services inside Word, Outlook and Excel, and extend these applications with Add-ins.

  5. Build on Your Knowledge of Microsoft Access

    Microsoft Access plays an integral role in the Microsoft Office suite. Small-to-Medium enterprises still use the familiar Access front-end as the centre-piece for their database systems. For developers wanting to keep this valuable market, a knowledge of Access is an invaluable tool for rapid development. This session can go hand-in-hand with the Access to SQL Server Upsizing session.

    • Design and develop quality solutions with Microsoft Access
    • Build on your knowledge of using Access
    • Leverage the strengths of Access to build powerful applications
    • Maximise form and report events to enable outcomes
    • Develop better shrink wrapped applications
    • Modulise/genericise your development for easy reuse and/or smaller deployments
    • What's new in Access 10 (2001)
  6. Microsoft Office Access 2007

    Adam Cogan will cover Microsoft Office Access' 2007 new and improved features which can help you:

    • Provide the ability to get you started quickly with prebuilt applications that can be modified or adapted to changing business needs
    • Track and report information with ease
    • Integrate Access 2007 with SharePoint
    • Collect information through forms in e-mail or import data from external applications.

Other

  1. Windows SharePoint Services

    In this session, SSW will provide an introduction to Windows SharePoint Services with the aim of evaluating its effectiveness for Enterprise Content Management (ECM).

    We will also look at document and record management scenarios and taking advantage of the rich new Workflow and Content Management System.

  2. 15 Rules to Better Code + Tools to Keep your Code Healthy (including FX Cop)

    Are you looking to eradicate bugs and ensure consistency? Learn how to take control of your code, ensuring large, complex source code can be simplified, cleaned and maintained. The focus is on the most popular .NET languages (C#, VB.NET) for both Windows Forms and ASP.NET; however, you will learn how to maintain quality code in any language.

    As a project or company grows, managing code standards throughout your team becomes virtually impossible. Consistent code is crucial to future development and maintenance. Learn how to review your web apps and projects.

    The tools we will explore include FX Cop, SSW Code Auditor, and Re-Sharper.

  3. Rules to Better Code and Successful Projects

    Managing a team of coders can be a tricky experience, especially as most coders like to do things their own way. During this session we go through a list of rules that help make the development process as smooth as possible. These rules govern the creation of specifications and schedules, best methods for testing and fixing bugs and even the employees working conditions.

  4. Great solutions via Extreme Programming (XP)

    Extreme Programming is NOT extreme - it is a discipline of software development based on values of simplicity, communication, feedback, and courage. It works by bringing the whole team together in the presence of simple practices, with enough feedback to enable the team to see where they are and to tune the practices to their unique situation.

    In this session we are going to cover all of the practices of Extreme Programming including Pair Programming and Test-First Development. While Adam Cogan will be showing you how it works in the .NET environment, these principles work regardless of the development environment.

  5. An A - Z on Writing Better Specs

    Skipping the spec writing phase is all too common in the software industry. Adam will teach you how to write one so you get a happier client and write better code along the way. At the end he will share a whole bunch of tips and tricks you can start using straight away.

  6. Component-based Design and .NET

    This course presents an introduction to the Component-based features of Visual Basic .NET & C#, and advanced topics such as connecting objects to a database using ADO.NET, architecting great .NET applications, building components. It starts with the basics of object-oriented techniques in .NET, including building a class and creating and using objects from the class. It then details many of the new features of .NET such as parameterized constructors, function overloading, static class data, inheritance and inheritance-based polymorphism.

    • What does .NET do to replace COM and COM+.
    • What functionalities does .NET provide e.g. remoting, assemblies work and how the development paradigm from VB6 and C++ has changed.
    • Overview of how UML can be used to describe components that you're building.
  7. Developing for Microsoft SharePoint Portal (Tahoe) Server and the Web Storage System

    Adam Cogan will introduce you to the ins and outs of SharePoint, including how it can help with both enterprise portal/search as well as document management solutions. You'll learn how SharePoint can provide for relatively simple development of departmental Web Storage System solutions. All the while, he'll illustrate these key features with live demonstrations, examples and code!

  8. Favourite Third Party Tools

    In the big world of Microsoft it's easy to forget that there are a lot of other smart cookies out there building great programs and utilities. You could spend hours scouring the net for the latest .exe or you could save time and let Adam show you the best new tools around. These tools will help you write code quicker, upsize faster than ever before, and build better ASP.NET 2.0 pages, along with dozens of other useful tricks that will no doubt save you time if you're developing in Windows Forms, ASP.NET, SQL Server or Access.

  9. Microsoft Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

    Adam Cogan will introduce Microsoft CRM which has been designed to provide a complete suite of powerful marketing, sales, and customer service capabilities, all with a familiar and consistent user experience based on Microsoft Office and the Microsoft Office Outlook messaging and collaboration client.

    The session will be broken into the following sections:

    • Up and Running on Microsoft CRM
    • Experiences with customizing and extending CRM
    • Using Workflow in CRM
    • Planning for Microsoft CRM 4 (aka Titan)

  10. How to Earn More $$$

    This one day workshop has been designed for developers. The program is unique in that it brings together in the one forum two of Australia’s leading presenters in their respective fields. Be prepared to be shocked, challenged and amazed as Steve and Adam dispel a number of myths about client interactions and what the client is really seeking from their IT provider.

Day-long Courses

  1. Creating Reporting Solutions Using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services

    No doubt that by now you have heard of Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services - Microsoft's solution to the web reporting problem. Join Microsoft Regional Director and SSW Chief Architect Adam Cogan as he takes you through the basics of Reporting services, managing your report content, administering your reports as well as adding custom code. More on Creating Reporting Solutions in Reporting Services 2005

Discontinued

  1. Usability - Rules to Better Web Forms

    Are you looking to eradicate bugs and ensure consistency? Learn how to take control of your code, ensuring large, complex source code can be simplified, cleaned and maintained. The focus is on the most popular .NET languages (C#, VB.NET) for both Web Forms and ASP.NET; however, you will learn how to maintain quality code in any language.

    As a project or company grows, managing code standards throughout your team becomes virtually impossible. Consistent code is crucial to future development and maintenance. Learn how to review your web apps and projects.

    The tools we will explore include FX Cop and SSW Code Auditor.

  2. Advanced MS Excel (For Power-Users)

    This topic will help power-users get the most out of Excel and includes the following material:

    • Create a database using only Excel
    • Sort a database
    • Perform multiple sorts
    • Use the Data Form
    • Locate records
    • Delete records
    • Use compound criteria
    • Extract unique records
    • Use database functions
    • Import & export data
    • Formula auditing
    • Add Auto Filter to apply filters to a database to display specified data
    • Specify conditions that apply designated formatting to cells that meet the conditions
    • Create Custom Lists that can be automatically inserted into a worksheet
    • Design custom number formats
    • Link and embed Word objects
    • Record Macros to automate repetitive tasks
    • Work with multiple workbooks
    • Create Pivot Tables to display data from different perspectives
    • Create templates (pre-designed forms)
    • Customize toolbars
  3. Utilising XML as the Solution for n-Tier Development

    This session will highlight and detail how and where XML can be utilised within data tiers. We will discuss the advantages of XML over DCOM and MTS/COM+. You’ll also be given a snapshot profile on how to:

    • Build stateless objects with XML via ADO
    • Design COM objects to use XML efficiently
    • Develop an N-tier solution that can use the Internet as its network
    • Build highly scalable distributed applications
    • Use Data Islands for "rich" browser development
  4. XML & e-Business

    XML brings power, flexibility and interoperability to Web-based applications and provides developers and users with an industry standard for expressing structured data. XML, a standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), is viewed as the cornerstone technology for building e-business applications. This sessions looks at how developers can use XML in their applications.

    • Where you will be using XML
    • Assigning attributes
    • Defining tags
    • Entity references
    • Processing instructions
    • Validation/document type definitions

    Then you'll advance into:

    • Uniquely tagging data with XML
    • Developing flexible web applications
    • Incorporating XML into your Access and Visual Basic Applications
    • Integrating data from multiple, disparate sources and building three-tiered Web-enabled applications
  5. Get to know ALL about ActiveX Data Objects (ADO)

    ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) is Microsoft's strategic, high-level interface for all kinds of data. ADO provides the fastest, easiest and most productive means for accessing both relational and non-relational data. You'll review the ADO object model, and the role of the Connection, Command, Recordset, and Parameters objects. Learn how to use ADO to build database solutions in Access, Visual Basic, and Office.

    • What is ADO?
    • Assessing when to use ADO and when to use DAO
    • Understanding connection strings to ensure your code will work with any back-end
    • Minimising network traffic via ADO access over the Internet and Intranets

    Build on your skill set by:

    • Creating recordsets
    • Updating recordset data, deleting records and working with multiple result sets
    • Creating and using Command Objects
    • Developing a constant connection to your datasource
  6. Advanced ADO

    Catapult your working knowledge of ADO through this intensive session packed full of key features. To name a few:

    • Executing a stored procedure
      • input and output parameters
      • return values
    • Utilising prepared statements
    • Returning multiple result sets to a single Recordset object
    • Using ADO to support complex cursors, including batch, client and server side cursors
    • Using batch updating
    • Generating multiple result sets
    • Working with Persistent Recordsets
    • Asynchronous Operations
    • Using ADOx for Data Definition Language (DDL) operations