SSIS continues to SUCK

IT forgets the settings on the datasources. It forgets just a sec back it could access the database without any problem. It forgets to remove old metadata. It is the messiest tool ever.

I worked with it on SQL 2005 – it matched the absurdity then, It continues to scale new heights even now in 2008. It is not worth spending time.

I am going back to bcp. It is a pain but I at least get reasonable answers.

On Windows 2008 – it requires you to execute the package as admin as it can’t access perfmon counters(no don’t ask which ones). The execute package utility is sham – it can’t remember it needs to set the /X86 option if it sees the jet oledb provider if either the source or target is on 64 bit machine. Now don’t even get me started on 64 bit provider option – it is a shame that most of the people get/accumulate data through mdb, but 64 bit provider does not exist.

The errors are thrown are gem – CANTACQUIRE…connection – but prey few mins ago – you did without sweat.

No I am not the only one.

Filed under: Database , i hate ssis, ssis sucks

Accessing Jet DB on 64 bit windows – “Microsoft.jet.OLEDB .4.0 provider is not registered on the local machine”

Scenarios

1. 64 bit SSIS/ETL tool package trying to access Access/Jet database natively using 64 bit drivers.

2. 64 bit native applications (forms/console apps) natively accessing the database.

3. 64 bit native open source frameworks (rails/python based stuff) trying to access the database through regular ado/odbc provider/driver.  (lookup the favourite support dl – sorry I do not have answers to adodbapi, odbcmx etc etc…)

4. For pure asp.net applications follow advice of Ken tucker (MVP).

Workaround : One needs to create/use 32 bit application in wow64 mode to ensure 32 bit jet oledb provider can be used.  In simple words – just change the compile target to x86 in Visual studio or make file.

Project Settings ->Build ->Platform target -> change the target to x86.(you can accomplish the same with command line too with /platform option)

[update]To deal with SSIS’s rude behavior on 64 bit – check out the /X86 option to execute package on commandline. Also ensure Run64BitRuntime is set to false in the the metadata.

Brute force alternative (Update) – Use Corflags.exe as last option in dire circumstances for “just trying it out”. This only works for .net images/assemblies. No hex editing please , not supported.

Reason :

There is no 64 bit version of jet driver (hopefully they do as most of the machines will be 64 bit, it will look pretty odd to have to use this trampoline and not being able to do true migration – not everybody will like to migrate to sqlexpress).

via http://www.tech-archive.net/Archive/Access/microsoft.public.access.dataaccess.pages/2006-11/msg00013.html

Detailed – x64/x86/Wow explaination is available here.

Official word(well blogs are as official as they come)  on mdac roadmap.

Filed under: Database , 64 bit, dac 6, jet database, mdac 2.8, SSIS, wow, wow64, x64

OpenID, OAuth and securing the citadel

Will web become closed in future where there will no way to access unauthenticated data alltogether? Sort of driving license for the of internet? All the swarm of protocols/agreements like OpenID, Oauth, Dataportability , apml will they not drive the content generators to enforce a “id” which can be tracked and information used everywhere?

Nope I do not have problems with all these nanoformats trying to get semantics of the “stuff on the page” , I am just afraid of the “market forces which will ensure access to information unauthenticated is not allowed”, I am just worried about access to the data/information without the need to identify yourself ever.

Update- I got some comment from lawyer type(? – did not leave email address/blog) – that Citadel is “Popular” open source email and groupware platform and it now supports OpenID authentication.

To be fair – I had never heard of citadel before ! and the context too was completely different. I love these subtle guerrilla ploys. This adds spice in ironic way to the current post.

Filed under: Database , Dataportability, OAuth, openId, protocol, security

When is ISCII better than UNICODE and vice versa

ISCII is great to store names(people/location etc) which do not vary across languages. Consider a 10 Million names database storing names of people which need to be picked up during reports across different languages. One row storage of ISCII can take care of the names and transliteration provided by  .Net encoding classes (similar effort can be applied to Unicode too but without lot of success) help display in various indic languages. In case Unicode encoding you will need to store a language specific name( this too could be useful if you are hell bent on correcting names/matras to suit local language) -thus multiplying storage cost.

The cost of storing ISCII is offset by need for translation into Unicode for display(IE is quite ahead in terms of display of unicode data with appropriate font)/capture (with help of INSCRIPT or local variant of phonetic or web based entry).

Indexing/sorting – language specific sorting can be different (Tamil is very different from other languages). A topic for another post alltogether.

Filed under: Database, Multilanguage , Unicode, ISCII, Multilanguage

Understanding Indian Multilingual computing

After my colleague and respected friend Deepak Gulati implemented the transliteration from Kannada to english and back for one of the projects, my interest in understanding the challenges increased beyond the windows api coding of locale specific world and initial palindrome check for multibyte characters .

I found a great resource via IITM- Achraya explaining the same with context of Indian languages.

In the present project I also gained new respect for southern languages which do not add to the confusion like Hindi’s devanagari  or English does. Phonetic base of these languages helps in correct granular correct pronounciation and representation using a good script (brahmi origin).

Words are just C,V, CV,CCV or in extreme cases CCCV where C stands for consonant and V for vowel. Challenge lies in way the vowel is combined with consonant to provide that unique syllable representing the sound. Challenge with Devanagari representation of words like राष्ट्रिय, आत्मविश्वास,विश्व are pretty difficult to get right in the head, we just remember it by rote and as we did in childhood make fun of people south of Vindhyas for not getting matra, ling etc right.  I was spelling nazi (remember soup nazi) and supporter of Hindi as the national language. But lately – must say pretty lately I have come to appreciate the Tamil language (why there is no need for the people residing there to learn hindi – why that is false patriotism, why it stokes the “rule” by the north and resistance feeling, heard even ravan killing is sort of white north wnning over the dark dravidian) and its bretheren. With help of Nudi keyboard which is phonetic in nature – I am finding it easier to learn/type spoken kannada. The default keyboard is inscript which is common for Indian languages but then it loses the nuances of each language.

MS has taken steps over number of years to support multiple languages except providing local language OS – now I can appreciate it little better as it would be tough to get it right and then maintain it.

there are 4 parts

Entering ( keyboard, mapping to qwerty)

Displaying (font -glyph)

Storage (encoding – how many bytes to store a syllable)

working with data (sorting/searching/frequency count etc).

With this new information I have new found respect for Sanskrit which can pack so much of information in such short shlokas/stotras. 

Filed under: Database, Runtime , Indian Language and computer, Indic, Multilingual, Transliteration