SELECT COUNT(*) FROM Transactions

operation would do the trick on small tables with low IO, but what’s the ‘best’ way (quick and reliable) to perform this operation on large tables?

I searched and found different answers, which I note here so it might be of use to someone… (My table was called ‘Transactions’)

When reading data from MSMQ, there’s multiple steps to take:

• Setting up a queue, if not yet available
• Set up a connection with MSMQ by adding a connection manager to the SSIS package
• Adding and configuring a Message Queue Task
• Putting data onto the queue
• Running the package to validate the data is read from the queue

Setting up a queue

In Windows Server (2008 R2 in my case), create a new queue. It doesn’t really matter whether this queue is transactional or not.

Setting up a connection with MSMQ from within an SSIS package

First things first, let’s start with setting up a connection manager for MSMQ. When creating a new SSIS package, this is the view you get:

In the “Connection Managers” area, right-click and choose “new connection”. From the list that is displayed, select the “MSMQ” type and click “Add”.

A new dialog pops up, in which you can configure the connection to be made. I choose “.\Private$\mh” (a local queue called “mh”). Click “Test” to ensure the connection can be made and click “OK”.

The connection manager is set up.

Adding a Message Queue Task

Adding a Message Queue task to the Control Flow is easy, drag and drop it from the Toolbox on the left (press CTRL-ALT-X if it’s not displayed) to the Control Flow surface, like displayed below.

To configure the Message Queue Task, double-click the Message Queue task’s icon on the left of the Task in the Control Flow. A new dialog pops up in which we’ll configure the task. Select the connection manager we set up previously for the “MSMQConnection” property within the dialog and change the default “Send message” value for the “Message” property to “Receive message”.

Change to the “Receive” configuration page by click “Receive” on the left-hand side of the dialog. Choose whether the message should be removed from the queue after it is read by SSIS. I’ve chosen not to timeout reading the queue. Set the “MessageType” property to “String message to variable”.

Click on the drop-down for the “Variable” property and choose “New variable". This will show a new dialog, in which a new variable can be defined. For this example, let’s use the information shown below and click “OK”.

After closing the dialog, we’ll be returned to the “Message Queue Task editor” dialog, which shows the newly created variable.

The Message Queue Task is configured to read messages from the “.\Private$\mh” queue.

Putting data onto the queue

For SSIS to be able to read the queue, ensure you label everything you put onto the queue with the label ‘String message’. If you don’t the message will not be picked up by SSIS.

Validation the package

Pressing F-5 (Debug) from within the Business Intelligence Development Studio will run the package, effectively picking up a message from the queue if there is any.

HTH, happy trails!

https://mytfsserver:8080/tfs/defaultcollection

Please ensure you've (re-)installed Visual Studio 2008 SP1. If you installed Team Foundation Client after applying SP1, reinstall SP1.

using (GroupPrincipal groupPrincipal = 
    GroupPrincipal.FindByIdentity(
        domainContext, 
        System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.IdentityType.Name, 
        groupName))
{
    if (groupPrincipal != null)
    {
        using (UserPrincipal userPrincipal = 
            UserPrincipal.FindByIdentity(
                domainContext, 
                System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.IdentityType.UserPrincipalName, 
                UPN))
        {
            if (userPrincipal != null)
            {
                groupPrincipal.GroupScope = GroupScope.Global;
                groupPrincipal.Members.Add(userPrincipal);
                groupPrincipal.Save();
            }
        }
    }
}

This works just fine if your machine is joined to the domain you're trying to provision. However, if your machine is not joined, the groupPrincipal.Save(); call throws a PrincipalException with an error code 1355 ("Information about the domain could not be retrieved (1355)").

Joining the domain solves this issue.

So what if joining the domain isn't an option?

In this case I found resorting to good old System.DirectoryServices fixes the issue, using the following code fragment:

using (UserPrincipal userPrincipal =
    UserPrincipal.FindByIdentity(domainContext, UPN))
{
    if (userPrincipal != null)
    {
        using (GroupPrincipal groupPrincipal =
            GroupPrincipal.FindByIdentity(domainContext, groupName))
        {
            if (groupPrincipal != null)
            {
                if (!userPrincipal.IsMemberOf(groupPrincipal))
                {
                    string userSid = string.Format("<SID={0}>", userPrincipal.ToSidString());
                    DirectoryEntry groupDirectoryEntry =
                        (DirectoryEntry)groupPrincipal.GetUnderlyingObject();
                    groupDirectoryEntry.Properties["member"].Add(userSid);
                    groupDirectoryEntry.CommitChanges();
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

ToSidString is an extension method which translates the "objectSid" property. Thanks to Richard for the way better implementation! (ignore "Enforce")

public static string ToSidString(this Principal principal)
{
    Enforce.IsNotNull<Principal>(principal, "principal");

    SecurityIdentifier sid = principal.Sid;
    if (sid == null || sid.BinaryLength == 0)
    {
        return null;
    }

    byte[] buffer = new byte[sid.BinaryLength];
    sid.GetBinaryForm(buffer, 0);

    string[] hexBytes = Array.ConvertAll(buffer, b => b.ToString("X2", NumberFormatInfo.InvariantInfo));

    return string.Concat(hexBytes);
}

HTH!

<unity>
  <typeAliases>
    <typeAlias 
      alias="contextType" 
      type="System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.ContextType, 
            System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement, Version=3.5.0.0, 
            Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" />
  </typeAliases>
  <containers>
    <container name="identitystores">
      <types>
        <type name="primary" type="IIdentityStore" mapTo="ActiveDirectoryIdentityStore" >
          <lifetime type="singleton" />
          <typeConfig 
            extensionType="Microsoft.Practices.Unity.Configuration.TypeInjectionElement, 
                           Microsoft.Practices.Unity.Configuration">
            <constructor>
              <param name="context" parameterType="contextType">
                <value
                  value="Domain"
                  type="contextType"  />
              </param>
            </constructor>
          </typeConfig>
        </type>
      </types>
    </container>
  </containers>
</unity>

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what I did wrong. I asked in an internal discussion list, and someone mentioned writing a plain old TypeConverter... Right he was, getting my enum value to work was pretty easy. The TypeConverter (as always, comments removed for clarity and provided AS IS, etc.):

public class ContextTypeTypeConverter : TypeConverter
{
    public override bool CanConvertFrom(ITypeDescriptorContext context, Type sourceType)
    {
        return sourceType.GetType() == typeof(string);
    }

    public override bool CanConvertTo(ITypeDescriptorContext context, Type destinationType)
    {
        return destinationType == typeof(ContextType);
    }
    
    public override object ConvertFrom(
        ITypeDescriptorContext context, 
        CultureInfo culture, 
        object value)
    {
        return Enum.Parse(typeof(ContextType), (string)value);
    }

    public override object ConvertTo(
        ITypeDescriptorContext context, 
        CultureInfo culture, 
        object value, 
        Type destinationType)
    {
        return Enum.GetName(typeof(ContextType), value);
    }
}

and modified configuration file:

<unity>
  <typeAliases>
    <typeAlias 
     alias="contextType" 
      type="System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement.ContextType, 
            System.DirectoryServices.AccountManagement, Version=3.5.0.0, 
            Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=b77a5c561934e089" />
  </typeAliases>
  <containers>
    <containername="identitystores">
      <types>
        <typename="primary" type="IIdentityStore" mapTo="ActiveDirectoryIdentityStore" >
          <lifetimetype="singleton" />
          <typeConfig 
           extensionType="Microsoft.Practices.Unity.Configuration.TypeInjectionElement, 
                           Microsoft.Practices.Unity.Configuration">
            <constructor>
              <param name="context" parameterType="string">
                <value
                 value="Domain"
                  type="contextType"
                  typeConverter="Microsoft.AccountManagement.Extensions.ContextTypeTypeConverter, 
                                 Microsoft.AccountManagement.Extensions, Version=1.0.0.0, 
                                 Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=4fd564a94067c21"/>
              </param>
            </constructor>
          </typeConfig>
        </type>
      </types>
    </container>
  </containers>
</unity>

System.Configuration.ConfigurationErrorsException: The type 'x' registered for extension 'y' could not be loaded. (config information, line z)

   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.EvaluateOne(String[] keys, SectionInput input, Boolean isTrusted, FactoryRecord factoryRecord, SectionRecord sectionRecord, Object parentResult)
   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.Evaluate(FactoryRecord factoryRecord, SectionRecord sectionRecord, Object parentResult, Boolean getLkg, Boolean getRuntimeObject, Object& result, Object& resultRuntimeObject)
   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSectionRecursive(String configKey, Boolean getLkg, Boolean checkPermission, Boolean getRuntimeObject, Boolean requestIsHere, Object& result, Object& resultRuntimeObject)
   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSectionRecursive(String configKey, Boolean getLkg, Boolean checkPermission, Boolean getRuntimeObject, Boolean requestIsHere, Object& result, Object& resultRuntimeObject)
   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSectionRecursive(String configKey, Boolean getLkg, Boolean checkPermission, Boolean getRuntimeObject, Boolean requestIsHere, Object& result, Object& resultRuntimeObject)
   at System.Configuration.BaseConfigurationRecord.GetSection(String configKey)
   at System.Configuration.ClientConfigurationSystem.System.Configuration.Internal.IInternalConfigSystem.GetSection(String sectionName)
   at System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.GetSection(String sectionName)
   at System.ServiceModel.Configuration.ConfigurationHelpers.UnsafeGetSectionFromConfigurationManager(String sectionPath)
   at System.ServiceModel.Configuration.ConfigurationHelpers.UnsafeGetAssociatedSection(ContextInformation evalContext, String sectionPath)
   at System.ServiceModel.Configuration.ServicesSection.UnsafeGetSection()
   at System.ServiceModel.Description.ConfigLoader.LookupService(String serviceConfigurationName)
   at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostBase.ApplyConfiguration()
   at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHostBase.InitializeDescription(UriSchemeKeyedCollection baseAddresses)
   at System.ServiceModel.ServiceHost..ctor(Type serviceType, Uri[] baseAddresses)
   at Microsoft.Tools.SvcHost.ServiceHostHelper.CreateServiceHost(Type type, ServiceKind kind)
   at Microsoft.Tools.SvcHost.ServiceHostHelper.OpenService(ServiceInfo info)

private static MyStore store;

[ClassInitialize()]
public static void MyClassInitialize(TestContext testContext)
{
    store = new MyStore("some value");
}

[ClassCleanup]
public static void MyClassCleanup()
{
    store.DoWork(someArgument);
}

However, as your 'store' instance uses a COM object, you will get a test run error, saying: "System.Runtime.InteropServices.InvalidComObjectException: COM object that has been separated from its underlying RCW cannot be used..".

The way to solve this issue is to open up your testrunconfig file using the XML editor and adding the highlighted element to it:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<TestRunConfiguration name="Local Test Run" id="fbbfe81f-97fa-4e33-bde1-00b3827b933e" xmlns="https://microsoft.com/schemas/VisualStudio/TeamTest/2006">
  <ExecutionThread apartmentState="MTA" />
  <Description>This is a default test run configuration for a local test run.</Description>
  <TestTypeSpecific />
</TestRunConfiguration>

Using VSTO, you can create your own Ribbon, which can be automatically merged with default Ribbons by setting the correct OfficeId property for your Ribbon. Office 2007 has the list of available OfficeId values available here, but I has some trouble locating a list for the Office 2010 Technical Preview.

After some trial and error, I figures out there’s an easy way to find out what the different IDs for a specific Ribbon and it’s tabs is.

Office 2010 let’s users customize the Ribbon from within Office.

Clicking ‘Customize the Ribbon’ brings up the customization dialog:

On the right-hand side of the dialog, right-click the ‘RSS’ tab within the expanded ‘Home’ tab and choose ‘Rename’. Name it e.g. ‘testRSS’. After customizing, press OK on the dialog and re-open the customization dialog once more (if you don’t close and re-open the dialog, the following steps will not lead to the desired result). 

Now press the ‘Import/Export’ button and select ‘Export all Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar customizations’. Save the file.

The exported Office UI file has a .exportedUI extension. Rename this to .xml and open up the file. You’ll see something like this:

FindNextPrinterChangeNotification to see why the handle got signaled and act accordingly. Sadly, there don’t seem to be any samples of this in C# out there, so I created one in my spare time. The attached application monitors all printer notification fields possible. It still has some issues like not disposing things correctly, but that’s left as an exercise to the reader, as I don’t have more time to spent.

Upon starting the application, the Load event of the main form hooks up the event and handles (it currently takes the first printer it can find):

printerWaitHandle = new ManualResetEvent(false);

PRINTER_INFO_2[] printers = enumPrinters(PrinterEnumFlags.PRINTER_ENUM_NAME);
string printerName = printers[0].pPrinterName;
OpenPrinter(printerName, out printerHandle, 0);

printerChangeHandle = FindFirstPrinterChangeNotification(printerHandle, (int)PRINTER_CHANGES.PRINTER_CHANGE_DELETE_JOB, 0, notifyOptions);
printerWaitHandle.SafeWaitHandle = new SafeWaitHandle(printerChangeHandle, true);

printerChangeNotificationHandle = ThreadPool.RegisterWaitForSingleObject(

printerWaitHandle, 

new WaitOrTimerCallback(PrinterNotifyWaitCallback), printerWaitHandle, -1, true);

The callback method (PrinterNotifyWaitCallback) interprets the change:

public void PrinterNotifyWaitCallback(object state, bool timedOut)
{
    // BUG: if we Thread.Sleep here for the amount of time it takes to spool the print job, we only get the right notification for number of pages.

    int changeReason = 0;
    IntPtr pNotifyInfo = IntPtr.Zero;

    bool nxt = FindNextPrinterChangeNotification(printerChangeHandle, out changeReason, null, out pNotifyInfo);

...

}

This works quite well. There is a bug in there somewhere which causes the following behavior: the total number of pages is first set to 0 when spooling the print job and only on the *subsequent* print job being printed is the correct number of pages signaled. If you put a Thread.Sleep (don’t ;-)) in the callback for the amount of time it takes the spooler to spool the print job, the correct number of printed pages is displayed directly (without the ‘0’ entry and within the actual print job it belongs to). If anyone can find the bug, please let me know!

Sourcecode attached, as always, no warranties of any kind, express, implied, etc.