Cube Restore Chokes Without SQL Server 2005 SP2

I just rebuilt my development machine's SQL Server 2005 instance and forgot to re-install SP2. One of the quirky reminders to "do the right thing" and update/patch the base installation is transferring hypercubes between instances of SQL Server 2005. See the screenshot on the right for an example of what the hand slap looks like.

Veterans have experienced this minor flesh wound before.

http://weblogs.asp.net/jgalloway/archive/2007/06/21/sql-server-analysis-services-quot-errors-in-the-metadata-manager-quot-when-restoring-a-backup.aspx

SEC Approves XBRL Rule

If accounting is the language of business, then the SEC's recent vote requiring public companies to electronically file financial documents using XML within 3 years means that XBRL is a leading candidate as the language of e-business.

What does it mean for the average agent (i.e. investor, creditor, regulator, etc) in the financial ecosystem? XML tags data, and XBRL defines financial taxonomies. Combined with gradual convergence of GAAP and IFRS, this ruling should catalyze financial information system integration.

http://www.sec.gov/news/press/2008/2008-85.htm
http://www.xbrl.org/

Dunking Data

Only a former highschool basketball statistician would get excited amidst the NBA Finals hype to report about the National Basketball Association's state-of-the-art information system that monitors and reports its games.

The scoreboard, shotclock, referee whistles, and floor lighting system all connect to a LAN of laptops operated by staff who tap dance with the data before it is sent to the arena's Large Monitors and media outlets. The data is sent onto NBA HQ in Secaucus, NJ where it is published to nba.com. Video feeds are also tagged and fed into a database that is used by coaches to plan games and the league to review calls. How cool is that?

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Infrastructure/Data-Infrastructure-Drives-NBA-Finals/