I had a great week giving TS2 presentations in Auburn, WA on Tuesday and Portland, OR on Thursday. Perhaps since I started here by giving TechNet presentations in the Bay Area, I really appreciate highly technical audiences. These didn't disappoint, and asked a lot of great questions!
1. Where can I download a beta of Windows Vista?
From this Microsoft site: Windows Vista Beta 1 is an early build for IT administrators and developers in the Windows community. It will be available in English to select Beta 1 testers through the technical beta program, as well as to MSDN and TechNet subscribers. There will be other opportunities to test drive Windows Vista at a later date so please be sure to check back again later.
2. You mentioned that your team shares Virtual PC optimization tips. Can you share some with us?
Absolutely! Let me compile some information and add my own perspective, and I'll post this to my blog within a day or two. (I want to take the time to do this right, and not just give you some techno-platitudes like "use fast hard drives.")
3. Since Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 ("SBA")and Business Contact Manager Update ("BCM") both use Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Desktop Engine ("MSDE"), is the five-user recommendation a hard or soft limit?
I've gone through the SBA user guide and other documentation, and don't see that it's a hard limit. However, I did find a document which says "MSDE performance at five concurrent workloads or less matches SQL Server, and above five concurrent workloads is tuned to match Jet. Jet can support up to 255 users from a technical and licensing standpoint, but is recommended for less than 20 total users. As the user base increases, performance degrades significantly with file-based databases." So reading between the lines, five users is probably a limitation of MSDE more than anything. Performance after that is going to degrade, so SQL Server is recommended.
Obviously your next question is going to be "can we upgrade SBA and BCM to SQL Server?" Two suggestions here: First, SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is going to replace MSDE as the free database alternative, so SBA and BCM may be configured to use SQL Server Express in the future rather than MSDE. The features page doesn't mention user limits, but it seems to be a much more powerful database engine than MSDE. Second, you may be able to upgrade the MSDE database to SQL Server; here's a conversion document which can help. Please note that this configuration is not currently supported, although we do support running MSDE on Windows Small Business Server 2003.
4. Is the clipboard disabled in Small Business Accounting 2006?
No, you can cut/copy/paste information just like normal. However, I'm not sure you can cut/copy/paste transactions, which is probably what you meant. Service Pack 1 for Business Contact Manager Update and Small Business Accounting 2006 was released recently, so I'll take a look at that and see if it includes that functionality.
5. Do you have to run SBA with local administrative privileges?
I'm going to go out on a limb and say no. Why? Because Microsoft is making an honest attempt to remain true to the tenets of the Trustworthy Computing Initiative, and one of those tenets is that applications should be secure by design, secure by default, and secure in deployment. Until someone tells me differently, I'll err on the side of security when it comes to SBA or any new product.
However, just to make sure, I'll boot up the ol' VPC and give it a shot. [ . . . ] I just created a limited user account, logged in, and I seem to be able to do everything normally. Keep in mind that multi-user support allows you to configure specific users with certain roles, which sets their permission levels inside the application.
Also, I just discovered that I gave you guys the wrong answer to one question! The default database directory is actually under "My Documents\Small Business Accounting\Companies." Apparently this was changed to another directory for the demo user, but the default for new users is to use their own "My Documents" folder. That's certainly preferable!
6. Is there an upgrade path from Microsoft Money Small Business Edition?
Still checking on this one, but so far the answer seems to be a manual import.
7. How do I join the Microsoft Professional Accountants Network, and what benefits are available?
Go to the link above to learn more. The MPAN benefits look pretty good, and you can subscribe to the Action Pack to get even more!
Please let me know if I missed any questions, and I'll be happy to track those down as well. And thanks again for attending this week's events; I really enjoyed getting to present in the Great Northwest!
The information page is a month old, but I didn't see the link on Windows Update until just now. Looks like Microsoft Update is now available!
Check it out, and get Windows Update, Office Update, and updates for other Microsoft applications all in one place. It's a dream come true for a lot of us!*
* The geekier ones. :-)
I just heard about this:
Microsoft® Codename Max is not like any other product. That's because it's not a product—it's your opportunity to try an exciting new user experience from Microsoft. Today Max lets you make lists of your photos and turn them into beautiful slide shows to share with your family and friends. Tomorrow...who knows?
Sound intriguing? Check it out!
Richard Kenyon wrote a post where he asked why he couldn't upgrade his xv6600 to Windows Mobile 5.0. I started to answer him, then realized that's a great topic for a blog entry. Thanks, Richard!
A lot of people ask me why they can't upgrade their devices to Windows Mobile 5.0. I'll avoid the quick answer, and will try to explain why it may not make sense.
First, what major features did Windows Mobile 5.0 introduce? Let's cover a few of the biggest ones:
- Network support: Higher-bandwidth 3G networks, WiFi, improvements to Bluetooth.
- One-handed operation: Support for switching between portrait/landscape, QWERTY keyboards, etc.
- Persistent Memory Storage: Retains settings even when the battery's depleted. (Yes!!!)
- Extended Storage: Support for hard drives (!) and USB 2.0 devices.
- Security: The ability to remotely reset the device, and enforce policies to reset the device after so many unsuccessful login attempts.
Next, which of these major features is available on an upgraded device?
Answer: None of them.
To be sure, Windows Mobile 5.0 undoubtedly includes some additional performance and reliability enhancements. But the major features, the things that really make you want to buy a magneto device immediately? They all require hardware implementation. Network support, one-handed operation, persistent memory, extended storage, incredible security . . . all come from the close integration of newly-designed hardware with Windows Mobile 5.0 software.
Would I love to have Windows Media Player 10 Mobile on my Audiovox SMT5600? Absolutely. But Digital Rights Management (DRM) isn't a gotta-have for me--at least not yet--so I'm willing to wait for the next Windows Mobile 5.0 device that catches my eye.
And my wallet. ;-)
Sooner or later, I'm going to be asked: Why set up another web site? Isn't the Internet full yet? :-)
The main reason has to do with TS2's purpose. We present to Microsoft Partner audiences all around the United States, and are the "face of Microsoft" to many partners. We talk to as many people as we can, but there's only about a dozen of us, and a LOT of partners. So how can we be effective advocates for Microsoft Partners?
Our best bet is to create a model that scales effectively, which is why we started this site. I may only get to Wyoming once or twice a year, but if you're a partner in Cheyenne I should be available to you throughout the year. Better yet, there should be a place where you can talk with peers, ask questions, argue, complain, congratulate, celebrate, share stories, and anything else you want--irrespective of geographical location. Microsoft sites like www.msreadiness.com are a fantastic wealth of information, but they're better at one-way communication than two-way interaction. TS2Community.com puts us on an even level, and helps us to get to know each other a lot better. In turn, the TS2 team can do a much better job creating a value-niche between Microsoft and its partners--which means we'll be able to do our jobs better. It's a win^4!
There's another reason, too, which I'd like to share with you. I've been thinking about offering more business management advice to partners, and I realized that it's rather presumptuous of me to decide what partners want. Sure, I have some good industry knowledge and I've worked for a few Microsoft Partners, but my own experience is just anecdotal evidence. What the TS2 team really needs is a way for partners to tell us what they want, not the other way around. If I learned anything in my years of consulting, it's that you need to listen to your customers. Microsoft Partners are my customers, so I wanted to create a way to listen to you. The lot of you, not just the ones who attend TS2 seminars!
So here we are. You can browse the site anonymously, or become an active member and post to the forum and galleries. If you're a Microsoft Small Business Specialist or Microsoft MVP, you can request your own blog. Above all, and most importantly, let us know how the TS2 team can help you succeed!