Should You Upgrade to Access 2007?

Wondering if you should upgrade your databases to Access 2007 now that Microsoft has released it? Read Microsoft Office Access MVP Allen Browne's comprehensive article on what's hot and what's not in the new Access 2007. Check out Allen's other great tips for Microsoft Office Access, too.

Oracle Developer Tools for Visual Studio .NET

If you're a Visual Studio .NET developer building Oracle database applications, get the free Oracle Developer Tools for Visual Studio .NET. It supports Visual Studio .NET 2003, Visual Studio 2005, integrated PL/SQL debugging, ADO.NET 2.0, and .NET Stored Procedures for .NET 2.0.

Oracle TopLink and ADF

The free Oracle TopLink and Application Development Framework (ADF) provides a complete J2EE application infrastructure for Java developers to build Java object-to-relational persistence architectures. It's part of Oracle Application Server, but can be used independently with other J2EE-compliant application servers.

Oracle Developer Suite

If you're an Oracle database application developer, try the free Oracle Developer Suite of products (including JDeveloper, Oracle Designer, Oracle Forms Developer, Oracle Software Configuration Manager, Oracle Reports Developer, Oracle Discoverer, Oracle Warehouse Builder, and Oracle Business Intelligence Beans).

Oracle BPEL Process Manager

If you're managing your organization's data processes, try the free Oracle BPEL Process Manager.

Oracle JDeveloper 10g

Are you a Java application developer in need of an industry-leading tool to work with databases? Try Oracle's free Oracle JDeveloper 10g. It works with Oracle and non-Oracle environments, and supports all major J2EE application servers and databases.

Virtual PC

Ever decide too late that you shouldn't have installed that latest beta software on your system, and wish you could easily undo the damage? Now you can safely try out different software configurations and operating systems without messing up your computer's current configuration. Download Microsoft's free Virtual PC 2004 to use for various configurations, including legacy platforms and beta tests. Requires Windows 2000 SP-4, Windows XP SP-2, or Windows 2003 (32-bit).

Toad for IBM DB2 Freeware

Administer your DB2 database with Toad for IBM DB2 and IBM DB2 Express-C Freeware to simplify, automate and improve the quality of application and database development.

IBM DB2 Express-C

Need a free client/server database engine that doesn't have the same 4 GB data size limitation of Oracle 10g Express and SQL Server 2005 Express? Try the free IBM DB2 Express-C database engine. DB2 Express-C is free to build, deploy and distribute and has no such database limits.

While there's no file size limit, only up to 4 GB RAM is supported. It works on all systems up to 2 processor cores, and on AMD or Intel x86 architectures with up to 2 dual core chips. It's designed to seemlessly upgrade to any of the DB2 Universal Database editions, which support larger database servers or server clusters, so migrations shouldn't be a hassle. Runs on Windows and Linux, either 32-bit or 64-bit.

Toad for MySQL Freeware

Administer your MySQL database with Toad for MySQL Freeware to simplify, automate and improve the quality of application and database development.

MySQL Community Server Database

Need a free enterprise level client/server database? Download the free MySQL Community Server Database. MySQL won the "European Entrepreneur of the Year 2006" award.

SQL Optimizer for Visual Studio (free trial)

Get the free trial for SQL Optimizer for Visual Studio if you need help optimizing your SQL queries for SQL Server. Look in the right margin of the Web page in the "Next Steps" table for the link, "Download trial software." This tool is the Microsoft 2004 Global ISV Partner of the Year Award winner.

Toad for SQL Server Freeware

Administer your SQL Server database with Toad for SQL Server Freeware. It's an intuitive, graphical tool that will simplify, automate and improve the quality of application and SQL Server database development.

SQL Server Management Studio Express

Use the free SQL Server Management Studio Express to administer the free SQL Server 2005 Express Edition.

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition

Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is a free, redistributable version of SQL Server 2005. It's easy to use and designed for building simple data-driven applications needing up to 4 GB of data, but scalable so that it can easily be upgraded to the more advanced versions of Microsoft SQL Server 2005. The SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is the replacement for the Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE), which won't be supported on the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. Runs on Windows.

Free Microsoft Office 60-Day Trials

Download a free 60-Day trial of Microsoft Office 2007 products.

Oracle 10g Express 2-Day PHP Course

If you're a PHP developer working with Oracle Express and haven't had formal training at Oracle University, try the free online Oracle Database Express Edition 2 Day Plus PHP course.

Oracle 10g Express 2-Day .NET Course

If you're a .Net developer working with Oracle Express and haven't been to Oracle University, try the free online Oracle Database Express Edition 2 Day Plus .NET Course.

Oracle By Example Tutorials

Need hands-on training for Oracle technologies? Try Oracle's free online Oracle By Example tutorials from Oracle Technology Network.

Oracle 10g 2-Day DBA Course

If you are working with the Oracle 10g Express Edition and haven't had formal training at Oracle University, take the online Oracle 10g 2-Day DBA Course.

SQL Server 2005 Books Online

Get the definitive documentation for SQL Server 2005: SQL Server 2005 Books Online. (AKA the BOL.) Applies to SQL Server 2005 Express Edition also. It's a free download from Microsoft.

SQL Server 2005 Virtual Lab

Thinking about upgrading your skills to SQL Server 2005? Try out Microsoft's free online SQL Server 2005 Virtual Lab. Get free training in the lab with 90-minute blocks of time. Yes. Even those 90-minute blocks of time are free, and if you need more time to complete a training module, just request another free 90-minute block.

Toad for Oracle (free trial)

Administer your Oracle database with Toad for Oracle (free trial). Look in the right margin of the Web page in the "Next Steps" table for the link, "Download trial software."

Toad for Oracle Freeware

Administer your Oracle database with Toad for Oracle Freeware. The license is good for up to five users and for up to 60 days. When it expires, you download and install it again (with full permission from Quest Software, so don't think this is being sneaky).

The freeware version has some other limitations worth noting when compared to the commercial version of Toad.

Oracle SQL Developer

Use Oracle SQL Developer to develop and manage your Oracle Database (version 9.2.0.1 and later). It's a free graphical tool that makes developing a database and writing, debugging, and running SQL and PL/SQL scripts easy. Reports are included, and custom reports can also be created easily. Runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

Oracle Database 10g Express Edition

Need a client/server database to store your data securely and reliably? Download the free Oracle Database 10g Express Edition. It stores up to 4 GB of data, and it's free to develop, deploy, and distribute. It's intended to have a small footprint, so it's simple to administer (compared to the enterprise level, that is), yet robust and powerful like the other editions of Oracle. It's the winner of the LinuxWorld Product Excellence Award for Best Database Solution for 2006. It was also a Microsoft "Best of TechEd Finalist" for 2006.

When and if it ever becomes necessary to upgrade to a larger database engine, the work done in Oracle 10g Express will easily convert to the larger Oracle 10g database engines virtually effortlessly, because it's designed for scalability.

Free Online Backups

Do you keep forgetting to back up your files? Schedule automatic backups with the Windows Task Manager, leave your computer on and connected to the Internet, and store up to 2 GB of backups online for free at mozy.com. Your files don't "expire" after a certain period of time like with most free file storage deals. If you need more disk space, it's $4.95/month for unlimited storage. 128-bit encrypted SSL upload/download. File storage uses 448-bit Blowfish encryption. It's a PC Magazine Editors' Choice award winner.

Introduction

You may wonder what the title of this blog, "Data Devil Dog," is about. It's my way of telling you that I'm not an author of blockbuster movie titles. I'm just not that talented. Readers should know that up front.

I'm a computer geek and I have many interests, but you readers don't come here to read about that. You come here because you're interested in finding out how to protect your data, your computer and your network. I'll try to keep that in mind as I steer you around the potential minefields.

You'll find that I often remind folks about backing up their important data. If it's not backed up when a disaster befalls you, then it obviously wasn't important, was it? Periodically test those backups, because backups can fail. And don't be afraid to make an extra copy of that really important backup. Disk space is cheap these days.

Be diligent. Use the best weapons to protect your data. Ensure you're trained to use those weapons effectively. Be a devil dog when it comes to safeguarding your data.

I won't promise I'll write in this blog daily, or even weekly. If you revisit this blog once a month or so, you'll probably be rewarded with something interesting and may even experience an occasional "Eureka!" moment. Not "Eureka!" in that I had something particularly brilliant to say, but that I found something useful and which also happens to be my favorite price: free. You can expect me to share those "Eureka!" links with you here.