Working with DTS

I have been doing quite a bit of work with DTS, short for Data Transformation Services, a feature of M$ SQL, which facilitates getting data in and out of the db, among other things. One of the best features of DTS is the ability to set packages to run at regularly scheduled intervals. For instance, every night a csv file gets dropped in a networked folder. My package then ingests that file into our db for later use.

The easiest way to get started with DTS is to use the Data Transformation Services Import/Export Wizard and then save the package for later modification and use. This wizard is accessible by right clicking on a table and selecting from All Tasks Import or Export Data. I have found csv files to be much easier to work with than excel files.

A very useful DTS package i put together runs a query to pull the accounts that were added last the day before, dumps the data into a csv, emails the csv as an attachment and finally runs a query to update the records to show that they have been emailed.

Commas in Ext Currency Format

I'm using the fabulous Ext Javascript library through ColdFusion 8. It outputs a beautiful, full-featured grid complete with sorting and re-ordering of columns.

It has a US currency formatter called the usMoney Format Renderer but it lacks the all-too-useful comma separator when dealing with numbers greater than 999. Ext, did you think we were only small-time?

So i swapped out the current usmoney function in the util.js with this one. The math seems to work out but if you catch anything let me know.

Web Site Monitoring Service Business Case and Comparison

We currently have a need for external web site/application uptime and availability monitoring. In Order for a web application to effectively support business and client needs it must be available to its users. If it becomes unavailable the systems’ administrators must be notified promptly so that they can take appropriate actions. In addition, we have a responsibility to our customers and associates to ensure that the Service Level Agreements pertaining to availability provided by 3^rd party vendors are being upheld.

This can be accomplished through the use of a Web Site Monitoring Service (webmonitor). Webmonitors test the availability of web sites from locations around the world at set intervals. Webmonitors can also perform transactions such as logins to help ensure that services are up and running as expected. If a web site becomes unavailable administrators can be notified by email or cell-phone via SMS. Webmonitors can also accumulate statistics for further analysis.

There are many webmoniter providers to choose from.

The "Best Buy" of the group has to be host-tracker, which has the most test nodes but is more bare bones in terms of functionality and reporting.

Next we have AlertBot, which has great support and is very easy to use but also lacks some of the more advanced test scripting and reporting features. What they lack in features they make up for in price and service.

AlertSite is the first that I would consider to be enterprise quality. They offer robust reporting I would feel comfortable handing off to upper management. The most interesting feature however, is a firefox extension called DejaClick, that records and then uploads and replays your actions at given intervals. This is a really great feature that allows you to do tests that you just can't with some of the competitors. Unfortunately, it does still have some bugs and is best used only in the hands of the advanced user.

Last but not least is WebMetrics which offers the most attractive and usable interface by far. The reporting is extremely robust and includes output to pdf. They also develop and maintain test scripts on behalf of clients at no charge. In addition, they offer other enterprise services like load balancing and RIA monitoring.

I'm in the process of getting proposals from these companies and will put together a comparison matrix including pricing when i get them.

Great PHP Datetime Conversion Snippet

Using PHP you can easily convert just about any date or time to the format of your choosing.

function strototime() which accepts English textual datetime strings and outputs timestamps can be combined with the date() function to output a formated date.

For instance,

date("n/j/y",strtotime($someDate))

will accept a datetime of pretty much any format and output it as mm/dd/yyyy.

This can come in handy when working with dates stored in a database as strings or when converting between International and US formats.

Conference Registration System

I spent the better part of this week banging out a Conference Registration System in an effort to beat one our competitors (Goldman) to the punch, which I'm pretty sure we did. The system uses php for server side scripting and database interaction, MySQL database, and javaScript for form validation.

The system features

• Registration form
• JavaScript form validation
  
• Email confirmation
• Database backup
  
• PayPal Payment Processing
• PayPal Instant Payment Notification (IPN)

We rolled it out today with relatively no issue and dough has already begun coming in.

FC Progress Report

As promised... Here is a screen shot of the individual FC Progress Report

It features a pretty flash graph and pdf for saving and printing

What I'm up to: FC Comission Reporting System

I have been working on a Financial Consultant (FC) Commission Reporting System. It is written in Coldfusion (CF) and takes advantage of some the great user interface enhancements in CF8 including:

• tight pdf integration
  
• enhanced Flash charting
  
• ajaximified data grids utilizing the awesome Ext JavaScript library.

This system takes data from the Thomson Beta back office system, the dark side as it's affectionately known around here because of its black screen terminal look, and presents in a clear and compelling format which the FC can use to gauge progress.
Data presented includes:

• Assests Under Management
  
• Production
• Distance Targets
• Distance to Next FC
• Firm Ranking
  

We are using an iterative methodology with monthly development cycle which allows us to deliver a high quality product quickly while continually improving the system as user feedback comes in. For our 3rd iteration, this month, we will be adding additional graphs and an aggregated view for Branch Managers. (screen shots coming soon)