Next Tuesday is the monthly aauga in kc meeting. I was originally going to do Maya and Softimage stuff, but unfortunately didn't have time to get up to speed on those. Instead I'm going to show the Software Advantage Pack for 3ds Max. Some of the components of that update are also in Maya as well, so there will be a little bit of cross over. Also, my colleague Austin Reed from HNTB will show the process for creating 3d prints to output to z-corp 3d printers. We'll also have a couple examples of what these prints can produce.

WHERE: Centriq Training, 8700 State Line Road, Leawood, KS
WHEN: 6:00 PM
TOPIC: Database Change Management with RoundhousE!

Many would not argue that you need to version your code, and few would argue that you should version your code in a way that can lead you back to a specific point in source control history. However, most people don’t really think of doing the same with your database. That’s where RoundhousE comes in. RoundhousE versions your database how you want. Not to mention it’s one of the most intelligent database migrations tools out there, it also helps you keep your scripts in source control in a way that makes sense. We’ll walk through the tool and its features and then open for questions. You’ll see how it can make database change management extremely simple for you and how it makes auditors and DBAs smile. RoundhousE – you know you want to learn more…
SPEAKER: Rob Reynolds
Rob has been programming in .NET since the early days of 1.0. In his day job he is a senior developer at a bank where the doors are always locked and there’s no money inside! Rob is a C# MVP, an MCSD for .NET, holds a bachelor’s degree in MIS from Kansas State University, is active in the Topeka .Net User Group, a regional INETA speaker, an eagle scout, and a veteran officer of the US Army Reserve. Rob enjoys spending time with his wife and kids when his wife hasn’t locked him in the basement to work on any of the OSS projects he manages.
Sponsor: Aureus Group

Kansas City SQL Server User Group Members,

This is a reminder that the Kansas City SQL Server User Group will be meeting this Thursday October 28, 2010 @ 2:30PM. This month Bill Fellows will be speaking on some of new and many times underused TSQL Features in 2005 and 2008.

Bill Fellows, @billinkc, has been interested in development since his Apple ][ days. His interest in database systems was sparked when he crashed the corporate ERP system in 1999 with a well crafted SQL statement. Since then, he hasn't crashed any databases but he has been developing against SQL Server in a variety of languages since the 7.0 days.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Meeting Details: http://kansascity.sqlpass.org/

Have you heard about the KC IT user group fair? The Kansas City SQL Server Users Group will be one of ~30 specialized IT groups participating in this event on November 1st from 4-8pm @ JCCC. Come down and see what the technology community has to offer & get involved! For info & registration, see: http://www.kcitp.com/2010/10/13/kc-it-user-group-fair/

Lastly, I'd also like to thank everyone that made it to the SQL Saturday event held earlier this month, especially all the sponsors and volunteers. The event was an enormous success and we're already looking forward to next year's event!

Here's what a few of the SQL Server community bloggers had to say about SQL Saturday #53:

Thomas LaRock
"... they would be number one for all the SQL Saturday’s I have attended to date."

Arie Jones
" This was probably my #1 SQL Saturday..."

Kathi Kellenberger
" If you were lucky enough to be a part of SQL Saturday #53 yesterday, you could have seen presentations by out of town SQL Server gurus Tom LaRock (SQL Rockstar), Steve Jones, Sudhir Gajre, Wendy Pastrick, Chris Shaw, Karen Lopez and many more."

Chris Shaw
" I have not been to a better location for an event of this size where the fee was 0."

Meeting Topic: Continuing on the topic of Team Building - Inspect and Adapt using Retrospectives

Initially we had penciled in an Agile Demo for this month but logistics precluded that from coming to fruition. In light of this change we'll plan on meeting Thursday evening October 28th. at the Pizza Shoppe and continue on the topic of team building in an agile environment with respect to sprint and project retrospectives.

Martin Olson will lead a discussion on planning and executing retrospectives as a regular part of the agile process. We'll consider questions like; What are some basic things that should be included in a retrospective? What factors derail or disrupt a retrospective?
When should retrospectives occur? How do you get the most out of the time spent planning and executing a retrospective?

Per our normal operating procedure, personal observations, experiences and challenges are encouraged. Hope to see you Thursday!

Our next meeting will be held:
6:30 PM, Wed, October 27, 2010
Centriq Training Center
8700 State Line Rd, Leawood, KS
(West side of State Line Rd, directly across from Ward Parkway Mall)
Sponsor: TBD
Food and door prizes will be provided by : TBD

In order to ensure that we have enough food for you, please let Ray Harris know if you will be attending. Thanks very much !

This month's topic is:

Software Development From The Trenches (speaker: Lee Brandt)
We'll talk about Best Practices that we use and what options are available for software process, tools, patterns and guidance. After almost fifteen years of software development, I have discovered the one constant in the industry: change. Trends change in everything from the methodology we use to develop software to the tools we use. We've seen the shift from desktop/thin-client app! s to the web and back again. In this informal talk, we will discuss what's going on in software development today, the tools, the methodologies and the platforms. We'll even talk a little bit about where they might go.
Lee Brandt's BIO:
Lee has been programming professionally for more than a decade and currently works as a Project Lead Consultant with AdventureTech He speaks regionally about software development practices and has mentored teams on improving their approach to lean software development through achieving technical proficiency. He is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional, one of the leaders of the Kansas City .Net User Group, and serves as the Regional Mentor for .Net user groups in Kansas and Missouri.
________________________________________
Our website URL is: http://www.kcwebpros.com

Windows/Freeware: Oct 18th from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM
Where: New Horizons Computer Learning Center
Metcalf South Shopping Center

In the upcoming session we will continue with the discussion about Windows 7. We will look at tools that are available in Windows 7 and where you find the locations Microsoft has buried familiar features. Many of the tools and tweaks we used in Windows XP are still there and look very similar once you get into them but the entry point is a little difficult to find. Also, Microsoft has added new features and we will get into as many of those as we can. If you have specific features you are having difficulties with please email them to me at diabill @ sbcglobal.net so I can be ready to discuss each one in the detail needed. For those of you who have been using Windows 7 or Windows Vista, bring your expertise and help us find the features that have made the new operating systems useful to you. For that matter let us know the things you do not like and see if it can be changed either back to the formal way or tweaked more to your liking.

As usual, there will be a question and answer session and other topics discussed you may find interesting so come and bring your expertise.
Also, if you have found some interesting utilities that may be of interest to the rest of us bring those also.

If you have some interesting topics for future discussions/presentations or of you can update some presentations you have presented in the past then bring that to the meeting or email me at diabill @ sbcglobal.net.

Hope to see you there.

Where: New Horizons Computer Learning Center
Metcalf South Shopping Center
96th & Metcalf, Overland Park, KS
(Please enter the door of Metcalf South on the lower level of the
shopping center on the West - You will find New Horizons inside the
center area.)
Room: 6 see a map at
www.newhorizonskc.com
Bill Diamond

The 10/20 Access SIG is going to have two of our best presenters providing yet more knowledge:

Presentation 1: Janet Gelsinger of Hallmark
Topic: Using DATE functions in calculated fields and how to populate a last update name and last update date in code.
Presentation 2: Billie Lenz
VBA Topic


PS: I will also have a box of books....some are old, but yet more new ones too.

In order to help build the local technology community, KC IT Professionals is hosting a FREE user group fair on Monday, November 1st from 4-8pm at JCCC‘s Capitol Federal Conference Center! We’ve invited over 30 specialized IT user groups (.net, SQL,linux, vmware, etc) in the KC area to set up tables & provide information about their entity.

I encounter many people that just aren’t aware of how many great user groups there are in the area. This is your chance to discover & get involved with people who share similar interests!

You will need to register for this event in order to attend, and check in at the registration desk at the entrance of the event space. Members of KC IT Professionals have registration priority, so it’s highly recommended that you become a member of KC IT Professionals on linkedin. We plan to have many more exciting events and knowledge exchange opportunities in the near future, so click here to join!

Here are some of the groups that will be attending (note, this list will be updated in the lead up to the event):

KC .NET user group
Agile KC
Cowtown Computer Congress KC
KC Dot Net Nuke
Heartland User Group
KC ISSA (Information Systems Security Association)
KC IASA (International Association of Software Architects)
KCAIUG (Kansas City Arc/Info Users Group -, focused on GIS)
KC Web Pros
KC VMWare User Group
KC IT Professionals
KC Quality Assurance Association
KC Sharepoint Users Group
KC SQL Server Users Group
Kansas Unix and Linux Users Group
BarcampKC
WordPress KC
KC Office Geeks

Please note that this event is only for IT practitioners.
For more information and to register please go to:
http://www.kcitp.com/2010/10/13/kc-it-user-group-fair/

SharePoint: Oct 12th at 7 pm JCCC Regnier 2nd Floor
Connectivity Services with SharePoint 2010
Presenter: Ameet Phadnis of eTek Global

Business Connectivity Services enhances the SharePoint platform's capabilities with out-of-box features, services and tools that streamline integration to external data. SharePoint Designer provides out of box functionality to develop solutions with Business Connectivity Services. Visual Studio 2010 assists in building complex BCS solutions. This session explains architecture of BCS, External Content Types, Building Associations, Displaying external data in Web Parts, SharePoint External Lists, External data, Importing in User Profiles and external data search. This session also explains Outlook integration with BCS. The session will demo HR employee management Database integration with Outlook and SharePoint 2010.

www.hugkc.org

Event Overview
Agenda:

Description:

Join your Microsoft IT Evangelists for a free, half-day Firestarter event and hear firsthand how to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows® 7. See how to quickly get up and migrating both Windows 7 and Office 2010 with simple deployment tools, then exploring advanced deployment scenarios using the MDT 2010.

Session 1: Can We Bust This Myth? "It’s impossible to upgrade a Windows XP computer to Windows 7"

In this fun, interactive session, we'll outline the available methods for moving your Windows XP machine to Windows 7 – while maintaining user data and settings and ensuring required applications are installed in the process. Can we bust this myth in 75 minutes or less? Join us and see for yourself!

Session 2: Free Quick and Dirty Deployment Tools

If you’re a tech of action and want to move now this session will show you how to get your hand dirty with free Microsoft deployment tools.

Planning: When planning your migration to Microsoft Windows 7 & Office 2010, specific knowledge about each PC on the network and its readiness for migration is essential. Here we will show you the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit which gathers essential infrastructure information to answer the question “Are my PCs ready for Windows 7 & Office 2010?”

Office 2010 Customization: After you create a network installation point, but before you install Office 2010, you can use the Office Customization Tool (OCT) to create a Setup customization file which enables unattended custom installations.

Quick and Dirty Imaging: In this section we detail how to create and use the ultimate technician deployment tool. That’s right the bootable USB drive with imaging tools. These tools enable you to sit at a machine and take or deploy an image at will.

Session 3: Automate your Windows 7 deployment using the MDT 2010

You don't have a handful of machines to deploy, you have hundreds – and you want to automate the process. The Microsoft Deployment Toolkit offers a configuration database that enables methodological automation of deployment configurations, allowing you to automatically assign properties based on target computer locations, makes and models, plus computer values. Take a deeper look at this MDT 2010 capability and learn how it can simplify your organization's deployments.

For more information or to register, visit > www.technetevents.com/firestarter OR CALL 1-877-MSEVENT.

Click here for more info:
https://msevents.microsoft.com/CUI/EventDetail.aspx?EventID=1032461966&culture=en-US