My Toolbox column in the July 2009 issue of MSDN Magazine is available online and includes the following reviews:
- ApexSQL Enforce - I've reviewed source code static analysis tools in previous issues, such as Microsoft's FxCop and StyleCop programs. ApexSQL Enforce is a static analysis tool for your database. In a nutshell, it runs a series of rules against a specified database, ranging from security concerns to data modeling.
- Podcasts of Note: Hanselminutes - in addition to a great blog, Scott Hanselman also hosts a weekly podcast show, Hanselminutes. These roughly 30-minute long shows usually include a guest and focus on a specific development-related topic, like ADO.NET Services, getting started with Domain Driven Design, and an overview of jQuery. These high-quality and educational productions are great material for your daily commute or time at the gym.
- Terminals - Terminals is a free, open source project that provides a multi tab UI for connecting to remote computers. Terminals supports Terminal Services, Microsoft RDP, VNC, RAS. Telnet, and other protocols and helps consolidate various remote connections into one window. Also included are a number of networking tools, tools for taking and managing screen shots from remote desktops, and one-click access to common administration and network configuration utilities. If you routinely connect to remote computers be sure to check out Terminals.
This issue reviewed Programming Entity Framework, by Julia Lerman. An exerpt from my review follows:
At nearly 800 pages, Programming Entity Framework is fairly hefty, but it offers a solid grounding in using the Entity Framework. The book assumes its readers are intermediate to advanced .NET developers who are already familiar with database concepts, ADO.NET, LINQ, and other core .NET features and spends no time introducing these topics. Instead, the book is packed with walkthroughs that illustrate the use of Entity Framework in various scenarios. It also does a great job pointing out what this first version of the Entity Framework can and cannot do and what use cases are difficult or tricky to implement, along with workarounds where appropriate.
Enjoy! - http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/dd943051.aspx
As always, if you have any suggestions for products, blogs, or books to review for the Toolbox column, please send them to toolsmm@microsoft.com.