Salesforce.com Plugs into Microsoft Office (Jan 21)
Salesforce.com last week announced a new plug-in designed for Microsoft’s Office that lets users import data from its Salesforce.com hosted CRM services into Excel, Outlook, and Word.
Although most business intelligence (BI) vendors have developed client-side tools for use with their products, Microsoft Office—and the Excel spreadsheet in particular—remain important tools for many users. “Recent research suggests that end users continue to look to spreadsheets as the one key analysis tools to supplement their other BI tools,” writes Dan Vesset, a senior analyst for information access tools with IDC. “The familiarity with spreadsheet functionality and their inherent flexibility continues to make tools such as Microsoft Excel an integral part of most Business Analytics implementations.”
Salesforce.com says that the Office Edition plug-in is available to all its customers at no charge. Officials say that the plug-in installs seamlessly into any of several versions of Office—Office 2000, Office XP, and Office 2003—and creates new pull-down menus that allow users to sign into Salesforce.com and pull data from the CRM system.
View: Salesforce.com Plugs into Microsoft Office
Microsoft files XML word patent in New Zealand (Jan 21)
Software colossus Microsoft filed a patent in New Zealand last year for XML based word processing files, it has emerged. That, suggests an NZ web site, might fly in the face of a general move towards XML, as sponsored by the WC3.
According to NZOSS, an open source site, the patent in question is 525484, which describes a “word processing document stored in a single XML file that may be manipulated by applications that understand XML”.
This patent was filed on the 24th of April last year, the web site said. It adds that there have been no objections to the patent so far.
View full article: Microsoft Patent for XML Based Word Processing Files (via The Inquirer)
InfoPath 2003: Contoso Sales Report and Contract Generation Solution (Jan 20)
This solution is designed to help technical decision makers and solutions developers/architects understand and learn about building Microsoft® Office InfoPath™ 2003 solutions. The document walks through the steps involved in creating an end-to-end solution to implement a typical business process—the Sales Report and Contract Generation for a fictitious company, Contoso Pharmaceuticals. The introduction describes the specific technical benefits that InfoPath provides. This document also serves as a roadmap for a series of tutorials that implement the Sales Report and Contract Generation Solution.
In addition to this document and the various tutorials, you can also order the companion DVD, which contains a virtual PC with all these solution components and infrastructure. The VPC is a good resource to get hands on training on the material covered in the various tutorials. As an alternative, you can download a small files package that provides the key pieces for the lessons.
This download includes all the sample files for the tutorials as well as a CHM version of the tutorials.
Download: InfoPath 2003: Contoso Sales Report and Contract Generation Solution
Access 2003 Sample: Performing Mail-Merges Using XML Data (Jan 20)
This sample accompanies the article “Performing Mail Merges Using XML Data in Microsoft Office Access 2003” available on MSDN.
Mail merge is a feature in Microsoft Office Word 2003 where you can merge boilerplate information, such as a form letter, with variable information, such as a database of names and addresses of customers. Using this feature, you can create documents that are almost exactly the same: the substance of the documents is the same for every customer, yet each document is customized to a particular individual in your database.
In the application discussed in this article, a Microsoft Office Access 2003 table created from an XML file, is used as a data store for the address information that is merged with a Word document.
Download: Access 2003 Sample: Performing Mail-Merges Using XML
View: Performing Mail-Merges Using XML Data in Microsoft Office Access 2003
Word 2003 Sample: Simple Sample of a Smart Document (Jan 20)
This sample accompanies the article “Simple Sample of a Smart Document in Microsoft Office Word 2003” available from MSDN.
Smart documents offer a way for developers to add context to the data with which a user interacts. In the article, learn how one smart document sample was created.
The sample demonstrates ways that you can add controls in the Document Actions task pane that interact with the content in the document body. For example, when the user clicks into the top line of text in the document, the task pane presents help text and a text box that prompts the user to type a name. After the user clicks out of the text box, a message box is displayed with a greeting.
Download: Word 2003 Sample: Simple Sample of a Smart Document
View: Simple Sample of a Smart Document in Microsoft Office Word 2003
Exchange Server 2003 Message Security Guide (Jan 20)
This book discusses how, when using S/MIME, encryption protects the contents of e-mail messages and digital signatures verify the identity of a purported sender of an e-mail message. In addition, this book provides guidance on how to implement S/MIME with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. In addition, this book provides guidance and pointers to other resources where those are necessary.
Download: Exchange Server 2003 Message Security Guide
Microsoft: We took MikeRoweSoft too seriously (Jan 20)
Microsoft has admitted it may have made a mistake in threatening Mike Rowe for using his Web site, mikerowesoft.com
Rowe, a student from Vancouver, registered mikerowesoft.com to front his part-time Web site design business in August 2003. Three months later, he received an email from Microsoft’s lawyers asking him to transfer the domain name to Microsoft. They offered to pay him a “settlement” of $10 (£5.55), which is the cost of his original registration fee.
However, after the case received widespread coverage on the Internet, Microsoft has admitted it may have taken things too far and has promised to treat Rowe fairly. A Microsoft spokesperson told ZDNet UK: “We appreciate that Mike Rowe is a young entrepreneur who came up with a creative domain name. We take our trademark seriously, but maybe a little too seriously in this case.”
Under the law, Microsoft is required to take action to protect its trademark against widespread infringement. Struan Robertson, editor of legal IT Web site Out-Law.com, explained that if a trademark holder does not take action to protect its trademark whenever it is aware of a potential infringement, it risks losing that protection.
View full article: Microsoft: We took MikeRoweSoft too seriously
MSBlast virus writer faces 15 years behind bars (Jan 19)
A virus writer accused of creating an MSBlast variant last year is to face a Romanian court this week and could be sentenced to 15 years in jail if convicted.
Dan Dumitru Ciobanu, 26, is alleged to have written a computer virus that spread over the intranet of a Romanian university in September 2003. The virus only hit 27 machines but Ciobanu still faces between three and 15 years in jail for “unlawful possession of a program and disturbing a computer system”.
Researchers from antivirus firm BitDefender helped identify Ciobanu after being drafted in by Romanian authorities. The suspect will appear before the Iasi county Court of Appeals this week.
Mihai Radu, communication manager at BitDefender, said in a statement that the case highlights the serious consequences of virus writing.
“Young people playing at virus writing should keep in mind that computer viruses are not games. When unleashing a computer virus, the author places property and people at risk,” he said.
View: MSBlast virus writer faces 15 years behind bars
Show and tell for Microsoft (Jan 17)
Microsoft is considering an expansion of a program that would allow companies to see the source code underlying its Office software and other applications.
The company’s Shared Source Initiative, launched nearly three years ago, allows business customers, governments, business partners and academic institutions access to the source code, or software blueprint, underlying Microsoft’s Windows operating system and other products.
Currently, 20 of the company’s products are available under the program, including all versions of Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. But Microsoft has yet to extend access to Office, its most profitable product, or to its server-based applications.
That could change this year. The software giant is “looking up the application stack” to determine which products it will offer next under the shared-source program, Jason Matusow, Shared Source manager at Microsoft, told CNET News.com. On the short list are Office, various server applications, the company’s development tools and even its catalog of game software. “We’re not holding anything back in terms of our thinking on this,” Matusow said.
“We’re looking at how we provide source code (for these products), and for which communities,” said Matusow. In addition to source code, Microsoft will supply documentation and development assistance, he said. The company is debating internally how to expand the program, and no time frame for the expansion has been set, Matusow stressed. Microsoft already offers a program to license the underlying Extensible Markup Language (XML) file formats in Office.
View: Show and tell for Microsoft
Exchange 2000 and 2003 – All Technical Articles and Books / Updated (Jan 17)
This download contains all Exchange 2000 and 2003 technical articles and books produced by the Exchange product team through October 2003.
Download: Exchange 2000 and 2003 – All Technical Articles and Books / Updated
Project Server Downloads (Jan 17)
Project Server 2003: Edit Site Utility
You can use the Edit Site utility to create a Project Server hosted deployment and to edit the properties for existing hosted sites.
Project Server 2003 ConnInfo Utility
The ConnInfo tool ensures that Project Server administrators maintain user roles and registry settings when moving Project Server data to a new database server.
Project Server 2003 WinHTTP Proxy Configuration Tool
Proxycfg is required to configure proxy settings for Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 deployments.
Project Server 2003 PSCOMPlus Tool
Use PSCOMPlus to specify the user accounts required by Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services.
Project Server 2003 PSMIGRAT Utility
Use PSMigrat.exe to migrate from SharePoint Team Services to Windows SharePoint Services during a migration from Microsoft Project Server 2002 to Microsoft Office Project Server 2003.
Project Server 2003 SetTracing Utility
Microsoft Office Project Server 2003 uses the Project Server Tracing Service to log application errors to the Event Viewer. The Project Server SetTracing Utility also allows you to redirect the tracing output to a log file, or to the Event Viewer and a log file.
Project Server 2003 In-Box Documentation
Documentation about various Project data formats and setup scenarios that can be used out-of-the-box.
Project Server 2003: View Backup and Restore Utility
The View Backup and Restore utility is a command-line tool that enables you to back up and restore the views that you create in Project Web Access.
Project Server 2003: View Effective Rights Tool
The View Effective Rights tool enables Project Server 2003 administrators to more easily troubleshoot problems related to security settings and access control.
Project Server 2003: Project Server Health Monitor Utility
The Project Server Health Monitor utility enables you to detect Project Server components that are not responding or that are responding slowly.
Project Server 2003: Project Server Data Population Tool
You can use the Project Server Data Population tool to load large amounts of custom outline codes, resources, projects and tasks, assignments, and tracking data into the Project Server database.
Project Server 2003: SmokeTest Utility
The SmokeTest utility performs a series of tests to verify the basic functionality of a Microsoft Office® Project Server 2003 installation.
Project Server 2003: Restore Single Project Utility
You can use the Restore Single Project utility to restore a single project to an earlier state.
Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Migration Tool (Jan 17)
Smigrate.exe is a Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services utility that can be used to back up and restore a Web site on a server running Windows SharePoint Services. This utility is used when migrating a SharePoint Team Services deployment to Windows SharePoint Services.
Note SMIGRATE.exe requires CABARC.exe and EXTRACT.exe to be in the same folder in order to run.
Download: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services Migration Tool
New MiMail sneaks past filters (Jan 16)
The latest variant of the MiMail worm is using a software downloader to spread its payload, in an effect to fool anti-virus software. The downloader arrives in inboxes as a file, called paypal.exe or paypal.zip, in an email headed ‘PAYPAL.COM NEW YEAR OFFER’. It offers a credit equal to 10 per cent of the host’s PayPal account if the user registers with their credit card details.
MiMail was created in Russia and first appeared on the internet at the beginning of August 2003. “To date, isolated incidents of infection by this malicious software have been reported in various countries throughout the world,” said Denis Zelkin, head of communications at Kaspersky Labs. “The new modification of the worm differs from previous versions only by the fact that it is compressed using UPX.”
Once activated the Trojan contacts a Russian web server and downloads the latest copy of the MiMail worm. This then harvests email addresses on the host and stores them in a file called outlook.cfg in the Windows folder. It also copies itself onto the registry so that it is reloaded with every reboot.
Major antivirus firms already have identity files on the malware and users are advised to update.
View: New MiMail sneaks past filters
Royal Mail posts digital stamps (Jan 16)
Royal Mail today launched the UK’s first digital stamp, based on an online postage purchasing system called SmartStamp. Customers of the web-based service will be able to use their own PCs to create personalised stamps, pay for them over the internet and print them directly onto envelopes which can be posted in the usual manner. Subscribers will receive a CD-Rom containing an application to create mailing lists and address envelopes. The software can link to Outlook and use existing address lists.
When users are ready to pay they connect to the internet and submit an order. The cost of the stamps is then deducted from a pre-paid user account, which can be topped up with a credit card or by direct debit. Businesses and individuals will be able to brand SmartStamps with their own logo or designs.
Alison White, head of business products at Royal Mail, said: “SmartStamp will suit anyone working within a small or home office. “The optimum usage level is about 10 letters per day. If you send out this much post, then we recommend that you seriously consider using SmartStamp.”
View: Royal Mail posts digital stamps
Exchange Server 2003 Message Security Guide (Jan 16)
This book discusses how, when using S/MIME, encryption protects the contents of e-mail messages and digital signatures verify the identity of a purported sender of an e-mail message. In addition, this book provides guidance on how to implement S/MIME with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. In addition, this book provides guidance and pointers to other resources where those are necessary.
