Tips for Designing User Friendly Application

1. Design the application around the Critical Task
2. Do not use too many features, forms etc
3. In a page, fields should be Group into categories
4. Navigation should be in one place
5. Button location should be in one place
6. Use clear, obvious language
7. Error, Warning message should be Comprehend and understandable
8. Important Information should be prominently displayed
9. Use Words instead of Icons
10. Page back ground should be well suited with the Page content

Top Questions about Visual SourceSafe

Questions and Answers
Is Visual SourceSafe compatible with old database versions?
This version of Visual SourceSafe is fully compatible with database versions 6.0 and earlier.
Does Visual SourceSafe support the built-in security of Windows NT?
No. The user's NT logon name is used by default when starting Visual SourceSafe. However, after this the user must be given sharing permissions and project rights by the database administrator.
What if I don't know my current login user name?
In Visual SourceSafe Explorer, your user name is always displayed in the status bar, at the very bottom of the window. From the Visual SourceSafe command line, you can determine the current user with the command Whoami.
Is it possible to copy a user list from one database to another?
The VSSEMS utility has been developed to perform this operation.
What is Analyze?
This is a database maintenance utility furnished by Visual SourceSafe.
What can I do to ensure stable and secure source data?
Make sure that your database administrator runs ANALYZE on the Visual SourceSafe database with the regular tape backup schedule.
How can I keep check-ins and checkouts from occurring out of sequence?
If you run in a mixed client environment, for example, some clients are running Visual SourceSafe version 8.0 and some are running previous versions, you will need to synchronize the older client system clocks with the database server system clock. Synchronization will prevent out-of-sequence operations and affect any labels that are applied.
Is there a list of known Visual SourceSafe bugs?
You can find known bugs by accessing Microsoft Support online at http://support.microsoft.com/. Set the product to Visual SourceSafe. You can then set the search option to Keywords, and enter the KB bug for the question.
Is there a way to put revision history information in a source file when I check it in?
Use keyword expansion.

Quiz of the Day

In Sql server 2005, What is the short cut key to execute sp_help procedure for any object in a Query Window in Management Studio? The object must be highlighted in the code window.

1. Ctrl + F1
2. Alt + F1
3. Shift + F1
4. There is no short cut for available SP_help

ACID model of Database

The ACID model is one of the oldest and most important concepts of database theory. It sets forward four goals that every database management system must strive to achieve: atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability. No database that fails to meet any of these four goals can be considered reliable.

Let’s take a moment to examine each one of these characteristics in detail:

Atomicity states that database modifications must follow an “all or nothing” rule. Each transaction is said to be “atomic.” If one part of the transaction fails, the entire transaction fails. It is critical that the database management system maintain the atomic nature of transactions in spite of any DBMS, operating system or hardware failure.

Consistency states that only valid data will be written to the database.If, for some reason, a transaction is executed that violates the database’s consistency rules, the entire transaction will be rolled back and the database will be restored to a state consistent with those rules. On the other hand, if a transaction successfully executes, it will take the database from one state that is consistent with the rules to another state that is also consistent with the rules.

Isolation requires that multiple transactions occurring at the same time not impact each other’s execution. For example, if Joe issues a transaction against a database at the same time that Mary issues a different transaction, both transactions should operate on the database in an isolated manner. The database should either perform Joe’s entire transaction before executing Mary’s or vice-versa. This prevents Joe’s transaction from reading intermediate data produced as a side effect of part of Mary’s transaction that will not eventually be committed to the database. Note that the isolation property does not ensure which transaction will execute first, merely that they will not interfere with each other.

Durability ensures that any transaction committed to the database will not be lost. Durability is ensured through the use of database backups and transaction logs that facilitate the restoration of committed transactions in spite of any subsequent software or hardware failures.

Quality management standards

The ISO 9001:2000 standard

ISO 9001:2000 is the key internationally agreed standard for quality management systems. More than 60,000 UK businesses of all sizes already have ISO 9001 certification.

The ISO 9001 standard has four elements:

• management responsibility - ensuring top level management shows commitment to the quality system and develops it according to customers' needs and the business' objectives
• resource management - ensuring the people, infrastructure and work environment needed to implement and improve quality systems are in place
• product realisation - delivering what customers want, looking at areas such as sales processes, design and development, purchasing, production or service activities
• measurement, analysis and improvement - checking whether you've satisfied customers by carrying out other measurements of your system's effectiveness

The advantages of ISO 9001:2000 for your business can include:

• greater efficiency and less waste
• consistent control of major business processes
• regulation of successful working practices
• risk management
• increased customer satisfaction
• greater consistency in the quality of products and services through better control of processes
• differentiation of your business from its competitors
• increased profits
• exploitation of new markets, both in the UK and overseas

However, you should also be aware of some of the disadvantages to implementing the standard. These can include:

• the cost of getting and keeping the certification
• the time involved
• overcoming opposition to implementing change from within the business

The standard is adaptable to your business' needs and resources, though you may need the help of a consultant.

ISO 9001:2000 can also be used in conjunction with ISO 9004:2000 to improve your organisational efficiency

The ISO 9004:2000 standard

ISO 9004:2000 goes beyond ISO 9001:2000 and provides guidance on how you can continually improve your business' quality management system. This can benefit not only your customers but also:

• employees
• owners
• suppliers
• society in general

By measuring these groups' satisfaction with your business, you'll be able to assess whether you're continuing to improve.

Purchase guidelines about ISO 9004:2000 at the British Standards Institution (BSI) website - Opens in a new window.

The ISO 9000 series, which includes 9001 and 9004, is based around eight quality management principles that your senior managers should use as a framework for improvements to the business:

• Customer focus - they must understand and fulfil customer needs.
• Leadership - they should demonstrate strong leadership skills to increase employee motivation.
• Involvement of people - all levels of staff should be aware of their responsibilities within the business and the importance of providing what the customer requires.
• Process approach - identifying your essential business activities and considering each one as part of a process.
• System approach to management - managing your processes together as a system, leading to greater efficiency and focus. You could think of each process as a cog in a machine, helping it to run smoothly.
• Continual improvement - this should be a permanent business objective.
• Factual approach to decision-making - senior staff should base decisions on thorough analysis of data and information.
• Mutually beneficial supplier relationships - managers should recognise that your business and its suppliers depend on each other.

Choking smog

Kochi is slowly turning into an environmentalist's nightmare. The car boom, due to man's unending love affair with automobiles, has polluted and crammed the city. Car exhaust, multiplying in proportion with our passion for anything on wheels, is blanketing the city with thick smog. The fumes get trapped among the mushrooming tall buildings. Are we moving into the dark ages?

Quiz of the week - July 11 2008

Identify this machine