Trouble upsizing Access database to SQL Server at shared hosting provider

For the past two weeks, one of my clients has been having trouble upsizing his Microsoft Access 2003 database (MDB) into a SQL Server database at his shared hosting provider. The problem was that the tables would be created fine, but then the upsizing would fail when Access attempted to insert the data.

I attempted the same procedure on my machine, to the same database, using Access 2007 and did not have any trouble. The table and data were upsized properly.

So my initial thought was something wrong with my client's specific installation of Access 2003. However, he installed Access 2003 on a different computer, and even tried it from another ISP, but still had the same problem.

Fortunately, our regional Developer Evangalist gave my client a free technical support ticket, which he used to contact Microsoft about the problem. I have to say that I was really impressed with what Microsoft Technical Support came back with.

It turns out that Access 2003 issues the following T-SQL command during the upsizing process:
sp_configure 'show advanced option',1

The reason for this is that by default, SQL Server only displays 14 basic configuration settings when running the sp_configure stored procedure. By setting the 'show advanced option' value on, you are able to get all 50-60 options from that stored procedure. So for some reason, the Access upsizing wizard must try to run this command to check for a specific option value set in SQL Server.

Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, as most developers run as sysadmins on their SQL Servers. However, in this situation, my client was trying to upload to a database as a shared hosting provider, so he had limited permissions.

So it turns out that the sp_configure 'show advanced option',1 command is a one-time deal. It just has to be run once on the server, and then sp_configure will then show the extended list of option values for all users. Now the battle turns to convincing the host to run this magic T-SQL command that will make life easier.

If all else fails, the solution will be to just upsize to a local SQL Server Express Edition database, back up the database, upload it to the host, and restore it there. However, it would be nice for my client if he didn't have to do that.

It's curious, though, that the problem does not occur in Access 2007. This suggests to me that someone knew about the bug and fixed it in the 2007 release. However, what is odd is that I can't find a KnowledgeBase article about it.

So I figured I'd blog about this hear, with the hope that this information may save someone else the time of figuring this all out.

Happy coding!

Trouble accessing Public Folders in the Exchange System Manager on Small Business Server

I ran across a problem this morning getting into the Public Folders node in Exchange System Manager on a Small Business Server 2003 machine. Everytime I would try to access this node I would receive the message:

80090308 "The token supplied to the function is not valid"

A bit frustrating. The MSKB suggested turning off the SSL requirement for the Exadmin virtual directory in IIS, but that alone did not solve the issue. I ended up finding a blog post that gave instructions for changing a value in ADSIEdit, which did the trick!

http://blogs.technet.com/petergal/archive/2006/05/12/428152.aspx

Great CSS Reference

I just got an email about a CSS Reference online-book over at SitePoint.com. I checked it out, and it's really great, so here's the link for anyone else who is interested...

http://reference.sitepoint.com

How to reset Offline Files in Windows Vista

The Offline Files feature in Windows Vista is fantastic! It truly solves the problems that Offline Files had in Windows XP. I have run across one problem though. Twice now, I've had to move all of my files to another server, necessitating clearing out my old offline files and enabling them at the new location. This tends to be an issue when you're toting 25GB of Offline Files. So what I've found is that it's easier to just completely reset Offline Files and have Windows Vista build it up from scratch. I've had a lot of trouble finding this procedure, so here it is, in hopes that it helps someone who's looking for it.

To reinitialize the Offline Files cache, create the following DWORD registry value with a value of 1 and restart the system.

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\CSC\Parameters\FormatDatabase

Note that any unsynchronized changes will be lost. In addition, any files and folders pinned by means other than Folder Redirection or Group Policy will no longer be pinned on that client.

The setting of this registry value may be automated using REG.EXE.
REG ADD "HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\CSC\Parameters" /v FormatDatabase /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Visual Studio 2008 has RTM'ed

Hooray! Visual Studio 2008 is out and available for download.

If you're trying to find it on the MSDN downloads, note that you may not see it in the main download section yet. Instead, you have to go to:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/subscriptions/default.aspx
and log in, then you'll find the download in the "Top Downloads" block. Microsoft is trying to balance the downloads a bit.

The Visual Studio 2008 Professional download is a whopping 3.31GB ISO. I'm downloading it now at a solid 3.5Mbps, but it's still going to be a while. I can only imagine how much Internet traffic is dealing with this download right now.

Windows Essential Business Server

Windows codename "Centro" now has a name -- Windows Essential Business Server. If you haven't heard of "Centro", it's Microsoft's upcoming server solution for "mid-sized businesses."

More info is at this blog post:
http://blogs.msdn.com/mssmallbiz/archive/2007/11/07/5955270.aspx

The surprising part is that this is not just one server running a bunch of software, it is "an integrated server infrastructure solution."

Windows EBS Standard consist of three servers:

• Management Server (Windows Server 2008 with Active Directory Services and Systems Center Essentials)
• Messaging Server (Active Directory Services, Exchange Server 2007, and Forefront Security for Exchange)
• Security Server (Exchange Server 2007 and ISA Server vNext).

Windows EBS Premium adds a Database server running SQL Server 2008.

This is a big departure from the "cram it in one box" approach of Windows Small Business Server 2003, but it's definitely a more serious approach to a Windows Server Infrastruction.

Additionally, I wouldn't be surprised if this infrastructure eventually lends itself to virtualization. That would be a bit tough for now, because the Windows EBS infrastructure requires 64-bit operating systems, and Virtual Server 2005 R2 only supports 32-bit guest operating systems. But it won't be long before it's a real possibility.

What I'm really excited about is Windows codename "Cougar," a.k.a. Windows Small Business Server 2008. More on that to come...

Scheduling backups, reindexing, and CheckDB in SQL Server Express 2005

One of the things that I really missed with the move from SQL Server 2000 Desktop Edition to SQL Server Express 2005 was the removal of the SQL Server Agent and the Database Maintenance Plans.

I've gotten over the removal of SQL Server Agent by simply using Scheduled Tasks. You can simply save what your TSQL script into a file, then create a Scheduled Task in Windows in teh format:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Tools\Bin\SQLCMD.EXE" -S .\SQLEXPRESS -i"C:\myscript.sql"

What I really missed, though, was the Database Maintenance Plans. Recently, I found the answer -- a great project created by Jasper Smith (sqldbatips.com) called ExpressMaint. The utility is available in both a command-line utility (great for Scheduled Tasks) or a TSQL stored procedure (which you could then schedule using the method above). The project is available at:
http://www.codeplex.com/ExpressMaint

This does everything that the Database Maintenance Plans did, but easier to use in my opinion. It lets you do full backups, log backups, reindex, and check the database for integrety. It even has nice features like automatically deleting logs or backups older than x days.

Info et Cetera Consulting Recognized Again as Microsoft Gold Certified Partner

We are very excited to announce that Info et Cetera Consulting has again this year been recognized as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. This is the highest level that a company can achieve in the Microsoft Partner Program. Our certification takes into our account customer satisfaction, skills, and achievements.

What we're particularly proud of is that we've been able to achieve this high level of achievement even though we are a relatively small consulting firm. This demonstrates our absolute dedication to being experts on the subject matters that are important to our customers!

Double clicking on a VHD to mount it

I found a really handy blog entry today with a short registry modification you can make so you can double-click on a VHD file to mount it as a drive on your system.

http://blogs.msdn.com/virtual_pc_guy/archive/2006/09/01/734435.aspx

This is really great news for data recovery. I'm currently researching the potential synergy between Microsoft Virtual Server and the image-based backup functionality in Windows Vista, which apparently saves files in the same format as Virtual PC uses (VHD). It would be so neat to be able to spin up a virtual machine from a Windows Vista backup in a pinch, but it seems there are some complications. More on that in a future post.

Using a USB KVM switch and the mouse and keyboard stop working

I ran into a bit of a problem with my new Keyboard Video Monitor (KVM) switch this week, with an interesting solution. First, a bit of background. When I'm not working in my office in downtown Worcester or at a client site, I work from my home office. I like to vary where I work throughout the week, as I feel it stimulates new ideas and keeps my mind fresh. In my office at home, I have a desktop computer with a nice LCD monitor. My work computer, however, is a laptop. So I had the thought last week of buying a KVM switch so I could use the same keyboard, monitor, and mouse with my laptop when I'm working from home. So I picked up a great little TrendNet TK-207K KVM switch for less than $30. Quite a good deal!

Now for the snag... The KVM switch uses a USB mouse and keyboard, and then one USB cable leads to the PC. Thus, the switch acts as a composite USB device to the computer. This is very convenient for a laptop, as it means just plugging in a power cord, one USB cable, and a video cable. The problem came when I'd switch over to my laptop for a while. After several minutes, I'd hear the sound from the desktop of hardware disconnecting, and then when I switched back to the desktop, the mouse and keyboard would not work. No matter what I tried, I could not get the mouse and keyboard to work when I switched back to the desktop.

Now for the solution... My hunch was that this was related to some kind of power saving function on my computer, and that ended up being exactly the problem. I opened up Device Manager on my computer (via Computer Management) and found the "USB Root Hub" devices. If you bring up the properties for "USB Root Hub" and go to the "Power Management" tab, there's a checkbox for "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power." I unchecked that box and VOILA my problem was solved. I guess the computer was turning off the power to the USB port after it didn't get a signal from the KVM for a while. Perhaps this is something that could be improved in the KVM, or perhaps this is simply how you're supposed to fix the problem. However, in all of my searches online I could not find this solution.

So if you're using a KVM switch and your mouse and keyboard stop working, check out the power settings under device manager.

Handy DNS/domain tools

Here are two great tools that I use on a regular basis for managing/troubleshooting domains and DNS issues:

http://www.domaintools.com
Wonderful WHOIS tool that gives you a lot more information as well. This site can even tell you how many other sites are running on an IP address.

http://www.dnsstuff.com
Scroll down on the main page for tools like looking up MX records, verify email configuration, etc.

How to Reset Offline Files in Windows Vista

I love the improved Offline Files functionality in Windows Vista, but it's been frustrating me the past couple of days. I accidentally pointed My Documents to the wrong share, and Vista enabled Offline Files for this share. This share is ENORMOUS, so I don't think a syncrhonization ever actually finished correctly. So now I can't find a good way to turn OFF the synchronization of that folder. This is probably because an initial syncrhonization never completed successfully.

I found a work around in a loosely related MSKB article that involves resetting the entire Offline Files cache (along with settings). That's perfect! A quick registry key change and Offline Files is back to square one. I can now just reenable it for what I really want to syncrhonize and I'm back in business.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/934160

Umbraco - Content Management System based on ASP.NET

Joe Stagner at Microsoft has a link today to a Content Management System based on ASP.NET that I've never heard of. It's called Umbraco, and it looks pretty promising. It's an open source project and looks to have a lot of the content management features that the average web site operator looks for. but more importantly for developers, it claims to allow you to easily integrate any .NET user controls or custom controls. That has some really great potential! One of these days, when I have some time, I'll give it a try. Maybe it will be a viable option for Info et Cetera Consulting's web site.

More information: Umbraco.org

Google Reader - Using it and loving it

Yet another of the tasks I generally do using a Windows application has been replaced by a web application. I've bounced between Windows-based feed readers for a while now, try out the free ones, pay ones, etc. But I never really found one I love because I use a number of machines, as well as my Smartphone, and I want to be able to read my feeds in all of these devices using one unified (and preferrably free) mechanism.

A while ago, I tried Google Reader, and found it clunky and difficult to use. I revisited it this week, and it's much better now. It's very easy to view your feeds and quickly go through articles, mark them as read by simply looking at them, etc. Definitely a great product!
Well one neat thing that Good Reader lets you do is to share articles from your feeds. It then can create a feed that lists those items you've shared. So I'm giving this a try. I'm going to flag the articles that I find interesting, and the ten most recent articles will be over along the right side of my blog. This should help push some traffic back to the good folks that write the articles I enjoy so much, while also providing some regularly-updated fresh content to my blog.

Weird OneCare problem today

It seems that something is up with Windows Live OneCare today. All of the computers that I've checked with Windows Live OneCare installed are prompting with a message that says:

Update your virus and spyware protectionYour virus and spyware definition files are out-of-date. Your computer may be at risk.

Clicking [Update Now] does not fix it, and rebooting does not fix it. This problem has been confirmed on both Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Looks like someone goofed over in the OneCare camp. Hopefully a fix will be along shortly, and hopefully the computers are still being left with virus and spyware protection.

NetLimiter allows you to test site performance at a slower download speed

One of my clients recently ran across a great tool for simulating a low-bandwidth connection to a site. In his case, he was trying to verify that media could properly stream for users accessing the site via a slower DSL connection.

The solution -- NetLimiter (http://www.netlimiter.com/).

NetLimiter is an ultimate internet traffic control and monitoring tool
designed for Windows. You can use NetLimiter to set download/upload transfer rate limits for applications or even single connection and monitor their internet traffic.

Along with this unique feature, Netlimiter offers comprehensive set of internet statistical tools. It includes real-time traffic measurement and
long-term per-application internet traffic statistics

So that's pretty neat! You can open up Internet Explorer set to only use 45kbps and see how your website loads on dial-up. They even have a version out that's compatible with Vista. It's relatively cheap too. $17 for the version that lets you limit your bandwidth, or $30 for the version that also adds the ability to do advanced rules, traffic charting/reporting, etc.

Color harmonies

I've been meaning to post this to my blog for a while:

Easy RGB Color Harmonies calculator
http://www.easyrgb.com/harmonies.php#Result

Just enter your color in the boxes provided. You can use either decimal (0-255, or 0-1) or hexadecimal (00-FF) values. On the next screen, you'll get a grid of complimentary colors based on the color you provided. Color values are provided in decimal and hexadecimal forms. This is a really great tool for getting color ideas for web projects.

Free Online Small Business Summit, March 19-23

From March 19-23, Microsoft is holding a free online summit aimed at small businesses. Sessions will be led by leading small business and technology experts in finance, marketing, productivity, security and more. Topics include both business-related areas (branding, marketing, sales) and technical areas (demonstrations of Windows Vista, Office 2007, etc.)

Highlights include:

• Kevin Turner, Microsoft, Chief Operating Officer, Solutions for Small Business: Microsoft COO Kevin Turner discusses how technology can make a big difference for entrepreneurs.
• Julie Clark, Founder of Baby Einstein, The Importance of Branding: Baby Einstein founder Julie Clark explains why and how to create a powerful brand.
• Guy Kawasaki, Author and Venture Capitalist, The Art of Innovation: Venture capitalist and author Guy Kawasaki lays out the strategic steps for creating new products and services.
• The Sloan Brothers, Radio hosts of StartupNation, Turn Your Dreams into a Business: The Sloan Brothers, hosts of radio's StartUp-Nation, kick off a day devoted entirely to the budding entrepreneur.

Don't miss this great opportunity! Sign up or learn more at:
http://www.sbsummit.com

Zamzar - Neat site to convert files between formats, or pull down YouTube / Google videos

A friend sent me a link to a really neat site today called Zamzar. It's kind of a strange name, but it's a really neat tool. The idea here is that you can upload any file and then Zamzar will convert it to another format that you specify. This doesn't sound too neat, but it does solve the problem I've had of converting those 3g2 files from my cellphone into a format that I can actually do something with.

What's even better, though, is that you can put in a URL for any of the major video sharing sites and Zamzar will pull down the video into a format that you can then download, like WMV or MOV. That has some great potential for getting at content that is otherwise locked inside a Flash applet.

How long does Microsoft support Windows?

Recently, someone asked me how long Windows XP will be supported, now that Windows Vista has been released. The current support rule is that operating systems are given mainstream support for 5 years, followed by extended support (for most operating systems) for 5 years. During mainstream support, new features are added to the operating system as necessary, in addition to bug and security fixes. During extended support, only security updates are released.

Windows 98 is currently out of support. No security updates are being released for Windows 98, making it a dangerous operating system for web browsing.

Windows 2000 was released on 3/31/2000 and is currently in extended support. Security updates will continue to be offered for Windows 2000 through 7/13/2010.

Windows XP was released on 12/31/2001 and is currently in mainstream support through 4/14/2009. This means that new features are still being released for Windows XP (e.g. new versions of Windows Media Player, the DST patch, etc.), in addition to bug fixes and security updates. On 4/15/2009, Windows XP will enter extended support, where only security updates are offered. Extended support for Windows XP will end on 4/8/2014.

Windows Vista was released on 1/25/2007, and is currently scheduled to have mainstream support through 4/10/2012. Windows Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, and Ultimate are currently not scheduled to receive extended support. Windows Vista Business and Enterprise are scheduled to receive extended support through 4/11/2017.

Support was extended for Windows XP several times, partially in reaction to Windows Vista's delays. So keep in mind that Windows Vista's support timeframe may be extended as well, based on when Microsoft is able to release the next version of Windows. Microsoft is currently working to reduce the time lag between major versions of Windows.

DevConnections Spring 2007 - I'm Officially In

It's official -- I'll be attending DevConnections in Orlando this March. It was a tough call between DevConnections (Orlando, March 2007), DevTeach (Montreal, May 2007), and TechEd (Orlando, June 2007).

Hamachi - Nice free VPN software

I was looking around for some nice free VPN software for a client today. They aren't running a Windows Server, so currently they're just using the VPN hosting built in to Windows XP Professional. However, this method is limited to one simultaneous connection, and the client is outgrowing that limit.

A while ago, I ran across Hamachi - a free software solution that can traverse firewalls, etc. to easily create VPNs. I couldn't remember the name, however, when I went to look for it today. Finally, I found it:
http://hamachi.cc/

Apparently Himachi has been purchased by LogMeIn -- another solution that I'm a big fan of. It will be interesting to see if LogMeIn integrates Himachi into their primary product offering.

Daylight Savings Time 2007 Update for Windows Mobile

So a few weeks ago, I downloaded the Daylight Savings Time 2007 Update for my Motorola Q (Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone Edition) device, but it didn't seem to do anything. When I went to appointments occurring between March 11 and April 1, they were still showing up 1 hour early. Perhaps, I thought, my hosted Exchange provider has not applied the DST update on their server. However, today I found the simple solution to my problem. To apply the DST update, you have to change your timezone to something else, and then change it back to your actual timezone. Strange, but it fixed the problem!

To grab the update... Using the Microsoft Internet Explorer Mobile browser on your device, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile and download/install the Daylight Saving Time 2007 Update for Windows Mobile. I was surprised that on my Windows Mobile 5 Smartphone it gave me an error saying that the update was designed for an older version of Windows Mobile, but everything seemed to work fine.

Don't forget to change your timezone to something else, close the time settings screen, then change your timezone back to put the update into effect.

Exchange Server 2007 free trial

I found something neat today -- a website that gives you a free 5-day trial of Exchange Server 2007. This lets you try out the latest version of Outlook Web Access, but more exciting is that it lets you try out Exchange Server's new phone-based access, where you can access anything in Outlook via telephone. They give you a toll-free number that you can call into to try it when you sign up. It's all free, hosted by Unisys!https://signmeup.exchange2007demo.com/exchange2007demo/

The next version of Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office 2007 is out the door now, so everyone is starting to wonder "What's next?" A long time ago, Office was given version numbers, like Word 6.0. With Windows 95, that changed to a year, yield Office 95, Office 97, and Office 2000. Then, with Windows XP, they gave Office a matching moniker, so we had Office XP. Since then, it's been back to years with Office 2003 and Office 2007. However, through all of this, the version number system has still been maintained. So Office 2007 is actually Office version 12. It was actually referred to as Office 12 during the beta period.

So the next version, then, would be Office 13. But that's kind of unlucky, so during a recent TechNet radio chat, Eric Vigesaa, Program Manager for Office system client applications, stated “13 is unlucky, so we’re calling it Office 14." It looks like we can expect Office 14 in about 2 years, during the first half of 2009. That very well could change, but that's the current target.

Microsoft is serious about continuing to invest in the R&D for the Office suite, to the tune of $930 million PER YEAR (about 20% more than the investment in Office 2007). That's a lot of research and development!!

Self-Activating the "Watch Now" Feature in Netflix

Several weeks ago, Netflix announced that they would be rolling out a feature that lets you watch movies on-demand via your Netflix account. They said that this would be a gradual roll-out, and users should log in and watch for a "Watch Now" tab to appear in their online account.

I logged into my account this morning, but still no "Watch Now" tab. So in the top-right corner, I clicked "Help". At the top of the list of "Quick Links" was "Where do I find movies I can watch instantly on my PC?" I clicked on that link and was taken to a page with a link to "learn more about instant viewing." When I followed the link, I was taken to http://www.netflix.com/WatchNow, which said congratulations, your account has now been activated for Watch Now. So now at the top, I see a tab that says "Watch Now".

Did I really just self-activate my Netflix account for the "Watch Now" feature? I think I did... Shhhh... keep it a secret. :-)

My Outlook got its DST update today

Microsoft Outlook 2007 prompted for its Daylight Saving Time update today. I was pretty excited about this, until it told me that it would update all 6,022 items in my calendar with the new time zone. "You're going to do WHAT to my calendar items?" I said. So up came a list of the 6,022 items, ready fo rtheir update. "Alright, what's important?" I thought. So I went through and selected some important appointments over the next several months (enough for a spread out sample set) and wrote down their start times. Then off the update went. Quick? NO. Now granted I'm not using the fastest laptop right now, but GEESH... this thing has been running for a LONG time. My calendar goes all the way back to college, and it's updating every single appointment to the "new" timezone. There's a [View Log] button that lets you see a text file that details each updated appointment, including the old start/end times and the new start/end times. So far, I don't see any entries that have changes, which is GREAT! This update really shouldn't be changing the times, it's just changing the signature of the timezone attached to each calendar entry.

Interestingly... the said that it would send email updates to other people invited to the meetings. That seems obnoxious. I don't have any meetings in my calendar with attendees, so I guess I won't be able to see how that works.

My grip, though, is that this update is in a modal dialog box, and it's taking a LONG time and my Outlook is complete inaccessible during this time. Almost as if to tease me, my new mail notifications keep appearing, but I can't access them. It's not really getting in my way, as I have my Q to access anything important, or I could always open Outlook Web Access, but it's somewhere between comical and annoying.

Outlook and I are celebrating our 8th anniversary

While I was doing my Outlook Daylight Savings Time update, I realized something neat... this month marks 8 years of calendar history for me in Outlook. In February 1999, I first started using Outlook to manage my calendar, having switched over from the Palm desktop, and before that an obscure calendar program for a strange little PDA I had.

Outlook and I have been through a lot together. When our relationship first started, I was just a sophomore in college. In the past 8 years, I've graduated, started a business, gotten married, traveled, and had two kids. 6,022 calendar entries later, Outlook's still there for me. :-)

So this makes me wonder... will I ever purge Outlook of its history? That would be kind of sad. It be neat to someday sit down with my kids and show them what I was doing in 1999.

AutoPatcher takes the leg work out of getting a new XP installation up to the latest patches

One thing I always dread when installing a new computer is getting it up to the latest patches. Not only is this time-consuming, but I'm also never that comfortable with the idea of connecting an unpatched machine onto the Internet, even if it has a firewall up.

I've found a solution to this problem -- a free tool called AutoPatcher, available at http://www.autopatcher.com/. There is a separate download for each supported Operating System, and packages are released monthly. It seems that every several months, there is a full package, which bundles up all previous months. Other months have update packages. So to get everything, download the latest full package and all update packages released AFTER the full package.

It seems that most of the downloads are done via mirrors and torrents, so I recommend checking the MD5 checksum of the files you download before you use them. The latest MD5 hashes are availabel at: http://www.autopatcher.com/md5. Then, download a program that can check the MD5 hash against the file you download. I use a free utility -- MD5 Checker 2.3.

Info et Cetera Consulting Earns Certified Partner Status in Microsoft Partner Program

Worcester, MA - Nov. 27, 2006 - Info et Cetera Consulting, innovative solutions for innovative businesses, is proud to announce it has earned certified status in Microsoft Corp.’s Partner Program, recognizing our expertise and total impact in the technology marketplace. As a Certified Partner, Info et Cetera Consulting has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customer needs. Microsoft Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access, training and support, that give them a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

"Only companies that have demonstrated high levels of customer service, proved their experience and attained advanced certification receive the designation of Microsoft Certified Partner," said Allison Watson, vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft. "Today, Microsoft recognizes Info et Cetera Consulting for its skills and expertise in providing customer satisfaction with Microsoft products and technology."

"We are extremely pleased to have earned certified status in the Microsoft Partner Program. The certified status allows us to clearly promote our expertise and relationship with Microsoft to our customers," said John Pattison, Lead Consultant at Info et Cetera. "The benefits provided through our certified membership will allow us to continue to enhance the offerings that we provide for customers."

The Microsoft Partner Program was launched in December 2003 and represents Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to the success of partners worldwide. The Microsoft Partner Program offers a single, integrated partnering framework that recognizes partner expertise, rewards the total impact that partners have in the technology marketplace, and delivers more value to help partners’ businesses be successful.

Info et Cetera Consulting is a group of consultants committed to bringing quality technical services within reach for small-to-mid sized business. Info et Cetera offers consultants with a broad set of experience and skills to help businesses, included state-of-the-art custom software development, Enterprise-level information technology support, and seasoned marketing acumen. Learn more at: http://www.InfoEtc.com