I’ve been trying to convert a SQL Server 2000 database to MySQL, because I’ve grown to like MySQL, and find it easier to manage (using Navicat).

After trying DTS, Navicat’s import features, and a slew of conversion products, I’ve settled on a product I stumbled upon last night.

http://dbconvert.com/

I must say, this is one of the slickest programs I’ve ever used. It just flat-out works.

A problem you’ll find with some of these converters is, they will not define your foreign keys. Ugh! I don’t wanna have to manually define those again! I have 75 tables in this database. DBConvert to the rescue. It seems to define my PK’s, FK’s, and indexes properly – Nice!

It even displays errors and potential problems with your table objects.

The only problem I’ve had is the data itself. DBConvert seems to get “bogged down” when it’s trying to insert a lot of data into my tables. I’m having to manually convert the data using the program’s filter options. It definitely goes a lot faster.I’m simply copying over the data, and unchecking the “copy structure” checkbox. Then you click the Filter button, and manually define what you want. It’s pretty easy.

Adding the data

Enjoy!

I’d like to congratulate my good friend, Brian Fitzgerald, on his addition to the Mach-II team!

I can tell you, Brian has a passion for ColdFusion and frameworks like you’ve never seen. He’s a great guy and is always excited to help me learn what he knows.

Congrats Brian!  You rock dude!

A friend at work pointed me to a resource I’ve never seen – O’Reilly – Safari Books Online.

I signed up for the $42.99/month plan a few weeks ago, and must say I love this service! It house all the books and videos you’ll probably ever need.

I’ve been perusing all the Java content myself, and I’ve gotta say, there’s so much there, it’s WELL worth the $. I don’t think you can beat it.

The only thing I don’t like is the online reading thing. See, I don’t like reading on my computer. It gets old quick!

But overall, I like it and probably will continue using it.

You can signup for a free trial here

I don’t have a truckload of clients, but the ones I DO have sure are enthusiastic, and that’s what I like!

It seems most folks aren’t that jazzed about their websites, or at least, the folks I’ve run into. But when they ARE, it makes everything worthwhile. I try to put everything I’ve got into an application. I like watching my clients make money – that is my job after all. If they make money, I make money. It’s that simple.

So when you receive emails like the ones below, it get’s you even more pumped about what you’re doing. I’ve reprinted these without my clients’ permission, mostly because they have no idea I’m even posting their words on the web anyway.

And if this looks like I’m tooting my own horn, it’s because, I am! 

“you rock !!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Thank you for doing these.  YOU ARE THE BEST !!”

“THANK YOU

let me know the total”

“blog # 1  is done!!!

good idea you had”

“hey will,

you are one of the reasons XXXXXXX has become more successful.
you have worked so hard on this website.  you treat it like its your own company.
everyday i feel lucky to have run into you.  i tell people its is amazing to me how much
will cares about this company.”

This is great stuff. I’m lucky to have some good clients. I’d rather have SOME good ones than a lot of bad ones any day….

I’ve never felt the need to load test any of my apps, because I never felt like they’d receive enough traffic to make a difference in performance.

As time has passed, my apps have grown just a little larger, my visits have increased, and I now work for a company which receives a frickin’ TON of visits every day. It’s time to load test!

Yesterday, I was perusing the latest CF 8 Web Application Construction Kit, by Ben Forta et al, and I ran across a chapter on high-availability sites. In this chapter, it mentioned a tool called WebLoad (www.webload.org).

WebLoad has a free tool that lets you load test your applications. Now, I’m am NOT a load testing expert, and I just started yesterday, but that’s what I loved about this tool. Within 15 minutes, I was load testing my apps. It was too easy! 

Here’s the quickstart guide, which I did not even use to get everything setup.

Here’s what I did:

1. Install the software (duhhhhh….)

2. Open up the IDE and create a new project. Click the record button and this mofo will record all of your clicks and form submissions. How cool is that!! It’s all called an “Agenda”

Click the record button (Inside the red square)

3. Stop recording.

Stop recording, then check out the coolness...

4. Save it as a WebLOAD project file, which will be located in your sessions directory by default.

5. Open up your WebLOAD console.

6. Create a new template using the wizard.

7. Choose “Single Agenda”.

8. Now, Choose that agenda project  you just saved in step 4.

9.  This part was just a little tricky for me. I double-clicked my computer name. It opens a linear dialog box where you can set some parameters. Reduce the total time to 3-5 minutes or so, just for testing. Click “Append”.

10. Click + beside your computer name to expand the times. Select the row with 00 days. Click delete.

11. Click Next, Finish, save the template, and you’re ready to let’er rip!

When it’s done, you’ll see cool *hit like this!

Graph View - My god, I think I just had an orgasm!

Spreadsheet view

Now, if someone could just tell me how to analyze these numbers exactly, I’d be a happy camper.

There’s so much more than I’ve just shown you, I’ve barely scratched the surface.

Have fun load testing!

uhhhhhhhh…… I just noticed Obama’s site is uhhhhhhhhhhh….. PHP.  That uhhhhhhhh… doesn’t uhhhhhhhh surprise me. You can just watch the embarrassingly sad video below and tell uhhhhhhhh…. the guy doesn’t have much sense without a teleprompter. Bush uhhhhhhhh…. runs circles around the guy.

BTW, you ever notice when the guy stumbles, everybody makes excuses like this: “He hasn’t had much sleep”.

Huh? Bush never got that kind of treatment. Oh, I forgot, he isn’t a Democrat.

Please be warned, this video is pretty embarrassing. 

In keeping with my monthly routine, I must write yet another entry about Vista.

If scientists discover a new asteroid, 1,000 miles in circumference, composed completely of space garbage, I think they should name it Vista.

That’s it…

Me and my buddy Brian at work here have decided to pick up another language. After much discussion of the crappiest, most-Vista’ish (This technique stolen from Ray Camden) languages/platforms that ever existed, we decided to go with Java instead.

To get started, you’ll need the JDK, which can be downloaded here.

I also downloaded Netbeans IDE and a bunch of tools that don’t mean much to me at the present time.

Yes, I’ve read Ray’s blog and related comments on the certification process. And yes, there’s a lot of controversy swirling around Adobe’s Certification exams at the present, but I really have no choice on whether to take it or not, as the company I work for likes having certified developers on staff.

What did I think of the exam itself? There were plenty of good questions, some OK questions, and a few just-plain-dumbly-worded questions. Hey, I can use the word “dumbly” if I want. It’s my blog! But overall, it was OK. I’m sure if I had failed, I would’ve blasted the exam for being completely incompetent.  

So how did I do? Is a score of 96 good enough? 

Other stats:
Total Questions: 64
Time allowed: 110 minutes
Time taken: 30-35 minutes
Number of survey questions at the beginning of the exam that totally pissed me off because I wanted to get started: Too many!

I’m officially certified “advanced” now! Yayyyyyy!

I’d like to give credit to the folks that deserve it, especially since I wouldn’t have passed without their help.

• Me
• Me
• Me

OK, that was a joke… 

• House Of Fusion – I believe reading the vast amount of info on this site will improve your skills more than any other resource. Thank you Michael and Judith Dinowitz!
• Exam Buster - This exam software is essential in passing the certification exam. It was dead-on with the questions it contains. I would highly recommend that you spend a few bucks on Brian’s software. Just spend a week or two completing the exams, and you’ll be on your way to “Will Status”.
• Any of the folks you see listed in the right menu of my blog, and then some! I’ve learned a lot from these guys over the years, and you can’t beat that kind of learning experience. All of them are WAY smarter than myself, so I count on them to help me attain their skill level. I don’t want to name names because I’ll leave people out, and they’ll come after me. You know who you are, and you’re likely on my IM. Or, we work together.
• The ColdFusion Certification study guides

Jeeeeez, you would’ve thought I just climbed Mount Everest! Well, I guess I kinda feel like I did.  

If you’re like me, you have to listen to music while you code. I dunno … there’s just something about it that’s soothing. It’s almost the same as drinking 3 long islands, then coding ( I can build some wild shit after a few). Maybe we’ll talk about that one in another entry. 

Anyway, it’s relaxing, and helps me think about what I’m doin’. Cuz lord knows, I need all the help I can get.

I listen to an online radio station that plays some of the best Beatles music. They play lots of odd Beatles tunes you’ve probably never heard before. I’ve been a big Beatles fan since age 14. I’ve collected memorabilia … the whole nine yards! And I must say, these guys still play Beatles songs I haven’t heard before. Or haven’t heard very often.

Try www.beatlesradio.com yourself!