DOT NET frequently asked questions

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dndotnet/html/faq111700.asp
http://www.eponymous.eclipse.co.uk/dotnetfaq.htm#1.1
http://www.techinterviews.com/index.php?p=74
http://www.dotnetspider.com/technology/kbpages/1068.aspx
http://www.techinterviews.com/index.php?p=54
http://www.dotnetspider.com/technology/kbpages/1070.aspx
http://www.gotdotnet.com/team/clr/AppdomainFAQ.aspx

Mapping in Biztalk(between different documnts or schemas)

The transformation defined in a map can be simple, such as copying a name and address from one document to another. Direct data copies like this are expressed by using a link, which is shown in BizTalk Mapper as a line connecting the appropriate elements in the source schema with their counterparts in the destination schema. More complex transformations are also possible by using functoids. A functoid is a chunk of executable code that can define arbitrarily complex mappings between XML schemas, and BizTalk Mapper represents it as a box on the line connecting the elements being transformed. Because some of those transformations are fairly common, BizTalk Server 2004 includes a number of built-in functoids. These built-in functoids are grouped into categories that include the following:·
Mathematical functoids.
Perform operations such as adding, multiplying, and dividing the values of fields in the source document and storing the result in a field in the target document.
Conversion functoids.
Convert a numeric value to its ASCII equivalent and vice-versa.
Logical functoids.
Used to determine whether an element or attribute should be created in the target document based on a logical comparison between specified values in the source document. Those values can be compared for equality, greater than/less than, and in other ways.
Cumulative functoids.
Compute averages, sums, or other values from various fields in the source document, and then store the result in a single field in the target document.Database functoids. Access information stored in a database

SQL Server 2005(Yukon) specialities & .NET Integration and What It Does for You

The most evident change in Yukon is a far greater integration with the .NET Framework. The current versions of SQL Server 2000 are accessible via CLR-hosted assemblies, but the DBMS engine itself is not integrated with .NET. As a result, multi-tiered deployment involves bridging technologies like ADO.NET, and database coding is constrained to Microsoft's own SQL dialect, Transact-SQL (aka T-SQL). In contrast, Yukon will host a CLR directly in the DBMS engine, meaning that code written in C#, VB.NET, and other .NET languages can be executed by SQL Server. (This is in addition to Transact-SQL.)
Given the greater expressiveness of C# and VB.NET, this feature will greatly facilitate coding, and it will remove the requirement that programmers learn advanced features of SQL to perform straightforward tasks. In fact, should they wish to, developers can code stored procedures, triggers, and user-defined functions (UDFs) entirely in .NET languages. Microsoft uses the System.Data.SqlServer namespace to provide this .NET access to SQL Server. (Readers who are members of Microsoft's MSDN network can download beta versions of Yukon and the needed .NET files from the MSDN website to begin testing this functionality.)
Yukon will also be better integrated with Microsoft's flagship IDE, Visual Studio .NET. While this environment supports the .NET languages well, SQL Server and T-SQL are not exactly first-class citizens with the plenary support enjoyed by C# and VB.NET. The new version of SQL Server aims to correct this by being more tightly integrated with Visual Studio (via plug-ins) so as to provide better support for T-SQL and XML, and by adding support for OLAP technologies, such as XML for Analysis (XML/A, an OLAP and business intelligence interface) and Multidimensional Expression (MDX, a syntax for querying multidimensional data in SQL Server). In addition, Visual Studio .NET 2005 (code-named Whidbey) is slated to include a set of advanced reporting controls for Yukon.
Notification Service
A problem that pervades all database development is the question of the currency of the data: Has the data I am using been updated? This question underlies data-locking schemes, two-phased commits, and almost all important database activities.One infrequently discussed activity where this problem is a chronic nuisance is data cached by applications themselves, specifically Web applications. Why cache the data if it has to be reread each time to make sure no update has occurred?This question is addressed directly in Yukon by a new notification service. In its simplest form, this enables developers to identify certain commands to SQL Server by use of a notification tag. This notification requests that the database inform the application anytime that running the same command would generate different results. In this way, applications that cache data can simply query this notification (which is stored in a queue) and determine whether a data refresh is warranted.
Expanded XML Support
Previous versions of SQL Server supported XML via the use of "shredding," which is the parsing of XML tag components into the corresponding relational table columns. Yukon supports XML natively. Although, it will not become a true XML database (a category that is a specialty niche), Yukon will offer a native XML data type. This enhancement lifts XML from the category of "bunch of strings" to a type with which unique activities are associated. For example, SQL Server 2005 will enable queries to portions of an XML document, validation of the document against an XML schema, and even modification of the XML document in place. As for the underlying representation, the XML data is stored as a binary large object (BLOB), which enables the database to perform compression whenever possible.Queries against XML data can be performed using XML Query (XQuery), which is an evolving specification from the W3C often used in conjunction with XPath. Yukon will implement the statically typed subset of this "SQL of XML," based on the W3C's working draft of November 15, 2003.
Web Services—
Dramatic ImprovementYukon's support for Web services is a dramatic improvement over previous releases. Notably, the DBMS engine will serve as an HTTP listener. This functionality means that Web services can be developed in the database tier and accessed without a middle tier listener such as IIS. Literally send the HTTP SOAP request to a URL which is listened to by SQL Server and you can execute ad hoc T-SQL commands. For every listener, SQL Server 2005 sets up a separate URL, so it is possible to expose many Web services directly from the database engine.This innovation means that SQL Server can be accessed without recourse to ODBC, JDBC, or ADO. Consequently, it will be particularly attractive to sites that use Web services to integrate disparate databases. And it will be especially useful for applications that run on intermittently connected endpoints (such as handheld devices) and which need quick connect capabilities.(The HTTP listener capability, by the by, is currently supported only on Windows Server 2003 due to the need for the specific HTTP driver that comes with that version of the operating system.)

Understanding Biztalk Server

Biztalk server is used for integration of different applications, work flow implementation etc.You can use BizTalk Server 2004 in a variety of ways. Traditionally, BizTalk Server has been used for application integration, where the following two scenarios are most important:· Connecting applications within a single organization, commonly referred to as enterprise application integration (EAI)· Connecting applications in different organizations, often called business-to-business (B2B) integrationApplicatins can be hetrogenious or homogenious or mixture.

Sending and Receiving Messages in Biztalk: Adapters

Because the BizTalk Server 2004 engine must talk to a wide range of other software, it relies on a range of adapters to make this possible. An adapter is an implementation of a communication mechanism, such as a particular protocol.
· SOAP adapter. Enables sending and receiving messages by using SOAP over HTTP. Because SOAP is the core protocol for Web services, this adapter gives BizTalk Server 2004 the ability to interact in a Web services world. As usual with Web services, URLs are used to identify the sending and receiving systems.
·BizTalk Message Queuing adapter. Enables sending and receiving messages by using BizTalk Message Queuing (MSMQT). BizTalk Message Queuing is an implementation of the Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ) protocol that can receive and send MSMQ messages from and to the MessageBox database. It is not a replacement for MSMQ, but rather an efficient way to use the MSMQ transport with BizTalk Server.
· File adapter. Enables reading from and writing to files in the Windows file system. Because the applications involved in a business process can often access the same file system, either locally or across a network, exchanging messages through files can be a convenient option.
· HTTP adapter. Enables sending and receiving information by using HTTP. The BizTalk Server 2004 engine exposes one or more URLs to allow other applications to send data to it, and it can use this adapter to send data to other URLs.
· SMTP adapter. Enables sending messages by using Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). Standard e-mail addresses are used to identify the parties.
· SQL adapter. Enables reading and writing information from and to a SQL Server database.
· Base EDI adapter. Enables sending and receiving messages by using the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) X-12 and Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce, and Trade (EDIFACT) standards.
· FTP adapter. Enables exchange of files between BizTalk and FTP servers.

Authentication in ASP.NET: .NET Security Guidance

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/dnbda/html/authaspdotnet.asp

transaction handling in Biztalk Server 2004

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/BTS_2004WP/html/ed17b4fc-ddc1-4a41-a134-7d11b2ea3a87.asp