Home - Tyler

3/20/2007

I travelled to Seattle, WA last week to attend the Microsoft MVP Summit. The last summit occured just before I was awarded the MVP status, so the trip became my first non-work related trip (I'll post eventually about the difference).

The conference was mediocre, at best. If you went to network or gossip or just enjoy life, you had a blast. If you went to learn something valuable, chances are, you left seriously disappointed. Seeing as how I not only have non-stop direct access to the product team via other contracts, my concern isn't so much about education on VE/MWS, but, it would have been nice to learn something about the rest of the Live platform. At the end of the day, the global MVP Live group all essentially said the same thing: Live is the new .NET - moniker everything with Live, see what sticks.

But, let's move away from the negatives into the positives:

Bill Gates is very interesting to hear, and very willing to answer questions. Highlight of his keynote: an MVP asking him to sign the first manual from Gates & co. (which he smiled and agreed to. Fun fact - Bill is left handed).
Canada officially became a hated country by the other 1600 MVP's as we wore our bright red jersey's, constantly chanted "CAN-A-DA" and generally became more pompous asses than the American's. I blame Toronto MVP's.
Steve Sinofsky is the best SVP I've ever listened to. He answers your questions, makes you feel like he gave you the information you wanted, then, five minutes later, it hits you - he didn't answer anything!
The dinner's were a lot of fun, especially crashing the Dev gamers (running joke was we'd be the only guys able to drink). Actually learnt a lot about the XNA platform over a few Alaskan Amber's.

Will I go back next year? Maybe...if they pay for everything again, chances are leaning to a strong yes :)

Posted at 9:56 AM by Tyler Davey | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/26/2007

Logging Time to Project Server through TFS

One of my mandates for FY 07 is to improve our team processes. Last year, we exploded in both revenue and size (~ 300% revenue and ~ 200% team). Whenever you have an explosion in growth, the first order of business is contain the damage. You throw money, people, and energy at your projects to ensure your customers stay happy, but ignore anything that has to deal with team processes until the dust starts to settle.

Around December, the dust began to settle, and we took a two pronged initiative: 1. Replace our support system. 2. Introduce TFS + Project + SharePoint integration.

The first piece was simple - we used outside consultants to help us implement BMC Service Desk Express. The implementation went smooth, the deployment had it's bumps, and the team is getting used to the application. All in all, management's life is better, support is becoming easier, and with a second phase planned, the system will make our customers happier.

The second initiative is still in progress, but, for the most part, the progress is moving nicely. Until, that is, we tried to log our time in TFS and export the time into project.

When you create a project plan and level resources, Microsoft project dictates the start and end dates based on the resources availability and the predecssors that are set. The actual order you execute the tasks in could (and for our projects, usually do) change. Then, when your developer/architect/QA Analyst logs their time into Project Server, the Project plan adjusts the start and end dates based on the user's start and end date, also known as actual dates instead of projected dates. Unfortunately, TFS goes in the exact opposite direction. When you try logging time to TFS for a project plan, TFS ignores the day you logged your time on (actual date), and sets the time to the projected date on the project server.

So, if you have a task that starts three weeks from now, but you decide to start it early (no predecessor restriction), when you log your time in TFS on the task, project reflects the time as occuring three weeks in the future instead of on the actual date you executed the work.

And no, there is no solution or work around that I've found yet. Just the promise of a tighter coupling between TFS and Project and SharePoint with v2 of TFS.

Promises, promises.

Posted at 1:43 PM by Tyler Davey | Category: Project/Account/Employee Management | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/19/2007

Google Copy/Paste...a.k.a The Mini Map

You say it is much more than just my last mistake/

Then we should spend some time apart for both our sakes

- Snow Patrol

A few weeks ago, Microsoft unveiled their latest add-on to Virtual Earth, the Mini-Map. The Mini-Map sits right next to the VE 4.0 Map Control, inside of a little rectangle. When you expand the control, out pops a, well, literally a miniture map. The Mini-Map allows you to toggle between Hybrid and Road views, and move the map without moving the actual map. Once you stop dragging inside the Mini-Map, the main map snaps to the new location. Pretty neat, but not all that different from Google's implementation about 4 months ago (minus the ability to switch between Hybrid and Road, without affecting the main map view).

However, what really sets the Mini-Map apart from Google is the integration of the Mini-Map with Bird's Eye Imagery. Prior to the launch of the Mini-Map, when navigating Bird's Eye images, a user would need to use the 3x3 grid to select new images when they ran into the invisible border. Now, a user can use the Mini-Map (or larger map) to execute a continuous scroll without having to click on one of those pesky images. The result: a much better user experience.

The only downfall, at this point, is the Mini-Map is only available on Local.Live.Com - no API yet. Microsoft will bring out an API at soon, but, you need to wait a few more months.

Posted at 1:16 PM by Tyler Davey | Category: Virtual Earth | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/12/2007

The Need For Speed

And then after the smoke is clear/

And the rubble has been swepted away/

Me and TD will peak out our heads/

We've been watching the riots on the monitor 20 floors below sea level from a bunker/

We did it, TD, we beat the bastards from City Hall/

MWAHAHAHAHAHA!

- Tenacious D

I've been down this road before. Kurt even forced me to sign an oath of fealty to the blogging gods, with the threat of eating a cornicopia of poutine looming over my waisteline (jokes on him, I don't expand). Plus, being a Microsoft Virtual Earth MVP, I really should tout the awesomeness (and, sometimes, lack thereof) of Microsoft's mapping solution to the world. After all, I do need to prove that Microsoft should keep sending me a $150 coupon to the company store.

The one problem I've always had - edit: the one problem relating to blogging - is the time issue. My one friend calls me "The Tyler" because I never quit. My boss refers to me as a pitbull, because I grab onto tasks and shake them until they give into my will. Both are right, and both lead me to spending hours working and minimal time with my family. While I'm balancing family and work, I'm also trying to stay sane with some form of a personal activity, which used to revolve around hockey, but is increasingly about changing her poopy bum. My goal with this blog, and with this year, is to spend some time each week coming out with some form of a revelation that you, my humble and bored reader, may find remotely humourous, entertaining, informative, or referencable.

As for the topics, right now, they will deal with one of four main topics:

1. Virtual Earth - Because I don't know the technology, but should.

2. Project/Account/Employee Management - I've spent the last 2 years in management, time for some lessons learned.

3. Sharepoint - I did write a book, which I remember nothing about, and am about to kick off a new business line within my team, which I know nothing about.

4. Ramblings - This post.

If you're interested, stay, and enjoy. I should have this updated every week. If you're not, take a look at another Infusionite blogger.

Posted at 2:36 PM by Tyler Davey | Category: Ramblings | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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