ISAM file again

Recently, I play with ISAM again. This time I need to get data from Paradox. It was really a paradox!

I guess the vendor's using the latest version, as I got some Unicode data returned.
However, I got some corrupted data (probably returning doube-byte text or ANSI as Unicode/nvarchar) ... and it is a foreign key.
The table returns a Unicode column to me but storing invalid characters (it was simplified-Chinese text).
It's pretty hilarious.

Now I can't join the tables with standard SQL scripts.

I've started to study the encoding problem...that's quite boring.
BTW, I need to overcome it asap. OT is expected.

DTS error: Invalid pointer error

This time I've wrote a stored-procedure to export data to a DBF file using DTS.
The procedure works fine in Query-analyzer but gets the error "invalid pointer" during DTS.

Step Error Source: Microsoft Data Transformation Services (DTS) Data Pump
Step Error Description:Invalid pointer

I've got the workaround but not the reason.
- add the following statement to the beginning ... and the error's gone.
SET NOCOUNT ON

ps: I'm using MSDE only.

Accessing FoxPro table with .NET data provider

Today I've tried to code sth to read, write data & admin tables stored as Foxpro data table (a.k.a. Foxpro .dbf file).
Well, I've tried both ODBC & OleDB data providers.
I hate to tell myself they both didn't work.

It's so funny.
When I run this script:
CREATE TABLE test (v1 bit, v2 boolean)
They both give me same table created:
test (v1 double, v2 double)
It seems they can read SQL_BIT but not create.

I was surfing the whole day but still can't figure out what's the exact problem.
Most of the pages are talking about Data-Type mapping or FoxPro's compatibility to .NET

Well, I'm off now,
but I'll be back tomorrow!

Windows Vista Screenshots

Here are some Vista screenshots.
� Windows Vista Screenshots � | BetaDot

It looks good, but I don't care much on its outlook.

Migrating to VB.NET

Recently I'm getting with VB again.
As I've given it up 2+ years ago, I forgot most VB syntax and keywords.

This is a web page that I used as a VB.NET <-> C# translator.
VB.NET and C# Comparison

As stated clearly, it is a syntax comparison document between 2 languages.

I expect I'll be attached to VB.NET for coming projects and system mirgrations.
Nonetheless, I still love C# much more than other .NET IL