I got curious about it and then I tried a simple test against Microsoft Query via Excel Import External Data feature, and Yes! Microsoft Query is not recognizing some of my test query parameters. If it does recognize the1st and the 2nd parameters, why it does not recognize the 3rd? I have no idea why, but I guess it’s a bug and they forget to debug it - so be it :D

Microsoft Query allows you to enter a hard coded SQL statement with parameters directly into the editor but it didn’t work as I described previously so we need to figure out another way to get around it.

As we know that most Database servers allow you to create a stored SQL statement for future use such as “query” on MS-Access and “stored procedure” on SQLServer. This ability gives me an idea:

What if I create an MS-Access query which can accept parameters and then call it from Excel’s Import External Data feature? Can Microsoft Query recognize all the parameters with this kind of method? The answer is Yes! Microsoft Query is recognizing all of the parameters.

Following are the steps on how to call stored procedure to Import External Data into Microsoft Excel. Some steps may look strange but based on my tests, each of them needs to be taken correctly,

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MS-ACCESS PART

1. Open the your Access DB
2. Create a Query by using SQL mode
3. Enter your SQL statement there (inluding the ? sign)
4. Save it as “MyQuery”

ODBC SETTING

1. Create an ODBC Connection to your DB

EXCEL PART

1. Navigate to Data -> Import External Data -> New Database Query
2. On the Database Tab, select the ODBC name you had created
3. Click OK
4. Click Cancel (just do it)
5. Select Yes if Microsoft Query ask you to edit the query
6. Click Close on Add Tables dialog (just do it)
7. Click SQL button on the toolbar
8. Enter {Call MyQuery(?, ?, ?)}
9. Click OK <- You will get an error message, Click OK to continue anyway
10. Enter each of your parameter
11. Close Microsoft Query
12. Insert The imported data on your worksheet
13. Select any cell on the area where you put the imported data then go to Data -> Refresh Data

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The question mark there is a sign that it can accept parameter. Let me give you an example to ease the understanding just in case this kind of stuff is a new one for you. So if you type an SQL statement like the one below into the MS-Access Query Designer (SQL Mode):

and then you save the query as “MyQuery“, when you call the query using the following syntax from Microsoft Query (SQL Mode):

That call will pass the parameter value (100) to “MyQuery” and in the background it will actually generate an SQL statement like the following,

That’s how it works, the question mark is replaced by the parameter value passed to MS-Access saved query.

TIPS IF YOU USE SQLSERVER INSTEAD OF MS-ACCESS

If you use SQLServer instead of MS-Access to Import External Data into MS-Excel, the method is the same but on SQLServer we call the saved query as “stored procedure” and here is the syntax to create it based on the example above:

So, if you are having the same problem with hard coded SQL Statement when you need to import external data into Microsoft Excel, you can try this method.

Good luck :) and don’t forget to check the discussion thread related to this issue on IT-Toolbox for more detail.

I remember watching The Secrets movie which is talking about a mindset on how to get a wealthy life, a success in many areas of your life just by using your mind.

Well, it may works for most of us because we have the infrastructure to do it or at least we have the information on how to start it, but for the people who don’t have any chance to access the infrastructure, who still thinking nothing except about how to feed their family on daily basis, it needs more than a mindset to get them out from poverty.

As Sonia Simone said in a different words that “the problem they are facing is not an illusion. It can not be easily ignored by thinking that it’s not there“, it’s real and it has been happening from generation to generation. It needs actions from others to help them out by giving them a chance to do it.

Nothing can be blamed. But it’s just sad to see who capable of doing something to make a difference still done nothing about it. I am not trying to be provocative so you can be a full time volunteer to overcome poverty - no, since not everyone has the calling for it, I just want to say that we can make a different by doing what we can do at the moment, no matter how small it is.

I have a big dream to build a free internet education center for kids who still don’t have a chance for it, but I guess it’s just to big at the moment so I decided to take action on the small one. I am now sponsoring two kids, paying for their education fee so they can graduate from senior high school. Only two kids and only to get them graduated from senior high because I can’t afford to give more. But those kids have been giving me the the great feeling I’ve never felt before. Reading their letters, their stories, knowing that what I am doing are meant to them make me feel useful. Believe me, it’s a great feeling, you should try it :D

If you willing to start by doing what I have been doing on education part that will be a good start. I don’t have the list of foundations who willing to ease the process for you if you don’t have time to directly do it but I know a foundation which is working good delivering the hope for children on my country since I know the people who take care of the process here. FYI: I am one of their sponsored child when I was in college. It’s The World Hope International. It’s not only for my country, it’s also working on over 30 countries.

“This is our moment. This is our time. This is our chance to stand up for what’s right. We’re not looking for charity, we’re looking for justice. We cannot fix every problem, but the ones we can, we must.” Bono, Live 8 Concert

Following are some blog posts I’ve read so far related to Blog Action Day 2008. Let’s make a different Guys…

• Zoe Westhof - How $10 Can Actually Make a Difference
• Charlie Gilkey - Four Easy Reasons to Ignore World Poverty
• Nichelle Strzepek - Blog Action Day: ASTEP Toward Ending Poverty
• Judy Dunn - Blog Action Day 2008: Abadou’s Birthday

The painful part when finding a new FTP Client is when I need to test-run it on my machine to choose the most suitable one since I don’t fully rely on screenshots and online descriptions. My requirements are:

• It should give me an easy ways to browse both local files and remote files. It means that the local file browser and the remote file browser should be accessible on a single window (split arrangement is preferred) and it should be placed close to each other so I can easily drag files between them.
• It should have transfer queue feature, real time debug information to monitor each process, a reporting feature such as failed transfer report, a good account manager to save my existing accounts.
• and of course it have to be FREE :D

There are so many of them available on the net. Free FTP Client key phrase with your search engine will give you a list. I tested some of them including CoreFTP, GoFTP, WinSCP, FileZilla and FireFTP. All of them perform good with the basic function but the last two are my favourite since they met the requirements I need. Let’s talk a bit about them,

FireFTP Client

It’s not a stand alone FTP Client but it’s a Mozilla Firefox add-on originally created by Mime ?uvalo, this gives me a lightweight impression when using it, but it works like the other stand alone one. You can get it for free from it’s official website. Once installed it is accessible via Firefox’s [Tools] menu. Fire FTP has several features such as Search/Filter, Sync Directories and Sub Directories. A bit surprised from it when I can’t see my .htaccess file on the server but it’s because files with a period in front of them like .htaccess are considered ‘hidden’ in the FTP world. To display these files go to Tools->Options->Show Hidden Files.

FileZilla FTP Client

I found this before on 2005 but it was not like what I see today. I got surprised with the development. It’s far more complete now. FileZilla is open source software distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License, a fast and reliable cross-platform FTP, FTPS and SFTP client with lots of useful features and an intuitive graphical user interface. Although it needs a window for each connection since it does not provide a tabbed style interface, it supports resume and transfer of large files >4GB (I haven’t had time to test it) and the Account Manager is cool - love it :) It is also available in many languages.

Kantaris can play almost anything you can throw at it: AVI, MPEG, MGEG-AVC, WMV, MOV, MKV, quicktime, matroska, divx, xvid, H264, MP3, WMA, OGG files and more.

Kantaris can also play DVDs and audio CDs. The player also displays some of the most beautiful music visualizations ever seen. All this is completely free.

I am not good in digital music requirements but I guess the quality of digital music depends on many factors such as the quality of source file, the soundcard, the speaker including the placement and the software player itself.

I am now using Realtek HD Audio Soundcard - it’s an OnBoard card on my GigaByte mainboard, a GigaByte software mixer, and a tiny low-end 2.1 Camac Speaker.

I have been testing those combination with several payers including WinAmp, Windows Media Player, AShampoo Media Player and Kantaris Media Player. If you ask me which one is the best according to my ears, I choose Kantaris Media Player.

Why? Because acoording to me, the combination of GigaByte Mixer Features and Kantaris Equalizer - with that speaker, I know it’s not that good - can produce the sound of music that I really like. A relatively clear sound which doesn’t necessarily need to be loud but when I hear it I can differentiate the bass, the middle and the treble in a clean shape/form with a solid mixing so almost every detail can be heard.

I play the file, in this case an mp3 file using the software combination of Kantaris’ Equalizer Preset called “Clear”, GigaByte’s Equalizer Preset called “Rock” and GigaByte’s Environment Effect called “Carpeted Hallway”. It sounds pretty good, at least with my ears :D

Interested to test it yourself? You can visit Kantaris Homepage to download it. Kantaris is completely free! No hidden fees, spyware or adware.

All I need is to check whether my program is not forgetting to free any DB connection instances when it is terminated and this TCPView for windows give me what I need.

Using TCPView

When you start TCPView it will enumerate all active TCP and UDP endpoints, resolving all IP addresses to their domain name versions. You can use a toolbar button or menu item to toggle the display of resolved names. On Windows NT, 2000 and XP systems TCPView shows the name of the process that owns each endpoint.

By default, TCPView updates every second, but you can use the View|Update Speed menu item to change the rate. Endpoints that change state from one update to the next are highlighted in yellow; those that are deleted are shown in red, and new endpoints are shown in green.

You can close established TCP/IP connections (those labeled with a state of ESTABLISHED) by selecting File|Close Connections, or by right-clicking on a connection and choosing Close Connections from the resulting context menu.

If you want to see who owns the domain registered for a remote address, select the item containing the name and choose Whois from the context menu or the File menu. You can save TCPView’s output window to a file using the Save menu item.

Available Download

• Download TCPView For Windows