Monday, June 23, 2008

Management Tips: Creativity for business leaders

Liberalisation, Privatisation and globalisation policies compel industries to compete with the world’s most efficient, innovative, quality-conscious organisations. To survive and thrive in a hyper - competitive environment, individuals as well as organisation should be highly creative.

Creative thinking

Creative thinking involves the ability to find solutions to problems by changing one’s point of view when normal channels fail to give the answers.

Creative abilities

A problem develops when a goal is not achieved. By equipping, developing and sharpening creative abilities, one can solve the problems effectively and efficiently. These abilities are:

Fluency, flexibility, originality, problem sensitivity, ability to elaborate and ability to re-structure.

Steps in creativity

Step - 1: Information Survey

What are we going to achieve?

Have we got right information?

Step - 2: Building a Solution

Once the goal is clear, we can use the idea - generating techniques to come up with possible solutions. A quick use of a technique, perhaps taking 2 or 3 minutes.

Steps - 3: Reality Check

How the suggested solution will affect others in the problem area? That is, bringing the output of the technique into a practical form. Consider the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ points of our idea.

Step - 4: Implementation

Here, we put the solution into practice. This probably the most important stage. Many good ideas have failed due to poor implementation.

Obstacles to creativity

The following aspects, however, hinders creativity:

(1) Our pre-assumption about something leads to convergent thinking.

(2) Structure of brain, which is divided into two halves, is also responsible. The left half handles sequential thought and speech and those functions.

The right half is responsible for holistic thought, images and those functions, generally regarded as artistic.

We give more importance to the left side of the brain than the right. But creativity is a whole brain function.

(3) Obstacles to new ideas uproot originality.

Positive emotions

Positive emotions and creativity go hand in hand. The most obvious reason: Positive emotions leads to stress reduction which improves present mindedness as a result of better blood flow to the brain.

Another suggestion: Keep a problem constantly in your mind. Not in a stressful or anxious way, but enough to impress on your subconscious the importance of working this one through and, in time for you to gather the facts you need to reach a decision.

The following questions are designed to help you to solve any kind of problem in a Creative manner. Try applying them to one or two problems that confront you at present.

Understanding the problem

1. Have you defined the problem or objective in your own words?

2. Are there any other possible definitions of it worth considering? What general solutions do they suggest?

3. Decide what you are trying to perform. Where are you now and what are you trying to achieve?

4. Identify the important facts and factors. Do you need to spend more time on obtaining more information? What are the relevant policies, rules or procedures?

5. Have you reduced the complex problem to its simplest terms without over-simplifying it?

Towards solving the problem

6. Have you checked all your main assumptions?

7. Ask yourself and others several questions. What? Why? How? When? Where? Who?

8. List the obstacles that seem to block your path to a solution.

9. Work backwards. Imaging for yourself the end state, and then work from there to where you are now.

10. List all possible solutions, ways forward or courses of action.

11. Decide upon the criteria by which they must be put into action.

12. Narrow down the list to the feasible solutions, that is, the ones that are possible given the resources available.

How to be more creative

Creative thinking cannot be forced. It has to be discovered! It is often best to leave if for a while and let your subconscious mind take over.

Your subconscious and unconscious part of the brain - could open the door for you to this second key habit of mind.

Many people are still not even aware that their depth minds can carry out important mental functions for them, such as synthesising parts into new wholes or establishing new connections while they are engaged in other activities. Therefore they don’t listen with their inner ears.

Imaging your mind is like a personal fax machine. It would be good if you could sit down for an hour each morning before breakfast and receive inspired fax messages from your depth mind.

How to tap your mind power and brain power

1. There is a grat deal of untapped power within us. Creative thinking is exploring an unknown hinterland.

2. The meta-functions of the mind at work - analysing, valuing and synthesising - resonate in the whole mind.

Your depth mind - your subsequent and unconscious mind - replicates these functions.

3. Your depth mind is capable of more than analysis. It is the seat of your memory, at lest a part of it, and it’s also the repository of values that lie too deep for words. It is also a workshop where creative syntheses can be made by an invisible workmanship.

4. You most probably have experienced the beneficial effects of sleeping on a problem, and awakening to find that you mind has made itself up. Use that principle by programming your dept mind for a few minutes as you lie in the dark before you go to sleep.

5. Your dreams may occasionally be directly relevant. It is much more likely, however, that some indication, clue or idea will occur to you after ‘sleeping on it’. Perhaps during your waking hours for instance while you are shaving or washing the dishes, the idea will flash into your mind.

6. Follow Francis Bacon’s sound advice: A person would do well to carry a pencil in their pocket and write down the thoughts of the moment.

Those that come unsought are commonly the most valuable and should be secured, because they seldom return.

7. Remember: presentmindedness, using you mind power and brain power positive emotions, stress reduction, and creativity enhancement go together. You will discover many useful ways to enhance your creative power with your newfound enthusiasm.

By Dr. K. Kuhathasan, CEO: Cenlead

Friday, April 18, 2008

Convert unix time to normal time from while copying data from mysql data files to sql server 2005

Follow the steps mention in posting,


Sunday, March 23, 2008
Copy data from mysql data files to sql server 2005

Until “Again next and write sql query to get data. (table by table)

This step when you select data you can use “FROM_UNIXTIME and convert unix time to normal time.

For Eg:

Without considering the unix time here is the SQL script,

select`id`,`time`,`userid`,`ip`,`course`,`module`,`cmid`,`action`,`url`,`info`

from mdl_log_sem1

Considering the unix time here is the SQL script,

select `id`,FROM_UNIXTIME(`time`),`userid`,`ip`,`course`,`module`,`cmid` ,`action`,`url`,`info`

from mdl_log_sem1

Here simply use as FROM_UNIXTIME(`time`)

time- name of the field



then other steps are same as in the previous posting.

convert unix_timestamp to normal date value

mysql>

SELECT FROM_UNIXTIME(875996580);

Result=>
FROM_UNIXTIME(875996580)
1997-10-04 13:23:00



SELECT FROM_UNIXTIME(875996580) + 0;

Result=>
FROM_UNIXTIME(875996580) + 0
19971004132300.000000



SELECT FROM_UNIXTIME(UNIX_TIMESTAMP(),'%Y %D %M %h:%i:%s %x');

Result=>
FROM_UNIXTIME(UNIX_TIMESTAMP(),'%Y %D %M %h:%i:%s %x')
2007 22nd July 07:46:11 2007

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Copy data from mysql data files to sql server 2005

Download “mysql-connector-odbc

Then open ODBC data source administrator in Administrative Tools.

Select user DNS tab and Add button.

Then select mysql odbc driver and finish.

Then,

DNS as export

Server as localhost if it’s same machine

User as user name of mysql server and password of it.

Then you can select the appropriate database from the drop down.

You will successfully create connection with mysql database.

Then open sql server 2005 and create new database.

Right click on that select tasks and then select import data.

Click next then select data source as .Net framework data provider for odbc

Type Dsn as export and driver as myodbc

Click next and select destination database(default it will select no need to do any changes simply click next)

Again next and write sql query to get data. (table by table)

Like “select * from grades

Then next, next and next and finished.

You will see that particular table will copy to sql server database..

Sunday, March 9, 2008

BI applications

BI applications include the activities of decision support systems, query and reporting, online analytical processing (OLAP), statistical analysis, forecasting, and data mining.

Business intelligence applications can be:

  • Mission-critical and integral to an enterprise's operations or occasional to meet a special requirement
  • Enterprise-wide or local to one division, department, or project
  • Centrally initiated or driven by user demand

BI with Microsoft products

Introduction

Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 is a complete business intelligence (BI) platform that provides the features, tools, and functionality to build both classic and innovative kinds of analytical applications. This paper provides an introduction to the tools that you will use to build an analytical application, and highlights new functionality that makes it easier than ever to build and manage complex BI systems.

The SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence toolset delivers end-to-end BI application integration,

Design:
Business Intelligence Development Studio is the first integrated development environment designed for the business intelligence system developer. Built on Visual Studio® 2005, the Business Intelligence Development Studio delivers a rich, integrated, professional development platform for BI system developers. Debugging, source control, and script and code development are available for all components of the BI application.



Integrate:
Integration Services has been rewritten to perform complex data integration, transformation, and synthesis at high speed for very large data volumes. The Business Intelligence Development Studio makes building and debugging packages positively fun. Integration Services, Analysis Services, and Reporting Services work together to present a seamless view of data from heterogeneous sources.



Store:
SQL Server 2005 blurs the lines between relational and multidimensional databases. You can store data in the relational database, in the multidimensional database, or use the new Proactive Cache feature to get the best of both worlds.



Analyze:
Data Mining in SQL Server has always been easy to use. Now it's even better with the addition of important new algorithms, including Association Rules, Time Series, Regression Trees, Sequence Clustering, Neural Nets, and Naïve Bayes. Important new analytical capabilities have been added to Analysis Services cubes as well: Key Performance Indicator framework, MDX scripts, and other built-in advanced business analytics. The Reporting Services report delivery and management framework enables easy distribution of complex analytics to the widest possible audience.



Report:
Reporting Services extends the Microsoft Business Intelligence platform to reach the business user who needs to consume the analysis. Reporting Services is an enterprise managed reporting environment, embedded and managed using web services. Reports can be personalized and delivered in a variety of formats and with a range of interactivity and printing options. Complex analyses can reach a broad audience through the distribution of reports as a data source for downstream business intelligence. New in SQL Server 2005 is Report Builder. Report Builder provides for self service ad hoc reporting by the end user. Ad hoc query and analysis tools from Microsoft and their partners will continue to be a popular choice for accessing data in Analysis Services and relational databases.



Manage:
The SQL Server Management Studio integrates the management of all SQL Server 2005 components. Through Management Studio, BI platform components gain enhanced scalability, reliability, availability, and programmability. These enhancements provide significant benefits to the business intelligence practitioner.

Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing in SQL Server 2005

Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 is a complete business intelligence (BI) platform that provides the features, tools, and functionality to build both classic and innovative kinds of analytical applications. This paper provides an introduction to the tools that you will use to build an analytical application, and highlights new functionality that makes it easier than ever to build and manage complex BI systems.

The following table presents an overview of the components of a business intelligence system, and the corresponding Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005 components.

Component

SQL Server 2000

SQL Server 2005

Extract, transformation, and load

Data Transformation Services (DTS)

SQL Server 2005 Integration Services

Relational data warehouse

SQL Server 2000 relational database

SQL Server 2005 relational database

Multidimensional database

SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services

SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services

Data mining

SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services

SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services

Managed reporting

SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services

SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services

Ad hoc reporting


SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services

Ad hoc query and analysis

Microsoft Office products (Excel, Office Web Components, Data Analyzer, SharePoint Portal)

Microsoft Office products (Excel, Office Web Components, Data Analyzer, SharePoint Portal)

Database development tools

SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Manager, Analysis Manager, Query Analyzer, various other

SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence Development Studio (New!)

Database management tools

Enterprise Manager, Analysis Manager

SQL Server 2005 SQL Server Management Studio (New!)


Two components are new for SQL Server 2005: SQL Server Management Studio and SQL Server Business Intelligence Development Studio. The other primary BI components – Integration Services, Analysis Services OLAP, Analysis Services Data Mining, and Reporting Services – are substantially different and improved in SQL Server 2005. The SQL Server 2005 relational database contains several significant new features. Although the Microsoft Office query and portal tools are not part of SQL Server, the current releases will continue to work with SQL Server 2005. The BI functionality in Microsoft Office will evolve with the Office product release cycle.