Business Intelligence: Fraud Detection in a Life Insurance Company Using Data Mining..

That (the subject) is the topic of a project I need to write. It looks like a big deal to me, since my knowledge of SQL is very basic, but from all that I have read, it looks like the key to this is SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). Within the next one week, I will really put some time into this and make sure I get what I need to do in clear outlines.

I'v got 3 great books I am tearing into for this: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 All In One Reference For Dummies (well, am still a little bit of a dummy in this), Delivering Business Intelligence with SQL Server 2008, and Smart Business Intelligence Solutions with Microsoft SQL Server 2008. Between this great books, I just shouldn't go wrong.

I got the source database and today, I will try and identify the table so I know where the data to use are. That shouldn't be so difficult since I have full access (I think) to the original software developer and the rapport is ok. I will keep the blog posted on my progress.

First Moblog!

Checking out moblog from my phone (Sony Ericsson Xperia X1,WinMo 6.1)...trying to see which does fine between moblog and writer for mobile.. (Next post)..Tblogger apparently doesn't work with blogger or require some more setup, which I don't have the patience for.

Word 2007 not accepting mouse/touchpad inputs, opening a blank document on open and alway closing with a crash

A very quick one..

I had this error earlier in the day, whereby I cant seem to use the mouse/touchpad for anything on Word 2007; it just wouldnt accept any input from the device. What that means it I was only able to use the keyboard for everything I was doing. A blank document also opens when I try to open any word document on my computer and Word crashes when closed.

While I manage to just do the very urgent things I needed to do, it was not exactly easy, and very very annoying. I manage to get a fix to it (thanks to google) just when I got fed-up with the issue. I quite figure its a registry error, was able to pin it down to this key eventually:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Word

Deleting that Word data key, by going to the registry (type regedit and enter from the command prompt; with administrative previlege if on Vista/Windows7) and navigating to the above key, right clicking and deleting fixed the issue.

Here is the microsoft article that supports that: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822005/en-us

My 2cents. Have a great weekend. And I really hope I get to blog more (mean..blogging my problems and fixes alone is enough!).

Corel Draw X4 Startup Crashes?!..a working fix!!

Now, I wont claim I fixed this myself, as I got the fix from http://designer.com/forums/t/8250.aspx?PageIndex=2. but just in cash you were almost frustrated like me with coreldraw X4 crashes, follow the steps below to get it done, and trust me, it works!:

"Hi all,

So, I bit the bullet and installed SQL server 2008 express.  Sure enough, I can no longer run Draw. 

Alex V. and I did some debugging and discovered that a new version
of the MFC dlls are installed (version 1833) with SQL2008.  Although
Draw specifies in it's manifest that it should use version 762, it uses
the newer version instead.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a bug in the newer version of
MFC and Draw crashes whenever a docker is opened which uses Internet
Explorer control in the docker (e.g. the hints docker, concept share,
any internet docker addons (like my table styles addon)).

There doesn't seem to be any symbols for the new MFC dll, so for now, we can't debug into it.

For the time being, you can start Draw by turning off the hints docker (which is defaulted on).

Open up DrawUI.xml (you may want to back up the file) found in
<DRAW INSTALL>\Programs\UIConfig\CorelDRAW\, and find the line

<dockPage guidRef="bc1e2f70-3b58-41cd-8406-aaa550482972" visible="true" selected="true" />

and replace with:

<dockPage guidRef="bc1e2f70-3b58-41cd-8406-aaa550482972" visible="false" />

Similarly, in Photopaint, PPUI.xml in UIConfig\Corel PHOTO-PAINT\, find the line

<dockPage guidRef="1c56c2ec-07c1-46f0-baf7-441a555d595c" visible="true" selected="true" />

And replace with:

<dockPage guidRef="1c56c2ec-07c1-46f0-baf7-441a555d595c" visible="false" />

You'll have to run while holding F8 the first time after doing this to overwrite the old settings.

If you open up conceptshare or the hints docker, Draw/Photopaint will crash.

I'll have a bug logged and hopefully we'll be able to find a real fix for it.

Regards,
Hendrik"

As I said I got it from coreldraw.com/forum, and apparently, it was fixed by a corel employee. As indicated there, it seems to have something to do with SQL2008.

My Crazy Server..

Sure I have the craziest server!.. I actually inherited it though. Use to take about  15 minutes to complete shutdown, I have being able to tweak that though, but the craziest thing now is the time lag from username/password to ready-state.a whooping  9"11'.4 (yep had the time it).

Its actually an SBS 2003 box.hell I hate all-in-one stuff..in everything.

It now take  4"57' to shutdown, 8"27' to get to crtl+alt+del and another 9"11'.4 to useable state..totally crazy!

Changing my servers soon (I hope), then can really set up an enviable environment...already tripping!..

Just finished fixing  a major IAS shit.. think I need to go get something in now..

Crazy day it was: Everything just went wrong!

I foresee this might just begin a series of  crazy day it was at work..mean..almost everyday at work is crazy, only some deserves that coveted title..crazy..more than others.

Everything  just totally went wrong at work today..Started the day with this crazy memo I wasn't interested in at all (like most..really) but had to do anyway (like all!). That didn't look too bad, since a related one had being done in the past, so I can just Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V. Then, all mighty internet kaput on me and the crazy day began full swing. At that point, the little thing I thought I'd figured out got completely messy, as it became the very least of my problems (..maybe it wasn't the least, but its way far from important too).

It started by it just not working. I got the flimsy excuse from my ISP that it was because rain was falling..then when the rain stopped I called them back cause it still wasn't working, marking the (..you know what, I am not going to bore anyone with all those details).   Eventually, sometime past six the damn connection worked.

Hey, that isn't the bad day..naa naa.. that was just what sparked it. As in between that and the other works I had outlined for the day: had to attend to this other pending issue about the new HO project; totally suspended one real memo work I was working on since last week; in-between, misplaced some documents I was preparing work on; looking for some other document  to corroborate the document I misplaced and now looking for; users making ridiculous complains about their systems/the network... and the list could  go on.

It was so bad, that I forgot to eat and didn't even know it, till the whole thing climaxed later in the evening..then I felt like I could eat a cow!.. No, didn't just leave afterwards..to cap the whole thing up, had to go to help some friend with some RRAS setup he had on his network cause he was at a remote location trying to get into his network and for some reason, the thing wasn't working..when in fact it worked fine before he left the previous day!..

That was quite some day I had today!...so so thank God its over!!

Windows Workstation 2008?!

Until about two weeks ago, I was running Windows 2008 Server as a desktop (laptop) OS, Codename Windows Workstation 2008. On the surface, it seems a very cool idea..right?..popping out windows 2008, Enterprise Edition on your laptops when most other people, at the very best are running Windows Vista Ultimate.And there's another argument that it is lots faster than Vista, thought they share the same kernel. I said until the recently,  right?...yeah, you guessed right, I switched right back to Vista!

I really don't mind doing those crazy, or in the real words, cools stuff..but then, don't fancy going through unnecessary length too. As with most Windows Server OS on laptops, the major problem with running Server 2008 as a Workstation is you have to adjust every default setting in the OS, as it has been, by default, tuned for the Server OS it is meant to run. This isn't very hard to do as Server 2008, really is Vista, but on steroid! (maybe not steroid.. maybe some server apps are just added).Plus most (would have said all, but I know better!)necessary tweaks are well documented all around the internet. A good starting point should you still what to consider Windows Server 2008 as a workstation is www.win2008worstation.com.

The main issue I have with running Server 2008 is you might just need to tweak the installation of some software you really need on your system, and not all will work! Yes its the same kernel as Vista, but there definitely are some other conditions that are defined explicitly for the Server OS it is, which some applications only work or it, and some don't.

Here's my opinion: its cool and all, but what really is the point when you will still need to make it look like Vista. If there are some services that you really need in a Server OS, might just consider Vmware Server, and reducing the resource utilization to the barest minimum allowed for the Server to conserve resources.   Believe me, running Server 2008 as a laptop working OS, might just be  complete of time!

Cool windows admin..

As always,its always advisable to run windows with limited priviledge i.e. not administrator.
A cool way to do just those things that requires admin right like installation and stuff is to runas the exe.
Note that almost all of windows do-ables have the .exe somewhere in the windows folders. e.g. clipbrd.exe and cmd.exe for the clipboard and command prompt respectively.
A very cool way to gain admin power while still logged in as a normal user is to locate the explore.exe in the windows folder,hold down shift and right click and choose runas. Then you'll put the admin username and password.
It brings out an explorer windows and in that windows you can do whatever it is you wanna do!
Of cause you'll need an admin username and password. It will also put any profile related thing in that particular profile you used in the explorer window; which grou a problem in any way!
See it as your little window in the corridors of power!:-):-)!

..work

Work hard..
Work smart..
Just get the work done!!

..work

Work hard..
Work smart..
Just get the work done!!

Can I..

..can I ever get to blog as often as I want?
I really think blogging is so cool and I want to blog as often as possible,and I remember all that always,but I keep thinking what is the right thing to blog about!
I want my blog to be rich in content so I always want something really hot to happen before I blog...but end up blogging like this!!
..guess it doesnt work like that,so am just gonna blog whenever I want to..any time!!
...cool..!!

Software Piracy…. For or Against!!

 

The fact is pirating software; another person(s) intellectual property is a bad thing. Mean, somebody worked hard to get this done, and how do we expect such person to move forward in developing that particular program if he know its eventually going to stolen!!

Piracy as we all know could be done for gain…which is the very bad side of piracy. Its like reaping where you did not sow… like stealing from somebody and I whole-heartedly oppose that!!

The other part, which by the way is the most common type, is what I can't say I entirely disapprove. Pirating because one simply can't afford the product (full stop). It doesn't seem to make sense really, but considering the fact that the majority of the big software manufacturers (Microsoft in particular, Adobe, e.t.c.) are rich any way, there anti-piracy measures only encourage hackers to really prove that they can't stop them.

In a country like Nigeria, an average person, who is still struggling to have a PC just can't afford $300-$400 for an operating system. I didn't say he doesn't have, I said he can't afford it for that course….and by the way he probably doesn't have it too. The president of Romania recently said the IT sector of his country is developed because of pirated softwares… Funny it seems, but that's just the very fact for a lot of countries, developing and just developed!! He's just bold (or stupid, as the case may be) enough to say it publicly. India is another perfect example. For every India that wasn't born rich, working in Microsoft or any where else, I would assume that the major part of his software development life was mastered on pirated softwares; not a fact, but a very sound assumption, considering the fact that I was first made to really know about software piracy by a brilliant Indian friend!!!

Buying hundreds or thousands dollar worth of software isn't just viable in this place, and the very next option is to look for it free or pay very little for.

A copy of Microsoft windows vista ultimate (the preferred version) cost $400, officially. On the piracy market, you can get it for about N500 (500 Naira) in Nigeria (about $4!!).But then that's just for the software on DVD, the main issue is the activation, and windows update. Microsoft pulled out this stunt first with XP, and as of today, it doesn't affect any body who knows a little work around to it any way. There are various cracks popping up for windows Vista, and my guess is very soon, very very soon, if not already, there will be a UNIVERSALLY accepted one - just like there is for XP - that Microsoft herself can't break, that's if there isn't already!!

The bottom line is software piracy is bad for upcoming developer, and they should be encouraged to give us wonderful creativity…

Its also bad for the big boys too, but they are things that are even worse!! They already have all the money anyway, how rich do they want to be!!!

 

 

Content Advisor Problem in IE

Had to deal with this little problem on a folk's laptop. IE kept blocking sites, google inclusive(arghh) reporting that the site was block by content advisor.. and when i tried to change the setting, it was passworded... how that happen is what i dont know cause the owner said he didnt password it...

anyway following these steps as explained in this site fixed it!! there are some other useful stuff there too for you folks!!

300 - The Movie

Whao!!!
I just saw this movie (300) now at the cinema..
really really mind blowing... I'd say everyone should go see it.... at the cinema for the added effects...not out on DVD yet anyway!!

What trips me most is the fact that it was all stage played, with some wonderful computer effect..
Troy & Gladiator are understatements beside this movies....

Check out there site for more info...

I'll rate it 4.5 on a scale of !!

Folder Option Missing in XP

Missing Folder Option;

I got this problem after a little virus attack...... (I'v got antivirus, antispyware and stuff though) here's a little fix to it after the virus as being removed:

Note that it probably disabled the registry too so you might need to enable it again with this simple steps..
from the Run box, type gpedit.msc , then enter
locate user configuration/administrative templates/system
locate "prevent access to registry editing tools" and double click
choose the disable option and "ok"

now you should be able to access the registry if you cant before;
at the Run box, type regedit and enter
from the menu bar, click edit and choose find; or simple click "Ctrl + F"
type NoFolderOption" (one word) hit enter
double click the registry entry that comes up
the value will be 1, set it to 0; or simple delete
now you are done. You can close the registry editor
You wont notice it yet until you log off on back on; or you simple end explorer.exe process from the task manager, and the start it again

you are done!

--
Kenniy Nimbe, C.C.N.A

So Far,.. So Long...

Its being a while...
I really have to start..if just 2 times in a week!!