Archive for the ‘Pacific’ tag

Asian stocks gain as Australian jobs rise, Europe concerns ease

The MSCI Asia Pacific Index crawls up after a two-day decline

NAVTEQ to Revolutionalize the Way We Get GPS Directions

NAVTEQ has been quietly amassing the capability to revolutionize the way we get our directions from a GPS system, making them more intuitive and easier to understand. The change is in how it offers us directions; making them more human-like or more natural, “Turn Right at the Traffic Light” instead of “Turn Right in 400 Yards”. The data would be embedded in the mapping data set that also includes the street pronunciation information alongside information on the

This type of capability requires the collection, interpretation and digitization of map data that is different than the miles of roads, millions of intersections and signs that are currently in the mapping inventory. The new dataset is available in select cities, with plans to add more throughout North America in 2011. While the raw capability exists from NAVTEQ, it is still up to the GPS maker to put the feature into the GPS.

At this writing, both Garmin and Magellan use NAVTEQ maps for stand alone GPS units. Magellan’s parent company, Mitac, uses TeleAtlas maps, which may change Magellan’s approach to its map sourcing. Recall that NAVTEQ is owned by Nokia.

Below is a video from NAVTEQ that talks about the new mapping capability.

NAVTEQ Natural Guidance™ enables navigation directions everyone can relate to

NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of maps, traffic and location data enabling navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising around the world today launched a new product that promises to materially change the way navigation systems and applications interact with end users. NAVTEQ Natural Guidance™ breaks new ground by enabling guidance the way humans provide directions to each other—through the use of descriptive reference cues.

Launched at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, NAVTEQ Natural Guidance leapfrogs today’s linear navigation instructions—e.g. ‘turn right in 50 meters on Kurfuerstendamm—by guiding the way humans instruct each other, through descriptions of orientation points such as distinctive points of interest and landmarks—e.g. ‘turn right after the yellow shop” or ‘turn right at the traffic signal.’ Research shows consumers desire more intuitive and practical directions because it is easier to follow and allows the user to keep their eyes on the road. NAVTEQ Natural Guidance enables applications to use recognizable and easily understandable points of reference close to the decision point to highlight the next maneuver.

“Natural Guidance provides the kind of directions we crave as humans,” said Tiffany Treacy, NAVTEQ senior vice president of product management. “It challenges the man-machine status quo of how navigation systems have worked for years by finally enabling the kind of guidance that sounds like it’s coming from a friend who is riding along with you. This is a revolutionary first step toward more natural and ultimately more personalized experiences.”

Over the past 25 years, NAVTEQ has continually strived to create content specific to navigation that elevates the user experience. Only as an expert and innovative leader in the navigation industry, was NAVTEQ able to create a product that translates user experiences into data and data models that allow applications to generate humanized guidance. NAVTEQ Natural Guidance also employs a variety of importance criteria to help optimize when and how the guidance is presented to consumers. Reference cues can look very different—or be partially or fully obscured—depending on such factors as: which direction the user is approaching, the size of the reference object (a cathedral vs. a corner pub), or whether it is winter or summer (when trees might block the visibility).

NAVTEQ Natural Guidance is currently available for Berlin, Chicago, National Capital Region of Delhi, London, Los Angeles, New York, Munich and Paris with aggressive expansion plans to add more cities throughout Europe, North America and Asia Pacific by the end of 2011.

NAVTEQ will showcase NAVTEQ Natural Guidance at both a NAVTEQ sponsored press event, where key findings from NAVTEQ’s proprietary research will be shared, as well as at the IFA Showstoppers Event on 2nd September.

Hyatt Regency Dubai appoints Michael von Siebenthal General Manager

Hyatt Regency Dubai is delighted to announce the appointment of Michael von Siebenthal as its new general manager. Michael, a Swiss national from Saanenmöser, has had a long career in international hotel operations and many years’ managerial experience with leading five-star Hyatt hotels across the world. The regions in which he has worked include Asia Pacific (Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Mariana Islands and Japan) and Latin America (Mexico).

Senior Quality Manager, Attractive Tax Free Salary – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

IPNC is a JV of Almarai Company and Mead Johnson. Almarai is the world’s largest vertically integrated Dairy Foods company with a 2009 turnover exceeding $US 1.5 Billion and a workforce in excess of 16,000 employees. Mead Johnson, a global leader in infant and child nutrition has operations in over 60 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. On Offer
Attractive …

Virtual Roundtable: Migrating from Windows Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP to Internet Explorer 8 on Windows 7

September 30, 2010, 9:00 AM Pacific Time — Join us live for a virtual, interactive roundtable discussion on migration strategies, standards, and support for organizations moving from Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 8.

China Pacific reports rapid growth

Country’s third largest insurer’s net income climbs to 4.02b yuan

Putin launches strategic oil pipeline to China

The Prime Minister, Mr Vladmir Putin, on Sunday officially launched the Russian section of a strategic oil pipeline that delivers east Siberian oil to energy-hungry China, as Moscow stepped up efforts to diversify crude supplies from Europe to Asia-Pacific.

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Webcast: What You Can Expect from Windows Server 2008 R2

September 22, 2010, 8:00 A.M. Pacific Time — Get an inside look at the major changes you can expect to see and understand how those changes will impact your organization. Understand the primary differences from Windows Server 2003 and uncover the hardware requirements that you may need to take advantage of new capabilities. Finally, learn the long-range benefits of Windows Server 2008, and understand how those translate into your organization’s long-term plans.

Cathay Pacific and Travelport announce multi-year marketing agreement

Cathay Pacific Airways and Travelport, the business services provider to the global travel industry, announce a marketing agreement that will provide all Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan-connected travel agents with efficient access to the airline’s fares and content.

Asia-Pacific loan trading on track to top $10b

Bankers say region needs substantial growth in leveraged buyouts to match global counterparts

Asian stocks rise for fifth week on earnings

Big winners include Honda Motor, Cathay Pacific and Mitsubishi as index rises 2.8%

EDITOR – ASIA PACIFIC ASSET MANAGEMENT RESEARCH, Highly Competitive – Singapore

Cerulli Associates is an international research and consulting firm for the financial services industry, with a special focus on asset management. We are recognized throughout the industry as a leading source of guidance, information, and data for the markets that we cover. Our clients have included top mutual fund companies, insurance companies, banks, and brokerage firms. The role …

Cathay Pacific places $7.82b order for 30 planes

New A350-900s to be delivered between 2016 and 2019

Head Of Marketing, Attractive Tax Free Package – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

IPNC is a JV of Almarai Company and Mead Johnson. Almarai is the world’s largest vertically integrated Dairy Foods company with a 2009 turnover exceeding $US 1.5 Billion and a workforce in excess of 16,000 employees. Mead Johnson, a global leader in infant and child nutrition has operations in over 60 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. You will be …

Marketing Manager, Attractive Tax Free Package – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

IPNC is a JV of Almarai Company and Mead Johnson. Almarai is the world’s largest vertically integrated Dairy Foods company with a 2009 turnover exceeding $US 1.5 Billion and a workforce in excess of 16,000 employees. Mead Johnson, a global leader in infant and child nutrition has operations in over 60 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. You will be …

Webcast: Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010 Features and Protection Technologies (Level 300)

July 29, 2010, 10:00 AM Pacific Time — Join this webcast to get a technical first look at the new threat protection features in Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection 2010. Discover how Endpoint Protection 2010 builds on Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager for deployment, configuration, updating, and reporting, and learn how you can use these technologies to reduce complexity and lower IT infrastructure costs.

American Samoa to get local tsunami warnings

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa – The National Weather Service in American Samoa has been given authority to issue local tsunami warnings in some cases before official word comes from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii.

Webcast: Disaster Recovery for Hyper-V with the New Citrix StorageLink Site Recovery (Level 200)

July 19, 2010, 10:00 AM Pacific Time — Learn how Citrix StorageLink Site Recovery workflow integrates with storage array-based remote replication services to protect and recover Hyper-V workloads.

International Management Trainee – Dubai at Meltwater News

Do You Want An International Career?

The Meltwater Group is a privately held software company founded in Norway in 2001 committed to challenging existing business models by introducing disruptive technologies and building a powerful, global sales infrastructure. The Meltwater Group delivers B2B solutions based on search engine technology (Meltwater News), cloud computing (Meltwater Drive), talent management software (Meltwater Talent) and biometrics (GenKey).

Meltwater News is one of the fastest growing companies in Europe. Personifying the very essence of drive and ambition, we have seen the rapid growth of 50 offices in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Australia, Middle East and North America within the last 5 years. Encouraging a dynamic and positive working environment, we take great pride in developing people and their careers. We are looking for talented individuals to join our Middle Eastern office in Dubai.

With a strong emphasis on sales, you will experience personal and professional growth at a fast pace. If you are the right person, with the right attitude, you will be given the opportunity to flourish within our African, European, Asian or US Management Program. Does London, San Francisco or Sydney sound appealing? Well pay attention; this is what we are looking for…

The Industry:

- Fast paced world of online media monitoring

The Job:

- Business to Business sales

- Strategic thinking on individual client needs

- Negotiating long term contracts with directors & executives

- Developing your own customer portfolio

We Are Offering:

- Fun, cosmopolitan & diverse work culture

- Accelerated promotion program

- International career opportunities

- Annual Guaranteed Salary: $36,000

- Annual On Target Earnings (OTE) $60,000 uncapped

What You Can Expect at Meltwater

Our trainee program has a track record of success developing managers across five continents and within a multitude of cultures. All Meltwater managers have been developed through this program as have the majority of its executives. 
The training program is both intense and rewarding. It not only focuses on teamwork and culture, but also, and most importantly, has a strong emphasis on sales. In the first three to nine months trainees will learn how to present and sell Meltwater News services to executives across all industries. This training program is designed to prepare each trainee for a career in management, and successful completion is required before a trainee can be considered for a management position. After having delivered successful results, a trainee will be given the opportunity to assume responsibility for a team of their own as a Sales Manager. Once this position has been mastered, Meltwater will offer its top managers the opportunity to run a business unit as a Managing Director. This opportunity can take place anywhere in the world, giving the Director the chance to move internationally depending on their experience and preference. 
The Meltwater International Management Trainee Program offers an extremely ambitious career path with plenty of opportunities for personal and professional growth in a young and international environment.

If you would like the challenge of working for a vibrant international company:

Closing date for applications: Mid August

Jobs in UAE
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Webcast: Using the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report v8 in an Evolving Threat Landscape (Level 200)

July 15, 2010, 10:00 AM Pacific Time — MDT 2010 has been updated to include Office 2010 support, the ability for users to initiate and customize their own deployments using System Center Configuration Manager, key enhancements in Windows 7 driver support, and more.

Internet, live TV on flights a reality soon

Full broadband internet access, mobile phone service and even live television may soon be a reality on flights after a leading international airline revealed plans to introduce them.

Cathay Pacific, the flag carrier of Hong Kong, has announced plans to fit its entire fleet with internet broadband service, a mobile telephone network and even televisions that would broadcast live shows, the Age

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Securing the Cloud

Everybody in the information technology industry today talks cloud computing. I can’t think of a single discussion with executives in the industry in recent months that has not had at least some references to the cloud. In a meeting last month with Bret Hartman, chief technology officer at security vendor RSA, I tried a couple of times to veer him away from the topic of security issues in the cloud environment, but with no success. He seemed completely focused on cloud security.

Bret Hartman, CTO of RSA, says the company is working on a dashboard that will allow enterprises to see how the cloud service provider is keeping their data. The dashboard can be delivered as a software-as-a-service.

And that’s the other thing about the cloud. Almost everybody promoting cloud computing tells you their biggest challenge is the fear companies have about the security of their data and of their operations in a cloud environment. Even though the economics of the cloud is compelling – the savings can be enormous – companies are wary about their data residing in some remote data centre operated by a third party. And what’s more worrying for them is that they might be sharing that data centre with other companies.

Cloud computing services are typically provided in a multi-tenancy environment, where the service provider offers services to multiple customers using the same infrastructure and applications. The benefits of cloud computing are highest in such a multi-tenancy environment. But that’s also seen to open up multiple fronts from which your data can be attacked.

So, how serious is the security issue? If you ask that to cloud technology and infrastructure providers, they’ll tell you the matter is exaggerated. Rajesh Janey, president of cloud technology provider NetApp India, says it’s a mindset issue. "Our generation is used to infrastructure hugging; we want to own our infrastructure. It’s similar to our still wanting to download songs onto our PC to listen to it. But my 13-year-old son recently asked me why we needed to do that; couldn’t we just listen to it directly from the website. So it’s just a matter of time before the mindset changes," he says.

Sunil Chavan, director for cloud solutions for Hitachi Data Systems’ Asia Pacific operations, says one reason for worries about cloud security is "people assume cloud is like Gmail". Services like Gmail have suffered outages and infringement issues. But such services, he points out, are free services, and users aren’t signing for any security or privacy guarantees. So if something happens, you can’t complain too much. But in the case of cloud arrangements for companies, there invariably are service level agreements (SLAs) that lay out clear service and security standards. Chavan says the kind of security he provides in the cloud is as good as in on-premise infrastructure.

Janey says that in the cloud solution that NetApp provides together with Cisco and VMware, the customer gets a virtual dedicated space in a multi-tenant environment, indicating that there’s no scope for data to leak out to another customer’s space. "It’s designed and architected to protect. There’s clear partitioning at the infrastructure layer, in storage, server and network. And we have management tools that can monitor this," he says.

To prove his point that the cloud is secure, he says NetApp’s business intelligence tools for enterprise reporting has been built on Oracle’s platform and uses Oracle On Demand (Oracle’s cloud offering). "So some of the critical stuff for our business is on the cloud, our sales, which gets updated in real time, our forecasting. Even our payroll is run by a third party," he says.

But customers clearly need more assurances. Which probably explains why security providers are suddenly hyperactive in taking cloud-specific measures. McAfee has just announced in India a cloud security certification service in collaboration with consultancy firm KPMG. For a SaaS (software as a service) or data centre vendor, McAfee will certify the level of sophistication of security from a technology standpoint. KPMG will certify the same from a process and controls standpoint. KPMG will, for instance, certify whether the process by which a new employee is given his access and controls or the process by which a new technology is introduced, does not compromise security.

Marc Olesen, GM for content & cloud security in McAfee, says the Cloud Security Alliance, consisting of a number of industry players, are working to standardize security for cloud providers. Standards are being built for technology and processes.

Marc Olesen, GM for content & cloud security in McAfee, says there would be an annual certification that would include existing security controls and processes, as well as future cloud security standards. “We will also do an automatic and daily security audit and remediation of vulnerabilities. Cloud vendors who pass the daily scan and other checks will receive a `McAfee Secure’ trustmark,” he says. That trustmark could give potential customers the confidence they are looking for.

RSA’s Hartman says the company has demonstrated a proof-of-concept of a dashboard that customers could use to see how the cloud vendor was keeping their data. He says visibility into the cloud and control of the cloud was the most important thing for enterprises – `how is my data being secured’, `how can I prove to auditors that it satisfies their needs’.

RSA is also working with VMware and Cisco to integrate and embed security right inside the cloud computing environment. The company is working similarly with other virtualization platforms like Microsoft’s Hyper-v and Citrix’s Xen. "What can go wrong has not changed. The way we access technology has changed. So the critical thing is, how easily and effectively can a cloud service provider integrate security into their infrastructure," Hartman says.

In short, it looks like the one big worry about the cloud is getting resolved. In fact, NetApp’s Janey says that more than security, he is now concerned about how to move from one cloud service provider to another, if say your cloud provider suddenly increases their rates or has to get out of business. "There are no standards for such migration," he says. But that’s another story. And we’ll get into that some other day.

New Australian PM casts doubt on ‘Asia-Pacific community’

Australia’s new Prime Minister Julia Gillard has cast serious doubt over a new 18-nation Asian forum proposed by her sacked predecessor, a report said on Monday.

MGM Hospitality announces key executive additions in Middle East/North Africa and Asia-Pacific divisions

MGM Hospitality, the branded luxury hospitality division of MGM Resorts International, announced today it recently added two key industry veterans to its management team to extend efforts to meet growing demand for its MGM Grand, Bellagio and Skylofts brands in the Middle East/North Africa and Asia-Pacific regions.

BUSINESS PROCESS LEADER LEADING PETROCHEMICAL COMPANY ABU DHABI

BUSINESS PROCESS LEADER LEADING PETROCHEMICAL COMPANY ABU DHABI Job Details COMPANY INFO Ourclientis a leading provider of innovative value creating petrochemical solutions A joint venture between an operating giant and a multinational chemical company the companys footprint reaches across the Middle East Asia Pacific t

Sustainable Development / Social Performance Advisor at Shell

Shell has been at the forefront of the natural gas industry for more than 40 years and we have an unrivalled global position in natural gas amongst private energy companies. We’re the world’s largest equity producer of liquefied natural gas and hold a leading position in the world’s key natural gas markets of Europe, Asia-Pacific and United States. As the world searches for greener forms of energy, we expect demand for natural gas – the cleanest hydrocarbon – to double over the next two decades, and are well positioned to capture growth opportunities. The Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) project includes the development of offshore natural gas resources in Qatar’s North Field. Upstream, natural gas will be produced, transported and processed to produce 120,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of condensate, liquefied petroleum gas and ethane. Downstream, dry gas will be used as feedstock to produce 140,000 barrels per day of clean, high quality GTL fuels and products.

Responsibilities:

The role of the Qatar Shell Sustainable Development / Social Performance (SP) Advisor is to manage and implement sustainable development / social performance in Qatar Shell through close co-ordination with stakeholders such as the Ras Laffan Industrial City Community Outreach Programme (RLIC COP), Pearl GTL Asset Manager, Qatar Shell Research and Technology Centre, Exetrnal Affairs and Business Relations teams. The role will have both a hands on as well as a networking dimension to maintain and develop existing support plans / programmes and position Qatar Shell as the leader in SD / SP in Qatar.

Jobs in Qatar
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Head of Qatarization at Shell

Shell has been at the forefront of the natural gas industry for more than 40 years and we have an unrivalled global position in natural gas amongst private energy companies. We’re the world’s largest equity producer of liquefied natural gas and hold a leading position in the world’s key natural gas markets of Europe, Asia-Pacific and United States. As the world searches for greener forms of energy, we expect demand for natural gas – the cleanest hydrocarbon – to double over the next two decades, and are well positioned to capture growth opportunities.

The Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) project includes the development of offshore natural gas resources in Qatar’s North Field. Upstream, natural gas will be produced, transported and processed to produce 120,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of condensate, liquefied petroleum gas and ethane. Downstream, dry gas will be used as feedstock to produce 140,000 barrels per day of clean, high quality GTL fuels and products.

We’re currently looking to recruit a Human Resource professional to join the Talent & Qatarisation department.

Responsibilities:

We are seeking a professional and committed Head of Qatarization who will be responsible to drive the delivery of Qatar Shell’s Qatarization commitments. This challenging role will offer the successful candidate an opportunity of developing competencies within the Human Resource function of Shell. It is essential that applicants are Qatari nationals who understand the Qatari Talent landscape.

Jobs in Qatar
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Experienced Engineers at Shell

Shell has been at the forefront of the natural gas industry for more than 40 years and we have an unrivalled global position in natural gas amongst private energy companies. We’re the world’s largest equity producer of liquefied natural gas and hold a leading position in the world’s key natural gas markets of Europe, Asia-Pacific and United States. As the world searches for greener forms of energy, we expect demand for natural gas – the cleanest hydrocarbon – to double over the next two decades, and are well positioned to capture growth opportunities. The Pearl Gas to Liquids (GTL) project includes the development of offshore natural gas resources in Qatar’s North Field. Upstream, natural gas will be produced, transported and processed to produce 120,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of condensate, liquefied petroleum gas and ethane. Downstream, dry gas will be used as feedstock to produce 140,000 barrels per day of clean, high quality GTL fuels and products.

Jobs in Qatar
| Apply Now

Cathay Pacific Plans in-Flight Broadband, Live TV From 2012

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways plans to offer in-flight broadband, cell-phone service and live television on its aircraft from early 2012, it said Wednesday.

Webcast: Asset Management with Service Manager 2010 and the Provance Management Pack (Level 300)

July 8, 2010, 9:00 AM Pacific Time — Attend this webcast to learn how the Provance IT Asset Management Pack complements the incident, problem, and change management capabilities of Microsoft System Center Service Manager with powerful IT asset life-cycle management and software asset management.

Gill all set to quell Taguchi challenge

July 1: As the stage gets set for the third round of the 2010 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) that will start here from Friday, all eyes will be on MRF’s Katsuhiko Taguchi who won the Rally Hokkaido in Japan and teammate Gaurav Gill who too has been in ominous touch. Gaurav will want to better his show here after finishing third in the previous round.

A look into the points table a

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Planning and Deploying Virtual Desktop Infrastructure with Management Technologies (Level 300)

July 6, 2010, 11:00 AM Pacific Time — In this webcast, we drill down into the architecture of the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and determine what key questions need to be asked and answered around required components, networking, capacity, and end-user experience.

Security Talk Webcast: Using Windows Azure Storage Securely (Level 200)

July 1, 2010 1:00 PM Pacific Time — In this webcast, we cover how to store and access data securely; we explain how to share blobs with other users using container access control lists (ACLs) and the SaS feature; and we discuss some of the best practices for using Windows Azure Storage.

MAXIMO Lead Consultant

MAXIMO Lead Consultant LOCATION ACROSS ASIA pACIFIC AND THE MIDDLE EASTKey Roleprovide support to a clients Maximo system Establish IT industry norms for product implementation and integration efforts guide under-developed client requirements and align specific needs with appropriate project standards and rigours provide technical leadership

MAXIMO Implementation Consultant

MAXIMO Implementation Consultant – TRANSpORTATIONLOCATION ACROSS ASIA pACIFIC AND THE MIDDLE EAST Key Roleprovide support to a clients Maximo system Establish IT industry norms for product implementation and integration efforts guide under-developed client requirements and align specific needs with appropriate project standards and rigours pr

Webcast: Best Practices for Deploying a Microsoft Secure Collaboration Solution (Level 300)

June 30, 2010, 8:00 AM Pacific Time — Come hear from an expert partner about real-world deep dive scenarios and best practices for deploying Microsoft’s Secure Collaboration Solution, including Forefront Protection 2010 for SharePoint, Active Directory Federation Services, and Forefront Unified Access Gateway 2010.

Webcast: How to Deploy Microsoft Office and Manage Windows Clients in Midsized Organizations (Level 200)

June 30, 2010, 1:00 PM Pacific Time — Attend this webcast to learn how easy it can be to deploy Microsoft Office 2010 and maintain client workstations running Windows operating systems for updates.

Webcast: Application Virtualization (App-V) Enterprise Return on Investment (Level 100)

June 29, 2010, 9:00 AM Pacific Time — To help organizations assess the economic impact (business value) of deploying Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V), analysts Ben Gray and Jeffrey North of Forrester conducted an in-depth study of five enterprise companies worldwide.

New webcast date: Disaster Recovery for Hyper-V with the New Citrix StorageLink Site Recovery Technology

July 19, 2010, 10:00 AM Pacific Time — Register for the Academy Live webcast and find out why Microsoft’s Site Recovery solution surpasses what is provided by VMware and is available at a fraction of the cost.

Webcast: Automated Data Quality Checks Using SQL Server and Visual Studio (Level 300)

June 29, 2010, 9:30 AM Pacific Time — Attend this webcast to learn about automating data quality checks using Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Visual Studio and to hear directly from the development team how this can apply to you.

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