C#'s ?? Operator

Here is something new and interesting: A new operator in C# "??" Operator

This operator is responsible for defining a default value assignment if the value to be assigned is null. Let's say you want to assign value of y to x only if y is not null, else you want to assign z.

So, you may write your code something like this:

if (y != null)
x = y;
else
x = z;

You can also use Ternary operator for this:

x = ((y != null) ? y : z)

So, for this long statement and frequent null checks, here is the new C# operator: ??

x = y ?? z

Here it checks if y is not null, then assigns y, else assigns z. So, syntax goes like this:

x = {value to be checked for null} ?? {default value}

Very very interesting :) And ya, it was Ankit who mentioned it first, so we had a little chat over it (I am mentioning his name, otherwise he is going to kill me :))

For more information, visit: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms173224(vs.80).aspx

- Mohit

Gaining Foothold in Microsoft's BI Industry!

Microsoft held it's first Business Intelligence conference on May 9-11, 2007 at Seattle, WA. Unfortunately, I could not attend it. I love BI and would have loved to attend this conference which showcased various products and solutions.

But nevertheless, I wasn't disappointed too much when I heard that one of our (Persistent Systems) products has also been specifically mentioned during the conference by one of the PMs at Microsoft.

The product is Oracle Bulk Load Destination connector for SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services). SSIS is an ETL tool and is a key component in Business Intelligence domain for Microsoft. Using Oracle Bulk Load Destination connector, clients have reported a performance improvement of over 100 times in live production environment, as compared to OLE DB Destination connector provided along with Business Intelligence Studio by Microsoft.

This connector is widely popular among organizations with Oracle Servers and those moving towards SSIS framework. For more information, visit: http://www.persistentsys.com/products/ssisoracleconn/ssisoracleconn.htm

And I am proud to say that I was one of the developers on this project and carried out the initial investigation. Moreover, best part is, it was my first project. And I believe, that was just the beginning :)

This gives me immense satisfaction to put up my little foot ahead in this vast and challenging industry. And wait and watch for the next step that is going to come up...