Here the author introduces SQL Server Data Services, which exposes its functionality over standard Web service interfaces.

By David Robinson (July 2008)

Here the author answers questions regarding the Entity Framework and provides an understanding of how and why it was developed.

By Elisa Flasko (July 2008)

Here we present techniques for programmatic and declarative data binding and display with Windows Presentation Foundation.

By Josh Smith (July 2008)

Systems that handle failure without losing data are elusive. Learn how to achieve systems that are both scalable and robust.

By Udi Dahan (July 2008)

Michael Howard outlines some of the buffer overrun defenses available in Visual C++ 2005 and beyond.

By Michael Howard (March 2008)

Five years ago, Bill Gates issued a directive to enhance security across the board. Since then, many valuable lessons have been learned about building more secure software.

By Michael Howard (November 2007)

Never trust data, model threats against your code, and other good advice from a security expert.

By Michael Howard (November 2006)

In this article, Microsoft security expert Michael Howard outlines how to apply the Security Development Lifecycle to your own software development processes. He explains how you can take some of the lessons learned at Microsoft when implementing SDL and use them in your own development process.

By Michael Howard (November 2005)

In this article, Microsoft security expert Michael Howard discusses the cardinal rules of attack surface reduction. His rules - reduce the amount of code executing by default, reduce the volume of code that is accessible to untrusted users by default, and limit the damage if the code is exploited - are explained along with the techniques to apply the rules to your code.

By Michael Howard (November 2004)

Reviewing code for security defects is a key ingredient in the software creation process, ranking alongside planning, design, and testing. Here the author reflects over his years of code security reviews to identify patterns and best practices that all developers can follow when tracking down potential security loopholes. The process begins by examining the environment the code runs in, considering the roles of the users who will run it, and studying the history of any security issues the code may have had. After gaining an understanding of these background issues, specific vulnerabilities can be hunted down, including SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting, and buffer overruns. In addition, certain red flags, such as variable names like "password", "secret," and other obvious but common security blunders, can be searched for and remedied.

By Michael Howard (November 2003)

Keith Brown introduces you to the new identity model in the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0.

By Keith Brown (September 2007)

If you're not taking advantage of Active Directory, you should be. Learn the benefits from Keith Brown.

By Keith Brown (July 2007)

Here the author uses Document Information Panels in the Microsoft 2007 Office system to manipulate metadata from Office docs for better discovery and management.

By Ashish Ghoda (April 2008)

James Kovacs explains the dark side of tightly coupled architectures, why they're hard to test and how they limit adaptation. He then proposes a number of solutions.

By James Kovacs (March 2008)

Animating with Silverlight is easier than you think. Here we create a 3D app that folds a polyhedron using XAML, C#, and by emulating the DirectX math libraries.

By Declan Brennan (April 2008)

Learn how to create a workflow that uses InfoPath forms and other office documents for passing data to targeted activities and for use in Office documents.

By Rick Spiewak (June 2008)

There are many things called threat modeling. Rather than argue about which is "the one true way," a good practice is to consider your needs and what your skills, abilities, and schedules are, and then work with a method that's best for you. In the July 2008 issue of MSDN Magazine, ...
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Want to develop games for Xbox Live? Want to get paid for it, too? Click on over to the XNA Team Blog to learn more about their initial rollout of the XNA Creators Club for XNA Game Studio. ...
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The Microsoft Entity Data Model (EDM), based on Dr. Peter Chen's Entity Relationship (ER) model, is the driving force behind the ADO.NET Entity Framework. The EDM is also the feature that most significantly differentiates the Entity Framework from other ORM-style technologies in the marketplace. In the July 2008 issue of MSDN ...
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System.IO.File is a handy helper class for reading and writing data, but its methods support only synchronous operation. Is there an easy way to provide File’s functionality for asynchronous file I/O? In the July 2008 issue of MSDN Magazine, Stephen Toub walks through several ...
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Remember .NET Terrarium, the interactive game meant to introduce .NET development techniques? Well, the Windows SDK team has released the source code for .NET Terrarium 2.0 on CodePlex. You can read more about this release on the Windows SDK blog and at Microsoft ...
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The Enumerable class plays an important role in every LINQ query you create. Because the Enumerable class's extension methods can process many other classes—including Array and List—you can use methods of the Enumerable class not only to create LINQ queries, but also to manipulate the behavior of arrays and other data structures. In the July 2008 issue of MSDN ...
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