Boost.net

We excel at Business Intelligence — from consultancy and design, through to handover, ongoing support, and mentoring.

We can help you turn your data into meaningful information and organize it to make it more powerful. We can also show you how to improve data flow and turn information into action.

Our business philosophy is to win new clients through our technical excellence and to keep them as partners, helping them to adjust and implement their emerging IT software requirements as the demands of the business change, grow, and move forward.

As you will see from the Hitchhikers Guide page, our CTO and founding director, Peter Blackburn, wrote the definitive book on Reporting Services. We believe we are uniquely qualified to assess and advise you on Reporting Services, whether you are considering a new system, integrating or upgrading your existing system, or concerned that what you have is just not up to standard.

Here are just some of the components we can assess and test for performance:

• Installation
• Report Wizards
• Administration and Use
• Security Issues
• Data Sources
• Report Creation
• Charts and Matrices
• Templates, Stylesheets, and Code Access Security
• Report Server URL
• Soap Programming
• Custom Data Processing Extensions

Report Queue

Benefits

• Low capital cost
• Low maintenance cost
• Rapid return

Features

• Unique
• Building on SQL Server 2000

Free Systems Audit

We want to be entrusted with your business and to build a long-lasting partnership. As a special offer for potential clients, we will audit your system free of charge over a 3-hr period and submit a recommendation without obligation.

We will:

• Liaise with your IT team, analyse the effectiveness of your SQL applications, and advise you of the next step.
• Analyse the effectiveness of your security systems.
• Recommend a technical solution which aims to fit within your IT budget, business plans, and strategy.

Today’s systems and emerging technologies can be complex and sometimes beyond the capabilities of your in-house IT team. We make it our business to keep up with cutting-edge developments.

We can:

• Manage and monitor your IT/BI needs.
• Anticipate and prevent problems before they surface.
• Test your team’s ability to troubleshoot your existing technology and systems.
• Advise you on how to install and configure new systems or reconfigure existing systems.
• Help you decide what training is necessary in order to meet your future systems requirements.
• Provide flexible support with the response time you need.
• Customize solutions to your unique problems.

Clients

We have worked with some of the best software architects in the business both to develop new Reporting Services and to integrate existing systems. We have also built both small and large scale databases for global clients.

We can source technicians globally to find the best there is.

Training program specifically designed for your unique organizational needs.

Simply tell us the area of Reporting Services where you like us to focus attention and we will customize a program around your requirements, using your own data if requested. The training will be given on-site by leading global experts.

This gives you an opportunity to have training with a practical application that is unique to your company’s needs.

Is it possible to have a passion for a product? — we think so. And that’s what Microsoft people said about our CTO and founding director, Peter Blackburn, when he and William Vaughn wrote ‘Hitchhikers Guide to SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services’ — a global bestseller. But writing bestsellers and becoming a global authority on SQL is only part of who we are and what we do. Peter Blackburn and William Vaughn redefine the concept of what a technical book should provide.

About the Author

Peter Blackburn has worked in the computer industry since 1981. He studied Computer science at Cambridge University and is a Microsoft MVP. Through his consulting company, Boost Data Limited, Peter has built both small and large-scale databases as well as reporting systems, based on SQL Server. He has contributed countless hours to the development and honing of Microsoft Reporting Services and remains directly involved with the development team. He supports developers through the newsgroups and beta programs, and trains teams of developers working with SQL Server and Reporting Services. Having worked closely with .NET since before the launch, Peter and Boost Data have ensured the technical accuracy of many leading .NET books. Peter lives in the United Kingdom and travels all over the world to consult, speak and provide support for his fellow developers, fellow MVPs, his writing team, and Microsoft itself.

Some Comments on Hitchhiker’s Guide to SQL Server 2000 Reporting Services

“First, it's informative and humorous yet very easy to read. Second, it comes with a DVD that has a couple of gigs of videos that are nice supplements to the reading and they have some great demos of SQL Reporting Services. Third, it comes with a premium membership to the authors' Web site on SQL Reporting Services. This Web site is easily worth the price of the book.”

Jon Box (weblog)
Solutions Architect
Quilogy
Writing in the .NET Developer's Journal

“The ultimate resource for both DBAs and developers on SQL Server Reporting Services; this book and DVD will guide you from installation, security, report design, and deployment to developing extensions.”

Gert E.R. Drapers,
Software Architect,
SQL Server Development,
Microsoft Corporation

“As far as I am concerned you are one of the best sources for SQL Reporting Services in the world... you have the technical knowledge, experience and a willingness to support the developer community at the expense of your personal time!”

Len Vitello
MIS - Business Intelligence
Chico's FAS, Inc.

“Bill Vaughn and Peter Blackburn have created a masterful work of Reporting Services documentation, which includes tips, tricks, and product insights that you just won’t find anywhere else.”

Bryan Keller,
Programmer Writer,
SQL Server Reporting Services,
Microsoft Corporation

“The Guide Me multimedia tool on the DVD is far and away the best tutorial of its type I have ever used. I have used these things before, but they usually do not maintain my attention very long... They are brief, to the point, and worth the time to view them.”

Danny J. Lesandrini
DatabaseJournal.com

“An insightful, informative, and sometimes irreverent look into the world of Reporting Services, Hitchhiker’s Guide to SQL Server Reporting Services provides plenty of walk-throughs, examples, tips, and tricks to help you get the most out of the product. Peter and Bill take you step by step through the various features of Reporting Services, pointing out pitfalls and best practices along the way. An excellent addition to any Reporting Services library.”

Michelle Larez,
Technical Writer,
SQL Server Reporting Services,
Microsoft Corporation

“Although it is called Hitchhiker’s Guide to SQL Server Reporting Services, I like to think of it in more of a movie context as Bill and Peter’s Excellent Adventure. Get ready for a totally excellent quest to get the most out of your SQL Server Reporting Services deployment.”

Brian Welcker,
Group Program Manager,
SQL Server Reporting Services,
Microsoft Corporation

“Microsoft Reporting Services for SQL Server 2000 is easily the best product for solving customers reporting requirements since Access 1.0 in 1992. It’s simple to use, powerful, and nothing comes close when it comes to producing reports for the web. Bill Vaughn and Peter Blackburn have put together a comprehensive resource that fills a big void in the developer market on this topic.”

Adam Cogan,
Chief Architect,
Microsoft Regional Director,
Superior Software for Windows (SSW)

“This book is not only a very good guide. It is a source of valuable advices, tips, tricks, inside (MS) info but most of all it is an independent look on Reporting Services that goes farther than Microsoft itself! ... Excellent book, it's worth the money. You’ll read it once. If you are a developer it will be your best friend for ever!”

John Salichos
Applications/Software Development Manager
P&K Securities AEPEY (English link)
Greece

“I got to know Peter and Bill in the early beta stages of SQL Server Reporting Services, where they were among the most prolific participants. This book reflects their passion for this product, their drive to go beneath the surface and understand its inner workings and its architecture.”

Tudor Trufinescu,
Development Lead,
SQL Server Reporting Services,
Microsoft Corporation