View Larger Map

cd C:\Program Files\Ascential\DataStage7.5.2
dsdesign.exe /H=<hostname> /U=<user> /P=<password> /R /RP="C:\Documents and Settings\Alice\My Documents\Job_Reports" <project> <job>

Example:
dsexport.exe /H=123.45.67.89 /U=alice /P=ch!cken$ /R /RP="C:\Documents and Settings\Alice\My Documents\Job_Reports" day_score extract_score_data

If you just need the screenshot alone, the following command will do.
dsdesign.exe /H=123.45.67.89 /U=alice /P=ch!cken$ /SaveAsBmp=C:\Documents and Settings\Alice\My Documents\job.bmp day_score extract_score_data

Now that you have decided to purchase a laptop, let us figure out the specifications. There are several pieces(both in the realm of software and hardware) that make up a laptop, and each piece matters differently to different people. Some value the Operating System more than the hardware, while some may value the hardware interface(keyboard, touchpad, screen) more than anything else.

The Operating System matters the most in a lot of purchases, with Windows and Mac OS ruling more than 99% of the market. Windows is in widespread use and is prevalent in both enterprise and home users. Due to its ubiquity, it is targeted in large numbers by programmers with both honest and evil intentions. Though the operating system is often accused of being relatively insecure, a few simple changes in user behavior can drastically reduce the chances of getting infected by viruses and malware. Mac OS is based on Unix and is reputed to be safer and more secure than Windows. The latest version of Windows, the Windows 7 has received much positive reviews than its predecessor, the Windows Vista. Generally speaking, it is best if the buyer get a first hand experience on either of the Operating Systems.

The Applications are programs you install on an OS to do stuff, such as write documents, compose music, edit pictures, create movies, browse the Internet, communicate via email/IM and even develop other programs. Both paid and free programs are available on Windows and Mac. In some cases, the programs that the Operating system is shipped with suffices most of the needs. However, the number of programs available for Windows is many times more than that available for Mac. That increase however, doesn't necessarily translate to quality of programs. For an excellent list of free programs for Windows, refer Trent at thesimpledollar.com

The Hardware Interface comprises of keyboard, touch-pad, track-point, display etc. The keys take the worst hit in handling. Be it the incessant pounding or the dust that permeates, the keyboard is a component that can fail often. The keyboards on large sized laptops also have a dedicated numpad. The texture and responsiveness of the Touchpad needs to be just right to make its usage second nature. The new Macbooks features a glass touch-pad, which I have personally found to be the best in laptops. Displays are another sticking point in the choice of hardware. Their sizes may vary from 8.9" to 18.4". Common sizes are the 15.4", 14", 13" and the 17". As the display gets smaller, so does the laptop, which causes problems in proper heat dissipation. To avoid overheating, smaller laptops are designed with low-power processors that run at lesser clock frequencies. So, if you want a faster processor, you might have to trade size for speed. Further points of interest are the display resolution, display texture-matte or glossy, maximum brightness. Higher the resolution, more the screen real estate as the icons and text get smaller and higher the price. As the screen gets larger, the resolution also needs to increased to retain the same text and icon size. Again, choose what you are most comfortable with. Most of the new laptops now come equipped with web-cams, fingerprint sensors, blue tooth, IR receivers. Generally, these components have standard hardware specifications and those are good to go along. Currently, web-cams come in 1.3MP and 2MP resolution and web-cams aren't replaceable. The memory card reader, the Express card slots are another important interface. The most popular memory card format among digital camera is the SD Card and so it might be helpful if the laptop sports a SD card reader.

At this point, you might have a clearer picture of what kind of a laptop you want. I will continue on this discussion in a later post.

From Wiki, "Data is encoded in a series of circles around the bulls-eye pattern. Each additional circle completely surrounds the previous circle causing the symbol to grow in size as more data is encoded. A dark module is a binary 1 and a light module is a binary 0. The code is orientation independent." I then realized that I had a close encounter with Aztec Code - on a boarding pass which I have talked about here. Turns out that Aztec Code has been selected by the airline industry for the electronic boarding passes. However, on my flight other paper boarding passes still carried the Bar Code.

A college buddy and I are at the top of Alam Rock Hill in San Jose, CA after a exhausting but refreshing 30 min quick trek. I can see the sun set and the moon rise on either horizon overlooking the city of San Jose. A nice end to my 3 day tour of San Francisco area. Sent from my BlackBerry

I am a self-confessed geek and love to try out new stuff. To this end, I used a mobile boarding pass on a American Airlines flight from Chicago to San Francisco. The pass was a GIF image emailed to me by the airline. I have attached a snapshot of it. It was accepted both at the security check-in and at the gate. No questions asked. I had first read about it on engadget in November 2008. It had reported that mobile boarding passes were available on American Airlines flights flying out of Chicago. I guess, they must have expanded the program to other cities as well. Sent from my BlackBerry

This is a continuation of the post on how to export and import DataStage jobs via Windows' commands on the client machine.

To compile jobs at the Windows Command line:
The syntax is,
dscc.exe /h <hostname> /u <user> /p <password> <project> /j <job>

Example,
dscc.exe /h 123.45.67.89 /u alice /p 0r@ange day_score_dev /j extract_score_data

As far as I know, the dsexport command doesn't support concatenation. I mean, I cannot specify the same dsx file to two different dsexport commands and expect both the jobs being exported to the dsx file. One way around this is to, export to multiple files and then using the Windows 'copy' command to combine all dsx files into one.

The syntax to combine multiple files into one single files is,
copy <file1> + <file2> + <file3> <file>

Example,
copy mar89.dsx + apr89.dsx + may89.dsx combined.dsx

Another shortcut is,
copy *.dsx combined.txt

More on copy command here.

To schedule jobs, we need to group commands into a batch file. Using a text editor, type the commands and save under a filename with a .bat extension. Batch files are executable files and can be run like any other exe file. Scheduling can be carried out by using 'Scheduled Tasks' program in Control Panel in Windows. It is simple and convenient. It is fairly easy and a fresher should be able to figure it out on first try. But if you run into problems, you can always access Windows Help here.