SSRS Reference Material

Report Dates & Date Functions

Date Functions

FormatDateTime(Parameters!Date.Value,1) = Tuesday, April 10, 2007
FormatDateTime(Parameters!Date.Value,2) = 4/10/2007
FormatDateTime(Parameters!Date.Value,3) = 12:00:00 AM
FormatDateTime(Parameters!Date.Value,4) = 00:00

Format(Parameters!Date.Value,”dd-MM-yyyy”) = 10-04-2007
Format(Parameters!Date.Value,”dd/MM/yyyy”) = 10/04/2007
Format(Parameters!Date.Value,”MMM-dd-yyyy”) = Apr-10-2007
Format(Parameters!Date.Value,”MMM-dd-yy”) = Apr-10-07

=FORMAT(Today(),"M/d/yy") = 8/23/10
=FORMAT(Today(),"MM-dd-yyyy") = 08-23-2010
=FORMAT(Today(),"MMM-dd-yyyy") = Aug-23-2010
=FORMAT(Today(),"MMMM dd, yyyy") = August 23, 2010
=FORMAT(DateField,"MMM dd, yyyy hh:mm:ss") = Aug 23, 2010 01:43:33
=FORMAT(DateField,"MMM dd, yyyy HH:mm:ss") = Aug 23, 2010 13:43:33
=FORMAT(DateField,"MMM dd, yyyy HH:mm:ss.fff") = Aug 23, 2010 13:43:33.587
=FORMAT(DateField,"MMM dd, yyyy hh:mm:ss tt") = Aug 23, 2010 01:43:33 PM

Lamb Vindaloo

Lamb Vindaloo is another great dish. Its a bit more complicated than the chicken dishes mainly due to the number of steps required cos our family doesn't like their meat chewy, but I manage to get it down to perfection.

Lamb Vindaloo is made in a pressure cooker, because we want it well cooked throughout.

INGREDIENTS

3-4 lbs Either Lamb Stew pieces or Shoulder Lamb Chops

1 Big Onion - Diced
2 Medium Tomatoes - Diced
2 Medium Sized Potatoes

2 Tablespoons Oil (Canola or Olive Oil)
2 Cloves
2 Pieces of Cardamon
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Bay Leaf

1 Tablespoon Minced Ginger
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
1 small can (8 oz) of Tomato Sauce - (Optional)

2 Tablespoons - Pataks Vindaloo Paste
1 Teaspoons Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala
1/2 Teaspoon Coriander Cumin Powder
1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro for taste

Chicken Kheema (Kheema Curry)

Chicken Kheema is my children's favorite Indian dish. They are happy to eat this all week if I let them. Its another very simple dish to make and tastes great.

Chicken Kheema Curry

This recipe is for approx 1.5 - 2 lbs ground Chicken. The recipe for this is very similar to Rasawali Chicken (Chicken Curry).

Chicken Kheema can be made in a pressure cooker or in a saucepan.

Ingredients

1.5 - 2 lbs Ground Chicken

1 Big Onion - Diced

2 Medium Tomatoes - Diced

2 Medium Sized Potatoes 

2 Tablespoons Oil (Canola or Olive Oil)

2 Cloves

2 Pieces of Cardamon

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 Bay Leaf

2 Tablespoon Shan Kheema Curry

1 Tablespoon Minced Ginger

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

1 small can (8oz)  of Tomato Sauce

2 Teaspoons Chili Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala

1/2 Teaspoon Coriander Cumin Powder

1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro for taste

Rasawali Chicken Recipe (Curry Chicken)

Gujarati Rasawali Chicken is one of my favorite dishes. Its very simple to make and tastes fantastic.

This recipe is for a whole chicken (Approx 2 lbs)

Ingredients

1 Whole Chicken - Skinned and Cut into small pieces (abt 16 pieces)

1 Big Onion - Diced

2 Medium Tomatoes - Diced

2 Medium Sized Potatoes 

2 Tablespoons Oil (Canola or Olive Oil)

2 Cloves

2 Pieces of Cardamon

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 Bay Leaf

1 Tablespoon Minced Ginger

1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic

2 Teaspoons Chili Powder

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala

1/2 Teaspoon Coriander Cumin Powder

1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro for taste

TSQL Reference Code

DYNAMIC PIVOT & UNPIVOT

DYNAMIC PIVOT

DECLARE @cols AS NVARCHAR(MAX),
@query AS NVARCHAR(MAX)

select @cols = STUFF((SELECT distinct ',' + QUOTENAME(AssignmentName)
from yourtable
FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE
                                  ).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)') ,1,1,'')

set @query = 'SELECT StudentName, ' + @cols + ' from
(
     select StudentName, AssignmentName, grade
     from yourtable
) x
pivot
(
     min(grade) for assignmentname in (' + @cols + ')
) p '

execute(@query)

​http://stackoverflow.com/questions/213702/sql-server-2005-pivot-on-unknown-number-of-columns

Riviera Maya, Mexico

The Resort - Grand Sunset Princess (All Inclusive)

Picking the right resort is essential when vacationing, and for us the Grand Sunset Princess was perfect. We loved it so much that we recommended it to saw many people who all went there after us.

Right from the moment you walk into the foyer until the time you leave you feel like royalty. First we were greeted with a non alcoholic drink, which was nice and refreshing in the heat, before we even checked in for our room. The initial impression was "Wow".

Important Facts about the Resort:

They have:

12 swimming pools
2 Buffet Restaurants
12 a la carte Restaurants (these require reservations as soon as
     you get there)
17 Bars
Daytime and Nighttime Entertainment
Kids Club - Daytime Mini-Club (ages 4 - 12 years with swimming
     pool, outdoor patio with games, House club)
Kids Club - Night Entertainment for Children, Mini Disco, Mini
Theater, Room with Video games (ages 4 - 12 years)

  

After checking into the hotel, we decided to take a tour. It was beautiful place and so large. The grass was green, the walkways were spotless, well maintained which made the experience so pleasant.

The huts were beautiful. They had little couches in there, great area to chill and relax. The pools were big and clean, with nice palm trees surrounding the water, and best of all, not a mosquito in site.

There are so many restaurants to choose from and the food is great. Great variety of food in the buffet areas as well, as in the a la carte restaurants but you need to reserve at time check-in. Our favorite was the hibachi grill as it was the first time for the kids and my in-laws, so going through the hibachi experience was awesome. The chief was so entertaining. The buffets were good also. The changed up the food daily during dinner time so that was good, but for the picky eaters they did have the standard dishes everyday, which was great especially with kids, if they didn’t like the food at the restaurants then we had options.

 

 

 

Punta Cana - Dominican Republic

​Punta Cana, who would have guessed it would be so scenic. This place is filled with Palm trees and Coconut trees. This was a family trip with our family parents and all for as a birthday celebration for my dad who turned 70. This was a fun vacation for all there, children, us and both mine and my husband’s parents. Everyone had a great time with plenty to do for everything. Since this was a family trip and time for relaxation we mostly spent our time at the resort. We stayed at Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe, a great resort for families.

Punta Cana is a place for people who love the outdoor activities. Great activities available for speedboating, catamaran sailing, , deep sea sport fishing, discovery cruises, private yachts, swimming with dolphins, snorkeling cruises, swimming with sharks and stingrays, whale watching, reef exploring and visiting small islands like Saona and Catalina

Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe - All Inclusive

Since this was a family trip and time for relaxation we mostly spent our time at the resort. We stayed at Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe, a great resort for families. The pools were beautiful, the beach was fantastic, and food was great, so many options to choose from. Many people I’m sure have destination weddings here. It’s a great place for some lovely photos. We actually saw a destination wedding happening in a little kiosk right in front of the beach. It was so beautiful. The bridal party looked wonderful in matching outfits, I’m sure there pictures come our exquisite.

Also the resort has so many activities for the all age groups. They had salsa lessons, aerobics on the beach (our mothers loved that), a giant chess board alongside the pool, that you can actually play, as well as other various activities. There is a schedule posted in one of the covered hang out activity areas that list what activities they are doing at what time, as well as many competitions you can compete in to win small prizes.

The best part of the resort was the swim up to Bars. Kids loved it because they could go order whatever they wanted and there were so many choices of non-alcoholic cocktails for them, they were in heaven.

Also close to the beach is a little gift shop. Looks like a hut, and very different looking. Great place to buy swim outfits, and beach gear.

        

    

Some of our favorite restaurants the Barcelo Bavaro were Kyoto (Japanese Restaurant that also did Hibachi), as well as Mexico Lindo. They have 2 wonderful buffet restaurants that are open during breakfast and dinner. It’s a great for kids who can be very picky as well as when you need to feed them when restaurant reservations are late.

There is a special kids club at the resort for kids to spend the day especially if you want a break or some alone time. They have outdoor activities and arcades as well as movie time for kids. My kids loved spending the time there. Also there is a water park area with a pirate ship close to the kids club. This is an additional cost (not included in the all inclusive package), if was a little secluded if you ask me, and not many people were there, but was a nice hang out place for a few hours

  

The beach water was nice and warm, only part that I didn’t like was the seaweed. I don’t like seaweed that’s washed up on shore, but once we were past that, the water was clear, blue and beautiful. We got some lively pictures from there, it was lovely. The dock was great too. It was nice to hang out at the end of the dock, and watch the boats go by smell the fresh air.

   

  

Saona Island

While in Punta Cana, we decided to do a full day excursion. After flipping some ideas around, we thought going to Saona Island would be fun. This was fantastic, definitely well worth the money and a day well spent. We absolutely love it. The trip there was on a speed boat, return was on a catamaran. You have a professional photography with you the whole time, and you will have the time of your life. We sure did.

On the way there we did the speed boat. They go half way to Saona Island and stop for people who want to Snorkle to allow them to Snorkle. I personally didn’t do it, but my husband and kids did. They said it was wonderful. They were surrounded by so many different kinds of fish in the water and the water was actually warm, not cold. After spending 30 minutes here, everyone got back on the boat and we moved on. Right before we arrived at Saona Island we stopped again, this time at the shallow turquoise waters. Here the water is literally Turquoise and not so deep. This was different. Here we actually got to see starfish and take pictures with them

  

Saona Island is perfect. You wouldn’t have seen anything like it. The sand is clean and white; the water is clear and blue. Fantastic spots to take pictures and as mentioned earlier they provide a professional photograph who actually take great pictures. I’m far from a model but have to say he took some great snaps.
​Hint: always try and negotiate on the price if you decide to buy their pictures. The island is lovely. They had great people who did great massages, which were very inexpensive. Even the kids got great massages, they loved it.

They provide a fantastic buffet lunch on the island, which was included in the cost of and I have to admit the food was pretty good. The photographer took some great clicks of us, that even though we weren't wanted to buy the pictures, they were so good, we just as too.

They had salsa lessons and performances from people working on the island. It was great entertainment. We had a lot of fun here, definitely worth it. There are some great opportunities for some wonderful photos even if you are not a model.

      

After a wonderful day on Saona Island, the trip back to Punta Cana was the highlight. The ride back on a Catamaran with so many people was so much fun. They served beer on the ride back with music and dancing. They had some great dancers who were awesome and danced with everyone and anyone. Kids had a ball too, they were so happy. The sun beat down on us it was beautiful. Great views of the ocean, with music, such a relaxing trip back to the land. We all had a wonderful time.

I definitely recommend this trip to anyone who is looking for a fun excursion to do from Punta Cana. It was lots of fun, and well worth it.

---

New Zealand - The land of the big white cloud

Taken at Lake Wanaka

New Zealand is such a small country with so much to offer. It’s known as one of the most beautiful countries in the world, it’s a shame that so very few people have even heard of it. I'm talking about the country I am from and I call home. New Zealand.

Living in New Zealand, I never really appreciated the beauty I had around me every day. It was just the norm, but after being away for so many years, I realize what exactly I am missing.

While living in the US, I realized so many people had never really heard of New Zealand. It wasn't until the movies "Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit" came out that the awareness grew and the beauty that lay within was seen.

All pictures were taken in December (when it’s summer in NZ), so imagine how it would look in Winter if you love the snow.

Queenstown, New Zealand

     

Queenstown is a beautiful little town at the bottom of the South Island in New Zealand. As tiny as it is, it has so much to offer. It's nice and relaxing as well as full of energy and many outdoor activities. You can surely get your adrenaline rush here.

Compared to USA pricing is a little high for Food and Shopping, but the beauty of it is definitely worth it.​

Queenstown has many things to do. Its the place of beauty and adventure. You can go Bungy Jumping, do the Shotover Jetboating, go see the Lord of the Rings Grenorchy Safari, do a AJ Hackett Swing, Skydiving, Go up the Gondola and see a breathtaking view of Queenstown, or simply hang out in the little town, and eat, drink and be merry. There's also a wonderful Ice bar in town off the dock, that's definitely worth checking out. There is so much to do that the list could go on and on

Milford Sounds    

Milford Sounds is only 3.5 hrs away from Queenstown. There are many tours that go to Milford Sounds or you can hire a car and drive down yourself.

The view is amazing. Even growing up in New Zealand I had never seen anything so beautiful.
The drive to Milford Sounds was spectacular. There were fields of tall greenery and flowers, surrounded by mountains, low clouds and snow covering the mountaintops.

When you take a boat tour over the Lake Te Anau in Milford Sounds, you will see Waterfalls that are 1000 meters high as well as wildlife, living the life on the lake. Check out some more pictures below, to see exactly what we saw. Words are not enough to describe the beauty.

Wanaka

  

Wanaka is a little town about 1 hr away from Queenstown. We did a wonderful day trip there. The town was lovely, and fish and chips were great in this tiny mom and pop store right across the road from the lake. It was beautiful looking at the Snow top mountains in the distance over the lake.

Of course there is plenty to do there, besides the lake, town, beautiful parks. Bungy jumping, and sky diving there is amazing. There are also beautiful walking trails, bike trails and hiking, so if you’re an outdoor kind of person, this is definitely the place you want to be.

The Haunted History Museum - Short Story

By Krish Gandhi (11 Years Old)

It was a dark and stormy night. Everyone was sound asleep but somewhere in the Museum of Natural History, a figure opened its eyes. The figure’s name was Doomsday. He looked like a bloody stone statue from ancient Egypt. I was planning on going to the museum for my birthday, but I never knew that the doors would close on me . . . FOREVER!!!!

It was October 2nd, my 10th birthday came and we went to the museum. I saw King Tut, Booth’s pistol, World War I and two artifacts, and so many more interesting things. My family and I took a 9 hour tour of the museum. Suddenly, my friends came running towards me, as well as the rest of my family, it was picture time. We took pictures of the museum and the artifacts. We stayed there for so long looking at the interesting things, we didn’t realize that the Museum was closing it was just us and the workers, everyone else had left. SLAM! Soon the door closed and locked us in by ourselves!

Suddenly, the tile floors began to shake. All my friends ran in terror around the museum. A glimpse of light captured my eye. An ancient gold tablet from Egypt was glowing a green color. I then, turned around only to see Doomsday’s rocky body emerging from the floor.

That wasn’t the only weird problem going on. Other artifacts started coming alive! King Tut ran to me as fast as his mummified limbless legs could take him. With eyes full of dried blood, strength strong enough to stop a cannonball in midair, and regeneration, I was thinking it would be hard to kill, again. (Get it. Mummies are already dead.) My sister screamed so loud it cracked Doomsday a little. Soon enough, Doomsday and the mummy charged at my family, friends and I. Our pale faces showed that we were scared out of our wits. We ran into another room. A Teddy Roosevelt statue gave a command whistle loudly. I could hear fast thuds. I mistakenly thought that was my thumping heart beating out of my chest.

Suddenly, dinosaur skeletons came charging down the hall. “Come on’’ I thought to myself; I had to fight them to stay alive. To my surprise they began helping us! The Triceratops and Ankylosaurus ripped and smashed the mummy to oblivion. Then, they smashed the head off so the mummy would be in forever sleep. The T-Rex and Velociraptors tore up Doomsday one rocky part at a time. When we were safe we thanked the dinosaur bones for their help. Without them we would be pummeled into a void, it was the scariest day of our lives.

As a result, we never came back to the museum because of the horrors we faced. Covered in blood we drove to the hospital as fast as we could. They gave us medicine to calm us down. That night we heard a devastating roar. Was there someone or something that has awakened from their slumber again?

Splat Stats

Self Taught - Piano Experience

My name is Yash Gandhi and I am 9 years old, and I started piano in September 2015 and, I really enjoy playing the piano a lot.

I started out as pushing random buttons on a very simple keyboard and it sounded terrible, but then my mum found a free website online and I started doing free online lessons from Hoffman Academy. There are 120 lessons and they are adding more lessons as we speak so people can get better at piano as they go along. Currently they have beginner lessons but soon they are going to add beginner through to advanced lessons.

In my classroom my friend Andrew can play the piano and he makes it sound amazing and I want to play as great as he does so that is what inspired me to learn the piano. As I get better my parents get more and more proud of me and I think it’s because the songs get more and more advanced, and the songs sound really good. Some of the songs Hoffman Academy teaches you are Frog in the Middle, Mouse in the House, Silver Birch Tree, Debka Hora, Ode to Joy, and Au Clair de la Lune. Also some of the notes I learned are quarter notes, eighth notes sixteenth notes and fermata.

To be honest now my family want to learn to play the piano as well, but they just do not have the time to learn piano but my brother Krish and I have lots of time. Once my dad did 3 to 4 lessons and then soon after that he did 3 to 4 more lessons, and then gave up because he can’t consistently keep up with them.

Hoffman Academy is great. Mr. Hoffman teaches us in very simple terms, and we can do the lessons on our own time. I really love it. And you can go back and re-watch the videos as many times as you want to or need to.

On the Christmas of 2015, my mom said that she was getting my dad a giant speaker, but it turns out that it was a way bigger and better keyboard, and I was so happy. Now I go on it a lot more and now I can slowly read sheet music from 2 books that I got for Christmas along with my keyboard, depending on how hard the notes are to read and if I have learnt them yet from the Academy. The author of my favorite book called “The Disney Collection” is Hal Leonard and I love the song in there called supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I haven’t learnt this song yet but can’t wait to learn it.

Mr. Hoffman’s teaching method is very helpful when it comes to reading sheet music, here is what he does, he teaches two - three lines of music for the right hand to play, and then two – three lines of music for the left hand to play, and then we try to do it on the piano and we keep doing that until we finish all of the sheet music. I think it is really fun playing the piano because I enjoy pushing the keys and listening to the beautiful sound it makes.

Mr. Hoffman is trying to make more lessons but doesn’t have enough money so he started a Kick start website to get donations to help get the money. In school I play the piano for the class to get an E in music class the songs I played are Jingle Bells and Ode to Joy, after I played for the class the class thought I played really well especially as im learning on my own without a live teacher in front of me.

If you’re reading thank you for reading and I hope you start playing the piano. Check out Hoffman Academy for free lessons.


https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/

All About Me

Hi, my name is Shetal Gandhi, I was born and raised in New Zealand. I come from an Indian background, as both my parents are from India.

After 24 years I meet my husband and married and moved to Atlanta, Georgia, USA. With the initial hesitation of leaving New Zealand, I have to say Atlanta has now become my home and I love it here.

I have 2 wonderful boys and a loving husband. We both work hard at full time jobs and do our best to maintain a great Work Life balance.

We strive to be successful and try to teach this to our children as well. I started my professional career off as an Oracle developer. Then after having children and taking a break for 4 years, I started back work as a SQL Developer. After a few years of that I decided to make a slight shift and become more valuable and decided that I really wanted to move into Business Intelligence Development, which is what I am currently doing.

Blogging is fairly new to me, but something of interest. I do so many wonderful things that I want to share with all of your out there who may be interested in some of the things I do or have done. I plan to use my blog to share information and stories about my travels, recipes, children's stories, budgeting/finance, investments ... Anything I can really think of. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know.

In my free time, which is limited, I love to paint, do cross stitch, make puzzles and play Candy Crush (Currently on level 1270), I also love watching movies (English and Hindi).