When your whole life is all about Visual Studio, sometimes it's easy to get a little too heads-down and forget that there are some integrated technologies that you're going to need to know and use. So today, take a few minutes to learn about Indigo and SQL Server 2005. Microsoft Learning has some great free content that will help you get going.

Free e-Learning on SQL Server 2005
Microsoft Learning has got a free e-Learning course -- Programming Microsoft® SQL Server™ 2005 -- you can take for free. Containing detailed reference content and in-depth practical and hands-on activities, this course is a technically deep learning experience for architects, systems engineers, systems administrators, solution developers, and application developers. The course is designed for people who want to learn about either the planning/design phase of technology adoption, or the implementation issues specific to the build, deployment, and management phases. Find it at https://www.microsoftelearning.com/eLearning/offerDetail.aspx?offerPriceId=66787.

3 Free Chapters from Programming Indigo by David Pallmann
Microsoft Learning has also got three chapters for you from Programming "Indigo" The Code Name for the Unified Framework for Building Service-Oriented Applications on the Microsoft® Windows® Platform. Written by a key member of the Microsoft “Indigo” team, this book shows how to accomplish specific Web services tasks and prepare for the next wave of service-oriented development. Get the PDF of chapter 1 at [[wherever you put it]]. You'll find chapters 3 and 5 at http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvista/community/books/indigo/default.aspx. Learn more about this book at http://www.microsoft.com/MSPress/books/7703.asp.