Category Archives: Training
SQL Saturday 132, Pre-Con
Today I am spending the day at Pensacola State College attending the pre-conference training for SQL Saturday #132 titled “Demystifying Database Administration Best Practices” presented by Microsoft Certified Masters Robert Davis (twitter|blog) and Argenis Fernandez (twitter|blog).
This is my first pre-con and I was excited to meet both Masters as I have talked with them many times on twitter. This was definitely money well spent with the rapid fire style spouting out best practice after best practice answering questions along the way was refreshing.
Typically, I get bored pretty easily if the speaker can’t hold my attention. No problems here. When I get back home I will blog about some of the new things I learned. This has been a great day of learning, SQL awesomeness at its best!
Leaving Today for SQL Saturday #132, Pensacola
The day has finally arrived: travel day! I am leaving today after work for the six-hour drive to Pensacola for SQL Saturday #132. We have a new John Grisham audiobook, Calico Joe, ready for the ride. This one sounds like a great book: “A surprising and moving novel of fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of Major League Baseball…”
Having experienced heavy rains all week in central Florida, I am a little concerned that we may not have a beautifully sunny weekend at the beach. However, the hotel does have an indoor pool so my wife is not too worried because we do live in Florida after all and this is a common summer time event.
Last night I was invited to the speaker’s dinner, thanks to the coordinator Mark Holmes (twitter|blog) for including me. In the past I have attended these speaker dinners as a volunteer, so I am moving up in the world. Thanks again Mark, I really do appreciate it and the event sounds amazing. I also want to thank Karla Kay (twitter|blog) for convincing me to take the leap and present as well as everything she does for the SQL community. She really is wonder woman as represented in her avatar.
Tomorrow is also my first pre-con training: “Demystifying Database Administration Best Practices” presented by Microsoft Certified Masters Robert Davis (twitter|blog) and Argenis Fernandez (twitter|blog). Some of my coworkers think that I am crazy for paying for this training and attending SQL Saturday’s out of my own pocket. They have obviously never been and met the #SQLFamily. Do yourself a favor and attend one of these event, you will not regret it. Enjoy!
SQL Saturday #132, Pensacola
Wow, another SQL Saturday is coming up and I am über excited! For this one I will travel up the panhandle to beautiful Pensacola with my lovely bride who will enjoy the sun and fun with me as we turn this into a four-day getaway. After our daughter’s graduation a couple of weeks ago, we could use a break.
This SQL Saturday is different for me in a few ways. First of all, I am going to the Pre-Con! This will be my first ever pre-con training as I never could get the schedule right in coordination with my work schedule. The stars aligned just right for this one, though. This pre-con will be “Demystifying Database Administration Best Practices” presented by Microsoft Certified Masters Robert Davis (twitter|blog) and Argenis Fernandez (twitter|blog). Being passionate about best practices, I am excited about this session as well as meeting two fellow tweeps.
The second difference is that I will be presenting for the first time ever! Going old school MTV style: This Saturday live at 1 pm come see the world-premiere video (er, I mean) presentation from SQLGator. It is a lightning talk presentation which will be great for my first time to help me get over my stage fright and conquer my goal of speaking. I am still considering submitting for SQL Saturday #151 Orlando and this will be a good test of whether or not I can do this. I am confident I can do this, but I am having some serious nervousness.
Hanging out with #SQLFamily will be amazing and I am looking forward to meeting some new people especially some of the bigger names in the SQL Server community. Come on out and enjoy the free learning. See you there!
SQL Schoolhouse, SQL Nexus Version
With a big holiday weekend, I thought I would continue our series on the SQL Nexus tool and pass on some excellent resources for our continued journey to learn. The following links are all great resources that will help us better understand how to use the SQL Nexus tool and related utilities. Enjoy and have a safe weekend!
- Trace Reporting with RML Utilities on SQL Server Pro magazine
- RML Utilities on Troubleshooting SQL
- Stress Testing your database engine using RML utilities on SQL Server Geeks
- Free SQL Server Tools, Software and Utilities
- Use SQL Server replay tools to reproduce and resolve customer issues by SQL CAT
- SQL Nexus articles on Troubleshooting SQL
- A blog showing SQL Nexus in action by Elisabeth Redei
Technology Days, SQL Server 2012
We interrupt my learning series on SQL Nexus to bring you my blog live from SQL Server 2012 Technology Days here at Microsoft Tampa with David Pless, Sr Premier Field Engineer.
If you are reading my blog regularly then you know all about my love for SQL Server learning, so obviously I had to attend this event. So far I have learned a few things to make this outing worth the drive for me. Oh who am I kidding, this is SQL Server training that in itself was worth the drive and a day out of the office.
Here are some things that I have learned today:
1. Server Core for 2012 is amazing and I am ready to deploy it when I return to the office!
2. PowerShell for 2012 will add functionality that makes it more attractive than the current GUI tools.
3. PowerShell is not the horrible tool that I thought it was….there is no reason for me not to use it more to be more efficient.
The day is not over yet so maybe there is still more awesomeness to come! Enjoy!
SQL Schoolhouse
With a busy weekend, I thought I would pass on an excellent resource for your learning: SQL Server Pro – Your database authority. This is the magazine formerly known as SQL Server Magazine, with a new name. There is a ton of great content for you to peruse with excellent monthly articles by big SQL names. Enjoy!
[Editing note: this should have published May 12th but I inadvertently set the publish date to the thirteenth. My apologies.]
Saturday SQL Schoolhouse
SQL Schoolhouse!
Today’s installment of the Saturday SQL Schoolhouse is brought to you by the fine folks over at PASS, the Professional Association for SQL Server. I discovered this gem yesterday while poking around on their website and was quite amazed that I had never noticed it before. Drumroll please! It is a comprehensive SQL Blog Directory that even has an OPML file to load all of the listed blogs into your RSS feeder automagically.
Curiously, my blog was not listed, which is ok because since I did not know about it then how could I submit my site. My site was submitted via e-mail last night, so hopefully it is there when you read this blog. Enjoy!
PASS Summit 2012, Join Me!
With only a week before SQL Rally in Dallas, there has been quite a bit of excitement and commentary in the twitterverse and blogosphere. However, I cannot attend due to other commitments. With all the excitement in the air, I cannot contain my excitement for the PASS Summit in November. I have never been able to attend the Summit in the past and I am not 100% sure that I will be able to attend this year, but the planets are lining up and there is a glimmer of hope for my first Summit conference. Sitting by last year and watching all of the action from the sidelines just about drove me nuts. Here it is six months away and I have already scoped out the hotels in the area, looked around via Google’s man on the street, and my wife is even thinking about tagging along (I think just so she can see those flying fish at the market, no wait that is just me).
I have been to Seattle once before in my youth for the National Mu Alpha Theta math competition. It was there that my skills in advanced math were not as worldly as I thought, even though I placed (no I can’t remember but I think third place) in the state of Florida. But, many schools from Florida and Alabama dominated the competition awards, interesting as I am sure most of the world does not think of Alabama and Florida as math powerhouses but in the late 80s when those respective states were battling neck and neck for last place in education those two states were advanced math geniuses, but I digress.
I know I won’t be able to take another tour of the King Dome and I wonder what else has changed since grunge and coffee took over that beautiful and friendly city some 25 years ago. I wonder if I should ask someone at the hotel if I could walk to Mt. Ranier and have them laugh at me just for old times sake. I am also excited about riding the monorail on the awesome two block journey. Do they still have the theme park at the needle? Maybe I can cross another item off my bucket list: touring Forks and seeing all of the Twilight scenery in person (really just kidding on that one LOL).
Don’t get me wrong, I want to see SQLChicken do his gorilla impression and participate in SQLKaraoke. I want to soak up all that is SQLAwesomeness and bask in the MCM and MVP glory that is PASS Summit 2012. Won’t you join me?
Question of the Day Learning
Watson the Supercomputer on Jeopardy
One of my favorite morning activities when reading various SQL Server e-mails is to answer the SQL Server Central Question of the Day (QotD). These are delivered to me in the daily Newsletter (see today’s for a sample) and I thoroughly enjoy them.
I average around 60-65% correct which sounds low but the average for the site is 59%. Many of these questions are challenging and many are in areas that I have never worked with, but it is interesting and a good learning experience. How do you stack up?
In case you did not already know, you can subscribe to the SQL Server Central Newsletter in your profile when you register on the site. Enjoy!
SQL Azure Baby Steps
Yesterday I listed a few links to get you started in SQL Azure. In addition to the free 90-day trial, did you know that there were special pricing offers for Microsoft Partner Network, Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) and or BizSpark for SQL Azure? MSDN subscribers, for example, get $3,600 dollars worth of Azure benefits at no charge. Check out Windows Azure Special Pricing: MSDN, MPN, and Bizspark Benefits for more information.
When you move past all of the pricing and setting up your accounts then you will want to check out the following article MSDN Magazine article about Getting Started with SQL Azure Development. It is essentially a walk-through guide that will get you up and running or should I say flying through the cloud. Enjoy!
SQL Swampland 