Author: way0utwest

At the Rocky Mountain Tech Trifecta this past weekend in Denver, I presented a talk on “Beginning SQL Server”, a high level look at the product for non-technical people: managers, analysts, project managers, even very new technical people. I’ve heard this requested a few times at SQL Saturday events in 2009, so I put one together, with the idea that I’d explain to people at a very high level what SQL Server is.

And that’s hard.

I had spent quite a few hours over the last 4-5 weeks looking for analogies that would make sense to a laymen for databases. I used Excel, filing cabinets, and a few more ideas, mostly with images, to convey to laymen what a database was, and how SQL Server compared with other databases. There were a couple other local SQL Server pros on hand, I think mostly to support me, and they thought the explanations made sense. I also got quite a few complements from others that were non-technical people. A business analyst, an older gentleman from the VAX/COBOL era, and a couple other people mentioned that this made sense for them in understanding how SQL Server fits in an environment.

However I learned a few things as well.

1. Lots of people don’t understand what a virtual machine is, and I struggled to explain it. So I need to work on that.
2. The .NET framework needs to be added to my talk. I had someone struggling to figure out what it is and how it fits with SQL Server.
3. I need a few more examples of how SQL Server data is used. I tried for some common sites (YouTube, NASDAQ, Amazon), but had a few blank looks.
4. I need to better explain some differences between Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, and DB2
5. I need another analogy for SSIS. I used Import/export,  and Extreme Makeover, but I need something that’s easier for the laymen to get.
6. I might need to drop Service Broker, or shorten that section. It’s not necessarily that important.
7. I need a way to explain what a set of data is, and how to manipulate a set of data at a time

Overall it went well, and I’ll be looking to put this on the site, as well as present it at some of the other events I attend. I’m going to try and get it scheduled as an early morning session or a first thing to get people up to speed.

It was a good day down in downtown Denver at the Rocky Mountain Tech Trifecta 2.0. I presented a session and moderated another, both of which went well. I have some changes and additions to my “Beginning SQL Server”, but I think it’s close to a great session for non-technical people as an overview.

It was also good to sit and catch up with some friends, and also stop and talk to a few acquaintances that I have seen at other events around town. I had quite a few people also thank me (along with other speakers) for putting on a free day of training. It’s always great to see people benefit and appreciate the efforts of those that volunteer.

After getting up at 5:45 this morning, I’m beat, but I’ll have some notes later on the event.

This is an interesting piece, talking about some of the software issues with Toyota and how that might come to be a big problem in the future with cars. As we include more software in cars, we will have more issues, and I am worried.

I recently had an issue where the battery in the Prius died. The car was in our garage, and without power, you can’t

• open the truck (where the battery is)
• put the car in neutral

In the garage, jumper cables wouldn’t reach. I had only one option, get a portable jumper battery and use that. $40 later, the Prius was running.

I had a similar issue with an old Honda Odyssey as well when the battery died. However by calling the dealer I learned there was a release switch that allowed the car to move into neutral, where it could be pushed out of the garage and jump started.

As we embed more electronics, the reliability of those components becomes an issue. Already I think the lack of a mechanical way to get the Toyota into neutral is an issue. On top of that, having locks die and be locked without power is a possible safety issue. The door locks can be mechanically opened, but I worry that might change. Not being able to open the truck was an issue for me.

Software is even more scary than some of the drive by wire features. Those can be set in EEPROMs that can’t change. Software, however, yikes! Can you imagine some software update that had bugs in it?

I like more electronics and conveniences in our cars, but it’s getting a little scary as manufacturers look to cut costs and get our the “gee-whiz” features quicker into cars.

I got some more feedback from my Connect item on allowing snapshot backups. They took notice, but I heard the “this is hard and it takes away from cool items in the next version” message.

That makes sense, and I understand there needs to be some level of progress. I’m concerned, however, that there’s a lot more of “we need to let halfway done things lie so we can sell more licenses” attitude for the product. It seems there’s a regular push forward for new features, and not enough of a “finish up the old ones” or improve them.

I’m not saying this is something that needs to be done (with only 4 votes), but I hope that there is a decent amount of consideration being given to suggestions that do get votes.