Voice of the DBA

Author: way0utwest

  • Daily Coping 13 Apr 2021

    I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag. 

    Today’s tip is to eat healthy food and drink lots of water today.

    I did better at the beginning of the pandemic. Well, apart from a few donut days, I was cooking more, adding lots of vegetables, and drinking lots of water. In fact, I used to fill up water bottles and drop them on my desk every day to remind myself to drink.

    2021-04-05 13_59_38-Photo - Google Photos

    I got out of both habits a bit, so I’m going to try and do better. I’ve been aiming for more roasted vegetables, salads, and grilled meats.

    I’m also going to start filling the bottles and putting them on my desk in the am.

  • Everyone Run a SQL Saturday in 2021

    With SQL Saturdays being rebooted, and the SQLSaturday.com website live, it’s time for events. I am reaching out to some people that have run events in the past, but I really would like a more people to think about running an event in 2021. Please, contact me if you need help.

    We are still in a pandemic around the globe, and while vaccinations are happening, I don’t know that many people will be able to attend a live event in 2021. With that in mind,

    2021 is about the schedule.

    By that, I mean that attendees don’t have to travel and block out a particular day to go to a SQL Saturday at a local venue. Instead, they can attend any SQL Saturday in a close time zone, if they have the time. Therefore, I don’t care when the Denver SQL Saturday takes place, but rather, I care that I watch a session or two when I do have time. I may not be able to spare an entire Saturday, but I can watch a session or two if I have the choice on any given Saturday (or other day).

    Therefore, I have a goal.

    A SQL Saturday every week for the rest of 2021.

    I realize it won’t be every week, as it takes at least a few weeks to get an event together, but I want to plant the seed now. Let’s aim for one every week from June 1 on.

    To make it easy, I’d give organizers these targets:

    • Stick to 2-3 tracks only, 4-5 sessions each.
    • Broadcast in a cheap, simple format. Streamyard is cheap, and Agorify looks interesting.
    • Use mostly local speakers but pick others if you need them. Make this “local” with local talent.
    • Use a short call for speakers (2 weeks) and then just promote your event.
    • Promote locally as much as you can to attract and engage your local people for 2022.
    • Don’t worry about speaker gifts or other extras.
    • Make it a fun day for you and your fellow organizers, but easy.

    No matter when you normally have a SQL Saturday, think about just scheduling one for some time this year. We will get dates on the site, and without the need for a venue, you just need a Saturday when you are free. Or really, any other day of the week. Don’t let the “Saturday” limit you. There have been physical events on other days. Run your event on a Friday, or a Wednesday. Whatever suits you.

    If a full day is too much, try to do a half day, 2-3 sessions across an afternoon and evening.

    If you have never run an event, a virtual one is much easier, and it’s a good first step before you run a physical one. Take this year to practice giving back to the community.

    Why Run Virtual Events?

    Many of us are tired of physical events. We miss seeing others, and we miss the networking. Virtual events do not do a good job of duplicating what a live event is like.

    I get that. I tend to dislike virtual events, both as an attendee and speaker. I am tired of video “stuff”.

    However.

    We want events to come back in 2022 and beyond. We also want to keep learning and growing. This is for attendees and speakers.

    Running your local event, say the Elizabeth SQL Saturday (my local city), means that I can engage my local audience and speakers. I can use this as a way to excite some of my local membership and get them thinking about the future. They may long for the event next year, even if they find attending a virtual SQL Sat LA to be better than my SQL Sat Elizabeth.

    This also gives speakers opportunities to practice their skills, deliver new content, and get excited. There are fewer opportunities virtually and having a locally focused event might give some people a chance to improve, or start, speaking to give back to the community.

    I really, really, really, really (can’t use enough reallys here) hope we get back to physical events by the end of this year, but I’m not counting on it. I do think we will be able to get venues and run events in 2022, which means looking forward, but keeping SQL Saturday going.

  • Daily Coping 12 Apr 2021

    I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag. 

    Today’s tip is to commit to being more active, starting today.

    This is tough for me. Not because I want to avoid being active, but because I typically try to be active most of the month. Here’s my March.

    2021-04-06 17_05_41-MapMyRun — Mozilla Firefox

    The week I missed? I tried to drag the tractor bucket around on the ground, by hand, on the 21st. I did some chores that day outside, so I moved, but then my back had me mostly taking it easy until the 29th.

    However, I do want to commit to a different view moving forward. The weather is changing, and my wife got a bike stroller for our dogs. One can’t walk a lot, so our aim, as we are getting older, is to bike more this summer, and take the dogs.

    So my commitment is to

    a) start biking 2 times a week

    b) add in a swim a week

    c) continue with yoga and weight lifting, likely doubling up some days with a bike and weights.

  • Easing Back to the Office

    Much of the tech world moved to remote work last year when the pandemic started. Various companies started to announce future dates during which they’d guarantee workers the ability to work from home. That was helpful, as many needed to plan for child care, parent assistance, and more. My company kept pushing the date out, and early this year (or late last) said that we would have the option through all of 2021.

    Microsoft had various announcements, but one was that employees could work from home permanently. For less than 50% of their time. The headlines downplayed the restriction, though I was glad to see some flexibility. Now, Microsoft is starting to allow some workers back to campus, noting that they are on step 4 of their 6 step dial. This is 57,000 workers, which is quite a few. Masks and social distancing are still required.

    While a good portion of employees want flexibility, and many prefer remote work, there are a good number that want to return to an office and be around other people. While Microsoft, and my employer, both want to embrace the changes of the last year, finding a balance between the past and future is hard. I thought that Microsoft’s blog on embracing a flexible workplace echoes a lot of what I hear from my company and a few others. We want to work with you, but there might be some restrictions. Certainly tax implications are a part of this for my company, and perhaps for Microsoft as well.

    I honestly am not quite sure how I want the future to work. While I appreciate remote first, and I like the idea of everyone being somewhat a peer during meetings, I also value getting people together. I don’t really look forward to going to an office and logging onto Zoom from a desk. I want to see people in conference rooms, able to discuss, debate, and brainstorm solutions for the future.

    For technologists, this might be easier. I could see more whiteboards, like Mural, in use in meetings, allowing remote people to participate in similar ways to those in the room, but I until we get something that creates some sort of virtual presence, I’m not sure that we will really see a good blend of in-person and remote attendees. I hope companies work on solutions like this, as the world has changed and in person attendance will still matter.

    Steve Jones