Voice of the DBA

Category: Blog

  • Q2 Goal Review

    I have a monthly reminder, which is currently making me feel guilty. It’s there to tell me to review my goals, and I find myself lacking a bit.

    My goals for 2010 on this site were:

  • Continue managing the forums, but at a reduced, 300 post a month level.
  • Blog 5 times a week, M-F, on at least 2 SQL Server technical topics a week.
  • Learn Reporting Services – at something better than an average level. Maybe not an expert, but work towards being able to use it and answer > 50% of the questions I see.
  • Attend one SQL Saturday – At least, though I think I’m slated to hit 2 in 2010 at least.
  • Write a book – I’ve had three topics in mind for awhile, but I haven’t moved forward well on this. I need to finish one in 2010.
  • Build 2 new presentations. I’ve given one of two presentations pretty regularly over the last few years, but I need to expand, and find some other things to talk about. Not that these aren’t still relevant and good presentations, but I need to try some new ones.
  • Take all my vacation in 2010 – I’ve been bad about this in the past, carrying some over, selling some back. With some good guest writers, there’s no reason for me not to get away from work more.
  • Travel to one new city for work – Likely this will be Vegas, but I ought to spread my time around the community.

    • My current review:

  • Continue managing the forums – On Target
  • Blog 5 times a week – For the most part on target, though I think I’m once a week on T-SQL/SQL Server
  • Learn Reporting Services – I wanted to do 100 hours on this, but I am woefully behind. Security issues on the laptop that keep cropping up are annoying.
  • Attend one SQL Saturday –  Completed. I’ve been to Charlotte and Pensacola. Baton Rouge, Denver, and Kansas City are scheduled, possibly another one.
  • Write a book – I have done some work here, but not enough. Not on target to finish in 2010.
  • Build 2 new presentations – Completed. I built two beginner presentations, one technical, one non. I am working on an auditing one.
  • Take all my vacation in 2010 – Working on this. I’m in Vegas on vacation as this goes out.
  • Travel to one new city for work – Completed. I did get to Charlotte, so that counts. Kansas City and Vegas are on the agenda as well.

    • Not bad, not great. The SSRS one and the book are bothering me, but I feel that I might have overextended myself on this. I am adding in one additional goal that I had promised to do this year.

    Volunteering for PASS – Completed. I worked on the spotlight and pre/post con committees.

  • Making a Little Effort at Networking – Part 2

    I wrote recently about my efforts to network a bit more at events. Part 1 was to spend more time with people that engage me. This entry continues with the second thing I’ve done.

    2. Look for Someone with a Connection

    Since I speak, it’s easy to pick out people that have been in my sessions. I make it a point to look around the room as I speak and make eye contact with everyone, or at least look at everyone. Do that often enough across 60 or 90 minutes and quite a few people stick in your mind.

    Then when I see people walking around later, I’ll say hi, and ask them if they enjoyed the session, did anything stand out, maybe ask about their job, etc. I look for a connection.

    If you’re not a speaker, you can do the same thing. When you go to an event, look for people in the audience. You can pick the speaker, but it’s often easier to connect with audience members. Scan and pick out a few people. When you see them later, even immediately after, strike up a conversation. Ask them if they enjoyed it, ask them what they thought of some point, or if they understood something.

    Try to engage for 3 or 4 minutes. You might never see them again, but you also might find a new friend that you keep in contact with.

  • The Raw Bloopers

    A raw dump of stuff from Memorial Day 2010 until July 4, 2010

    Since Community Server has trouble with this, here’s the link on YouTube: The Voice of the DBA – July 2010 Bloopers

  • Taking Time Off

    I’m trying to better manage my workload. When I owned this site, I struggled to find time off, and typically worked all the time, even on vacations!

    The last couple years I’ve slowly started to pull away a bit and find a better balance. Allowing some guest editors to run the site for a day, trusting others to get some work done, has helped me to keep things in a better perspective.

    So today marks the start of another short break for me. My wife and I are trying to get away alone once a year, and are heading to Vegas for a few days next week after the July 4 Holiday. It’s new for us, and with kids (9 and 11), we’ve been nervous about leaving them, but it worked out earlier this year, so we’re trying it again.

    I do try to find balance in my life, and it’s something I write about. You need to understand the job is the job, and while it can be rewarding and fulfilling, don’t live to work. Work to live.