Voice of the DBA

Category: Blog

  • Daily Coping 9 Feb 2022

    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 give positive complements to as many people as you can today.

    I do struggle with this tip when it’s come up. I do always feel good when I complement someone, but it’s not a habit for me. It ought to be, but it isn’t.

    This is easy to do while coaching, at least for me, but outside of that it’s tough. When I saw this, I knew this would be a challenge.

    I stared in yoga. I not only thanked the teacher (easy), but I complemented this guy in class that must be a gymnast. He can not only balance on his hands, but he can alternately touch his toes to the ground on his left and right and balance on one hand. Freaking amazing.

    I also saw a former teacher in the hall, greeted her and let her know it was nice to see her and I miss her teaching (easy, but I had to think of it).

    I told the guy at the petrol station he looked happy. Remembered to tell me wife she looked nice, and I took a moment to ask my son about his day and then give him a postive comment on a thing he’d done.

    Not a bad day.

  • T-SQL Tuesday #148–User Group Advice

    tsqltuesdayThis month the T-SQL Tuesday invitation is from Rie Merritt, and it’s one that means a lot to me. I don’t actually run a user group, but I think community is important. It’s a big part of my job and my life.

    Rie asked me if she could host this month because she had a specific topic. If you’d like to host a T-SQL Tuesday, all you need is a blog and participation in another month by writing a post. You could even write a post today for T-SQL Tuesday #1.

    If you’re interested, contact me.

    Advice for User Groups

    As I mentioned, I don’t run a group. In fact, I never have, but I have run events, attended lots of meetings, and I do speak at quite a few.

    The pandemic has been hard on many groups, and a blessing to others. While I don’t like the virtual meetings, I understand how and why they work for some groups and not for others.

    My big advice for organizers is twofold, and I’ll write a couple paragraphs about each.

    Serve Your Community

    My main advice is that your work with groups or events, whether leader, speaker, or something else, you ought to make sure you are serving your community. What is best for them, or what do they want?

    Sometimes I find leaders doing what’s best for them, without knowing what the community might prefer. If you want virtual meetings for your own personal reasons, whatever they are,  make sure a large portion of your attendees and speakers agree. Same for in-person meetings. If your area wants to stay online, understand that.

    This isn’t to say that you can’t experiment, and that you might make decisions on days/times/etc. More it’s advice to think about what helps people as we come out of this pandemic.

    Go Slow

    I’ve seen a lot of groups struggle over time to run a monthly meeting and find speakers. Speakers are easier online, but it’s still work.

    My advice is that you can consider doing something less than monthly, especially if you move to hybrid or in-person. A quarterly or every-other-month pace might suit you (and others better).

    Also think about adding in some lunch meetings, perhaps just discussion ones without a presentation. Bond, be social, just talk, vent, and share what we love about data and technology.

    Don’t kill yourself. I’d prefer you enjoy running a group for 3 years than burning out after 6 months.

  • Daily Coping 8 Feb 2022

    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 call a friend to catch up and really listen to them.

    I don’t love talking on the phone, and I usually avoid it. However, my fellow founder for SQL Server Central, Andy Warren, and I have talk almost every week, sometimes 2-3 times. We have done this for 20 years, and outside of my wife, he’s probably been the biggest influence on my life across that time.

    I often use our calls as a way to unwind, the think, and to catch up on life. Sometimes we talk work, sometimes tech in general, sometimes life with kids, or maybe books we’ve enjoyed.

    These calls with a friend are often highlights of my week.

  • Daily Coping 7 Mar 2022

    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 make uninterrupted time for your loved ones.

    I try hard to do this, putting down my phone when I’m with family and paying attention. It doesn’t always work with the kids, but if I engage them, then it often does.

    Recently my wife and I were supposed to go out with friends. The weather wasn’t great, and friends cancelled, but I still wanted some time with my wife. I had been out a couple hours earlier and I didn’t think the roads were bad. We’d gotten ready, so I convinced my wife to just go out with me.

    We had a nice quiet dinner, no phones, just talking and enjoying a bottle of wine at a place we hadn’t been in a long time. It was quiet enjoyable.