Category: Blog

  • I did my part – Helping others

    Let’s raise some money, people.

    TL;DR Donate to Doctors Without Borders, the Argenis Without Borders campaign.

    What started out as a joke has grown, and we’re really looking to raise some money for this charity. I did my part

    Photo Aug 28, 11 21 01 AM

    I started shopping, and I’ll be rainbow decked for the PASS Summit, and maybe a few other events. It’s all in good fun and to raise awareness and funds. Doctors Without Borders is a highly rated charity, and a great cause. If you feel the need, please donate to the Argenis Without Borders campaign.

  • Better Presentations–Hide those Windows

    This is part of a series of tips for speakers to make your presentations better.

    I wanted to give some specific SQL Server presentation items that have bothered me recently. These aren’t big things, but they do cause problems for attendees, and that might mean the difference between someone learning what you are presenting and getting lost because they can’t easily see.

    Windows

    How does this look?

    badpresent_thumb1

    It’s bad. Imagine if you were 15 feet back from the presenter, which is how this looks on a screen. I can barely see code.

    If you look at the Object Explorer, there’s this little item in there .I’ve highlighted it below.

    objcet_explorer_a_thumb3

    There’s also one on the Properties window.

    properties_a_thumb1

    In fact, my SQL Test window at the bottom, most SSMS add ins and  Visual Studio windows have them.

    Click them. They’ll hide the windows, like so.

    badpresent2_thumb1

    This is a much cleaner view of things.

    But, Steve, you’ll say. I need those windows. I get it, I need them, too. They’re on the side of your screen and you can pop them open. They’ll stay open when you work in them, and disappear when you don’t.

    Gone when I don’t need it.

    oe1_thumb1

    Here when I do:

    oe3_thumb1

    It’s a quick tip, and it’s easy to learn. Once you practice with hiding and using windows, I’m sure you’ll find that you work more efficiently all the time, not just when on stage.

  • Making Better Presentations–Tips and Tricks

    I give a lot of presentations each year. I am constantly trying to improve my presentation skills to continue to get invitations to speak, to represent my employer well, and to ensure attendees are interested and learn a few things.

    With that in mind, I’ve compiled a number of tips that I have learned over the years, or that I’ve seen ruin some interesting presentations.

    I’ll be adding to this list over time and linking to the posts as they become visible.

    Feel free to try one of them (please), all of them (if appropriate), or none of them (not recommended).

    Feedback is welcome.

  • The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

    A few friends challenged me yesterday, including Grant Fritchey and Aaron Bertrand. Last night, when I got to the Denver SQL Server User Group meeting, Todd Kleinhans was ready to take the challenge and asked if I’d participate.

    I was speaking, but happy to do it afterwards. Here we are:

    I tagged Allen White, Erin Stellato, and Jes Borland.