I delivered my Encryption Primer talk this past Tuesday at the Boulder SQL Server Users Group and last night at the Denver SQL Server Users Group. Great questions and discussions, and I hope those of you that attended found it interesting.
I’ve updated my deck and code samples, and here are the updated files for download:
Powerpoint: The Encryption Primer v8.ppt
Code: EncryptionPrimer.zip
I’ve been giving an encryption talk over the last year, focusing on educating DBAs on the various features and capabilities available in SQL Server. One of the things I note in the talk is that SHA1 is not considered secure. You should avoid SHA or SHA1 if you are using SQL Server 2012. If you’re on an earlier version, you don’t have a choice.
Hopefully we’ll have more choices in the future. NIST has selected an SHA-3 algorithm as a new standard. This should provide more security, though there will be some time before we find out if there are any problems or potential attacks against this algorithm.
I gave the Modern Resume/Branding presentation today for the PASS Professional Development Virtual Chapter. It was recorded and if you are a PASS member, you can access it.
I’ve also updated the slide deck and it’s available here: BrandingDreamJob – v16.ppt
It’s T-SQL Tuesday time, this time it’s a non-technical topic, or at least not a directly technically related topic. The SQL Corner, from Chris Yates (b | t), is hosting and the topic this month is “What Does Community Mean To You?”
You can read the rules on Chris’ blog, and if you’re interesting in hosting, contact Adam Machanic (b | t).
I run one of the largest SQL Server communities on the Internet. From the very beginning, Andy, Brian, and I were concerned about building a community. Our goal was to create something that reflected who we were, embodied our ideals, and would be the type of place that we would want to visit ourselves.
In a little over a decade, it has grown to be an amazing place where people help each other out on a daily basis. Whether it’s with articles written that someone will read weeks in the future, or through near real time interactions in the forums, there are thousands of data professionals on a daily basis interacting with each other at SQLServerCentral.
Community to me is more than SQLServerCentral, however. It’s more than a web site, or a SQL Saturday, or a group of people that perform the same jobs. Community is more than sharing your knowledge, or asking questions of others. Community includes the bonds of caring, of having each of the members matter to the others. It’s not perfect, and we have our share of disagreements, discontent, and even dislike among members.
In that case, it’s like family. This SQL Server community reminds me of family: not always pretty or peaceful, but always something I am proud of being a member.
Voice of the DBA 