Daily Coping 21 May 2020

Posted on May 21, 2020 by way0utwest

I’ve 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.

Today’s tip is to find a way to craft what you are doing to give it more meaning.

I do a lot, both at work and on the ranch. One of the things that I do regularly is cook dinner. While my kids can cook, they don’t do it much. My wife doesn’t like cooking at all, but I enjoy it. It’s a relaxing exercise for me most nights. Sometimes I need a break, but most times I enjoy it.

I am trying a variety of things since it’s one of the few places we can get some routine as a family. With kids in school (teaching or learning) and days full of similar activities, I’ve been trying to build some routine in cooking. A few things I’ve tried:

  • mixing gluten free and non gluten free meals
  • often having a veggie/fish main with a meat one
  • doing some favorites everyone has enjoyed once or twice a week
  • trying a new recipe at least once a week

With a mix of preferences and diets, it’s an interesting challenge. Often I combine some things and separate others. For example, I made spaghetti squash enchilada boats. My wife and son got plant based ground meat in theirs, while my daughter and I got chicken.

I’ve also added in some once a week baking. I’m not trying to gain weight, but a sweet treat is a nice thing periodically, so I’m doing a bit here and there.

A small thing, but it’s become more meaningful as our lives slowed down slightly and we’re all together.

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Connecting to SSAS–#SQLNewBlogger

Posted on May 20, 2020 by way0utwest

Another post for me that is simple and hopefully serves as an example for people trying to get blogging as #SQLNewBloggers.

In a previous post, I installed SSAS on a machine. Now I need to connect to it. This post covers a quick, how do I do that.

Do connect in SSMS, you can use the Object Explorer. If you click the down arrow on the Connect button, you’ll see choices.

2020-05-04 10_18_51-

If you pick SSAS, you get a similar connection dialog. The SSAS instance is named the same as your base instance. In this case, I had a named instance, so I enter the same name as I’d use for the database engine.

2020-05-04 10_18_59-Connect to Server

There’s not much to see, but I’m connected. My installation is working.

2020-05-04 10_19_15-SQLQuery4.sql - Plato_SQL2017.way0utwest (PLATO_Steve (89))_ - Microsoft SQL Ser

I could also connect with  a query window. The toolbar has a couple choices.

For MDX:

2020-05-04 10_22_04-SQLQuery5.sql - Plato_SQL2017.way0utwest (PLATO_Steve (54)) - Microsoft SQL Serv

For DAX:

2020-05-04 10_22_19-SQLQuery5.sql - Plato_SQL2017.way0utwest (PLATO_Steve (54)) - Microsoft SQL Serv

For either one of these, the connection process is the same.

SQLNewBlogger

After the post where I installed SSAS, I needed to test it. Rather than add that to the post, I ran through the steps, grabbed sceenshots, and then wrote this post as a second one.

Focus on one thing, not multiple things, in a post.

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Investing in Speed

Posted on May 20, 2020 by way0utwest

While most of us might not want to start our own company (or maybe we do), we can learn a few things from those that do. Building something new, being efficient, effective, and quick are skills needed when starting a company. I’ve read a lot about how companies are built and entrepreneurs work. Lately I ran across some advice from Daniel Gross, the founder of Pioneer, a former partner at Y-Combinator (from David Perell).

Many of us are financially careful. We often are careful with how and where we spend money at home. I find lots of tech professionals frugal at work as well, often being careful with their budgets, or even with the requests they make of managers. That being said, here is a great quote:

“Overbearing frugality prevented me from spending any money, which creates inefficiencies. Spend like a king on speed, like a pauper on everything else. Faster computer? Go. Faster Internet? Go. Better sleep? Go. Expensive dinner? Stop. Expensive dinner to close a candidate? Go. If you can, use your capital to move faster. Your competitor is taking the shorter flight. Book it.”

Often I see companies get caught up spending or not spending based on some ideas that don’t have anything to do with efficiency. They don’t invest in things that improve the business, but invest in things they like, or avoid things they don’t like. I see this with choices as well, where a professional or manager may want to change a tool/platform/etc. because they like one over the other. Often without any good fundamental reason.

Spending money isn’t bad if you are investing in driving your business forward. Learn to make that distinction and don’t be afraid of making good investments. It’s fine to indulge in anything, but in moderation. That might be the key to success for many hings in life.

Steve Jones

Listen to the podcast at Libsyn, Stitcher or iTunes.

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Daily Coping 20 May 2020

Posted on May 20, 2020 by way0utwest

I’ve 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.

Today’s tip is: Hand-write a note to someone you love and send them a photo of it.

A good idea. I haven’t written a letter in a long time to anyone, but I have been reaching out to people randomly to check on them. I decided to send a note to someone I know, but haven’t seen in a few months since the lockdown. I was looking forward to seeing this person in late May, and a few times in April, and didn’t get the opportunity.

It’s a private note, so nothing here, but it was a good exercise.

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