Voice of the DBA

Tag: speaking

  • I’m Going on Tour

    I’ve done quite a bit of speaking over the last few years, which has required a lot of travel. I had 15 events that I attended last year, only one of which was in Denver, so I spent quite a few days on a plane.

    sqlinthecitylogoThis year I’ve cut back a bit, with only 3 events so far this year, but it will get busy this fall. The SQL in the City events last year in London and LA were a big success for my employer, Red Gate Software, and this year we’ve decided to expand and build a mini-tour of events.

    We are back in London this July, for two dates this time on July 13, and 14. Friday is booked, but you can still register for Saturday, July 14 and come attend a free training event, which will talk about SQL Server issues and include information about how Red Gate’s products make you more efficient and effective at your job.

    This fall, we are going on a 5-cities-in-11-days tour all over the US. We have booked the following dates:

    In addition, we’ve added a sixth event in Seattle, on Monday, Nov 5, just before the PASS Summit.

    sqltoolbeltThese are free events, and we’ll have some tool tracks, talking about how to better get value from Red Gate tools, but we’ll also have tracks that talk about real issues you encounter as DBAs. I’ll be speaking, along with Brad McGehee and Grant Fritchey on writing better T-SQL, database maintenance, disaster recovery, and more.

    This tour is something we’ve talked about for a few years, and we’ve finally gotten the time, money, and permission for a tour. So look for us to be traveling through your part of the US. I’m not sure if we’ll have a real tour bus to travel in style.

    tourbus2

    With quite a few people coming over from the UK, and a frugal boss, our budget might end up supporting a tour in something like this.

    tourbus

    In any case, if you will be in one of the cities on any of the dates above, register today. It’s an exciting experiment, and one that I hope will be valuable for you and us, and something we’ll get to do every year in different cities.

  • Rocky Mountain Tech Trifecta 2012

    My fourth visit to the Rocky Mountain Tech Trifecta will be tomorrow where I’ll deliver two talks:

    Branding Yourself for a Dream Job – 9:30am, Rm 1130

    Unstructured Data in SQL Server – 3:15, Rm 1402

    There’s still time to register if you’re in the Denver area, and you will get a full day of free training on SQL Server, .NET Mobile, Office, Kinect, Windows, and more. There are quite a few other professional development talks you can attend as well.

    Pass the word and visit the site for more information or to register.

  • SQL Saturday #131 Recap

    This past weekend I attended a SQL Saturday in the desert. SQL Saturday #131 was held in Phoenix, AZ

    Photo Apr 28, 9 28 01 AM

    It’s April, but it was definitely hot. However the campus at Chandler Gilbert Community College was geared to the desert with lots of shade and open spaces. I was surprised how comfortable some of the places were on a 90+F day.

    Friday night was the speaker / volunteer dinner, at a nice Mexican restaurant in Chandler. Kudos to the SQL Saturday team for the venue. Quite a few people attended, enjoying a few drinks and good food.

    Photo Apr 27, 8 03 30 PM

    Amy Lewis (@Amy_LewisAZ) was the organizer, and she had everyone play a little networking game. We all had to stand up and say where we were from, what we were talking about, and then tell three facts about ourselves, one of which was a lie. There were some interesting lies, and some neat facts about different people. All in all, a fun time. You can see Amy egging us on below.

    Photo Apr 27, 8 26 08 PM

    The venue was easy to find, and it consisted of the science building at the college and one of the student centers. The student center had all the vendors, good, and a very open space, surrounded by windows.

    Photo Apr 28, 9 19 15 AM

    The speaking rooms were well equipped college rooms, with projectors and desks. A few of them were a little small, but things worked out well with 7 tracks for the 250-300 people that attended.

    Photo Apr 28, 9 37 05 AM

    I presented two sessions: Encryption in SQL Server and Branding Yourself for a Dream Job. Both went well, with no issues. Hopefully people enjoyed them. I got some good feedback, but few evaluation slips.

    I went to see a few people speak. I saw Robert Miller (@RobertMiller) talk about Change Tracking, which is a neat feature that you might want to check out if you need to audit things or manage ETL processes. I also snuck into part of Will Sisney’s (@HanSQL | blog) 9 Secrets to a Stellar Performance Review talk, which was great. I’d recommend that one for sure.

    Photo Apr 28, 10 32 15 AM

    I had a short break in the open space above, which wasn’t that hot if you weren’t in direct sunlight. I was tempted to do my Branding talk out here, but it really needs a little AV. Afterwards I wandered into Bill Pearson’s SSAS Best Practices talk. This was the first time I had the chance to see Bill speak, and he does a great job. Bill is very smart, and I enjoy listening to his Southern accent and country analogies, but a word of warning. Bill moves fast, he covers a lot of ground, and you should have some idea of the topic if you want to keep up.

    Photo Apr 28, 10 38 13 AM

    I got a patch, which was cool. I assume these come from the national SQL Saturday people, though I’d like to get these, or pins, instead of shirts for the speakers. I’ve spoken at probably close to 20 SQL Saturdays, and that’s enough shirts for a solid month of business work. I’ve gotten some nice shirts, but at this point, I’d like to see something else.

    And a nice special treat in the speaker room. Cookies!

    Photo Apr 28, 1 41 43 PM

    A fun event, that ran smoothly, and one I enjoyed. I hope to go back there sometime in the future.

  • SQL Saturday #131 – Phoenix Schedule Posted

    I got an email today from the SQL Saturday #131 crew with the schedule posted, showing me listed for two sessions. I’m delivering these items:

    These are sessions I’ve done elsewhere and they’ve been popular, so I’m hoping they go over well.

    The event is Apr 28, just a few weeks away, in Phoenix, AZ at Chandler-Gilbert Community College Pecos Campus. I like Phoenix, and it will be nice to go back. I’ve been there multiple times for vacation and for baseball. Unfortunately, this will be a short trip, with lots of other stuff scheduled.

    If you will be in the area on Apr 28, and want to learn a little SQL, think about registering and coming by the event.