Voice of the DBA

Tag: syndicated

  • What will you see at SQL in the City

    London, Oct 24, 2014

    Seattle, Nov 3, 2014

    Come join us.

  • Learning Options in Seattle Next Month

    The 2014 PASS Summit takes place next month. Actually a few weeks, on Nov 3-7, 2014 in Seattle. While many people attend the conference, there are some additional options for learning that you might think about in addition to the conference itself. While the conference is great, getting deeper dives on topics that last more than an hour is something you may consider.

    Make SQL Server Go Faster – A two day class, Monday Nov 3 and Tuesday Nov 4, from Brent Ozar Unlimited. You’ll get two days in depth training on practical tips for improving SQL Server performance. $695, but worth it.

    SQL in the City 2014 – Seattle – From Red Gate, my employer. We’ll have the hour long sessions, but we’ve split things into two tracks and have linked sessions. Our development track, focusing on Continuous Delivery, is really 3 hours of content that has breaks. Lots of admin stuff, and the chance to see how Red Gate tools make your job easier and faster, but we cover concepts that can be applied to other tools, or your own processes.

    Pre-Conference Sessions – Each year there are two days of pre-conference, all day sessions. We’ve had post-conference sessions as well, but not for a few years. This year there are lots of choices, and a couple I struggled to choose between. I decided on Allan Hirt’s pre-con as I could use some HA skills beefing and as a former sysadmin, I find it interesting. If you can swing the $495, it’s a good investment.

    SQL Saturday #337 – Oregon – The Saturday before, if you’re in the area early, Portland is a short drive/train/flight away from Seattle. A free, full day of SQL to get you warmed up for the Summit.

    Also, don’t forget about our Monday Networking Dinner as well. Come join us. It’s free, and you get to meet other SQL Server pros.

  • Networking at the PASS Summit

    The 2014 PASS Summit is coming up in a few weeks and thousands of SQL Server professionals will be coming to Seattle for the event. Many will arrive early, and many will be there for the first or second time in their careers.

    Many of them will be that guy (or girl).

    Don’t start the week off by yourself, or with a few friends. Come network a bit and meet your fellow SQL Server professionals and #sqlfamily. If you live in Seattle, you’re welcome as well, whether you’re attending the Summit or not. It’s free and everyone is welcome.

    The last few years have had Andy Warren and I holding a Networking Dinner on Monday night. It’s been a large success, which by our standards, means that lots of people come and meet each other. We meet new people, and they have a good time. That’s it.

    Anyone can come, just register so we have some idea of how many people to expect. Andy has written a short post, but I wanted to add a bit more detail and spread the word.

    This is a self-funded event, meaning everyone buys their own food and drinks. Or buy something for a friend. We really built this event with the idea that we wanted to organize something for people to come to and meet each other. No pressure, and no expectation of costs or expenses. The first few years we packed a restaurant on the Seattle waterfront and heard from many people that they really enjoyed it.

    Since then, we’ve tried to look for more open environments where people can talk and enjoy some SQL Server talk in a casual atmosphere. We try for a venue that’s not more than 3-4 blocks from the convention center, and we should have a venue soon.

    Our goal is to get people to meet each other. Whether its your first Summit or 14th, whether you started working with SQL Server in the last decade or yesterday, this is just a chance and an organized event to meet others.

    Come join us, tell friends, and be prepared to introduce yourself and have a conversation with someone else. That’s networking, and it’s the most valuable thing you can do for your career.

    We’ve organized a time (and place to be disclosed soon). You can do the same thing. Lots is happening in Seattle, and if you know 20 people, think about creating your own event, dinner, or just casual get together. Pick a time and place, and let PASS know so others can attend.

    Register today and I’ll see you in a couple Mondays.

  • T-SQL Tuesday #59–My Hero

    TSQL2sDay150x150It’s October, and another busy fall is underway for me. It’s also the second Tuesday, so it’s T-SQL Tuesday time again. The invite this month is from Tracy Mckibben, and it’s a neat topic. Not really a technical one, but a fun one that I like.

    My Hero! is the title, and we’re asked to write about our heroes, those that we admire and who inspired us. You can participate, just write a post on your blog and link back to Tracy’s post.

    If you’d like to host, contact Adam Machanic. This was his idea, and it’s a great idea.

    My Hero

    I’m middle aged, approaching 50, and really grew up with the explosion of the Internet taking place as my career grew. I watched the personal computer market grow as I went through school and then explode as I worked for a living. I think that really impacted my career with some admiration for two men that are linked with those times, and who become household names.

    Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

    I think I admired Steve Jobs early on, when the Apple II was one of my early computers. I appreciated how he helped shape something that was popular, but also an amazing computer that could be expanded, and hacked, and enjoyed. It felt much better than earlier Commodore and TRS models, and more open (ha!) than Atari computers.

    I think Jobs stumbled with the Lisa, but I appreciated his investment thoughts later, and was amazed by the NeXT. It was good to see him come back to Apple and build the colorful iMacs, and then turn the music world around with the iPod, and the subsequent iDevices.

    I don’t think he’s someone I’d want to work for, or really emulate, but his focus on quality, on pushing for something different inspires me. I don’t know I have the skills or talent to work like him, but the results from his times at Apple still change the way I think today.

    For Bill Gates, it’s simpler. He’s a geek. He’s a programmer that built a company I have worked with throughout my career. They haven’t always had the “best” software (however you define that), or even the easiest to work with, but I think MS software, combined with the IBM PC truly caused computing to explode. Before that, the *NIXes were expensive, and were hard for buinesses to implement. MacOS, with the limited hardware and other companies like Lotus and Wordperfect, weren’t advancing their software or making it easy for businesses and Microsoft came in to make something amazing.

    I’ve seen Mr. Gates speak a few times, and I’ve always enjoyed it. I have been excited by many of his goals, and the work he’s done to create platforms on which I’ve enjoyed working.

    Again, I don’t know that I’d like to work for him, or think all his actions and decisions were good, but I do find inspiration in much of what he’s done.

    There are many I admire in the world, and appreciate what they’ve done, as individual actions, or in aggregate, but I certainly have found Mr. Gates and Mr. Jobs to be heroes in my career.