In my last post, I started working on a very simple script to explore files in a directory using PowerShell: Get-ChildItem allows me to find the files and folders in the user directory, but what if I wanted to start with a different directory? That’s where the -Path switch comes in.
Get-ChildItem -Path C:\
gives em a listing of all of the files and folders at the root of my C drive. Lots more to come; this is just the beginning of my journey.
Today, I spent 10 minutes working on PowerShell. I’ve never really spent much time in PowerShell before. I’ve had a few classes a few years ago, but like most things, if you don’t use it, you lose it. I was going to do a Pluralsight course, but frankly, I haven’t been great about following up on these sorts of things, so I figured I’d start with the completely free (no trial expiration) knowledge at the MS Docs site.
I knew most of this stuff, but the point of this exercise is to force myself to start using again. I spent a few minutes running the ISE, using Get-Help (and updating the help files), and then thought I’d try a quick script. Like most coders, I stole this from the web:
Get-ChildItem | Where-Object {$_.LastWriteTime -gt (Get-Date).AddDays(-180)}
This simple script helped me find the files and folders in my user directory (the current context) that were modified within the last 180 days. To limit the results to files only, I added an additional clause to the filter:
Get-ChildItem | Where-Object {$_.LastWriteTime -gt (Get-Date).AddDays(-180) -and ! $_.PsIsContainer }
I think I can do this. More to come.
I’ve recently started working on a book, and have rediscovered that if you don’t exercise on a regular basis, it sucks to start. I need to think of this blog as an opportunity to get my regular writing “steps in”, so that when the time comes to actually start running, I’m ready.
One of the challenges I’m having is articulating my thoughts on the concept of “people first” in DevOps. It’s the first element in Donovan Brown’s definition, and embedded in the first value of the agile manifesto, but yet, people don’t get it. I was recently involved in a Facebook conversation on the evolution of graph databases, and was saddened by the fact that many people who I know and respect still see an ongoing war between developers and DBA’s (and often make assumptions about the other camp).
I may be naive, but I’m trying to find the good in people, and trying to build value to customers. Different roles and skills are necessary, but allowing those roles to foster tribalism to the detriment of the goal is a futile pursuit.
More to come.
Thoughts from yesterday’s DevOps Enterprise Summit in Las Vegas
AZURE DATAFEST
I’ve been meaning to write this post since we wrapped up the event, but life, as usual, gets in the way. Overall, I was very pleased with the whole event; things (for the most part) ran very smoothly. However, in the spirit of continuous learning, here’s a few lessons (in no particular order) for anyone considering hosting an Azure DataFest in the future.
We used Sessionize and EventBrite to handle speaker submissions, schedule building, and attendee management. Both tools worked great, but both are a little pricey (Sessionize charges $250 for the event, and EventBrite added a $3.54 fee to every ticket sold). The benefit is that it was very easy to generate a professional looking schedule, review abstracts, and manage attendees (from fee collection to attendance rosters). The one downside is that the tools don’t integrate (no way to easily export speakers into Eventbrite), and we really need a central website for people to hit rather than each individual tool. I also had a small issue where some attendee badges didn’t print; that was probably user error.
T
here are still plenty of seats left for the inaugural #AtlantaAzureDataFest2018, so I thought I’d try to drum up some interest by posting about a few of the sessions I really want to see. First up, Ed Watson‘s session: “With Power BI and Cortana, You Can Take Over the World”.
I love the thought of integrating voice control with reporting; have no clue what that means, but it definitely satisfies the whimsical nature of this conference. Let’s build something together just because we can, not necessarily because it satisfies a need. Ed is a crazy fun presenter to watch (and a good friend). I’m excited to see him push the envelope a bit.
Join us! Seats start at $50 for two days of jam-packed training on Aug 16-17th, 2018. Tell your boss you’re being forward-thinking; they love that.
Still a lot of work to do, but this is the initial draft of the schedule. There were a lot of tough choices, but we’ve managed to pack some great content into a couple of days.
If you’re interested in joining us, now’s the time to sign up! More details to follow, but please check out the schedule below.
As I’ve mentioned on twitter (what, you don’t follow me?), I’ve been involved with a new conference that’s focusing on the Microsoft Data Platform – Azure DataFest. It’s still very much in the works, but there’ have been a few events around the country so far, and we’re bringing one to Atlanta in August (as well as working on a national standardized presence). If you want to help build a community of data professionals that are passionate about the next generation of analytics and data science, please feel free a topic. Text for the CFP is below, but the actual call for speakers is here: https://sessionize.com/atlanta-2018-azure-datafest-microsoft.
More details to come (after I get through Atlanta SQLSaturday).
This is a call for speakers for the inaugural Atlanta Azure DataFest: Microsoft Azure Advance Analytics and Big Data Conference, a 2-day event to be held on August 16-17, 2018, 9:00AM to 5:00PM at the Microsoft Technology Center, 8000 Avalon Boulevard Suite 900, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
We are looking for 10-12 speakers to present on the following Azure Advanced Analytics and Big Data topics:
Planned Schedule (Thursday, August 16)
We plan on delivering a keynote, and three sessions to the at-large audience, then breaking into tracks after lunch.
8:00AM – 9:00AM – check-in/breakfast/networking
9:00AM – 9:50AM – Key Note, Room # All/Combined
10:00AM -10:50AM – Session 1 Room # All/Combined
11:00AM -11:50AM – Session 2 Room # All/Combined
12:00PM – 12:50PM – Partner/Sponsor Lunch and Learn – Room # All/Combined
1:15PM – 2:15PM Breakout sessions
2:30PM – 3:30PM Breakout sessions
3:45PM – 4:45PM Breakout sessions
Sessions should be 1 hour in duration, level 300 or higher. You can use best practices, case studies, demos, chalk talks, etc.
Planned Schedule (Friday, August 17)
The second day is intended to build on the first day with workshops, allowing attendees to have hands-on experiences with the applications.
8:00AM – 9:00AM – check-in/breakfast/networking
9:00AM – 11:50AM Workshops
12:00PM – 12:50PM – Lunch – Networking
1:00PM – 3:50PM Workshops
Workshop sessions should be 3 hours in length, and relate to material covered in the sessions on day one. If you would like to submit a workshop session, please ALSO submit a single-hour session for the first day.
The session submission deadline is Friday, July 13, 2018. We will announce the speaker list and alternates on Monday, July 16, 2018.
If you have questions, please contact stuart.ainsworth@azuredatafest.com
Last weekend, I missed a data center migration.
It was a scheduling conflict; for Christmas last year, my wife had bought me tickets to High Water music festival (which was great, btw), and when they set the dates for the data center migration, I was worried. The tickets were expensive, and we had booked hotels, etc; I couldn’t change plans to work with the schedule, and there were too many teams involved in the migration for them to pick a different date. We’d done this migration once before (6 months ago), and I was confident in my team’s ability, but still… I was worried. You see, missing an after-hours deployment or a maintenance window of this size wasn’t usually considered to be an option before (by me). I’ve always been a firm believer in the management rule of: Don’t Ask Others to Do Something You Won’t Do.
So, every migration, every deployment, every maintenance window… I was there. Weekends, mornings, evenings… I was there. When our first major data center migration blew up a year ago, I was there for 26 hours. I THOUGHT I was sending the message that “I’m here for you… I’m leading the way… I’m being a team player.”
That’s not the message I was sending.
What happened while I was away is that others stepped up and filled the void left in my absence. They didn’t do things exactly like I would have done, and they had to take on some additional responsibilities during the migration, so their timing wasn’t as efficient as if I had been there. But the work got done, and we survived without me. I could have looked at that and said “aha; I’m not really necessary; there’s some waste savings there!”. Instead, I realized that what I thought was a four-person job was really a three person job, and that meant that the fourth person could do what was more important than work; life.
You see, the message that I was sending by being at every activity outside of work was that I Expect Y’All to Give Up Your Free Time for Your Job, Just Like I Do. I didn’t mean it that way, but my employees picked up on it. I was there; they were there. Every time. And that’s no way to work.
What I realized this weekend is that Leading By Example also means Resting By Example. If the job really is a three person job, then four people don’t need to show up to do it (or else work will expand to make it a four person job; a variant of Parkinson’s law). And while I should still be willing to do the job, I need to be willing to do it when it’s my turn. I’m now scheduling rotations (I’m in one of those rotations as an engineer), and letting my team understand that it’s not just OK to not be at every maintenance window activity; it’s expected. A job is what you do to pay the bills and enjoy life. If I believe that for myself, then I need to set that example for my team as well.
My supplies for my workshop!
On Saturday, May 19, 2018 at SQL Saturday Atlanta, I won’t just be an organizer; I’m a presenter! My session, “All (Data) Things Considered: The Lean Coffee Workshop” is something I’m very excited to “present”. I use that term loosely, because the whole point of a lean coffee workshop is that it’s a structured, but agenda-less discussion. I participated in one of these at the DevOps Enterprise Summit in 2017, and it was a fun, and inspiring way to engage with other people who were facing very similar problems as I was.
The way it works is that there will be a brief introduction at the beginning of the session, but people are expected to form several small groups. A seed topic will be presented, but each small group will have a moderator (and thanks to my volunteers) who will make sure that their group stays on track. Every group will:
That’s it. Easiest presentation I’ve ever done, but the goals are really deep. I want to encourage people to engage with each other; that’s one of the original goals of SQLSaturday, and I think traditional classroom settings don’t do enough of that (conversations are usually instructor -> audience, or audience -> instructor). This puts people around a table in a small, safe environment, and that leads to long term possibilities for relationships.
Second, I’m more interested in conversations about improving work, rather than just how to do work. I think coffee talks foster that because you’re not looking at a tool or a piece of code; you’re talking to a person, and hearing what they think. That sharing of perspective can spark new ideas, and new ways of looking at the forest, rather than individual trees.
Looking forward to seeing you there!