DevOps, Cloud, Future DBA 201707 (2017 Atlanta SQLSaturday)
Future of the DBA – GeekSync (2017 Idera GeekSync)
Theory of Cloud Database Administration (2016 AtlantaMDF, DevDataDay)
2013 PASS Summit XML 101 (zipped)
Agile_DBA_Manage_ToDo_List_v1.1.pptx
Hadoop 1.1 – Birmingham 2014 SQLSaturday #328
Managing a Technical Team 1.3 – Birmingham 2014 SQLSaturday #328
2014 PASS Summit Hadoop – Intro to Hadoop for the Relational DBA
Here’s my latest answers on StackOverflow:
This will be a short post, mainly because I’m in the home stretch for SQLSaturday #25; lots of little stuff to get done between now and Saturday. However, a few interesting things have been happening lately, and I thought I’d share some of them.
First, Microsoft announced its latest round of MVP’s. No, I didn’t get one; things haven’t been THAT exciting. However, I do know a lot of people who were first-time recipients, and that means that even though I don’t contribute nearly as much to the community as they do, I am brushing shoulders with them. It’s kind of like of being the geek in high school who tutors the quarterback; I’m not cool, but I know people who are.
Speaking of those people, I had a brief email exchange with one of them to get a feel for how you become an MVP, and he shared with me his list of accomplishments over the last year. I know that the MVP process is completely subjective, but seeing what this friend of mine did over the last year helped me realize that a) I do a lot for the community in terms of organizing events and making sure that educational opportunities are available, but b) I don’t do enough technical writing and knowledge-sharing to establish myself as a SQL Server expert.
Do I want to be a MVP? Well, yes, that would be nice. It’s always a good thing to be recognized by your peers for contributing to the community. However, my ultimate goal is to be the best I can be at what I do, and that path just happens to coincide with some of the same stated goals of the MVP program. If I want to up the ante, and be a rock star, I need to find ways to share knowledge, not just networking skills (and still manage to keep my marriage and family intact), regardless of whether or not those accomplishments are recognized by my peers.
That brings me to my second point; I’m now sharing on StackOverflow.com. Brent Ozar’s been a long-time advocate for this site, and I finally saw the light. I like it; the interactive interface is richer than USENET, and the reputation system allows you a way of validating that the advice you’re getting (and giving) is good. Today is my second day of posting, and I’m already up to a reputation score of 216 (woo-hoo!)
Finally, Brent Ozar, Andy Warren, and Jeremiah Peschka have just announced the PASS Log Reader Awards. I submitted a couple of entries from my blog for their review, and I’m hoping that I’ll pick up a few readers in the process. I know a lot of database bloggers started this year, and while this is a competition, I’m hoping it’s more of a motivational experience for me. I need to write more technical content, and I need inspiration from others to do so.
Tuesday, I drove to Columbus,GA to speak at the Columbus GA SQL Server User Group; I had first met Ken Simmons at the Birmingham SQL Saturday, and had promised him that I would drive down there to present. Ken’s done a great job of organizing a PASS chapter in a small-town setting; Columbus doesn’t have a lot of technical employers, so founding a specialized user group requires a lot of work and input from the few large employers in town. There were about 14 people in attendance, and 10 of them worked for the same company (although in different divisions).
Just as a side note; the group is meeting at the Columbus Public Library, which is a BEAUTIFUL facility. The staff was very nice and accommodating. The only limitation to meeting there is that they have to shut down by 8 PM.
My talk went OK; I’m always critical of my own work, and I realized that it’s a bit esoteric for some people. One thing that I have learned (but haven’t really applied) is that many people who attend user group sessions and SQLSaturday’s don’t always have the same experiences that I do. For example, I briefly discussed indexes in this presentation (Confessions of a Data Integrator; look for the upcoming blog posts), and I was a little surprised that there were so many questions about indexing strategies. I was glad I was able to discuss it, but if I’d known that was still a hot topic, I would have prepared more.
So here’s the lesson learned: if you’re a beginning speaker, or even an advanced speaker, don’t assume that fundemental topics are overdone. There’s still a great demand for people who can take an important concept (like index strategies, or disk I/O) and explain it in a simple fashion. Even people who have been DBA’s for years may still have a question about something that you assume is too basic to focus on.
Speaking of basics, just a quick reminder that the Gainesville GA SQLSaturday (#25) is coming up in October; we’re still looking for speakers and attendees. If you’re in the Atlanta area, Gainesville is only a half-hour away up I-85 and I-985.
Just confirmed today with Ken Simmons that I’ll be presenting at the Columbus GA SQL Server Users Group on August 25th at 6 pm at the Columbus Public library; if you’re in mid-west Georgia (and a data geek), come join us, and stop by and say “hi!”
I’ll be re-hashing a talk I gave at the Birmingham SQLSaturday regarding dealing with “somebody else’s bad data”; this is always a fun subject, and it’s great for interactive discussions (because every database professional deals with somebody else’s problem).
See you there!
To my friends who have FB accounts, I’m sorry for the abrupt disappearance. You probably didn’t even notice, given the wads of information you’re processing.
BTW, did you see this ad? I saw it on Facebook.
Sorry for that brief interruption; my brain gets like that lately. Scattered, random bits of information keep popping in. I’ve found it difficult to stay on track, and stay focused. I’ve become so hung up on maintaining relationships with people from 20 years ago that I’ve started to slip at some of my present goals. For example, I’ve been working on a book chapter prospectus for the last month, and I’ve had a devil of a time trying to keep it on track. I’ve also agreed to help host another SQL Saturday in October, and I’ve done nothing for it. Not to mention the random checking of my account during the work day.
This doesn’t really apply to me, but it’s funny, and I saw it on Facebook.
Facebook has also take some toll on me personally; sure, it’s 15 minutes here or there, but those frequent 15 minute interruptions add up, and they’re time away from my wife and kids. I’m already in front of a PC 8 hours a day for my job, plus time for my career goals; they shouldn’t feel squeezed in between my FB time as well.
Facebook time?
Anyway, when does being the Social DBA become too social? For me, it’s apparently when I use Facebook. I’m afraid I’ll have to walk away from the applications, the social experiences, and the advertisements. I’m not saying that others can’t manage their online experiences and their real-world time with aplomb and grace; I just can’t.
Farewell, Facebook, I shall miss thee!
Just in case you’re not following http://sqlsaturday.com, there’s been a few announcements of upcoming SQLSaturdays. I’d love to go to a few of these, but we’ll have to wait and see how the economy shakes out a bit.
Of course, there’s lots of other development code camps going on; here’s a couple that I want to attend:
You can find a much more complete list at http://codecampjukie.com.
If you’ve been here recently, you may have noticed a new theme; I’m trying to clean up the look around here a bit. I’ve decided I want to be a little more proactive about my blogging, and decided that I wanted a new look to go with it. Why the sudden interest in blogging?
First, SQLSaturday is over, and I need a new challenge to keep me busy until the next one rolls around.
Second, I’ve noticed that I’ve gotten rather stale about doing anything technical related; I’m not challenging myself to learn something new, and that was the whole point of this blog in the first place.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new theme, but keep an eye out for some other minor changes around the bend.
Stu
I’ve been incredibly busy the last few weeks, and unfortunately, any attempt at updating this blog had to give. With personal stuff (the Easter cantata at church and spring break for the kids), work stuff (lots of new projects), and SQLSaturday (what was I thinking when I signed up for this?) , I’ve barely had a few minutes to sit down, let alone write.
Life’s good, and I hope to post more soon. Still dropping weight slowly (sorry, no chart this time), and I’m almost in the home stretch for SQLSaturday, so perhaps my stress level will drop as well.
Stay tuned.
Enjoying free wifi. I just discovered that I don’t like their vegetable beef soup. Too many vegetables, and it’s beef broth.
Anyway, Wednesday ritual; girls at activities, and I’m sitting at a keyboard trying to put some thoughts together to keep this blog moving forward. Clock is ticking down, so I may not be able to get it all out there, but there’s a few things that I need to put together. Consider this post a to-do list, and I may actually get to the rest of the items when I get home tonight.
So, here’s the list of stuff I’ve been doing this week:
1. Trying to figure out how to use DataDude and TFS. I know, this thing is supposedly loved by all, but it’s complicated; it’s a completely different mindset than stuff that I’m accustomed to working with.
2. Cleaning up the garage for a home office project. My wife loves the fact that I work from home; she just can’t stand me in the house. We’re talking about closing in our third bay of our garage (partially), and adding a home office.
3. Of course, a SQLSaturday update. Lots of stuff going on, and lots more to do 🙂
If you ain’t from the South, you probably don’t get that particular reference; basically, it’s a classic desert combination. Two good things that are great together. I kind of felt that way after having lunch today with Dan Attis. Dan’s putting together a Sharepoint Saturday the week before SQLSaturday, and it was kind of nice to compare notes with somebody. We’re looking for ways we can build on that synergy for a future conference (and whatever little things we can do for the current ones).