Search results matching tag 'Developer Community'

SQL in the City Event Dates Announced!

andyleonard — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:00:00 GMT

If you didn’t know that already, you know it now. The latest evidence to support this claim is the publication of the schedule for US SQL in the City events. They are:

9 Oct – Pasadena
11 Oct – Atlanta
14 Oct – Charlotte

Registration for these events opens 24 May.

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Want to Learn SQL Server 2012?

andyleonard — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Or SSIS 2012? SSRS 2012? SSAS 2012? There’s no substitute for getting your hands on the product, in my opinion.

I can hear you thinking, “But Andy, I can’t afford to purchase a copy of SQL Server 2012.” Are you sure? What if I told you that you can get a full-feature version of SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition for $50? Well, you cannot… it’s actually less than $50! SQL Server 2012 Developer Edition is available at Amazon on the day of this writing for $41.24USD. That’s about the price of eight cups of fancy coffee.

SQL Server releases follow a cycle. SQL Server 2005 was a major release with big changes from SQL Server 2000. SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 were not drastic departures from SQL Server 2005. Take it from me: SQL Server 2012 is a major release.

Is taking your career to the next level worth the price of eight cups of coffee?

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Presenting Using Biml as a Design Patterns Engine to the Himalayan SQL Server UG 29 Sep!

andyleonard — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:00:00 GMT

I am honored to present “Using Biml as a Design Patterns Engine” to the Himalayan SQL Server User Group 29 Sep 2012 at 3:00 PM (+5:45). Registration is open!

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SSIS Design Patterns, the Book

andyleonard — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 16:37:43 GMT

For the past two years, I have had the honor and privilege or authoring SSIS Design Patterns alongside Jessica Moss, Michelle Ufford, Tim Mitchell, and Matt Masson. Publication of the book – like many projects of this scope – has been delayed. The current publication date is 27 Aug 2012 and I have high confidence in this date.

I take responsibility for publication delays and apologize to those who pre-ordered the book. The reasons for the delays are not important. I have built a career as a software developer and architect based on the following maxim:

Deliver quality late, no one remembers.
Deliver junk on time, no one forgets.

The shared goal of everyone working on this project has been to deliver quality. Proofing the manuscripts, I believe we have achieved that goal.

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MicroTraining: Managing SSIS Connections–10 Apr 2012 at 10:00 AM EDT!

andyleonard — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 10:00:00 GMT

I am pleased to announce another free Linchpin People MicroTraining Event! On Tuesday, 10 Apr 2012 at 10:00 AM EDT, I will present Managing SSIS Connections. In this presentation, I will show you several means for managing SSIS connectivity using built-in functionality and a custom trick or two I picked up over the past few years. Want to learn more? It’s free (and no phone number required)!

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QwikTalk and SQLPeople™ Announce Free SQL Help by Phone!

andyleonard — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:30:00 GMT

Introduction

I received some awesome responses from I Am Here To Help™! One of them was an email from Josh Breinlinger, founder of QwikTalk.com. Josh and I spoke on the phone later that day to discuss using QwikTalk’s platform to provide free support to folks with SQL Server-related questions.

It’s Like #SQLHelp on the Phone!

QwikTalk connects people with questions to people with answers. Here’s how it works (my version, anyway – see the link for Josh’s version):

You have a question about SQL Server.
You remember reading a blog post (this one!) about getting SQL Server help on the phone, find it, and connect to QwikTalk.com.
You select “SQL” from the Categories list:

When you arrive at the SQL Help – Free Phone Consultations page, you type your question and click the Ask a Question button:

(Some magic happens)
You phone rings a few minutes later, connecting you with someone who answers your question.

How cool is that?

And it’s free!

The Magic

The magic actually starts when willing people sign up to be experts. I did this and the process is very smooth. I entered my information, including my cell number. I got a text from the QwikTalk number requesting a reply. I replied. I was in the system. I got another text with instructions on how to set my availability On and Off. Josh and I tested it.

Think of it as a live forum. Experienced SQL Server DBAs and developers with some time can set their Availability to On, help out some folks SQL Server questions, and then set their Availability to Off when they have something else to do.

It. just. rocks.

“What Does QwikTalk and SQLPeople Get Out Of This, Andy?”

Excellent question – I’m glad you asked! We get the best thing ever: we get to help. We get to see the SQL Server Community – already vibrant on social media – become even more connected.

Conclusion

Did I mention the cost? It’s free! Check out the QwikTalk SQL page today!

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How to Tell You’re a Community

andyleonard — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:30:00 GMT

Introduction

I read a slogan yesterday and laughed out loud. Literally. Had I been drinking coffee at the time, I would have needed to clean my laptop screen. When the laughter subsided I realized the organization that created the slogan believes it to be true. At that point my community mentor instincts kicked in. I now see this as an opportunity to share.

You Are a Community If:

You cooperate. What does cooperation look like? Well, it’s the opposite of competition (see next list). Simply put, you help. Who do you help? Anyone who needs it. Do you help only those who join your effort? You can, but that’s not usually how community works. Bona fide communities help other communities, even. Do you help those who help you back? That’s called “business” and business is different from community.
You are transparent. Does this mean you share everything about everything? No, it doesn’t. It means your kneejerk reaction is to share information and you sometimes reconsider. Communities openly share successes and failures. It’s how they learn and grow.
You want to learn and grow. I don’t mean in numbers (only), I mean the vision and standard operating procedures grow. Growth often involves diversity, especially in leadership. True growth means integrating agents of change into leadership. Messy? Yes. Uncomfortable? Definitely. Disruptive? If it isn’t disruptive, it’s not growth – period.
You serve the tribe. This isn’t merely fungible, tit-for-tat service; it’s looking out for others in the same way you look out for yourself. Maybe caring for others more than for yourself.

You Are Not a Community If:

You compete. Examples include slapping one another on the back while exclaiming “We’ll crush them to bits!” or otherwise scheming to hinder or destroy efforts and activities in the same space as your community because, well, they’re just not you. Businesses compete, communities do not.
You obfuscate operations. If the default kneejerk reaction of your organization is to hide facts and make exceptions to disclose them, that’s not transparent. Operational failures are a fact of life in any organization. Communicating them – openly – is part of the prevention process. It facilitates growth and learning by seeding change.
You resist change. If you’re not open to new ideas and feedback – especially negative feedback – you’re not really a community. Communities thrive on improvement. This infers change. Communities recognize agents of change and welcome them into their ranks and leadership; they do not actively block agents of change from participation or leadership.
You serve yourself (first). If it happens to work out that someone else benefits, that gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling. Preservation of personal status and status quo are not the earmarks of a community.

Conclusion

This is by no means an exhaustive list but I hope it offers examples of the differences between genuine communities and those who merely wish to describe themselves as communities.

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On Starting a Technical Blog…

andyleonard — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:30:00 GMT

Introduction

My friend and brother K. Brian Kelley (Blog | @kbriankelley | SQLPeople) recently wrote a meta-blog (blog about blogging) post entitled Don’t Wait to Start Blogging. Just before that, I received an email response to an earlier post (I Am Here To Help™) requesting advice on how to get started blogging. I directed the person asking me for advice to Brent Ozar’s (Blog | @BrentO | SQLPeople) awesome series called Blog Better Week.

Getting Started

Starting anything is hard. Steven Pressfield tackles this fact head-on in The War of Art and Do the Work; two excellent books on creating, in my opinion. When communicating with folks interested in starting a technical blog, I’ve noticed a pattern; a theme:

“I don’t have anything to say.”
“All the cool stuff has been covered.”

Bah! No, no, no!

While the objections may be technically accurate, there’s a lot more to consider:

You have a unique way of expressing the technical details.
You are writing after other people who have blogged before you.
More is better.

Allow Me to Elaborate:

You have a unique way of expressing technical details…

Geeks often suffer from terminal humility. We believe what we know must be easy to learn because, well, we know it. We think the stuff others know and that we want to learn must be hard because we don’t know it. Not all geeks suffer from terminal humility (I wish many that don’t, would…).

How long did it take you to learn the last thing you learned? Did you find a blog post, forum post, article, or book that was exactly what you needed? I bet the answer is “No, Andy. I had to dig around and I found part of the answer here and another part of it there.” That. is. a. clue! Put everything you found in one location – blog about it! Don’t present the ideas as all original because they’re not. You found the information in several locations. Link to them! Always attribute the work of others and never plagiarize.

Do I have to write this? Yes, yes I do: Plagiarism is copying work from somewhere else and representing it as your own. If you find yourself beginning an explanation of how someone’s work got on your blog with the word “But” – that’s also a clue. Don’t rip people off. Never. Ever. Got it? Good. Let’s continue…

Expand on the ideas you found. Some of what you read may not have worked for you. I may be simply incorrect or it may be outdated. This brings me to the next point:

You are writing after other people who have blogged before you…

Why is this important? Because technology changes daily! Odds are the posts and articles that helped you were written months ago. There’s been a new release, Community Technology Preview (CTP), service release, or patch since that time. You have the latest and greatest information available – right there in your head with you. Why not share that?

More is better…

When you did that search for information about your issue and found the answer scattered across 2-17 sites, that search took you five minutes or less, right? Wrong! It took hours. The more information out there, the easier it is to find it! Get your post out there so it can help someone struggling with the same issue.

Conclusion

Brian and Brent offer fantastic advice about blogging. Jump in, the water’s fine.

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I Am Here To Help™

andyleonard — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:30:00 GMT

Introduction

This isn’t a trick. It’s not a gimmick. It’s not bait-and-switch. It is selfish; please allow me to explain:

I Am Here To Help™

This has been my motto for the past few years. How can I serve you today? Are you thinking about starting a User Group and don’t know where to begin? I can help. Are you planning an event and encountering obstacles? I can help. Having trouble getting an SSIS package to do what you want? I can help. Trying to troubleshoot a SQL Server issue? I can help. Have a question about raising chickens or guinea fowl? I can help.

For things with which I cannot personally help you, I know someone who can either answer your question, put you on the correct and best path for an answer, or who knows someone who can help.

“How Do I Contact You?”

There’s an Email link in the upper right corner of this blog. Or you can email me at andy.leonard@gmail.com. Or contact me on Twitter.

“Why is this Selfish?”

I’m glad you asked! Because I enjoy helping you. I believe everyone is put into life for a purpose, and serving you is my purpose. I am thrilled each time I get to help someone.

Helping others makes you feel awesome. People can give you money and things, but no one can give you the satisfaction that comes from contributing.

Helping others is contagious. I’ll talk about this more in a future installment of my series on Managing Teams.

You can get in on this too. How? Pull over next time you see someone stopped on the side of the road with the hood of their car up or standing next to a flat tire. Help someone struggling to load their groceries from the shopping cart into their car. Call someone and tell them you’re thinking about them. Add an encouraging comment to a blog post or send a friend or co-worker or enemy or competitor an email just to say “Hi” and catch up. If you have nothing left due to the economy – financial, emotional, intellectual, social, or any economy – offer the next person you see a smile. Smiles are free in every currency. Be nice.

Conclusion

Try it. And holler if you need a hand. I’m here for you.

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Why I Love the PASS Summit

andyleonard — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Introduction

I was chatting with my friend and business partner Brian Moran (@briancmoran) about PASS and shared how the PASS Summit 2004 was a turning point in my database professional career. Brian agreed with me that this is a compelling account of the good that can come from PASS and the SQL Server Community, and suggested I post this story. I posted it a couple years back, so I simply copy it here.

The Story (reposted from Things I Know Now)

I was struggling with my new career as a DBA. I felt I was in over my head and, any minute, I was going to be discovered and fired. I am not making this up. About the time I attended the PASS Summit 2004 I got a few successes under my belt - enough to feel more secure in my job but not enough to convince me I knew anything about very large databases in SQL Server.

It was The Year of the Storms in Florida. Orlando looked like it had been bombed. It was ugly, but the conference went on. I stood in line at the hands-on labs to meet Ken Henderson. I was devouring The Guru's Guide to SQL Server Internals and Architecture along with Kalen Delaney's Inside Microsoft SQL Server 2000. I credit both authors with saving my career, incidentally.

I heard Ken dispensing no-nonsense advice to people. I think some thought to "teach him a thing or two," and he respectfully but firmly resisted this with the gentleman in line in front of me (poor guy). I was next, and was probably visibly shaking in my shoes. I explained to Ken that I was pretty new to large SQL Server databases and was a web developer that had been thrust into a new position at work. I told him about my approach - relying on my engineering training and testing heavily - and explained the symptoms I was seeing. Ken made a few excellent suggestions, which I wrote down and which, unsurprisingly, put me right on top of the issues I was describing. I thanked him profusely and started away. He said "Hey, you're approaching this like I would."

I felt like the kid on the old Coke commercial - the one where Mean Joe Greene throws him his jersey. I know it sounds cheesy, but I entered that room as a guy learning databases and left it a database professional. The difference for me was the confidence that I was approaching this problem like Ken Henderson would.

Passion

Occasionally I get questions from concerned community members and friends about my passion for the SQL Server Community, my attention to detail surrounding the behavior of PASS leadership, and PASS elections.

This is why: I love the PASS Summit.

The PASS Summit has tremendous potential when it comes to impacting the lives and careers of SQL Server community professionals. My career and life was changed – for the better – by this encounter at the PASS Summit 2004. I’ve heard numerous accounts from other SQL Server Community members that echo this sentiment. I want this to continue.

I know from experience - from reading the blogs and comments of the many volunteers involved and from conversations with PASS leadership - that conducting the Summit is hard work. Many will never see the amount of work required to organize a small event; much less a larger one the size of a Summit. Trust me, it’s more work than you imagine. When done correctly, it looks easy. For the most part, PASS leadership makes the Summit look easy – which means they’re doing a good job with the Summit.

But I also know PASS could be better. PASS leadership has made mistakes. All of them are forgivable mistakes – especially considering many of PASS’ leaders are volunteers – but it’s simply going to take more time to forgive some of them. I think it’s normal and good for any organization to make mistakes and that those mistakes are forgiven in time. Wanting PASS to better serve its community and the larger SQL Server Community drives my passion.

Conclusion

The PASS Summit 2011 is approaching and it’s a great event for SQL Server professionals. The technical content is good, but the networking opportunities are stellar. If this is your first year attending the PASS Summit you’re in for a treat: The PASS Orientation Committee is in its second year – and thriving! My friend Thomas LaRock (Blog | @SQLRockStar | SQLPeople) has more information at that link, but the most important thing you can do today is let PASS know you’re coming to the Summit and are a First-Timer.

I’ll be there. If you read this blog and plan to attend the PASS Summit, please find me and introduce yourself. I’m the fat guy with a fu.

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