Search results matching tag 'SQLRally'

A wee bit exhausted… time to reenergize

drsql — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 02:26:00 GMT

I admit it. I am tired and I have not blogged nearly enough. This has been a crazy year, with the book I finished writing, the pre-cons I have done (teaching is NOT my primary profession so I do a lot more prep than some others probably do), lots of training on Data Warehousing topics (from Ralph Kimball, Bob Becker, and Stacia Misner, to name three of the great teachers I have had), SQL Rally, SQL PASS, SQL Saturdays and I have gotten a lot more regular with my simple-talk blog as well… Add to this the fact that my daughter added a new grandchild to the family, and my mother has started to get so weak she is starting to fall down quite often (I am writing this blog entry from a spare bedroom at my mother-in-law’s house while my mom is in rehab!) and I am getting exhausted.

Am I whining? Probably, but it is my blog! No, seriously I figure that occasionally you have to poke your head out from under the covers and write something and this is my something until after the New Year (other than posting a few already written and edited simple-talk blogs). I am on vacation from work for 2.5 weeks, and I don’t plan to do much with this laptop of mine for those two weeks unless the spirit hits me with an idea for a blog that I just have to write, but usually most of my blogs that have any technical or artistic merit take weeks to complete. On the second of January, I hope to be back at it, analyzing my resolutions from last year, and making good on a few of them, particularly “Blog about my other (computer) love occasionally” and review some of the gadgets I have acquired as they pertain to doing my job as a writer/data architect. (Hint: My mother-in-law does not have Internet access, so some of the devices I have here are instrumental in my ability to work untethered for weeks on end.)

So until next year, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year! I hope your holidays are restful and fun. I know part of mine will be because I intend to replicate this picture at least one or two more times next week, hopefully with a Turkey Leg in the hand that isn’t holding the camera taking the picture (all with my Windows Phone set on Battery Saver Mode, which delightfully turns off all syncing :)

And interview, an online session, a long drive and a SQL Saturday… This week!

drsql — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 04:38:03 GMT

Later this week I will be doing an episode of the Greg Low’s excellent SQL Down Under podcast (http://www.sqldownunder.com/Resources/Podcast.aspx), something I did once before back in 2006. If you haven’t listened to any of the previous editions, there are some amazing people who have been on his podcast.

On Thursday at 12:00 Central Time, I will be doing a presentation entitled Designing for Common Problems in SQL Server for the PASS Data Architecture Virtual Chapter.

Friday I will be driving up to Cleveland, OH for SQL Saturday 164. I will be doing the Designing for Common Problems in SQL Server session, along with the Sequences session that I have done at several SQL Saturdays so far. Saturday I will give away two copies of my brand new book, one in each session, so if you want to be the first person I give one to, be there!

Right now, the biggest issue is that the Designing for Common Problems session is WAY too long. In my prep so far, I have gotten halfway through with the patterns and code in one and a half hours. So who knows what I will do to cut down the time, either limit the patterns, or perhaps split the session? I will figure something out… at least on Saturday when I have real people I can poll the audience to see what they want to see in detail. Online pretty much all you see are people’s names and the clock ticking away.

I have a few other things coming up, including picking speakers for Nashville’s SQL Saturday, shipping out books to my SQL Rally attendees, and Devlink at the end of the month (when I will have a bit longer to the Common Problems session, thankfully), but more on that after this weekend.

SQL Rally Relational Database Design Pre-Con Preview

drsql — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 03:58:10 GMT

On May 9, 2012, I will be presenting a pre-con session at the SQL Rally in Dallas, TX on relational database design. The fact is, database design is a topic that demands more than a simple one hour session to really do it right. So in my Relational Database Design Workshop, we will have seven times the amount of time in the typical session, giving us time to cover our topics in a bit more detail, look at a lot more designs/code, and even get some time to do some design as a group. Our topics will be:

Theory - More or less the foundational principals and processes that will presumably help you understand the "why" behind the rest of the material.
General Data Modeling - The basic concepts behind database design, data modeling, graphically and semantically. Terminology and concepts will be covered to make sure that when I say a word, you know what I am meaning. The field of computer science is littered with confusing terminology that needs to be made clear.
Normalization - Basically the process of making your database work well with the relational engine form both a performance and data integrity point of view.
Physical Modeling - The actual process of creating a working database by choosing proper data types, protecting the data integrity, etc. We will discuss the steps, as well as take a look at a model that is implemented.
Implementation Patterns- For the most part, the primary pattern that we use in a relational database is normalization. Database, tables and columns are rather easily mapped to requirements, and using normalization, we usually will arrive at a solution.However, there are certain types of solutions that crop up in common implementations. Examples include uniqueness, hierarchies, files, user-specified schema, data driven design, and more.
Other Miscellaneous Advice - Time permitting, I have a set of slides that cover some basic performance/security/implementation related material.

A lot of the material/examples/demos come from my 2012 book (SQL Server 2012 Relational Database Design and Implementation) that will be shipping just before the Rally, so I am making arrangements to get copies of the book for most if not all of the attendees. So the day will introduce the material to you in a rapid format, and then you can take the material home and read it again (and my email is always available for further questions on the material as well.)

SQLRally Nordic!

andyleonard — Fri, 13 May 2011 20:00:00 GMT

As announced here and at the inaugural SQLRally by Andy Warren (Blog | @sqlAndy), you can unleash your inner Viking at SQLRally Nordic 8-9 Nov 2011 in Stockholm! Interested? Register today!

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SQLRally slide deck & samples

AaronBertrand — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:43:00 GMT

Yesterday I spoke at SQLRally in Orlando on new engine and tools features in the next version of SQL Server - codenamed Denali. We nearly filled the room with 70+ people, and I got to hand out a slew of cool giveaways from the SQL Server team - coffee decanters, umbrellas, backpacks, and this cool recycled notebook modeled by Jason Strate (blog | twitter):

The deck and samples from my presentation are attached below. Please let me know if you have any questions!

SQLRally Precons Are Only $199!

andyleonard — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:00:00 GMT

… but a couple are almost sold out!

Kendal Van Dyke (Blog | @SQLDBA) wrote a great post about the presenters for the inaugural SQLRally scheduled for 11-13 May 2011 in sunny Orlando! $199 for a day-long pre-conference session by these presenters is a great deal. I encourage you to check it out!

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SQLRally Pre-Cons Announced

andyleonard — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 18:00:00 GMT

Introduction

The SQLRally pre-conference selections should be public knowledge at the time of publication. I'm actually writing this a week earlier - at lunchtime 3 Nov 2010.

Not Selected

My session, A Day of SSIS, was not selected for the BI track. I wish it had been selected, but it wasn't. Instead, Full Day Business Intelligence Workshop by Patrick LeBlanc, Devin Knight, Mike Davis, and Adam Jorgensen was selected. The cool thing was they were selected by the SQL Server Community. And that is an exciting change!

I've met those guys and I recommend their SQLRally pre-con. They're smart and experienced Business Intelligence professionsals. They are also experienced presenters. I know you will learn a lot from them.

Conclusion

I wish Patrick, Devin, Mike, and Adam a successful delivery. Here's hoping they have a packed house!

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Blogging from the PASS keynote : 2010-11-11

AaronBertrand — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:05:00 GMT

Rick Heiges comes on stage and talks about the way the Board of Directors works. He sent off Lynda Rab, a director since 2007. He introduces the new Directors-at-Large: Douglas McDowell, Andy Warren, and Allen Kinsel. A PASS goal over the next 5 years is to deliver 1 million hours of training, grow the PASS Summit to 7,500 attendees, and PASS itself to 250,000 members.

SQLRally

Rick announces SQLRally, May 11th - 13th in Orlando. SQLRally is SQL Saturday meets PASS - a two day, $299 conference with an optional one-day pre-con ($199). Until December 31st, you can get a bundle (2 days + pre-con) for $449. The pre-con sessions voted in (by YOU) are:

Business Intelligence Workshop 
Patrick LeBlanc, Devin Knight, Mike Davis, Adam Jorgensen
Query Performance Tuning, Start to Finish 
Grant Fritchey
Maximize Your SQL Server 2008 Coding Skills 
Plamen Ratchev
Leadership and Team Management Skills for the Database Professional 
Kevin Kline

My roommate here at PASS, Kendal van Dyke (@SQLDBA), had a lot to do with putting this event together - and if my conversations with him are any indication, this will be a great and worthwhile event. Registration and call for speakers is now open at http://www.sqlrally.com/!

XBox 360 Kinect

Rick draws for the Wheel of SQL prize (an XBox 360 Kinect): Pieter Goes (@pietergoes).

PASS 2011

He announces that next year's PASS Summit is October 11-14, again in Seattle. Location isn't surprising but the earlier date turns a few heads. There will be two pre-con days, instead of a pre-con and post-con (this means the regular conference will be Wednesday - Friday). Preview pricing is $995, and "Preview Plus" pricing pairs the full conference fee with both pre-con days for $1,295. You can get more details at http://www.sqlpass.org/summit/na2011.

Dr. David DeWitt's Keynote

Dr. David DeWitt comes onto the stage and dives right into his query optimization keynote. He shows query 8 from the TPC-H benchmark and explains that there are 22 million ways for the optimizer to execute the query. He describes cost-based query optimization, which has been around since the 1970s (Pat Selinger @ IBM), and remains one of the hardest problems to solve.

At this point, I get distracted from writing because I'm selfish … I want to listen. And I couldn't give it justice, so I'm not going to bother trying to replay his keynote for you. I can tell you that the ballroom is full and, unlike previous keynotes, everyone is absolutely silent (with the occasional laughter, since David - in addition to immensely rich information - does have some humorous comments and slides).

It was awesome. If you're not here and you didn't get to watch the live stream, buy the DVDs - in addition to 168 sessions and the pre- and post-con recordings, all of the keynotes will be on there as well. If you are interested in the Picasso project the keynote was based on, see the following site: http://dsl.serc.iisc.ernet.in/projects/PICASSO/index.html

Conclusion

One of the big things that has been clear to some for a while, but is even more clear to us all here today, is that this is the kind of keynote we want. We're here to learn, and we're obviously already invested in the product. So stop sending us marketing keynotes and give us the technical keynotes. We don't care that the presenter is a sharp dresser or is a good schmoozer.

If you're reading this before 8:00 AM PT...

andyleonard — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 01:00:00 GMT

... you still have time to vote for your favorite SQLRally pre-conference seminars! Whether you plan to attend or not, you can still vote - it's open to all. There are some really good sessions out there - plus mine!

Voting ends at 8:00 AM PT 2 Nov 2010.

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A Day of SSIS in May

andyleonard — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:00:00 GMT

Introduction

I could run through the abstract for my submission to the SQLRally pre-con - and I will include much of it in this post.

But Wait There's More!

It's difficult to convey in writing my passion for SQL Server Integration Services. I like the platform - a lot. I love sharing SSIS with others for a bunch of reasons; chief among them is I had a difficult time learning SSIS and want to help as many people as possible over the hurdles that I experienced.

It's why I took vacation time in October to train people in Boston and why I'm taking more vacation time in December to do the same. I love delivering SSIS training! Nothing thrills me like seeing the lights come on or hearing a student say "So that's how you do that in SSIS!" I don't claim to be an expert - I claim to be experienced. But that's separate and distinct from a passion for ETL and SSIS.

Is SSIS perfect? Nope. But it's better than most people think. The chief complaint about SSIS is: It's difficult to learn. And that's a fair complaint - SSIS is not easy. But it is possible to learn SSIS. I know. I've trained hundreds of SSIS developers.

You can learn more about SSIS at A Day of SSIS, but first you have to vote here. My friend Joel Cochran (Blog | @JoelCochran) hired me for a day this summer to help him learn SSIS (and do some database design). You can read more about his experiences here and here.

Abstract

Get pragmatic advice for developing, maintaining, and managing SSIS in your enterprise. With a focus on developing SSIS packages with maintenance and management in mind, this day-long session covers SSIS Design Patterns for efficiently loading data, developing a centralized custom logging solution, and developing a metadata-driven SSIS package execution solution. Then, Andy demonstrates how to use this suite of applications to perform predictive analytics and continuously improve your SSIS ecosystem.

Take-Home Skills

Incremental Load SSIS Design Patterns
Metadata-driven SSIS Package Execution solution
Centralized custom logging solution
Log Analysis for Predictive Analytics
Log Analysis for Continuous Improvement

Conclusion

There are lots of good candidates for SQLRally pre-conferences. I urge you to make your selections known by voting. I hope to see you in Orlando in May for A Day of SSIS!

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