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. ...

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! :{>

When PASS gets community right, I like to point it out. Allowing folks to vote on the sessions they would like to see is the right thing to do. You can provide your feedback here. You can also filter sessions by category (for example, Pre-Conference Sessions). Nice work. Kudos PASS! :{>

Introduction  PASS has had an ERC (Elections Review Committee) forum running for a few months now. There's been surprisingly little feedback, though lots of reads. Here's what it looks like tonight: That's 1,662 views and 37 replies by my count. Not very many replies... Jump In! Now's the time to let PASS know what you think about ...

Introduction As he does so well, Andy Warren (Blog | @sqlAndy) has issued a challenge to the community: What Should PASS Be? I'm sure lots of people have responded already, but I've been struck by two: Grant Fritchey's (Blog | @GFritchey) What Should PASS Be? and Robert Matthew Cook's (Blog | @sqlmashup) [blog] What Should PASS Be? ...

Introduction To quote Ronald Reagan, ''There you go again.'' The Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) is considering locations for future PASS Summits. The apparent answer is: You Can Have The Summit Anywhere You Want... ... as long as it's in Seattle. PASS conducted a survey on this about a year ago, and I commented on the results ...

Introduction I was honored to sit at the blogger's table during the keynote sessions at the PASS Summit 2010! Our official job was to promote the Summit keynotes via social media and our blogs. Our unofficial job was to pick on each other. Rob's response? ''Realised is spelled with an 's', not a 'z'.'' Goals Are Good In the kickoff session ...

  Introduction Andy Waren (Blog | @sqlAndy), Jack Corbett (Blog | @unclebiguns), and Kendall Van Dyke (Blog | @SQLDBA) have been busy. They're working on SQLRally - a regional PASS event scheduled for May 2011 in Orlando. Andy does a good job explaining the thinking behind the event in his 31 Aug 2010 post: Positioning SQLRally in the PASS ...

Introduction A couple people commented on my Stepping Aside post, asking what a PASS Regional Mentor does exactly. I think that's a fair question, although me answering it now may be a little too late! What I Did I helped a few groups get started, mainly by answering questions. The questions ranged from ''Where do I begin?'' to ''How do I ...

I've been honored to serve as a PASS Regional Mentor for two years. My goal is to step out of the way of some folks who can bring fresh and new ideas to bear. I believe this is the best argument for term-limits and this provides an opportunity for me to mentor a couple / three people on how to do regional / national UG and Events ...