SQL Saturday 85 – Thank You Everyone!

About a week ago we had SQL Saturday 85 in beautiful Orlando FL.  I wanted to do a quick recap and say a BIG Thank You to everyone who participated!  From the wonderful people on the planning team Andy Warren (@SQLAndy | Blog), Shawn McGehee (@SQLShawn | Blog), Karla Landrum (@karlakay22 | Blog), the O’Fearless Leader of MagicPASS Kendal Van Dyke (@SQLDBA|Blog), to 41 Different Speakers, to the Event Volunteers, to the Attendees, to the Sponsors, and to the great folks at Seminole State College who allow us to use the beautiful facilities, Thank YOU!

“So Balls,” you say, “What was the best part of the day?”

Well Dear Reader, I would have to say the pictures that I took, and those that I wish I had taken. 

The Day Started out with an early wake up call.  I the Dodge Durango was so loaded with drinks for the event that it was actually sagging, (I wish I had a picture of that ).  I drove over to Seminole State College and the Volunteers were already there and the tables were set up.  We quickly unloaded the drinks, and I returned to the hotel to put the projectors and screens from our Pre-Con’s into the back of the truck. 

Between the two trips I saw that we had the road signs up directing people in, and that we even had a volunteer standing on the Ellipsis to ensure people drove the right way.  Our volunteers are amazing!  When you stand outside in the Florida sunshine, for hours, to direct people on an Ellipsis so others can learn about SQL Server, then that is above and beyond dedication (I wish I had a picture of that).

And it was off to the races.  Making sure people knew where they were going.  Walking the halls to make sure that it was apparent which way to go, and putting up signs when it wasn’t.  Taking pictures of the Speakers while they were entertaining our attendees.  And Tweeting more than I do in most weeks.  I didn’t get to attend many sessions.  I was in my buddy Dan Taylor’s Session, the Deep Dive on Compression that this Bradley Ball guy did (not bad needs some work), and in Mike Davis’s SSIS vs. T-SQL Smackdown.


This was a very gratifying perspective however.  Normally I'm here just to learn, but this was completely different.  I was there to Serve.  To make sure that our attendees made it to where they wanted to go, to make sure that our sponsors had power outlets, to make sure we had signs, to find the correct speaker room, and occasionally to join into the fray and do some speaking.

This was a very different perspective indeed, and as much as I love learning about SQL today it was learning about all the time and hard work that goes into the great events.   Learning about the magic that goes on while we slide from one session to another.   Thinking about the event in review I'm still left in awe at all the hard work that our volunteers achieved.

So now without further ado, let’s get to some pictures.

SESSION PICTURES FROM 8:30 am to 9:30 am

Erin Stellato (@erinstellato | Blog) You Are My Density: Making Sense of Statistics

William E. Pearson III  Getting Started with MDX

Mike Antonovich Introduction to PowerPivot

Andy Warren Building a Professional Development Plan.

Don Stevic The Fundamentals of DBA-Ism

The One & Only Buck Woody From Ground to Cloud for Databases

Bradley Schacht Introduction to SSIS

SESSION PICTURES FROM 9:45 am to 10:45 am

My Buddy Dan Taylor on Useful tools for a DBA or Database Developer

Janis Griffin on Performance Management 2008 MDW-How & Why

Adam Jorgensen Analysis 0 to Cube & PowerPivot

Michael Wells Rapidly Deploying SQL Server with Powershell

Eric Wisdahl SSIS Data Flow Buffer Breakdown

Kendal Van Dyke Working with XML in SQL Server

SESSION PICTURES FROM 11:00 am to 12:00 pm

Nathan Heaivilin Introduction to Execution Plans

Phillip Rosen Biz Intel Dashboards w/ Excel OLAP formulas

Ronald Dameron Powershell by Example

Rob Collie PowerPivot BI & Massive Data Analysis for Humans

Mike Davis Using Script Task and Components in SSIS

Craig Purnell Upgrade Roadmap Taking YOU to R2!

Rodney Landrum T-SQL Alphabet Soup

BRADLEY BALL PAGE & ROW COMPRESSION DEEP DIVE 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm

I was up during this time slot so I didn’t get to make it around to all the other Presenters.  There were a lot of great people presenting in this time slot, and I hear we all did great.  I had a nice group for my first Deep Dive at a SQL Saturday.  This was on Compression, and I got a great question that will deserve a future blog on the bit structure of nvarchar compressed records.

I got a lot of great feed back, it was positive which is nice.  But I think all of the folks that made it realized that the second time I present this session it will be at the PASS Summit.   So even though it was positive, I got a lot of good suggestions as far as, expand here, maybe skip this and make more time for this.   I really like that feedback because it matched how I felt.

As a presenter I like to tell a story.  Even though we are talking technology and it isn’t hot and sexy like the movies, we can still have a good story with a solid flow.  I realized I have a little work to do on my story, and it was better to learn that now than at the Summit.  There were a lot of great speakers that made it to my session, Buck Woody (@buckwoody | Blog) stopped by to play the Piano, Eric Wisdahl (@EricWisdahl| Blog),  and Craig Purnell (@CraigPurnell | AboutMe) came by to help expand the cast.

 I feel really solid about the presentation and I’m looking forward to the Summit!

SESSION PICTURES FROM 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm

Rob Volk Revenge: The SQL!

Patrick Thompson Where to with NoSQL

James McAuliffe SSIShare The Code Man

William E. Pearson III Becoming DAX: An Introduction....

Kevin Boles Parallel Query Execution Deep Dive

Jeff Garbus Rewriting Bad Code

Herve Roggero SQL Azure Performance Considerations

SESSION FROM 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Once again I wasn’t able to run around, I was a part of the show this time around!  I was the referee for the SSIS vs. T-SQL Smackdown between Adam Jorgensen(@adam_jorgensen|Blog) and Mike Davis (@MikeDavisSQL | Blog).  As always it was a great battle between two Intellectual power houses. 

Mike Davis was displaying how he could fast load a data warehouse using SSIS, and Adam was doing the same using T-SQL.  Both competitors did a great job of layething the Smackdown on the data in the form of ETL processes.  Mike showed how versatile SSIS is with the ability to switch data sources and interface with multiple Database platforms.  Adam showed how versatile T-SQL is, tossing out Merges, CTE’s, and old pictures of Mike in the Navy like they were going out of style.

At the end of the bout I spoke briefly with Vince McMahon(WWE) and took a poll of the audience.    I would like to say that the results surprised me, but Adam had managed to really get Mike’s goat, or was the goat Brian’s (@brianknight | Blog)?  Regardless, there was a goat, fisticuffs, Adam was pronounced the winner, and then I was viciously and savagely attacked by Mike.   No sooner had he left the room then he returned and we all took a bow.

It is an amazing thing to watch professionals that are so good at what they do that they can have fun doing it.  It was something else all together to be a part of the action, and it was a lot of fun.  I hear Mike is having a Smackdown in Tampa for SQL Saturday 86.  I’ll be there doing my presentation on Compression.  I wonder if they have steel chairs there…..

AND WITH THAT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN I BID YOU GOODNIGHT

When I was kid I remember sitting in the 6^th grade watching some cheesy mandatory movie educating us on some subject that my memory doesn’t care to retain, and one line stood out to me.  “Take a picture and remember it in your heart.”

 I laughed about it with my friends.  I believe the phrase “how lame” was uttered, but for some reason it always stuck with me.  I take a lot of mental pictures as I go about the day.  Some end up in the recycle bin just as fast as they hit the desktop, others never leave. 

For years to come I will remember meeting Buck Woody and getting to drive him to buy Orange Juice, looking at the speaker dinner room and smiling at all the great people that come together to share a passion, the BBQ Line at lunch, running the halls to take pictures and Tweet about each presenter as they were working their magic, my buddy Dan Taylor’s (@DBABulldog | Blog) first presentation ever, forcing Kyle Walker (@WalkerSQLRanger) to get on Twitter, getting to meet Craig Purnell and his wonderful wife Julie, talking with my friend Adam Jorgensen, and having the SQL SMACKDOWN layethed on me by Mike Davis.

Less than a year ago, I walked into my first SQL Saturday in Orlando.  I left with a feeling that I had come home.  I wanted to dive right in with both feet, and it helped me to grow in ways that I hadn’t even realized I needed to grow. So I found it strange to have come full circle, and this year I was one of the guys standing up top, getting to toss t-shirts out to the crowd.   Andy Warren looked at me and asked how I felt about helping putting something together like this, I just smiled and said it felt Awesome.  

We wound up the night at Liam’s Fitzpatrick’s, and I got to speak with people I’ve connected with over the last year.  Eddie Wuerch (@EddieW| Blog ) from SQL Rally, Craig Prunell from earlier in the week at MagicPASS, Ron Dameron (@RonDBA | Blog) from SQL Saturday 62 in Tampa, Don Stevic(@SQL_Superman | Blog)  from SQL Saturday 74 & 79, Nathan Heaivilin from last year at SQL Saturday 49 (and 62), Bryan K Mcdonald (@BrianKMcDonald | Blog) from just this week.

To everyone I mentioned Thank You, to everyone I didn’t Thank You, Volunteers, Speakers, Sponsors, Attendees, and my fellow Team Members Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.  And to my friend Jack Corbett (@unclebiguns | Blog), newly minted SQL Server MVP, Thank You for your recommendation, your faith, and for the encouragement to get involved! 

I hope I see you all next year!

Thanks Again,

Brad

SQL Saturday 85 Pre-Cons

We are a little over half way through the Pre Confrence Sessions for SQL Saturday 85 and I couldn't be happier.   

We are located at the Marriott in beautiful Lake Mary Florida which is just on the north end of Orlando.

Tommorrow is the big day where we will be coming to you live from the campus of Seminole State College.

The Marriott is beautiful the staff has been wonderful, and the lunch that they served was absolutely delicious.  The pictures that I'm showing were all taken by me onsite, and I'll grab a few more as this is just a beautiful location for us today.

"So Balls," you say, "How's it going?"

So as an orginizer I have spent very little time in the room with the guys today, which is bad for me, but absolutely wonderful for out attendees.  I will be trying to sneak into a room and take some notes at some point but unlike most of my blogs on events this one (unless I get some notes I can take), will be very non-technical.

So I am going to make an effort to get into each session and get some details so you know just what these experts are doing. 

BUCK WOODY

Buck has a pretty packed room but I will make it in there and do some learning.  Buck is a master at this field and the feedback I've been getting from people has been incredible.  So more on this later.  

*****Update*******

You can tell he is a Professor when he walks the room, he has a Commanding presence and a Tricksters eyes.    I liked him before I met him but seeing him in action I like Buck Woody even more.

The little bit I got to see Buck was teaching all about indexes.  Buck’s advice stay away from the hard drive as much as you can.  Sucketh Mightely is a technical term and Indexes are great for reads and Sucketh Mightely on writes.

Buck goes on to discuss Indexes and their physical B-Tree structure.  He recommends applying 3 rules to Clustered Indexes; 1. The should be Narrow, 2. They should be Unique, 3. They should be ever Increasing.  We discussed the difference between Unique Clustered Indexes, and Primary Key Clustered Indexes, and Yes there is a difference!

One of the most interesting things he said with regards to the use of Primary keys and Foreign Keys, you can have a Unique Clustered Index and a Primary Key Clustered Index that have the same constraints.  The Algebrizer will use these constraints in the same way when creating the plan to retrieve the physical data.  However, deeper in the Algebrizer process the Primary Keys and Foreign key values will assist in computations that will assist the Optimizer. 

In other words using Primary Keys & Foreign Keys can make SQL work faster for you.  You should be using them.  He waded into the Holy war that is Surrogate Key’s vs. Natural Keys.  And then he assigned the Audience some hands on in class room work, finding usage statistics and table sizes using only the Built in reports.

I’ve got more Dear Reader and an further update will be coming.  Now on to the Pragmatic Works Pre-Con.

PRAGMATIC WORKS

Don't let the picture fool you these guys are such consimate proffessionals, they work hard they play hard but when the guy with the camera isn't in the room they are all business.  Once again I'm hearing some great stuff from out attendees and I'll try to get the low-down a little later.

WRAP UP

I'll get to the wrap up a little later.  This is just the teaser for now.

Thanks,

Brad

24 Hours Of PASS!

Hello Dear Reader the 24 Hours of PASS are HERE!  If you have never attended a 24 Hours of PASS this is a great one to hop on board with.  This is the fall preview of all the great content and presenters that will be appearing at the PASS Summit in Seattle coming up in October.  Right out of the gate you have not one but TWO of the greatest presenters that I've ever watched.  So before you read any further Click Here to sign up, and Click Here to read more about the total outstanding line up.

Starting this very morning at 8 AM Brian Knight (@BrianKnight | Blog ) President and Founder of Pragmatic Works!  What is Brian presenting on?

Introduction to Data Mining in SQL Server Analysis Services

Presenter: Brian Knight

Session Details:

Data mining is one of the key hidden gems inside of Analysis Services but has traditionally had a steep learning curve. In this session, you’ll learn how to create a data mining model to predict who is the best customer for you and learn how to use other algorithms to spend your marketing model wisely. You’ll also see how to use Time Series analysis for budget and forecast prediction. Finally, you’ll learn how to integrate data mining into your application through SSIS or custom coding.
 

About the Speaker:

Brian Knight, SQL Server MVP, MCITP, MCSE, MCDBA, is the owner and founder of Pragmatic Works. He is also the co-founder of SQLServerCentral.com, BIDN.com and SQLShare.com. He runs the local SQL Server users group in Jacksonville (JSSUG). Brian is a contributing columnist at several technical magazines and does regular webcasts at SQLShare.com. He is the author of a dozen SQL Server books. Brian has spoken at conferences like PASS, SQL Connections and TechEd and many Code Camps. His blog can be found at http://www.bidn.com.

Amazing!  But it doesn't stop there, Up next is the Founder of the Brent Ozar PLF Brent Ozar(@BrentO | Blog) himself!  What is Brent presenting on you might ask?

SAN Basics for DBAs

Presenter: Brent Ozar

Session Details:

They keep telling you it's a SQL problem - but how can you prove where the real problem is? Learn the basics about your storage options like RAID 5, RAID 10, solid state drives, and why your biggest bottleneck might be a $5 cable. No storage experience required. This session is for production database administrators who've never looked inside the black box of storage before.

About the Speaker:

Brent Ozar is a Microsoft Certified Master of SQL Server 2008, a Microsoft SQL Server MVP, and co-founder of Brent Ozar PLF. Brent has over a decade of experience with SQL Server, systems administration, SAN administration, virtualization administration, and project management. Brent spent 2 years at Quest Software as a SQL Server expert and 2 years at Southern Wine & Spirits, a Miami-based wine & spirits distributor. Brent blogs at http://www.BrentOzar.com like it's going out of style.

And from there it keeps going for 12 solid hours.  But the fun doesn't end there this is 24 hours of PASS not 1/2 a day of PASS.   Tomorrow is another 12 hours from 8 am to 8 am.


What will the 24 Hours of PASS cost you?  A Whole lot of your Hard Earned Nothing!  It requires your time, You can even attend while at work!  All you need to do is register, you will get an email with a Live Meeting link inside.  Take the link and click on it when it is time for the Session!

This is a wonderful opportunity for Free Training!  This is a wonderful opportunity to see the value you will get from the PASS Summit!  And this is a wonderful event to see the content you can get live by attending SQL Saturday's!

SQL Saturday's you say!?  Yes I would bet you that every speaker you see today has appeared at, at least, one SQL Saturday event this year.  So if you love this go look for the SQL Saturday coming to your area and sign up.  I hope to see you there!

Thanks,

Brad

SQL Saturday 85 for a Mid Level Business Intelligence Developer

 SQL Saturday 85 is just a little under 4 weeks away, and you if you are a Mid Level Business Intelligence Developer you maybe wondering what SQL Saturday could offer to you.  The answer is PLENTY!

“But Balls,” you say, “You’re not a Business Intelligence guy, how would you know if there is a lot to offer?”

That is an excellent point Dear Reader.  I’m not a BI Developer.  My work with cubes, SSAS, SSRS, and many things in between is slim.  Don’t get me wrong I’ve worked with it, but not to the extent that I do pure DBA work on a regular basis.  But one of the great advantages I have to putting together the schedule is that I am learning A LOT about my speakers.  And let me tell you who we have speaking.

 We have two dedicated BI tracks, an Microsoft Certified Master presenting on Parallel Data Warehouse, a SQL SSAS Maestros Instructor, Three SQL Server MVP’s presenting on BI topics, and one of the original team members that developed the Powerpivot plug-in for Excel, and Developed most of the Client.

And that isn’t to mention the Pre-Con’s!

FULL DAY OF BI TRAINING

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 We have not one, not two, not three, BUT FOUR of the best Business Intelligence Experts in the game today training you in the full Business Intelligence Stack from start to finish.  These four experts are none other than SQL MVP  Jorge Segarra (@SQLChicken | Blog), Mike Davis (@MikeDavisSQL | Blog), Bradley Schacht (@BradleySchacht | Blog), and Kyle Walker (Blog).   All four are out in the field working with clients for Pragmatic Works and doing what you do every day. But don’t take my word for it, let’s get the word from the guys.  Gentlemen what will you be covering in your pre-con?

Abstract:

In this full-day workshop, you'll learn from the author team of Jorge Segarra, Mike Davis, Brad Schacht, and Kyle Walker how to build a data warehouse for your company and support it with the Microsoft business intelligence platform. We'll start with how to design and data model a data warehouse including the system preparation. Then, we'll jump into loading a data warehouse with SSIS. After SSIS, you're ready to roll the data up and provide the slice and dice reporting with SSAS. The team will walk through cube development and data enrichment with things like key performance indicators, which are essential for your future dashboards. Lastly, we will cover how to report against the data warehouse with SSRS including a primer in how to write MDX queries against the SSAS cube.

Take Home Skills:

Practical knowledge of building a Dimensional Model Designing a simple ETL process using SSIS Designing a Cube Designing simple SSRS Reports Building an integrated process that fully leverages the entire MS BI stack to load a Data Warehouse

Now normally if you went to a pre-con like this at the PASS Summit you would be paying hundreds of dollars.  But we are offering this Dear Reader for $99, and this includes all the tea & coffee you can drink in a day, and lunch.  As a Mid level Business Intelligence Developer come and see the experts up close.  This will be a good way to see what you can become if you work hard and keep learning.  So do not delay!  Join us on Friday September 23^rd.    Click Here to go to the Full Day Business Intelligence  Pre-Con site!

THE SCHEDULE

So  here we are you went to the Pre-con, you got to talk to Jorge, Mike, Bradley, and Kyle up close and personal.  You are brimming with new skills, what should you tackle?

Michael Antonovich (@MPAntonovich|Blog)- Introduction to PowerPivot for Excel

Eric Wisdahl(@EricWisdah | Blog)– SSIS Data Flow Buffer Breakdown

Phillip E. Rosen(@BIwPhil) – Biz Intel Dashboards W/Excel OLAP formulas

Robert Biddle(@Robert_Biddle | Blog )– Loading a Data Warehouse with SSIS

William E. Pearson III(@Bill_Pearson ) – Becoming DAX: An Introduction...

Brian Mitchell(@brianwmitchell | Blog) – Applying FastTrack & PDW Best Practices to your Data Warehouse

I’ve had the opportunity to see Michael Antonovich present at MagicPASS, the SQL Server User Group we both call home.  And I saw this presentation.  And let me tell you that if you are not using PowerPivot by the time you are done you will understand it’s power and have a few great selling points for your boss.  After a great day of Pre-con Training where this topic will be covered, this session is icing on the SQL Cake.

Eric Wisdahl is next up, and he is covering a subject that will be advanced enough to challenge you, and pertinent enough to make you WANT to listen to everything he has to say.  He will be covering how the Buffer’s work in the internal SQL Memory and how they work with SSIS.  SSIS likes to use memory and Eric will give you some tips on how to troubleshoot your systems, and make sure the memory is being used properly.

Phillip Rosen will be covering how you utilize Dashboards and he will cover the different ways you can view them.  Saving them locally to the PC using Excel, publishing them using SharePoint, and using Excel OLAP formulas.  Before this session is done he will cover SharePoint 2010 BI Center and give you some references to continue your learning.

Robert Biddle will be covering something that is a must know in our field.  How to load a Data Warehouse using SSIS, after all you’ve got your OLTP database.  You need to put the data in a Data Warehouse, but what is the best way to go about it.  Maybe you’ve done this before, but it never hurts to get the tips and tricks from the experts.  Go check out Roberts session and walk out of it with more confidence for the next time you need to pull some SSIS tricks out of your hat.

William E. Pearson III will give you an Introduction to DAX.  Being self taught often times I find that I’m missing some fundamentals.  When I go to a SQL Saturday it is always a great opportunity to find experts in the field and see how they go about doing things.  If you already know DAX, or if you are a beginner wouldn’t you want to get your tips from a SQL Server MVP?  Well look no further because William is a SQL Server MVP.  Go to his session and walk out with the tips and tricks of an MVP under your belt.

Brian Mitchell is a Microsoft Certified Master.  Brian Mitchell is a Microsoft employee.  Brian Mitchell is a Microsoft Premier Support Field Engineer that specializes in Parallel Data Warehouse.  Maybe your company isn’t looking at PDW, maybe it is.  Either way it would not hurt to go learn what a Master has to teach.  I saw Brian at SQL Rally earlier this year and it was one of the best sessions that I sat in.  He is smart, he is quick, and he knows his stuff inside and out.  What better way to end a great day of learning than with a Master.

Okay Dear Reader,  GO Sign Up for the SQL Saturday Full Day BI Pre-Con and then Go Register for SQL Saturday 85.  I look forward to seeing you on Friday September 23^rd and on Saturday September 24^th for two incredible days of learning!

Thanks,

Brad

Thank You Pragmatic Works!

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Hello Dear Reader I just wanted to say Thank You to all of the people that attended my webinar for Pragmatic Works on Tuesday.  My Slide Deck and Demo’s have been uploaded.  You can access them by going to my Resource Page at the links on the Top of the Page.

“So Balls,” you say “How did it go?”

This was the largest audience that I have ever presented to!  Almost 200 people tuned in and we kept around 190 of you for the entire time.  WOW!  200 that still brings a smile to my face, Thank You for showing that we the SQL Community are eager to learn about the technology we use every day!

The feedback I’ve gotten is has all been really positive, this is a tough subject to fit inside of 1 hour.  I know there where questions that I was not able to get to and I would encourage anyone who still has questions to use the Contact link at the top of the page to shoot me an email.  I’m slowly going through them all but I will respond to each and every one that I have received.

THANK YOU PRAGMATIC WORKS & ATTENDEES

But the biggest thing I want to say is Thank YOU.  Thank You to the Attendees and Thank YOU to Pragmatic Works.  We wouldn’t have these webinars without your commitment to the community.  I want to thank Devin Knight (@Knight_devin | Blog ) for offering to let me be a part of one of your webinars.

I see the Pragmatic Guys out there in the community, actively teaching, writing, and participating in every SQL Community event that comes their way.  And I am honored to say that I contributed!

This was a lot of fun and I had a blast!

Thanks,

Brad

SQL Saturday 85 for a Jr. DBA

SQL Saturday 85 is a little under 5 weeks away and it will be coming to you live in Sunny Orlando Florida on September the 24^th.  During a planning meeting my friend and the Fearless Leader of MagicPASS, Kendal Van Dyke (@SQLDBA | Blog), had suggested writing blogs aimed at a particular level of attendee.  Last week I took a swag at Why a Manager Should Care About SQL Saturday, and this week I thought we would shift gears and drop from the Manager level of the SQL Stack down to the Jr. DBA level.

“So Balls”, you say, “I’m a Jr. DBA why should I attend SQL Saturday?”

Great question Dear Reader let’s dive right in!

WHERE DO I START?

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When I was in college I went to one of my professors before I graduated and I told him I was scared.  He smiled slyly and asked me what I was scared of.  To graduate I blurted out, I told him I feel like I’m standing on the Iceberg that sank the Titanic holding a snowball. That Iceberg was all of the IT knowledge in the world, and the snowball was all that I knew.  I told him it wasn’t enough, and that I was scared of what graduation would bring.  He smiled and told me that now I was ready.

I said nothing and thanked him for his time, knowing that this was some Yoda communicating to a Young Jedi kind of moment.  However, normally the Young Jedi somehow gets the sage advice.  I didn’t, I left just as nervous and I had arrived, save for one thing.  This brilliant Professor who had run his own software company, had been out in the outside world, and was an international lecturer thought I was ready.  That helped me because either I had this guy fooled, or he saw something I hadn’t yet recognized.   I’d prefer to believe the second one, and I still feel the best is yet to come.

Everyone who is currently a DBA, accidental or otherwise, started out where you are.  We all understand some of the things you have yet to learn.  We understand and have considered ideas that you will have in a few years.  The great thing about that is the places you have to learn are Legion, and the majority cost you nothing but your time.

So if you take me back to my first SQL Saturday I remember it felt all shiny and new.  I was a kid walking into Toy’s R Us all over again, and my mind was exploding with the possibilities of just how AWESOME this would be.   Then before you know it, SQL Saturday is over, you’re at an after party with a swag bag and your mind is still reeling from the greatness of the day.  From start to finish how do you make the most of it?

PRE-CON’S

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I would suggest you start with the Pre-Con’s.  They are only $99, and that includes lunch and all the Coffee & Tea you can drink in a day.   Take a good hard look at what you business is doing and where the most growth is and plan accordingly.   At this stage in your career if you want to go the DBA path we have a great Pre-Con with Microsoft’s Buck Woody (@buckwoody | Blog ) on SQL Server Performance Tuning Using Application Analysis. Click HERE to go to Buck’s Pre-con site!

If you are curious about Business Intelligence then I would Highly Suggest going to the Pragmatic Works Business Intelligence Workshop featuring Jorge Segarra (@SQLChicken | Blog), Mike Davis (@MikeDavisSQL | Blog), Bradley Schacht (@BradleySchacht | Blog), and Kyle Walker (Blog).  Click Here to go to the Pragmatic Works Pre-Con site!

Pre-Con’s are a great way to get to know other folks that are attending as well as getting some time with the speakers as well.  There will be breaks, lunch, and plenty of other opportunity to meet people while getting some quality education from some top notch talent from the SQL Community.

THE MAIN EVENT

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So now we are here, it is SQL Saturday 85.  You’ve registered you’ve signed up for and attended the Pre-con of your choice.  Let’s get to the schedule.  The great thing is we are chocked full of DBA goodness., so let’s get straight to the selections.

Don Stevic – The Fundamentals of DBA-ism

Daniel Taylor – Useful tools for a DBA and or Database Developer

Nathan Heaivilin- Introduction to Execution Plans        

Chad Miller- Storing Powershell Output

Rob Volk- Revenge:The SQL!

Mike Davis-SQL Smackdown SSIS vs T-SQL                   

Don Stevic(@SQL_Superman | Blog) is a fabulous presenter.  This session is all about getting a good base fundamental knowledge as a DBA in the form of lessons learned from Don.  Don most recently presented at the MagicPASS, SQL Server User Group for Celebration Fl, and I had a chance to see Don in action at SQL Saturday 74 Jacksonville this year.  Don is a great guy and he uses a lot of pop-culture references to get some very technical ideas across.  To any DBA that hasn’t seen Don present, this is a MUST SEE.

Daniel Taylor (@DBABulldog | Blog) is a very good friend of mine.  It is my privilege to work with him every day.  He works hard, he’s damn smart, and I think he is quite funny.  Dan is one of those DBA’s that makes you better just by hanging around him.   He is a Sr. DBA and is extremely good at what he does and one of the great things Dan loves to do is figure out the best way to get the best answers as quick as possible.  This is a session that you should go to and soak up as much knowledge as you can.

Nathan Heaivilin is doing a presentation that I saw last year at SQL Saturday 49 in Orlando.  It was the second session of the day and it was great.  The last time Nathan gave this talk his wife and young child were sick and he had been up all night with them.  He walked in tired and apologized to the audience and gave what was still one of the top 3 sessions I’ve ever seen.  If you want to understand what an execution plan is, and how it can help you optimize your Database’s performance then go see Nathan!

Chad Miller (@cmille19|Blog) is a SQL Server MVP and a recipient of the Microsoft Community Contributor Award for 2011.  Chad Maintains the SQLPSX project on Codeplex.  If you are not familiar with Powershell or Chad then you should be.  Chad is a very impressive man, and he is covering how to store the output from a Powershell Script.  The formats you can store the output in, and how you get that output are things you need to know.  Powershell is only going to become more important as you become a more Senior DBA, so go get your Powershell on with Chad!

Rob Volk (@sql_r | Blog) is doing a Session called Revenge: The SQL!  This is all about how you can do cool things in SQL that will make the lives of your problematic users a proverbial hell.  You do not actually want to do these things as they could/will get you fired.  However T-SQL as a language has a lot of little tricks with it.  So go see a really awesome DBA teach you all the things you could do in SQL if you ever really wanted to mess with your users.

Mike Davis (@MikeDavisSQL | Blog), is closing out the show with SQL Smackdown SSIS vs T-SQL.  By this time in the day your head is spinning with all of your new SQL Knowledge.  Let’s toss in a little more by showing the sheer power of SSIS and T-SQL going head to head.  If you have never seen the this presentation you are in for a treat, Mike is an expert showman and this Session promises to launch itself off the top rope with all the power of a 450 Slam.  It should be a good old fashioned slobber knocker, T-SQL should get whipped harder than a government mule.  Come for the knowledge stay for the show, this session will be a treat!

There are 7 tracks going on so if what I pick doesn’t match what your interest is then take your choice over mine, and trust your gut.  So what are you waiting for Click HERE to Register for SQL Saturday 85 and I hope to see you there!

Thanks,

Brad