Monday, February 27, 2012

I’m Going to SQL RALLY!




Hello Dear Reader, I’ve just received great news I’M HEADED TO SQL RALLY 2012! But I didn’t get here on my own, I have you to Thank.  And I would like to do just that.  Thank You to everyone who voted for me as part of the recent Community vote!  I really appreciate it.  It is always an honor to be picked to participate in a SQL event, but it means a lot when your peers vote you in.

I promise that you will not be let down, I’ve got not one, but TWO amazing sessions that made it through the voting.

“So Balls,” you say, “What are you presenting on?”

Great question Dear Reader, and away we go!


Transparent Data Encryption Inside and Out in SQL 2012

Security is a very important part of your job and in how data is utilized.  We have many tools to make data more secure, and starting in SQL 2008 we were able to add Transparent Data Encryption to that list.  Find out What it does and What it doesn’t do, How it effects Read-Only Filegroups, Performance, Compression (Backup and Row/Page), What the X.509 Encryption Standard is and Why you should be careful of what you store and where, and other Advance Features as well as some tips on how to manage it.


I’ve had a lot of fun presenting on this topic in the past.  Transparent Data Encryption is a wonderful technology that we were able to start using in SQL 2008.  I was lucky very early on that as soon as I started working with 2008 I was working with TDE. 

When you use TDE there are some very important things to know and consider the first is what TDE does and doesn’t do, the second what physical changes actually occur within your database, and finally how you manage certificates and how they affect your recovery scenarios for your databases.

I’ve done a Lightening round version of this presentation for OPASS, the Orlando SQL Server User Group, my friends at Publix, and for SQL Saturday 79 South Florida this past year.  This year I start off the year with a Bang presenting on this topic at SQL Connections in Las Vegas, and now I’ll get to present on this at SQL Rally 2012 as well!


SQL Internals, Recovery Models, and Backups! OH MY!

The more you know about SQL Server the more you understand how it works.  SQL Server is a product we use every day, and most of us know the big concepts.  At the 10,000 foot view we know what  Databases, Tables, and Columns are.   But what makes up those Databases, Tables, and Columns.  What are Records, Pages, Extents, and Allocation Units?  What are Full, Simple, and Bulk-Logged Recovery?  What are the differences between  Full, Transaction Log, Differential, or Filegroup backups?  What is a Piecemeal Restore?  This is an introduction to these concepts using SQL 2012.  In this session you will learn about the internal Structure, Recovery Models, and Backups and be better prepared to for Future Learning and Managing SQL!


When I first put together this presentation it was meant to be a leap frog session. 

“So Balls,” you say “I’m not playing leap frog with you.”

No worries Dear Reader, I’m not playing a game, but what I mean by leap frog is I want you to leap ahead.  As I’ve studied SQL Server I’ve noticed that there are some fundamental concepts that you encounter over and over again.

The reason because they are all interrelated.  A.C.I.D., Transaction Isolation Levels, the internal components of SQL Server’s Relation & Storage Engine, B-Tree Structures, Pages, Allocation Units, Transaction Log management, Recovery Model’s, and Backups (that’s a mouth full OH MY!).  I’m not going to make you an expert, but I’m going to arm you with knowledge and concepts to allow you to go forth and be better prepared for future learning. 

But what we cover will apply directly to how you would choose the type of backups that are appropriate for the database systems that you manage.

THANK YOU

Once again Dear Reader and Dear SQL Community, I would just like to say Thank You.  I hope to see you and I hope to see you at SQL Rally 2012!

Thanks,

Brad

Monday, February 6, 2012

SQL Rally 2012 Vote For Me!


Hello Dear Reader!  Last year I tossed my hat in the ring on the world of Presenting.  This was a tremendous experience for me.  Presenting is a whole other skill set, one that I had not exercised very often.  The more I presented the more I learned.  I received wonderful questions and feedback that helped me grow from SQL Rally 2011, presenting Page & Row Compression How, When, and Why to the PASS Summit 2011 where I presented Page & Row Compression: Deep Dive.  All of this and there is still more to go into. 

"So Balls," you say, "What are we voting for again?"

Great Question Dear Reader!  While I've presented loads on Page & Row Compression, in 2012 we are adding Spatial Compression to the mix and Vertipaq Compression that gives us Columnstore Indexes.  Not to mention we still have Backup Compression as well.  Put all that together and I've got enough information to fill a whole day, and that is just what I'd like to do!

I've submitted a Full Day Pre-Con on Compression to SQL Rally 2012.  I am honored to say that I'm up for vote along with some other really great sessions.  And you Dear Reader get to vote and decide on who the final two are that make it.


THERE'S ALWAYS ROOM FOR COMPRESSION

The title of my Pre-Con is "There's Always Room for Compression" and here is a copy of my abstract.


Come on There’s Always Room for Compression!  In SQL 2012 Compression hits with a Bang.  We should all be taking backups, and Compressing our backups as well.  But what advanced feature can cost Compression performance and how can you re-claim it?  SQL 2008 we got Backup and Page & Row Compression, SQL 2008 R2 gave us Unicode Compression to add to the mix, and SQL 2012 give’s us Page & Row Compression for Spatial Data.  On top of that we get VertiPaq Compression for Columnstore Indexes.   If you are running an OLTP shop, working heavily with BI, or a mix of the two Compression in SQL Server 2012 is something you should learn about.  There are 3 bottleneck’s in any Database, find out how Page & Row Compression can help you offload I/Op’s for CPU.  BI heavy shop? Understand What Columnstore Indexes are, how they work, and how you can use them. 

If you are interested in Compression, looking at using this at work, or trying to figure out best practices for Compressing Data vote for me!  We will Deep Dive Page & Row Compression and look at the internal components, how it works, how you monitor it, and that will lead to a greater understanding in how to apply it.  The internals of Columnstore indexes using Vertipaq Compression, we will be spelunking on those internals as well!  Come on spelunking on internals, that just sounds fun!  *I first heard that phrase from Paul Randal(@PaulRandal | Blog), it is his but I'm borrowing it J!


Not only will we be Deep Diving a couple different area's but I want this to be an interactive day.  I will be putting together a Sample Database that we will use so we can work together and by the end of the day you will have hands on experience with Determining what Tables are good candidates from Compression, Compressing them, taking baselines Before and After in order to see what benefits that we have achieved.


Compression can help you if you an OLTP shop or if you are a DBA who works primarily with BI.  There is something for everyone.


GO VOTE!

Even if you do not vote for me there are a lot of really great Pre-Con's that you can vote for, (Like my friend & Co-Worker Bradley Schacht(@BradleySchacht | Blog) "The 3 P's of Presentation (PerformancePoint, PowerPivot, Power View)".  All you need is an active login for PASS and you can vote.  Please Go cast yours today Click Here!

Thanks,

Brad 

Friday, February 3, 2012

Pragmatic Works Has Balls...SQLBalls


http://www.flickr.com/photos/54296260@N05/6036813377/


That is right Dear Reader, I am making the jump, Starting Monday February 6th I will be a Sr. Consultant with Pragmatic Works.  Over the last year I've gotten to know quite a few of the people that work with Pragmatic Works.  As a company and as individuals they are staples of the SQL Server Community.  If you've been to a SQL Saturday, SQL Rally, 24 Hours of PASS, SQL PASS Summit, or countless other SQL related gatherings you have undoubtedly come across someone from Pragmatic Works.

"So Balls," you say, "Sr. Consultant does this mean you're no longer a DBA?  Are you now jumping ship to become a Business Intelligence guy?"

No worries Dear Reader, even though DBA isn't in my official title I'll be up to my elbows in all kinds of DBA goodness!  A big part of what I'll be doing is working with other DBA's and clients with DBA issues.  Now let's jump right in.


START WITH WHY


Brian Knight(@BrianKnight|Blog) has written about Why he started Pragmatic Works, read Community Manifesto at Pragmatic Works, but the real question is Why would I join Pragmatic. 

I mentioned Simon Sinek (@Simonsinek |Website) yesterday.  I was introduced to him by my now fellow Co-worker Tom Brenneman (@TomBrenneman).  If you haven't watched Simon's How Great Leaders Inspire Action TED Talk, take a  break click on the link here.  I'll be here when you get back.  It's good stuff.  Heck it's amazing.  If you're like me when you watched it your mind was exploding with ideas and possibilities afterwards.  Take a deep breath, now back to your regularly scheduled blogging.

"So Balls," you say "What's your Why?"

You are on your game today Dear Reader.  I believe at our core we as people all have something that we want to fundamentally believe in. Along the way of life I picked up a simple oath, "To Believe in the Life of Love, To Walk in the Way of Honor, To Serve In the Light of Truth.  This is the Life, the Way, and the Light".  Simple words, but I found I believe in them.  I believe in Love, Truth, and Honor.  When we were kids there were things that we wanted to do, not because of a paycheck, not to get ahead, but the things WE believed in.  We believed in those things so fiercely that they shaped what we wanted to become. 

I found that I really liked working with Computers, and so that became my major in college (eventually), and that was the field I went into (eventually).  It's a little hard to draw a parallel there.  At the best of times I like my computer, at most I'm happy with it, I certainly don't love it.

 What I found was I enjoyed learning, and I was in the right field for it.  Heck I didn't just enjoy it, I found I loved it!  Later I got to mentor and work with others.  When I saw them grow and learn it filled me with a sense of pride, but never so much that I didn't hold dear to the idea that I always have more to learn.  Eventually I got to the point where I would learn on a topic and I would get to educate others on it.  That led me to begin presenting on topics internally for the places where I worked and to the people I worked with.  Then last year I started presenting to the community, I started blogging, I started volunteering, and most importantly I stated participating. 

Doing so I started finding things that I really loved.  I love speaking, I know I'm weird but I like getting up in front of a room and talking about something technical.  I love teaching.  Jumping in to situations where I don't know a lot about an environment and I'm learning on the fly to overcome a critical system outage, almost as fun as white water rafting.  There is a certain Truth to unabashedly teaching, to not withholding information.  When I've worked for a place I've taken great efforts to make sure that when I leave they know what I know, documentation, information, scripts, you name it I want them to have it.  If I have to keep something from you in order to seem important, then what I'm doing is wrong.  In our business Ideas are important, but recognizing that People have to think them, and that People are more important is critical.  And finally if you act with Love and Truth towards others, there is no way that you cannot be perceived as Honorable.

So Why am I going to work for Pragmatic Works?  Because I see a company that believes in empowering people through education and technology.  I see a Company that uses the Pragmatic Works Foundation to train the unemployed and helps Veterans transition to technology jobs after they leave the service.  And not only do they help train people, but they hold recruiting fairs, they work actively to place people.  To top it all off they started doing this during the HEIGHT of the Recession, when our economy was at its worst.  When profits were at an all time low for others, Pragmatic was giving away two free seats in each of its training sessions to an unemployed technology professional.  I see a company that not only believes in the SQL Community but actively encourages it's employees, and offers incentives, for them to participate. 

In short my Why is because I believe in Love, Truth, and Honor.  And I believe in what Pragmatic Works is doing as a company, and I'm very excited to participate.


WHO BETTER TO LEARN FROM


I attended the Pre-con that Pragmatic Works did for SQL Rally.  I have sat in their presentations, and I have learned from them.  They are SQL MVP's they are Instructors for the SSAS Maestro Course that is as close to a Business Intelligence MCM that Microsoft Currently has.  If you were going to learn about SSIS you would be hard pressed to find people more qualified than Brian Knight, Mike Davis (@MikeDavisSQL|Blog), and Devin Knight (@Knight_Devin|Blog).  From a DBA perspective there are top notch SQL guys like MVP Jorge Segarra(@SQLChicken|Blog), Gareth Swanepoel(@GarethSwan|Blog), and Chad Churchwell(@ChadChurchwell|Blog).  If SSAS is your bag then I would point you no further than Mr. Adam Jorgensen(@adam_jorgensen|Blog).

I cannot say enough good things about this team, and there are many more amazing MVP's and MVP caliber people that I haven't listed.  At Pragmatic I will learn How to be the absolutely best technology specialist I can be throughout a wide range of Microsoft technologies.

Throughout all that learning I'll be Consulting, Teaching, Presenting, and Blogging.  I'm very excited to get started, and I hope you will come along as I explore this next phase of my career.  Until next time Dear Reader.

Thanks Again,

Brad