Hello much younger Yates. Hope you’ve been doing well. Why don’t you pull up a chair and stay for a few minutes so we can talk and maybe help another data professional that is just starting out on his or her journey. Nah, it won’t take us a long time to get through our talk, …
Category: Leadership
5 Characteristics Every Leader Should Practice
The word leadership has many synonyms attributed to it. Something that can be learned early on in one's career is that having a leader you can trust is very important. Trust is something that is earned; not given. As I reflect over the years I’ve noticed mistakes that have been made along the way; mistakes that …
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Hold The Fort
Have you ever heard the phrase "Hold The Fort"? Long ago in battle supply routes were targeted by enemy regiments that would cut off rations to fighting units. As the battle ensued the enemy had driven back their counterparts to a small area on a hill. They were being overwhelmed with many wounded and dying; …
Looking Back At 2016
When this blog started back in 2011 I had no idea that it would continue to grow to where it has gotten to today. There have been many learning curves along the way - some fun and some not so fun, but that is part of the journey. Each year since inception this blog has …

Is Today Your Last Day Working With SQL?
Please entertain this thought for a moment – If today was your last day working with SQL how would you spend it? Now, this post is assuming you, as the reader, are working with SQL in some form or fashion; however take the question and apply it to some other form of technology if that …

Interview with Warwick Rudd
Part of traveling to various events and being a part of the SQL Community means one can meet some pretty awesome professionals. I was fortunate enough to run into Warwick Rudd (B|T) at one of the PASS Summit events held in Seattle, and he definitely lives up to all the hype. Warwick is a …
The Next Chapter ~ A SQL Journey
The past five years have been nothing short of an amazing ride on this thing we call “The SQL Journey”. I never cease to be amazed by the many outstanding data professionals we have in the PASS community. For me, this ride has been a great learning experience. In addition, I am very thankful …
Time Management–Leadership
To many times data professionals flounder in what some call a pool of uncertainty. The countless tasks, tickets, projects, and emails that may flow in without prioritizing will leave individuals searching for what is needed to be worked on now. Organize or Agonize Face it, we all influence someone. Whether you are a sole DBA out …
Leadership and the Data Professional
Many traits make up data professionals and the many who find themselves in leadership roles. The traits being shared in this blog post are ones that have helped me on my journey not just in a leadership role, but from a data professional perspective as well. I debated often on sharing these; maybe even …
New SQL Blogging Challenge
I recently came across Tim Ford’s (B|T) challenge to the technical blogging community. The challenge is to write one introductory level blog per month for the community. A simple statement with a profound substance to it. How many times do you and I take for granted the knowledge we have and share both privately and …