This year I was fortunate enough to get the invite to join the live bloggers table for both keynotes going on. Looking forward to the opportunity and to what has to be said at each speaker.
This morning’s keynote will begin at 8:15 a.m. so don’t be late!!!
You’ve heard about it for some time now, and you finally got the gumption to ask your boss if the company would send you to PASS Summit 2015. A few days or weeks elapse and you get word that you were the chosen one from the company to attend – FANTASTIC, you say….but wait – – what in the world am I supposed to do? What should I expect? Will someone throw a fish at me in Seattle?
First off, relax. I want to share some advice with you that may help ease your mind and make your trip a ton of fun. Pull up a chair and stay a few minutes; this is a blog post and not a dissertation so I won’t take to long.
What Can I Expect?
Simple question with profound meaning. I can only tell you of my experiences and what I’ve been through as alumni to the conference.
My first PASS Summit was back in 2011 (documented here) and it was one that changed the outlook on my career forever. I was green to the community thing and come to find out I was not the only one.
A ton of sessions, a ton of speakers, a ton of people – with all that said the experience was hands down the best professional work conference I’ve attended.
Fruits of Attending?
What can I gain from attending? Beside the knowledge of sessions you have a plethora of opportunities to network with speakers, vendors, and other data professionals on a daily basis?
Do you have a question for Microsoft? If so, head on over to their triage center to get some direct help or visit the community zone.
Even better; this last trip resulted in me meeting an individual at a table. Out of 5 k data professionals I strike up a conversation with this person and we talk over breakfast. This person is from the exact same city I am from – who knew? As I get back into town I had a position become available; guess what I ended up hiring the individual after an interview process and it has worked out very well for both of us. You never know what may come out of attending this conference.
What Do I Bring?
Everyone is different; normally what you will find with me at the conference are (but not limited to):
I tend to keep a second bag in my back pack of other essentials. Be creative, this is just a list to help you get started.
The Sessions
You won’t be able to see all the sessions you want to. I suggest you create your schedule online at the PASS site. This gets you a head start, but keep in mind that part of the fruits of being there is to meet people and talk.
You can purchase all the sessions for the conference; just ask one of the many volunteers where you need to go. It’s fairly inexpensive and most companies I know will reimburse you for it as you bring them home to the team or the ones who could not go. Plus it helps you see the other sessions you didn’t get to attend.
Have Some Fun
Lastly, as I bring this to a close, have some fun. It’s easy to get overwhelmed I get that. Just enjoy yourself and embrace the journey you are about to embark on. You won’t regret being involved with something so great within the PASS Community.
I look forward to seeing you there; if you run into me say hi. I don’t mind stopping and talking to new and old faces a like.
RedGate unleashed their newest version of SQL Prompt recently. It is no secret to those of you who know me that, where I work, we are a RedGate shop. Needless to say, even if I was not at my current employer I would still want this type of utility in my arsenal.
A lot of data professionals are always looking for ways to “save time” or “get ahead” in their day-to-day activities and this is one utility that will help provide some lift in those areas.
Why would I want to use this utility you may ask? Below are some of the highlights that this product offers that have helped me streamline some of my day-to-day activities:
I’m proud to say that I’ve worked with this utility greatly and would recommend it as a viable option to improve efficiency. Don’t take my word for it though; as with anything try it out.
Go check out the product here you won’t be disappointed.
As you walk toward the entrance the door opens and there stands a volunteer smiling welcoming you in. You make your way into the building where you are ushered toward the sign in table; there is where you are greeted by more volunteers who help you get checked in and situated. After you get checked in you begin to look around and see some renowned vendors set up where they have additional swag and want to talk to you about some products. As you walk through the venue you notice speakers that you either follow their blogs or you’ve seen them speak at different locations. You sit in some awesome sessions which are free, and get a nice lunch. A great cost-effective way to learn.
All the above is pretty normal, this year though it is a bit different for myself and it has changed my view drastically. This year I decided to get involved more locally; I’ve always traveled elsewhere to attend, speak, and network but this year it hit me that the community in my own backyard is something I’ve never been involved with. This is where it all has changed for me; I have a new-found respect for the organizers and volunteers that go into pulling the above off. Sitting in speaker rooms prepping, seeing old friends, or listening to sessions that are interested in has always been beneficial, but I’ve never taken the time to thank each one of the volunteers individually.
I’m thankful this year that Malathi Mahadevan (b|t) has allowed me to be a part of something great that is going on here in Louisville. There is definitely a rising of top-tier talent here and we are on the verge of blowing the socks off this town. I’m also thankful I get to work alongside John Morehouse (b|t) who has taught me a great deal; not just from an event standpoint but a SQL standpoint in general. This dude is a complete work horse and I’d go to battle with him any day of the week.
My mind drifted back to PASS Summit and remembering the people standing near the escalators or the door ways; have I ever stopped and thanked them for helping with the event?
I realize now what it takes to put something like a SQL Saturday on and I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything. I’m humbled by the fact that so many volunteers give selflessly to make these things happen; I want to be around a long time in this venue and arena and help make SQL Saturday 403 one of the best venues around.
If you are in the area in August make sure you register and come see me, John, Mala, and others. Stop and introduce yourself, we would love to talk to you and get to know you more. Together we can do some great things and we can keep giving back to the community that has helped shape most of us.
I challenge you if you have not ever been involved in helping put one of these events on then please do so. It is a ton of work, time, and coordination, but the people you meet along the way is well worth it.
It takes one to be a game changer and difference maker; will you be that one?
For details on our SQL Saturday event here in Louisville you can go here.
To visit the upcoming SQL Saturday events you can go here.
To visit the SQL Saturday event home page you can go here.
So, here it is. I put the challenge out to discuss something new learned last week. I was fortunate enough to attend the PASS Summit last week in Seattle. While this post will not be my summarization of that trip (that will be another post) I did have several take-a-ways. I sat in some stellar sessions with some renowned speakers.
However, one re-occurring theme kept coming to my mind – the people. Listen, I’ve been through a lot over my 15 years with SQL, and my 3 years actively involved in the community and this past week affirmed something for me. LISTEN to the people.
I place strong value in the sessions I attended; along with that I have to note that face time; one on one time with real people in my industry is about the best form of learning I could ever hope to obtain.
With that learning comes in issues related to both SQL and non SQL attributes. I had so many positive conversations on leadership alone that sparked a new kind of fire within me; one that was not as bright as what my technical fire had been.
Guys, listen. I could write 10 blog posts on how buffer size could help with backups, the need to have always on implemented, or how to tune indexes all day long. The people, better yet the community is where I believe the learning lies within. Out of 5k people last week I ended up meeting a guy that works two blocks from me and we got to discuss the community and what it means to us.
Have you challenged yourself lately? I mean have you really challenged yourself lately in learning something. I don’t care if you are just starting out or the most seasoned vet around; the ability to learn happens everyday and I’m learning that is what separates the exceptional data professional from the data professional.
You see, the exceptional data professional hangs around the community zone at Pass Summit to help others in the community with issue they may have. The exceptional data professional sits down next to you when you are the new kid on the block and encourages you to make the most of your career then tells you some of his/her pitfalls they had that you can avoid, and the exceptional data professional takes you under his/her wing when you ask them for help or assistance.
You don’t have to travel all the way to Seattle to learn; no you have learning opportunities all around you. From SQL Saturday’s to Virtual Chapters on the web but it starts with you. That’s right, you have to be willing to take that first step; get involved and start learning.
I can tell you from experience and the roller coaster ride I’ve been on for the past three years that you will not regret it. Strive for excellence and provide that leadership through service that the community seeks. Yeah, I may be a tad passionate about what I do; you’ll find that kind of trait with others in the community.
So, I’ve challenged myself……..will you?
Lights go on, it’s another game day, grabbed my bat and headed for the plate only this time we are going to do this SQL style and the game is T-SQL Tuesday. That’s right, head coach Adam Machanic has decided to put me in the game and graciously allowed me to host this month.
Honestly, it couldn’t have come at a better time; I’m at PASS Summit 2014 and it ties nicely into the party I’d like to host. Over the course of the last several weeks and months I’ve noticed a lot of SQL Saturday sessions ongoing (what was it a few weeks ago there was over 5 in one day all over the country?) Coupled with all the learning going on and 5k of my closest friends at one place a question popped in my mind during my travels.
Why do we come to events, webinars, sessions, networking? The basic fundamental therein is to learn; community. With that said here is this month’s theme. You have to discuss one thing, few things, or many things on something new you’ve learned recently. Could be from a webinar, event, conference, colleague – the idea is for seasoned vets to new beginners to name at least one thing; in doing so it might just help one of your fellow SQL friends within the community.
So grab a bat join this SQL team and let’s hit grand slam after grand slam. I want to have the biggest turnout T-SQL Tuesday has ever had so spread the word – GAME TIME
What is T-SQL Tuesday?
T-SQL Tuesday is a monthly block party for bloggers started by the renowned Adam Machanic (B|T). If you’d like to be a host one month reach out to Adam. It’ a good way to get involved within the community.
Rules
There are a few rules and regulations that you should follow while attending this party so that nobody feels left out or mistreated.
Yesterday I took a minute and to review some posts by some Data Professionals and in doing so I came across and article by Erin Stellato. She had been tagged by Mike Walsh who posted an article regarding 4 Attitudes I Wish I Had Earlier as a DBA
At the very end of Erin’s post she mentions “I’m not tagging anyone in this post by name, but if you’re thinking “I wish she had tagged me” then you’ve just been tagged.”
This spawned some thinking yesterday and last night; looking back I see growth, mistakes, resolutions, solutions, and much more that has brought me where I am today. A lot has transpired; and I still have a lot more left to learn and understand.
Balance
I have been told throughout the years I do not have an off switch. My mind is constantly running on things that may have occurred throughout the day, solutions to issues that I or someone has experienced recently, answers to forum questions, multiple projects running at the same time, and the list goes on. With that said you have to have some form of balance; I’ve seen many people burn out of the years and it is something that I’ve had to continually work on throughout my own career. Am I there yet – nope; but that’s okay. I’ve come along way in that area and will continue to work on it.
Flexibility
I’m the DBA what I say goes; it’s my way or the highway. Yeah that syndrome will end catastrophically and fast. Being a DBA (or as I like to say Data Professional) you encounter and work with many people from all faucets of business. It is almost a fine art of communication (which can be a point in and of itself), learning how to work together with other teams. Does this mean that you should not stand your ground for your beliefs – nope. What it does mean is that you will always see a gap; there has always been one. The network guys will blame the DBAs, the DBAs will blame the developers and network guys, the developers will blame the DBAs. It’s a constant endless loop.
End of the day, all the groups under the blanket of a company are in the same fight and on the same team regardless of if you are in networking, DBA land, development, phone systems – whatever the case is. We have to find a way to work together for the common good of the company.
Wrote a piece awhile back on bridging that gap
Provide Leadership Through Service
Last year I came across and article that Grant Fritchey wrote around Providing Leadership Through Service. This is something that has really resonated with me more so now to which I wish I would have learned earlier on in my career. Whether you are a contractor, own your own business, or work in a shop full time view your efforts as providing a service to the company you are with. It will change how you view and reflect on your position; we should be humbled and honored to work within an environment we’ve been handed, but at the same time be bold and provide that leadership that companies so richly desire and seek
Learn To Say “NO”
No is not a bad word; although at times we think it is. Early on in my career I wanted to fix and do everything I could to help people. Don’t get me wrong; I still enjoy helping people. If you don’t learn to say no you will soon spread yourself to thin. This is a constant struggle that I still endure sometimes as I want to help everyone I meet with questions, projects, etc. The growth that I have had over the years has taught me to do the helping more methodical. At times I do have to say no, and that’s okay.
Conclusion
Well there you have it; not very fancy but is from the heart and from a data professional who realizes he will never be perfect but will continue to grow on this SQL journey.
I’m not tagging anyone but offering the same avenue that I was given. If you’d like to blog about what Mike has presented then by all means; give it a go.
Thanks Mike for getting this started; brought back some fond memories for myself.
PASS Summit – what does it mean to me? So listen, I’m not perfect. I will never claim to be and you will never her me utter those words. I make mistakes every day, but I try to learn from those mistakes as much as possible.
I was asked by several people yesterday via email and word of mouth conversations what PASS Summit meant to me and how are community is. During the work day I was not able to keep up with all the happenings since session selections came out, but I did catch quite a bit on my feed. Since being approached and being just one voice in this big game I thought it prudent to share with others what PASS Summit has meant to me.
For me personally, PASS Summit changed my career. I rolled into town (Seattle) back in 2011 not sure what to expect. Brand new to this scene; I didn’t know anyone from anybody. I can still remember to this day walking into the convention center thinking to myself, “What in the world did I get myself into?”
Each session I went to seemed to give me something I could take back and incorporate into my job. I was able to meet and interact with fellow colleagues in technology from all over the world. It exposed me to another part of what we call “The SQL Family” I had not known before.
I can recall purchasing the Deep Dives book and introducing myself to all the MVP contributors. Eating breakfast and lunch with 5000 people before going to learn and try to enhance my skill set. It lit a fire in me for my career that I hadn’t had before. Some of the techniques learned then are still part of my everyday work now. So, as you can see the PASS Summit has meant a great deal to me and where I am at today.
Fast forwarding to today; what spawned these questions to me by others stems from session selection discussions. I will not dive into processes or procedures as I am not privy to the background and the inner workings of selection of sessions. That’s not my goal nor do I want it to be with this post. I see many points some valid and some not in my opinion; however I do believe that is part of being a SQL Family / community. We can share our thoughts, opinions, concerns and review processes, policies, and procedures. It is the basis and foundation on how we grow and improve. At the end of the day we are all in this together.
I look forward to attending this year and learning from a great group of speakers. Heck all the volunteers, speakers, attendees take time out of their families lives, work schedules, and the like to attend. It is definitely a unique environment and one that I hope can continue to grow and overcome hurdles. Who knows I hope in the very near future my session is selected maybe then I to can share what I’ve learned along my journey.
Looking back I can honestly say the conference in its entirety changed my career, my outlook, and my drive. I don’t have all the answers but I will continue to give it all I got day in and day out, and from a past attendee I thank all the speakers (both old and new) and the volunteers that make this happen.
What about you? What do you think about PASS Summit? What are some of your opinions on the process for selections? Can we improve; if so how?
This week I am back at it with my SQLCoOp friends in sharing something new that we’ve learned since our last post. You ready? Great, pull up a chair and let’s see where this takes us shall we?
Wait a second…….do you hear that……..no, listen closer…….ALERT ALERT ALERT! Sirens seem to be going off all around and somehow we found ourselves in all hands on deck mode. Have you ever been there before? Chances are if you have worked in technology at all this has happened to you at one point in your career. If it hasn’t then eventually it will; trust me.
How do you handle such scenarios when they do come up? Reporting of alerts off your systems or applications can be very useful and while there are many ways to accomplish this I was introduced to an SSIS method I had to deploy this week. It made me dive in a little deeper and look into how the methodology behind it. If we break it down; it can be done so my analyzing 4 steps within the package.
Main Package:
The main package will consist of a database call, a for each loop container, setting of a variables task, then a wsdl (windows service) by utilizing an expression. The intent of this post is to show how you can make these calls happen and not to go into depth of what is located within the procedures or wsdl file; that shall be something for another today or better yet this should set a foundation in place for additional research one can do…..thus the learning something new part.
Getting the Exceptions
The Get Exceptions Alert utilized a simple SQL Task editor; once you create this editor you will notice the below screen shot. To complete the set up simply fill in the name and description. The next two important properties are the most important of them all. The connection and the SQL Statement. The connection is simply the database to which you are making the connection to; the second is executing a stored procedure that will gather all the alerts by the application that need to be emailed out.
For Each Container
You remember the SQL Task Editor we set up in the first step; this next step is what takes that result set; loops through the iterations and gets a collection of the alerts to be sent. Part of the homework is setting up the return result set in the SQL Task Editor. Once that is complete then you set the result set in the ADO Object Source variable noted below; this will allow multiple iterations to flow through. In this case the selection of enumeration mode should be set to rows in the first table
Set Variables
One of the key components are the variables to which you will utilize. These may be different depending on the in depth alerting that is wanting to be accomplished but for simplicity sake I will list out what the one I ran across was utilizing. We will notice that we have seven variables that will be set.
Registering the Alerts
Registering the alert and sending the email notification is the last step to the puzzle. This is done by utilizing the windows task service editor within SSIS. As you can see I have a wsdl file located on my local drive in a directory called Windows Services. As I mentioned before, I will not be going into detail of the contents of the wsdl file; simply know that it will trigger the email notification. The result parameter will be fired off to a group of individuals to review on a time based period. That parameter value will be supplied in the output section of the Web Service Task editor.
Conclusion
There are several ways to arrive at this same goal and I found this one to be unique and one that is not traveled often. The package can be set up to be executed by the Agent on a time based interval. Whatever the case may be and whatever method that you do choose the important part is to keep learning.
I tell you what; check out what my other colleagues have to say on something they learned recently:
On a SQL Collaboration Quest
Four SQL professionals gathered from the four corners of the world to share their SQL knowledge with each other and with their readers: Mickey Stuewe from California, USA, Chris Yates from Kentucky, USA, Julie Koesmarno from Canberra, Australia, and Jeffrey Verheul from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. They invite you to join them on their quest as they ask each other questions and seek out the answers in this collaborative blog series. Along the way, they will also include other SQL professionals to join in the collaboration.
I was over at John Sansom’s Forum (Blog | Twitter) this week and it was refreshing to see some posts of Data Professionals eager and excited to learn new things and setting their sights on some personal goals for themselves.
It actually motivated me to think about where I came from, where I’m at, and where I want to go. Beyond that though it triggered something in my mind that in reflecting I kept noticing, like the post from the forum I mentioned above, I have been approached many times over about the life I live as a DBA and my daily activities.
How Bad Do You Want It
Let me ask you something, how bad do you want it? The life of a DBA is not always a bed of roses; it takes hard work on a continual daily basis with continual honing of skill sets, knowledge, and dedication. Don’t get me wrong, rewards obtained are great but nothing is handed to you in life.
The persona of the DBA being perfect is just that, a persona. We all make mistakes but here is the catch. The good or extraordinary DBA’s admit and learn from those mistakes and build on their knowledge base from those mistakes.
Example: Business comes looking for a backup and when you look you notice that your backup process has been failing and no alerts have been set up.
Seems pretty simple right? DBA 101 material however I have seen this happen. Now do you blame someone, step up fix it and take the blame, or start looking for another job? Here’s the thing that keeps coming back to my mind – every day we have choices and how we handle issues. How do you go about handling those issues?
Being A Complete DBA
Is there such a thing? Different views and opinions. I’ve been fortunate and blessed to be involved with SQL for over 12 years now and one thing has held true. I learn something new every day. Whether it is from own experiences, webinars, training, it seems to always be evolving and that is why I enjoy being a data professional so much.
It has been defined to me growing up that attitude is what you or I feel or think about something or someone. What is your attitude toward your career? Do you view your role as a Data Professional one that is defined as a service? In writing this I was reminded of an article Grant Fritchey (Blog | Twitter) wrote back in August of 2013 Database Administration as a Service. It’s a great article well thought out; one of the major things I took away from this article was the call to action.
With Being a Data Professional Comes Great Responsibility
Let’s face it; if you are a data professional than you are entrusted with a great deal of responsibility. If you don’t think that is true just look at the latest security breach in the news. Companies look to you for advice, ensure systems are up and running, data is available when needed, what to do in an event of a disaster, security, security (did I say that twice??)
My own personal opinions of “some” characteristics of a DBA are:
Integrity
Punctual
Thorough
Character
Teacher
Communicator
Able to see big picture
Trustworthy
Willingness to learn
This is just a few characteristics that stick out for me. There are plenty more, I have not even scratched the surface. You can see where I am going here, a data professional is a unique individual, where’s many hats at times.
Am I a master in all the areas of being a DBA, no and guess what that’s okay. I come from a background where I firmly believe I can always learn something new. Early on in my career I remember Brent Ozar (Blog | Twitter) mention that he picked up something new. If guys that I look up to in the industry are continuously learning then I should never be in a place to say – I have arrived…no, my friends, that will never happen.
Leadership Through Service
I cannot do justice to what I stated Grant shared in his article; however it is an important topic to address in its own section. Even in my own shop, being part of a corporation I still believe this holds true. DBA Teams provide a service to the company. When I first started out as a DBA, I like many others have had, I had a developers background. I immediately saw a gap and that will always be there to some extent. Guess what though, DBA’s can coexist with developers. DBA’s can also co-exist with QA teams, and Infrastructure Support teams, and business units. Tear down the walls that have been built up; in the end whether you are in a shop or out on your own the work being done is for the betterment of a team. If the team doesn’t do well then guess what, well you know what happens.
SQL Professors Call To Action
I ask again, how bad do you want it? If you have been wanting to learn more about the ring buffer what steps are you taking to get there? If you don’t have a DR plan in place on core boxes what is your actionable item? If you have poor performing stored procedures what are you doing to fix them? Oh that index that is missing, have you tied it together to the source of a problem and verified that you really need it? Maybe your replication is broke, in that case find a big wrench. Whatever the task at hand may be how bad do you want it?
Are you stuck in a rut? Are you satisfied with status quo? I’m biased but I believe that we have one of the best jobs in the world; we should have some fun along the way and learn something everyday; while remembering that we are not perfect. Mistakes will happen; pick yourself up, dust off the scrapes and move on.
The SQL Family
It has been said over time that if you are involved with SQL you are part of a family, time and time again I’ve seen this as a close knit group of individuals who, when we see someone fall, dive in to help pick them up. If you aren’t involved; guess what – IT’S TIME.
Closing
It’s never to late to start learning, getting involved, or getting back into the game. Just like this community is ours, our professional development is ours. You have the ability to mold and shape your career. Seize that opportunity with confidence and humbleness. Be bold but courteous. Every data professional can bring something to the table – HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?
*credit photo to Phil Mickinney
"You are the CEO of your destiny" 