Search results matching tags 'Administration', 'Developer', and 'Conferences'

SQLintersection!

KKline — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:47:00 GMT

The best emotion to describe how I'm feeling is 'astounded'. I'm astounded that I'm in such august company to be speaking the SQLIntersection (#iSQL) conference. Read the blog post from my first SQL Server mentor, Kimberly Tripp, which tells you all about SQLintersection.

Check out this list of speakers:

Aaron Bertrand, Sr. Consultant, SQL Sentry, Inc. [blog | twitter]
Andrew J. Kelly, Mentor, SolidQ [blog | twitter]
Bob Ward, Principal Architect Escalation Engineer, Microsoft [blog | twitter]
Brent Ozar, Brent Ozar Unlimited [blog | twitter]
Conor Cunningham, Principal Architect, SQL Server, Microsoft [blog]
Grant Fritchey, Product Evangelist, Red Gate Software [blog | twitter]
Jeremiah Peschka, Brent Ozar Unlimited [blog | twitter]
Joseph Sack, Principal Consultant, SQLskills.com [blog | twitter]
Kendra Little, Managing Director, Brent Ozar Unlimited [blog | twitter]
Kevin Kline, Director of Engineering Services, SQL Sentry, Inc. [blog | twitter]
Kimberly L. Tripp, President/Founder, SQLskills.com [blog | twitter]
Mat Young, Senior Director of Products, Fusion-io [blog | twitter]
Paul S. Randal, CEO / Owner, SQLskills.com [blog | twitter]
Paul White, SQL Kiwi Limited [blog | twitter]
Steve Jones, Editor, SQLServerCentral.com [blog | twitter]
Sumeet Bansal, Principal Solutions Architect, Fusion-io [blog | twitter]

Read the list of SQL Server sessions here. On top of the list of outstanding sessions to attend, I'll be giving a keynote on Tuesday afternoon. Witness:

So the only thing between the attendees and the booze in the reception hall is our keynote address?!? Oh yeah, that's going to go down real smooth, isn't it? I'll last about as long as a puny henchman between James Bond and the villain of the movie. Sumeet Bansal, from Fusion-IO, will have to survive until the credits roll. We'll be talking about high performance computing on SQL Server 2012 with an eye towards high availability, AlwaysOn, and Availability Groups.

If you're in Las Vegas, I hope to see you there! If not, you should consider coming to this excellent conference.

-Kevin

-Follow me on Twitter!

PASS Summit 2012, Slide Decks

KKline — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 17:02:00 GMT

Ok, I have to admit the painful truth. I'm reliably slow to the finish line. This year, I got my slides into PASS HQ by the skin of my teeth, the weekend before the event was to begin. Although I could say with a straight face "I uploaded my slides!". I have to be honest that I wasn't surprised when many of my attendees said that they weren't available for download by the time my session started. OTOH, I also have to say that I really do prefer for attendees to focus on the presentation while it's being presented and that they should grab the slides afterwards. But that's just my personal preference.

Having said all of that, I'm going to post my three session slide decks here so that you can grab them in case PASS has to take a while longer to get them posted. If you don't mind, the PASS program committee has introduced a new electronic feedback system. PLEASE PROVIDE FEEDBACK!

(Click on the session title to download the zip file of the slide deck).

PASS TV - Gaining Executive Support

This brief session is all about convincing your boss to do something you want - telecommute, make a big purchase of hardware or software, bring in a consultant, and so forth. See the PASS TV schedule for other sessions.

Winning Influence in IT Teams

Abstract: Ever wanted to convince the boss to try something new, but didn't know where to start? Ever tried to lead your peers toward an innovative, fresh idea only to fail to achieve your goals? This session teaches you the eight techniques of influencing IT professionals and the means of communicating your ideas upward to management and out to teammates so that you can innovate and achieve change in your organization. You'll learn the fundamental difference between influence and authority and how you can achieve a high degree of influence without explicit authority. You'll also learn the eight techniques of influencing IT professionals, when to apply them, and how to best use them. And you'll discover the communication and procedural techniques that ensure your ideas get a hearing by bosses and peers, and how to best win support for them.

Evaluate Session

Managing SQL Server in a Virtual World

This session rocked the house! We had standing room only probably at 20 to 30 minutes before start time. Our attendance was over 500, but we probably could've filled the biggest 700+ person room. A special thanks to my friend David Klee (blog | twitter) for tag-teaming with my like mega-nerd luchadors.

Abstract: Why are so many organizations implementing VMware, and what does it mean for SQL Server DBAs? In this deep-dive session, you'll see that when configured and managed properly, SQL Server can run just as well in a virtual environment as a physical one. We'll review the benefits VMware provides, including hardware abstraction, easier failover, and simpler capacity planning. We'll also explore key tips to help administer a SQL Server instance running inside a virtual machine. You'll learn the differences in general administration, disaster recovery, and high availability on VMs; get a better understanding of activity and performance trends on VMs; and learn how to ensure effective capacity planning and optimal performance on VMs. If you’ve ever had a virtual deployment go bad, or if you’re struggling to manage the performance of virtualized SQL Servers, be sure to catch this session.

Evaluate Session

Come See Me. I'll Probably Be Just Down the Street Soon!

KKline — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 15:02:00 GMT

Even though I've recently changed jobs, I'll still be speaking at a lot of SQL events across the country and internationally. There are still a few trips that I've yet to finalize, in particular with the fine folks in Houston, run by my friend Nancy Hidy (blog | twitter), and my friends in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, run by my friend Mark Ginnebaugh (blog | twitter). Also, do to some missed deadlines, it looks like I won't be speaking at the Nordic SQL Rally this fall. My bad! On the other hand, you can see when checking my roster, that I hardly have time to catch my breath with this travel schedule.

I'll also be doing several on-line events with the PASS Professional Development Virtual Chapter, run by Mark Caldwell (blog | twitter), through out the year.

Here's what's on the docket up through the start of the holiday season:

New York City

SQL Saturday 158, August 4

The Colorado User Group Tour

Boulder PASS user group meeting, August 14

Colorado Springs PASS user group meeting, August 15 (Register here for Colorado Springs PASS user group meeting).

Denver PASS user group meeting, August 16

Comatose, August 17 (Not an actual city in CO).

Orlando

SQL Saturday Performance Tuning Pre-Con, September 28

SQL Saturday 151, September 29

Online

SSWUG 2012 Fall vConference, Oct 2-4, (Please register using code 'VCKEVIN'. I will personally hug you, virtually.)

Lincoln

SQL Saturday Performance Tuning Pre-Con, October 5

SQL Saturday 165, October 6

Cedar Rapids

East Iowa PASS user group meeting, Oct 8 TBD

Quad City PASS user group meeting, Oct 9 TBD

Nashville (Go Titans!)

SQL Saturday Leadership Skills for IT Pros Pre-Con, October 12

SQL Saturday 145, October 13

Seattle

SQL Connections, Las Vegas, Nov 1-4

PASS Summit 2012, Seattle, Nov 6-9

Let me know if you're nearby and if you're coming to any of these events. I'd enjoy seeing you personally and getting a chance to shake your hand!

Hope to see you soon,

-Kevin

-Follow me on Twitter!

-More content at http://KevinEKline.com

And the winner of the SQLBits8 Pub Quiz is... [drumroll please]

KKline — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:21:00 GMT

Carley had to rescue me from the bingo set!

Wow - what a great trip through Europe! Normally, I bounce back after a day of downtime when dealing with jet lag. Basically, when we land in whatever eastward time zone I've flown to, I stay up until a reasonable bed time. Then, on the following day I'm usually ready to go at full speed. I'm not exactly sure what I did wrong this time, but jet lag completely kicked my rear. Maybe I didn't stay properly hydrated? Maybe I didn't adjust my diet properly. Or maybe, as a lot of my buddies are constantly telling me, I'm getting too old for this. But whatever the reasons, I was pretty much worthless until Friday - two days after I arrived. SQLBits8 was in beautiful and sunny Brighton, which everyone local to the area assures me that it's not usually either. The crowd was large (in number, not in weight) and enthusiastic. We did two rollickin' fun lunch time vendor sessions, one being the SQL Pub Quiz.

And the winner is...Mark!

I'll tell you about the other one, the monster "Horror Stories" session, tomorrow in a separate blog post. We used a bingo pub quiz approach and using, I have to say, a form of bingo I'd never before seen in my life. Despite my idiocy, we managed to have some good fun. The big winner for day one at SQLBits was Mark Dodd, shown above. Congrats Mark, and thanks for coming to our SQL Pub Quiz session! The questions were a mix of SQL Server specific questions with general IT industry trivia. Care to try your hand? Here are the first five questions from the SLQ Pub Quiz (answers at bottom):

Q1: Microsoft wasn’t the originator of SQL Server. Tracing its lineage back, what company was the originator of SQL Server?

Q2: This should be an easy one for you, what does RAID mean?

Q3: What’s the maximum number of non-clustered indexes per table for a 64-bit instance of SQL Server 2008 R2?

Q4: Computing pioneer Grace Hopper initially coined this term meaning “a problem in the computer system”. What is that still commonly used term?

Q5: If a LAN is a Local Area Network and a WAN is a Wide Area Network, what is a SAN?

Most people don't have a long memory for specifics like acronyms or the specific upper limit of some setting or other inside of SQL Server, the OS, or whatever. I think a lot of folks were surprised by how much they rely on the internet to answer their basic questions. After all, if you know how to look it up, why remember it?

I wasn't trying to eat the candy. The jet lag turned me zombie - I was trying to eat Richard's brain.

I also was able to learn a few new things about Great Britain on this trip. For example, folks love "rock". I'd call the stuff simply "peppermint" but then I'd be waaay wrong. It's evidently something made locally that you can pick up in any British tourist spot, kind of like taffy here in the US. There was a lot of candy on hand in the booth as well. I think I gained about 12 pounds on this trip. More stories about SQLBits8 tomorrow!

Enjoy, -Kev

Follow me on Twitter at KEKline

See You in St Louis, and then London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and York, UK

KKline — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:55:00 GMT

Good grief, there's a lot of travel in my future. <sigh ... deep breath> It'll be exhausting and it'll be hard to lose so much time with the family. But if I'm able to avoid travel mishaps, it'll be fun.

Meet Me In St. Louis

I'll be speaking in St. Louis, MO on Tuesday, September 14th for their mid-day meeting. The details, as I have them, are:

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 1-4pm

Location: Microsoft St. Louis Office, Three City Place Drive, Suite 1100, St. Louis, MO 63141

http://www.microsoft.com/about/companyinformation/usaoffices/northcentral/stlouis.mspx

Parking is in the garage behind / next to the building. There is an entrance to the building from the 2nd floor in the garage.

Additional details and instructions on how to log in

Speaker: Kevin Kline, Quest Software Topic: SQL Server Internals and Architecture

Speaker: Kevin Kline, Quest Software Topic: SQL Statement Tuning with Query Optimizer Strategies

I'll be giving away free t-shirts, posters, an eBook or three, and backrubs (super-models, only).

SQL Bits, On the Cheap

I’ve tweeted previously about the SQL Bits conference in York on September 30th – October 2nd, but this is my first blog post about it. Now is the time to settle your plans to attend. And while you're settling those plans, take advantage of Quest Software's 20% discount on the Thursday and Friday sessions requiring payment. Just be sure to use the code QST20 when you register. The Saturday is free for everyone. Note - I said FREE. So if you're struggling to convince your boss of the value of the time off and cost required to attend these events, then at least plan to attend Saturday. But as you can see here, the prices are quite low compared to most other conferences of similar quality. I firmly believe the standard for speakers and content at SQLBits is second to none in the UK. I'll be a wallflower in comparison to other friends of mine also speaking at the event, such as Brent Ozar, a MCM SQL Server and former colleague now working with SQLSkills, Buck Woody, the well-known "Real World DBA" and senior technical specialist from Microsoft, as well as many other SQL Server MVPs, authors, and speakers, such as the event organizer, Simon Sabin, and Quest Software SQL Server expert and editor-in-chief of SQLServerPedia, Iain Kick. Some sessions I'm looking forward to include:

Monitoring and Tuning Parallel Query Execution - Part II – R Meyyappan
Where the bl**dy h*** are you? (Spatial Data Visualisation) - Rob Farley (all the way from Adelaide, Australia)
Introduction to Performance Analysis and Tuning – Simon Sabin
Oracle for SQL Server DBAs – Gavin Payne
Lies, Damned Lies And Statistics. Making The Most Out of SQL Server Statistics - Maciej Pilecki
Extreme scaling with SQL Azure – Martin Schmidt
Automating SSIS - Andre Kamman

Attendance will definitely enhance your skills and ability to do your job. The added bonus is that York is a lovely place to visit with a beautiful and storied cathedral, so I highly recommend the event for all SQL Server professionals. Prior to SQLBits, I'll be presenting in London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. I hope you can attend an event closer to you if you cannot make it to York!

And Just to Make Sure I'm Thoroughly Frozen...

While I usually have a policy against visiting places cold enough to die between the front door and the mailbox, I'll be stopping in at SQL Saturday 58 in Minnesota for a SQL Saturday taking place on Friday (not a typo), October 29th, the day after my birthday. I'll be 21 years old and, since I'm now of legal drinking age, you should by me a drink. The event organizer, as well as my friend and fellow MVP, Jason Strate, just has to be different by holding the event on a Friday, eh? Track the event on twitter using the hash tag #sqlsat58. Read all the details here and register asap!

Once finished in Minnesota, I'll barely get a breather in before heading right back out for the big PASS 2010 Summit in Seattle from Nov 8 -11. Hope to see you at one of these events soon!

Best regards,

-Kevin

Twitter @kekline

Toad Just Keeps Getting Better

KKline — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:19:00 GMT

Toad for SQL Server Wins Best of TechEd 2010 in the Database Development Category

Toad and I go way back. I first started with Toad as a user on the Oracle DBMS back in the early 1990's. When I started at Quest Software back on January 2nd of 2002, one of the first products I tackled as a SQL Server product architect was Toad. How do we make this very popular Oracle product one that users in the SQL Server world will love too? And this challenge was made that much harder by the fact that Microsoft SQL Server ships with fantastic tools right there in the box. I haven't worked directly on Toad for many years now, but the tool marches on with new features and capabilities that push the envelop with each new release.

I want to applaud the product manager, David Gugick (center below), the developers and testers, and the active and supportive community who loves and embraces Toad. It's always a thrill when your hard work and efforts are recognized. And a big thanks to the fine folks at SQLMag and Windows ITPro Mag for making this happen.

L to R: Jason Hall, Qsft head of SC's; David Gugick, director of Architecture; and me

Want to try Toad for SQL Server for free?

The 5.0 version of Toad for SQL Server that we showed at TechEd is the latest beta, available at ToadWorld.com (build 387 at the time of this writing). It can coexist with Toad for SQL Server version 4.6, if you're already using it. The beta is quite stable and has a bevy of new features, including:

SQL Azure support for most modules including data compare and schema compare, including comparing regular SQL Servers to SQL Azure and back, also with Firewall management (under Server Security properties panel).
Much improved code completion (and it was already rockin'!) that’s faster and allows for column selection, multi-table selection, with tooltips for parameters. Don't forget, all of these features work on SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2008 R2.
Updated Schema Compare with better exposed snapshots.
Group Execute enhancements that include database-level selection so you can execute across databases, an option to only show selected servers/databases, option to merge results (or not), improved merging, etc.
New Idle Connection Timeout – to close connections after a period of inactivity.
Result Set Pinning.
Improved Trace support with features like Import Trace File to Table and Open in Profiler capabilities.
New Debug Trace – traces all activity occurring inside of Toad, including storing all variable info in a replayable file.
Twitter Integration (under the View – Collaboration panel) with Yammer integration coming in a future beta release.

You can also see a lot more details about the tool here. And my long-standing offer still stands. If you want to try Toad for SQL Server or its brethren (such as Toad for Data Analysts, Toad Data Modeler, or Benchmark Factory), drop me an email and I'll get a long-term license key straight over to you.

But wait, there's more!

There are so many great resources for you to tap into. And best of all, they're all free! Check these out:

White Paper: How Managers Can Help Their Developers Write Excellent Code

In this white paper, renowned Oracle PL/SQL expert and fellow O'Reilly author Steven Feuerstein provides dev managers with guidance on how to help developers write the best software possible.

Live Product Demo: Toad® Data Modeler
Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET

Modern Analyst Webinar: Stress-free SQL Queries for the Analyst
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST

Live Product Demo: Toad® for Data Analysts
Date: Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET

Live Product Demo: Benchmark Factory® for Databases
Date: Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET

I look forward to hearing from you. Enjoy!

-Kevin

SQL Saturday is Coming to Nashville! Won't You?

KKline — Tue, 18 May 2010 02:42:00 GMT

How 'Bout a Little Context?

Let me be direct with you. I love SQL Saturday. If it were a woman, I'd marry it. (Avoiding all extraneous thoughts of what my real wife would say, etc etc).

Check out this fun Flickr Feed from the recent SQL Saturday in Chicago or these picks by Jorge Segara (blog | twitter) to see the sort of fun that's in store. But who can argue with a day of free SQL Server training and a chance to network with great presenters and a wide swath of your peers?

Keynotes are more fun when the put-downs fly!

I've tried to support SQL Saturday as much as I can since Andy Warren (blog | twitter) launched the program a couple years back and have spoken at several. You might say to yourself, "Self, Kevin works for a vendor. Don't they want him to speak at as many SQL Saturdays as is humanly possible?" Well, Mr. Self, you'd be mistaken. You see there's a keyword in the name that might reveal why my employer doesn't provide unlimited enthusiasm for me to speak ... it's the SATURDAY part of the whole thing. Yes, of course, my employer wants me there. But they also recognize that Saturdays are my own and that, if I spend a day or two there on the weekend (including the travel time), then that's a sacrifice of my own choice. I would still need to be at work and on task bright and early on Monday morning. Not that they'd make me, it's just that my job is the sort that work is never simply skipped, it is only ever deferred. So if I took a comp day, which they'd gladly provide, I'd still have to finish the work somehow, someway. All of this goes to say that I really, really love SQL Saturday, the community vibe that it creates, the volunteers who drive it, the folks who attend. So I'm happy to give up a few days throughout the year to support it.

Come to Nashville in August!

Guitar, Cowboy Boots, Cowboy Hat, and Tight Denim NOT Required

My good friends Joe Webb (blog | twitter) and Louis Davidson (blog | twitter) have been angling to host a SQL Saturday here in Nashville for quite a while. As co-leaders of the local PASS chapter in middle Tennessee, it made a lot of sense to host an event like this. I wasn't at all resistant to the idea, I just didn't want to do the work myself. However, they did a great job of getting the ball rolling and even took on the majority of work themselves. Together with other volunteers in our local chapter - Shelton Dickson, Roberto Lopez, and Christina Leo - we've all set to work to host SQL Saturday #51.

The event will be hosted on Saturday, August 21st at the shiny new facility of Nashville State Community College located at 120 White Bridge Rd. Nashville, TN 37209:

If you'd like to attend, check out all the details here. Joe Webb and Christina Leo get all the credit for logistics.

If you'd like to speak, read the details in our call for speakers here. Louis Davidson is running the program selection process.

If you'd like to sponsor, sign up on-line here. This one is my responsibility.

It's free to register, there is a $10 fee if you want us to provide lunch. And remember, seats always fill up fast!

If you're going to attend and you have a twitter account, be sure to tweet using #sqlsat51!

Search results matching tags 'Administration', 'Developer', and 'Conferences'

SQLintersection!

PASS Summit 2012, Slide Decks

PASS TV - Gaining Executive Support

Winning Influence in IT Teams

Managing SQL Server in a Virtual World

Come See Me. I'll Probably Be Just Down the Street Soon!

New York City

The Colorado User Group Tour

Orlando

Online

Lincoln

Cedar Rapids

Nashville (Go Titans!)

Seattle

And the winner of the SQLBits8 Pub Quiz is... [drumroll please]

See You in St Louis, and then London, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and York, UK

Meet Me In St. Louis

SQL Bits, On the Cheap

And Just to Make Sure I'm Thoroughly Frozen...

Toad Just Keeps Getting Better

Toad for SQL Server Wins Best of TechEd 2010 in the Database Development Category

Want to try Toad for SQL Server for free?

But wait, there's more!

SQL Saturday is Coming to Nashville! Won't You?

How 'Bout a Little Context?

Come to Nashville in August!

Guitar, Cowboy Boots, Cowboy Hat, and Tight Denim NOT Required

I hope to see you there in August!