Search results matching tags 'Administration', 'Speaking', and 'Best Practices'

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

Upcoming SQLSaturday Events in Omaha and Atlanta!

KKline — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:47:00 GMT

I've had enough time off from traveling after my surgery to finally travel again. First on the circuit , set for August 27th, is Omaha, Nebraska and SQL Saturday #91. As a former Crimson Tide alum, I was stoked about going to the University of Nebraska, our once and future rivals on the Grid Iron. But after a moment's confusion, I remembered that the Huskers are over in Lincoln, not Omaha. (May Bear have mercy on my soul.)

Almost all of the speakers are friends. Many are Microsoft MVPs. So it'll be great to catch up with these fine folks and, I hope, get a chance to meet many attendees. I'll be doing three of my favorite presentations: SQL Server Internals & Architecture, End-to-End Troubleshooting for Microsoft SQL Server, and Top Ten Most Crucial DBA Mistakes. As I write this, I realize that I've got to get busy and post those other slide decks in the slides section of my website!

I'll also be visiting a few customers for the two days before hand, signing a few books, and otherwise trying to be productive. In the parlance of my employer, that means helping with sales.

Next month, on September 17th, I'll be speaking at the Atlanta SQL Saturday #89. I'm presenting just one session at the event itself, though I'll be hanging out at the Quest booth much of the time. If possible, I'm also going to spend as much time as I can in Bob Ward's sessions.

In addition, I'll be presenting a full day pre-conference seminar on Friday, September 16th covering all sorts of SQL Server performance tuning and optimization content. There are only a few seats left, so if you're so inclined REGISTER HERE ASAP. All attendees will be getting a big goodie bag with posters, a signed copy of one of my books, and a T-Shirt.

Atlanta is an easy 4-hour drive from Nashville. And the weather is usually great in September. So this should be a fun event in every way!

Follow me on Twitter.

-Kev

Back in Atlanta! Wed, Feb 9 2011

KKline — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:04:00 GMT

I always enjoy spending time with my friends from Atlanta, as well as meeting folks and making new friends. If you live in the Atlanta area, I hope you'll join me on the evening of Wednesday, February 9th, 2011. Details are at the Atlanta SQL Server user group website.

It's common knowledge that I have a terrible memory for many things. However, one of the few things that my memory is usually really good at is remember names & faces (and remembering stories, but that is another story as well).

It's only in the last couple years that I've gotten to know Atlanta-area folks like Aaron Nelson (blog | twitter), at left. Aaron likes to tease me because the first time or two we talked after our initial introduction, I kept getting his name wrong. That's uncharacteristic of me. But, hey, I was distracted because Aaron had brought his 12 year old daughter along and I kept wishing that I'd brought mine!

Aaron has really good content on SQL Server and PowerShell on his blog and in his presentations. Don't miss out!

Another person in the Atlanta area I've enjoyed getting to know better is Stuart Ainsworth (blog | twitter). Stuart has really stepped up to the plate these last couple years as a leader and a volunteer. I'm really impressed with his efforts, especially because they're in very important but rather invisible and thankless tasks. One example is his work in succession governance for PASS. Stuart, I salute you and thank you for your efforts. I hope to see y'all there! And if I don't, y'all come up and visit us in Nashville some time.

Cheers,

-Kev

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

It's the Atlanta Attendance Contest!

KKline — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:02:00 GMT

I'm speaking tonight on Top 10 Mistakes DBAs Make at the Atlanta SQL Server User Group meeting in Alpharetta, GA. You can find all of the details here.

The Best Dang Design Book for SQL Server Professionals - EVER!

I thought I'd liven things up a bit with a little contest. The rules are simple:

A. If you don't follow me on Twitter, then follow me by clicking here.

B. If you already follow me on Twitter, then tweet the details for tonight's event.

C. Every new follower or current follower who retweeted the details and then attends the event tonight will get a free ebook for Professional SQL Server 2008 Design and Implementation by my buddy and fellow Nashvillian Louis Davidson (blog | twitter).

As the fine print usually says, "Must be present to win". But just to liven things up a little bit extra, I'll pull several names from the hat of all the folks who were NOT present but followed or retweeted the event details between now and 6:30 PM EST tonight.

Thanks and good luck!

-Kev

Free Training for You, Punishing Workload for Me. Thank You for Enjoying My Misery.

KKline — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:12:00 GMT

Everybody enjoys a little free training now and then. I've got mountains of free training in the works. Some of it is in-person and local while some are in webcast format. Please join me as you're able!

Tomorrow - Wednesday!

Wed, Feb 10, 2010 12 pm (noon) MST - PASS DBA Virtual Chapter; Top 10 Administration Mistakes on SQL Server

There are a short list of mistakes that, if you know of them in advance and prepare for them, will make your life much easier. This presentation shows you these mistakes, the "low hanging fruit" of database administration. Once you apply the lessons learned from this session, you’ll find yourself performing at a higher level of efficiency and effectiveness than before. Quest is sponsoring this and raffling off a copy of my book, SQL in a Nutshell, and O-M-G a KINDLE!!! (Free, but registration required.) And if you haven't already done it, join PASS!

Day After Tomorrow - Thursday!

Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 11 am EST - Quest Software Pain of the Week; Understanding & Preventing SQL Injection Attacks - with Kevin Kline and K. Brian Kelley

SQL Injection attacks is the most common hacker trick used on the Web and yet, one of the easiest to prevent. Learn what they are and why you need to be concerned about them. In this webcast, I and SQL Server MVP K. Brian Kelley (blog | twitter) will demonstrate different types of SQL injection attacks. You’ll learn how to find and block them to keep your databases safe, preventing disruptions to your organization. Quest is sponsoring this as well and raffling off more goodies. (Free, but registration required.)

Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 6 pm CST - Nashville .NET User Group; Ten Things DBAs Want .NET Developers to Know

Stereotypes abound for different types of people in the IT world. Developers think DBAs are control freaks. DBAs think developers are unruly cowboys. How do we overcome these differences? If you’re a developer, your best strategy is to manage your DBAs’ anxieties and demonstrate your competence and credibility. Attend this session to learn about 10 techniques that developers can apply to their code which will calm your DBAs’ fears and earn their admiration. Techniques include how to analyze a query plan and how to make sure your query is taking advantage of the best available indexes. Attendance is free although registration is encouraged so we can get a good count for the food, plus there's free pizza and a raffle at the end. Drinks afterwards at Chilis.

Coming Soon

Mar 03, 2010 >>>FULL DAY OF FREE TRAINING!<<< - Quest Software SQL Server vConference; Troubleshooting and Performance Tuning with Kevin Kline, Brent Ozar, and Ariel Weil

Join SQL Server MVPs, Kevin Kline and Brent Ozar (blog | twitter), along with Quest Product Manager Ari Weil —all from Quest Software—as they interactively present tips and tricks to help you monitor your SQL Server environment with ease. You’ll learn how to use Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) to simplify troubleshooting and significantly enhance SQL Server performance. The day consists of eight sessions with live Q&A - a great way to get answers to your questions straight from the source. Chat live with Quest experts. Plus, you can visit the Quest booth to download helpful resources like white papers, watch demos and more. This virtual training day is free and you can attend the sessions that fit your needs - perfect for tight budgets and busy schedules.

Mar 06, 2010 - PASS SQL Saturday, Charlotte, SC

The SQL Server Community will experience an event like no other in the Southeast region. Renowned speakers from around the world will gather in Charlotte, NC to share their knowledge on Microsoft SQL Server. This is your opportunity to meet, network with and learn from the SQL Community leading experts such as Andrew Kelly, Rick Heiges, John Welch, Brian Knight, Geoff Hiten, Andy Warren, Jessica M. Moss, Rafael Salas, Sergey Pustovit and Tim Ford. Also scheduled to present are current SQL PASS President Rushabh Mehta and former SQL PASS Presidents Wayne Snyder and Kevin Kline.

Mar 24, 2010 - PASS DBA Virtual Chapter; SQL Internals & Architecture Apr 08, 2010 - Quest Software Pain of the Week; The Admin's Guide to SQL Server w/ Buck Woody Apr 12, 2010 - PASS Chapter, Houston; topic TBD Apr 17, 2010 - PASS SQL Saturday, Chicago; Keynoting w/ Brent Ozar May 13, 2010 - Quest Software Pain of the Week; SQL Server for the Oracle DBA w/ Buck Woody May 13, 2010 - PASS Chapter, Louisville; topic TBD May 15, 2010 - PASS SQL Saturday, Louisville; topic TBD May 22, 2010 - Indy Tech Fest; SQL Internals & Architecture

Interview Now Appearing on CSTech.com

KKline — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:48:00 GMT

I was honored to be recently interviewed by the crew at Consortio Services. You can find my portion of this particular webcast at http://www.cstechcast.com/podcasts/cs-techcast/episode99/ beginning at 17:24. In the interview, I discuss a number of thoughts and opinions about the future of cloud computing, where our profession is headed, and more.

When I first became aware of the website, they were audio podcasts only. Since then, they’ve changed up their format a bit, and now have a video portion along with the audio. They now included a visual “slide” with your headshot and title (not a pretty sight, in my case). Also, they some scrolling shots of other things I'm involved with such as Quest Software, my blog here, my Tool Time column on SQL Server Magazine, and the SQL Server MVP Deep Dives book, and my personal website.

I encourage you to add this podcasting site to your list of favorites. There's lots of great information waiting for you there.

Enjoy!

-Kevin

Twitter @kekline