Search results matching tags 'SQL Community' and 'Professional Development'

SQLPASS BoD Polls Close this Friday

RickHeiges — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 15:59:00 GMT

Research, Contemplate, Vote.

In case you didn't hear, there is a campaign going on that impacts the PASS Organization and the SQL Community. If you were a PASS member before June 1, 2012, you should have received a ballot link via email. Polls close at 3pm PT on Friday, Oct 12, 2012.

I am fortunate to know all 5 candidates for this year's election and count them among my friends. The problem that I have is that I only have 3 votes to cast. At this point, I have decided on 2 of my 3 votes. Since I have invested a lot into PASS over the years, this is not a decision that I take lightly. I have read through all of the campaign materials and kept reading replies to questions on the forums. There have been many well thought out responses and I have changed my mind several times. I will probably wait until Friday to cast my votes. However, this problem of mine means it is another sign of strength for PASS as these five brave individuals step up to the plate to lead the organization.

And the winner is.....

Polls close Oct 12, but the announcement won't occur until Oct 17. Why the delay? Aren't we in the age of instant answers? There are several reasons why there is a delay. The process isn't full-proof. I don't believe there has been an issue with the voting process, but I know that there is the possiblity of an error occurring which may force the polls to remain open. I can think of several instances in years past when submitting abstracts for sessions that caused the deadline to be extended there. That isn't the only reason. The candidates should be informed before anyone else knows so that they can prepare a blog post or whatever. This is usually done in a personal manner and it takes time to connect with each candidate - yes sometimes it takes days to connect.

Closing Thoughts

If you have already voted, you are safe - you didn't make any bad choices. :-) In the past, I have been able to predict who will win just by looking at the ballot. I have made my own prediction on who I think will win, but this is the toughest year yet. I am at least guaranteed of selecting at least one winner! Go Vote!

PASS Summit 2011 - What you can expect at the Conference - Summary

RickHeiges — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:30:00 GMT

As I finish up preparing for the Sep 20 (@1pm ET) webcast, I thought a final blog post may be appropriate in order to quickly reference many of the areas that I have touched upon. Naturally, much of this information is geared towards First Timers, but Alumni are welcome to join in the webcast as well and are encouraged to help spread even more tips/tricks around to all who attend.

PASS Summit 2011 - What you can expect at the Conference - Part 6

RickHeiges — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:30:00 GMT

Now that I have covered just about all of the "official" Summit activities, it is time for a blog post about "After Hours" activities.

There is a webpage that lists some of the activities that we are currently aware of. You can find that page here.

Monday Night Networking Dinner - Last year, Andy Warren and Steve Jones started a Netowrking Dinner (Food / Drink is your own responsibility). It will be Monday Evening at Lowell's. More information is available on the link provided above.Follow general #sqlpass on twitter to see what's going on.

Photo Walk - Pat Wright and Tim Ford started this tradition several years ago. Essentially, Pat / Tim coordinate a place / time to start on a tour of Seattle. Bring your camera andprepare to have a great time discovering Seattle.Follow #photowalk on twitter to obtain more information.

SQL Kilt Day - It will be Thursday this year. Several years ago, three SQL Community leaders decided to wear kilts one day. Many more joined in last year (even some vendors). I don't havve an exact count, but I suspect that thee were at least 50 people wearing kilts last year. I suspect that number will be over 100 this year. Wearing a kilt on #sqlkilt day will definitely bring you some attention. :-)

SQL Run - Running is a favorite fitness activity of quite a few members of the SQL Community. Would you like to run with some others who are attending the conference? Follow #SQLRun on twitter to find out when/where to meet up for a run.

SQL Karaoke - What happens when you mix an open mic, SQL Professionals, and some libation together? SQL Karaoke at a Dive Bar. See the Link above for more information on locatoin. This year it will be on Wednesday Evening and now enjoys a limited sponsorship by NEC and Genesis Hosting Solutions. Follow #SQLKaraoke for more information - especially on Wednesday.

SSC / Redgate Party - SQL Server Central and RedGate will be hosting another party right after the Welcome Reception on Tuesday night. More info may be found here.

Other Vendor Parties - Many other Vendors will also host parties or other get togethers. Be sure to visit all of the vendors in the Exhibit Hall. I encourage you to visit all of the vendors and perhaps score an invite to an "after hours" event.

There is more, but I don't know about it yet. Denny Cherry has put together a website that lists "after hours" events that he is aware of.

PASS Summit 2011 - What you can expect at the Conference - Part 5

RickHeiges — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:30:00 GMT

One of the most valuable parts of the entire Summit experience is the networking that goes on. In this post, I will go over some of the opportunities for you to network with others. Once again, this post will not focus on "after hours" activities which will come later.

Badge and Ribbons - Once you get to the Summit and pick up your materials, you will have a badge. The badge will have the following information on it:

Nick Name
Full Name
Company Name
Where you are from
Twitter Handle

You will also receive at least one ribbon (Alumni or First Timer). You may notice that some people have more than one ribbon. These ribbons identify how a person contributes to the SQL Community. Be curious. When you see a person with more than one ribbon, ask them about it. It is a great way to start a conversation. These people are very interested in meeting YOU.

Don Gabor - We have asked Don Gabor to once again run a 2 hour Networking Workshop on Tuesday. It is inexpensive ($70) and a great way to invest in yourself to make the most of the Summit. You can go online and modify your registration add this mini-pre-con or sign up onsite. Don will also be leading a special Speed Networking Session during the First Timer Orientation. I want to particularly encourage First Timers to take advantage of this session based on feedback from former First Timers.

Big Brothers / Big Sisters - There is also a Big Brothers / Big Sisters orientation program. It is not too late to sign-up. We match a willing and eager Alumni with a small grooup of First Timers via email. The Big Brother/Sister will then contact the First Timers prior to coming to the summit to answer any questions or to simply "break the ice" before actually getting to Seattle. If you are a First Timer, I encourage you to take advantage of this program. If you are an Alumni and would like to help out some First Timers, your help will be appreciated by the First Timers and the entire PASS organization. Visit here to sign-up.

Other places to Network at the Summit:

Welcome Reception (Tue Evening)
Expo Hall Reception (Wed Evening)
Attendee Party (Thu Evening)
Breakfasts
Lunches - especially Chapter, WIT and Birds of a Feather
Expert Pods
Before the Keynotes
At the PASS Booth
Anywhere!

Remember that only you can make the most of your Summit Experience. I have outlined a number of opportunities where you can network with others who are doing the same thing. Go Forth and Network!

What is the "Right Stuff" of a successful DBA?

RickHeiges — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:14:00 GMT

When discussing "How did you become a DBA" with almost anyone, it was an accident. Nobody seems to go to school to become a DBA. Most DBAs that I know either were developers for a while and they took over the admin duties of the database server, or they were a system administrator and were tasked with taking charge of a database server. After reading many of the SQLPeople.net interviews, I don't recall an instance where someone decided to become a DBA on purpose.

What makes a successful DBA? Are there common traits or aptitude "markers" that are common among successful DBAs? If someone comes up to you and aks you how to become a DBA, that do you tell them? Are they "cut out" to be a DBA?

Well, I don't have the answer. But let's start the list and see where it goes.

Responsible - DBAs need to take responsibility for Backups and ensure that a restore of the database is possible. This can't really occur unless the person is responsible. Now here's the tricky part. How do you phrase a question to help someone determine if they are responsible enough? The question phrased like "Are you responsible?" is not a good question to help someone determine if they really are responsible. A better way would be to present a scenario of some sort and allow the person to either choose one of the answers or perhaps provide an open-ended response. Its tougher than you think because the scenario must be something relatively common to everyone and not SQL Server specific (the person isn't a DBA yet).

This is the first thing that came to mind in developing a scenario-based "responsible" type of question.....

Scenario: You just purchased a new phone that does just about everything. One of the many questions that you asked was "Can I receive phone calls while using the GPS?". The salesperson assures you that yes you can. How do you determine if he is telling the truth?

Option A - You believe him and go about enjoying your new phone.

Option B - On your drive home, you text someone to call you as you activate the GPS feature.

Option C - You drive home. Read the instructions. Test it out at home before depending upon being able to receive calls while using the GPS.

Option D - Free Form Answer....

Option C would strike me as the "responsible" answer, but a free form response may also be very revealing.

Why am I blogging about this here? In North Carolina, there is a "Lateral Entry" program for people who want to get into teaching for a second career and don't have the time/resources to return to school to get certified. This made me think about "How do we get more SQL Server DBAs?" because we will not get them from college I was thinking about formulating 5-10 questions that could be used to help a person who is interested in becoming a DBA know if they have the "right stuff". These questions would not necessarily be perfect, but it would at least be a tool. I'm looking for additional feedback/ideas/scenarios.

What is the "right stuff" that makes up a successful DBA?

SQL Tweeps Everywhere!

RickHeiges — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 01:53:00 GMT

I recently got back from a little vacation. While I was driving, I'd say to my wife "Hey, I have a friend who lives near here. They are known as @SomeTwitterHandle." as we were driving through the area. I thought how great it was to be able to think of my many friends on twitter as I was passing by.

I live in High Point, NC and headed South, but not on I-85. If I did, I would have gone by the likes of @SQLSentry's gang and @SQLWayne. I went on US-220 south and some other routes to get to I-95. Here I was on a road that split the difference of the Kelly and Kelley of SC (@GunneyK and @KBrianKelley). I also passed through the state of @SQLVariant, @SQLCraftsman, and @codegumbo), but near ATL. Got into Florida and immediately thought of @BrianKnight as I cruised through JAX. As I got closer to MCO, I saw the exit that I had taken about a year earlier to get to an OPASS meeting where @SQLAndy was. And I thought of @SQLDBA as I zoomed past Disney an my way to our destination in Central Florida. We took an excursion to Busch Gardens (No Karaoke though) and I thought of @rushabhmehta, @Neilbu, and @SQLPoolBoy (especially when I was at Adventure Island Waterpark).

I mentioned at least a dozen tweeps. I probably didn't mention at least a dozen more. If I missed your name/handle, leave a comment - that will help build on the main point of this story. Since I was on vacation and focused on family time, I didn't reach out to any of these folks during the trip. But, I know that I could have. How did I get to know all of these folks? I got toknow them by reading their blogs, conversing with them via twitter, having dinner or a drink with them at a conference, or just tweeting.

As I thought through this post, I thought how lucky I am to be involved with such great people who all share a common goal - serving each other and growing the SQL Community. How can you get a network of really cool people like this? Get involved! How do you get involved? Attend your local SQL Server User Group Meeting; Attend a SQL Saturday Event; Read Blogs and get on twitter (#sqlpass #sqlhelp); Attend SQLRally and the PASS Summit or other events like SQLBits in the UK or SQL Connections. Soon, your spouse will also grow tired of you calling out twitter handles as you pass each city on your next vacation.