Want to Learn SQL Server 2012?

andyleonard — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:00:00 GMT

Or SSIS 2012? SSRS 2012? SSAS 2012? There’s no substitute for getting your hands on the product, in my opinion.

I can hear you thinking, “But Andy, I can’t afford to purchase a copy of SQL Server 2012.” Are you sure? What if I told you that you can get a full-feature version of SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition for $50? Well, you cannot… it’s actually less than $50! SQL Server 2012 Developer Edition is available at Amazon on the day of this writing for $41.24USD. That’s about the price of eight cups of fancy coffee.

SQL Server releases follow a cycle. SQL Server 2005 was a major release with big changes from SQL Server 2000. SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 were not drastic departures from SQL Server 2005. Take it from me: SQL Server 2012 is a major release.

Is taking your career to the next level worth the price of eight cups of coffee?

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OT: Back to Consulting, Week 1

andyleonard — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 23:00:00 GMT

Introduction

I pondered writing this at all. And then I pondered where to publish it. I decided to publish this here as it relates to other things I've published here. And I decided to mark it OT (off-topic).

As mentioned in this post, starting Andy Leonard Training grew out of a couple training engagements delivered in late 2010. I started fulltime work 17 Jan 2011 with an engagement in the deep South.

Gig One

The first gig went well. A lot of the credit for that goes to the team with which I interfaced; stellar technologists, every one.

The most important thing I did right was this: I delivered before the end of the engagement. There's only so much a consultant / mentor can bring to any enterprise in a week, but I believe I brought all that was possible. That's extra important for an initial engagement.

Opportunity

Two opportunities came out of the engagement:

The potential for more work from the company.
A request for a quote (RFQ) from another company in the area after a presentation at the local SQL Server UG.

Conclusion

It doesn't matter who you are, there is always risk involved in leaving the cube behind to start your own business. Week One is in the book. On to Week 2!

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Want to Learn SQL Server 2012?

OT: Back to Consulting, Week 1