Search results matching tags 'community', 'career', and 'Conferences'

A SQL Saturday in Cambridge – Buck Woody’s Ragtime Database Workshop

BuckWoody — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:49:00 GMT

The SQL Server community is really engaged. They are an active bunch on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, they help each other on forums, they attend conferences. But that isn’t enough interaction – the community started a grass-roots effort to hold local conferences on a Saturday. Free conferences. Odds are there’s one near you… http://www.sqlsaturday.com/default.aspx … and if not, you can start one.

Sessions at SQL Saturdays are all over the map, and there’s something for (almost) everyone, from Business Intelligence to Database Administration and Development. Some of these events have “training days” associated with them – longer, more in-depth training that has a fee. I’ve taught quite a few of these, and of course I’ve done my share of other presentations at the events as well.

I’m honored to be presenting at the Cambridge, UK SQL Saturday this year (http://www.sqlsaturday.com/162/eventhome.aspx) in September. For one thing, I used to live near there and plan to take the family with me to show them my old stomping grounds. For another, I’m excited about the sessions I get to present.

The Training Day

Friday I’ll be leading one of those training days – and I’ll be delivering a very important workshop, where I’ll cover SQL Server – all of it. OK, maybe not *all* of it, and maybe you won’t be a complete PhD after the class, but we’ll do a complete immersion in learning SQL Server as a product from the ground up. It’s a workshop format, so no sitting and listening to someone droning on and on for hours. You’ll be asked to bring a laptop, and do actual work on the product from the first few minutes of the 8-hour day to the last of the workshop. You’ll be jumping in from the very start, and in deep until the end of the day.

But wait – this is kind of a “beginner” thing, isn’t it? Shouldn’t I be doing something on the internals of the locking mechanism of the hashing system in memory on x64 architectures, with complete code diagrams? Shouldn’t you be able to snatch the T-SQL pebble from the master’s hand when you’re done, or be able to shoot the wings off of an XML fly when you’re done?

No.

We need this kind of session. For one thing, you can get that depth in other sessions. For another, we need to have a place for someone that wants to learn SQL Server but doesn’t have a lot of time to do that. We need something relatively inexpensive that a boss can send a developer, administrator or new employee to learn how to take over the SQL Server, or augment the DBA team. We need a place where good habits are formed, and where someone can branch out into a new part of technology, into one of the best places in tech to be – data.

After you’re done with this session, stick around for Saturday – now all those presentations will make more sense. And you’ll be able to network with a lot of folks that already do what you learn about on Friday, and who knows – find out where to look for work in this amazing career field.

What will you learn?

You’ll start with knowing that SQL Server is a database product by Microsoft. That’s all the pre-requisite you need, other than being the technology industry. From there we’ll cover:

The Data Professional Career
Installing, setting up and configuring the right Edition of SQL Server for the job (including SQL Azure)
Database engine fundamentals – How does the engine work, what are the components, what can you configure and tune
Transactions, Locking and Blocking
Creating and managing databases
Database options and their impact
Database Objects including Tables, Views, Stored Procedures, Functions and more
General maintenance including backups and recovery
Security fundamentals including users, roles, and object security
Performance tuning fundamentals including indexes and query research tools
Multiple resources to help you get to the next level

In 8-hours. Come ready to learn. You’ll need a laptop, and complete focus for a few hours. You’ll leave with the ability to manage and work with a SQL Server system – and you’ll learn what to do next.

Who should go?

If you’re new to Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS’s) but not technology, and you’re looking to expand your technical reach, coming from another platform (to be sure, there will be some repeat info here), want to explore a new tech career area, want to learn more about developing against an RDBMS or know someone who does.

The registration for the training day is here: https://www.regonline.co.uk/?eventID=1120017&rTypeID=242030

What else are you doing whilst (I love saying whilst) there?

I’m also pleased to be providing the keynote on Saturday. (I can’t wait to see what I’m going to say), as well as two other sessions – more on those soon. My daughter wants to be a Zoologist, so while we’re there we’ll be visiting the Zoology museum at one of the colleges, I’ll probably eat too much and potentially go punting. I’ll also mingle with you, my SQL Family, and we’ll just generally have a good time.

If you’re not busy in September, and even if you are, make plans to come check all this out. It promises to be awesome. (Americans think everything is awesome)

See you there.

How I Prepare For Presentations, And My Speaking Schedule For This Quarter

BuckWoody — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:04:45 GMT

I do a little speaking here and there and I’ve been asked about the method I use to get ready for a talk. I thought I might share the method I use, although as you read through this remember that not everyone has the same style, processes and procedures they use. As long as you feel prepared when you speak and the audience learns something from you, you’re doing it right. Still and all, it can be useful to see what someone else does to tune your process even further. Whatever makes your speaking better helps us all, including me, as I sit through quite a few presentations myself.

I do several types of presentations, from working with my direct clients at Microsoft in a very targeted and interactive discussion all the way to a full semester of classes at the University of Washington that lasts for several weeks. I also speak at technical events, and in all of these the audience size an participation levels vary. Even so, I still follow roughly the same process:

Develop The Concepts
Create Animations
Develop A Slide-A-Day
Practice
Tuning And Feedback

Develop The Concepts

When I’m asked to speak on a topic, I try and boil that down to one over-riding goal, such as “The listener should know how large-scale data sets can be handled”. Then I do a work-back outline of how that would happen - introduction, terms, define the problem, explain the options, provide specifics, detail references might be one example. Then I try to make that even tighter, until I start losing fidelity in the talk.

This is where the duration of the talk and the audience makeup is most critical. The shorter the period of time I have to talk, the lower I set the goal. I’ve seen people try to cram a complex set of information in an hour, complete with demos. At the end I certainly have an exposure to the information, but I don’t know that I have retained it. I would rather the speaker focus on one specific part of that deep topic or simply provide an overview and then point me to relevant resources I can study in detail later.

The key is what the audience retains when the talk is over. If they think “wow - that speaker is really smart” that’s actually a failure. They should think “wow - I’m really smart, and now I know how to do that thing the speaker talked about”.

Each of these concepts then becomes a logical flow of mini-goals, and many times, these map to a slide or whiteboard graphic.

Create Animations

It doesn’t matter what tool you use - somehow you need to convey your information to the audience. In some cases, I can draw “word pictures” simply by talking, but technical topics often lead themselves to graphics. I’ve used whiteboards, Power Point (don’t make that face) and even Microsoft Paint with a Wacom Tablet. I try to show a start-to-finish process, or layer components to slowly cement in the listener’s mind what I want them to know.

The rule of thumb I use is to show one piece of a system at a time, to show a larger more complex whole. To show how that system interacts with another, I use animations. All of these are done as simply as possible, using the least flashy animation I can. Any technology I use should be to get the point across, not to show how many fonts and explosions I can cram onto a screen.

I find that almost every concept I developed in the previous step warrants it’s own slide or drawing. If I have too many, say more than 8 or so for a one-hour presentation, then I have too many concepts for a single presentation, or I’m making it too complex. If I have lots of lists on the screen and not many graphics, then I’m reading notes and not setting up a dialog with the audience. Creating a graphic per concept keeps me from many of these errors.

Develop A Slide-A-Day

Speaking isn’t my full-time job, so I have lots of “real” work to do. So after I’ve gotten the concepts down and turned them in to graphics, I take one slide each day when I can and work through the detail of the concept I’m talking about. If I’m using Power Point, I use the “Notes” view to put down the text I want to cover, the references I find on the web, in magazines and books, and the other speakers I credit during the presentation. I give that out electronically after the presentation, since I don’t want people focusing on my notes while I’m talking - I would much rather they listen carefully and take their own notes. Even so, sometimes there are processes or procedures that I need to show. When I don’t show it on the screen, I show it in the Notes view. If I’m using some other medium like a whiteboard, I usually blog the information and then show the link to my blog.

Practice

This is probably the most skipped step I see in new presenters. Yes, you have to sit in front of a mirror. Really. And yes, you have to say what you’re going to say, and time yourself. Really. It feel awkward, and it should. And you need to do this. Really.

I use the “Presenter View” in Power Point. It has the slides (so that you can see the next one coming), the Notes you made, and a timer. It’s a great tool even if you aren’t going to use Power Point in your talk.

But you have to practice. I try to practice my talk at least five times. Interestingly, this isn’t so I’ll say the same thing the same way every time. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. It helps me feel more confident in the information, and allows me to “wander” slightly during the talk and be more dynamic, because I know what I need to get across - I’ve practiced it.

Tuning And Feedback

If time permits, I try to deliver the talk at work or to my wife. I give the audience a feedback sheet with what I want to know, so that they will be critical without being mean. I try to do this with as many different audiences as I can. Based on what I hear back, I may adjust or tune a section to ensure that I get the information across.

So what’s on that sheet? Well, things like “How was the speed? Did it seem like I knew what I was talking about” and so on - but there’s one part that is pretty interesting. I give them a test. I make questions that I should answer during the talk, and at the end I hand out the paper and see if they get those answers. If they don’t it’s my fault. End of story. I either picked people that don’t care about the topic, or don’t listen, or who aren’t interested in helping me. All of those are my bad. If I do an effective presentation, I move the knowledge of the topic from my head to theirs. That’s success.

Speaking Schedule

If you’re interested in seeing the result of this preparation style, I ‘d love to have you join me. I enjoy meeting the folks that read this blog, so if you’re near any of these events then stop by and say hello!

09/23-24/2011 - Orlando, Florida

SQL Saturday 85 - http://www.sqlsaturday.com/85/eventhome.aspx

I have two presentations at this event:

SQL Server Performance Tuning Using Application Path Analysis

There are a lot of resources, products and features you can use to tune the performance of your SQL Server system. Many assume you’re familiar with 400-level concepts, others don’t consider the whole stack of the client, the network, the operating system, platform and the database server. Buck Woody, Microsoft’s real-world DBA, will explain a simple, repeatable process you can follow to tune your entire application – from the client to the server. All of the tools we’ll cover are included with Windows and SQL Server:

In this pre-conference session you’ll cover not only the process, but also review a real-world evaluation. You’ll take home a system and a spreadsheet you can use to monitor and tune your applications, in a simple, easy-to-understand session.

The Saturday event is:

Cloud Computing De-mystified

The cloud! Move everything to the cloud! No, wait, the cloud is awful! Don’t move anything to the cloud! Wait – what’s “the cloud”? Buck Woody, Microsoft’s “Real World DBA” will show you how to figure out where your data should live, based on actual decision points. You’ll learn about Windows and SQL Azure, and when it makes sense to put data locally or remotely.

10/08/2011 - Portland, Oregon

SQL Saturday 92 - http://www.sqlsaturday.com/92/eventhome.aspx

Hybrid Database Systems

With so much interest in Cloud technology, where does it really fit in, and what is the role of the DBA and Database Developer? What is available in SQL Azure, as it compares to SQL Server? Can you leave some data on-premise, and put other data in the cloud? Buck shows you the ins and outs of SQL Azure, how to connect to it, manage it, what the limitations are, and real-world examples of architectures that work.

10/11-14/2011 - Seattle, Washington

Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) Conference - http://www.sqlpass.org/Events/PASSSummit.aspx

Beyond the Hype - Hybrid Solutions for On-Premise and In-Cloud Database Applications

Despite all the hype, it’s rare for a business to actually “move” an application directly to the cloud. The cost, risk and effort aren’t usually worth the benefit of what you gain. Security considerations, performance, and control are just a few of the reasons that many applications need to stay in your datacenter. But there are times when including a function from the cloud makes a ton of business sense, either to extend part of your internal applications to remote workers, customers or partners, or to act as a HA/DR solution.

In this session, Buck Woody (Microsoft Senior Technology Specialist on Distributed Computing) will talk about how you can embrace Cloud on Your Terms through SQL Server Code Name "Denali" and Windows and SQL Azure architectures, and the considerations for creating a hybrid architecture across on-premise databases and cloud technologies. You’ll learn:

How to create a decision matrix for which elements can be extended to the cloud

A Windows and SQL Azure technology overview, code name Juneau, and DAC Fx

Component options for hybrid solutions, including:

SharePoint

Biztalk

.NET applications

Non-Microsoft languages and technologies

Other RDBMS’s

You’ll receive references, whitepapers and other resources you can use to evaluate your own architectures to see how you can use a secure, high-performance system that expands and contracts as needed.

10/11/2011 - 12/14/2011 - Seattle, Washington

University of Washington - http://faculty.washington.edu/woodyg/

SQL Server Essentials

This course will introduce the student to Microsoft’s SQL Server database management system. Topics included are relational database concepts for production database applications, SQL programming, and SQL Server tools. This course will introduce advanced topics -- at an overview level -- that will be presented in more detail in subsequent courses. The course involves instruction, course studies, and a project that will be completed from requirements to delivery.

During the course you will design a relational database structure from a set of business requirements, developing a graphical Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD), writing Transact-SQL code for the creation of all database tables, views, stored procedures, security, indexes and maintenance scripts for a sample system. Your final project will be the entire system creation, delivered as a series of scripts, along with the ERD and pertinent conceptual documents in a SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) Solution.