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{March 6, 2012}
Free Training to 3 Lucky Recipients!!
{January 30, 2012}
Atlanta MDF Presents Three Awesome PreCons at SQL Saturday 111 in Atlanta, GA! April 13, 2012
Atlanta MDF presents:
SQL Saturday #111 Pre-Conference Sessions
Attend a session presented by Microsoft SQL Server MVPs (and one Microsoft Guy):
Andy Leonard and Matt Masson– A Day of SSIS – http://dayofssis.eventbrite.com/
A Day of SSIS was developed by Andy Leonard to train technology professionals in the fine art of using SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) to build data integration and Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) solutions. The training is focused around lectures and emphasizes a practical approach. The target audience for this training is database professionals, application developers, and business intelligence practitioners interested in acquiring or expanding their existing SSIS skill set. No experience with SQL Server or SQL Server Integration Services is required before attending this training. It is helpful (but not required) that students possess some knowledge of and experience with relational databases. SQL Server knowledge / experience will be more helpful than experience and knowledge with other technologies.
Adam Machanic – No More Guessing! An Enlightened Approach to Performance Troubleshooting – http://nomoreguessing.eventbrite.com/
Scratching your head, you stare at the screen. Should you rebuild an index? Create a new one? Reboot the server? Why is this query so slow?!? Figuring out performance problems can sometimes feel like fumbling your way through a dark room. Maybe you’ll get lucky and find the right solution―or maybe you’ll stub your toe. Either way, it’s a slow, potentially painful process. Yet finding the root cause of most performance issues is a simple exercise, once you understand where to look and when. In this full day seminar, you will learn a proven methodology that can be used to approach virtually any performance problem. Created and refined by Adam Machanic over several years, this strategy leverages core SQL Server performance tools (including dynamic management views, Extended Events, and WMI counters), applying them to various performance troubleshooting techniques (such as waits and queues analysis, baselining, and real-time activity monitoring). Each of these tools and techniques has a unique role, and you will learn to use them cooperatively to quickly and adaptively find the actual cause of performance issues. All of this will be illustrated through complete demonstrations that will teach you how to drill from high-level problem detection all the way to specific spot in a query plan or deeper―pinpointing the exact problem and helping you to quickly solve it. Attend this seminar to take full control of your databases—and never again stumble blindly through the dimly lit world of performance troubleshooting.
Jessica Moss – Learn SSRS in a Day – http://ssrsinaday.eventbrite.com/
SQL Server MVP, Jessica M. Moss, presents an exciting, introductory, full day training session on SQL Server Reporting Services 2008 R2. In the three-part class, Jessica will teach you how to build reports from the ground up. In Part 1, learn the basics of report development, including picking a report development tool and creating your first report. Part 2 delves into visualizations, groupings, and drill-down functionality. Finally, Part 3 highlights core administration tasks in Reporting Services. In addition, Jessica will point out industry-wide best practices for report development and show numerous live demos using a variety of data sources.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Georgia State University – Alpharetta
3775 Brookside Pkwy
Alpharetta, GA
Register for pre-conference sessions by March 15 for $99!
($109 after March 15)
For registration to the Saturday Event and more information visit http://www.sqlsaturday.com/111/eventhome.aspx.
{September 19, 2011}
The 89: Official Cocktail of SQL Saturday #89
I need to put out an “official” SQL Saturday #89 debrief (hint: it was pretty great), but I want to throw out one cool piece of SQL Saturday history that was made last weekend. As far as I know, SQL Saturday #89 in Atlanta is the very first SQL Saturday to have an official, original cocktail.
Allow me to set the stage… It’s Friday evening. Pre-con sessions are done, printing and badge assembly isn’t. The whole volunteer crew heads to our HQ at the Staybridge Suites to finish up. Aaron Nelson (blog | Twitter) is driving Adam Machanic (blog | Twitter) about town. Before getting to the hotel, Aaron and Adam hit the package store. Adam arrives with an armload of liquid motivation. He heads to the kitchenette and begins to Concoct. We less savvy cocktail drinkers ask what he’s making. He announces that he’s making it up with a few things he picked up. We realize that we might possibly be in the midst of a genius moment, so we step away and let the man work.
A few moments later, Adam begins to distribute drinks to the volunteers. I taste mine. It’s heaven. Refreshing and crisp, with just the right amount of bitter. It makes the super-slow printer that we named something very derogatory and inappropriate (hint: think harlot with very poor hygiene) look just a little bit better. It brings a smile to my face, and the carpal tunnel syndrome I’ve developed during the paper-cutting-filled day begins to ease. The whole crew feels the weight of the biggest SQL Saturday ever in Atlanta begin to lift. We decide that we must name this masterpiece. After a brief discussion, we settle on it. The 89.
Once there is a drink in every hand, Mr. Machanic jumps in to help. That, my friends, is exactly what the SQL Server community is all about. Friends, teamwork, volunteerism, and one hell of a good cocktail.
And now, the recipe:
The 89 (Invented by Adam Machanic):
Materials: Abuelo Anejo Rum, Cranberry Juice, Lime Juice, Cointreau, Angostura Bitters, Ginger Beer, Highball Glass, Ice
– 2 oz Abuelo Anejo Rum (or similar aged rum)
– 1 oz Cranberry Juice
– 1/2 oz Lime Juice
– 1/2 oz Cointreau
– 5 dashes Angostura Bitters
Build in highball glass with ice, top with Ginger Beer, Stir
{August 17, 2011}
An Ode to a Pre-Con– John Welch is Completely Awesome.
I am honored to be part of the team which is bringing SQL Saturday 89 — Atlanta, GA to the community on September 17th. As an extra special treat, we are also bringing two Pre-Cons on the Friday before the Pre-Con for only $99.
Troubleshooting and Performance Tuning with Kevin Kline
AND…..
Data Warehousing with SSIS Deep Dive by MS SQL MVP —-John Welch
Today I want to tell you why you should attend John Welch’s Pre-Con.
At $99 –This is a bargain. Some phrases become trite with overuse. Phrases like: “A Fraction of the Cost”, “Gubernatorial”, “Buy now and get this personal pizza oven”. But Google “SSIS training” and look at the prices. Also look at the fact that this is only one day off of work, and if you are local, no travel. Also, you get John Welch live and in person. You can ask him questions!
John Welch (Blog | Twitter) is completely awesome. He’s a skilled practitioner and a great speaker. He’s a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and was a contributing author to MVP Deep Dives. I learn something from John every time I see him–see this blog post for how John helped me with Error Handling in SSIS. He’s been doing this ETL stuff for a long time and he’s got more tricks for doing it quickly and properly than Jason Bacani (another team member– Blog , Twitter) has shoes (next time you see Jason, ask him how many shoes he owns and report back, it’s astounding!). There have been many times when I have been completely stumped with a problem and found the answer on John’s blog (he’s really good at working with XML in SSIS!).
Do you use BIDS Helper? John Welch worked on that project. That’s right. John Welch helped write the code that turns your connection managers blue and pink and resets your GUIDs when they are trying to ruin your life ! Wouldn’t you like to learn from the man who helped tame SSIS with BIDS Helper and other similar projects ? Shouldn’t you thank him?!!!
Survival. If the subject matter in this session is not part of your job today, it will be soon. You will always need to know how to move data from Source A to Destination B. No matter the size your organization or your relationship with said organization’s data, there is almost always a moment when you are faced with importing or exporting data. It comes with being a DBA. While there are as many ways to accomplish this as there are DBA’s out there to do it; SSIS is actually built exclusively for this purpose. It may have bulky bells and whistles, but SSIS at its core is THE tool given to us by Microsoft to move data. Shouldn’t you learn how to bend it to your will? Could there be a better opportunity? So come on people: click the button!
Ugh! I screwed up. I’m going to tell you guys about it and beg your forgiveness.
What I did: I gave out some bad info in my session on SSIS in Columbia, SC this past weekend.
What I said: I said that when an SSIS package is executed using a SQL Server Agent job, that the Service Account under which SSIS is running under requires all of the necessary permissions (file, etc). I said that the Service Account for the agent also needs these permissions.
What’s wrong with that: The account under which SSIS runs under is not a player in jobs executed by the Agent. Only the Service Account that the Agent uses matters. If giving that account the necessary permissions is just not an option, then you need to execute the Agent job under a proxy account. Here is an excellent post covering this topic.
How I got screwed up: I got confused with this a few years ago. I had a file permissions error with an Agent job executing an SSIS package and could have sworn that I resolved it by giving the SSIS service account the necessary permissions.
What must have happened: Looking back, the agent must have been running under the same service account that SSIS was running under.
So there it is, my mea culpa. If you saw my session and are reading this, I apologize. Please tell anyone who was with you about my error, so that we can nip this bad info train in the bud. And to the gentleman in the front who doubted me, thank you. Without your help, I would still be operating with false info in my brain. I wish I had gotten your contact info–email me if you read this 
Other than that, it was a fantastic, wonderful event. This was the world premier of my presentation Up and Running with SSIS; what really made me happy was that several of the attendees approached me afterwards and said that they had really gotten some necessary info out of it.
Thanks for coming to my presentation, here is the link to the slides and the code: LINK
–Julie
{January 25, 2011}
I went to SQL Saturday in Tampa!
My husband and I got married May 3 (I’m not telling the year). As we were rushing to the airport en route to our honeymoon, we realized that in the chaos of the wedding, we had almost forgotten a present for our mothers on the upcoming Mother’s Day. I somehow found the perfect card given the circumstances, and we mailed them just as we were leaving. Here is a rendition of the card we each sent our mothers that year:
The reason I’m thinking of that anecdote is that here it is on Tuesday, and it’s my turn for a blog post, and I’m in sort of a rush again. Not on my way to Europe this time, but anyway; I’m busy.
I wanted to do a write up of SQL Saturday #62 in Tampa which occurred two weeks ago, but I feel like the content is going to be as dense and informative as the above referenced greeting card.
Suffice it to say that I had a fantastic time. Organizers Pam Shaw and Jose Chinchilla are to be commended for the hospitality, the food, the speed pass idea. It was a great weekend.
It was warm in Florida. This cannot be overemphasized. I really enjoyed the Sun (Blog | Twitter) and the way its shininess let me cavort around mittenless. I hope to return to Tampa every time there is a SQLSaturday in the winter.
My presentation was well attended and well received. Lots of folks came, including many people who work with SSIS and are pretty famous for it. Fortunately for me their presences neither made me faint nor throw up, always a bonus.
I left with more friends and professional connections, and perhaps most importantly, the most awesome SQL Saturday presenter’s shirt EVAH:
Not a polo.
———————————————————-
Finally, I’d like to “roll credits” so to speak and give a shout out to all the great folks I got to spend time with that weekend. (Loving the networking tab on the SQL Saturday Page!). Can’t wait to see you all again.
Name/Twitterhandle:
Aaron Nelson @sqlvariant
Adam Jorgensen @adam_jorgensen
Andy Warren @sqlandy
Bobby Dimmick @kr4ster
Brad Schacht @bradleyschacht
Brian Knight @BrianKnight
Brian McDonald @briankmcdonald
David Taylor @dyfhid
Denny Cherry @mrdenny
Jorge Segarra @sqlchicken
Jose Chinchilla @sqljoe
John Welch @john_welch
Jason E Bacani @jebacanisqldude
Jack Corbett @unclebiguns
Geoff Hiten @sqlcraftsman
Gareth Swanepoel @garethswan
Ed Wilson @scriptingguys
Erika Bakse @baksedoesbi
Eric Wisdahl @old_man_fish @EricWisdahl
Kevin Boles @thesqlguru
Mike Wells @SarasotaSQL
Pam Shaw @pamshaw
Troy Gallant @gratefuldba
Tim Radney @tradney
Stacia Misner @staciamisner
——————————
And lastly, SQLRally voting for the BI Track will be next week. Don’t forget to vote! (for me! )
{October 7, 2010}
And from @Datachix1 ‘s Mom…. #SqlSat48
Like I mentioned in my post, my mom (Karen Smith, not on the Twitter yet) came with me to Columbia and decided to come to the day’s events. She attended sessions all day, sometimes with me, sometimes on her own. She branched out on her own for two sessions–David Taylor’s “To Click or Not to Click” and Jose Chinchilla’s “Get Cert! Get Cred!” here are some of mom’s thoughts:
What I most appreciated about David Taylor’s ( @DYFHID ) presentation was his infectious enthusiam for all things SQL. In addition he offered very practical advice for anyone like him who becomes an accidental DBA. Very good advice for beginners like me.
Jose Chinchilla has a plan to get certified: ( @sqljoe ) the why, where and how. Lots of money saving tips and advice. I came away with something to aspire to!
As for SQL Saturdays and PASS, I can’t say enough about them. I’ve worked at conferences and attended a few. I have to say this gang really know how to put on a seminar: great sessions, great topics, great speakers, really nice venue and food! The organizers really know how to pull it off. This is a great community!
