In the spring of 2020, we were set to speak at and co-sponsor several SQLSaturday events: British Columbia, Spokane, Orange County, Redmond, Los Angeles. We had presentations lined up, swag giveaways ready, travel arranged…and then COVID….

In so many areas of life, well beyond SQL events or events in general, you don’t need us to tell you that the last 15 months have been highly unusual. With that in mind, we are thrilled to see some normality on the events scene.

Thanks, Redgate

For some of that normality, we praise Redgate for stepping in and stepping up to bring back the best bits of PASS—Summit and SQLSaturday. PASS Data Community Summit this fall will be virtual, and while you may be entirely fed up with virtual events (we feel your pain), going virtual is a key reason why this event is free. That will enable many more SQL professionals to join who otherwise couldn’t. We’re looking forward to participating at Summit, hopefully as presenters, and definitely as attendees (fingers crossed for our hopeful speakers). To help get you in the mood, you can access the 15 most-viewed sessions from last year’s Virtual Summit, absolutely free.

At the time of writing, there are currently no upcoming SQLSaturday events on the calendar. But the virtual Los Angeles SQLSaturday was earlier this month, and we’re sure to see more events posted soon. As restrictions loosen and more people opt for the vaccine or otherwise feel comfortable in crowds, we’ll see more in-person events on the schedule.

Still (and maybe ironically, given our line of business), we expect a lot of events will utilize a hybrid model: in person for anyone who wants to be there, with a virtual element for anyone who wants to participate at a distance. But we’re pretty sure many are eager to be there in person.

More SQLSaturdays

Our good friend Steve Jones wrote in May, “I’m tired of virtual events. I can’t wait to see people and shake hands, get a hug, or just wave with the elbow bump.” Do you feel the same way? Host an event! In April, Steve encouraged everyone to do a SQLSaturday event this year. Why not? You can do in-person, virtual, or hybrid, and it doesn’t have to be complex. Steve suggests 2-3 tracks and 4-5 sessions each. In the May post, he even offered to help organizers find a broadcast platform if you need one, and pledged support with “small amounts of funding if needed.”

Consider this a push to get back to SQL events, if you haven’t already. At SQL Solutions Group, we’ve filled the event vacuum with a series of SQL Server webinars going back to October. Our next one is a unique offering: A virtual SQL Server Summer BBQ, with the chance to ask our pros (including a Microsoft Certified Master) your pressing SQL questions.

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Randy Knight, Founder & Principal Consultant: 

This year was my  tenth PASS Summit, and as always it was a blast. For various reasons, such as client needs and speaking at other conferences, I have missed Summit in 2017 and 2018. So it was great to come “home” again. The SQL Server community truly is #sqlfamily and it was great to reconnect with many I hadn’t seen in quite some time.

One thing that was a new experience to me was being a local, having moved to the Seattle area just a few months prior to the conference. I chose to commute, which in hindsight was a mistake. It’s just not the same experience as staying local. I didn’t do as many after parties or dinners/outings with friends as I typically have. Next year we’re in Houston so I won’t have a choice, but when in Seattle in the future I think I will stay in the conference hotel. 

As always, the networking and re-connecting with old friends is much more important to me than the content, but that was great too.  SQL Server 2019 is a great product and I look forward to using some of the new features. 

See you all next year in Houston!

Steve Rezhener, Senior Consultant: 

My experience from 2019 PASS Summit is generally positive. First and foremost, this PASS Summit event allowed me to meet with my teammates, as we had Monday and Tuesday together before the event. From the event perspective, I was surprised to see so many sponsors, especially sponsors from outside of IT.

From the content perspective, I could finally see a Microsoft vision on SQL Server transitioning from a just database engine to a Data Platform in SQL Server 2019. I also liked the progress made in Azure SQL Managed Instance that looks now (after release 1.5+ years ago) like a much powerful contender for SQL Server workloads  to a competing AWS RDS platform.

I’m also thrilled to see new and upcoming rock star speakers such as Anna Hoffman (from Microsoft) that make Microsoft Data Platform presentations entertaining and exciting.

Jared Kirkpatrick, Consultant: 

My experience from PASS 2019 is just as amazing and inspiring as all my other visits to PASS. To be around all the top engineers and SQL developers gathered in one place always sets an inspirational tone and a blessing to the craft that actually pays me to solve problems or, in my case, puzzles.

The event did not have as many vendors or attendees as I have seen in the past, but in my opinion there were more first-timers at this event since my first PASS event in 1999 in San Francisco. I was also pleased to hear that next year PASS would be hosted in the great state of Texas, so I will be looking on getting registered for that early. 

I am happy about the new progress track that was made in regards to the increase in complexity for a certain topic through the week, but I was disappointed in seeing fewer SQL development sessions, as most were dedicated toward Azure. Another great thing about PASS is all the after parties and networking with vendors and the world’s best DBAs, all in one place for meet and greets usually hosted by the many great vendors that support PASS.

Of course the best thing about PASS is not the sessions, vendors, or even the after parties (which are all great reasons to come). No, the best part is seeing my good friends that I never get to see except once a year at a magical place reserved for such reunions, which makes PASS the best for keeping up with old friends like Andy Warren  whom I have not seen since moving from Florida, and Scott Klein whom I have not seen since he took a job back at Microsoft.

Whatever moves you, there is plenty to see and do at PASS Summit, so thank you for the opportunity to be a part of PASS this year, SSG!

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You’re registered for the next SQL conference or event and are excited about expanding your SQL knowledge and skills and connecting with peers. But, even though attending is your idea (i.e., “the boss” isn’t making you go), you’re wondering how to get maximum benefit from attending—what sessions to hit, which to miss, who to network with, and how to deal with all the coffee.

We’ve got you covered with these four tips:

1. Set an overall meeting goal. If your focus for this SQL conference is on personal learning and knowledge, everything else takes a back seat. On the other hand, if your goal is to connect or reconnect with people, you can do that and not feel bad about skipping sessions. Your goal makes it easy to set priorities.
2. Network because you have something to offer, not because you want something. A 2015 Harvard Business School article reported on a study that found professional networking makes people feel dirty. If you’re not a fan of pressing the flesh, approach it differently. The author of the study says, “”If you focus on what you can offer to the relationship, it might be an important mindset to have, and remove some of those feelings of inauthenticity.” Think ahead and put yourself in a position of power because you have something to offer. And don’t forget to nurture connections you already have.
3. Be strategic with your time. Sometimes skipping a session is your best choice if it’s the only way to connect with someone at the event. When deciding on what sessions to attend, they should help further personal education or personal connections. In other words, you go for the content or you go to support or connect with the presenter, and choose them ahead of time.
4. Pace yourself. When your conference is over, you don’t want to get back to your regular work routine feeling like you need a vacation. A SQLSaturday event is a one-day affair (although most do have a pre-conference element), and attending one is not likely to burn you out. For lengthier events, make sure you get enough sleep. Use the hotel gym and get in some exercise. Dorie Clark, author of Stand Out Networking, advises skipping happy hour. After absorbing so much info, it’s important (proven science, even) to let your mind rest and process what it has learned.

There are numerous other ways to get the most out of your attendance at the next SQL conference, and these four tips are a great place to start. As for the coffee, there’s nothing wrong with a little decaf.

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Orlando in April, and then you add SQL on top of that? What’s not to like?

I’m really excited to be part of the Spring SQLIntersection event, coming up April 18-21 at the Walt Disney World Swan. SSG was an exhibitor at the Spring 2015 event, and at the Vegas event last fall, I had the pleasure of speaking.

This event is really starting to get off the ground, and the speaker line-up is definitely impressive. All the speakers bring their A-games and attendees of all levels will learn from the best. See all the sessions and workshops at the event.

For this event, I have two 300-level sessions that I hope you can attend:

Locks, Blocks, and Deadlocks, Oh My!
Managing concurrency is one of the most challenging aspects of working with any enterprise DBMS. Too many issues that manifest as performance issues are in fact concurrency management issues. There is much confusion out there about locks, blocks, and deadlocks. In this demo heavy session, I will help clear up the confusion. 

Understanding Transaction Isolation Levels
SQL Server offers several isolation levels beyond the default “READ COMMITTED”. But understanding when to use each one can be daunting. Whether you are a developer who needs to understand how isolation works and why NOLOCK is not an appropriate directive in most cases, or a seasoned DBA who needs to understand the less commonly used isolation methods, this session is for you. We will look at each level, how it impacts the engine, and examines appropriate (and inappropriate) use cases for each. We’ll also take a brief look at the In-Memory OLTP feature introduced in SQL 2014 and greatly enhanced in 2016 and how that fits into the mix.

We have a lot of fun in my sessions and my listeners learn a lot too.

So come to Orlando. Bring the whole family and let them play with Mickey and Goofy while you imbibe mass quantities of SQL goodness. And, I’ll even save you $50 off your registration. Just use the promo code KNIGHT and you’ll see a reduction on your final cost. You’re welcome!

Register now!

The post SQLIntersection In Orlando–Why Wouldn’t You? appeared first on SQL Solutions Group.

The day started off with Ben Miller talking about PowerShell.

Next up, SSG founder Randy Knight addressed Isolation Levels, Locking, and Deadlocking.

Following Randy, my subject was SQL Injection, Referential Integrity (including optimizations that SQL Server can make when referential integrity is in place), and demonstrating the performance aspects of the various types of functions.

Jason Brimhall concluded the day with the topic of Extended Events.

As one attendee shared, “Great presentations! I learned a lot. Especially that NOLOCK is bad!”

At the end of the day, SSG gave away some prizes. Kevin Barnett and Delfin Esposo each walked away with a copy of the book SQL Server T-SQL Recipes, co-authored by SSG MCMs Jason Brimhall and me. James Rzepka won the coveted year of Amazon Prime/Amazon Fire tablet combo.

All of us at SQL Solutions Group had a wonderful time doing this FreeCon, and we hope that we can make this an annual event.

Pictures are courtesy of Slava Murygin (@SlavaSQL), who spent the entire week running around taking pictures of everything SQL related during this week of the PASS Summit. He described our FreeCon as a “world class SQL learning event.” Thanks, Slava!

The post SQL Solutions Group’s 5th Anniversary FreeCon appeared first on SQL Solutions Group.

This SSG “FreeCon” is scheduled to coincide with the 2015 PASS Summit, and will feature four 90-minute training sessions from SSG’s Microsoft Certified Masters—Randy Knight, Jason Brimhall, Wayne Sheffield, and Ben Miller.

“All of us love sharing our knowledge and helping others learn more about SQL Server,” said Knight, founder of SQL Solutions Group. “I started this company five years ago, and hosting an all-day ‘freecon’ seemed like a great way for us to give something back to the SQL community. We’re proud to host this event in connection with PASS Summit.”

The FreeCon sessions are:

• “Code Smells for the Consultant”
• “A Masters Passport to Extended Events”
• “Practical Powershell for the DBA”
• “Transaction Isolation Levels, Locking and Deadlocking”

The FreeCon starts at 9 a.m. Oct 27th at the Hyatt Place Seattle Downtown, 110 6th Avenue N. Registration is online at https://bit.ly/SSGSummit15. There are two registration options: including lunch, for a nominal fee, or those needing schedule flexibility can enter the promotion code “nolunch” for a completely free option.

# # #

About SQL Solutions Group
SQL Solutions Group is a Microsoft-certified, full-service SQL Server consultancy with four Microsoft Certified Masters on staff. SSG helps firms better manage their information, specializing in system analysis, architecture, performance tuning, and integration, working on-site or remotely, full-time or as-needed. SSG is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The post SQL Solutions Group Marks 5th Anniversary with SQL FreeCon appeared first on SQL Solutions Group.

The workshops that we will be presenting are:

Code Smells for the Consultant (which I’ll be presenting)

Throughout my career, I’ve seen developers do some pretty crazy things to databases ( I know because I come from a developer background). Come to this session to learn both what I (and SSG) look for and why it’s bad for the database (or your career), and alternatives that can be used. Some of the topics that I will discuss include; how coding mistakes open up the database for SQL Injection attacks, how coding choices can slow down the server, and how design choices keep SQL Server dumb ( if SQL Server was allowed to be smart, it would be faster!). Trust me, your DBA will love you for identifying and fixing these code smells.

A Masters Passport to Extended Events (presented by Jason Brimhall)

As is commonly the case, all good things come to an end.  And now is as good a time as any for the use of SQL Trace and Profiler to come to an end.  Let’s face it, Trace was a good tool and had some wonderful uses.  Profiler for that matter was a good tool and was useful at times.

It is time to let those old tools retire gracefully and move into the world of XE.  This workshop will provide you the means to let Profiler and Trace be retired from your toolset as you discover all that XE has to offer.

This focused session on Extended Events will help prepare you to put this tool to immediate use as you walk back to your daily duties.  This workshop will teach you about Extended Events starting with the basics and moving through to some specific XE sessions that I would use to troubleshoot in a client environment – while doing so with minimal impact.

You will be exposed to advanced troubleshooting techniques as we work through complex issues that are made easier through the use of XE.  Take advantage of this opportunity to dive into the world of Extended Events and learn how you can make best use of this tool in your SQL 2008+ environment.

You can read the rest of this article over here.

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I take a certain amount of pride in having a great-looking lawn, and achieving that without using one of those lawn care companies. As I’ve given my attention to caring for my grass, one thing that has become quite obvious to me in recent years is that, to get weeds (mostly dandelions), you just have to do…nothing. While I have to work at having an attractive, groomed lawn, the weeds pop up all on their own. That means I need to be proactive and take steps to fight the weeds. Otherwise, they’ll take over.

What do weeds have to do with SQL Server?

One thing that has really impressed me about the SQL community is the regular schedule of SQLSaturday, user group, and other similar events all over the planet that give people the chance to further their SQL skills and knowledge. Events like these go a long way to preventing the mental weeds of ignorance, apathy, or complacency. Attending events and keeping up on your knowledge and technique is great not just for the here-and-now, but could also do wonders for your long-term career outlook.

So take my advice: don’t let the weeds win. Take advantage of these events. Many highly qualified and highly knowledgeable SQL experts are ready to help you. Be proactive, and get involved with SQL events. There is bound to be one happening near you soon. And there’s a good chance you’ll see us there too!

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For those of our team who frequently speak at SQLSaturday events (pretty much all of the consultants), it’s doubly exciting to share insights, experiences and best practices. The collaboration in the SQL community really is hard to beat. We’re proud to also sponsor these events from time to time.

“The SQL Server community is very active and thriving, populated by knowledgeable, friendly people dedicated to helping each other,” says Mike Tutor, Senior Consultant at SSG. Mike will be speaking at the Sacramento SQLSaturday event on July 12. “SQL Saturday events are great places to network and share ideas and lessons learned.”

So what is SQLSaturday? According to the PASS SQLSaturday website, the “program provides the tools and knowledge needed for groups and event leaders to organize and host a free day [!] of training for SQL Server professionals.”

Ben Miller, Principal Consultant at SSG, says,

Why SQLSaturday? SQLSaturday is a way to connect with the local SQL Server Community and network with true peers. It is a 1 day event that is free and provides some great training for SQL Server Professionals. I love to network and share the information that I have learned not only from my jobs, but from others that are willing to share with me through the community. I go to every event I can and even to the point to pay my way to get there to speak. I love the SQL Server Community.

On most Saturdays of the year, you can find a SQLSaturday event happening somewhere—in North America or around the globe, providing training—from beginner to advanced—covering a wide variety of SQL Server subjects. Many events also include a pre-conference event the Friday before. These are deeper, half- or full-day explorations of given topics and involve a fee.

Wayne Sheffield, Principal Consultant at SSG, is very passionate about SQLSaturday:

As an attendee, it’s all about the training. It’s free, and somewhat close to your neighborhood. The variety of topics cover all aspects of SQL Server – from performance, to covering specific in-depth topics, and just how-to-do-things in all areas of SQL: overall SQL, SSRS, SSAS, SSIS, queries, analysis, feature comparisons, how to use new features. If you examine the topics that have been presented at the various SQL Saturdays, you will find someone has spoken about whatever topic you might be interested in. This truly is a mini-PASS summit, just down the street and around the corner. And did I mention that it’s free? If you care about SQL Server, then it is literally a no-brainer… if there is a SQL Saturday within an hour of you, then you should be there. (I regularly see folks not presenting that have traveled 3 hours or more to attend.)

As a presenter, there are several reasons that I go to SQLSaturdays to speak:

1. When I first started out in SQL Server, I had a lot of help from the SQL community. Now that I’m in the position where I am, it’s time for me to pay it back and help others. Now that I’ve started speaking, I pay it forward by helping others out…who in turn eventually help others and possibly start speaking themselves. There literally is nothing like seeing the spark in someone’s eyes when they “get it” – seeing this is very addicting as a speaker.
2. Enhance my game.
   1. Speaking: Believe it or not, when I first started speaking, I was petrified. Well, I’d have to improve a bunch to only be petrified. Now, I’m actually comfortable when I get up to speak. And I get to solicit the feedback from other national speakers on how best to improve my presentations.
   2. Knowledge: there is nothing like speaking on a topic to make you research it to death and consequently learn every nook and cranny about that topic. You can’t know too much about SQL Server.
3. Networking / Community associations: By presenting, I am going to a lot more SQL Saturdays than I would otherwise. This leads to running into a portion of the same group of fellow speakers at various events. It truly is a bit #SQLFamily – we get to catch up with each other, both on a personal level and in a SQL Server level. And attending all of these exposes me to even more and more people – people that I network with and become part of the community. You can’t have too many friends, and you never know when one of them will provide you with your dream job.

Anyone involved in SQL Server should take full advantage of these events. Chances are very good that you’ll find an event close to you during the year. And if you attend a SQLSaturday event where we’re speaking, come say hello!

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