Summit 2017

Well here we are that time of year again, FALL and full up pumpkin spice. But more importantly it’s time to make your plans for PASS Summit 2017. Kerry had a work requirement to write a bunch of blog post so I have unfortunately given him a loot of my good ideas. But I still have some good advice.

What to pack A jacket that is good for rain and cold. Make sure it has plenty of pockets to hold all your goodies. I’ve actually sewn extra pockets on the inside of 2 jacket. DON’T bring an umbrella. There is no where to stow then and a PITA to contend . . . → Read More: Summit 2017

Inside SQLSaturday – The Schedule

So in the previous post we discovered how each SQLSaturday gets sessions for their event; if you missed reading that, the short answer is that it is all up to the speakers in the #SQLCommunity. Now we are going to figure out how schedules are made.

How many sessions do we choose?

Well, some events select every speaker and just build out a schedule from there. Some events use a different method; this is the most common way: # of predicted attendees /number of seats in a room = # of rooms needed, and then # of rooms * # of time slots = # of sessions needed. The second . . . → Read More: Inside SQLSaturday – The Schedule

Inside SQLSaturday – Sessions

I had planned on titling this “Mommy, where do SQLSaturday Sessions come from?”; but since I already had this series going I thought I would stick to the proper format.

Speakers: Where do they come from?

Every SQLSaturday is hosted on the PASS SQLSaturday website. When an event goes live, there is generally a couple hours until some 2000+ emails are sent out to ALL folks that have ever presented at a SQLSaturday. Since these events can go live anywhere from 6 months to 180 days before the event it is hard sometimes for speakers to remember when an event is. This also means that we get emails for EVERY . . . → Read More: Inside SQLSaturday – Sessions

Inside SQLSaturday – Who and How

So it has become obvious over the years that attendees are pretty much in the dark when it comes to the inner workings of a SQLSaturday event. I am going to work on this series again only this time for attendees. We’ve started the process of organizing SQLSatNash 2018 so it’s a good time to write as we go through the process. Today I want to fill in the blanks of WHO and HOW.

WHO?

Have you ever wondered who organizes a SQLSaturday event? How they got that job? Well every event has a different who and there is no one from Pass directly involved with an event. Pass provides . . . → Read More: Inside SQLSaturday – Who and How

Disaster Recovery for Speakers

I have seen a few comments and remarks being thrown around about speakers doing a bad job because a demo failed or a machined crashed when getting plugged into a display adapter. I wonder why these IT professionals making said remarks still have day jobs, I mean clearly they are 100% awesome and everything always works. Surely they have more important things to do. PFFFT!

So I recently blogged about melting down and losing a machine. I had my slides & my data all backed up on OneDrive or still in email. So there was really only getting everything together and having the NEW MACHINE ready to present. That only . . . → Read More: Disaster Recovery for Speakers

Indianapolis, United States

Well here we are it’s August already. I have been slow to start on SQLSaturday events and have IMO missed some great ones. Hopefully next year will come easier.

I am traveling to my home state of Indiana to present at #SQLSatIndy on August 12. I will be doing my new presentation “Reduce your DBA (& DEV) task list by using Microsoft BI tools” just before lunch. I am evolving this session as I go along, trying to incorporate ideas the class comes up with.

Hope and John do an awesome job for this event. This year they have brought back their beginner track. This track is open to anyone . . . → Read More: Indianapolis, United States

Columbus, United States here I come

Yes folks for the second year in a row I will be traveling to COLUMBUS OHIO for #SQLSat653. I am really excited to be visiting them again this year.

If this is your first visit to Columbus I have to recommend you visit the zoo. It is an awesome zoo with a lot of walking but most of it is shaded by natural walkways. Do it!

If you are new here SQLSaturday is a one day free training event for data professionals. These events are organized by volunteers and the speakers pay their own way. It is a great opportunity to get a day full of free #sqllearning and . . . → Read More: Columbus, United States here I come

Chattanooga here I come!

I am so honored to be speaking at SQLSaturday Chattanooga again this year. This is going to be a great trip! Sadly it is my first speaking event this year, we were a little side tracked with other things. We will be traveling from Arrington with Dean, Stacia, Tess, Cricket and Mimi. In a shocking twist we are not leaving early but we are staying late! Yup not leaving till Monday morning. We need to figure something out to do Sunday, but I am sure we will manage.

So what am I presenting on? Uh….well it’s a new session. Much like my 45 minutes till your first SSRS report, this . . . → Read More: Chattanooga here I come!

Local Venues

It seems to me that every time I turn around someone is looking for a venue to do something. Either a small party or a small meeting. Since I have just gone through looking for locations for both I thought I would share what I currently know about the local area.

Sportsman Grill Back room holds 40. Day min $300 night $400. Can limit menu choices. Has TV and you can connect to it. $$$$$$$$ weekends. Stoney River 3 rooms hold 30 each, 2 of them together 60. $2400 min Has TV JJ Wine bar Holds 20 people Connors 50 people 72” TV Lunch $300 min S-Thur $1500 min, $200 . . . → Read More: Local Venues

Great Things from Pass Summit 2016

I have been home from Pass Summit 2016 for less than two days and needed to express some of the greatness last week had. First I’d like to share something personal; I had the great fortune of padding a few days before and a few days after the Summit for some fun and sight seeing. I got to visit Woodinville one day on both weekends and it was pretty amazing. If you want to skip and get to just the news click here.

On our first trip we met Kevin White at his winery. There were 2 things that made visiting with him so memorable. Currently in Washington everyone is . . . → Read More: Great Things from Pass Summit 2016