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

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!

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

#TSQL2SDAY – Data Modeling Gone Wrong

Here we are again, time for TSQL2sDay. This is actually the 72nd one, that is long enough to finance and pay off a car these days. This month our gracious host is none other than Mickey Stuewe ( BLOG | TWITTER ) and she’s asked us to tell a story about Data Modeling Gone Wrong. I have to say that I really no nothing about a data model going wrong. Now hold on I am not done yet. You are wondering WTH?! is this girl still sick? Has she lost her marbles? I’ve never had these issues because:

Reasons Applications Egos

 

Reasons

First of all, you have to . . . → Read More: #TSQL2SDAY – Data Modeling Gone Wrong

5 Simple things I forget about SSRS – Multi Select Parameters

For some reason whenever I get to working on a report I am really irritated at how I “forget” that SSRS doesn’t handle multi-select parameters at all. I am irritated at myself for pushing this horrid fact from my brain, my reluctance to remember or maybe that the painful truth is a coping mechanism or I am just in denial–maybe it’s been fixed.. Then I am reminded how Microsoft failed us by not making this an actual feature. I feel the writing has been on the wall for a while now SSRS is a fading technology. I do however know that there will be SSRS servers running for years to . . . → Read More: 5 Simple things I forget about SSRS – Multi Select Parameters

5 Simple things I always forget about SSRS – Custom Color Palette

There are spells where I am inside SSRS daily and then there are some stretches of time where I wrapped up doing other things and don’t see SSRS for months on end. I always seem “surprised” when I forget some of SSRS’s behaviors. I am sure sometimes I am just pushing the bad out of my head and other times it might be that I just don’t use it often enough to keep that info close to the top of my stack. So I decided that I should start a small blog series as a gentle reminder to myself and maybe along the way it will help someone else.

Custom . . . → Read More: 5 Simple things I always forget about SSRS – Custom Color Palette

I’m not that kind of smart

AKA: Why I haven’t gotten certified.

I have never really been one to worry about how many acronyms you could tag after your name. And to be quite honest it never really mattered to me how big those letters actually were, because at the end of the day you put your pants on the same way I do every single morning. But that isn’t what I want to post about.

I have been asked before why I don’t spend some of this current free time working on getting certified. All this time I have deferred the question and made up excuses I really never thought it through until recently. Last . . . → Read More: I’m not that kind of smart

Countdown to PASS Summit 2014

Just in case you needed a gentle reminder.

 

Time till 1st meeting (Volunteer Meeting Room 2AB)

 

 

Time till Summit Kick-Off (Welcome Reception)

HELLO CLEVELAND!!!!

I swear next year I will get through the holidays with more grace and origination!

So I just wanted to share with the entire world that I will be presenting at SQLSaturday Cleveland. Yes we fly out Friday the 7th and return on Sunday the 9th. I have booked the hotel and car the only thing left is to figure out how we get to and from the airport. If you are looking for something to do come see me Saturday the 8th as I present “45 min to your first SSRS Report”. Fun thing is I am going to try and do the entire presentation from my Microsoft Surface . . . → Read More: HELLO CLEVELAND!!!!

VOTE!

This to me is one of those fundamental rights that Americans choose to ignore. Not only do they ignore this right by not voting they vote uninformed, based on what their neighbor, family member or news add told them. People believe the craziest things in my opinion. I have been a very stubborn, bull headed and determined person my entire life. Some of that comes from the women folk side of my family and the rest of it purely out of not wanting to fit in. Once I discovered that you don’t have to belong to a political party to vote and that you can vote for anyone on the . . . → Read More: VOTE!