For several months I’ve been eyeing a replacement for my aging Surface Pro 2. Although I’ve been pretty happy with this tablet PC, it’s got a few limitations – most notably, it doesn’t have enough horsepower to run most of my demos. Because I do a lot of travel and presenting on the road, I really need to have a…
Humans are creatures of habit, and I suspect that engineering/technical types are even more so. We find something that works and tend to stick with it, sometimes neglecting to occasionally experiment with new tools or methods. The mantra of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” becomes the defense for standing by what we know works just fine. There is…
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I read a book entitled The Phoenix Project. This book has been in my Kindle library for some time, but only this weekend did I make time to read it – and I’m glad I did. The story centers around a guy who is more or less forced out of his comfort zone and into a…
Today is the second day of the SQL PASS Summit in Seattle, Washington. I’ll be live blogging today’s keynote address. This post will be updated throughout the keynote. Don’t forget you can watch the live stream on PASS TV. Adam Jorgensen, current EVP of finance (and future president) of PASS shares about the financial status of the organization. Revenue has…
Today, I’ll be live blogging the SQL PASS 2015 keynote. Today is the third day of the PASS Summit, and the first day with regular sessions. Everything shown in the keynote will also be streamed on PASS TV. As a logistical note, I’ll be updating this post throughout the keynote. PASS president Tom LaRock kicks things off by recognizing existing…
Last week I hosted a webinar in which I reviewed some of the coming changes for SQL Server Integration Services in SQL Server 2016. The current beta of SSIS 2016 has some exciting new features that I think you’ll like. The recording of that webinar is below. Enjoy!
If you are looking for some end-of-year training before the new budget year rolls around, consider joining Andy Leonard and me in the Washington, DC area for our 4-day Advanced SSIS classroom training course. This course will be held December 7-10 in Reston, VA (just outside of DC). I’ve recorded a brief intro below to give you a glimpse into…
I’m happy to announce a new, full-day class in the Dallas area next month. I’ll be presenting my Building Better SSIS Packages course on Friday, October 2nd at the Microsoft campus in Irving, Texas. This course is a preconference seminar for SQL Saturday Dallas, which will be held in Arlington, Texas the following day (October 3). Registration is open for…
In just two short months – exactly sixty days from today – the SQL PASS Summit will begin. Although it’s still a couple of months away, this is a great time to start making preparations to ensure that you get the most out of your Summit experience. Download and install the latest SQL Server 2016 CTP bits. Even if you’re…
What is permissible is not always honorable. – Marcus Tullius Cicero Rules. Best practices. Guidelines. Design patterns. Policies. All are good and necessary, and you’ll rarely find anyone who will argue against the need to establish boundaries and set expectations. But can adherence to rules and design patterns be taken too far? I believe it can. The Rules Gone Amok:…