Brad M McGehee

Southwest Missouri SQL Server Users Group to Have First Meeting in October

The Southwest Missouri SQL Server Users Group (SWMOSSUG) is dedicated to providing SQL Server Education and Career Guidance for IT professionals. While the group focuses on DBAs, T-SQL Developers, and BI Professionals, anyone who works with SQL Server is invited to attend. Membership is free.

SWMOSSUG is a chapter of The Professional Association of SQL Server (PASS). www.sqlpass.org

The group will have its first meeting on Tuesday, October 9, 2012, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the Springfield Library Center.

The group will also have a meeting on Tuesday, November 13, 2012, from 6:00 – 8:00 PM at the Springfield Library Center. Please mark your calendars for both events.

The first meeting will be a time for everyone to introduce themselves, an opportunity for attendees to ask SQL Server and career-related questions, and there will be a discussion on the best way to manage the group. If you would like to volunteer to be a leader, this will be your opportunity. There will also be a short technical presentation.

If you know of anyone who works with SQL Server and in lives in the Springfield, MO area, please invite them to attend.

Meeting Info

Topic: How the SQL Server Transaction Log Works

This is the first meeting, so we will also be discussing how to best organize the chapter. Also, this will be your opportunity to volunteer to help run the chapter.

Speaker: Brad M McGehee. Brad is a SQL Server MVP and has been a SQL Server DBA for about 18 years.

Date: Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Time: 6:00 PM – 8 PM

Location: Springfield Library Center, Room B, 4653 South Campbell Avenue Springfield, MO 65810

Website URL:  http://swmossug.sqlpass.org/Home.aspx

At the End of One Chapter and the Beginning of a New Chapter

I have been told by hundreds of DBAs that I have the best DBA job in the world as Director of DBA Education for Red Gate Software. And this has been very true. In the five plus years I have been with Red Gate I have traveled over 500,000 miles (breaking the million mile record on my frequent flyer program), slept in hotel rooms for just over 450 days, and given 154 presentations to over 10,300 people in six different countries. I have written four books, hundreds of blog posts and articles, and personally met thousands of DBAs. My face has been on millions of banner ads impressions, posters, and books, and of course, last year I had the most unusual experience of my life when I “starred” in a the DBA in Space videos. Being filmed by a professional film crew and working with a real actress will probably be the most unusual thing I will have ever done in my life. The last five plus years with Red Gate has been a wonderful ride, and a great opportunity to participate as an active member of the SQL Server family.

Continue reading this post »

July Question: If you could pick your manager, what ideal qualities would he or she have?

I think all of us have had poor, good, and great managers at one time or another in our career. So this month’s question is “If you could pick your manager, what ideal qualities would he or she have?” Not only tell us what you think a manager’s ideal qualities are, but tell us why you think they are important.

Post your responses to the SQL Server Question of the Month in the comments section below (at www.bradmcgehee.com if you are viewing this from a syndicated newsfeed). And don’t forget to enter your e-mail address when you post your response, so I can contact you if you win.

Because there is no right or wrong answer, this month’s winner will be selected randomly from all the entries that are received.

Exceptional DBA Awards 2012

Reprinted from my editorial in the Simple-Talk Newsletter.

It’s hard to believe, but it was five years ago that Red Gate Software started sponsoring the Exceptional DBA of the Year Awards. The award, which was inspired by my book: How to Become an Exceptional DBA, has uncovered a number of DBAs who might otherwise not have ever been publically recognized for their skills as master DBAs.

Continue reading this post »

Do You Document Your SQL Server Instances?

When I was a novice DBA, I spent little time documenting my SQL Servers. But as I became more experienced, I realized the importance of having complete, up-to-date documentation for all of the SQL Servers I manage.

Some of the benefits of documentation include: 1) It is easier and quicker to find information when needed, especially if it is located in a central location; 2) Not having to reinvent the wheel every time I need to resolve a problem that I had solved in the past, but now have forgotten; 3) Being kept aware of what other DBAs are doing to the instance; 4) Helping to establish “standards” that can be used throughout the organization; 5) Additional information to help when troubleshooting problems; 6) The ability to duplicate an existing server, such as when you need to move an instance from one box to another; 7) For disaster recovery when you need to rebuild a new box to replace one that has died and can’t be rebuilt; among many other reasons.

Continue reading this post »

June Question: Which DMV(s) do you most often use when managing your SQL Server instances, and why?

Dynamic Management Objects (DMVs and DMFs) are some of the most useful tools for the DBA. So this month’s question is “Which DMV(s) do you most often use when managing your SQL Server instances, and why?” While the question uses the more generic DMV terminology, go ahead and tell us about your favorite DMVs and DMFs.

Post your responses to the SQL Server Question of the Month in the comments section below (at www.bradmcgehee.com if you are viewing this from a syndicated newsfeed). And don’t forget to enter your e-mail address when you post your response, so I can contact you if you win.

Because there is no right or wrong answer, this month’s winner will be selected randomly from all the entries that are received.

The SQL in the City US Tour

If you haven’t heard yet, Red Gate Software is sponsoring a six city tour of the United States of its SQL in the City conference. This one day free conference will be held at the following cities.

• New York, NY: Friday, September 28, 2012
• Austin, TX: Monday, October 1, 2012
• San Francisco, CA: Wednesday, October 3, 2012
• Chicago, IL: Friday, October 5, 2012
• Boston, MA: Monday, October 8, 2012
• Seattle, WA: Monday 5, November 2012 (the day before PASS starts)

Each event includes five different sessions in each of three different tracks: Database Administration Track, Developer Track, and the Red Gate Track. Sessions will not only cover general SQL Server topics, but attendees will also have the opportunity to attend Red Gate tool specific sessions in order to learn more about how to become more productive DBAs.

Not only will Grant Fritchey, Steve Jones, and myself will be speaking, but other well-known DBAs will also be speaking. The final speaker and session list will be posted on the website soon.

You may want to register soon, as each venue is limited to only 300 attendees. Visit www.sqlinthecity.com to register.

SQL Server 2012 Certifications Revamped

Reprinted from my Database Weekly editorial.

Forget what you thought you knew about SQL Server certification, as Microsoft has completely redesigned the SQL Server 2012 certification program, making is more difficult, costly, and time-consuming to attain. In addition, whether you like it or not, not only will you need to know how to administer SQL Server (which is of course fully expected), you will also have to become familiar with how SQL Server interacts with the Cloud (Microsoft’s Cloud) and Data Warehousing. If you are not up on the Cloud or Data Warehousing, you will have a lot of preparation work ahead of you. The new exams will become available starting in June 2012.

Continue reading this post »