Brad M McGehee

SQLServerCentral.com Track Offered at 2012 SQL Server Connections in Las Vegas this Fall

As we have done for the last several years, SQLServerCentral.com will be offering its own track at SQL Server Connections (a part of the greater DevConnections event) in Las Vegas, NV, October 29 – November 1, 2012, at the Bellagio Hotel. This is in addition to the SQL Server tracks that are being chaired by Paul Randal and Kimberly Tripp.

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Enter the 2012 Exceptional DBA of the Year Awards

I was just at SQLRally in Dallas, and I was speaking to a DBA friend of mine over lunch. He made the comment that his manager thought he spent too much time at work taking care of the organization’s data. He told me that he spent so much time at his job because he wanted to ensure that the data was properly cared for. Now that is what I call an exceptional DBA. Here is a DBA that thinks protecting the organization’s data is more important than does his manager. And on top of this, this particular DBA donates a lot of his free time to the SQL Serve community. When I asked why he spent so much time helping out with the community, he said it was to help pay back for all of the help he had received from the SQL Server community over the years. What a DBA!

It is exceptional DBAs like this who need to be recognized by their peers, and they can by entering the 2012 Exceptional DBA of the Year Awards. These awards are hosted by SQLServerCentral.com, and sponsored by Red Gate Software.

If you think you are an exceptional DBA, you can nominate yourself for the award. Or if you know of an exceptional DBA, you can nominate them. Either way, to be recognized as an exceptional DBA, you must enter.

Once you are nominated (by yourself or another), your application will be reviewed by four judges: Steve Jones, Grant Fritchey, Rodney Landrum, and Brad McGehee. The judges will then select five finalists. Then these five finalists will be voted on by the SQL Server community, and the judges, to select the 2012 Exceptional DBA of the Year Award.

The award includes:

• An award plaque
• Being featured on the Simple-Talk website
• Full conference registration for the 2012 PASS Summit
• Four nights hotel accommodations
• $300 towards travel expenses
• A license for the SQL DBA Bundle with 36 months of support and upgrades.

For more information on the award, and to nominate yourself or another, check out www.exceptionaldba.com.

Favorite DBA Books

In the April 2012 Question of the Month, I asked readers to tell me their favorite DBA books. I have compiled the results, and below are the most popular books my blog’s readers picked. If you are looking for a good SQL Server book to learn from, then you might want to consider reading one or more of them. Click on the image to find out more about the book.

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May Question: How soon will you begin implementing SQL Server 2012?

Now that SQL Server 2012 has been released, this month’s question is “How soon will you begin implementing SQL Server 2012?” If you have done so already, share with us your experience. If you will be waiting to implement 2012, tell us why.

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.

When Will You Upgrade to SQL Server 2012?

This is a reprint from my editorial in Database Weekly. Also, check out the May Question of the Month, as it is also directly related to this topic.

Often when I speak at user groups and conferences, I ask attendees what versions of SQL Server they are running. As you may expect, I hear from attendees who are running the entire gamut of SQL Server versions, from SQL Server 6.5 up to SQL Server 2012. While it is an unscientific poll, it seems that most people are still running SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2008.

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SQL Server 2012 & SharePoint Connections to be Held in Kongresshaus Berchtesgaden in May

Red Gate Software and SQLServerCentral.com will be one of the sponsors for the upcoming SQL Server 2012 & SharePoint Connections to be held in Kongresshaus Berchtesgaden, Germany, May 8-9, 2012.

The SQL Server 2012 and SharePoint Connections conference agenda brings  together more than 40 top-ranking experts from Microsoft, along with leading independent presenters to deliver in-depth sessions on how to succeed with SharePoint and SQL Server based on real life production deployments with the latest hot news from Microsoft’s biggest launch this year for SQL Server 2012.

The event will include a SQLServerCentral.com track consisting of six sessions from two SQL Server MVPs that I selected to participate in the track: Constantin Klein and Satya Jayanty. Their sessions include:

Constantin Klein

• New T-SQL Features in SQL Server 2012
• SQL Server for Developers
• Fun Managing Documents with SQL Server

Satya Jayanty

• Upgrading SQL Server: Tools and Best Practices
• DMVs – Best of the Bunch. Troubleshoot Your Data Platform Like a Pro
• SQL Server High Availability Concepts and Solution Guidance: 2008 R2 & 2012

April Question: What’s your favorite DBA book, and why?

Over and over again, I get asked which DBA books I recommend. With this in mind, this month’s qustion is “What’s your favorite DBA book, and why?” Share with us your favorite book titles, authors, and why you like them. You can list more than one favorite book if you like.

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.

SQL in the City: Free SQL Server Event in London

Red Gate Software has announced “SQL in the City: London,” to be held on Friday, July 13, 2012, at the One Wimpole Street Conference Center, London England. This one day, free 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.

Some of the speakers speakers slated to attend include Brad M McGehee, Steve Jones, Grant Fritchey, Dave Ballantyne, Noemi Moreno, Dennis Lloyd Junior, among many others.

All SQL Server DBAs and Developers are welcome to attend this free event, but registration is limited, so be sure to sign up soon if you are planning to attend.

To find out more about this event, and how to register, visit www.sqlinthecity.com.