Mar-2012 ~ SQL Server 2012 Special Ops Tour ~ SQL PASS

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March 28, 2012 1:30 PM – 5:15 PM

Microsoft
201 Jones Road, Sixth Floor
Waltham, Massachusetts 02451

 

The time to activate is now. In anticipation of the upcoming launch of Microsoft SQL Server 2012, we’re engaging in a pre-launch tour especially for DBAs. Be a part of this highly anticipated event! Join us for our 12-city road tour where Microsoft experts and local DBAs will show you the power of SQL Server 2012.

At the Tour stop in your city, you will:

  • Dive deep into the tools, solutions and options that will enable mission critical confidence at a low TCO
  • Discover breakthrough insight with pervasive data discovery
  • Learn options to create & scale your current business solutions by managing the cloud on your terms
  • Preview RC0 with tips and tricks to help you succeed, & build your learning plan for certification
  • Secure your credentials. Block your calendars. This one you won’t want to miss.

This free event is sponsored by SQL PASS and Microsoft. Registration can be done here.

Mar-2012 ~ T-SQL Deployment and Continuous Integration ~ Grant Fritchey

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Presenter: Grant Fritchey
Topic: T-SQL Deployment and Continuous Integration
Downloads: Slides

 

While most T-SQL developers focus on writing quality T-SQL code and efficient queries, what they often forget is how it should best be deployed. This includes deployment of new applications, as well as upgrades and bug fixes. In this session, you will learn many best practices involving the principles of continuous integration, such as maintaining a code repository, automating builds, self-testing, auditing, automated deployment, and much more. This session is designed for both DBA administrators and developers who want to optimize their T-SQL deployment process.

Biography:

Grant Fritchey is a SQL Server MVP with over 20 years of experience in IT, including time spent in support and development. He has worked with SQL Server since 6.0, back in 1995. He has developed in VB, VB.NET, C# and Java. Grant volunteers at PASS and is past president of the Southern New England SQL Server Users Group (SNESSUG). He has authored books for Apress and Simple-Talk and joined Red Gate Software as a Product Evangelist in January 2011. He blogs at www.scarydba.com.

Feb-2012 ~ Policy based management ~ Scott Abrants

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Presenter: Scott Abrants
Topic: Policy based management with SQL Server 2008 R2
Downloads: Slides

 

Policy Based Management – A tool to manage consistency across an environment Have you found yourself tasked with managing settings and environment definitions across a large pool of SQL Server 2008 servers and felt overwhelmed with where to start? Do changes in your environment go unnoticed and have a ripple effect within your application stack? Do you find developers and others not following standards time and time again even with the best process definitions and promises in place?

Then you will benefit from understanding a powerful feature tucked neatly within SQL Server 2008; Policy Based Management. Scott Abrants will provide a clean overview of this management tool along with some demonstrations that help explain its usage in action. If you are tasked with managing one or several hundred servers you owe it to yourself to know this tool is a viable option to server based management.

Biography:

I have worked in the IT field for over 20 years. Most of that time has been spent immersed in the database technologies discipline. After graduating from Bryant University with a degree in MIS, I began by seriously cutting my teeth with Microsoft’s SQL Server 6.5 and have never looked back. I am currently employed by a SaaS provider that takes in point-of-sales data, scrubs it, cubes that data, and presents it to the end user; the Microsoft stack is heavily relied upon as part of that solution. I have written several SQL Server related articels and maintain an active presence within the SQL Server user communities. I am one of the founding officers of the Southern New England SQL Server Users Group as well as a past president. I very much enjoy presenting at those meetings whenever I can. My passion is what drives me. I have a knack for understanding not only the technical details surrounding data but also how that data impacts the business decisions that drive a company. I enjoy being involved in the whole picture, from end user business requirements discussions to determining the overall architecture. My biggest drive is knowing that I make a difference.

I am the proud father of two smart and beautiful daughters. I enjoy spending time with them and learning to see the world through their eyes. My wife Brenda has been my rock and my biggest advocate and for that I am forever grateful. In my spare time I also enjoy remote control car racing, MMO gaming, and hockey.

Jan-2012 ~ Operational mistakes to avoid ~ Mike Hillwig

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Presenter: Mike Hillwig
Topic: Operational mistakes to avoid
Downloads: Slides

How often do you launch a remote desktop session to your SQL Server? And how often do you ALTER a TABLE during peak hours? These can cause performance problems. Mike Hillwig has a top ten (and growing!) list of operational mistakes to avoid and will help you understand why you should avoid them. And in many cases, he will show you how to work around them.

Biography:

Mike Hillwig is a 15-year IT veteran, having spent the last ten in the world of databases. He works as a contract DBA for a Boston-based provider of software and cloud-based solutions for the financial industry where he manages customer database environments. He specializes in making these environments grow and scale, where he believes that consistency and sanity are very closely linked.

Outside of work, he is an avid blogger, a passionate cook, and dad to two Rescue Pugs, Reggie and Ruby.