Aug-2012 ~ Bad Habits and Best Practices ~ Aaron Bertrand

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Presenter: Aaron Bertrand
Topic: Bad Habits and Best Practices
Downloads:Slides

 

In this session we will go over several bad habits that are quite pervasive in the SQL Server community, and show with demos and samples why these habits can be bad.


We’ll also illustrate some good habits that are less common and why they should be adopted.

The goal is to have every user in the room walk away with immediately actionable knowledge to improve their existing stored procedures, raise their overall T-SQL skill, and change the way they think about writing code.

Biography:

I thoroughly enjoy my position as Senior Consultant for SQL Sentry, makers of Performance Advisor, Event Manager and the free Plan Explorer – all tools geared to helping customers get the most out of SQL Server.

I have been working with SQL Server for 15 years, and do my best to share my knowledge and experience with the community via sqlblog.com, speaking at dozens of community events, and answering questions in online forums and through the twitter hashtag #sqlhelp.

Jul-2012 ~ Introduction to Extended Events ~ Brandon Leach

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Presenter: Brandon Leach
Topic: Introduction to Extended Events

 

Profiler is a clunky old tool. In this session we will take a look at Extended Events in SQL Server 2008 and 2012. We’ll start by discussing the various components and compare and contrast extended events with profiler. Then we’ll move move on to creating our own events that you can start using right away!

Biography:

Brandon Leach is a DBA for Network Health in Medford, MA. He’s been working with SQL Server since version 2000 as a developer and DBA.

Jun-2012 ~ Full Text Indexing Basics ~ John Miner

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Presenter: John Miner
Topic: Full Text Indexing Basics
Downloads: Slides

 

Today’s large data fields (LDF) are full of unstructured information stored in varchar, text, varbinary or xml data types. How do you write an application to search the column for patterns? Traditional SQL techniques using a column INDEX and LIKE operator result in a query plan that contains a full table scan.

I will be introducing the Brother’s Grimm database that has the full text of each fairy tale. I will create a full text catalog / index, select a change tracking strategy, define optional stop list / thesaurus file, and then populate the index. I will use CONTAINS and FREETEXT operators in SELECT queries to leverage the FTI. This resulting query plan performs better with an index seek.

Biography:

John has over twenty years of IT experience including a Masters degree in Computer Science from the University of Rhode Island with concentrations in database technologies and programming languages. He also has Microsoft Certificates for Database Administration (MCDBA) and System Administration (MCSA).

John is currently a Senior SQL Server Developer / Administrator in charge of best practices by the IT team at Sensata Technologies. He is the PASS chapter leader for Southern New England SQL Server Users Group.

May-2012 ~ On beyond Zebra AdventureWorks OR where did I go wrong? ~ Steve Simon

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[Steve Simon]

 

Presenter: Steve Simon
Topic: On beyond Zebra AdventureWorks OR where did I go wrong?
Downloads: http://tinyurl.com/talkz
Mentioned Link: Parameter Sniffing

 

 

No matter how well planned and executed, the data structures of any data warehouse oft times eventually land up resembling something out of a Dr. Seuss book. In this presentation we shall be looking at and discussing a few of the “perfect” data structures (that I have inherited) and discussing the flaws that have only recently surfaced. We shall be looking at the ‘before’, discussing a few alternatives to make these structure more efficient and effective, then we shall then look at final “production structure” and the resulting improvement metrics; all of which help us to help our clients’ make better decisions in a timely manner.

Biography:

Steve Simon is a senior BI engineer with MyWebGrocer. He has been involved with database design and analysis for over 20 years. Steve has presented papers at eight PASS Summits and two at PASS Europe. He has just recently presented a Business Intelligence paper at Oracle World in San Francisco . Steve has also presented 5 papers at the Information Builders’ (IBI) International Summits. He is a PASS regional mentor & chair of the Oracle/SQL Server VC.

Apr-2012 ~ Aviation Disasters & IT Lessons From Them ~ Mike Walsh

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Presenter: Mike Walsh
Topic: Aviation Disasters & IT Lessons From Them
Downloads: Slides

 

What does a plane crash have to do with technical skills? You might be surprised. There are many lessons to be learned from disasters. Most accidents are caused not by one factor, but by a series of seemingly-small missteps; even if a freak accident occurs, training and preparation can make all the difference – it’s the same for us!

In this session we’ll have a group discussion through a few actual aviation disasters and see what skills, attitudes and thought processes led to them. We’ll look at some success stories and see what was different. We’ll see how these attitudes and decisions impact us at work and talk about how to identify them in ourselves and our teams. Then we’ll figure out how to prevent them in our day jobs.

Biography:

Mike is an experienced SQL Server professional and has worked with SQL Server for over 12 years. He has performed the duties of DBA, Developer, Architect and Performance Lead but always leans on his DBA experience. Mike is a partner in the exciting SQL Community focused venture called Linchpin People – He is also an independent consultant through his Straight Path Solutions consultancy. He was recognized as an MVP by Microsoft in April of 2011 for his SQL Server community involvement. He blogs at http://www.straightpathsql.com

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.