Last weekend I had a blast speaking at the SQL Saturday in Chicago. It was awesome to share my knowledge and also catch up with some good friends. My talk was on Automating the Pain Away with Query Store and Automated Tuning. I hope this session helped people leverage Query Store and Automated Tuning to resolve their parameter sniffing problems.
John Sterrett teaching Performance Tuning at SQL Saturday Chicago
SQL Saturday Chicago training class
Posted in Performance Tuning, syndication
Tagged automatic tuning, chicago, SQL Saturday
T-SQL Tuesday #96: Folks Who Have Made A Difference
Today’s blog post is about T-SQL Tuesday. If you haven’t seen T-SQL Tuesday before its a great monthly call for all SQL Server bloggers to write about one topic that always changes from month to month. In this months installment, we’re focusing on folks who made a difference.
Looking back, I wrote about this subject almost seven years ago. While I covered a lot of great people there is a group left out. I wished I included them because they were the first to believe in me, mentor me, and help me become the IT Pro I am today.
Being A SQL Server MVP you might think I would focus on data people. I am actually going to focus on a forgotten IT organization. This would be the Association of Information Technology Professionals or AITP for short. In fact, its really for my local chapter the Greater Wheeling Chapter of AITP (GWC of AITP). For those who didn’t know I grew up as an adult in Wheeling, WV.
The Greater Wheeling Chapter of AITP taught me how to be the best IT Professional I could be. While I attended to eat great food and to learn tech. I learned a whole lot more. I learned that it’s the people who matter and that technology will always change. I started to learn how to lead here as well. I became a chapter president, heck even became the VP of the region. I learned a lot of skills here that helped make me the IT person and business owner I am today.
When I wanted to bring SQL Saturday #36 to Wheeling, WV the whole Greater Wheeling AITP Chapter helped and supported me. Even though none of us knew what we were doing.
Earlier this year, Dolph Santorine the current President of GWC of AITP had a speaker cancel. In a bind, he asked if I could do a webinar to help. I refused to do the webinar because I told him I would jump on a flight and be there to do it in-person. During this trip, over a Bridgeport brownie, I learned there might be another way I could pay things forward back to the GWC of AITP.
This is how all user group decisions should be made. Over a Bridgeport brownie at @YeOldeAlpha! pic.twitter.com/pl65m6ejJ3
— John Sterrett (@johnsterrett) January 11, 2017
The GWC of AITP could use another great event to raise awareness and drive up membership. I will be using my knowledge and #sqlfamily to help bring a third SQL Saturday to Wheeling, WV.
That’s right, we’re going to go from SQL Saturday #36 to #717 with a good old Throwback SQL Saturday. Save the date: April 28th. Like the old days, this will be a low budget grassroots event that brings some of the best SQL Server training to West Virginia. We are going to prove again that if a SQL Saturday can happen in Wheeling, WV it can happen anywhere!
I look forward to showing my data friends why Wheeling, WV is one of my favorite places in the world! You will quickly see that Wheeling is very different from your typical American small town.
Posted in SQLServerPedia Syndication
Tagged Adolph Santorine, AITP, Greater Wheeling AITP, SQL Saturday
SQL Saturday Houston was Awesome!
This past weekend I had the privilege of speaking at SQL Saturday Houston. I enjoyed catching up with some friends while I also took the time to make some new ones as well.
This year I gave two different sessions. The first one in the morning was Azure Databases for DBA’s. The second one was Why Did My Plan Change, Intro to Query Store.
This was the first time I presented my Azure Databases for DBA’s talk at a conference. I got some great feedback and it was a lot of fun. I ended up using videos for the demos to make sure they would fit within the timeline of the presentation. Running the High Availability and Disaster Recovery Virtual Chapter I am always thinking of backup strategies this even includes my own demos 😉
At the end of the day I gave my “Why Did My Plan Change: Intro to Query Store” presentation. I was able to tell some real-world stories about lessons learned while monitoring plan changes and explain how upgrades can greatly improve performance when you find the few queries that run slower after an upgrade and fix them.
Leaving the event I though I was on my way to the after party when I realized my 1990 Volvo wouldn’t start. Some people would be upset and frustrated but looking back a few days later, I was blessed. Let me explain. Instead of being stranded by myself Jamey Johnston stayed to help. He made sure I would be okay. The bonus in this for me was that I was able to chat with Jamey and get to know him better. He is an amazing guy. I wish we had a lot more people like Jamey in our SQL Server Community!
The Austin SQL Server User Group will host its third SQL Saturday on Saturday,
SQL Saturday Austin on January 30th, 2016
January 30th. SQLSaturday is a training event for SQL Server professionals and those wanting to learn about SQL Server. Admittance to this event is free ($15 for lunch), all costs are covered by donations and sponsorships. This all-day training event includes multiple tracks of SQL Server training from professional trainers, consultants, MCM’s, Microsoft Employees and MVPs.
Here are three reasons why I am excited to attend the SQL Saturday in Austin.
While the SQL Saturday is free, there is also two separate all-day classes on Friday, January 29th that are dirt cheap compared to the cost of attending these classes at your local training center.
Have you ever wanted to learn how to make SQL Server go faster? In a single day, Robert Davis will show you Performance Tuning like a Boss.
Have you wondered how you can keep your data highly available when your servers go bump in the night? Ryan Adams will be teaching a class on Creating a High Availability and Disaster Recovery Plan. Having a solid recovery plan can make you a Rockstar DBA and also help keep your company in business.
In Austin we are blessed to have some of the best teachers come to town to share their knowledge. We will have Connor Cunningham from the SQL Server Product team talk about the new features coming in SQL Server 2016. We will have several MVP’s and MCMs sharing their knowledge. If you want to learn about SQL Server there is not a better venue to do so than a local SQL Saturday.
Are you the only DBA or data professional working at your company? If not, are you interested in meeting people who are as passionate as you are about data? If so, SQL Saturday is a great place to meet and network with some of the best data professionals. I will never forget my first SQL Saturday. I found some vendors that had tools that made my job easier. I also built some friendships that have helped me thought out my career.