New York Microsoft BI User Group Presentation by Nadav Rayman

Posted on by
Reply

My colleague, Nadav Rayman (Blog | @nrayman | LinkedIn), will be giving a presentation to the New York Microsoft Business Intelligence User group on Monday September 12th 2011.In his talk, titled Future Proof your SQL Server Data Warehouse Process, Nadav will explore some of the key questions on the design and organization of your SSIS Packages including:

  • How do we quickly deploy builds to the data warehouse without a big configuration overhead?
  • How do we adapt to timing issue with data availability without pushing out the entire processing schedule?
  • How do we prove the data is right with each refresh and anticipate issues before they are raised by a business user?

So if you are in Manhattan tomorrow, take the time and go and meet Nadav and hear what he has to say. You can find out more about the event here.

Journey to SQL PASS 2011 – Part 3 – Speed up Networking at the PASS Summit 2011 with QR Codes

Posted on by
Reply

So I have recently been having a look into QR codes. In fact, only since about.me had a offer to create a bunch of moo business cards (that included a QR code of your contact info) and only charge me postage, did I really start to think about them.

A QR Code (Quick Response code) is a 2D matrix barcode designed to be read by smart phones. The information in the QR code can be text, a URL, vCard information, or other data. So I figure that at a conference like the PASS Summit, where there’ll be thousands of geeks, most with a smartphone of sorts, this could be a conversation starter. Especially if you’re rockin’’ a QR t-shirt.

If you need a get a QR Code reader, just do a search for “QR Reader” in you favourite app store.

I’m planning on creating a couple of things to help with networking at the PASS Summit…

Business Cards

I’ll have a whole stash of business cards to hand out each day (you should too by the way, so get ordering) and I plan to have two QR codes on the back of the cards. one will be for all my contact details. Have you tried to capture all the data from a business card with one of those *business Card reader* apps, that a) cost a fare whack, and b) don’t work all that well. Well, now think of this. You have a smartphone, you meet me, I give you a business card. You say, “hey, you’ve got a QR code back here!” out come the phone, snap with the QR Code reader and BAMO! you’ve got all my contact details neatly, and correctly I might add, ready to be saved to your phone. Try this sanitised code below:

chart (1)

There is some basic contact information in there, but you’ll get the idea.

The other QR Code, will be this one, which holds but a single URL (which, if you really don’t want to scan with your fancy phone, goes here –> http://kimtag.com/lukehayler)

lukehayler_qr

 

T-shirts

Yup. I’m going to spend good money to design a [hopefully] decent t-shirt that will have QR codes galore that anyone in some kind of proximity to me will be able to scan and therefore find out a little more about me. the alternative is of course to come over and say hello, but that would just be a bit too ‘old school’ now wouldn’t it…

Here’s a picture from the internet:

t-shirt-velcro-qr-code

See, you could be cool too.

I’m also led to believe that Microsoft does something similar called a Tag. I’ll be looking into these next and seeing how they compare.

Journey to SQL PASS Summit 2011 – Part 2 – Logistics

Posted on by
11

PASS_2011_button_180x180

This is Part 2 in a series I am writing about my journey to the SQL PASS Summit 2011. If you missed the previous entry, you can read about it here. Follow the journey on twitter with the #j2pass2011, and feel free to use the tag for your own journey!

I’ve been wanting to go to the PASS Summit for years, but I’ve not had the opportunity to do so before now. Time, money & distance have all played they’re part in preventing me from going. However, last year when I joined a fantastic BI Consulting company in Melbourne, I expressed my desire to attend the highlight of the SQL Server event calendar; we came to an arrangement and I got rather excited. That was back in September 2010, which is when I started planning.

Registration – the early bird gets the cheap stuff

As I’ve been following the goings on at Summit (online, obviously), I know that there are early bird specials to be had. So I made sure that my registration was booked before Dec 16th 2010. At an early bird cost of just $1,295 for a full 3-day conference INCLUDING 2 pre-cons, that’s not too shabby. Heck, you can’t can’t get a regular 3-day training course for that much money. Leaving the registration until the last minute would have cost $2,785. That’s quite a saving. So if you have the opportunity to do so, early bird registration is definitely the way to go. So start planning for next year already.

lukehayler_sqlpass_summit2011_earlybirdregistration

Travel – it’s like going back in time

Continuing with the theme of getting things done sooner rather than later, I booked my flights back in January. Now flying half way across the globe is never going to be cheap, but by booking the flights when I did I ensured that I got the dates/times that I wanted as well as choice of airlines; and therefore I could shop around for the best ticket prices. If I had left it until today to book, the cheapest (comparable) flights are DOUBLE what I paid back in Jan. Not to mention the extra layovers I would have had to endure; 23hrs flying time on the flight I booked vs. 29hrs on what is available today.

One thing I still find cool is that I’ll leave Melbourne at 11am on October 8th  and land in LA at 6:30am, October 8th; it’s like I’m a regular Time Lord…. On the flip side, coming back I loose 2 days, which sucks even more as it’s the weekend!

A note on travelling to the Summit from outside the US: If you happen to be lucky like me (I’m British, don’t hate me) then you won’t need a visa to enter the US. However, if you don’t qualify for a visa waiver then you will need to obtain a visa. In order to obtain a  visa you will need a Letter of Invitation, which you can request from PASS by filling out this form.

Getting to and from the airport (Seattle Tacoma International, aka SeaTac):

  • Taxi – About $40 (check twitter to try and find other PASS Summit attendees who you might be able to split the fare with)
  • Light rail – about $3
  • Bus – about $3

Accommodation

I still need to book a room. Which I plan to do imminently by the way. PASS is touting these two hotels as discounted options:

It’s likely that I’ll go with one of those as I am from out of town and don’t know the area well enough to make any informed decisions. Plus I want to be as close to the action as possible. If you have any tips on where to stay I’d love to hear about them!

Eating, drinking and being Mary merry

From what I’ve been led to believe, breakfast and lunch are provided at the conference. Dinner is a different story however. If you are one of the cool kids, or you rub a vendor up the right way, then you may get to attend one of the many parties that [apparently] happen most evenings. There is also a Microsoft Night on the Wednesday evening where one can indulge in not just food, but gaming too. Otherwise it’s up to you to find a suitable eatery, of which there are many in Seattle. Average meal prices are around the $12 – $15 mark, or so I’m told. Here’s some info about facilitated networking events that usually revolve around food.

SQL Karaoke. Need I say more? Oh, ok then… Go check out sqlkaraoke.com, put together by @Dancem0m. Something to be had for everyone I reckon. And if you are not a singer, then just spectate, I’m sure you’ll have a laugh or two.

Following the action – Twitter, Foursquare, GoogleBuzz Google+, etc, etc

Twitter: There is always plenty of information to be had from following the action online. There are numerous hash tags that people use on twitter when at the conference, here are a few to look out for:

Not sure what Twitter is? Really? Really Really? Go read The Simple Twitter Book and get you some edumacation. Sheesh.

Foursquare: if you need to find a venue loaded up with SQL people (or if you want to avoid them) have a look on Foursquare. It’s also a great resource for finding new places to eat; I find that the reviews on foursquare tend to be a little more ‘real’ than those on other review sites.

PASS also had a “PASS it on!” social contest last year, enabling other people (i.e. me), who weren’t able to make it, to live vicariously through the tweets/check-ins of those who participated. I’ll be trying to do my fair share of getting the word out this year.

Google+: while this ‘little’ social network is starting to gain some traction, I’m not certain of the impact it will have (for the conference) over twitter & foursquare; which is where most people are already. I can see the potential though for some shorter-than-blog-posts-but-longer-than-tweets type of posts, so we will just have to see what becomes of it.

Some Really good reading

Here is a list of some great blogs on previous summit experiences & travel tips (yes, I know these seem a little dated, but they still have valid points):

This post has been a it of a link fest, but hey, all the good stuff is already out there; just go and read it!

See you in Seattle.

Journey to the SQL PASS Summit 2011 – Part 1

Posted on by
2

In just over two month’s time I will be flying into Seattle, WA for this year’s PASS Summit. It will be my first Summit experience and I’m hyped.

Ever since I first heard about the PASS Summit I’ve wanted to be a part of it. The opportunity to geek-out network with not just database professionals, but with SQL Server Database professionals. The opportunity to learn about not just new technologies, but about new things with the current technologies. The opportunity to make some new friends and to put faces to names; to meet those that I have only talked to online (Twitter | Google+ | Blogs | etc). This year, I get to make the most of all of these opportunities. I’m very excited. Did I mention that I was excited?

Yes, I’m a first timer. While I have read a lot about the PASS Summit and have heard numerous stories about SQL Karaoke, this is still going to be an overwhelming experience. I want to ensure that I get the most out of the Summit; so I need to make sure that I have a plan of what I’m doing, where I’m going, & who I want to meet. I can’t do this if I’m bogged down in trying to figure out the basics. Thankfully the good folks at SQL PASS put together a First-Timers Orientation program to help people like me. Tom LaRock (Blog | Twitter) wrote a good blog post about the program.

Essentially, the orientation will include being paired up with a Big Brother/Sister (along with several other first-timers) well ahead of the summit itself. This will give us the chance to talk to the big brother/sister and find out the do’s/don’t, where information can be found, and generally learning from their previous experiences. It will also give us a chance to meet a few people ahead of the summit itself; ensuring that you don’t wander around the conference like a lost fart in the wind.

I think the orientation program is a wonderful idea and have already signed up. If you’re a first-timer too and you would like to participate then send an email through to newcomer@sqlpass.org and ask to be included in the program. Perhaps I’ll be part of your group. Apologies if that worries you…

2nd Quarter Review

Posted on by
Reply

Half a year down already? This year is flying by a such a rapid rate and it seems hard to keep up at times. However, things are progressing and I’ve managed to stay on top of a few of my goals for this year.

To recap what those goals were:

  1. Blog more
  2. Learn more
  3. Attend more SQL Server Events
  4. Interact more with the SQL Server Community
  5. Sleep Less

So how did I do?

Blog more

I failed miserably at this one (Only 5 posts in for the 2nd quarter), but am ok with this as I had a lot of other, higher priority, items to keep me busy. I have been beavering away at Goal #2 “Learn more”, as well as doing a lot of Goal #5 by being there for my family – they are the most important part of my life after all.

Learn more

A great big 10/10 here! Just as a new version of SQL Server is about to be released, I finally got round to doing my MCITP – Business Intelligence 2008, and I learnt a lot more than I thought I would in the process. I failed the 70-448 first time round, which I was none too pleased about I can assure you. But I persisted and at the 2nd attempt I had it in the bag (if only just). I aced 70-452 at the first attempt and actually laughed out loud when I saw the result (916/1000). Couldn’t quite believe it. The whole exercise has been hugely beneficial. I have been able to apply what I’ve learnt to the projects at hand and have even corrected a few misconceptions that a colleague had (but I won’t be naming names…). Happy days!

I’ve also been involved in a number of projects that are focused on SQL Server Analysis Services. This is a massive win for me as this is one area of the Microsoft Business Intelligence stack that I was yet to really get to grips with. It has been a steep learning curve, but it seems that that is what I thrive on. It has also been loads of fun and the opportunity to work with and learn from different colleagues has been amazing.

Other things that have been picked up and refined along the way this year are data modelling, solution architecture & design, creation of development standards and generally improving my SQL Server related skills (T-SQL, SSRS, SSIS, SSAS) thanks to all you SQL Server bloggers out there.

Attend more SQL Server Events

It turns out that most of the SQL Server events are just not at the right time for me right now. My family duties take precedence and until the bedtime routine (5:30pm – 7:15pm) becomes easier, evening events are just not possible. However, Jim McLeod and I have managed to create and host a very successful SQL Server Social event in May. While it has been quiet since then, we are planning on follow up events in the very near future.

The PASS Summit 2011 is the big one for me this year. I am giddy with excitement at having the opportunity to attend. I’ll be spending more of my time preparing for it and making sure that I am able to make the most out of any and all opportunities that present themselves. My flights are booked, my registration is booked. It’s time to make a packing list!

Interact more with the SQL Server Community

Words with Friends anyone? I have been playing WWF with Rob Farley (blog | twitter ) ever since he mentioned the game in a comment on this blog post. More recently I have been playing the game with a few others in the SQL Server community, and even though there is not a lot of banter, there is a sense of familiarity. Which I am hoping will help when I get to the PASS Summit later this year. If you are keen for a game look me up –>“lukehayler”.

Yes, I know this is not the same as being active on forums, blogs, twitter, Facebook, and now Google+. But with the tiny amount of time that I do have to myself, this is all I can manage right now. I know that this will change over the next few months, and am taking steps to do so.

Sleep less

10/10. Easy when you have a 5 month old & an almost 3yr old in the house :)