Renew Your SSWUG Membership
Is your membership ready to expire. Don’t forget to register so you have no interruption in the great resources to be found at SSWUG.org.
$$SWYNK$$
DBTechCon – Spring 2011
The SSWUG Spring 2011 virtual conference is quickly coming together. Without a doubt, this will be the largest virtual conference in the information technology industry. Access more than 70 sessions from well seasoned professionals with in-depth instruction on technologies such as SQL Server, SharPoint, .Net, Business Intelligence and much more. Register any time from now to April 19th. There are early registration discounts for those who register early. go to the Registration page for more details and to get signed up right away.
Virtual Training – SSIS, and Replication
February 1 – 28, 2011
Here is an opportunity for you to add or extend your SQL Server skills in the areas of SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) and/or SQL Replication. As Stephen wrote a while back, there are so many skills a SQL Server professional needs to have today, its difficult to keep up.
Eric Johnson, SQL Server MVP, has put together 12 virtual classes on SSIS and Replication. For those who register, the classes will be available for the whole month of February. An interactive DVD is also available. This allows you to study at your own pace, and fill those gaps in your tool set.
Your going to have to register:
Register today for SSIS
Register today for Replication
Featured Article(s)
Queries – Also for the Layman (Part 2 of 3)
Okay, so you’ve gotten your data into your database. Now how do you get it out? This session will take you through some real life situations on how to get that query to not only get you your information, but also do it so that it doesn’t kill your system when it runs, uses the indexes you’ve built into the system, get the bugs out of it (trust me, there will be bugs), and run this query on your production systems.
Featured White Paper(s)
Essential Performance Tools for SQL Server DBAS
Optimizing SQL Server performance can be a daunting task. Especially so for an increasing number of reluctant DBAs faced with… (read more)
What Would You Do If..?
Sound like an interesting open ended question? Well, as I write this editorial I’m sitting in a hospital bed (don’t send sympathy Email…it’s just reality) and things are still going smooth. I’m able to focus on my highest priority, getting well, because I have things in place managing servers for which I am responsible allowing me to be away without impact to the business.
Of course the situation gets your mind thinking about a lot of things. In my case, why do I feel so secure? I know I talked about similar ideas during the holidays…but today things are coming closer to home. I have little control over my schedule, no guarantee of internet access, or VPN capability, and no guarantee that I will even be able to function. And guess what, everything is well. I’m kicking back comfortably and writing this little editorial because I have a few things in place making it possible.
I have alerts configured on my servers to keep me posted of production problems. That is my first line of support. But what if I didn’t have internet access? What would I do then? In my case, I have a backup support from all the customers I support. In some cases, hosting services also provide resources on demand should I not be able to connect, or even unable to respond. My alerts are directed not only to myself for support (as the primary contact) but also to other individuals capable of handling the situation.
Remote DBAs are also a great asset for you. Frankly, that is my primary function with few W2 exceptions. Remote DBAs can be helpful for handling the peeks and valleys, augmenting areas of expertise, or even just keeping the lights on when your company is not large enough to dedicate in house resources. The neat part about the Remote DBA model is that generally youi can find support from a group of DBAs rather than one specific DBA. That also provides me with confidence because I have a Ben failover. (Nice for going off on vacation too).
If you are a Remote DBA, why don’t you drop me a note about what your specialties are and I’ll compile a list for a later editorial. Many of you have written to me with editorial responses from time to time. I can post it simply as a directory of resources with no endorsement on my part.
Send your emails to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben