The past weekend I was fortunate to again attend SQL Saturday down in Denver, Colorado.
I know I say this about every SQL Saturday I attend, but the event was just awesome. For those that don’t know what a SQL Saturday is here’s a snippet from their website:
PASS SQLSaturday’s are free 1-day training events for SQL Server professionals that focus on local speakers, providing a variety of high-quality technical sessions, and making it all happen through the efforts of volunteers.
As usual there always seems to be an underlying theme when I go. Here’s my take-aways.
Everyone Screws Up
Oddly enough this year the key thing I learned was everyone screws up. Speakers, DBA’s, Developers, etc.
While there wasn’t a screw up in any of the talks (that I was aware of) the idea is that everyone makes mistakes in I.T. no matter how much of a big shot they are. Be it dropping production databases by mistake, deploying the wrong code, etc.
The great thing about screw ups is you learn from them (boy do you learn from some of them). In one of the talks I attended the speaker talked about when they first started being a DBA and how they accidentally pulled too many drives on this shiny new thing called RAID. They ended up being fired even though the manager was party to the action. The manager even went so far as saying they “regretted hiring them”. Fast forward to present day, the speaker is planning on sending them a copy of their new SQL Server book.
The point with this is it’s not how you screwed up so much as how you handle the fix. Dwelling on the screw up helps no one, especially in the heat of the fix, it’s counter-productive. There’s time enough after the fact to meet and discuss how it can be handled next time. So many managers mishandle this in my opinion and end up losing out in the long run.
What’s Old Is New Again
Another thing I learned this year is technology is indeed going full circle. Another example is Windows Server 2012 Server Core. I found it hard not to draw comparisons to Linux (however different) and how that was probably a big model for PowerShell and creating a headless Windows Server. About time I say, but I will admit I have partaken somewhat of the Linux/Unix Kool-Aid.
Other Stuff
Other things I learned were tips for interviewing, new features in T-SQL for 2012, and the methodology of approaching something like how backups work and how to tune them.
Thanks Guys/Gals
I can’t say this enough if there is SQL Saturday in your area sign up! Even if you aren’t a DBA full time I promise you will get something out of it. I’d like to thank the speakers for their time and research, the sponsors for making the event possible, and the organizers for their effort in making this another success.
Thanks Again For An Awesome Event! J
