Category Archives: Speaking Schedule

Speaking Seven Times in April

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April will be a busy month for me as I will be speaking seven different times, on seven different topics, at four different user group and conferences. Here’s my lineup:

Baltimore SQL Server Users Group
Monday, April 5, 2010, 7:00-8:00PM
”How to Use the SQL Server 2008 Performance Data Collector to Analyze Queries”
I will be speaking remotely at this meeting, as I couldn’t fit it into my travel schedule.

Atlanta Microsoft Database Forum
Monday, April 12, 2010, 6:30-9:00PM
”How to Become an Exceptional DBA”

Chicago SQL Server Users Group
Thursday, April 15, 2010, 5:30PM
”How to Optimize TempDB”

SQL Saturday  #31 Chicago
Saturday, April 17, 2010
”How and When to Use Indexed Views” – 3:00PM
”Introduction to Graphical Execution Plans” – 4:00PM

European PASS—Neuss, Germany
April 21-23, 2010
”Essential DBA Skills: Best Practices Every SQL Server DBA Must Know” – Thursday—1:00PM
“How to Analyze Performance Monitor Data Using PAL”—Friday—11:45PM

If you are able to attend any of these events, be sure to stop me and say hello.

SQL Server Social Group a Fresh Perspective on User Group Meetings

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The Cam river flows through Cambridge, England. At the center of the river you can see a punt (a type of boat) used to navigate the Cam.

I must have attended at least 25 different SQL Server and .NET user groups over the past couple of years, and most of them have a familiar format: food and drinks combined with some socializing, a formal presentation, and a prize drawing. I have seen a few other minor variations, but it is hard to tell one user group meeting from another. That is, until I recently spoke at the SQL Server Social Group in Cambridge, England this past month.

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Adventures in Webinar Presentations

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Over the past several years, I have given 2-3 live web presentations a year, and I have always found them to be an adventure. In other words, there always seems to be one problem or another.

Sometimes the meeting software used is not very cooperative, connection speeds vary (or drop), recordings don’t record as expected, and many more. In a webinar I gave today, my laptop froze just seconds before I was to give my presentation, which caused a sudden rise in my blood pressure. In the end, everything worked out, and my session on “How to Become an Exceptional DBA” had just over 700 people during peak attendance.
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Speaking in Portland, OR and Tumwater, WA the Week of February 8th

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I’ll be speaking in Portland, OR and Tumwater, WA the week of February 8th, 2010. The details, and the session descriptions, are below. Hope to see you there.

Oregon SQL Developers User Group

Topic: Introduction to Graphical Execution Plans
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 2010
When: 6:30 PM
Where: KOIN Tower, Second Floor Conference Room, 222 SW Columbia ST, Portland, OR 97201

Olympia Area SQL Server Users Group

Topic: How and When to Use Indexed Views
Date: Thursday, February 11, 2010
When: 2:30 PM
Where: Labor and Industries, Room S117,  7273, Linderson Way SW, Tumwater, WA 98501

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