Sunday, January 31, 2016

 

My Best Blog Posts from 2015

ALWAYS LEARNING

About mid-way into August of 2015, I learned some important new factors in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that caused me to make some big changes to the way in which I blogged. Namely – simply reposting a slight variant of a given blog post could hurt your overall SEO rankings for any of the given posts. Now you might be saying to me “Kevin, those aren’t new factors. They’ve been around for a long time, you idgit”. And I would say in response “Ok then. But I had other things on my mind”. (Of course, if you have other recommendations for improving one’s blog performance, please drop me a comment).

Up until that time, I would typically write a blog post for my work blog and then repost with some variations at my personal blog and then at SQLblog.com. As it turns out, that’s not the ideal way to do things. Consequently, I continued to blog heavily throughout 2015 on my work blog, but I hadn’t figured a good way to keep my personal blog (which was intended to be a central location for everything I might be doing) and SQLBlog.com in the loop. Shame on me!

So I thought get a catch-up post in place before the end of January (Looks like I just barely made that goal), pointing out some of the better blog posts that didn’t make it here after my change in blogging strategy.

 

SOME FAVORITE BLOG POSTS YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE SEEN

The Troubleshooting Series: Starting in September, I wrote a multi-part series on performance troubleshooting Microsoft SQL Server, culminating in a find blog entry with all of the links, plus a place for you to watch the video and download the slides and scripts. The multi-part blog series can be found HERE, while the slides, scripts and video link are HERE.

The Four Challenges of a Well-managed Plan Cache: The SQL Server plan cache is one of the most important architectural elements for DBAs to understand. However, Developers usually write the code. That means, in many IT shops, no one really pays attention to what happens in the SQL Server plan cache. This session helps both DBAs and Devs overcome the knowledge gap so that they can write optimized code and manage the plan cache effectively. Get the slide deck and sample scripts HERE!

How to Reduce Latency and Boost SQL Server Performance: This very popular webinar, sponsored by Tegile, we cover many of the basic principles of high-performance SQL Server I/O subsystems, as well as why and how we often prevent our own applications for achieving peak performance. The slides, scripts, and video are available HERE, while the very informative Q&A session is HERE.

Protecting Each Other: One of the most important aspects of our #SQLFamily is that we look out for each other. I talk about some of this in light of some very bad behavior at afterhours events during the week of the PASS Summit 2015. Read the blog post HERE.

Going forward, I’ll continue to put in blog stubs here to give you all of the latest details. In the meanwhile, be sure to connect with me on social media where I post all of my latest blog posts, articles, presentations, and other good stuff.

Cheers!

-Kev

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# posted by Zebraman @ 10:41 PM 0 comments

Friday, November 30, 2007

 

The Last PASS at Last

I've been a board member of the Professional Association for SQL Server since the organization was founded in 1999. I was invited to join the board way back then in the capacity of VP of Marketing and, in fact, knew nothing about what I was supposed to do for the organization. As the years went by, I moved into the roles of EVP of Finance for 2 years and the President for the last 4 years.

All the work that we do for PASS is on a volunteer basis and, for me, it was taking between 10-20 hrs per week over and above the day job at Quest Software. With the way my day job and PASS were balanced, I was working way too much. Each of the board positions are set up as a 2-year term and at the end of my first term as President, I was feeling my years. On top of that, homelife was in a total tailspin. I truly at the end of my rope. However, PASS was also having a serious succession crisis and I was asked to stay on for one more term by almost all of the sitting board members.

I stuck it out. And I have to say that I wouldn't have been able to do it without the strong support of the board, especially the Executive Committee members - Joe Webb (my duck-shootin' buddy), Wayne Snyder, and Rushabh Mehta. Joe, in particular, I feel like went the 2nd and even 3rd mile to help cover for me because, frankly, I just didn't have the fire in my belly the same way I did during my first term. Joe also deserves a special pat on the back because he also chose not to return (as President this time), yet never once faltered in his commitment and work ethic for the organization.

Looking back on the years of my presidency, I'm proud that PASS has grown significantly to 25,000 members and 100 international chapters. I'm proud that we have strong local volunteers in cities all around the world and have grown not just in the US, but in places like Europe, Australia, and Asia. I'm proud that we now have two sitting members from outside the USA. And I'm proud that PASS has some degree of financial stability. I cannot say that I was responsible for these accomplishments. These were the accomplishments of the board itself. And we couldn't have done it without tremendous support from Microsoft and CA. But I can say that these things happened under my watch and I'm thrilled to have been there to see them happen.

In some ways, though, I feel like this last term was my most significant because it was during this term that we pried PASS out of the hands of our then management company and moved to an entirely new management company. (This was no small feat, let me assure you.) For many years, our old management company would simply say "That's not the way we do business" whenever we wanted to change things up. Our new management company is much more flexible and dynamic, and every bit as effective, if not more so. More than anything else, I feel like this is the most positive legacy of my presidency.


So now, I've reached the end of my 2nd term as President of PASS. It's not without some sadness. But I look upon the new team, sitting at our 4th quarter board meeting, and I'm filled with amazement and respect at such an incredibly talented and capable group of people. Not pictured are Wayne Snyder, Bill Graziano, Andrea Schneider, and Joel Shalaby. In the picture clockwise from left to right are: Joe Webb, Dr Greg Low (of Australia), Christoph Stotz (of Germany), Lesley Macdonald, Rushabh Mehta, Judy Christianson, Lynda Rab (of Canada), Rick Bolesta, Craig Ellis, Erin Welker (way in the back), Paul Nielsen, Rick Heigis, Chuck Heinzelman, and Pat Wright.

I'll still be engaged with PASS as much as our incoming President, Wayne Snyder, needs me. And I have a couple pet projects that I'm looking forward to working on. But at the end of the day, I'm very much looking forward to my retirement.

Cheers,

-Kevin

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# posted by Zebraman @ 11:15 AM 1 comments

Thursday, September 20, 2007

 

A couple pics of the PASS event

This is my last year as the president of PASS. I've been on the board of directors since the inception of PASS in 1999. During that time, I served for 2 years as VP of Marketing, 2 years as EVP of Finance, and 4 years now as the President. I've seen PASS grow from a very small association in start-up mode to a stable and growing international association with tens of thousands of members worldwide. It's been one of the most satisfying activities of my career, yet I'm happy to reach the zenith of my service with PASS.


This year Quest once again took the place of SQL Server vendor to beat. Our booth was the most happenin', most fun, and drew the biggest crowds. Our big promo was inviting everybody to play Guitar Hero on a brand new XBox 360. The winner got the XBox and the Guitar Hero game and goodies. I was on hand to rock out for the game and shake hands with the big winners. At top left is me and the winner, while on the left hand side is me with first and second place winners.

On top of that Quest also sponsored a luncheon roundtable with some of the brightest minds in the SQL Server/Virtualization domain - MVP John Paul Cook, MVP Ron Talmage, Microsoftee Matt Hollingsworth, Questee Scott Herold, EMC'er Darren Bieniek, and SQM'er Allan Hirt. We only had an hour to get into the discussion, but we obviously touched a nerve with the topic because we could've used two more hours for the session. It served as the launching point for PASS to investigate a Virtualization SIG or a sub-SIG of the DBA SIG. Cool!
I'm looking forward to PASS next year - as an attendee! It's been years since I've been able to attend sessions. So perhaps 2008 will be the first year for me to go to sessions.
Cheers,
-Kev

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# posted by Zebraman @ 2:11 PM 2 comments

Sunday, August 26, 2007

 

Cologne

Cologne was one of my favorite cities in Germany. Cologne has a reputation in Germany as being the place where people live it up to the fullest, laugh the loudest and longest, and generally have a greater joy for life. It's somewhat the San Francisco of Germany because it also has the country's largest and most active gay community, plus a free and legal sex trade.




Cologne also has its own beer and style of drinking beer (called "kolsch") that is unique and very different from the Bavaria style that most Americans are used to. Most Americans think of Germany beer coming in the big, lidded steins. In Cologne, however, they drink their kolsch in Because the local dialect is also called Kolsch, there's a joke that Kolsch is the only language you can drink.

To the right is a pic of me with Mucca (manager of the SQL Server team for Quest in Germany), Christiana, and Mucca's girlfriend (who's a nearly perfect double of Winona Rider) at breakfast in Cologne.

The thing that Cologne is most famous for is its incredible gothic cathedral called the Dom. It was reputed to be the site of the relics of the Three Wise Men, which made it a huge site for pilgrimage. Plus, it's the site of St Ursula's demise at the hands of Attila the Hun in 383 AD. So there were lots of reasons for medieval Christians to seek a pilgrimage there. Today, it's simply the most stunning cathedral (and the tallest) ever. In fact, it was the tallest building of any kind until the modern age. Mercifully, it was spared the bombings of WWII.

You may not be able to tell, but the pinnacle of each tower has what appears to be a small, ornamented cross. That cross is, in fact, about 12-16' tall (pictured at left)! I couldn't even get the pinnacle into a single frame of my camera within 50' of the things. As you can see from the picture at left, they're huge!

The area all around the cathedral was swarming with people. There was really interesting street art and performances happening all over the place. One thing that was really neat was the chalk-mural painters working for tips. It was really pretty stuff.

After visiting the cathedral, we spent the afternoon and evening in the restaurant district, eating and drinking. I discovered some interesting things. For example, Cologne is THE place to have a bachelor or bachelorette party in Germany.
But they do their parties a little differently. First, every one in the party gets a commemorative polo shirt to wear. Sometimes they're silly and sometimes they're just a polo shirt or t-shirt with the person's name and a date, and possibly some kind of slogon on the back (if it's a t-shirt). Second, the bride or groom usually has to wear something extra silly. For example, one group of bachelorettes were wearing black & yellow striped polo shirts and the bride had to wear honeybee gloves and antenna to complete her costume. Finally, bachelorettes will sell all kinds of crap (shots of booze, flowers, candies, etc) at inflated prices from little baskets all day long to finance their partying all night long.
It's overpriced, but everybody knows its for a good cause, so they buy from them. Kind'a like we do here in the USA for kids selling stuff for their school programs, except in Germany, it's mostly for getting sloshed. LOL!
Some enterprising Cologner developed these bike-bars that are all the rage there. A bunch of partyers chip in to rent the bar, then peddle all around town, drinking, blowing horns, and generally having a mobile party until they're too drunk to peddle any more. Amazing!
Such a fun trip to Germany. It certainly exceeded my expectations on every level.
Cheers,
-kev

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# posted by Zebraman @ 11:24 AM 0 comments

Saturday, August 25, 2007

 

Munich and Hamburg

After a more leisurely time in Frankfurt and Berlin, I had a lot of rushing about to make it to Munich and then Hamburg on time. There wasn't much time for site seeing, unfortunately. But the people were as friendly and helpful as ever.

In Munich, I joined my Quest colleagues Fabian Fulle and Dirk Muller. Then we headed out to BMW for a sales call. After that, we went to a suburb to the Microsoft offices to speak to the Bavarian SQL Server user group. We also had the pleasure of being misdirected 4 or 5 times by the navigation system in our rented BMW. (I'll never use that one, I'll tell you that much!)
The local user group in Munich is headed by my friend, Helmut Knappe, and he arranged a nice dinner event for us after the seminar. I'd never had spetzel before, but I wish I had. It was wonderful. (I'd been to Munich a couple years ago, and I believe I've already posted some pictures of that experience here on the blog. So I won't post any here today.)

Hamburg was quite an amazing city. The city is quite big and very wealthy. I think this comes from Hamburg's history as a major city in the Hanseatic League of medieval times. The Hamburg SQL Server user group was composed of people from many different industries, including some huge shipping companies with many large ships. After the user group meeting, a large group of us were able to enjoy a wonderful evening on the Binnenalster ("Inner Alster") lake where some sort of big festival was taking place (pictured above).


We ate Italian food on a very nice restaurant/house boat right on the Binnenalster. Towards the end of the meal, around 11:00 pm, there was an extraordinary fireworks display right over the lake. What a finally for the evening! (The houseboat is right in front of the church steeple in the picture.)
I very much enjoyed the evening there in Hamburg, as well as the day in Munich.

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# posted by Zebraman @ 9:27 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

 

Tired!


I'd been going from 6 am to midnight (and even much later) all week long at PASS. So when a meeting with a colleague on the PASS board of directors was delayed by about 10 minutes. I totally crashed. So when my friend, Rick Heiges, arrived, I was completely, totally, and deeply asleep.
I can't wait to get some rest!
-Kev

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# posted by Zebraman @ 11:09 AM 0 comments

Monday, June 04, 2007

 

Another TechEd

TechEd is Microsoft's largest conference of the year. This year it's in Orlando and has about 13,000 attendees. I'll be speaking on Wednesday afternoon on "SQL Server Performance Benchmarking & Monitoring". Doesn't that sound like the most interesting thing you've ever heard of? One of the things that I do indeed enjoy about TechEd is that I get to catch up with a number of friends who I only seem to see at the big conferences.

There are times when I'm really excited about travel. It had better be, since it's such a big part of my job. Lately, though, it's all I can do to keep up the pace. I'm totally burnt out on travel. Every trip seems to leave me feeling more threadbare and drained.

Here's an illustration of what I mean. Look at this picture in the upper right corner. Can you tell where in the world I'm at? Hell no, you can't. No imagine seemingly endless days of that. Exhausting!
On the other hand, I did get to go to Montreal a couple weeks ago to meet up with my colleagues on the PASS board of directors. It's always good to see these folks and catch up. Of course, visiting time didn't last long because we had a lot of PASS business to conduct. But it was a nice visit, all things considered.
Cheers,
-Kev

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# posted by Zebraman @ 9:27 PM 0 comments

Thursday, December 07, 2006

 

Keynotin'

I gave the keynote address at the PASS 2006 Community Summit a couple weeks ago and a colleague took pictures in which I actually look sane and non-dorky. Wow! He's a miracle worker!

The first picture (left) was taken on Wednesday. It was on that day that I welcomed the crowd of about 2500, prepped them with an overview of the event to come, and rallied them to support the organization with their time, talent, and presence.


I also had a much shorter talk on Thursday morning where I introduced Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft.
As an FYI, there are even more great pictures of the PASS conference

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# posted by Zebraman @ 3:36 PM 0 comments

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