If you haven’t heard yet, PASS has started commissioning articles to be published in the new PDF version of the SQL Server Standard. If you are an experienced DBA with writing experience and want to participate, then you need to check out this link. It provides all of the information you need to get you started on your way to writing for the SQL Server Standard.
On the other hand, if you don’t have time to write an article, but would like to help out, I am looking for volunteers to help perform technical reviews of the articles that will be published in the SQL Server Standard. I have volunteered to be the lead technical reviewer, but while there are many SQL Server topics I know well, there are many others where I have little or no experience, and that’s where I need your help.
If you would like to volunteer as a technical reviewer, please e-mail me at bradmcgehee@hotmail.com, and tell me where your SQL Server interests and strengths lie, and then when I have an article that matches those areas, I will send it off to you for technical review. All you need to do is to read the article, and if you see any technical mistakes in the content, then make a note in the article, and we will send it back to the author for correction.
This is a great opportunity to get involved with PASS, and to contribute to the greater SQL Server Community!
I am in the process of creating a new blog, but I am having difficulty coming up with a good name. I would like to go with a Hawaii-based theme on the blog, so a Hawaii-based name would be great.
Below are some ideas that some people have offered so far:
Which of these do you think is the best, or do you have an original idea? Let me know what you think. I hope to have the new blog rolled out in the next two weeks or so.
About a year ago, the first edition of my book, How to Become an Exceptional DBA, was published. It was short, about 85 pages, and was written for people who were interested in becoming DBAs, and for current DBAs who wanted to become better DBAs. The focus of the book was on career guidance.
Through out this past year I have gotten a lot of feedback. Here are some short excerpts:
“Your Exceptional DBA book is excellent in terms of guidance and inspiration. Thanks a lot for coming up with such a useful information.” “At the moment, I am reading your book How to Become an Exceptional DBA. I just can't thank you enough for this book. This is something I was looking for and I am glad I have found it now.” “I just finished reading his book a few days ago and am planning on reading it back through, page by page, over again. This book is SO AMAZING and I just don’t want to miss or overlook any details in it. I have been waiting, what seems a lifetime, for someone who is willing to share this much information. Today, many people are not so willing to share their experiences like Brad; so refreshing!” “Thanks for your well written document about being an Exceptional DBA. I myself have about 15 years of experience, 10 of which as consultant, and I recognize just about all the points you mention. Your eBook was a pleasure to read.” “I’m just 25 years old and starting to enjoy the possibilities of this field. Everyday I’m becoming more interested in the science of information administration. Your book is inspiring, priceless, and has helped me redefine my professional inner vision.”
“Your Exceptional DBA book is excellent in terms of guidance and inspiration. Thanks a lot for coming up with such a useful information.”
“At the moment, I am reading your book How to Become an Exceptional DBA. I just can't thank you enough for this book. This is something I was looking for and I am glad I have found it now.”
“I just finished reading his book a few days ago and am planning on reading it back through, page by page, over again. This book is SO AMAZING and I just don’t want to miss or overlook any details in it. I have been waiting, what seems a lifetime, for someone who is willing to share this much information. Today, many people are not so willing to share their experiences like Brad; so refreshing!”
“Thanks for your well written document about being an Exceptional DBA. I myself have about 15 years of experience, 10 of which as consultant, and I recognize just about all the points you mention. Your eBook was a pleasure to read.”
“I’m just 25 years old and starting to enjoy the possibilities of this field. Everyday I’m becoming more interested in the science of information administration. Your book is inspiring, priceless, and has helped me redefine my professional inner vision.”
Because of the positive reception of the first edition of the book, I have written an updated, second edition. I have updated it to include feedback I have received from the first edition, and I added a lot of new content, including two new chapters. The new edition is now 172 pages long (part of that is because the book was reformatted using slightly larger type), but there is a lot of new content that has been added to all the chapters.
If you would like a free PDF copy of this book, you can visit this link and download it. You will need to click on the red button named “Download Your Free DBA Resources Now”.
Within the next 60 days, the book will be available for purchase, as a paperback, at Amazon.com. I will also be handing out a limited number of free paperback copies of the book when I attend devLINK in Nashville in August.
I hope you find this book worth reading, and please e-mail if you have any feedback.
If you have been considering entering yourself in the Exceptional DBA Awards this year, or nominating a DBA you know, don’t procrastinate much longer, as the last date you can enter is July 10, 2009.
I am one of four judges who will be selecting the nominees, and I want to offer several bits of advice about entering the contest.
If you have any questions about the contest, please ask them here, and I will try to answer them.
SQLTeach (a part of the larger DevTeach event) will be held in Vancouver, BC this June 8-12, 2009. It will offer 136 sessions in 8 different tracks, including 37 SQL Server sessions, 17 Agile sessions, 17 software architecture sessions, and 57 .NET sessions. In addition, there are both full-day pre-con and post-con sessions to attend. There will be about 60 different experts speaking at the event, making it the largest Microsoft-related technical event held in Canada.
If you are thinking about attending, take advantage of early registration discounts. In addition, for every two attendees your company sends to the event, a third one gets in free. This offer expires June 8th, 2009.
As I travel and visit DBAs from around the United States, I am always surprised at the job titles DBA have. Rarely is their official job title "DBA." Some are Data Analysts, Data Architects, System Administrators, IT Specialists, Developers, and on the rare occasion, Database Administrator.
So, for fun, I would like to hear from you, telling us what your job title is. Besides telling us about your title, tell us about your most common job duties. I think we would all be interested in learning more about what other DBAs do.
To start off, I'll begin with myself. Although I am a DBA by profession, my job title is "Director of DBA Education" for Red Gate Software. (At least DBA is included in the title.) My job duties include, but are not limited to:
So let's hear from you. Tell us what your job title is, and what your key job duties are.
