Swimming through the Sea of SQL
I am excited and honored to announce that I have been selected to speak at SQL Saturday Nashville on January 12, 2019.
I’ve been to Nashville before, in fact I was just there last June for Music City Tech, and am super excited to be going back.
I will be presenting my Profiling Your Data session. If you’re in area and haven’t registered yet, there are still seats available, you can register here.
Feel free to stop by and say, “Hi”, I’d love to see you.
I am so excited and honored that I have been selected to speak at SQL Saturday Oregon on November 3, 2018.
I will be presenting my Data Types Do Matter session at 10:15 am. I am so excited to be presenting to a kind of “home town” crowd. I lived in the Willamette Valley for a while when I was a kid and even graduated from High School out there.
If you’re in the Portland area on November 3, 2018, stop by and say hello, I’d love to see you!
Did you know that SQL Saturday Charlotte is just a few weeks away on October 20, 2018? This will be the seventh year for SQL Saturday Charlotte. Here are a few things we think you should know.
After being at the same venue for the last six years, we decided to switch to a new venue this year. We will be at the Central Piedmont Community College – Harris Campus, located at 3210 CPCC Harris Campus Dr, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28208. This is on the opposite side of town from our previous venue and very close to the airport.
We have not one, not two, but THREE pre-cons to choose from this year! Whether you are in the DBA or BI realm, there’s something for you! Check them out, but register soon as seats are limited.
We are offering two workshops for kids. A morning session for kids aged 7-10 and an afternoon session for kids aged 11-13.
We have had some excellent volunteers in the past. So excellent in fact, that we decided to add them to our organizing team. Please welcome Brad Llewelyn (B | T) who is acting as our PM. He’s doing a great job, considering it’s akin to herding cats.
We have worked hard so you can save some green by finding hotel that is close to the venue and the airport. Use this link to get a discounted rate of $119 per night.
For the last seven years, our core organizing crew has been made up of the (mostly) same great #SQLFamily members. Because of this we are able to provide a great experience for attendees, speakers and sponsors.
We work hard to select the sessions that will provide the best range and depth of learning for our attendees at the same time helping first time speakers get their start.
We hope to see you this year at SQL Saturday Charlotte on October 20, 2018. If you haven’t registered yet, do so soon, our new venue is smaller and we will have a registration cap this year.
I am excited to announce that I have been selected to speak at SQL Saturday Baton Rouge (#749) on August 11, 2018. I will be presenting two sessions, Data Types Do Matter and What is Power BI?
One of the reasons that I’m so excited to speak in Baton Rouge, is because I met William Assaf (B | T) a couple of years ago when he came to speak for us at SQL Saturday Charlotte. He’s super nice and while chatting I discovered that he was the event organizer for SQL Saturday Baton Rouge. It was before I started speaking and I was just picking his brain a bit on organizing a SQL Saturday. He had some really great ideas that I thought sounded interesting. This is the tenth year for SQL Saturday Baton Rouge. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us.
The second reason I’m so excited about speaking in Baton Rouge is the food! I’ve only ever driven through Louisiana, never had the opportunity to stop and enjoy it. This time I will have plenty of opportunities to do just that, but most importantly eat. My list of foods to try include étouffée, boudin and jambalaya to name just a few. Then I’ll top it off with some beignets. I may need to swim a few extra laps before I go (and after I return)!
I am so honored and humbled to have been selected to speak at SQL Saturday Atlanta (#733) on May 19, 2018. I will be presenting my Data Types Do Matter session. This will be my second time speaking for this event in as many years. I was so thrilled to be selected last year, but to be selected again is truly amazing. For those that aren’t familiar with SQL Saturday Atlanta, it’s a HUGE event with speakers from all over the world. The organizers do a great job of selecting a mix of speakers, from first timers to MVPs that have been around since almost the beginning of the MVP program.
If you’re in the Atlanta area on May 19, 2018, check it out, you won’t be disappointed. They also have some great pre-cons on Friday, May 18, 2018, from Tim Radney (B|T), Jonathon Stewart (B|T), Joey D’Antoni (B|T) and Robert Cain (B|T).
See you in Atlanta!
Two Saturdays ago, I was in Reykjavik, Iceland, speaking at my very first international SQL Saturday. WOW! Is all I can say. While this SQL Saturday is one of the smaller events I’ve spoken at, it definitely made an impression and will most likely go down as one of my all time favorites. Why? There are so many reasons…
First, it’s in Iceland. I mean really, is there any place more beautiful?! Even in Winter it’s beautiful. Best part about Iceland – no trees to obstruct your view! I know some of you might think I’m crazy, but coming from the desert of Arizona where you can see for miles in every direction, it makes a huge difference. I moved to North Carolina 11 years ago and there are lots of trees, I mean LOTS of trees EVERYWHERE. You can’t see anything, it almost makes me feel claustrophobic at times. So for me, no trees is a huge plus! I got to take in some of the major tourist sites via the Golden Circle and saw some truly amazing things. There is so much history in Iceland it’s hard to comprehend at times. From the Vikings to the Summit between super powers that brought about the start of end of the Cold War to being the first country to have an openly gay female Prime Minister. So much history.
Second, the people of Iceland. Everyone one I met from the time my plane landed until my plane departed five days later, everyone was so nice! This goes doubly for the organizers of SQL Saturday Iceland. Asgeir Gunnarsson and his team did an incredible job of making me feel welcome and offered assistance with anything I needed. I couldn’t have asked for better hosts for my first international SQL Saturday.
Third, the speakers. OMG, the speakers at this event were so awesome. It was a huge melting pot of international speakers, there were folks from the UK, Ireland, Belguim, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, the list just goes on and on. Every single one of them were so friendly. Being a fairly new speaker and being surrounded by such tremendous speakers was an experience I will never forget.
Fourth, the event itself. I mentioned that this was one of the smaller events I’ve spoken at. This meant that it was very personal, you could talk with attendees, organizers and sponsors and not feel overwhelmed. You felt like you were talking with neighbors not strangers. They also had two of the best raffle prizes of any event I’ve ever been to. The first was an oversized “typical” Icelandic chocolate Easter Egg. Holy cow, I’ve never seen so much chocolate. I would have had to purchase another suitcase just to get this thing home if I had won! Then there was the case of beer (2 actually). Not sure if we could get away with that in the US, but it sure made an impression on me.
Fifth, my session. I had a good mix of attendees in my Data Types Do Matter session. Lots of interested faces, but not too many questions until I started bribing them with Girl Scout Cookies. Let me tell you, nothing breaks the ice like a Thin Mint or Caramel Delite!
Lastly, it’s in Iceland! Yes, I know I said this already, but it was so beautiful. So beautiful in fact, I’ll leave you with a few of my photos so you can see for yourself.
Enjoy!
SQL Saturday Richmond is just 5 days away and this will be the second time I have been selected to speak at this event. SQL Saturday Richmond holds a special place in my heart as do the event organizers. They gave me my first opportunity to speak at a SQL Saturday.
Last year at this time I was so stressed out and worried that I didn’t sleep well leading up to the event. I had been sick in the weeks leading up to the event and was worried my voice wouldn’t hold out for the entire session. And this was my first ever SQL Saturday, so no pressure at all. Turns out my voice made it through the entire session and I didn’t hyperventilate or pass out. I did forget to touch on a few of my talking points, but the crowd seemed pleased and I got very good feedback so I put it down as a win.
This year I was honored to be selected to speak again, and I am giving two sessions, Data Types Do Matter and Intro to Integration Services (SSIS). These are both beginner level sessions and I really love both of them. They are both things that I am passionate about and am a firm believer that if you start with a good foundation, it only makes you a stronger DBA/Developer/Analyst.
If you are in the Richmond, VA area this weekend (Mar 23 & 24) stop by and say “Hi”, I’d love to see you. Also, they do have some great pre-cons this year, one with Grant Fritchey and the other with Andy Leonard and still have seats available, so check it out!
I am so excited, I was selected to speak at SQL Saturday Richmond on March 24, 2018, in Richmond, Virginia.
SQL Saturday Richmond has a special place in my heart, it was my very first SQL Saturday as a speaker. So this will be my second time speaking at this event. It’s a huge honor to be selected by such a great group in Richmond, but to be selected to return is an even bigger honor.
I’ll be presenting my Data Types Do Matter session and my Intro to Integration Services session. If you are in the area on March 24, please stop by and say, “Hello”.
I can finally breath a sigh of relief, my first time of presenting two sessions back to back is finally over. I was so honored to have been chosen to speak at SQL Saturday Cleveland on February 3, 2018. When I got the email notifying me of my selection, I did a little happy dance. That is, until I realized that they had selected TWO of my sessions. Then my happy dance became some sort of spastic panic attack. When I looked at the schedule and saw that my sessions were back to back, I think I may have gone catatonic for a few minutes. After I realized that the world would not end and that this was a challenge that I was up to, I replied to the organizers with my confirmation to speak. Note to self: If you submit more than one session, be prepared to speak more than once.
I started working on my sessions based on feedback that I had previously received, with small tweaks here and there. I rehearsed them with my Great Dane as my audience, but his feedback wasn’t too helpful. However, it did let me know what it would feel like if someone fell asleep during one of my sessions. Note to self: Use organisms with thumbs as an audience.
Now, I am originally from Arizona but I did live in Colorado for fifteen years, so I do know what cold weather and snow are, but Holy Cow! Those years in Colorado did nothing to prepare me for the bitter cold in Cleveland. It was 9F with a wind chill below 0F. How far below 0F doesn’t really matter, once you hit that mark, IT’S COLD!! Note to self: Bring long johns next time traveling to Cleveland in the winter.
Saturday arrived and I was ready. I have helped organize a few SQL Saturdays and have always had to arrive before dawn and never had to worry about parking. But I was not in the first speaking slot, so I decided to take my time and show up after the rush of attendees. Note to self: Be prepared to walk a ways if you do not show up early to a SQL Saturday event.
I found the speaker room and started prepping my laptop for the sessions to come. It was finally time, so I grabbed a bottle of water and headed out. My first session started off great, until I hit the first demo when the A/V equipment started to go wonky. I had a backup A/V converter, so I switched to that one, thinking it would resolved the issue. No luck. By this time the screen is flickering and non functional. My proctor was kind enough to go find tech support for the facility while I pushed ahead with no projector. Tech support showed up and still couldn’t get it fixed. I started unplugging everything, video adapters, mouse & clicker. We finally got it working again and I was able to carry on with my session. Note to self: Keep your cool and sense of humor, both go a long way when things aren’t going well.
After my first session ended, I had fifteen minutes to go to the bathroom, get more water and figure out the A/V issue. I got them all done. Turns out it was my clicker causing a conflict with the A/V. Note to self: It’s not always the A/V that’s the problem, it can also be the clicker!!
My second session went off without a hitch, almost. I think I was still a little flustered with my previous session’s A/V issue and I went “off script” for my first demo. It turned out okay in the end, but not before I went through three different schemas to get to the object I wanted in a query window. Note to self: Use the demo text you prepare for a demo, don’t change things up “on the fly”.
Overall I got very good feedback for both sessions that was very valuable and I’m already putting it to use. I’ve been selected to speak at SQL Saturday Richmond on March 24, 2018, and I’ll giving two sessions! Hope to see you there.
Back in 2015, I said would think about speaking in my #TSQL2sday #61 post. Well here it is 2018 and I have finally embraced speaking. And as it turns out, I love it. I spoke eight times in 2017, from my local PASS group to Denver’s SQL Saturday. I even spoke for the PASS WIT virtual group, which was a HUGE deal for me. It’s hard enough to speak in front of an audience, but it’s even harder to speak when you can’t see the faces. You have no idea if people are confused, sleeping or even interested in what you are saying. But I digress.
I am kicking off 2018 with three speaking gigs already lined up. One in January, February and March.
In January I will be speaking for my local group, presenting Data Types Do Matter. This will be the first time I present this particular session and am looking forward to getting feed back on it.
In February, I am happy to announce that I was selected to speak at SQL Saturday Cleveland. Not only am I speaking, but I am speaking twice! I was honored to have both my What is Power BI? and my Intro to Integration Services sessions selected. I’ve been to Ohio before, but never Cleveland, so it should be fun. I plan on arriving a day early so I can take in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the infamous A Christmas Story home tour. Not sure if I’m more excited to see one of my all time favorite bands, The Cars, memorabilia or to see where Ralphie almost shot his eye out!
In March, I am speaking at SQL Saturday Iceland. Yes, Iceland! I still can’t believe I was selected to speak. I am so honored. I submitted with the attitude “Never in a million years will I be selected, but it would be by FAR the coolest thing EVER if I was.” Low and behold my new session Data Types Do Matter was selected. I can hardly wait.
If you are in the area of any of my speaking engagements, please stop by and say, “Hello”, I’d love to see you.
Here’s to a great 2018!
Happy New Year!
SQLSwimmer 