Category: SQL Saturday

SQL Saturday 498 Chattanooga

Do you like PowerShell? SQL Server? Are you anywhere close to Chattanooga TN? Then don’t miss this SQL Saturday, June 25th 2016.

I’m giving two sessions (yes two for the price of one!). The first session will be PowerShell 201. It covers advanced concepts you need to know, such as debugging, remoting, security, and code signing.

The second session will educate on using PowerShell with SQL Server. We’ll cover the use of the SQL Provider (SQLPS) as well as the more advanced SQL Management Object library (SMO).

You’ll find the full schedule here, as well as links to register, directions, and the like.

http://www.sqlsaturday.com/498/Sessions/Schedule.aspx 

Best of all, my demos are already uploaded, so you can download early and play along during the presentation!

I’ll mention Chattanooga is a great vacation town, so bring your whole family. There’s a huge aquarium, discovery museum, Lookout Mountain, and tons of attractions to keep them occupied while you’re having fun at SQL Saturday.

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Chattanooga SQL Saturday June 27 2015–Zero to Hero with PowerShell and SQL Server

This Saturday, June 27 2015, I will be at SQL Saturday #410 in Chattanooga, TN. I’ll be presenting a session “Zero to Hero with PowerShell and SQL Server”, in which we’ll start with the basics of PowerShell, then move into working with SQL Server via the PS SQL Provider.

This is going to be an extremely fast paced session, so you may wish to download the code samples ahead of time. I have already uploaded the samples to the event site. Just go to the Sessions menu, Schedule, and you’ll see a bit download button under the session. As of right now I’m the last session of the day, in room 219, but that is subject to change so be sure to check the schedule upon arrival.

Be warned, there is far more code in the download then we’ll be able to cover in a one hour session. It is well commented though, and you should be able to understand it after the session.

If you are looking for even more PowerShell goodness, my friend Aaron Nelson ( @sqlvariant | blog ) is doing a PowerShell for Data Professionals just after lunch. Our two sessions should work well together for those interested in using PowerShell in the world of SQL Server.

Hope to see you there!

So You Think MDX is Hard? Presented at SQL Saturday Nashville Jan 17 2015

At SQL Saturday Nashville, on January 17 2015, I presented “So You Think MDX is Hard?”. Unfortunately the SQL Saturday website is having issues with code samples, so I have uploaded the presentation to my Technet Code site. You will find it at http://bit.ly/acmdx

Inside are three files, a PDF of the slide deck, the MDX script I ran, and the analysis services database as a backup file (abf) that you can restore to a server on which you have administrative rights. This sample was created in SQL Server 2012, although should work on 2014 and (although I haven’t tested) should work on 2008R2.

PowerScripting Podcast

I just wanted to give a thanks to the guys at the PowerScripting Podcast for having me on tonight. As soon as it is released I’ll follow up with a link.

For those who came here from hearing me on the podcast, you can find more info on SQL Saturday at: http://bit.ly/sqlsat328

If you want to find out more about my sessions at the PASS Summit, you can jump to http://bit.ly/acsummit. My co-presenters for the precon are Brad Ball @sqlballs and Jason Strate @stratesql.

The Pragmatic Works webinars can be found on the company website at http://pragmaticworks.com. Just follow the Free Training on the T’s to get access to the webinars. You can search by author name (Robert Cain will get you mine) or topic.

My other training videos can be found on Pluralsight, http://pluralsight.com/training.

I also have a youtube channel with a couple of videos, https://www.youtube.com/user/arcanecode. Check out the Column Mode Editing video for a quick editing tip on making your life easier with both PowerShell and SQL Server.

I’m Speaking! SQL Saturday Nashville and PowerShell Saturday Atlanta

Just wanted to let folks know I’ll be doing presentations at two upcoming events.

The first is SQL Saturday #145 in Nashville. That’s this weekend, October 13th. I’ll be giving my “Introduction to Data Warehousing / Business Intelligence” presentation. Here is the slide deck I’ll be using: introtodatawarehousing.pdf

My second presentation will be October 27 in Atlanta at PowerShell Saturday #003. Yep, the PowerShell guys are taking the Saturday concept and kicking off a series of PowerShell Saturdays. This is only the third, but I see many more coming in the future.

At PowerShell Saturday I’ll be presenting “Make SQL Server Pop with PowerShell”. I’ll cover both the SMO and SQL Provider during this session.

Looks like it’ll be a busy October, but I’d hurry as both events are filling up so don’t wait and get registered now!

Intro to DW/BI at SQL Saturday #167 Columbus GA

Today, September 8th 2012, I’m presenting at SQL Saturday #167 in Columbus, GA. My slides for this presentation can be found at:

https://arcanecode.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/introtodatawarehousing.pdf

The shortcuts from the slides are:

 

Thanks for attending!

SQL Saturday 167–Columbus GA–Sept 8 2012

It’s almost here! SQL Saturday #167, the first ever for Columbus GA. It looks to be quite a nice event, with a great variety of topics. There’s a lot of BI, including a PreCon on PowerPivot. I’ll be giving a presentation on Saturday on “The Decoder Ring for Data Warehousing/BI” in which you’ll cut through all the hype to get an understanding of all the words behind data warehousing and business intelligence.

This looks to be a great event, so hurry up and register before it sells out. It seems to be in the perfect location, centrally located (in other words just a few hours drive) between Birmingham, Atlanta, Montgomery, Troy and Dothan. So no more excuses, get your SQL Saturday on!

SQL Saturday #111 Atlanta

The excitement is brewing! This Saturday is going to be huge if you are a SQL person living in the southeast US. SQL Saturday #111 is this Saturday, April 14 with a whopping TEN tracks! With five sessions per track that’s over FIFTY sessions of SQLY goodness for you to pick from. There’s even some PowerShell thrown in there for us PowerShell fans.

I was lucky enough to be asked to present two sessions this time. The first is at the 10:15 am time slot.

Configuring SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services

Reporting Services can be one of the easier tools to configure, once you understand how to use the configuration manager. In this session you’ll explore the configuration settings available through the exploration of the Reporting Services Configuration Manager. You’ll learn the different accounts Reporting Services will need in order to run, how to access Reporting Services via URLs, and the importance of encryption keys.

This year they are doing something new, and having a beginner track. For anyone brand new to SQL Server this is the place for you to be. I was asked to do my second session in the beginner track in the 1 PM time slot.

The Decoder Ring for Data Warehousing / BI

Business Intelligence is one of the hottest job skills in the IT field. DBAs and Database Developers are being asked to implement databases with non-traditional design, and are having a lot of new vocabulary thrown their way. In this talk you will learn the concepts behind building and designing data warehouses, and cut through the buzz words so you will walk away with a clear understanding of what words like dimensions, facts, and measures mean.

Last I checked there were still some seats left for the event, but hurry as they are running out quick. I also have a little extra swag to give out during my sessions, courtesy of Pragmatic Works and Pluralsight.

SQL Server Full Text Searching at SQL Saturday #22 Pensacola FL

Today I had the opportunity to hang out with a bunch of cool people at SQL Saturday 22 in Pensacola FL. My presentation is SQL Server Full Text Searching, a Guide for Dev’s and DBAs. While I’ve done this presentation in the past, it’s been updated with new material and demos. You’ll find all the code, and the slide deck at the Code Gallery site,

http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/SqlServerFTS

Thanks for coming!

SQL Saturday 41 – Atlanta

Today is April 24, 2010 and I’m in Atlanta speaking at SQL Saturday number 41. I’m giving three sessions today. I guess I’m just a glutton for punishment, LOL.

My first session is an Introduction to Business Intelligence / Data Warehousing. In it I am covering the basics, it’s a true introductory talk where we’ll demystify all the buzz words surrounding Business Intelligence. You can download the slides from here.

My next session is Off and Running with PowerPivot for Excel 2010. Learn the ins and outs of this exciting new tool from Microsoft, see how you can enable your users to do their own Business Intelligence. The slides are ready from this location.

OK, an update before this blog entry even posts, Vidas Matelis just published his step by step guide for getting SharePoint 2010, SQL Server 2008 R2, and PowerPivot all up and going on a single box. (And when I say just, I mean it went up just as I was typing up this post.) Vidas knows a lot about PowerPivot, it’s a great blog to add to your short list. I have a link to his blog in my slide deck, but wanted to pass along a specific link to his install guide, you can find it at http://powerpivot-info.com/post/66-step-by-step-guide-on-installing-powerpivot-for-sharepoint .

The final session I’ll be doing is on Full Text Searching. You can download the code samples and slides from my Code Gallery site, http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/SqlServerFTS.

Speaking of Full Text Search, I’ll be doing an Interactive Session at Tech-Ed in New Orleans on Full Text Searching. The session is now in the catalog: http://northamerica.msteched.com/topic/list?keyword=DAT07-INT If you are coming to New Orleans for Tech Ed I’d love to see you there. I’ll also be in the Microsoft Data booth during part of the event, so come on by and say Hi!

I hope to be able to sneak in a few sessions today as well, there will be 49 different sessions at SQL Saturday #41 to pick from (7 tracks, and 7 sessions per track) so it promises to have something for everyone. If you want to follow the fun on Twitter, our official hash tag is #sqlsat41 .

Live Streaming from SQL Saturday 41

One of the sponsors for tomorrow’s SQL Saturday in Atlanta Georgia, a company named Set Focus, is going to be live streaming three presentations from the event. I just got the word that my session, "Introduction to Data Warehousing/Business Intelligence" was selected as one of the sessions. My session kicks off the event at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time. Information and a link to the stream site can be found on Set Focus’s blog:

http://blogs.setfocus.com/radar/2010/04/22/streaming-sqlsaturday/

SQL Saturday 41 was sold out some time ago, and there is even quite a waiting list, so if you’re unable to attend then at least you can sit in on three of the sessions via the live stream. The other two sessions to be streamed are "SQL Server Memory Deep Dive" by Kevin Boles and "Database Design Patterns" by Louis Davidson. Both are fellow Microsoft MVPs and excellent presenters, I know you’ll enjoy their presentations as well.

Live streaming technology really excites me. While I feel that you can get the best experience and education from being live at the event, I also understand that this is not always possible for everyone. Work conflicts, distance, family obligations, or the event simply being sold out, as this one is, can limit a person’s ability to attend in person. Live streaming events such as SQL Saturday really helps us to extend our reach into the community and to help serve those who for whatever reason cannot be with us at the event. I want to give a great big thanks to the folks over at Set Focus for making this happen.

SQL Saturday Redmond – October 3 2009

I am fortunate enough to be able to give three presentations at Redmond WA’s SQL Saturday event. The first session is “Introduciton to Data Warehousing / Business Intelligence”. Here is the PDF slide deck for that presentation. (Right click and save as if you want to save a copy for later reference).

The second presentation is SQL Server Full Text Searching. You can find the slide deck in PDF format as well as sample code at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/SqlServerFTS.

The final presentation of the day was Introduction to SQL Server Integration Services. The sample project, slide deck, and step by step instructions can be found at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/introssis . In addition I also showed how to call SSIS from a .Net application. You can find that sample at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/ssisfromnet .

SQL Saturday 7 is Tomorrow!

Just a reminder that SQL Saturday 7 is taking place tomorrow, May 30th, right here in Birmingham AL. There will be three full tracks, covering Database Development, Database Administration, and Business Intelligence. I will be presenting on “Introduction to Data Warehousing / Business Intelligence”.

In addition to a great education, there will also be free food, vendors for you to interact with, and some great prizes, including the grand prize an XBox 360!

If you haven’t registered yet scurry on over to http://www.sqlsaturday.com/eventhome.aspx?eventid=9 and register while you still have time! Capacity is limited, and as we enter into the home streach there aren’t many seats left.

SQL Saturday 7 Logo