Back in August of 2011, an announcement from Microsoft started a wave of angst among those who build and support solutions on the Microsoft data platform. In that brief blog post, the data access team announced the deprecation of the OLE DB data interface driver, and that SQL Server 2012 would be the last version to include OLE DB. The…
The yearly PASS Summit is just around the corner, a little less than six weeks away. For those not familiar with this event, it is a gathering of several thousand data professionals for 4+ days of education and networking. The PASS Summit will take place in Seattle, Washington, from Tuesday, October 31st until Friday, November 3rd. Networking at the Summit…
Having the right tools for the job makes the work much more efficient. However, for those just starting out in SQL Server land, it may not be clear which tools are useful or appropriate for a given task. I regularly field questions about which tools I use on my development machines, and why. To that end, I’ve compiled a brief…
When I first started working as a technologist some 17 years ago, I was doing fairly low-level stuff: moving and reimaging computers, network cabling, and basic desktop support were the extent of my responsibilities. I decided early on that I wanted to move into a more advanced role, but faced a common quandary: I couldn’t get the job I wanted…
This week I’m attending the SQL PASS Summit in Seattle. I’ll be live blogging each of the keynote presentations on Wednesday and Thursday morning. This post will be updated throughout the duration of the Day 2 keynote. It’s the second full day of the PASS Summit and we’re back for another keynote. Today we’ll hear from the always-popular David DeWitt,…
I’ve had a lot of luck in my career, especially as it pertains to my work environment. Although I can’t say every technical job I’ve had was all unicorns and bacon, I’ve been very fortunate to have been treated fairly and professionally through most of my employment history. Not only was I treated respectfully, but the last three employers I…
Today is the second day of the SQL PASS Summit in Seattle, Washington. I’ll be live blogging today’s keynote address. This post will be updated throughout the keynote. Don’t forget you can watch the live stream on PASS TV. Adam Jorgensen, current EVP of finance (and future president) of PASS shares about the financial status of the organization. Revenue has…
Today, I’ll be live blogging the SQL PASS 2015 keynote. Today is the third day of the PASS Summit, and the first day with regular sessions. Everything shown in the keynote will also be streamed on PASS TV. As a logistical note, I’ll be updating this post throughout the keynote. PASS president Tom LaRock kicks things off by recognizing existing…
In just two short months – exactly sixty days from today – the SQL PASS Summit will begin. Although it’s still a couple of months away, this is a great time to start making preparations to ensure that you get the most out of your Summit experience. Download and install the latest SQL Server 2016 CTP bits. Even if you’re…
Social media is the new résumé. In many ways, it’s even better than a résumé – a person’s social media stream can reveal attitudes, biases, and deficiencies that wouldn’t dare appear on a résumé. Your online thoughts – blogs, Instagram pictures, tweets on Twitter, posts on Facebook, among others – help to make up the digital you, which friends and…