SQL Server 2012, and the fog clears on Thanksgiving

If you have been developing databases for five, ten, or more years, you have probably been there too.  The spot where plans finally catch up to reality.  You were in the trenches with old technology (in my case Foxpro 6), trying to make it do the impossible, despondent that the day may never come when you have the ability to implement real solutions again building on a real technology stack.

And then it finally happens.

After three weeks of conversion pain, we have now implemented a complete redesign of our core system that is driven by my new best friend.... SQL Server 2012.

Oh, I still love SQL 2000, 2005, and 2008, and they will still play an important role in the spaces that they currently hold (until 2000 support ends next year).  But SQL 2012, shiny and new, full of new functionality, is the spring in our human cannonball trick.

In addition to making me want to blog again about SQL Server, it means that I can begin to turn musings in the back of my mind into concrete plans that can become reality.

While I did not have time to blog on the server setup and production installation of our SQL Server, I look forward to again being able to join my community of SQL developers in sharing successes and failures, helping others find answers that I have already found, and enjoying the benefits of the countless others that do the same things, making developing in and supporting the SQL Server platform such a joy.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

SQL Saturday #112 - Birmingham 2012

Today was another great SQL Saturday in Birmingham.  A day packed full of meeting other SQL professionals, good food, and great sessions of information.  If you have never been to a SQL Saturday and you are reading this blog, you should go.  Here is a quick run down of the sessions that I attended today.

Time Saving Tips & Tricks for SSMS 2012 - Aaron Nelson

What's New in SSIS 2012 - Christopher Price

SQL Server 2012: What's New - Bob Cheatham

Data Quality Services 2012 - Chris Price

Introduction to FileTables - Sven Aelterman

Windowing Functions: The Reason to Upgrade to 2012 - Kevin Boles

As you can tell, it was a great day for learning more about SQL 2012.  

http://www.sqlsaturday.com/default.aspx

Check the site and find a session near you.  You will not regret it.

SQL Saturday #81 Birmingham

Today I had the great pleasure of meeting other SQL Server professionals from all over the Southeast, and listening to some great presentations on everything from design and statistics to the upcoming SQL "Denali".

We had five different sessions to choose from in each of the six time slots. My choices today were

Database Design
SQL "Denali" High Availability
SQL Statistics
Building a Professional Development Plan
Table Partitioning
Advanced DW Scenarios in SSIS

It was not just informative. These events are about networking and being a part of a community centered around the SQL Server product. Plus, on top of great sessions and door-prizes, we were provided with coffee, doughnuts, sodas, and a nice box lunch. If you have not been to one, I highly recommend it.

Upcoming SQL Saturday in Birmingham, AL

It is time for year three of the incredible FREE training day on SQL Server in Birmingham, AL.  This event has grown each year across the country, and this year will be no exception.  If you are anywhere in the Southeast region, I recommend you make the trip to Birmingham on July 30th.  Otherwise, please go to the main site and find a SQL Saturday closer to you.  You owe it to yourself to take advantage of these free events to continue your professional development and take advantage of networking with other SQL Server professionals.

http://sqlsaturday.com/81/eventhome.aspx

Send Email in SQL 2008 Express

No Email functionality in SQL Express? No problem. This is a nice article on using CLR to send email in SQL 2008 Express.
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/SQL+Express+2008/71341/

Using Extended Properties for Documentation

This is a nice article on using extended properties to document your database. Much easier than maintaining a Word document.

Create a SQL Server Data Dictionary in Seconds using Extended Properties

SQL Saturday Free Training

I just attended my first free SQL Saturday training day (#29 in Birmingham, AL) and it was an amazing day. The training was of the highest quality and as I went through the day with free coffee/soda and free lunch provided, I could not believe all of the value that was being provided for free. Of course it is not free, just free to we the trainees.

A big thank you to all the sponsors and the volunteers that made the day possible.

I want to encourage all of you reading this to go to the SQL Saturday website and find SQL Saturday's in your region. There were many people that I met in sessions who were from Tennessee and Georgia, and some had been to as many as three SQL Saturday's in different locations. It is worth a little driving time.

The hardest part was choosing which sessions to attend, since it was pretty common to have two or more sessions that I was interested in going at the same time. Here is the list that I finally went with.

Parallel Query Execution Dive Deep presented by Kevin Boles.
Database Design Patterns presented by Louis Davidson.
Tuna Helper for SQL Server DBAs presented by Janis Griffin.
Tricks & Tips for Writing Better Queries presented by Joe Webb.
SQL Server Locking and Blocking Made Simple presented by Joe Webb.

In each session, I already knew some of the material and I learned some new things, and most importantly gained some insight from people who approached problems from different angles. SQL Server is so robust, there are hundreds of ways to carve the turkey.

I hope if you have never attended SQL Saturday that you will make it a priority. All it costs you is one Saturday.