Sessions and Pubs

Technical Sessions I Present

I present a certain set of sessions – usually at various free SQL Saturday conferences and the fall PASS Summit - and I try to make recordings and materials from all of those sessions available. If you don’t see what you’re looking for here, email me at Jen@MidnightDBA.com and I’ll see if I have it.

Sessions: SQL Server Development / T-SQL
Administration
Professional Development

SQL Server Development / T-SQL

Title:	Overview: SQL Server
Level:	100
Abstract:	In this session we’ll define SQL Server and work with the tools to show you around, & explore what it can do. If you cant’ even spell “SQL”, this session’s for you.
Goals:	To learn about SQL Server from the ground up, with no prior experience.
Downloads:	PowerPoint and SQL scripts
Presented:	SQL Saturday #63 Dallas 2011: Full recording (Ustream recording)Rate this session

Title:	Beginning T-SQL
Level:	100
Abstract:	If you’d like to become a database professional – or if you already work with SQL Server at all – you need to know Transact-SQL, the SQL Server programming language. During this session, we’ll design and create our own table to demonstrate key concepts, query syntax, and more. If you’ve been meaning to learn T-SQL, here’s your chance!
Goals:	To learn the basics of Transact-SQL, with no prior experience.
Downloads:
Presented:	Presented at SQL Saturday #41 Atlanta, 2010: Full recording

Title:	Code Sins
Level:	200
Abstract:	It’s impossible to follow every best practice all the time. “Code sins” are those things we do to our code that are either so horrendous that they can’t be borne, or that have such tremendous consequences that your stored procedures wish they’d never been created. Attendees will hear about the most common code sins that make code difficult to read, support, run and extend, and practical strategies for reversing the trend.
Goals:	TBD
Downloads:	24HOP Spring 2011 zip file
Presented:	24Hours of PASS Spring 2011: Full recording (PASS site) 24HOP Spring 2011 blog SQL Saturday #63 Houston (poor Ustream recording; related blog) NTSSUG 2010 SQL Saturday #41 Atlanta (slide deck)

Title:	T-SQL Brush-up: The Best Things You Forgot You Knew About SQL Code (aka Forgotten T-SQL)
Level:	200
Abstract:	You’re a good SQL professional – you attend conferences and webinars, you read articles and books, and you know your way around SQL Server. But sometimes – just SOMEtimes – some piece of T-SQL slips by you unnoticed, or falls out of memory. Most of us are working with at least two or three out of the last five versions of SQL Server, so who can blame us for missing a feature or two? Come and revisit old favorites, and brush up on new T-SQL features and enhancements. In this session you will see SELECT turned inside-out. You’ll get really, really excited about OVER and PARTITION BY. You’ll learn that Common Table Expressions are, in fact, very cool, and that FOR XML isn’t as scary as it looks. And what’s more, we’ll look and BRAND-new features like SQL Server Denali’s new SEQUENCE object! This session is chock full of code examples, including before-and-after demos and how-to illustrations.
Goals:	TBD
Downloads:
Presented:	Presented at 24 Hours of PASS Fall 2010:Full recording (requires PASS login); Download the demo code hereRecording from SQL Saturday #52 Colorado

Title:	Unraveling Tangled Code – A Spellbinding Tale of Victory Over Chaos
Level:	200
Abstract:	Once upon a time, you inherited an application or a database that was filled with chaos and inconsistencies. The T-SQL code is overly complex and impossible to ken. The architecture is painful to behold, and grueling to code for. One might optimistically say that query performance is “spectacularly mediocre”. If you’re without good documentation or system architects to guide you, how do you break the curse of confusion? In this session you’ll learn several methods for conquering chaotic code, and how to seek and destroy some of the nastier coding mistakes and inefficiencies. We will break complicated queries into key pieces, turn them upside-down, and reform them into something sensible. We will vanquish major issues like data abuse and index negligence. We will restructure joins, tame subqueries, and refactor dynamic SQL. We will emerge victorious!
Goals:	TBD
Downloads:
Presented:	Recording from EDMPASS presentation (July 2011)

Administration

Title:	When a Strange Server Calls
Level:	200
Abstract:	Have you checked the databases lately? It could be that you’re new on the job, or you’ve inherited a set of servers from another team. Maybe things have just been busy lately. Any which way, you’ve got a SQL Server instance (or five) that may have issues, may have backups, may have maintenance…or not. How do you start getting to know an instance? We’ll go over scripts and methods to gather and prioritize important information about your server, so you don’t have to be afraid when the server calls.
Goals:	Let’s identify the situations where you’d have a server that you need to get familiar with. And list the things you really need to know about your servers (and why) [top 12 critical issues for neglected servers]. Let’s get to know the methods and scripts for gathering that information, And for documenting it, And for making prioritized action plans/solutions for found issues.
Downloads:	n/a (yet)
Presented:	OKC User Group Meeting, 2013-04-08NTSSUG Meeting, 2013-04-25

Professional Development

Title:	Mouth Wide Shut: Coherent Interviewing
Level:	100
Abstract:	“Interviews are so easy,” said nobody ever. Interviewing for your next DBA or SQL developer job can be tricky, and full of pitfalls. In this fun and interactive session, we’ll give you all the best advice you’ve never heard about pre-interview preparation, typical traps, and the new professionalism. You will start to refine the way you present yourself, tailor your answers appropriately, and learn about our revolutionary negotiating tactics. Most importantly, we’ll quantify the most difficult aspect of interviews: knowing when to keep silent. This session was rated the #2 session at the 2012 PASS Summit!Prerequisites: There are no solid pre-requisites for this session, only the desire to really understand how to pass an interview.
Goals:	Teach the biggest pitfalls in the interview process and how to avoid them. This is based off of years of interviewing DBAs. Teaching how to practice will be one of the main tenants along with solid advice on things you should never do. Teach the different types of tech questions and how to prepare for and answer them. This is a big portion of the session and comprises some of the biggest mistakes we’ve seen DBAs make when going for a job. Teach some basic negotiating skills to get you the package you want once the offer is made. This is often times the most overlooked part of the process, but it’s very important if you want to be happy with your new position.l
Downloads:	TBD
Presented:	PASS Summit 2012

Title:	Mouth Wide Shut: Interviews from the Other Side of the Table
Level:	200
Abstract:	You’re a DBA, and it’s finally your turn to conduct an interview. As it turns out, asking the questions is nearly as hard as answering them! And listen to those answers: this guy has “master” and “expert” all over his resume, but he sounds like a mid-level the more he talks, and will likely turn out to be a junior once hired on. In this interactive session, we’ll show you the most effective ways to find out what the candidate truly knows. You’ll learn about effective tech screening, drawing answers out of nervous candidates, and how to use probing questions to really draw out the applicant’s true expertise.Among other things, you’ll learn:* How to pick up on resume “inaccuracies”* How to truly vet a candidate’s skills* Why keeping your mouth shut is a vital interviewing skill* The one thing that interviewers never do (and should) Prerequisites: There are no solid pre-requisites for this session, only the desire to really understand how to conduct an interview.
Goals:	Teach the types of interview questions, and how to use them to determine real experience. Teach the different interview formats, including types of lab exercises and the length of the question and answer portion. Teach how to identify the most common candidate overstatements and omissions.
Downloads:	TBD
Presented:	TBD

Bio

Jen McCown is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP, developer, and DBA. She is Senior Editor at MidnightDBA.com, where she creates training videos, the DBAs at Midnight webshow, blogs, reviews, and podcasts. She is co-creator of DBARoadmap.com, and also writes for Petri IT Knowledgebase. Jen is a member, volunteer, and speaker in NTSSUG, PASS, and the PASS Women in Technology virtual chapter.

Publications

DBA Roadmap

Sean and I created an audio seminar on the topic of how to become a SQL Server database professional, and we called it the DBA Roadmap. This seminar will consist of several hours of audio, bonus tracks, and downloadable artifacts (like sample resumes, summaries, and more).

The Roadmap is available for purchase! Visit www.DBARoadmap.com to get a sample audio track, and email DBARoadmap@Gmail.com with questions or comments.

MVP Deep Dives II

I wrote a chapter for MVP Deep Dives II, which was released at PASS Summit 2011 in Seattle! The scripts used in the chapter are freely available under “Source Code” (I’m chapter 37) on the SQL Server MVP Deep Dives 2 page on Manning.com.

For information on the first Deep Dives book, see the SQL Server MVP Deep Dives page on Manning.com.