SQL Pass Summit Postgame – What I learned at summer camp

Brain Dump

  • These people are the coolest mother(shut your mouth!) you'll ever run across.
  • It's really cool to have a whole conference focused on SQL Server. I like TechEd quite a lot, but this aspect of the Summit – which Sean has the opposite opinion on – makes it extra appealing to me.
  • Bad karaoke is the best karaoke evar, unless we're talking about "I'm feelin good" or "Love in the Club".
  • It is MUCH more than six blocks to Bush Garden karaoke bar, but it's all downhill.  Walk down, eat at Ho Ho Seafood restaurant after, and take a cab home.

Getting the Absolute Most 

Fully 3/4 of the conference experience is being a part.  I kept calling SQLPASS "summer camp", because it is. You have pen pals beforehand, you pack your bag and go stay all in the same place…you have fun and learn new things all day, you get awards for volunteering and participation, you're directed to the right places by camp counselors, you stay up late giggling with friends.  It's all true, but just like summer camp, it SUCKS if you don't know anyone, don't meet anyone, and don't feel sad to leave a new friend when it's over.  In that vein, here are the absolute requirements for attending SQL Pass Community Summit 2010 and beyond:

1. Go to your local SQL Server User Group meetings.  Some of them, if not all.  Get on the board, or hang out with the board.  Bring swag if you have it, get swag from them if you don't. Volunteer for the meetings and SQL Saturdays and code camps, if you have them.  Sure, it takes time, but (a) not all that much, (b) it can be an awful lot of fun, and (c) you'll likely start seeing yourself hanging out in groups of MVPs, authors, and speakers…the kind of people who can show you the way to fun and profit.

2. Get on Twitter. It may seem pointless or stupid, but it's not.  SQL professionals all over the WORLD use Twitter to trade tips, websites, free resources, troubleshooting, and yes: jokes and whatnot.  I got on Twitter for my own personal updates, and then I opened a Twitter account for MidnightDBA. I posted blog announcements and followed peers and authors, and found myself in discussions with people I'd never heard of, and SQL celebrities I'd never dreamed of being in contact with.  Another benefit: It kind of gets you over being starstruck, if that's a problem with you (it was for me).  Yet another benefit: it was through Twitter that I heard of the SQLServerPedia.com contest, where I entered and won this very trip to PASS Summit 09, AND the HP mini netbook I'm typing this on.  Membership has its priviledges, babycakes.

3. Go to sessions, but don't be afraid to miss sessions – even really good ones – for the chance to chat with your peers and mentors.  Get into the chalk sessions, spotlight sessions, troubleshooting, contests, special interest breakfasts and lunches. You're going to be tired, sure, but that's summer camp!

 3a. Make a point, by the way, to hit the Women in Technology lunch.  If you're rolling your eyes, even mentally, I understand…I did too (sorry WIT folks!).  But it's not really what you expect…it's really impressive what these people – men and women – are doing, the message they're getting across.  I'm going to get involved when I get back, and be sure to bring my daughter to a meeting or two.  Like I said in my blog post about WIT, she needs to see that what I do – being a technogeek – is really something cool and worthwhile.

 3b. Also make a point to get the conference DVDs.  You can't attend all the sessions, and you'll want to revisit the ones you DID attend.  Maybe you could get your company to spring for them as a training aid, or split the cost with a friend, or get funding from your user group.

4. Talk to people.  Talk to peers, authors, Microsoft reps, speakers, MVPs, chapter leaders, organizers, and vendors. Everyone there is there largely to talk to other people.  Some of these people may dwarf us with their insanely detailed knowledge of SQL Server, but it doesn't mean they're assholes.  Every single person I spoke to was extremely approachable, friendly, and accomodating.  A couple may tell you to RTFM (Hi Joe!), but they'll do it kindly, and only if it's a very basic question.  Don't be afraid to ask questions in sessions, either.  There's a very, VERY good chance that you're not the dumbest person in the room (especially if I'm in the same room), and most likely several other people have the same question and are afraid to ask it.  I can't count the number of times I've asked a question, or heard someone else ask a question, and seen several people nodding before the speaker started their answer.

Traveling

  • Use SeatGuru.com to get the best seat on any plane. Be sure to actually log on and GET the best seat once you have your reservations, and as early as possible.
  • Eat well, eat light, hydrate, take your vitamins. And if you ask me, don't overindulge. I know it's fun to drink yourself silly, but come on – we're all getting too old for that, and you'll hate yourself in the 8:30am session.
  • Charge phone and laptop and phone as often as possible. If you use them half as much as I do, you'll find yourself out of power in the middle of a GREAT Kim Tripp session.
  • The Sheraton has a gym, pool and hot tub on the top floor.  Hot tub often, eh?
  • Your employer will assume that the conference goes for the whole week. If I were you, I wouldn't correct them.

Spending

  • Splurge on the hotel and the DVDs.
  • Save on the food and drink – conferences are getting MUCH better about serving healthy stuff, even if breakfast gets a little repetetive.  And between the demos and parties and receptions, you can find something catered for almost every meal. If you really feel like it though, or if the company's footing the bill, the Sheraton Daily Grill is a VERY safe bet; I ate there four times, and every single thing I had was very good.
     The Taphouse is a popular haunt, too…good food, and something like 100 beers on tap.
  • Bring business cards. If you have a website or a business to promote (or even if you dont'), I'd recommend putting some thought into some cute/attractive/funny stickers to hand out…they were the hot ticket item this year.
  • Don't bother renting a car. There are plenty of ways to get from airport to hotel – arrange with friends on Twitter to meet and split a cab, even – and you'll have NO time to sightsee if you do things right.
  • Pre and Post cons are completely up to you, I have no recommendation. They can be well worth it, but then again, it is an extra $X you might not have.

Final Wrapup

A big shout-out to all the folks I met (and didn't get to meet – I'm lookin at you, Jorge!)…you guys rock, and you know that. An even BIGGER (if possible) shout-out to the MVPs and authors that took the time out to sit down with me and Sean for our little interviews; it means a lot to us.  Big big hugs to Paul Randal, Kim Tripp, Andy Leonard, the canook, Grant Fritchey, Buck Woody, Cindy Gross, Peter DeBetta, about a zillion others (sorry, I'm still running on 4 hrs sleep), and especially Allen and Cindy White…great big heartfelt hugs to you two.

Watch this space (and Twitter, of course)…we'll be publishing our celebrity videos over the course of the next several days.  I've also started a page for the MVP Deep Dives book launch photo shoot here: http://midnightdba.itbookworm.com/midnightdba/SQLPASS09/  (Go buy the book!!) I'll get all those photos and vids up as soon as possible.

Watch this space, too, for some big expansion. PASS Summit inspired us to do several new things with the site that you're gonna love.

See you next year, so practice your karaoke. I'll be online till then…

-Jen McCown, http://www.MidnightDBA.com

Blogging for http://www.SQLServerPedia.com

SQLPASS Summit Wednesday – Women in Technology

I wanted to clean this up and make it pretty, but I'm running out of time. Gotta pack before I go blog the last keynote (3 keynotes, PASS? Really?). 

I was double booked yesterday for lunch.  Early in the summit I'd promised Paul Nielsen I'd be the unofficial official photographer for the MVP Deep Dives book launch (which I'll blog more about another time, with pix and vid).  And I'd already wanted to go to the Women in Technology (WIT) lunch when Allison ?lastname asked me to come and blog it.  So I did a lot of running back and forth.  On the book though, a quick retweet and pic: 

http://twitpic.com/o9wnq The Deep Dive book they are signing for Bill Gates just passed me in line. #SQLPASS

I did see the introductory video at the luncheon.  It was this great montage of women saying I'm a woman in technology, and women and men saying "I support women in technology". 

It was near the end of the session when I was finally able to sit down and listen, and I was quickly blown away.  They were talking about teaching young girls technology – not just programming or SQL admin but Facebook and Twitter, things that are (surprisingly) becoming a huge part of doing business.  I think it was panelist Jessica Moss who suggested finding a women in technology chapter and bringing your daughter.  I was stunned by what a good idea this is, and I intend to follow it with my 10 year old girl.

From here, I'm just going to use my notes wholesale:

Tweeted: The Women in Tech lunch touched me, and I didn't expect that. I'll have a really good blog about that soon, I think. #sqlpass #sqlwit

Kathi Kellenberger: too afraid to talk to their children about race, so they wind up saying embarassing things.  You havae to talk about these things specifically.  Story: pharmacist, had to go to another town to get the rx. daughter said "I didn't know men could be pharmacists".

One of the big things that shaped my life was my image of my mother (this is me, Jen, talking here), from a very young age. She was a pilot, and she flew us in a little 4 seater.  I remember specifically watching her put on her uniform, how cool that was. I still has one of those shirts. 

Someone asked me yesterday what the big deal was with women in technology, why do we need our own cause?  And we can talk about how prevalent sexism is, or injustice, or what have you, but at a base level it's largely about this lingering underlying assumption that certain things are men's jobs, not women's.  A woman executive is still the exception. A female techie is still the exception.  My kids saw me as a stay at home mom for years, until I went back to the workforce this year, and I'm glad I stayed home. But I'm also glad I get to show them by example that being a geek is something I do well, enjoy well, and I'm paid well for it.

To say that slightly more efficiently, we have to understand at a very deep level – from childhood – that some things just aren't an option for girls, not really.

I couldn't have a better partner in all this than Sean.  When it comes to me, "supportive" isn't even the word, because that implies
 he feels that I'm lesser in some way. He's always treated me like he treats anyone else: when I get something right, he knows it. When I screw up, he understands.  When I'm being dumb, he'll say so.

And he's brilliant with our kids, because again, he doesn't see the gender difference as an impediment to ability.  We bought our daughter a computer when she was 5. Sean started computer lessons, including web, email, typing, and HTML, with her when she was 7 or 8.  My 4 year old son just got his sister's hand-me-down computer, and I fully expect he'll have the same at-home computer regimen his sister did. 


@BenchmarkIT got big laughs with his question

 

 

Tweets:

benchmarkIT: Wow @jessicammoss = another great ambassador for WIT #sqlpass

sqlfool: Cathi Rodgveller shares how she started IGNITE (http://bit.ly/YzRrI); goal is to excite young women about technology #sqlpass #sqlwit
 Rodgveller: "You can have an impact in your community." "One [positive technology] event can change a young girl's life." #sqlpass #sqlwit
 Rodgveller: Ignite also targets young women & men, minority races, & low-income youth to stimulate interest in technology #sqlpass #sqlwit

benchmarkIT; Cathi Rodgveller has done some amazing things for WIT and the community in general #sqlpass
 I'm a technical woman (ok not really) but I support WIT #sqlpass

sqldba: Listening to @llangit talk at the WIT luncheon at #sqlpass … she's an engaging speaker!

[blog] Women in Technology Luncheon – http://twurl.nl/4imr01 (via @way0utwest)

-Jen McCown, MidnightDBA.com

Blogging for SQLServerPedia.com

SQLPASS Summit Wednesday Keynote – Part 2

Aww, the box is justa touchscreen computer.  No malarial mosquitoes. I'm switching to a selection of the live tweets, because it's what I find most interesting:

  • Me: Amir Netz comes on for a demo. The room perks up. #sqlpass
  • RT @AdamMachanic: RT @way0utwest  expecting a magic trick at #sqlpass …. Maybe he'll cut a monitor in half
  • @mrdenny: Where's his ponny tail? #sqlpass
  • sqlfool: Amir Netz just took the stage. I hope there's not another Visual Studio demo. 🙂 #sqlp
  • adammachanic: #sqlpass finally, a flashy demo. But the guy demoing has had waytoomuchcoffeeandissaying300wordsasecond
  • sqlchicken: @BrentO is that when Mr. DNA comes on screen and demoes the miracle of cloning dino DNA? #sqlpass
  • brento: Yep, @SQLChicken I think so. It's the Jurassic Database.
  • SQLServerMag: Amir Netz on PowerPivot–data from many sources into Excel."Working w/100 million rows is as easy as working with 1000 rows."
  • aspiringGeek: "Magic of s/w" allows *fast* client-side manipulation of 100M rows in Excel #sqlpass #powerpivot
  • GFritchey: It's Excel on pure rage! It'll be like the sprinting zombies in 28 Days Later. #sqlpas
  • Sqlrockstar: OH: "There is some magic here, the magic of software" #sqlpass
  • RT @AdamMachanic:100,000,000 rows in Excel? Great, now someone is going to accidentally hit print and cause an environmental crisis #sqlpass
  • SQLDBA: Where the IT worker gets invovled: When the CFO calls wondering why his Excel database didn't work on the plane (no connectivity). #sqlpass
  • SQLFool: 100m rows in Excel is impressive, but in reality, if you're showing users that much data, you're doing something wrong with BI #sqlpass
  • mladenPrajic: maybe they should use that algorithm to store data in sql server 🙂 RT @sqlbelle: 100M rows compressed to133MB excel file? wow. #sqlpass
  • sqlservermagazine: Netz–THAT GUY has a bunch of Excel spreadsheets. Put em in PowerPivot and you can see the data live & updated.
  • BrentO: Awesome! Instead of worrying about whether my SQL Server is paging to disk, now I can worry about my users' laptops too! #sqlpass
  • GFritchey: Oooh, I'll bet that generates pretty execution plans…. #sqlpass
  • BrentO: Please stop explaining joins to us. We're DBAs. We're not impressed by joins.
  • mrdenny: How come when I open my "application" my computer slows down? Because you have 1 gig of RAM and 100M rows in the sheet. #sqlpass
  • mrdenny: Sweet 35 new functions that I have to explain to my boss. Thanks guys. #sqlpass And then I have to explain why the SQL Engine doesn't have these same functions. #sqlpass
  • sqlservermag: Netz For PowerPivot you don't need to know SQL or C#, just Excel, but SQL Server is under the hood. Lots of power for end users.
  • sqldba: OK all jokes aside, I can totally see PowerPivot for Excel being useful at my company. #sqlpass
  • gfritchey: @sqldba yeah, me too. I'd love to be able to put this in a few peoples hands.
  • gfritchey: Every time he says scan I twitch. Make it stop. #sqlpass
  • mrdenny: Excellent point, users are now going to be emailing 100M Email files back and forth. Exchange database size will grow like crazy. #sqlpass
  • adamMachanic: #sqlpass the flashy demo looks really cool but I want to know what the real-world pitfalls are. How long does it REALLY take to do this?
  • Brento: Touchscreen Win 7 machine onstage at #sqlpass. Suddenly geeks everywhere are completely captivated.

 Recent blogs published, if you're interested in the conference from a non-Twitter viewpoint:

  • @joewebb: just blogged "Day 1 of PASS" – http://bit.ly/3teiCt #sqlpass
  • @BenchmarkIT: New Blog Post: Day 2 and Day 3 Recap #sqlpass http://bit.ly/rd2qu thanks @midnightDBA , @wendy_dance, and @sqlrockstar
  • @sqlrockstar: [Blog] PASS Summit Update: I remember the days when I had plenty of time to blog once or twice a day from the PASS … http://ping.fm/7tMWr
  • @sql_joker: SSC Blog – PASS Summit 2009 – Opening Remarks: Opening remarks on day 2 of the Summit come from Rusha.. http://bit.ly/3mDkQ6

-Jen McCown, MidnightDBA.com

Blogging for SQLServerPedia.com