Toad for SQL Server Wins Best of TechEd 2010 in the Database Development Category
Toad and I go way back. I first started with Toad as a user on the Oracle DBMS back in the early 1990′s. When I started at Quest Software back on January 2nd of 2002, one of the first products I tackled as a SQL Server product architect was Toad. How do we make this very popular Oracle product one that users in the SQL Server world will love too? And this challenge was made that much harder by the fact that Microsoft SQL Server ships with fantastic tools right there in the box. I haven’t worked directly on Toad for many years now, but the tool marches on with new features and capabilities that push the envelop with each new release.
L to R: Jason Hall, Qsft head of SC's; David Gugick, director of Architecture; and me
Want to try Toad for SQL Server for free?
The 5.0 version of Toad for SQL Server that we showed at TechEd is the latest beta, available at ToadWorld.com (build 387 at the time of this writing). It can coexist with Toad for SQL Server version 4.6, if you’re already using it. The beta is quite stable and has a bevy of new features, including:
SQL Azure support for most modules including data compare and schema compare, including comparing regular SQL Servers to SQL Azure and back, also with Firewall management (under Server Security properties panel).
Much improved code completion that’s faster and allows for column selection, multi-table selection, with tooltips for parameters. Don’t forget, all of these features work on SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008, and 2008 R2.
Updated Schema Compare with better exposed snapshots.
Group Execute enhancements that include database-level selection so you can execute across databases, an option to only show selected servers/databases, option to merge results (or not), improved merging, etc.
New Idle Connection Timeout – to close connections after a period of inactivity.
Result Set Pinning.
Improved Trace support with features like Import Trace File to Table and Open in Profiler capabilities.
New Debug Trace – traces all activity occurring inside of Toad, including storing all variable info in a replayable file.
Twitter Integration (under the View – Collaboration panel) with Yammer integration coming in a future beta release.
You can also see a lot more details about the tool here. And my long-standing offer still stands. If you want to try Toad for SQL Server or its brethren (such as Toad for Data Analysts, Toad Data Modeler, or Benchmark Factory), drop me an email and I’ll get a long-term license key straight over to you.
But wait, there’s more!
There are so many great resources for you to tap into. And best of all, they’re all free! Check these out:
In this white paper, renowned Oracle PL/SQL expert and fellow O’Reilly author Steven Feuerstein provides dev managers with guidance on how to help developers write the best software possible.
Live Product Demo:Toad® Data Modeler
Date: Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Time: 11:00 a.m. PT / 2:00 p.m. ET
Let me be direct with you. I love SQL Saturday. If it were a woman, I’d marry it. (Avoiding all extraneous thoughts of what my real wife would say, etc etc).
Check out this fun Flickr Feed from the recent SQL Saturday in Chicago or these picks by Jorge Segara (blog | twitter) to see the sort of fun that’s in store. But who can argue with a day of free SQL Server training and a chance to network with great presenters and a wide swath of your peers?
Keynotes are more fun when the put-downs fly!
I’ve tried to support SQL Saturday as much as I can since Andy Warren (blog | twitter) launched the program a couple years back and have spoken at several. You might say to yourself, “Self, Kevin works for a vendor. Don’t they want him to speak at as many SQL Saturdays as is humanly possible?” Well, Mr. Self, you’d be mistaken. You see there’s a keyword in the name that might reveal why my employer doesn’t provide unlimited enthusiasm for me to speak … it’s the SATURDAY part of the whole thing. Yes, of course, my employer wants me there. But they also recognize that Saturdays are my own and that, if I spend a day or two there on the weekend (including the travel time), then that’s a sacrifice of my own choice. I would still need to be at work and on task bright and early on Monday morning. Not that they’d make me, it’s just that my job is the sort that work is never simply skipped, it is only ever deferred. So if I took a comp day, which they’d gladly provide, I’d still have to finish the work somehow, someway. All of this goes to say that I really, really love SQL Saturday, the community vibe that it creates, the volunteers who drive it, the folks who attend. So I’m happy to give up a few days throughout the year to support it.
Come to Nashville in August!
Guitar, Cowboy Boots, Cowboy Hat, and Tight Denim NOT Required
My good friends Joe Webb (blog | twitter) and Louis Davidson (blog | twitter) have been angling to host a SQL Saturday here in Nashville for quite a while. As co-leaders of the local PASS chapter in middle Tennessee, it made a lot of sense to host an event like this. I wasn’t at all resistant to the idea, I just didn’t want to do the work myself. However, they did a great job of getting the ball rolling and even took on the majority of work themselves. Together with other volunteers in our local chapter – Shelton Dickson, Roberto Lopez, and Christina Leo – we’ve all set to work to host SQL Saturday #51.
The event will be hosted on Saturday, August 21st at the shiny new facility of Nashville State Community College located at 120 White Bridge Rd. Nashville, TN 37209:
If you’d like to attend, check out all the details here. Joe Webb and Christina Leo get all the credit for logistics.
If you’d like to speak, read the details in our call for speakers here. Louis Davidson is running the program selection process.
If you’d like to sponsor, sign up on-line here. This one is my responsibility.
It’s free to register, there is a $10 fee if you want us to provide lunch. And remember, seats always fill up fast!
If you’re going to attend and you have a twitter account, be sure to tweet using #sqlsat51!
New Orleans Morial Convention Center
900 Convention Center Boulevard
New Orleans, LA USA
I'll be there with bells on! Look for me at the Ask-the-Experts lounge or the Quest Software exhibit.
CONFERENCE AGENDA
Wondering if you should go? It’s all about the education. So check for the most current and detailed conference agenda at https://northamerica.msteched.com.
Can’t make it in person? There’s still good things in store for you! Tech·Ed Online offers on-demand technical sessions recorded at our Worldwide Tech·Ed events that explore all aspects of current and soon-to-release Microsoft technologies, tools, platforms and services. View TechTalks, Panel Discussions, and Breakout sessions delivered by industry experts and leaders, engage with community influencers on Tech·Ed Blogs, and share your onsite Tech·Ed experience on the photo page.
PASS is looking forward to having you join us all for this exceptional event. Please contact us at 24hrs@sqlpass.org with any questions. You can also find lots of general details at http://www.sqlpass.org/24hours/2010/.
I freely admit it – I’m a sluggard. I should be blogging a couple times per week and tweeting in between. But, for some unknown reason, April has been a tough month to get this in gear. Hence, I’m putting out an omnibus post to cover all of the stuff I’ve been up to, instead of the one-off’s I usually post when I’ve got something new to mention.
Isn’t it funny how life gets in the way of the stuff we want and intend to do? As they say – “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”, or was that Detroit? But I digress.
A New Translation!
I don’t like to toot my own horn. [sarcasm on] You can tell that I’m completely honest when I say that since I have a couple blogs and a twitter account. [sarcasm off] But one thing I’m really proud of is how popular SQL in a Nutshell is. It’s now translated into approximately eight languages, with Russian being the newest language:
I'm even more proud of my lil' girl than that book!
I also had the pleasure of working with another translator and I’m looking forward to having a copy of the book in simplified Chinese soon too!
Lots of Speaking Events Coming!
There will be more details on my Events page soon, but here’s the run down on what’s just around the corner:
Aug 5-7; DevLink in Nashville, TN; several sessions throughout the conference
I also have three “Pain of the Week” webcasts schedule with Quest over the next couple months, with great co-hosts like Buck Woody and Grant Fritchey. The sessions aren’t officially scheduled yet, but you can find them here.
Also, a big thanks to the local PASS chapter in Houston for the warm welcome they put out when I spoke there on April 12 and to the fine folks in Chicago for their awesome SQL Saturday on April 17th.
I made an appearance on Microsoft’s Thrive website as their IT Pro of the Month for March. I also had the opportunity to work with Steve Wynkoop at his SSWUG.org vConference in March.
Notice the bluetooth ear piece fashion faux pas? Yes, she's truly a geek.
I’m happy to report that Barbie is now a cognizeti, a digerati, … yes even an IT Professional! This year’s new Barbie is Computer Engineer Barbie.
Several months back, I encouraged all my friends and followers on Twitter to vote for the IT job for Barbie in Mattel’s recent public job selection for the eponymous doll. That encouragement was founded in an experience I’d had years earlier – becoming a dad to a very beautiful baby girl. When I was growing up as a kid, I clearly recall how odd it was for a woman to have a career outside of a handful of “traditional feminine jobs” like teacher, nurse, telephone operator or secretary. It wasn’t until years later, as a new dad, that I realized how asinine this preconceived notion really was (and, in fact, still is in many cultures around the world). I even wrote about this a few years ago in my personal blog, where I mentioned how I’d love to see my daughters grow up and take on an IT career.
Sadly, many IT professional societies report dramatic imbalances in gender demographics. For example, the IEEE Computer Society reports that their membership is only 7% female. Similarly, universities in the USA shows about a 10% representation of female faculty and 14% of their students in computer-related majors.
One of the things I’d always found to be rather amazing about PASS was it’s strong emphasis on Women in Technology (WIT). In fact, as far as database professional societies go, PASS was the first to work hard to make WIT prominent within its culture (although I believe that the International Sybase User Group had a WIT group before PASS). I’d like to also give credit to the women within PASS who made this happen. I can’t even begin to list them all here, but without them, WIT at PASS would not have been possible. A few women who immediately come to mind include Rebecca Laszlo, , Kalen Delaney, Denise McInerny, Kathi Kellenberger, Stefanie Higgins, Lynda Rabb, Kimberly Tripp, and many many more.
All of these outstanding women deserve accolades for making PASS a welcoming place for women. Don’t think that it’s a big deal? You should attend an IT conference without a strong WIT community – you’ll see the difference in 30 seconds flat. (I’m not going to name any names here. But attend the top conferences for certain IT companies headquartered in Redwood City, California or Armonk, NY and you’ll see what I mean).
So, thank you ladies, for making PASS in particular and the overall Microsoft SQL Server community much better for everyone by making it better for women. I hope to see this trend continue and for your contributions to continue to improve our community.
Everybody enjoys a little free training now and then. I’ve got mountains of free training in the works. Some of it is in-person and local while some are in webcast format. Please join me as you’re able!
There are a short list of mistakes that, if you know of them in advance and prepare for them, will make your life much easier. This presentation shows you these mistakes, the “low hanging fruit” of database administration. Once you apply the lessons learned from this session, you’ll find yourself performing at a higher level of efficiency and effectiveness than before. Quest is sponsoring this and raffling off a copy of my book, SQL in a Nutshell, and O-M-G a KINDLE!!! (Free, but registration required.) And if you haven’t already done it, join PASS!
SQL Injection attacks is the most common hacker trick used on the Web and yet, one of the easiest to prevent. Learn what they are and why you need to be concerned about them. In this webcast, I and SQL Server MVP K. Brian Kelley (blog | twitter) will demonstrate different types of SQL injection attacks. You’ll learn how to find and block them to keep your databases safe, preventing disruptions to your organization. Quest is sponsoring this as well and raffling off more goodies. (Free, but registration required.)
Stereotypes abound for different types of people in the IT world. Developers think DBAs are control freaks. DBAs think developers are unruly cowboys. How do we overcome these differences? If you’re a developer, your best strategy is to manage your DBAs’ anxieties and demonstrate your competence and credibility. Attend this session to learn about 10 techniques that developers can apply to their code which will calm your DBAs’ fears and earn their admiration. Techniques include how to analyze a query plan and how to make sure your query is taking advantage of the best available indexes. Attendance is free although registration is encouraged so we can get a good count for the food, plus there’s free pizza and a raffle at the end. Drinks afterwards at Chilis.
Join SQL Server MVPs, Kevin Kline and Brent Ozar (blog | twitter), along with Quest Product Manager Ari Weil —all from Quest Software—as they interactively present tips and tricks to help you monitor your SQL Server environment with ease. You’ll learn how to use Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) to simplify troubleshooting and significantly enhance SQL Server performance. The day consists of eight sessions with live Q&A – a great way to get answers to your questions straight from the source. Chat live with Quest experts. Plus, you can visit the Quest booth to download helpful resources like white papers, watch demos and more. This virtual training day is free and you can attend the sessions that fit your needs – perfect for tight budgets and busy schedules.
The SQL Server Community will experience an event like no other in the Southeast region. Renowned speakers from around the world will gather in Charlotte, NC to share their knowledge on Microsoft SQL Server. This is your opportunity to meet, network with and learn from the SQL Community leading experts such as Andrew Kelly, Rick Heiges, John Welch, Brian Knight, Geoff Hiten, Andy Warren, Jessica M. Moss, Rafael Salas, Sergey Pustovit and Tim Ford. Also scheduled to present are current SQL PASS President Rushabh Mehta and former SQL PASS Presidents Wayne Snyder and Kevin Kline.
I was happy to hear that the magazine Database Trends and Applications had recently relaunched their website. While I’d been a columnist there for a quite a while, I’d never been able to easily find my own articles nor check to see if they’d generated any interest. DBTA has changed all of that with their relaunch. I was also surprised, upon closer examination, that I’d been writing there for more than a year. Check to see if any of these articles are of interest to you. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
The November article just went live this week. The site traffic is 79% North America, with India and the UK as the next largets readership markets. It was heartening to see a relatively high level of interest in the “Code of Ethics for DBA’s” among other topics.
If you are perceiving a trend or overarching issue in the SQL Server world, I’d love to hear your input. Drop me a note here or use one of the methods available on http://KevinEKline.com/Contact/ to get in touch with me directly.
In previous years, I hardly had time to sit down and catch a breather at a PASS Summit. Between my duties as an officer of PASS, exhibit hall time with Quest Software (my employer), speaking in my own sessions, and meeting with PASS volunteers and community organizers, I was busy from the crack of dawn until midnight all week long.
Fortunately, those grueling marathons are fading into the past. I still have a busy slate ahead of me for next week. But it looks like I’ll even have time to attend some sessions. Yeah! Here’s what I’ve currently got planned:
Monday, Nov 2
Depart for Seattle, 5:10 am. O.M.G. – that means I have to get up before I go to bed.
Book Signing at the Quest Software booth, 6:00 – 8:00 pm, giving away signed copies of Database Benchmarking
Microsoft MVP Insider Event, until 10:00 pm
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Wednesday, Nov 4
Quest Breakfast seminar and live webcast, Simplify Management with DMVs, 7:00 – 8:30 am, along with other SQL Server luminaries BrentO, Buck Woody, Louis Davidson, and Tim Ford.
I’ll also be popping out for meetings with various Microsoft PMs, a dinner with my Quest colleagues, and plenty of time in the exhibit hall at the Quest Software booth.
Chapter Luncheon, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, Expo Hall 4b. Come and join me, especially if you’re anywhere near the local PASS chapter in Music City – Nashville, TN.
Friday, Nov 6
Early departure back to Nashville. In years past, I always had to stay until Saturday morning because of all of the important PASS work going on. The important PASS work still goes on, but it’s in the able hands of a new generation of leaders. As for me, I get to head home to be with my family one day early. Yippee!
I hope to see you there. Don’t forget the really awesome and cool SQL Twitter Bingo, if you’re in to Twitter. The rules are HERE and the bingo cards are HERE.
Please join me for SQL Saturday #21 coming up on Saturday, October 17th. There are over 50 sessions on tap with great speakers from the area and across the nation. Some of the notable speakers include:
Not only do we have SQL Saturday coming up, but Andy & company put together five world class seminars the week leading up to it! Use code “KKLINE” to get a 20% discount if you register for two or more seminars!
Seminars will be held at the Embassy Suites in Altamonte Springs, FL. Each seminar is $149 and includes a full lunch. Seating is limited, register today!
Attendees of my seminar will get a free copy of my book, Database Benchmarking: A Practical Approach for Oracle and SQL Server, plus other free goodies from my employer, Quest Software. As an added note of explanation, Buck’s excellent seminar centers around detecting and troubleshooting performance problems, while my seminar focuses on writing high-performance and highly scalable SQL and Transact-SQL code. Why not sign up for both of them to get comprehensive education on the entire process of writing great code, deploying it, and monitoring it for continued excellent performance?
Finally, I’ll be speaking at user groups in the area leading up to SQL Saturday. If you can join me at my seminar or at SQL Saturday, maybe one of these other events better fits your schedule:
Tuesday, Oct 13, Tampa SQL Server User Group (http://www.tampasql.com)
Wednesday, Oct 14, Orlando SQL Server User Group (http://www.opass.org)
Friday, Oct 15, Jacksonville SQL Server User Group (http://jacksonville.sqlpass.org)
