I've been to Chicagoland many times over the years. During the 1990's, when I worked for Deloitte, I occasionally traveled to the practice office in downtown Chicago or to the tax practice in Deerfield. In the later 1990's and early 2000's (a.k.a. "the aughts"), I frequently traveled to the original offices for PASS on Michigan Avenue. Later on during the aughts through 2012, I often traveled to the Quest Software offices in Naperville. So it's with these thoughts in mind that we make the #SQLVacation drive from Indianapolis to the Chicago Suburban SQL Server user group in Downers Grove, … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation Postcard from Indianapolis, IN
June 16, 2015 by Leave a Comment
For some people, Indianapolis means one thing, and one thing only - the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (a.k.a "The Brickyard") and the Indianapolis 500. In my case, it means several times speaking at IndyPASS, the local SQL Server User Group, over the last 10 years. I first spoke at IndyPASS with the then head of Microsoft's Business Intelligence product line, Bill Baker. Bill was a big racing fan and, fortuitously, the user group leaders were happy to accommodate his request to speak in time to see the big race. I also got the chance back in 2005-2006 to see a hilarious comedian known as … [Read more...]
#SQLVacation Postcard from Louisville, KY
June 15, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Along the banks of the mighty Ohio River, in sight of the shores of Indiana, lies beautiful Louisville, KY. Louisville is a place with a strong connection for me. (No, not because I drink bourbon, although that's a pretty good reason to like the place, come to think of it). It's because my brother, five years my senior, earned his graduate degrees in one of the city's fine universities and worked there as an English professor for many years. Whenever I had a spare weekend, I'd load up the family, pop a cassette into the car stereo, and make the ~3 hour trip north to the Bluegrass … [Read more...]
When you think summer vacation this year, think #SQLVacation!
June 9, 2015 by 2 Comments
I've been telling you about the SQLCruise for a long time now. When I attend the SQLCruise, it's usually in January/February. And I still attest that one of the best ways to spend a week of your summer is on the SQLCruise like mi amigo, Aaron Bertrand (b | t) is doing in the Mediterranean next week. But a winter break isn't in the cards for many of us. Time to load up the Wally Wagon! Barring a summer cruise, there are a multitude of great vacations awaiting us. This summer, we at SQL Sentry have decided to do a fun riff on the National Lampoon Vacation movies starring Chevy … [Read more...]
Interested in Self-Service Analytics at the PASS Business Analytics Conference?
April 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
I don’t know if you’re planning to attend the PASS Business Analytics Conference. But you'll be missing a ton of great content especially for data, analytics, and business intelligence professionals. There's still plenty of time to register and, if you use my discount code – BABS2B – you'll get $150 off the conference registration fee. There will be more than 60 sessions at the event by BA/BI experts from Intuit, Microsoft, SurveyMonkey, Wells Fargo, and more. Last year’s inaugural event was quite the shindig, bringing in around 900 business analysts, data scientists, architects, and BI and … [Read more...]
