SUPER SECRETS of the SQL Server Illuminati — REVEALED!

It was a dark and stormy night as the secret conclave assembled upon the wind-blasted prairie lands of anonymous South Dakota. It could have been anywhere in North America, so non-descript and featureless was the place. Lightning flecked the darkened sky as they came, in ones and twos, wearing their long, charcoal colored robes, cowls covering their faces. Each one bearing in their left hand, the hand-calligraphed vellum scroll describing the exact details and protocols of the secret gathering. Reaching the place, they stood, silently and watchfully, all eyes upon the sole figure to wear … [Read more...]

IT Horror Stories – Managers Run Amuck!

It seems like managers, so often, either go way overboard or go into hybernation and do way to little.  This month, I had the pleasure and horror to hear two stories of managers run amuck with power. The first is from a friend and IT professional I'll call Tony.  Tony said this: I worked for a firm as an IT manager when it was going through a relocation project.  We migrated from a shoddy IT infrastructure in a shoddy, unsecured server area (which had water pipes running around the back of the servers to the coffee machine with rodents visibly running around) to a shiny new office with a … [Read more...]

Funny Things You’ll Hear at the “Leadership for IT Professionals” at the 2011 SQLRally

The 2011 PASS SQLRally is just about one month away and it's high time I highlighted some of the important things you'll be hearing about in my precon seminar Leadership and Team Management Skills for the IT Professional. Just to set the context, many of us IT people got to our lofty career positions because of our keen use of technology.  It takes a lot of smarts to get where we've gotten, but they are a very specific set of smarts that can't always be used in every business setting.  And, since so many of us have topped out in our potential salary as long as we stay in the trenches and the … [Read more...]

The Data Detective is on the Case (And I Can Hook You Up for Free!)

You may have seen a new super sleuth around Quest.com and Toad World - The Data Detective! The team at Quest Software has created a new comic series where users can learn how Toad for Data Analysts will help you find, understand and report on data.  Plus, you can take part in a contest to win a free one-year license of TDA! The first in the comic book series is posted here.  And there's one each month.  If you contact me directly, I can help you get to the front of the line for the contest! … [Read more...]

PASS 2009 Lifetime PASSion Award

A HAPPY RETIREMENT January 1st, 2010 marked a very special day for me.  It was the first time in the past ten years in which I had no official PASS responsibility at the HQ level.  (I'm still serving in the local PASS chapter here in Nashville, along with the awesomeness that is DrSQL (blog | twitter) and the whackness that is Joe Webb (blog | twitter).  We also have the irreplaceable Shelton Dickson and Roberto Lopez helping us out).  I also intend to stay active as a speaker for PASS.  I spoke at the PASS 2009 Summit, earning a top presenter spot in the Professional Development track, and … [Read more...]

2009: The Year in List Form

Before I jump onto the Goals and Themeword meme started by my buddy, Thomas LaRock (blog | twitter), I decided I'd spend a few minutes looking back on both the year 2009. (From a personal standpoint, the 00's were my most difficult decade yet.  Major problems of every stripe beset me on all sides and with alarming frequency throughout the decade.  I was all "Good Riddance" and "Don't let the door hit y'ass on the way out, 2009!" as the ball dropped in Times Square.) Rather than spend a lot of time cooking up my own top 10 lists, I reckoned (that's Southern for "thought", btw) I'd recap a … [Read more...]

Sequels for SQL: Dec 17, 2009

In the Sequels for SQL series, I point you to sites where you can go beyond the nose-to-the-grindstone resources that we see every day as SQL Server professionals.  (My favorite resource for pan-SQL Server pointers is Steve Jone's Database Weekly email newsletter.)  These are the story that comes after and outside (the sequels) of our daily working lives (the other SQL).  Let's broaden our horizons together.  If you hit on an interesting but overlooked topic, I'd like to hear from you. SQL Server: We live it.  We love it. When Jimmy May talks, I listen.  Not just because he's a personal … [Read more...]

The Sequels for SQL Server: The Week of November 27, 2009

Just as an FYI, I've added one new slide deck and webcast to http://KevinEKline.com/Slides/, as well as quite a few upcoming user group events where I'm speaking in http://KevinEKline/Upcoming-Events/. I'm starting a new series called Sequels for SQL Server.  In this series, I point you to sites where you can go beyond the nose-to-the-grindstone resources that we see every day as SQL Server professionals.  These are the story that comes after and outside (the sequels) of our daily working lives (the other SQL).  Let's broaden our horizons together.  If you hit on an interesting but … [Read more...]