I had the pleasure of being a guest on the SQL Data Partners podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts. In my case, I get this podcast straight from LinkedIn. It's a very informative and often fun podcast put on by three friends of mine from the Microsoft Data Platform MVP program: Carlos Chaco, Kevin Feasle, and Eugene Meidinger. These fellows are all geniuses in their own right. Follow them on social media and follow their blogs! (Click the image below to hear the podcast). Early in my career when I worked for the U.S. DoD, I had the good fortune to experience the development … [Read more...]
Four Major Trends that Defined 2023 in Data
At the close of January 2024, I wrote an article for Database Trends and Applications Magazine recapping four major trends that helped define the year in data for 2023: AI, Machine Learning, DevOps, and Data Governance. In no small way, 2023 was a year marked by innovation and change in the enterprise technology landscape. Companies of all sizes continue to accelerate their digital transformation efforts, to leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning-powered solutions, including observability tools, to keep up with today's increasingly complex infrastructure environments. But to … [Read more...]
Big Data Industry Predictions for 2024
Back on 03-Jan, 2024, the publication insideBIGDATA published a collection of predictions for the coming year in an article written by Daniel Gutierrez. I, along with many other experts on the subject, was invited to provide my thoughts on the topic. I suggest you give it a review. Read the full article here - https://insidebigdata.com/2024/01/03/big-data-industry-predictions-for-2024. For my part, I wrote... AI Answers The Call for Help Managing Data Overabundance: Today’s data professionals have an overwhelming amount of information at their fingertips but many may lack the … [Read more...]
Observability: The Central Watchtower for Your All-Seeing IT Needs
As we were closing out 2023, I wrote the article Observability: The Central Watchtower for Your All-Seeing IT Needs for DevOps.com. I've enclosed the first few paragraphs below, but I'd love for you to read the entire article and provide your feedback and thoughts. Enjoy! -Kevin If there’s something you need to keep secure, it’s natural to want to keep it sealed away under lock and key. However, even keeping something in a vault, far from prying eyes and ill intent, may not be enough to offer peace of mind. After all, how can you have the peace of mind of knowing it’s safe if you don’t … [Read more...]
The Top Six Benefits of Database DevOps for Streamlined and Stronger Database Operations
DevOps is a very popular approach for running and managing development projects. But it shouldn't be restricted to only development projects. Databases have lots of code as well, from triggers to functions to stored procedures, and these too should be managed under the umbrella of DevOps. Back in July of 2023, I wrote about this idea in greater detail at DBTA.com. Click the link to read more. Here's a brief snippet of the article: Data is the cornerstone of the modern digital business. IT teams, database professionals, and business leaders use data to make informed decisions, … [Read more...]
TechStrong TV and SolarWinds Database Observability
Back in July 20, 2023, I had the opportunity to site for an open form interview with Alan Shimel, founder and CEO of the Techstrong Group, a media group with a host of excellent content sites such as DevOps.com and TechStrong.TV. The abstract for the interview follows - After a brief hiatus, Kevin Kline has re-joined the SolarWinds team as a senior staff technical marketing manager where he serves as a subject matter expert on a variety of relational database management systems. Ahead of his participation in TechStrong’s DataOps Day, Kevin brings his experience, particularly with Microsoft … [Read more...]
The Ghosts of IT Past and Present Can Help Improve the Future
December 21, 2023 "I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach."― Ebenezer Scrooge, in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens has remained one of the most iconic and beloved stories of the holiday season. Part of the reason the story has stuck with us since its Victorian-era publication lies in the lessons it teaches us. At its heart, the story is about the need for kindness and charity, and most importantly, how we can use the lessons of our … [Read more...]
Building Modern Data Pipelines Using DBT
Back in May 2024, I had the opportunity to write a guest column for Database Trends and Applications Magazine, a publication I once where I once wrote a monthly column on Microsoft SQL Server and Azure SQL for many years. I thought I'd take a moment to bring it to your attention. I'd love to hear your feedback! Cheers, -Kevin Earlier this year, I had the privilege of serving on the organizing committee for the DataTune conference in my hometown of Nashville, Tenn. Unlike many database-specific or platform-specific conferences, which tend to focus on analytics and data science, … [Read more...]
Celebrating SysAdmin Day 2023
It's been almost a year since July 28, 2023 for our last SysAdmin Day. I thought it might be fun to point to last year's VMware blog in which I had a part. https://vmblog.com/archive/2023/07/28/show-your-appreciation-celebrating-sysadminday-2023.aspx Many other IT experts also provided quotes for this. Following here is the introduction of the article as well as my small part. I hope you enjoy! -Kevin Today, July 28, 2023, the tech world is gearing up to celebrate one of its unsung heroes—the SysAdmins! On this special occasion of SysAdmin Appreciation Day, we take a moment to … [Read more...]
T-SQL Tuesday 153 Roundup: The Conference That Changed Everything
I received a great collection of blog posts in response to T-SQL Tuesday 153 which I kicked off on Tuesday, August 2nd – asking you to write about a conference or event that had a significant event on their life. As one of the small handful of people who attended every PASS Summit from its founding through the pandemic lockdown, I've witnessed so many transformational experiences firsthand. Human beings are social creatures and though we as IT pros like to focus on hard technology skills first and foremost, I think we can all admit that having a great social experience at a conference like … [Read more...]