It's old, but kind'a funny.  She's so big now. But it's fun to see her when she was itty bitty. ^_^-Kev … [Read more...]

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SSDTBI for Visual Studio 2012 enables customers to use the Analysis Services, Integration Services, and Reporting Services project templates within the Visual Studio 2012 shell.  The components are delivered as a web download on the Microsoft Download center and will be available through Web Platform Installer.   This release is the equivalent functionality to SSDTBI (BIDS) for Visual Studio 2010 that shipped in the SQL Server 2012 box.  The team adapted the UI to meet the new Visual Studio 2012 UI design.   This release delivers on the SQL commitment to provide BI Project Templates supporting … [Read more...]

I always seem to get a question or two along the lines of "What's it like on a SQLCruise?" as I present at various conferences, SQL Saturdays, and user group meetings.  Since we just finished up the 2013 Miami SQLCruise, I thought it'd be a good time to recap so that you can judge for yourself if you'd ever want to do it yourself.  Personally, I think that Tim Ford (Twitter | Blog), together with his wife Amy, are doing better than ever in making the cruise both a top-quality learning experience and fantastic social experience.  I've heard from many attendees that they learned enough in the … [Read more...]

2012 was, simply stated, a year that kicked my butt.  When I wasn't struggling professionally, I was struggling personally.  Health issues, culminating in a diagnosis of Type II diabetes, and the passing of my father soon after Thanksgiving marked my biggest struggles.  I apologize to those of you who are normally on my Christmas card list for not sending any this year. The wind was not in my sails.  On the positive side of the ledger, I made a scary but exciting leap to SQL Sentry midyear. This was a huge shake-up after 10 years with my previous employer, but one which has been met with … [Read more...]

I'm doing two new webcasts next week on Wednesday, December 19th, one in the morning and the other after lunch.   SSDs are a Game Changer for SQL Server Storage No, session is not exclusively about SSDs.  But this is my first session on IO and storage tuning that emphasizes SSDs over hard disks.  As Bob Dylan said "Times, they are a'changin'".  This session on Wednesday, December 19th at 11:30 AM EST, sponsored by Astute Networks, takes you through all of the basics of storage and IO tuning, regardless of the underlying storage technology.  I'll show you how SQL Server handles … [Read more...]

I have two new articles up on Database Trends & Applications magazine.  I'd love to get your thoughts and feedback! Welcome to the Weird, Wild World of SQL Server Licensing Not long in the past, SQL Server licensing was an easy and straightforward process. You used to take one of a few paths to get your SQL Server licenses. The first and easiest path was to buy your SQL Server license with your hardware. Want to buy a HP Proliant DL380 for a SQL Server application? Why not get your SQL Server Enterprise Edition license with it at the same time? Just pay the hardware vendor for the whole … [Read more...]

And she's looking quite old too!Her most recent birthday, July 26th, was her 11th.  She's as tall as her sisters and mom, even though she's in 6th grade.  Don't let the unibrow and handle bar mustache fool you - she's a beautiful young lady!She's also bonkers. … [Read more...]

I sometimes teach a class on SQL Server on a cruise ship. This spring, the cruise went to Alaska.I was lucky enough to have some extra room on the Alaska cruise. I gave my mom the open bunk.There were great people with whom we shared the cruise, like my friend Mala.And some beautiful views, such as the Mendenhall Glacier (behind me).My favorite place on this cruise was the beautiful city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.I'll be doing another cruise next spring with the awesome team at SQLCruise.com.  I get to bring Rachel this time - to the Caribbean islands! … [Read more...]

I brought the little girls up to scenic Depauw University near Indianapolis to see Sam graduate.  The girls were so wonderful.  I really enjoyed spending that time with them.The campus was delightful.  Sam's girlfriend, Stephanie, was also a real gem.He's hard to see, but Sam is directly in front of the "Depauw University" banner on the left.Sam graduated with a 4.0 average and went on to win a Fullbright Fellowship to study archaeology and Spanish in Mexico at the site of some ancient Mayan ruins.  Kudos to you, Sam! … [Read more...]

A double-rainbow. Beautiful, spanning the sky from end to end.We brought much beauty with us.  And we took it home with us too.Brave girl. Pilots the boat. Terrifies the passengers.Do we look less stressed than usual? We were. Very much so. … [Read more...]