Vote Now for the 2010 SQLServerPedia Awards!

As a way of recognizing and thanking it's contributors, SQLServerPedia is holding annual awards for the best blog posts syndicated on the site from November 2009 – October 2010. Editors Iain Kick (blog | twitter), Jeremiah Peschka (blog | twitter), and myself have scoured SQLServerPedia.com to find the most informative and useful posts across a wide range of categories that were posted over the last year. Please click below to cast your vote.: http://sqlserverpedia.com/awards/ Get your friends/kids/colleagues to vote too! Voting opens today (November 1st) and closes November 8th.  … [Read more...]

DBTA: Getting Up to Speed on the SQL Server Social Media Scene

If you haven't paid attention to the new social media, you're doing yourself a disservice.  Just as email was a game-changer in the 1980s and the internet revolutionized society in the 1990s, social media is making a huge impact on the way people work and interact today.  Personally, I was skeptical about social networking until some good friends persuaded me to give it a trial run.  It seemed like a great way to dither away some valuable time, but I didn't see the business value in the whole proposition until I tried it. [READ MORE] … [Read more...]

Plays Well With Others – Successful Directors versus Successful Technologists

The skills that enable a person to be a top-tier database professional have very little to do with being a successful member of a board of directors. So what skills are needed for a person to be successful on a board of directors for any large organization?  Here are a handful of skills, in no particular order, that I’ve seen demonstrated by very successful directors from days past: Strategic thinking Let’s face it - technology is detail-oriented work.  No database professional can be truly effective at their job if they never get the parameters correct when calling a function, can’t … [Read more...]

Video: Interview – Part 4 SQL Server Community

Heather Eichman interviews Kevin Kline, the former President of PASS and systems specialist for the SQL Server Business Unit at Quest Software Posted February 04, 2008. … [Read more...]

DBTA: Is it Time for a Professional Code of Ethics for DBAs?

In my many years on the board of directors of the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS), I frequently exhorted our members to strive for individual achievement and personal excellence. One of the best paths for many SQL Server professionals is through certification, especially if they lack years of demonstrated on-the-job experience. However, certification only paints half the picture. While it might demonstrate, at a minimum, that you passed a test (or several tests) about the database technology, it tells nothing about your standards for good conduct. [READ MORE] … [Read more...]

Video: The Growing SQL Server World- Surviving the Data Avalanche

An expert roundtable discussion hosted by SQL Server Expert Kevin Kline and featuring speakers from Microsoft, EMC, Avanade, HP and Quest Software. With the release of SQL Server 2005 and its focus on Business Intelligence, SQL Server professionals are faced with unprecedented amounts of data to manage. How are you dealing with the flood of data? At the PASS Community Summit 2006, experts from Quest Software joined forces with a variety of other SQL Server industry experts for a panel discussion around the implications of managing large volumes of business critical data on SQL Server and … [Read more...]

Broken or Just Bent? #passvotes

Cross Posted from TimMitchell.net Though things have died down a bit since the initial backlash, the recent development in the PASS board election process is still the talk of the town.  I’ve had the opportunity to talk to a number of folks about this, and have read some excellent blogs and other opinion pieces from those on both sides of the debate.  I traded some e-mails with Kevin Kline, a longtime member of the PASS board of directors, and he asked an interesting question: “Many in the community seem to think that the PASS election process is badly broken.  Do you think that PASS … [Read more...]

#passvotes Tweaks and Data Geeks: PASS Election 2011

Cross posted from Stuart Ainsworth’s codegumbo. Obviously, the angst over the 2010 PASS elections still lives on for some, and some of you are probably ready to move on to more immediate concerns, but as for me, I’m stuck here trying to figure out what I should learn from all of this.  I do think we as a community need to move forward, and to that end, I’ve agreed to participate in Kevin Kline’s series on the PASS elections process, and answer the following question: “Many in the community seem to think that the PASS election process is badly broken.  Do you think that PASS needs to … [Read more...]

A PASSionate Community

Cross posted from Joe Webb's blog. Much has been voiced about the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) Nominating Committee’s decision to not put Steve Jones (blog, twitter) on the ballot for this year’s Board of Directors election. I’ve watched this controversy unfold with great interest, biting my tongue to keep from making rash or reactionary comments one way or the other. I’m currently working on a guest blog post for a series that Kevin Kline (blog, twitter) is starting on the election process. In the coming days my guest post will appear on my site and on Kevin’s … [Read more...]

A Community Divided

Cross posted from Joe Webb's blog. People have been screaming from rooftops for a month now about the PASS election process, ever since a beloved member of our SQL Server community was shunned in his bid to run for the PASS Board of Directors. The community has reacted vocally. PASS has reacted defensively. And unfortunately much of the back and forth has been speaking “at” each other rather than “with” each other. Watching this has been almost as bad as watching someone burn bacon! Almost. Kevin Kline (blog, twitter) has asked a number of leaders in the community to … [Read more...]