Wow, it is fall again, and in a large percentage of the minds of SQL Community members, that means that the PASS Summit is here again. I have been to all of the Summits save the first one, and honestly it has become one of the highlights of my nerd year. I have learned a tremendous amount about SQL, made a lot of real friends, and gained a taste ...

I had the honor of traveling the great state of Colorado last week, speaking at the PASS chapters in Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver.  At all three events, we had a stellar attendance and, at least in Denver, broke all the records in recent memory both in terms of overall attendance and in first-timers. ...

I've done a poor job lately in keeping my SQLBlog posts synchronized with my professional blog.  As a result, you probably haven't seen a column I've been doing on professional development for the database professional called Plays Well With Others.  My apologies... I originally started this series of posts in support of the PASS ...

I'm speaking tonight on Top 10 Mistakes DBAs Make at the Atlanta SQL Server User Group meeting in Alpharetta, GA.  You can find all of the details here.The Best Dang Design Book for SQL Server Professionals - EVER!I thought I'd liven things up a bit with a little contest.  The rules are simple: A. If you don't follow me on ...

Join me tomorrow for the PASS DBA Virtual Chapter meeting SQL Server Internals & Architecture. It's the most fun you'll ever have learning about the inner workings of a relational database - I promise! Click here to register. You don't have to register to attend.  But if you register today, you'll be entered into the drawing to ...

In previous years, I hardly had time to sit down and catch a breather at a PASS Summit.  Between my duties as an officer of PASS, exhibit hall time with Quest Software (my employer), speaking in my own sessions, and meeting with PASS volunteers and community organizers, I was busy from the crack of dawn until midnight all week ...

'Tis the season for travel!  With the PASS Summit just around the corner and lots of other interesting events waiting in the wings, such as TechEd Europe, lots of IT people will finally be allowed to stretch their wings (and budgets) to get in some first class training. I've been a very frequent flier for a long time and seldom ...