What’s This?
Brent Ozar had another good Idea (I lost track of how many he’s had). This time it is to take the folks who attended the first free-con (his guinea pigs) and ask us what posts we enjoyed in 2010 from folks who weren’t at this first free-con gathering. We’d wrap up 12 of them in time for Christmas and call it the 12 days of SQL. Motivation? Just to share some of the great work from other bloggers. One more piece of evidence that Brent really cares about lifting others up. I don’t recommend plagiarizing his content (you’ll regret it with the public shame) but I do recommend seeking to emulate this character trait (maybe others, but please, not the Lady GaGa fanboy trait).
On the 10th day of SQL, Crys Manson (@crysmanson on twitter) shared a great post from a frequent helper of others on the forums. The advice she shares? Don’t blow away your log file, you might want to see what it does first… Many a forum or newsgroup poster would have been saved from embarrassing situations if they found the post Crys shared a bit sooner in their happy click troubleshooting moments.
On The 11th Day – Be Paranoid!
I wrestled with a few different bloggers that I really enjoy and share on my blogroll. In spite of the wrestling, I kept coming back to a couple of posts by Janice Lee (@JaniceCLee on twitter). The one I settled on was a simple post, Dumbing It Down: Why You Should Verify SQL Server Backups. This excellent post talks about Wasabi chips, a corrupt picture of Janice in a bikini and reminds us why we need to be verifying our backups. Sounds simple enough, right? Then why are so many people not doing it? I often encounter environments with no verified backups and no restore tests. It puzzles me to no end. Readig Janice’s post, I see I’m not alone. I also am very happy to see that she wants to Instill Paranoia in DBAs. A trait that I think is quite healthy to see develop in those who are in charge of protecting companies data. Like she reminds us at the end of the post, our databases are a lot more important than a picture of us in a bikini, so do me a favor (once you get that picture out of your mind) – go read her post and then go verify your backups.
But Wait!!! Act Now…
Brent told us to pick one post. There is a second post from Janice that I really enjoyed. Actually there are two posts. I think you’ll enjoy them also –
Never Skip a SQL Saturday – In this post, Janice talks about her experience at a SQL Saturday. It is probably the best write up I have seen of a SQL Saturday. What to expect, how to plan your time and why you need to go to them. If you haven’t been to one, then read this and see what you have been missing at these free events. If you have been to one, still a great read.
Are We There Yet? – She shares some stories and thoughts about what it looks like when we are heading in a direction but may not feel like it. This is a great thought provoking piece that can help you think about your perspective when looking at your goals, progress, etc. Maybe you are being unfair to yourself because of how you are looking at where you are going. Read this post and see if you still feel the same way.
On Deck
Will be Stuart Ainsworth (@StuartA on twitter). Be sure to check out his site on the 12th day of SQL (12/24) to read the post he has chosen. I first met Stuart at the SQL PASS Summit in 2009 and knew I’d like him. Down to earth, fun guy. Got to hang out with him a bit in 2010 at the Free Con and we’ve exchanged some e-mails. You all may remember him from his role in the game show, “Match Game:’10 – The PASS Nomination Round” or as the creator of SQL Bingo at the 2009 Summit. Maybe you grew up with him and spent some time hanging around the 3/4 ton yellow chevy truck? Either way, his posts are fun and I’m looking forward to reading his tomorrow.
Where Have We Been
Shamelessly stolen from Kendra’s Crys’ post with her blessing:
Brent O’s 12 Days of SQL post
Day1: Jeremiah Peschka
Day 2: Grant Fritchey
Day 3: Dave Stein
Day 4: Andy Leonard
Day 5: Erin Stellato
Day 6: Tim Ford
Day 7: Yanni Robel
Day 8: Karen Lopez
Day 9: Kendra Little
Day 10: Crys Manson
HAHAHA, your flattery will get you everywhere, sir. Your check is in the mail. 😉
No need to flatter you, sir. You give it all away for free 😉 (well except your immersion events and I hear you wrote a book also?)
Where can I get a Genne Simmons tree decoration!
Happy Holidays!