Colorado Springs SQL Server Chapter

Date:  October 17 at 5:30 pm

Location:  Hyatt Place - Garden of the Gods, 503 West Garden of the Gods Road, Colorado Springs, CO  80909

Main Session:  "The Accidental Programmer"

Presenter:  Jason Kassay

Program Summary:  Most people in the database world have heard of the term, "The Accidental DBA", those programmers who have to work with databases.  How about the other side of the coin?  What about DBA's and Dev's who have to write code or have to work closely with programmers?  This presentation is a best practices guide for working with SQL Server in a .Net environment.  You will learn how to recognize when bad code is written that interacts with the database, how to track it down, and most importantly how to fix it.  On top of that you will also receive an introduction to object oriented programming concepts such as data abstraction, encapsulation, tier architecture, and class objects so that you can better communicate with your programmers.

Presenter Bio:  Jason has been a software developer for over 10 years and currently works at EZFacility, providing scheduling, management, full-service billing, and membership solutions for the sports, health, and fitness industries.  He has worked primarily with .Net (C# and VB) and SQL Server as well as HTML, CSS, and Javascript.  When he is not coding or spending time with his awesome family, you will find him either running (to train for the zombie apocalypse) or stopping hockey pucks as a goaltender.

COLORADO SPRINGS SQL

September 19, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.

This month Kevin Kline will be presenting "End to End Troubleshooting" at the Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver SQL Meetings

Summary:  Learning how to detect, diagnose and resolve performance problems in SQL Server is tough.  It often takes years of on-the-job experience to learn how to use the tools and techniques that help you detect when a problem is occurring, diagnose the root-cause of the problem, and then resolve the problem.  So strap yourself in to a time machine, because you'll learn in less than two hours what it took Kevin years to figure out through hands-on troubleshooting and problem solving.

Bio:  Kevin Kline is the Director of Engineering Services at SQL Sentry.  Kevin is a renowned database expert, software industry veteran, Microsoft SQL Server MVP, and long-time blogger.  As a noted leader in the IT industry, Kevin's blog covers Microsoft SQL Server features and best practices, third-party software, trends in the IT industry, and professional development for IT professionals.

Boulder SQL

Date:  Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Time:  5:30 p.m.

Location:  Level 3 Communications, Room 4LA-07, 1025 Eldorado Boulevard, Broomfield, CO  80021

Colorado Springs SQL

Date:  Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Time:  5:30 p.m.

Location:  Hyatt Place - Garden of the Gods, 503 West Garden of the Gods Road, Colorado Springs, CO  80919

Denver SQL

Date:  Thursday, August 16, 2012 at 5:30 p.m.

Location:  Microsoft, 7595 Technology Way, Suite 400, Denver, CO  80207

All ColoradoSQL user group meetings start at 5:30 p.m. and provide food and refreshments.  There is no cost to attend so bring a co-worker . . . or two.  These events provide for great learning opportunities as well as networking with other SQL Server Professionals.

BoulderSQL

Third Tuesday (June 19)

Market Force

248 Centennial Parkway, Suite 150

Louisville, CO  80027

Presentation 1:

Title:  Training a Busy SQL Agent

You have a busy server with 50 or more jobs defined, and roughly 40 of them are enabled.  You need to bring the server down for some important maintenance (say add a new disk, add memory, reboot due to software install, etc.)  You notice that a good half of th ejobs are executing and others are being kicked off every few minutes.  Whenever you wait for a job to finish, others have started.  How do you bring this server down without killing any of the running jobs?

​Presenter​:  Paul Paiva (blog), Chief Architect, CoCreative Solutions

Paul has 17 years experience with Microsoft SQL Server.  He has worked in the roles of production DBA, database developer, database architect, applications developer, business intelligence and data warehouse developer, and instructor for students aspiring for MCDBA certification.  He has performed numerous data migrations and supported large databases (3 Terabyte, 1+ billion rows) with high transactions.  Presently he is an independent SQL Server consultant with CoCreative Solutions.  He is a member of the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS), blogs about lessons learned form a developer's approach to SQL Server administration, and has been the president of the BoulderSQL Server Users' Group for 3+ years.

​Presentation 2:

Title:  Top 12 Performance Enhancements in 2012

This presentation will go over the Top 10 enhancements and/or new features in SQL Server 2012 to increase the performance of your database.  You will get a good overview on which options may be a good fit for you and which will not work in every environment as well as some key things to be on the lookout for when using these.

​Presenter:  Kathy Gibbs, Senior Database Administrator, Confio Software

Kathy has over 19 years of IT work experience and over 13 years of DBA experience including architecting, design, development, implementation, monitoring and disaster recovery of databases.  Before starting with Confio, Kathy worked in the critical OLTP and OLAP databases.  Kathy excels as being a liaison between technical and end-users management teams to provide solutions.

SpringsSQL

Third Wednesday (June 20)

Hyatt Place - Garden of the Gods

503 West Garden of the Gods Road

Colorado Springs, CO  80919

​Presentation 1: 

​Title:  What Your Developer Friends Already Know About Windows 8

Windows 8 is a big deal.  The changes for the user interface are significant, but the impact on software development might be bigger.  Microsoft developers are working hard to grab onto the new paradigm of app development.  For non-developers, what are you missing out on learning?  Here's your chance to catch up.

​Presenter:  Jerry Nixon (blog / twitter)

Jerry Nixon is a Microsoft Developer Evangelist in Colorado.  He has been developing and designing on the Microsoft platform for 15 years.  He speaks at universities, events and groups on Kinect, XAML, Windows Phone, and Windows 8.  Most of Jerry's days are spent teaching his three daughters Star Trek character backstories and episode plots.

DenverSQL

Third Thursday (June 21)

Microsoft

7595 Technology Way, Suite 400

Denver, CO  80207

Presentation 1:

​Title:  Lockdown!  Securing Your Services

HOST/SQLServer2005MSSQLUser$HOST$MSSQLSERVER???  It's ok, you aren't the only one that's tried to make sense out of all these.  In this talk, we will discuss what options are available for your SQL Server services and security best practices that might be worth implementing in your organization.  This presentation follows past experiences, epiphanies . . . maybe even some frustrations . . . in switching to minimally privileged service accounts.

​Presenter:  Brandon Tucker 

Over the past six years, Brandon has explored SQL Server as a developer, administrator, and consultant.  After graduation school, he has translated his academic knowledge base into real-world scenarios in the financial, health insurance, education, and transportation industries.  Brandon has presented at Code Camps/User Groups in multiple states and was elected as VP of Events for DSSUG in 2010.  When not pounding away on a keyboard, Brandon can be found wandering the globe in search of great music, beers, views, and experiences.

Presentation 2:

​Title:  SQL Server on VMware???

Many of our customers are either virtualizing databases or planning to do so soon.  I hear from many groups that attempted running their database on VMware but went back to physical hardware because of performance issues.  There are many reasons this may have happened, but quite often the decision to go back to physical was not based on hard facts.  This presentation will explore the fundamentals of monitoring databases running in a VMware environment.  If you are using classic O/S monitoring tools, you may be getting misleading data.  Understand what metrics are important and how to get the data.

​Presenter:  Kathy Gibbs, Senior DBA, Confio Software

Kathy has over 19 years of IT work experience and over 13 years of DBA experience, including architecting, design, development, implementation, monitoring, and disaster recovery of databases.  Before starting with Confio, Kathy worked in the critical OLTP and OLAP databases.  Kathy excels as being a liaison between technical and the end-users management teams to provide solutions.

All ColoradoSQL user group meetings start at 5:30 and provide food and refreshments. There is no cost to attend so bring a co-worker.

BoulderSQL

Third Tuesday

Level 3 Communications

Room 4LA-07

Warm-up Presentation

Transaction Basics

Paul Paiva

An overview of what transactions are all about. The following areas will be covered:

• What is a transaction?
• What is a distributed transaction?
• When should I use a transaction?
• How to use transactions during ad hoc work in the SSMS query window to safeguard against accidents.

Actual code samples will be presented and executed, live!

Paul Paiva has 16 years experience in virtually all aspects of Microsoft SQL Server.  In these years he has worked in the roles of production DBA, database developer, database architect, applications developer, business intelligence and data warehouse developer, and instructor for students aspiring for MCDBA certification.  He has performed numerous data migrations and supported large databases (3 Terabyte, 1+ billion rows) with high transactions. Presently he is an independent SQL Server consultant with CoCreative Solutions.  He is a member of the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS), blogs about lessons learned from a developer’s approach to SQL Server administration, and has been the co-president of the Boulder SQL Server Users’ Group for the past two years.

Main Presentation

Isn't That Spatial?

Jason Horner (twitter)

This presentation is a 1hr deep dive into the spatial features introduced in Sql Server 2008.  We will cover the basics of working with spatial data including: importing, querying, and visualizing.  As time permits, we will dive into some best practices for working with spatial data and ways to improve spatial query performance.

Jason has been working with SQL Server since version 6.5 and currently holds several Microsoft certifications including: MCSD, MCDBA and MCTS. His most recent focus has been architecting large scale BI solutions. Previously, he helped architect, design, and build several high volume OLTP systems in a wide range of business domains.

SpringsSQL

Third Wednesday

Mr. Biggs

Warm-up Presentation

Isn't That Spatial?

Jason Horner (twitter)

Isn't that Spatial is a 30 minute whirlwind tour of the spatial features introduced in SQL Server 2008. We will cover the basics of working with spatial data including: importing, querying, and visualizing. As time permits, we will dive into some best practices for working with spatial data and ways to improve spatial query performance.

Jason has been working with SQL Server since version 6.5 and currently holds several Microsoft certifications including: MCSD, MCDBA and MCTS. His most recent focus has been architecting large scale BI solutions. Previously, he helped architect, design, and build several high volume OLTP systems in a wide range of business domains.

Main Presentation

Managing SQL Server Permissions

Mike Fal (twitter | blog)

When your boss asks you who has access to your databases, do you break out into a cold sweat? Or, instead, are you worried about those other people who might have 'sa' access to your server and might be causing trouble on your server? Either way, as DBAs we need to be able to audit our SQL Server security. This presentation will give you a general overview of the different types of roles that you can use to manage access, what they mean, and how we look at the security gremlins hiding under the covers of our databases.

Mike Fal is a SQL Server DBA with 10+ years of experience, with some brief excursions into Oracle and Netezza. He currently works for a nation-wide marketing agency, supporting over 100 database servers with databases from 1 GB to 4 TB in size. Mike holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has been caught playing trombone in public on more than one occasion.

DenverSQL

Third Thursday

Microsoft DTC Office

Warm-up Presentation

Securing Your Service Accounts

Brandon Tucker

"What are service accounts, and how do they affect me?" Everyone's asked it before, and some have never gotten the proper answers. Though it's unlikely to answer all the questions of the universe in this 30-minute presentation, we'll explore the security concerns with service accounts, pitfalls to avoid, and considerations to streamlining your SQL Server service accounts!

Over the past five years, Brandon has explored the SQL Server product as both a developer, administrator, and consultant. Starting in Salt Lake City, he translated his academic knowledge base into real-world scenarios in the health insurance, education, and transportation industries. Brandon has presented at Code Camps/User Groups in UT, as well as User Groups/SQL Saturdays here in Denver. On the side, Brandon casually DJs electronic music and enjoys disc golf, skiing, and beer. He currently holds a BS Computer Science from Neumont University (by way of Bucknell University) and an MCITP: Database Developer.

Main Presentation

SSIS Data Transformations

Mike Sexton (twitter | blog)

The foundation of database performance is the underlying server hardware and storage subsystem. Even the best designed and optimized database application can be crippled by an inadequate hardware and storage infrastructure. Recent advances in new processors and chipsets, along with improvements in magnetic and SSD storage have dramatically changed the evaluation and selection process compared to the past. Many database professionals struggle to keep up with new technology and often simply let someone else make their hardware selection and sizing decisions. Unfortunately, the DBA usually gets the blame for any performance issues that crop up later. Don't let this happen to you! This session covers current and upcoming hardware from both Intel and AMD and gives you the tools and resources to make better hardware selection decisions to support SQL Server OLTP workloads.

Stunningly handsome yet surprisingly humble, Mike Sexton spent the first ten years of his career as a public defender in New York. Realizing he could make far more money as a junior programmer than as a lawyer with 10 years’ experience, he had a revelation, the words of which that are not appropriate for a family publication. Since then Mike has traveled the lands taming errant database applications, publishing and blogging at www.sqlmountain.com. He recently published Applied Architecture Patterns on the Microsoft Platform, which may be found at finer bookstores. Mike can be found living the high life in Colorado with a hot blonde on his arm.

All ColoradoSQL user group meetings start at 5:30 and provide food and refreshments. There is no cost to attend so bring a co-worker.

BoulderSQL

Tuesday May 17

Level 3 Communications

Room 4LA-07

Presentation

Managing SQL Server Permissions

Technorati Tags: ColoradoSQL,User Group

Mike Fal (twitter | blog)
 
When your boss asks you who has access to your databases, do you break out into a cold sweat? Or, instead, are you worried about those other people who might have 'sa' access to your server and might be causing trouble on your server? Either way, as DBAs we need to be able to audit our SQL Server security. This presentation will give you a general overview of the different types of roles that you can use to manage access, what they mean, and how we look at the security gremlins hiding under the covers of our databases.

Mike Fal is a SQL Server DBA with 10+ years of experience, with some brief excursions into Oracle and Netezza. He currently works for a nation-wide marketing agency, supporting over 100 database servers with databases from 1 GB to 4 TB in size. Mike holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has been caught playing trombone in public on more than one occasion.

SpringsSQL

Wednesday May 18

Mr. Biggs

Presentation

Encryption, Compliance and Auditing

Tom Norman (twitter)

I have this database which must meet all of these governmental regulations. Just like the government to make life a lot harder but wait, now they say I most also meet International regulations. Can this be true? Why me? Let's look at what we can do to help us pass audits and comply with the laws around us. We will explore the features in SQL Server 2008 which help us.

Tom Norman, Sql Server Database Administrator, TSYS. Tom has been working with Sql Server since 1998. He has worked internationally with Sql Server. His current responsibilities include Replication, Performance and Server Compliance of all Production databases in the US and UK. Tom and his team are currently working on a project to upgraded several products to Sql Server 2008 R2 and bring them into PCI compliance. Tom is the past President of the Denver Sql Server User Group.

DenverSQL

Thursday May 19

Microsoft DTC Office

Warm-up Presentation

Isn't That Spatial?

Jason Horner (twitter)

Isn't that Spatial is a 30 minute whirlwind tour of the spatial features introduced in SQL Server 2008. We will cover the basics of working with spatial data including: importing, querying, and visualizing. As time permits, we will dive into some best practices for working with spatial data and ways to improve spatial query performance.

Jason has been working with SQL Server since version 6.5 and currently holds several Microsoft certifications including: MCSD, MCDBA and MCTS. His most recent focus has been architecting large scale BI solutions. Previously, he helped architect, design, and build several high volume OLTP systems in a wide range of business domains.

Main Presentation

Hardware 201: Selecting and Sizing Database Hardware for OLTP Performance

Glenn Berry (twitter | blog)

The foundation of database performance is the underlying server hardware and storage subsystem. Even the best designed and optimized database application can be crippled by an inadequate hardware and storage infrastructure. Recent advances in new processors and chipsets, along with improvements in magnetic and SSD storage have dramatically changed the evaluation and selection process compared to the past. Many database professionals struggle to keep up with new technology and often simply let someone else make their hardware selection and sizing decisions. Unfortunately, the DBA usually gets the blame for any performance issues that crop up later. Don't let this happen to you! This session covers current and upcoming hardware from both Intel and AMD and gives you the tools and resources to make better hardware selection decisions to support SQL Server OLTP workloads.

Glenn works as a Database Architect at NewsGator Technologies in Denver, CO. He is a SQL Server MVP, and he has a whole collection of Microsoft certifications, including MCITP, MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD, and MCTS, which proves that he likes to take tests. His expertise includes DMVs, high availability, hardware selection, full text search, and SQL Azure. He is also an Adjunct Faculty member at University College - University of Denver, where has been teaching since 2000. He recently completed the Master Teacher Program at Denver University - University College. He is the author of two chapters in the book SQL Server MVP Deep Dives, and blogs regularly at http://sqlserverperformance.wordpress.com.

I did a presentation last week for the Denver SQL Server User Group (www.DenverSQL.org) and the Colorado Springs SQL Server User Group (www.SpringsSQL.org) on Intro to Analysis Services.  The slide deck can be found here.  Both were short presentations (30 minutes) aimed at getting folks started with Analysis Services.

Both user groups have gone to two presentations a night.  The first topic is aimed at entry level folks and is 30 minutes long.  The second topic is more advanced for 60 minutes.  If you are interested in speaking, let me know.  We are always looking for good speakers to present.