Category: SQLBits

The SQLBits 2023 Call For Speakers Is Open! @SQLBits #SQLBits

Posted on by Erik Darling

What A Great Time To Be Alive

I absolutely adore the SQLBits conference, and it was the Biggest Bummer In Bummsville last year when I had family travel plans that overlapped with the conference dates.

So this year, I’m back with a mach 5 vengeance, and ready to get back to the most highingest-flyingest conference in the world.

If you’re interested, and you wanna throw your hat in the ring, here are the links for general and full training day submissions:

To learn more about speaking at the event, click here.

To learn more about attending the event, click here.

I’ll have all my fingers and toes crossed until November 14th when the training day schedule is announced.

Thanks for reading!

Going Further

If this is the kind of SQL Server stuff you love learning about, you’ll love my training. I’m offering a 75% discount to my blog readers if you click from here. I’m also available for consulting if you just don’t have time for that, and need to solve database performance problems quickly. You can also get a quick, low cost health check with no phone time required.

SQLBits 2022: Exactly How It Should Be

Posted on by Erik Darling

Get Together

This post is obviously biased, because I loved SQLBits well before going this year. Everyone involved just kinda gets it, and makes things as nice and easy for presenters and attendees as possible.

I can’t say enough good things about it, because it really avoids a lot of the stuff I dislike about other conferences I’ve attended. If you’ve never been, go.

Of course, this year was important for different reasons. I’ll spare you all the honey-drizzle about rebuilding the community. It’s an important group effort, but I’m not a group. I’m just me.

I want to be part of that group, and to do that there were things I had to personally accomplish:

  • Feeling like life can be normal again
  • Getting some of the humanity back into interactions

Some folks out there aren’t ready for that, or don’t need that, and that’s fine. I hope you get there eventually, if that’s something you want.

I do need that. It’s part of how I stay mentally healthy. Twitter is not a great way for me to do that, shockingly.

We’re All Clones

In two years of virtual-everything, and only online interactions, it sort of became easy to forget the people behind the words on your screen.

I burned out on virtual events really early on. It did not scratch the itch that teaching or attending in-person did.

If I’m not enjoying myself as a presenter, then the product you get as an attendee is going to suffer. That sucks for both of us.

And that’s why I’m jumping back onto in-person stuff.

Getting on stage and seeing a room full of Butts-In-Seats just does it for me. Getting out in the crowd and talking to people does it for me.

I’ll do that all day long. It doesn’t even feel like work.

Looking Forward

I’ve already booked flights and hotels for PASS in Seattle this November. I’d written that event off under the old ownership, for many obvious reasons.

That wasn’t a rash or unfair choice, either. After all, they made me pay to attend my own precon because Brent was listed as the primary speaker.

That sort of crap is how you lose a community fast.

I’m interested to see how Red Gate handles things, and hopeful that it’s as friction-free as possible, in all directions.

A well lubricated event is important.

Thanks for reading!

Going Further

If this is the kind of SQL Server stuff you love learning about, you’ll love my training. I’m offering a 75% discount to my blog readers if you click from here. I’m also available for consulting if you just don’t have time for that and need to solve performance problems quickly.

Going To SQLBits? Come To My Precon: The Professional Performance Tuning Blueprint!

Posted on by Erik Darling

Learn-A-Lot

Check out my Events page for the full details, and of course head over to SQLBits.com to register.

 

Searching the internet for every problem isn’t cutting it. You need to be more proactive and efficient when it comes to finding and solving database performance fires.

I work with consulting customers around the world to put out SQL Server performance fires. In this day of learning, I will teach you how to find and fix your worst SQL Server problems using the same modern tools and techniques which I use every week.

You’ll learn tons of new and effective approaches to common performance problems, how to figure out what’s going on in your query plans, and how indexes really work to make your queries faster. Together, we’ll tackle query rewrites, batch mode, how to design indexes, and how to gather all the information you need to analyze performance.

This day of learning will teach you cutting edge techniques which you can’t find in training by folks who don’t spend time in the real world tuning performance. Performance tuning mysteries can easily leave you stumbling through your work week, unsure if you’re focusing on the right things. You’ll walk out of this class confident in your abilities to fix performance issues once and for all.

If you want to put out SQL Server performance fires, this is the precon you need to attend. Anyone can have a plan, it takes a professional to have a blueprint.

Going Further

If this is the kind of SQL Server stuff you love learning about, you’ll love my training. I’m offering a 75% discount to my blog readers if you click from here. I’m also available for consulting if you just don’t have time for that and need to solve performance problems quickly.

Video And Links For My SQLBits Session: What Else Can Indexes Do?

Posted on by Erik Darling

Fast Pants

I was quite honored to not only have a precon at this year’s SQLBits, but also a regular session on Friday about indexes.

And yes, I made good on the fundraising effort!

Thank you to everyone who donated, attended the session, and of course the lovely people at SQLBits for putting on a great conference. Hope to see everyone again next year…

Going Further

If this is the kind of SQL Server stuff you love learning about, you’ll love my training. I’m offering a 75% discount to my blog readers if you click from here. I’m also available for consulting if you just don’t have time for that and need to solve performance problems quickly.

SQLBits Precon Logistics: Last Call!

Posted on by Erik Darling

Sell Out

If you’re coming to my SOLD OUT precon, and really, I appreciate that you all chose to come to my session, here’s some stuff you should do:

Join the Slack channel! Forgive their recent logo sins, and hang out in there to ask questions, yell at me, or ask when lunch is.

You can do that by going to http://sqlslack.com/ and entering your email address to get an invite. Once you’re in, you’ll wanna join #sqlbits-tuning.

If you wanna play along with any parts of the demos, you’ll wanna download this copy of the StackOverflow database.

Fair warning: if you’re gonna do this, do it well in advance. Downloading over public W-i-Fi is quite a gamble.

Lastly But Not Leastly

Check out all the other great sessions available that have seats remaining in them.

Thanks for reading!

Going Further

If this is the kind of SQL Server stuff you love learning about, you’ll love my training. I’m offering a 75% discount to my blog readers if you click from here. I’m also available for consulting if you just don’t have time for that and need to solve performance problems quickly.

My SQLBits Schedule and Precon Trailer!

Posted on by Erik Darling

HELLO MANCHESTER!

If you’re in town for SQLBits this week, come say hello to me. I have stickers.

I’m running a precon on Thursday, and I have a regular session on indexes Friday.

The session Friday is attached to a fundraiser, and I’d be ever so grateful if you’d consider donating.

Trailer Park

Here’s the trailer for my precon. I rather like it. Hopefully you do, too.

Thanks for reading!

Going Further

If this is the kind of SQL Server stuff you love learning about, you’ll love my training. I’m offering a 75% discount to my blog readers if you click from here. I’m also available for consulting if you just don’t have time for that and need to solve performance problems quickly.

A Bit Of A Contest For SQLBits

Posted on by Erik Darling

On Twitter

(More unfortunate words were never spoken) I decided to offer a free three hour block of time to whomever named the cadre of under-performing queries we’re going to be looking at as part of my SQLBits precon.

This is fair. I have no idea how to use MARS.

This might be too painful for anyone to endure.

Said every front end dev everywhere

Well, I do have some ideas for SQL Server…

Rob kindly overestimates my ability to retain information.

Open To Everyone

If you’re not on Twitter, not following me, or just missed it in the sea of having better things to do, leave a comment with your idea.

I do occasionally like blog comments.

Thanks for reading!

Going Further

If this is the kind of SQL Server stuff you love learning about, you’ll love my training. I’m offering a 75% discount to my blog readers if you click from here. I’m also available for consulting if you just don’t have time for that and need to solve performance problems quickly.

SQLBits Precon Logistics

Posted on by Erik Darling

Sell Out

If you’re coming to my SOLD OUT precon, and really, I appreciate that you all chose to come to my session, here’s some stuff you should do:

Join the Slack channel! Forgive their recent logo sins, and hang out in there to ask questions, yell at me, or ask when lunch is.

You can do that by going to http://sqlslack.com/ and entering your email address to get an invite. Once you’re in, you’ll wanna join #sqlbits-tuning.

If you wanna play along with any parts of the demos, you’ll wanna download this copy of the StackOverflow database.

Fair warning: if you’re gonna do this, do it well in advance. Downloading over public W-i-Fi is quite a gamble.

Lastly But Not Leastly

Check out all the other great sessions available that have seats remaining in them.

Thanks for reading!

Going Further

If this is the kind of SQL Server stuff you love learning about, you’ll love my training. I’m offering a 75% discount to my blog readers if you click from here. I’m also available for consulting if you just don’t have time for that and need to solve performance problems quickly.

Costumery For A Good Cause At SQLBits

Posted on by Erik Darling

Charity Ain’t Just A Dancer

Whether or not you’ll be at SQLBits, I’d be quite grateful if you considered giving.

It’s for a good cause, and, well, I already bought the outfit.

Time to work on that mustache.

Thanks for reading!

Going Further

If this is the kind of SQL Server stuff you love learning about, you’ll love my training. I’m offering a 75% discount to my blog readers if you click from here. I’m also available for consulting if you just don’t have time for that and need to solve performance problems quickly.