Denver SQL Server User Group August Meeting

It was great to present at the Denver SQL Server User Group again after a year plus on my birthday, last Thursday (8/21). I'm up in front doing the introductions and running the meetings every month, so no need to also present there all of the time too. :)

I presented a 30 minute version of the Date Dimension talk that I have done in many different forms over the last year (including a 10 minute version at PASS Summit 2013). Below is the link to download the slides and zip file with the SQL script to create a Date Dimension in seconds.



DATEDIMScripts.zip
Thanks again to everyone that attended the meeting, and looking forward to seeing you all again at the September meeting on 9/18. Also, don't forget the Denver SQLSaturday is coming up on 9/20 and we only have around 30 open registrations left before we start up the waitlist. Also there are 3 great pre-cons on 9/19 that only cost $125 for a full day of training. Go to http://denversqlsaturday.com to register for both!

Denver SQL Server User Group Holiday Party

Instead of our normal monthly meeting next Thursday (12/19), the Denver SQL Server User Group will host a Holiday Networking Party sponsored by TekSystems at Great Northern Tavern (8101 East Belleview Avenue, Denver CO 80237). We will have limited space, so if you want to come you will need to RSVP at http://denversqlugholiday2013.eventbrite.com. The party will start at 5:30pm and go until we get kicked out of the room or run of things to talk about! There will be appetizers and a limited number of drink tickets as well as some prizes to give away. It will be a great time to get together and just talk about whatever we want to, no formal presentations, just food, drink and good company! :)

As a courtesy to others that may want to come, please only RSVP if you know you can attend and if you have RSVP'd and find that you can no longer attend, please cancel your RSVP via the EventBrite page.

Also, while I'm talking about DSSUG, just wanted to send out a quick thank you to everyone that used our PASS Summit 2013 registration discount code. The group will receive $250 from PASS because of the number of people that used the code for their registration to PASS Summit 2013! We will be sure to put that money to good use for the group in 2014. Keep your eyes out in 2014 for more of this type of registration discount code for other conferences.

Outstanding PASS Volunteer

Earlier this week I was notified that I had been selected as the Outstanding PASS Volunteer for November 2013! This award was a big surprise to me, since all of the other Board members for the Denver SQL Server User Group had secretly nominated me. I am very thankful for the recognition and hope that I can continue to contribute to the community in the future!

Looking back on the last couple of months I have been doing a lot in the community and hadn't really even realized it until this award got me thinking about it. From organizing our 2nd very successful SQLSaturday to speaking at PASS Summit 2013 for the first time along with being part of the Program Committee, volunteering to sit at our table for the Chapter Lunch, heading up a table at the Birds of a Feather lunch and also volunteering at the Community Zone. And on top of that all of the regular duties that go along with being a Chapter Leader for the Denver SQL Server User Group and speaking at as many events as I can. Makes me tired just thinking about all of it! But it is all worth it as I always get so much more back from the community for everything that I put in.

Thanks again to all of you that have helped me out and I will continue to contribute in as many ways as I can in the future!

If you are looking for ways that you can help out in the community, please fill out your myVolunteering profile on sqlpass.org. Just create a free account or login to your existing account and click on the myVolunteering button on your myPASS page (should be shown automatically when you login, or just click on the Home link in the top navigation). We are always looking for community members that are willing to help out and this will get your contact info to the correct people in PASS. Everyone should fill this out, even if you are already volunteering (yes, speaking at events does count as volunteering) today!

SQLSaturday #190 Wrap-up

SQLSaturday #190 in Denver was this past weekend and based on the feedback was another great success for us. The Denver SQL Server User Group Board organized this event with lots of help from volunteers, speakers and the support of our sponsors. Without all of these pieces there would be no way to put on such a big event. We had around 230 attendees on Saturday that attended over 30 separate sessions. We also offered 3 pre-cons on Friday 9/27 from Carlos Bossy, Tim Mitchell and Dmitri Korotkevitch. The pre-cons were also very successful and we will definitely consider doing it again next time.

Also want to put a very special thank you to all of the speakers that presented at our event! It is always great to see all of the speakers that come out for these events and I'm happy to be part of the #SQLFamily because of everything that I get each of them!

If you attended SQLSaturday #190, please look at the Schedule page on the SQLSaturday site to download all of the presentation materials that are made available by the speakers.

Not making any announcements for 2014 at this point, as we all recover, but keep your eyes and ears open for more details!

Thanks again to all that volunteered, presented and sponsored this event!

SQLSaturday #190 Denver This Weekend!

SQLSaturday #190 Denver 2013 is this Saturday, September 28th! The Denver SQL Server User Group and volunteers have been working really hard to put together the best SQL Server training day in the area, so why have you not registered yet? The event is completely FREE and supported by the best sponsors in the business. Come to learn, share and network with 200+ other SQL Server professionals with 30+ different sessions in 6 separate tracks. For just $10 you can also stay right where you are and get a great lunch (it will not be pizza, we promise). At the end of the day we will have lots of great prizes to raffle off from all of the sponsors. And if you want to network even more we will have an After Party at Darcy's Bistro & Pub with some appetizers.

If you want even more training we are offering pre-cons this year as well on Friday, September 27th for $125. For that you get a full day of training in one of the 3 sessions that we are offering along with lunch and snacks/refreshments available throughout the day. The 3 sessions we are offering this year are:

• Predictive Analytics in the Enterprise by Carlos Bossy
• Real World SSIS: A Survival Guide by Tim Mitchell
• SQL Server Internals from the Practical Angle by Dmitri Korotkevitch

If you haven't registered yet for any of this great training, go to http://denversqlsaturday.com now!

SQL Community Updates

Just a few quick updates on things going on with the #SQLFamily!

SQLSaturday #190 Denver Pre-Cons

We are offering pre-cons for the first time this year at SQLSaturday #190 in Denver on Friday, September 27th. There are 3 different pre-cons to choose from and they are priced at $99 until 8/31 on 9/1 the early bird price will expire and the cost will go up to $125, so register before 8/31! Below are the 3 pre-cons we are offering:




Carlos Bossy - Predictive Analytics in the Enterprise 
Tim Mitchell - Real World SSIS: A Survival Guide 
Dmitri Korotkevitch - SQL Server Internals from the Practical Angle

Go to http://denversqlsaturday.com for more details and to register for the pre-cons and the SQLSaturday itself on Saturday, September 28th!


SQLSaturday #237 Charlotte BI Edition

If you are in the Charlotte area for PASS Summit 2013, stick around through the weekend and come to SQLSaturday #237 on Saturday, October 19th. I am honored that I have been selected to present my "SSIS 2012: More Than Just a Pretty UI" session at the event. Looking forward to seeing everyone that was at PASS Summit earlier in the week and those that were not able to attend Summit.



Charlotte BI Group - October Meeting

And while I'm talking about the Charlotte area I am also planning on attending the Charlotte BI Group meeting on Tuesday, October 1st as well. I'll be in the Columbia, SC area that week, so why not spend some time with other #SQLFamily and get a preview of what Melissa, Jason and Rafael will be presenting at PASS Summit a couple of weeks later!

Denver SQL Server User Group - May 16, 2013

Last night I presented "Capture Change and Apply it with Change Data Capture and SSIS" at the Denver SQL Server User Group meeting as a representative of our sponsor for May, Pragmatic Works. Session went well, got some really good questions and comments to make the session even better which I will be working on before I present it again at the Midlands SQL Server User Group next month!

For those that want to use all of my sample code from the presentation, feel free to download it from the embedded link below and try it out on your own computer. The requirements for these samples to work are SQL Server 2012 Evaluation, Developer or Enterprise Editions, AdventureWorks2012 and AdventureWorks2012DW. Also as I mentioned in the session you must have full admin rights to the SQL Server instance that you are going to try and setup CDC on, so a local instance on your own workstation/VM is recommended.

Thanks again to all of those that attended the Denver SQL Server User Group meeting last night!