SQL Saturday 33 @ Charlotte
My husband agreed to bring me to Charlotte to attend SQL Saturday 33. He said he'd play golf while I attended the sessions. So win-win situation.
So how was it? I can't say it was 100% fun...but it was interesting. For something free (the $10 doesn't even count), you just can't beat it. A lady I met during lunch did say I should try code camps...she said its also free, you get to try things hands-on, and you get free books after. I'll definitely check it out.
I went to "Virtualize this!" first by @sqlvariant. There were around 10 of us. Aaron told some funny anecdotes so I wasn't bored. We started late though so I don't think he was able to discuss everything he wanted to discuss. I think his laptop was PMS-ing. It seemed like it had a mind of its own and just wasn't cooperating with him. I really didn't get a lot from this session...it's not Aaron's fault though. I'm a slow learner and with the laptop issues and the skipped topics and the late start, it was just difficult for me to get into what Aaron was discussing. Plus--I have very little experience on virtualization so I really don't think I should have been there in the first place.
I went to @SQLDBA's session next on blogging and technical speaking. That was a good interactive session. Kendal recommended not to post personal stuff on your professional blog. Someone disagreed...then someone disagreed w/ the disagreement...and that went on for a good few minutes. Kudos to people who don't think twice about voicing out their opinions to a large group of people. Love it! I love the passion, I love the confidence.
I did want to ask Kendal though (I didn't)--do you have to be funny to be a good blogger? Do you have to be entertaining? Do you have to a be a good writer? I think it's not necessary but I also think it's nice to have. I mean, with technical blogs, as long as you're discussing something that's useful to at least one person (yourself included 
), I think that's really all that's needed. If you can make someone laugh a bit, better. Anyway, I loved that session. The speaker was awesome, gave some good tips. There were other speakers there and they gave good advice too. Would I blog after that session? Uh..yes? 
Speak? Maybe next time.
Next guy I listened to was @sqlagentman. What can I say, the moment I saw the word lazy I found myself walking to the Track 2 room. It was only when I got there that I saw the "driven" and "dba" part...but it was too late to leave Seriously--this was a good session. Tips for the lazy but driven DBA. The tips were awesome. I didn't know how to leverage the Template Explorer before--but I do now. He discussed using SSIS for collecting info about his servers and databases and I don't care if he didn't come up with the idea himself--that tip was good. Tim looks like a Hollywood actor...just can't pinpoint who exactly. I was listening to him and I was thinking I've seen him in a movie or something.
Next thing I attended was Mark Tabladillo's data mining session. I've never used data mining, I don't know anything about MDX. The session really wasn't for me but I was curious. I wanted to know at least a little about data mining. I talked to the guy beside me and he was as clueless as I was...so I was in good company There were so many attendees! Mark is one good teacher. He made things look easy...he was funny (yes, I love funny). Halfway through the session, he wore a miner hat (sorry, I don't know what it's called exactly) and held...oh gosh...I don't know what that thing is called...a pick? Anyway...he looked hilarious. He was the most engaging speaker that I listened to. He seemed nervous in the beginning. I could actually hear his voice trembling but 20 minutes into the session...(and maybe after he wore his costume), he sounded better. I liked the tip on usability (he cited how data mining commands were named based on what the user would want to do and not based on the algorithm it used). I'm definitely installing the data mining add-in for Excel this week.
Last session that I attended was Kevin Kline's SQL Server Internals and Architectures. This topic was close to my heart so I was really interested. It was very basic though--I really thought it was going to be more advanced.What was discussed during the session was what I would have envisioned as an Introduction. I was expecting to see data pages and b-trees and whatever...like Kalen Delaney stuff if you know what I mean. So I was a little disappointed. However, Kevin Kline is an awesome speaker. He explained things well...he made good jokes and I was really entertained. His presentation was very polished and illustrations were easy to understand. He gave a recap of what he discussed in the end...like a Murach book. Enjoyed it immensely.
I didn't attend anything after that. I know, I know...I probably missed some good sessions. But I talked to someone before the 245PM session and she recommended this Chinese buffet called Tin-tin...and she claimed it was the best Chinese in Charlotte...and I was hungry. My heart wanted to stay but my tummy had a mind of its own. So that was the end of SQL Saturday for me.
I feel bad that I missed Jessica Moss's sessions--during lunch I was talking to somebody who said she was great. I feel like I should have attended Andy Leonard's Building your first SSIS session...I heard that was good too. The problem though is...SQL Saturday's not like Amazon where you get to see reviews before you attend the sessions and where you get to pick the ones that best fit your needs. When you're new...you just have to wing it. And with so many choices...and the inability to be in multiple places at the same time---it's just unavoidable to miss some great sessions.
Lastly, Charlotte's nice...it's a good balance between New York and Raleigh. And IKEA--man, that place makes me hate that I live in Raleigh. I wish I lived there. No, I don't mean Charlotte, I mean in IKEA. That place rocks.
All in all though...it was a good way to spend Saturday. I have nothing but respect for the speakers. I follow them on twitter and some even didn't have good trips on their way home. :(
Thanks to @Peter_shire who convinced me to go and who patiently addressed all my major issues (that is, where's my lunch ticket!)
I'm no expert but if you're planning to go to a SQL Saturday, my advice is go. And check if there's an IKEA nearby and visit it and don't let anyone stop you from buying the things you want!