#SQLCruise2010 | SQL Cruise

May 11, 2010

#SQLCruise2010

Our Favorite Tweets So Far

Timothy Ford

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Here’s some of our favorite reactions to #SQLCruise so far:

“Select starrrrrrrr shiver me tables #sqlcruise #sqlpirates” – @SQLBob
“I could use a #SQLCruise.” – @MrAndrewDykstra
“Guess you will be doings some training based n the FLOAT type then during the voyage LOL” – @Neil_Hambly
“Best idea I’ve heard all day. #sqlcruise” @DavidMTate
“In today’s executive meeting I asked if our new product would have LOLCats. CEO not pleased. Looks like I’ll have time to go on #sqlcruise.” – @NoelMcKinney
“Just booked a swim with some dolphins in Cozumel. So ready for #SqlCruise.” – @Dave_Levy
“I want to go on #SQLCruise but I can’t. CURSE YOU RESPONSIBILITIES!!!” – @Jorriss
“@BrentO Dude is this for real or are you pulling my leg?” – @JohnSansom
“Aprenda SQL a bordo de um Cruzeiro Miami ao Caribe…Cruzeiro pra NERD http://sqlcruise.com/” – @JoseMalcher

Love it! To hear more, you can follow @SQLCruise on Twitter or set up a search for #SQLCruise.

May 10, 2010

#SQLCruise2010 sqlsaturday

Submitted Sessions for #SQLSat40

Timothy Ford

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Know what’s neat about SQLCruise? Aside from the margaritas and the training? We’re helping to improve SQLSaturday South Florida! Here’s some of the sessions that have been submitted by SQLCruise presenters and attendees:

Disaster Recovery and High Availability for N00Bs – Tim Ford

This session is targeted for those who have found themselves accidentally responsible for the SQL Server databases where they work, or are generally new to SQL Server. We’ll cover the basics of Backup and Restore processes as well as a high overview of HA architectures available including Database Mirroring, Clustering, Replication, and Log Shipping. Scripts will be provided for immediate use in your own environment as a take-away from this presentation.

Insight Into Your Indexes with DMVs – Tim Ford

Identify and remediate index fragmentation. Gather information about unused indexes that may be causing your instances unnecessary overhead and impacting performance. Even find out what indexes you may want to create to make your databases perform better: all with the use of SQL Server Dynamic Management Objects.

Top 10 SQL Mistakes and Mis-Steps – Tim Ford

Join this beginner-level session in which we’ll go over common mistakes made by new and seasoned SQL Server Professionals alike. Learn how to avoid these issues before they happen.

Getting Out from Behind the Curtain: The New DBA – Dave Levy

The days of hiding amongst rows of servers, focusing purely on operational tasks are quickly coming to an end. This presentation will provide a high level overview of how to boost your value to your organization by automating the mundane operational tasks and focusing on supporting new development. Topics covered will include tools and techniques available for automation, integration with development teams and relationship management.

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Even if you don’t join us on the cruise, you should check out SQLSaturday South Florida if you’re in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Orlando area.

May 8, 2010

#SQLCruise2010

Book Now – Rates Going Up!

Timothy Ford

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Carnival’s rates have started to inch up as the cheap rooms are getting booked. When we first announced SQLCruise 2010, inside rooms were only $399 per person. As of Saturday, May 8th, they’re now up to $429 per person.

There’s a limited number of $429 and $439 rooms left, and then it’ll go up to $459 per person! Every day you wait, the price of training goes up, so don’t dilly-dally. Talk to your boss and your spouse today!

You can book a room right now on Carnival, pay a deposit to hold the room, and then according to part 6 of Carnival’s policies you can get a full refund up to 61 days before the cruise leaves – around May 28th.

May 7, 2010

#SQLCruise2010, Cruiser Profiles

Introducing @Dave_Levy, #SQLCruiser

Timothy Ford

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Our next attendee is David Levy (Blog – @Dave_Levy), a SQL guy who got started as an app developer about a decade ago and then moved into database administration two years ago.

Mr Levy! Seems like only yesterday that we were at SQLSaturday Chicago. What made you decide to sign up for the SQLCruise?

Dave Levy

I have to admit that when I first saw the SQLCruise announcement I did not take it very seriously. I clicked around on the site to see what it was all about but could not see any way that I would be going. Clicking around, I ended up following a link to the Carnival site and saw that cruise rates started at around $400 per person. I had no idea that it could be so affordable. Throw in the $295 for 15+ hours of top-notch training, which hopefully my company will cover anyway, and it was the deal of the century.

Since I was pretty well sold on the idea, I sent my wife a link to the site to see what she thought. She insisted I book the cruise that night.

Have you ever been on a cruise before?

Yes. Way back in the year 2000, and yes I sang that in a high pitched voice just like on the Conan O’Brian show. My wife (girlfriend then) won an 8 day cruise from New York to Bermuda from the salon she works at. The cruise was sponsored by The Wella Company to get a boat full of hair stylists trained up on their newest products.

It is really strange now that I am thinking about it, our first cruise was HairCruise and our second cruise is SQLCruise.

Who are you bringing?

My wife Marisa. She is definitely looking forward to swimming with the dolphins in Cozumel and getting some sun while I am in class. (Write down enjoying the sun without me whining about my sunburn)

I see that you’ve submitted a session to SQLSaturday South Florida. Sounds like you must have liked presenting at SQLSaturday Chicago! How did it go?

I am still waiting for the evaluations to come in but I think it went really well. It was an amazing experience to be able to connect with a large audience like that. I honestly cannot wait to do it again.

What would you say to somebody out there who’s thinking about whether or not they should present at their local PASS chapter or SQLSaturday?

DO IT. Pick something you know or better yet feel passionate about and submit it for a local SQLSaturday. Spend time getting your slides right and practicing your presentation. My presentation was 45 minutes long and I spent around 45 hours putting the slides together. I also spent another 10-12 hours practicing my presentation. I emphasize all of the time spent on preparation because it carried me through the first few minutes when I was completely freaking out.

As far as where to start, I prefer SQLSaturday because the attendees have less invested. If a presentation does not live up to their expectations they still have 6 or 7 more chances to get value out of the trip. Local user groups tend to only have time for 1 or 2 speakers so there is a lot more pressure to be good. That said, if the first presenter is a rock star then presenting after them is probably a great opportunity to get your start.

You have been on FIRE since you started blogging at AdventuresInSQL.com – you’ve been really banging it out with the example scripts. Why do you do it?

I started out blogging scripts more because I needed something to say. As it evolved I realized it was also a great way to document my scripts. Lately, I am finding out that it is a great way to get other opinions on the way I am doing things. It has really allowed me to see that the true power of the SQL community is that we no longer have to live our lives in a vacuum, feeling our way in the dark. We can get high quality advice, honest opinions or even just a sympathetic ear from a huge group of people that really love this stuff.

The SQL Community is like bacon smothered in awesomesauce and I am proud to be a part of it.

And we’re glad to have you! Looking forward to seeing you again in Miami.

Want to join Dave, Karen, and Yanni on board? It’s just $295 for some great SQL Server training, and rooms are still available for $399 per person!

May 6, 2010

#SQLCruise2010

Why Pay for Training on #SQLCruise?

Timothy Ford

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Here’s just a sampling of some of the free training you can watch right now from the comfort of your home:

With so much free training out there, not to mention the upcoming 24 Hours of PASS, why would anybody pay for training?

The Problem with Free Training

The first answer is simple: interaction. When you’re part of a huge group training session, the presenter can’t read your personal expressions. He can’t tell when you’ve got a question, can’t slow things down, and can’t dive off on a tangent to explore things that are important to your shop. When he’s got a one hour time slot before the next person starts, he usually has to march forward quickly to cover everything planned. If you’ve got a question afterward, you have to wait in a long line of people, and you know some of ’em just never let go of their questions.

On the #SQLCruise, we’ve only got a very limited number of attendees. We’ll get to know your background and comfort level right away, talk about the kinds of systems you manage, and then tailor our training stories to you. When you’ve got questions – and you will have questions! – we can have a relaxed, friendly discussion without worrying about the clock.

The second answer: quality. We take our training sessions very seriously, and we’re determined to bring you content so good that you’ll see the registration fee as a huge bargaining. You won’t have to stare at a list of abstracts and speakers and ask yourself, “I wonder if this person’s ever presented before, and how good they really are?” Just check out some of the comments from Brent’s SpeakerRate page:

“Brent does a nice job of mixing in humor with his presentations. The only negative to “Virtualization and SAN Basics for DBAs” presentation were the time constraints. Otherwise Great Presentation!”

“Very engaging speaker with enough expertise to go off-topic, and well, when questions come up.”

“DBAs do like to pretend they know about everything, and it was refreshing to hear a presentation that didn’t mince words. I do wish you had a longer presentation time to allow a deeper dive into these topics.”

“I like how you have a very deep knowledge of the stuff but present it in an easy to follow manner.”

“Talk about out of control. I’ve never had so much fun with a topic! Despite the antics of the cast, the content remained well presented, and on-topic.”

If you like free events with one-hour sessions, but you’re ready to take your training up a notch, it’s time for a cruise. The next SQLCruise won’t be this inexpensive, so if you’re on the fence, go for it. Register for SQLCruise today!