SQL Server on Linux – It’s Really Happening!

When I first began my career, I became a Linux junkie. Slackware was my distro of choice. As the years went on, I shifted my career into SQL Server, leaving my needs for Linux behind.

Last night, I installed Ubuntu on a VMWare VM, followed by SQL Server vNext.

Never thought I'd ever see this day… #SQLServer2016 vNext on Linux! pic.twitter.com/GY05MAq9kn

— Andy Yun (@SQLBek) November 18, 2016

Microsoft’s Steve Balmer infamously labelled Linux a cancer. Today’s Microsoft embraces it. As a technologist, I am thrilled to pieces.

Fanboy gushing aside, I spent more time with things today and thought I’d just write a quick blog about things I learned/gotchas.  What follows is some randomness that I encountered today.

My VM lab on my laptop is setup with static IP addresses.  This meant I had to teach myself how to make network changes in Ubuntu, vs what I remembered from Slackware.  Just amounted to making appropriate changes in /etc/network/interfaces, /etc/hosts, and /etc/hostname.  Once that was squared away, I was able to stop using the direct interface and fire up PuTTY.

Oh yeah, I had to install sshd too.  Man, Ubuntu makes this stuff easy compared to what I remember!  ‘sudo apt get sshd’ and I was done!  Man you kids have it easy these days! 😉

Silly me struggled with getting SSMS 2016 to connect happily to vNext CTP1… until I discovered that I needed to grab a different SSMS RC1 release! Doh! Installed that side-by-side without issue and boom, I was in!

Next interesting challenge was enabling VMWare Workstation shared folders, so I could easily pull over my demo database backup files.  To accomplish this, I had to mount /dev/cdrom, copy over the VMware Tools GZ file, extract it, then I could install everything.  Once that was done, /mnt/hgfs/ had my VM shared folder, so I was able to easily pull over and restore my EveryByteCounts & AutoDealershipDemo databases!

I cracked open the solution files from my three presentations and ran through all of my demo scripts.  All worked as expected, even the DBCC PAGE & other internals related scripts (as they should).  I may do my next SQL Server presentation using my Linux VM, just because I can… and not tell my audience until the end, and see if that blows their minds!  🙂

At some point, I am going to throw all of this out & create a fresh Ubuntu VM without SQL Server installed, so I can use that as a linked clone.  Hopefully that’ll make spinning up and installing new CTPs easier to manage.  I am also curious to experiment with SQL Server installation options and explore the configuration files.  I only followed the basic instructions which installed everything.

I’m pleasantly surprised how fun I am having, tinkering with SQL Server on Linux.  This is genuinely exciting to me, since it takes me back to my Linux roots.  Look forward to what comes next!

T-SQL Tuesday #84: Growing New Speakers Round-Up

Welcome to this month’s T-SQL Tuesday Round-Up! A few weeks ago, I sent out a call for bloggers and must say that I’m utterly blown away by the response. A whopping FORTY bloggers responded last week with contributions for Growing New Speakers!  Four – zero!  You people are all amazing!!!

I’ve decided to split the list of contributors into three groups.

• New Speakers: Those who have never presented before!
• Novice Speakers: Those who have presented just once, just a few times, or perhaps long ago in a galaxy far, far away. Generally if you’ve only spoken a handful of times, been speaking for less than a year, and/or self-identified as a new-ish speaker, you were grouped here.
• Experienced Speakers: Those who are seasoned speakers.

NEW SPEAKERS

1. Andrew Pruski-First Foray Into Presenting: @dbafromthecold
   Shares story of first presentation
2. Angela Tidwell: @angelatidwell
   Writes about things learned at PASS Summit about presenting
3. Arun Sirpal-SQL Server – Reconfigure: @blobeater1
   Explores RECONFIGURE in a technical blog for a first presentation
4. Chris Voss: @ceedubvee
   Writes about upcoming first presentations and muses how to progress further
5. Constantine Kokkinos-Exploring DBA Tools or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love PowerShell: @mobileck
   Blogs about DBATools & Powershell for first presentation
6. Deb Melkin-If I Were a Speaker…: @dgmelkin
   Explores three ideas for a first presentation
7. Devon Leann Ramirez: @restinbeachface
   Writes an introduction for first presentation
8. Jo Douglass: @jodouglass
   Writes about 1st presentation topic idea: surrogate keys as a DW/ETL anti-pattern
9. Michelle Haarhues-On the Doorsteps: @mhaarhues
   Explores Women In Technology and first presentation about women presenters
10. Robert Preseau: @robertpreseau
    Writes about overcoming mental obstacles to speaking
11. Scott Millard-Taking the next step – becoming a speaker: @leftseatsql
    Accepts the challenge to speak
12. Tywan Terrell: @tyawnterrell
    Writes about T-SQL fundamentals as first presentation topic

NOVICE SPEAKERS

1. Anthony Nocentino-Public Speaking – The First Time: @nocentino
   Shares an updated recap blog from first presentation
2. Bjoern Peters-Become a Speaker at a PASS Event or other Meetups – share your knowledge: @sql_aus_hh
   Writes about elements that make for a good presentation
3. Chris Lumnah: @lumnah
   Reflects on lessons learned after first presentation
4. Chris Sommer: @cjsommer
   Shares things to think about when writing a new presentation
5. Kenneth Fisher-Zip to Speaker: @sqlstudent144
   Recaps prior blogs about speaking & offers encouragement
6. Kevin Hill-Speaking & Presenting: @kevin3nf
   Explores DBA Basics for Non-DBAs as a “first” presentation idea
7. Matt Gordon: @sqlatspeed
   Shares two key lessons learned
8. Mike Kane: @tcp1433
   Explores target audience, topic, and format
9. Monica Rathbun-Helping New Speakers: @sqlespresso
   Writes how to get started
10. Wylie Blanchard-Use Video as a Tool to Enhance Speaking Skill and Create Content: @wylieblanchard1
    Discusses value & benefits of videotaping one’s self

EXPERIENCED SPEAKERS

1. Alexander Arvidsson: @arcticdba
   Writes about body language
2. Andy Yun-Building Your Slidedeck: @sqlbek
   Shares slidedeck building tips
3. Brent Ozar-The Three Parts of Every Presentation: @brento
   Explores types of presentations
4. Derek Hammer-Building an Hour of Content: @sqlhammer
   Shares advice in building your first hour long presentation
5. Doug Lane-Conquer Your Fear of Presenting with a Gift-Giver’s Mentality: @thedouglane
   Presents a video blog about the Gift Giver’s Mentality
6. Erin Stellato: @erinstellato
   Recaps 4 prior blogs about speaking & addresses topic of comfort
7. Jes Borland-Dealing with Failure: @grrl_geek
   Discusses how to handle failure on the fly.
8. John Deardurff-Speaking about SQL: @john_deardurff
   Shares tips about learning itself
9. Kathi Kellenberger-New Speakers: @auntkathi
   Writes about how to field questions
10. Lori Edwards-So You Want to Present: @loriedwards
    Builds on prior blog post about speaking, sharing advice learned since
11. Michael Swart-I’m Trying To Kick My “Undo Button” Habit: @mjswart
    Writes about speaking at PASS Summit for the first time
12. Mike Fal-Getting Ready for your Presentation: @mike_fal
    Shares how to prepare the day of your presentation.
13. Mike Lawell-Speak in Public? What? Me?: @sqldiver
    Shares journey about starting speaking.
14. Riley Major-No One Wants to Eat You: @rileymajor
    Shares his personal story of speaking, followed by a huge list of tips, tricks, and resources
15. Rob Farley-How I Prepare for a Presentation: @rob_farley
    Writes about deeply exploring your topic
16. Rob Sewell-Speaking? You? Go on.: @sqldbawithbeard
    Shares advice about getting into speaking
17. Steff Locke-A note to (potential) new speakers: It’s ok not to be perfect!: @stefflocke
    Reinforces that perfection is not necessary.
18. Steve Jones: @way0utwest
    Encourages readers to speak.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

As I pledged in the first blog post, I will now be reaching out to all New Speakers, to offer personalized feedback.  A number of Experienced Speakers also volunteered to help, so I will be working out those logistics.  Additionally, if any of the Novice Speakers would like the same kind of help, please contact me – I will add you to the list too!

There are numerous opportunities to present: internally to coworkers, Toastmasters, User Groups, SQL Saturdays, & Virtual Chapters.  And all of them are always looking for new speakers!  When will you speak next?

T-SQL Tuesday #84: Building Your Slidedeck

Welcome to another edition of T-SQL Tuesday. I am this month’s host, and the topic is Growing New Speakers. My contribution to this month’s T-SQL Tuesday was inspired via a tweet by Jonathan Cox (b|t).

When I gave my very first presentation, I had next to no experience with PowerPoint. In fact, I found it a bit intimidating. Where to start? How should I make it look? Do I have to pick a color scheme?

Not to worry! When you first open PowerPoint, there are numerous basic templates already loaded! My advice is to select a template that is simple. Don’t select one that has a background with very cluttered graphics. Visual noise is distracting and is the last thing you want to worry about.

For your first presentation slidedeck, there’s no need to get fancy. Keep things simple like the templates below.

Readability is very important. What may look fantastic on your 1920×1200 laptop screen that’s 2 feet from you, will look drastically different when it’s been downsized by a projector to 1024×768 and is projected to an entire room.

Font size is the first key factor in Readability. Karen Lopez (b|t) tweeted an excellent tip, that I used when I was working on my PASS Summit slidedeck.

I readjusted a handful of my slides to pass this test (thanks Karen!).

Color contrast is important. Different rooms have different lighting conditions, so be sure to use a simple, high-contrast color combination so everyone in your room can read your slides. A lightly colored or white background with dark or black text works best. Stick with the basics – they work.

When it comes to amount of content, don’t write huge walls of text on slides. Put only your main talking points. Your speaking will fill in the corresponding details.  And if you do have a lot of slide content, don’t hesitate to split it into two slides.

Images and clip art. Some like art, I generally shy away from it – it’s all personal preference. If you do use an image from somewhere, you must give credit. Generally a footnote is acceptable. I prefer to rely on Creative Commons 0 images. Makes life hassle free. Check out Kendra Little’s (b|t) blog post all about Easy Free-Use Images.

I hope this collection of tips helps you on your way to building your first slidedeck!  And if you still find yourself a little stumped, Google/Bing is your friend!  There are many out there, who have written numerous articles & blogs on how to build effective slidedecks.  Leverage their collective knowledge.

Happy Powerpointing!

PASS Summit & Game Night

A few years ago, Mike Donnelly (b|t) & Andre Ranieri (t) hosted a Game Night at PASS Summit. At the time, I thought this was a great idea. It was small yet very successful.

This year, PASS Summit 2016, PASS decided to forego the usual Thursday night Community Appreciation Event. This opened up Thursday night for a wide variety of options. Steve Jones (b|t) and Andy Warren (b|t) stepped up to the plate to help attendees, and they set up a Game Night at the Convention Center. Check out Steve’s recap blog post to hear how it went!

I’m blogging about this because I think this is a fantastic alternate event that has great potential and appeal to PASS Summit attendees. I’ve met many in our industry, who are less comfortable in crowded social situations among strangers. But give people a smaller scale, quieter space, with a simple & fun “common ground,” and you give those people a fantastic opportunity to network in ways that they never would have before.

I happen to have many non-SQL friends who fall into this category. And I want to share two brief stories about offering games as an alternative.

When I got married, our venue was split into two distinct rooms: a dining room and a bar/dance floor room. We liked this because it allowed those who wanted to dance it up to hang in one area while others could mingle & chill out in the dining room. After dinner, a few of those friends came up to my wife & I and asked if we minded if they broke out a table top game. We said “yes, absolutely!” We wanted them to have a great time that night and by letting them do an activity that fit them, we were able to enable that! I still think back to that with fond memories.

Earlier this year, two of our gamer friends got married. For their wedding, they had set aside a dedicated gaming room, where folks could have a quieter place to convene and still enjoy themselves. And it was absolutely a hit! Those of our friends, for whom dancing and drinking aren’t their thing, enjoyed themselves. The groom happened to spend a good portion of the night there too, doing what he loved, with his wedding guests! It was great!

I share these two stories, to try and help drive home the point that offering alternative events like Game Night, can really work at any kind of event. And I’m thrilled to see that it again worked at PASS Summit. I would love to see this expanded and continued by PASS. Let’s try to offer something to those of our PASS Summit colleagues who don’t care for hard partying. This can be it!

Post-PASS Summit 2016: Presenting Every Byte Counts

Four years ago, I attended my first PASS Summit in Charlotte, NC. Never did I dream that I would get the guts to begin presenting. And if presenting was not even on my radar, someday receiving the honor of presenting at the PASS Summit was completely unfathomable to me.

Yet a week ago, that’s exactly what I did!

I was fortunate to be assigned to the very first session slot on Wednesday, the first full day of PASS Summit. I was effectively part of the lead-off team, immediately after the opening Keynote. The night before, I was not feeling all that nervous or anxious. My priorities were just to get a good night’s rest, and to make sure I was set up and good to go (I’m always paranoid about A/V issues). Leaving Denny Cherry’s party early bummed me out, as it was rocking, but this wasn’t about me – it was about the PASS Summit attendees!

I took a pass on the morning Keynote and got into my room early. It allowed me to get set up and into the mental zone. I was pumped and ready to have fun. I was not keeping track of time, but early birds started to straggle in, including a few people I knew. Chatting with them helped to pass the time until the Keynote wrapped up and attendees really started to stream in!

I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of friends show up as well. I honestly had no idea who would come see me. While I was in one of the smaller rooms, I still managed to pack them! I chatted up the crowd for a few minutes. I did ask who was a First Timer and was stunned when over half the room raised their hands! I thanked them for joining me and letting me help kick off their first PASS Summit experience!

To be perfectly honest, I really don’t remember much about my presentation itself. I was jazzed, excited, and dropped immediately into my zone and rolled with it. I had spent a great deal of time preparing and rehearsing for the past month, to make sure my presentation was polished, and I believe that hard work paid off.

Afterwards, I had a bunch of people coming up to ask questions. As a speaker, that is very rewarding, as it shows that people were engaged and want to know more. Knowing I did not have another speaker after me (lunchtime), I took my time chatting with everyone who had lingered. It was a good way for me to start coming down from the high.

I received numerous complements over the subsequent days, from both friends and attendees. One random attendee went so far as to compare me against some very well-known, experienced speakers. That particular complement will really stick with me I think.

I really hope that this is not my last time presenting at PASS Summit. As others have taught me, one must never rest their laurels. I’m already thinking about next year’s submissions and what new sessions I want to develop.

Hope you all had a fantastic PASS Summit. I sure did!