Jan 11, 2011
T-SQL Tuesday 14: Techie Resolutions for You not Me
Is it just me or has the community done the whole “What are my goals for this year” thing to death in the last couple of weeks?
I don’t know about you but I’m eager for this week’s T-SQL Tuesday topic (Techie Reolutions) to not just be an extension of all that stuff. So to put a different spin on things, I’m not going to tell you what my Techie Resolutions are for this year, no sir. Instead I’m going to tell you what Your Techie Resolutions are!
That’s right I’m telling you what I think you should be doing this year. Here are my Techie Resolutions for You.
Your Community Needs You
The awesomeness of the SQL Server community is the sum of all the incredible effort that each and every one it’s members puts in. It doesn’t matter how big or small a contribution you make, it all adds up. The key thing is that you DO contribute.
- Get yourself along to your local SQL User Group meetings.
- Found a solution to your SQL problem on a Blog, be sure to thank the author by leaving a comment.
- Help those not as experienced as yourself in our community by answering questions on forums, like here on SQL Server Central or any of the great forums (My Top 5 SQL Server Forums) for that matter.
- Is this the year you start Blogging? Maybe you’ve been thinking about it and are not sure how to get started. Learn from one of the best, Brent Ozar.
- If forums are not your thing then why not chime in on Twitter when you see a question with the #SQLHelp hash tag that you know the answer to?
- Maybe this is the year that you throw your speaker hat in the ring?
The number and variety of ways you can contribute are huge. Don’t just sit on the sidelines this year, get involved.
Documentation – get it done
Yes I know it can be dull but the benefits to getting your documentation done are real. Trust me, I can tell you from experience that one day you will go back to that super cool Stored Procedure you wrote and not have the faintest recollection how it works. If only you had bothered to take just a few moments to document it at the time of writing.
This year, take the time to get your house in order and document the SQL Server database servers that are in your environment. For the brave you could even take it a step further and calculate storage forecasts or hardware upgrade time-lines for your infrastructure. When is your server going to need more CPU or RAM? Plan for your success.
"I'm Going to PASS, are you?"
Get Your A$$ to PASS
OK so I lied, this is one of my own personal techie resolutions for the year but it should also be one of yours too! There are just no substitutes. PASS is without a doubt the best opportunity for you to learn from and interact with the SQL Server community. No excuses, I want to see you there this year.
PowerShell – just automate it already
Seriously, if you’re a DBA and you don’t know how to use PowerShell already then you are missing a trick. This incredibly easy to learn, versatile technology could be the key to you reclaiming back more of your time to focus on tasks that add value to you and your business. Don’t believe me, find out why The Best Database Administrators Automate Everything.
Stick Your Head in the Cloud
Whatever you may feel about it, Cloud technology is very real and here to stay. As a Data Professional it’s your responsibility to know what Cloud technology has to offer your company and customers. I’m hearing a lot of trash talk from people in the community about Cloud technology, and without any real weight behind it. Yes absolutely, it’s not the answer to ALL of your problems but it will be the answer to some of them!
The only way you will find out just how a technology could work for you is to learn about it and as a Data Professional you are perfectly positioned to do so with ease. The obvious starting point would be to find out what SQLAzure is all about, and the guys have been putting together some great content over on the SQLAzure Team Blog. Stick your head in the Cloud and learn something new this year.
Short and sweet, those are your Techie Resolutions for this year, now get to it!
Jan 11, 2011 @ 13:52:30
John, what a great idea, thanks for telling me what I ought to put on all those other blogs!!
Seriously though, in response to your Community items I am pleased to say I started a few of these 12 months ago.
- I started to help out on http://ask.sqlservercentral.com and have been made a moderator.
- I blog at http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/jonathanallen/
– I Tweet at http://twitter.com/fatherjack
However, I am struggling with some others:
– I am trying to start a SQL User Group in the South West but there are very few people showing an interest. Details here if anyone is interested http://www.sqlsouthwest.co.uk. I am still trying to get in touch with enough people to make our first meeting viable.
- I am no way knowledgeable enough to speak about any part of SQL – maybe this will become easier if I can get a few local meetings under my belt.
Anyway. Thanks again for writing your blog, please keep it up, its much appreciated.
Jan 12, 2011 @ 08:52:21
Thanks for the offer and your kind comments. What you might be able to do for me is simply spread the word and get people to contact me if they are interested in coming to a meeting. I don’t know if you have any contacts in the South West? Ironically I have more people offering to speak than I have shows of interest from attendees. It would be great, when we get going, if you could come along but Exeter will be quite a hike for you unless you are down this way on holiday!
Cheers
Jonathan
Jan 11, 2011 @ 16:58:15
You nailed it on the head. I’m pushing myself to leave feedback at blogs, because that’s what I want from my own visitors. I want to know if I’m helping, or how I can improve.
Awesome twist on the subject by the way, put the action on the visitor, instead of listing off things you want to do yourself.
Jan 11, 2011 @ 17:56:32
Heh, Absolutely it is!