Last weekend was SQL Saturday in Columbia, SC.  I’m such a geek, but I really truly love these days of fun, seeing friends, meeting new people, & learning from each other.  What an amazing thing we have in the SQL Server community:  between blogs, twitter, & events like user groups & SQL Saturdays, the amount of knowledge sharing is really incredible.

Getting Started Speaking

This was my first time presenting at a SQL Saturday & I enjoyed it very much (so did the people I bopped in the head with my candy-throwing-prowess, I am sure).  Great feedback from session participants is always terrific; even better is that I personally learn so much while preparing.  I learn the technical details of my topic more fully than I would otherwise, as well as improve my ability to explain things clearly which is always useful in a business situation.

Thinking of getting started speaking in the SQL Server community?  You should definitely go for it!  I plan to keep doing it, hopefully 2-3 times per year.  Check out my Presentations page for a list of resources about speaking – all from our fellow SQL Server community professionals.

Thanks to the Organizers

A huge thanks to K. Brian Kelley (@kbriankelley), Bobby Dimmick (@kr4ster) & the rest of the organizers, volunteers, & speakers for all of their hard work.  I can’t imagine how much personal time was invested to pull this off – which again makes me so excited to be part of this great community of people.

Highlights of My Day

Ran into friends & previous coworkers, Matthew Campbell (@NanarooMatthew) and Rafael Salas (@RafSalas), who, sadly, I don’t get to see every day anymore.

Got to meet Julie Smith (@Datachix1),  Audrey Hammonds (@Datachix2) , Jorge Segerra (@SQLChicken), and Barry Ralston (@bralston), and a bunch of other people.

Geoff Hiten (@SQLCraftsman) taught me that table-valued variables are evil.

Saw Bill Pearson (@Bill_Pearson) present - finally!  Now that’s a man who is comfortable in front of the room.

Materials from My Session

The slides and “cheat sheet” from my session can be found on my Presentations page.

Can’t wait for the next SQLSaturday somewhere near the Charlotte area!