Hear ye, hear ye! This Saturday -- that's two days from today -- the Capital Area SQL Server User Group will be hosting SQL Saturday #513 at the University at Albany! The event is free (there is a nominal fee for lunch), and anyone, whether you're new to SQL Server or are a seasoned database veteran, is welcome … Continue reading Two days until SQL Saturday in Albany!
Month: July 2016
So you want to be a SQL Saturday speaker?
I attended my very first SQL Saturday in April, 2010, when I traveled down to New York City for SQL Saturday #39. I've attended several more since then. I've lost track of how many I've attended, but they've always been a fun experience while learning things about SQL Server, and a great way to spend … Continue reading So you want to be a SQL Saturday speaker?
The only person whom you can change
"Q: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?" "A: Only one, but it really has to want to change." "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice..." -- Rush, "Freewill" "Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they're open." -- Thomas Dewar The other day, I … Continue reading The only person whom you can change
Support your local user group
I'm involved with a number of local groups. I participate regularly with my local SQL Server user group and my local Albany UX group. I occasionally attend events held by my local college alumni group. And I hold a leadership position within the local community symphonic band with which I play. Additionally, there are several other local … Continue reading Support your local user group
What’s in a (team) name?
Albany once had a CBA (Continental Basketball Association) team, the Albany Patroons. They were a competitive team that had some pretty good history behind it, having produced coaches such as Phil Jackson and Bill Musselman. I told myself that I had to go catch a game sometime. It never happened. The very next year (after … Continue reading What’s in a (team) name?
Scary Deployments
My friend Steve Jones ‘blogged this, and this spoke to me enough that I thought it was worth a re-blog.
I was listening to a web developer talk about some fundamental changes in a web platform. In this case, an older system was being replaced completely with a new one, and as one of the reasons, the developer showed some typos that had existed on the old site for years and hadn’t been fixed. The reason? This quote:
“Very few people understand how the entire system works that are still in the building … The thought of deploying [changes] brought people to tears.”
That can’t happen. Ever. We can’t be afraid to touch systems. When this happens we get paralyzed, and we don’t do good work. Or we’re not a good fit for a project. Or perhaps, we’ve got a bad attitude.
I’ve worked in a few companies where developers were afraid to touch a system. It’s amazing how quickly this attitude becomes contagious, even scaring management from considering change…
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#SQL101: Setting up a primary key
When I set up my baseball database, I noticed something in the SQL code used to build the tables. In the CREATE TABLE T-SQL code that was supplied by the Sean Lahman’s baseball database, I saw code that looked like this: CREATE TABLE [dbo].[Batting]( [playerID] [varchar](50) NULL, [yearID] [varchar](50) NULL, [stint] [varchar](50) NULL, [teamID] [varchar](50) … Continue reading #SQL101: Setting up a primary key
SQL Saturday #513: two week notice
It's coming quickly! On July 30 (that's two weeks from this Saturday), the Capital Area SQL Server User Group will be hosting SQL Saturday on the UAlbany campus! I will be speaking! I will be giving my presentation, "Whacha just say? Talking technology to non-technical people." It's going to be a great day of sessions … Continue reading SQL Saturday #513: two week notice
Welcome to Ray Kim's 'blog 