SQL Saturday #813 (BI Edition), Boston, MA — I’m speaking!

I just got the official word! I will be speaking at SQL Saturday #813 (BI edition), Boston (actually, Burlington), MA on March 30! This is my first scheduled SQL Saturday presentation for 2019! I will do my presentation on talking tech-speak to non-technical people! This will make three times (all in the same building, no …

Speaking in Burlington, MA, Feb. 13

On February 13 (two weeks from today), I will be speaking at the New England SQL User Group meeting (assuming it doesn't snow)! I will be giving my presentation: "Tech Writing for Techies: A Primer." Documentation tends to be, as I put it, "the Rodney Dangerfield of technical professions." It's important, and everyone knows it's …

There’s a first for everything

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."Lao Tzu Take a moment and think about your career -- where you are now, how far you've progressed, and so on. Do you like where you are? Okay. Now, if you do like where you are, take a moment and think about how you got …

The perfect workspace

My client office is in the process of redesigning and rebuilding the office space. The old environment was the traditional "cubicle farm," along with individual offices used by managers. The new environment -- still a work in progress -- eliminates the cubicles and utilizes a more open office environment. Each worker who is not a …

Explain it to me like I’m a five-year-old

As my department's de facto technical writer, I spend most of my time working on document-related projects. One of the things I've been working on is a glossary of terms. Among other things, I've been trying to come up with a "dictionary"-type definition of the term "management entity." Unfortunately, I have not been able to …

SQL Saturday #855 Albany announced!

The Capital Area SQL Server User Group (CASSUG) is pleased to announce that, for the sixth time, we will host SQL Saturday #855, Albany on July 20! For additional information, to register for the event, or to submit a presentation, click the link above! I've already submitted presentations, but I will be there, regardless of …

Monthly CASSUG meeting — January 2019

Starting with this 'blog post, I'm beginning a new habit. Since I'm responsible for communications for my SQL user group (CASSUG -- "Capital Area SQL Server User Group"), I will start announcing monthly meetings here in my 'blog. This is my first such entry for this year. Our next meeting -- our first of the …

Make goals, not resolutions

My previous post got me thinking about setting goals. I mentioned in my previous article that I hate setting New Year's "resolutions." I didn't want to get into why in that article. Well, in this article, I want to get into exactly why. How many of you have made New Year's resolutions? How many of …

Welcome to 2019

Well, here we are. It's the new year. Hope you folks had a great holiday season! Personally, mine was quiet; the only significant thing of note was that I followed my alma mater down to their bowl game. (I had the opportunity to attend the game, so I took it. As I previously wrote, once …