Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 16th at 5:30 pm

Main Session: "Fast-track to BI Analytics with SQL Server 2012" by Carlos Bossy

SQL Server 2012 has made it easier to make the move to Business Intelligence and in this session Carlos Bossy will present three new features you can (and should) implement immediately. The new Analytics functions in T-SQL, Columnstore indexes, and the Tabular model are powerful features that will give your users the ability to analyze data in a faster, more effective manner. Each of these features was targeted at casual or beginning BI developers and DBAs who more familiar with traditional relational database models. You will leave this session with a good understanding of the next steps to take to get on the fast-track to BI.

Bio: Carlos Bossy (MCTS, MCP SQL Server 2008 BI, CBIP) is a Consultant with 25 years experience in software and database development. As the Principal of his company Carlos focuses on developing Business Intelligence solutions including modeling data warehouses, predictive analytics, integration and reporting. He has worked with SQL Server for 12 years and is very enthusiastic about its powerful features. Carlos has developed warehouses and BI solutions for a variety of industries and state agencies.

Meeting: Wednesday, April 18th at 5:30 pm

Main Session: "Develop a Quick and Dirty Web Interface to your Database: for the DBA and other non-developers" by Gabriel Villa

So you want todevelop to your database? Do you have your own tools to check performance? DoesChris Shaw's Utility Database sound like a tool you have and want a web interface, but don’t want towrite a lot of code? I will demonstrate how a simple ASP.Net MVC site can be developedand deployed against your database. See firsthand how easy we can use Shaw'sutility database and access across the web over a mobile device so you maymanage performance online whilst zipping your drink of choice.

Bio: Originally from El Paso, Texas, Gabriel has over 10 years’ professional developer experience using Microsoft technologies. Gabriel is an MCPD, ASP.NET Developer and an MCTS in SQL Server 2008 Database Development. He has developed desktop, web and database systems for the medical, retail, imports distributors, and automotive industries. Gabriel recently moved with his wife and three kids to Colorado Springs, where he works for a small ISV developing software for the big-ticket retail industry.

Meeting: Thursday, March 22nd at 5:30 pm (it's not a typo)

Main Session: "Oracle for the SQL Server DBA" by Kellyn Pot'vin, (pronounced Poet-Vaughn)

Are you curious about Oracle, but afraid to admit it?  It is common for many DBA's to be biased to one database platform, but it has become more and more demanding of the database administrator to manage and have a firm knowledge of more than one in many environments.  This session will introduce the SQL Server DBA to Oracle in a way that will meet their day to day challenges in a multi-platform database environment.  Come learn about how Oracle and SQL Server are very similar, different and how to translate common concepts in SQL Server to Oracle database administration.  No prior experience in Oracle is required and important features and concepts will be covered to assist the SQL Server DBA in incorporating Oracle into their database skill set.

Bio: Kellyn Pot'vin, (pronounced Poet-Vaughn) has been a database administrator for over eleven years, a new Oracle ACE, specializing in large database performance tuning. In the last year, she's been working with large SSD databases and Exadata, taking advantage of the newest technology and performance tuning features. Kellyn is known for her technical blog, dbakevlar.com, and is a member of the board of directors for Rocky Mountain Oracle Users Group, (RMOUG). She's performed numerous presentations on performance tuning and written articles for various technical newsletters and Web sites, starting out as an active participant on the Oracle-L list. She currently contributes to several technical sites and publications, including ITNewsCast and OraDBPedia. Kellyn lives with her three children in Broomfield, CO, and currently is honing her technical skills at I-behavior, a marketing firm in Louisville, CO.

101 Session "What is the Best Disaster Recovery Solution?" by Chris Shaw

Case Study – Get ready to work through a real world problem, we are going to spend this session reviewing a company and the challenges they faced when it comes to Disaster Recovery.  Once we have a good handle on the challenges they have, we will talk through what the solution for them would be.  Consider this a follow up to last month’s meeting.  Take a few minutes to download and review some of the specifics on this company.

NEW LOCATION!

We are now meeting at the Hyatt Place - Garden of the Gods. It is located at 503 West Garden of the Gods Road.

Meeting: Wednesday, February 15th at 5:30 pm

NEW LOCATION!

As of February 15, 2012, we will now meet at the Hyatt Place - Garden of the Gods. It is located at 503 West Garden of the Gods Road.

Main Session: "What is the Best Disaster Recovery Solution?" by Chris Shaw

It depends, every situation is different. The question is often asked of DBA's to provide a solution to very open ended requirements.  However, the best solution can only be provided if the database professional is getting all the answers.  This session is a case study into many of Disaster Recovery options that we as database professionals have.  Understand the answers to the important questions that  we should be asking to provide the best solution not only for the database but for the business as well.  As an attendee you will learn how to change an answer from it depends into a solid solution that can be built upon. We will take examples from experiences and as a group determine what the best situation is, and then compare it to the actual solution implemented.

i.   At the end of this session, the attendees will be able to describe the differences between all the disaster recovery solutions and when to use them.
ii.  Walk away knowing the right questions to ask when presented with a disaster recovery project and why the answers change the disaster recovery options that could be presented.
iii. Learn from real life examples the stumbling points that you won’t read in books on line.
 

Instead of the January meeting, we are hosting SQL Saturday #104 on January 7th, 2012. If you haven't already, register now!

The Holiday Party is here! Sign up now! It will be Wednesday, December 7th at Mr. Biggs. We'll have VIP lanes reserved for Bowling! With special thanks to RedGate, we will also provide an actual dinner (not just appetizers) and Laser Tag! Bring your family! We'll have tons of fun! Sign up here: sqlchristmas.eventbrite.com

Wednesday, November 16th at 5:30 pm

101 Session: "A Journey Through the Metadata Catalog" by Troy Ketsdever
In this interactive session, we will explore the system catalog views that tell us about the schema and structure of your database. Navigating the views via their logical relationships, we will examine representative queries and their utility for learning about your db design.

Bio: Troy Ketsdever is a data architect with over 15 years of commercial software development experience, and has maintained a love/hate relationship with SQL Server since version 4.2. In addition to his "day job", Troy enjoys writing articles and presenting at user groups on a variety of database design and implementation topics. His main objective and vision is “making the right information available to the right people at the right time.

Main Session: "SQL Server Performance Tuning" by Mark Halstead
SQL Server performance tuning with an emphasis on finding the bottlenecks, Query design problems and database design problems.

Bio: Mark Halstead is the SQL Server technical lead dba for Xtivia working in the Virtual-DBA group. He had been with Xtivia, Inc. for 5 years and has worked with SQL Server for more than 15 years. He has worked in IT for 20+ years specializing in database administration.

 Wednesday, October 19th at 5:30 pm

101 Session: "This is SQL Jeopardy!" with your host Rebecca Mitchell

The category is “Colorado Springs SQL Server User Group”. The clue is “A thrilling, mettle-proving battleground of fun in which knowledge of SQL is proven amongst peers in 20 glorious minutes!” If you said “What is SQL Jeopardy?” you are absolutely right!  Join our very own T-“Do Not Call Me Alex” SQL Princess in our first ever SQL Jeopardy as we set our members against one another to determine who will be crowned the SQL Jeopardy Champion!

Bio: Rebecca is currently a database administrator with six fun-filled years of experience in SQL Server administration and development. With a background in a variety of technologies, she possesses over twelve years of notable success in providing and implementing technology solutions in an assortment of industries including aerospace manufacturing, container shipping, and local government. Sometimes referred to as the “T-SQL Princess,” she is also the Vice President of Marketing for the Colorado Springs SQL Server User Group and an overall goofball.

Main Session: "Devs are from Mars, Report Servers are from Venus" by Doug Lane

Do you remember what it was like to fall in love? Wasn't it wonderful? Lately it just hasn't been the same. You've been stuck in the same old routine, doing the same old charts and tables. Maybe Reporting Services doesn’t tell you what’s wrong. Maybe you're even thinking about seeing other reporting products (!) In this session, Doug will re-ignite your passion for RS by showing you how to design for better performance, explaining what RS has been trying to tell you through logs (but you haven't been listening), and demonstrating some new -- and easy -- tricks you may not have known RS can do. After this session, you'll want to spend some time alone with your new old flame.

Bio: Doug (MCTS) is a business intelligence, database, and sometimes ASP.NET/C# developer with ten years experience using Microsoft web and database products in the agriculture, insurance, taxonomy, and healthcare industries. He currently works for University Physicians, Inc. as a BI developer.Contact URL: http://www.douglane.net

Wednesday, September 21st at 5:30 pm

101 Session: "10 Things I Wish I Knew Then" by Chris Shaw

Have you ever looked back at your life or decisions you have made and said….  I wish I would have known that 10 years ago.  In this short but quick session I will share with you the 10 things I wish I had known then, that I know now.

Main Session: "Detecting and Correcting Database Design Anomalies" by Troy Ketsdever

It's nice when, as database developers, we have a clean slate to work with. Most of the time, however, we inherit and must support existing designs and implementations (or, perhaps even worse - revisit a design we deployed long ago before we "knew the ropes"). To add to the challenge, more often than not documentation of the database doesn't exist or is out-of-date with respect to the production system.In this session, we'll look at some tools, techniques, and scripts that will accelerate your understanding of that beast you're now in charge of supporting and extending, with a focus on identifying and correcting design and implementation anomalies.

 Bio: Troy Ketsdever is a data architect with over 15 years of commercial software development experience, and has maintained a love/hate relationship with SQL Server since version 4.2. In addition to his "day job", Troy enjoys writing articles and presenting at user groups on a variety of database design and implementation topics.
His main objective and vision is “making the right information available to the right people at the right time”.

When not attempting to wrangle logical conundrums (aka, constraint-less dbs), he enjoys empirical testing via field trials of various aspects of fluid dynamics, particularly with respect to gravitational interactions on deformable dynamic structures in gaseous mediums.

Wednesday, August 17 at 5:30 pm

101 Session: Intro to "Denali" SQL Server Security

Get up to speed on the new security features in "Denali", the next version of SQL Server. Disclose the new permissions, roles and encryption added to Denali. You'll discover some commonly overlooked practices in securing your SQL Server databases. Learn about physical security, passwords, privileges and roles, and preventative best practices. I'll demonstrate auditing and .Net code samples to use on your applications to prevent vulnerabilities.

Originally from El Paso, Texas, Gabriel has over 10 years’ professional developer experience using Microsoft technologies. Gabriel is an MCPD, ASP.NET Developer and an MCTS in SQL Server 2008 Database Development. He has developed desktop, web and database systems for the medical, retail, imports distributors, and automotive industries. Gabriel recently moved with his wife and three kids to Colorado Springs, where he works for a small ISV developing software for the big-ticket retail industry.

Main Session: Utility Databases

If you were asked what average runtime was of your slowest stored procedure, could you provide the answer? What if you needed to provide that information for last month? Do you review your error logs each day? Do you know the growth percentages of your databases for the past year or even the past month? If your database has an unusual growth event will you know about it?  In the utility database that we create during this session we will track stored procedure information along with information about the hard drives such as free space. We will look at how you can have the errors in your error logs emailed to you each day. The goal of this session is to help you automate and centralize as many of your day-to-day tasks as you can.  

Chris Shaw started his database career while in the Marine Corps working with Lotus Ami Pro databases somewhere in 1993. From there he went on to companies such as Wells Fargo, Pulte Mortgage and Yellow Pages Inc., and later consulted with insurance companies including Anthem Blue Shield. Chris has enjoyed writing and speaking about SQL Server over the last 10 years at events such as SQL Connections, Pass and SSWUG Ultimate conferences. Chris received the Microsoft MVP award.