SQLHangout #38 – Career Transitions with Alexander Arvidsson

The recording of SQLHangout #38 is now available! In this SQLHangout, Alexander Arvidsson (@arcticdba) shares his advice on how to transition your career as the Microsoft Data Platform evolves. How do you go from being a DBA working with SQL Server internals to starting from scratch with new and evolving technologies like Power BI? It might not be as scary as you think!

SQLHangout #38 – Career Transitions with Alexander Arvidsson

Check out Alexander’s blog Home of the Arctic DBA and follow him on Twitter as @arcticdba. Are you attending PASS Summit 2016 or Microsoft TechDays Sweden 2016? Then make sure to say hi and attend his session – especially if you’re a Star Wars fan ;)

Past SQLHangouts

All the recorded videos are available in the YouTube playlist and on the SQLHangouts Facebook page.

Upcoming SQLHangouts

Do you want to participate in a SQLHangout some day? Let me know! :) If you don’t want to participate in a SQLHangout yourself, but you have an idea for a topic or speaker, use this form or tweet and use the #SQLHangout hashtag.

Upcoming SQLHangout with Alexander Arvidsson

Save the date! The next SQLHangout with Alexander Arvidsson (@arcticdba) will be held on Monday, October 17th at 6pm CEST, and you can watch the event live on YouTube :D Can’t make it? Don’t worry! The recording will be made available on YouTube as soon as the event is over, and I will also publish it here afterwards.

SQLHangout with Alexander Arvidsson – Career Transitions: From SQL Server Internals to Azure and Power BI

In this episode, Alexander Arvidsson will talk about how his career is changing as the Microsoft Data Platform evolves. How do you go from being a DBA working with SQL Server internals to starting from scratch with new and evolving technologies like Power BI? It might not be as scary as you think!

Past SQLHangouts

All the recorded videos are available in the YouTube playlist and on the SQLHangouts Facebook page.

Upcoming SQLHangouts

Speaking at Microsoft Ignite and SQLSaturday Minnesota

Hello, cold weather! I can’t believe it’s the middle of September already. Since I last wrote here I’ve been on vacation in Colorado, organized the third SQLSaturday in Oslo, road tripped around the fjords and mountains on Norway’s west coast, and worked three days a week for my client in Stockholm. But those are stories for later blog posts, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat :) Now we’re back to speaking season!

Microsoft Ignite

I’m speaking at Microsoft Ignite! Whoa! I decided to give it a try and submit a session, but I never thought I had a chance since I’m speaking about Biml, a third-part product. But whaddayaknow, they selected my session! And my hubtalk! I was shocked, now I’m just nervous :) I’ve never been to a conference this large before, so I don’t really know what to expect.

On Tuesday, September 27th, I will present Avoid repeating yourself – an introduction to Agile SSIS development. It’s a 20-minute version of my Biml for Beginners session. Since I don’t have a lot of time I will focus more on the why than the how. Exciting!

On Thursday, September 29th, I will host an Automate Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence development hubtalk. A hubtalk is more like a discussion than a presentation, and I will be drawing on a Surface Hub. (So nervous!) I will be talking about Biml and metadata-driven development, and I hope to get a good discussion going with the attendees and learn from their experiences as well.

SQLSaturday Minnesota

Since I was already going to the US, I wanted to try to squeeze in a SQLSaturday as well. I may be slightly addicted :D I really wanted to go to Kansas City since they have a Biml track, but I just couldn’t get it to work this time. However, I managed to get good tickets to Minnesota the weekend after! I originally registered as an attendee, but offered to step in as a speaker when someone had to cancel.

So – I’m speaking at SQLSaturday Minnesota as well! :) On Saturday, October 1st, I will present my Level Up Your Biml: Best Practices and Coding Techniques session. Dave DuVarney (@daveduvarney) will present Building Metadata Driven ETL Solutions with BIML before me, so I hope it will be a great day for those interested in learning Biml.

Are you going to Microsoft Ignite or SQLSaturday Minnesota? See you there! :)

Speaking at SQLSaturday Sacramento 2016

On July 23rd I will be speaking at SQLSaturday Sacramento 2016! This will be my first time visiting California, so I’ve planned a day of sightseeing in San Francisco before heading up to Sacramento. There’s a big chance I’ll melt in the Californian summer heat and never come back, haha! But hopefully I’ll be able to finish my sessions first :D

This will be the first time I present two sessions at one SQLSaturday. My first session is Level Up Your Biml: Best Practices and Coding Techniques. Depending on your previous experience with Biml and C#, this is an intermediate or advanced session. I’ll cover things like code management, LINQ and how to create your own C# classes and methods.

If you’re new to Biml, you can get an introduction to Biml from Bill Fellows (@billinkc) who will be presenting his
What is Biml and why are SSIS developers excited about it? session before mine. I definitely recommend attending, Bill is a great speaker :)

My second session is Tools and Tips: From Accidental to Efficient Data Warehouse Developer. This is a fun, fast-paced session with a whole bunch of tips and tricks. I don’t really go into details on anything, but I hope that new developers can pick up a thing or two. And here’s a little secret for you: I will be giving away a free software license to one lucky attendee in this session! And maybe a book or two. And definitely some Norwegian chocolate if you want to try it.

Outside of my own sessions I really want to attend Who needs SSAS when you have SQL? and finally see Meagan Longoria (@mmarie) present live.

Hope to see you at SQLSaturday Sacramento this weekend, and please come and say hi if you see me! :)

Speaking at PASS Summit 2016

The first time I submitted to PASS Summit was in 2015. My Lightning Talk was accepted, and I was so excited about getting the opportunity to speak at the largest SQL Server conference in the world! I had a fantastic time, so I decided to try again and submit for PASS Summit 2016 as well.

While on vacation in Spain with my family, I woke up to an e-mail from PASS HQ. The Call for Speakers Results! I was reading the e-mail on my phone, so it felt like I was scrolling and reading and scrolling and reading and scrolling and reading until I finally got to the actual results.

Accepted!

Accepted!?

ACCEPTED!??

I didn’t just get one of my sessions accepted. I got 2 general sessions and 1 lightning talk accepted. I nearly fainted! I had to read it several times before it sunk in. I’m going to speak at PASS Summit 2016. Not once. Not twice. But three times in one week.

…WHOA!

I have mixed feelings. I’m super excited, super happy, and extremely honored to be selected! But I also know several amazing speakers who definitely should speak at the PASS Summit who weren’t selected this year. In one way it feels like I stole a session from someone who deserves it more than me. At the same time, I literally jumped around of joy when I read my e-mail. It’s difficult. I’m happy that I was selected, I’m happy for the other speakers who were selected, I’m especially happy for my friends who are speaking at the PASS Summit for the first time, but I’m also sad to hear about all my friends who weren’t selected. But next year! I’ll cross my fingers that it’s their turn next year :)

My sessions at PASS Summit 2016

I will present three sessions at PASS Summit 2016:

Biml for Beginners: Speed Up Your SSIS Development (General Session, 75 minutes)
Advance Your Career by Becoming a Volunteer (General Session, 75 minutes)
5 Ways to Advance Your Career by Becoming a Volunteer (Lightning Talk, 10 minutes)

The Biml for Beginners session is one of my favorites, and I’m so happy I get to present it at PASS Summit! :D I’m happy I have 15 minutes extra compared to the usual 60-minute sessions at SQLSaturdays. It allows me to go a little more into detail on some of my demos, or spend more time on audience questions. This is going to be fun!

I’m also really excited about presenting a Professional Development session and a Lightning Talk version of it. Volunteering has truly changed my life. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for getting involved in the PASS and SQL Server community. I hope that I can pay it forward and inspire someone else to get involved – maybe an upcoming SQLSaturday organizer or speaker? :)

Every PASS Summit I’ve been to has been a new and unique experience. I can’t wait to see what PASS Summit 2016 is going to be like! I’m sure I will be freaking out about my sessions :D But I also know I will have lots of fun, and I can’t wait to see lots of friends from all over the world again. YAY!

Abstract Feedback

Several speakers have shared their abstract feedback after the results were made public. Brent Ozar has added a list of these speakers to his own feedback post. I appreciate the transparency, I learn a lot from reading other people’s feedback, and I hope that it will help the community as a whole and improve the selection process next year – so I’m jumping on the bandwagon :)

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