Ever since I've gotten inspired by global thought-leaders and philanthropists and what they do for charities, more and more I became attached to the feeling of giving.A huge part of that got spiked by the opportunity I was given last year, being part of the Microsoft delegation that was representing the company at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
When the need for medical needs gets closer to your own family, it becomes even more personal, and there are so many things I can do, but I can't do it without the power of networking, and ask you for your support.My cousin Gunnar was diagnosed as a young boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), and is in desperate need of an electrical wheel chair, not to mention the medical expenses associated with that.
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a recessive X-linked form of muscular dystrophy, affecting around 1 in 3,600 males, which results in muscle degeneration and eventual death
As a healthy adult, happily married with 2 kids I feel there is so much more that I can do to support them and make their lives easier.
But I can't do that without thinking big or going big.... so I started raising funds through http://gunnar.myevent.com.
And even if you are not interested in training, feel free to donate anyways.
So here is the opportunity for free training
You are .... a corporation, a training partner, a consulting firm, a software development company, ...or an individual that would like receive training or deliver training to your customers on:
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Power BI
- Database Technologies
- Big Data
My offer is: FREE TRAINING for 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, based upon our pre-agreement to put money into my fundraiser for Gunnar.
Conditions:
- Training needs to be concluded in February 2015
- Donation amount needs to be agreed upon prior
- Number of days, content, material negotiable, topic to be discussed
- As training organizer, you cover travel expenses and the potential printed course material required for the training.
- Training modality could be 1:1 in person, classroom style or virtual delivery with classroom size up to 30 people, or seminar style with up to 500 people
About me?
As Microsoft Certified Trainer and frequent presenter at conferences I presented and delivered training to well over 35,000 people in person.Just use your favorite search engine to look for my name (Dandy Weyn) and work I've done around database technologies and business intelligence.
Please contact me for serious considerations and information request, or to discuss this opportunity
Dandy Weyndandy@ilikesql.com
This is my personal request for your donation and support for my cousin Gunnar in his fight against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
CLICK HERE
The road to Redmond...
When I was 16, like many other kids I studying and getting A+ grades wasn't really my first priority, but 'things' rather came naturally for me, and with very little effort studying I got some descent grades.German and math however, was something that I didn't like to study, and unfortunately my teachers didn't let me pass my 5th year of higher education and let me retake the entire year.Was I in for a treat back then, not only because there were all these other classes that I no longer needed to study for (because I knew it all, right?..), it basically set me up to be very successful on topics that I enjoyed --- like databases.So later that year, I sold my first commercial application on Dbase III Plus, and got started!
After a twist to my first job in Logistics, I ended up working for a computer reseller named Microman (and I think that's where the nickname Dandyman was born).A few years later, I started working for AXI as database developer on Oracle, and built my career in training as well.
Fast forward --- after many years a Microsoft Certified Trainer and Consultant at Info Support, I decided to go my own way and "Dandyman" started training and consulting on database technologies.A year later I got picked up by Microsoft Learning, World Wide Partner Group, and US SQL Server Marketing to deliver technical readiness and trainings across the globe.Those opportunities also had me engaged in TechEd as a hands-on-lab proctor working with the Hynesite team, and introduced me as a presenter to PASS Summit and many other events.
It was a journey that had me travel all over the world, and spent most of my time in hotel rooms and on airplanes in 2006, 2007. (+70 times across the Atlantic ocean in 2006, and twice over the North Pole)I also started doing some consulting work for the SQL Server Marketing Group, and I remember being on a flight to Seattle where Kim Hart sitting next to me asked me if I knew someone that was interested in a career at Microsoft.
Shortly after that, I started in SMSG Readiness as Readiness Manager for Data Platform, and joined Microsoft as a full time employee in 2008.
While in Redmond...
While in Redmond, I met my wife Julie, and shortly after we moved in together and decided to "be pregnant", I completed my Microsoft Certified Master Certification. As it seems to be the perception in Redmond to change jobs to advance your career and skillsets every few years, I decided to move from SMSG Readiness to SQL Server Product Management as Technical Product Manager for SQL Server and later for Business Intelligence.It was certainly a great opportunity, I had a lot of joy and fun along the way, and when Eron Kelly joined our group as General Manager, those opportunities accelerated significantly giving me exposure to the biggest stages (whether or not behind the scenes), or on stage as during the TechEd Europe Keynote 2013, showcasing Power BI.
Throughout those years I was very successful increasing content quality for major customer facing, but also internal events that Microsoft organized or participated in.I built out a strong relationship and pool of friends in #sqlfamily, and an incredible network of people on LinkedIn, the highest level of followers in SQL Server as individual employee, and GREAT, really great opportunities...
Why would you leave Microsoft?
Whilst many people would leave Microsoft for various reason, I was looking for my next career adventure. Since I don't consider myself to be a strong marketer, I did feel my career in SQL Server Marketing wasn't going in the direction or at the speed I would love to see it go.Key ingredients that I am looking for in my job is "Fun", "Excitement", "Growth", and "Challenge". It's those last 2 ingredients, and more specifically the "Challenge" that was missing, despite the fact that I had great opportunities such as traveling to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, building demos and technical assets for high visible keynote events (such as PASS Summit and others..).
Surprisingly, prior to my vacation I was offered the opportunity to go back to an area and industry I've been part of before: Operational IT.Being able to lead the Data Platform Services Group at Seattle based icon and most fashionable department store giant "Nordstrom", was an opportunity that would give me the ingredients I am looking for in the next career opportunity, and now 1.5 week later since my official start date I have not regretted doing so.As I talked to my team on Friday, this has probably been the most exciting career move, and an opportunity that I believe was the right decision to take which I realized after meeting the team and my first day on the job.I can totally relate and find myself in the Nordstrom DNA, and have a great team of peers, and upper management to work with. (and have to say that since I've donned those Microsoft branded shirts my wife says I dress so much better).
Reflecting on 8 years on Microsoft Campus
My 8 years at Microsoft at times have been great, with many opportunities brought to me on a silver platter (even though I probably was in the kitchen participating in preparing the meal, or even getting the recipe right for them). Being able to work so close with the smartest engineers, technical solution professionals, Microsoft consultants and many other people within Microsoft was a great experience with friendships built to last forever. (don't get me wrong, there are certainly a couple of folks I rather enjoy no longer working with too:) )
I have so many people on my list to say Thank You to, and did that on a rather individual base in a personal email, but certainly wanted to call out a few like Kim Hart for bringing me on board, Jan Jentz for being my first manager, Luis Daniel Soto Maldonado for being my second manager, Eron Kelly for being the best General Manager at Microsoft ever met and worked for. Also I wanted to mention Fred Pace, someone who became a good friend of mine and has been a great mentor for many years. (and hopefully continues to be so in the future).The list of people in SQL Server Marketing and Engineering is just way to extensive to call out every single one of them... so thank you all!
In those 8 years I've been very well accepted by the Microsoft Valued Professional Community (MVP) and my peers of Microsoft Certified Master! Getting and sharing mutual respect, appreciation for jobs well done and many occasions to share knowledge, fun ..and a beer every once in a while was probably the best!Thank you all! I hope our paths will cross soon again, and whenever one of you gets to the Seattle area, don't be a stranger.
Ending on a high note...
Whatever job I've been in, I always ended on a high note, being thankful for the opportunities, the people I've worked with, and the many things I've learned along the way.At Microsoft I had the opportunity to end my career with a training class in Amsterdam, delivering SQL Server 2014 readiness with an incredible high score received for the training, and over 70 students in classroom! Thank you all for being part of my last training!My last fact was building the demo that was shown on SQL Server 2014 launch day on April 15, presented by Satya Nadella, and demoed by Eron Kelly. (Register to watch the keynote here)
The road ahead...
I certainly hope that the road ahead will lead me to meet my friends at future events (even though event season looks pretty dry to me), and every once in a while you see me popping up on a SQL Saturday event, or other Data Platform / technology event (since I know manage a broader area than just Microsoft technologies).The road ahead is bright, and interesting journey to get on! I am certainly excited and proud, have 100% confidence in my team that we'll make this an interesting, fun, exciting, challenging roadtrip together.
Also I have a series of ideas in my head in regards to demos, blogs, books to read ..things that I was unable to focus on due to the high frequency and high volume of work, dedication and passion that I've put into my job.
Some work to be proud of...
A lot of the work that I've produced at Microsoft has been reflected in Hands-on-Labs, recorded sessions from events on which we received great feedback.Below is a "subset" of that work:
Data Platform Hands-on-Labs on Technet Virtual Labshttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/virtuallabs/bb467605.aspx
What's new in SQL Server codename "Denali" - TechDays Belgium 2011http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/video/tdbe11-what-s-new-in-sql-server-denali
Upgrading to SQL Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server codename "Denali" - TechDays Belgium 2011http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/video/tdbe11-upgrading-to-sql-server-2008-r2-and-sql-server-denali
12 reasons to love SQL Server 2012 - TechNethttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/video/tdbe12-12reasons-to-love-sql-server-2012.aspx
SQL Server Days 2012 - Keynote - Dandy Weynhttp://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/video/sql-server-days-2012-opening-keynote-by-dandy-weyn.aspx
SQL Server 2012 Special Ops Tourhttp://specialops.sqlpass.org
Microsoft Job Blog - Certificationhttp://microsoftjobsblog.com/1-in-4-it-positions-worldwide-is-currently-unfilled/
Microsoft Certified Career Dayhttp://borntolearn.mslearn.net/CertifiedCareerDay/
Be the next Microsoft Employeehttp://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/episode-4-be-the-next-microsoft-employee/qmr8zofq
Techtalk - TechED New Zealand 2013http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NewZealand/2013/TLK109
Faster Data Insights with Power BIhttp://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com/training-courses/faster-insights-to-data-with-power-bi-jump-start
Channel 9 recordings (Multiple events)http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/Speakers/Dandy-Weyn
Don't be a stranger!
Don't be a stranger and stay in touch, you can find me on linked in - www.linkedin.com/in/dandyweyn/ or twitter: https://twitter.com/ilikesql And if you are interested in some cool job opportunities (either at Nordstrom or Microsoft), or you would like to be a candidate to take on my old role - let me know!
I am probably the worst content submitter for an event…
Some blog readers will likely disagree with this, but if your purpose of writing a session title and abstract for a conference is “To get the conference attendees to participate and come to my session”, you are DEAD WRONG!
Very little time is spent in crafting good quality session titles, abstracts and specifying the everlasting and often required “Learning objectives” or “Session takeaways”
Recently in some community events I’ve seen titles submitted that don’t say ANYTHING about the actual session content, or what the presenter will likely will be talking about.
That might not be a problem if you are a prominent blogger, or great presenter, and you have a good name and reputation in the industry for delivering quality sessions. Shouldn’t you rather be asking though, why people are in your session? Your popularity? The fact that you write stellar blog articles that create some controversy amongst fellow Microsoft Valued Professionals or Microsoft Program Managers (not to mention marketing?)
Very often the speaker’s proposals are not written very well, or they are written with a lot of flash or buzz and typically don’t match or correspond with the presentation. And even though the session titles might be fun and attractive it says very little about the actual content of the session.
Maybe I am just wrong, I am PROBABLY the worst content submitter for an event…
Session titles at Technical Events, what’s the use of it?
The primary purpose of a session title is to get the conference attendee read the title, read into the abstract and session objectives to make sure when he/she attends the session it actually matches the presentation and meets the “expectations”.
If you put on a level 100 marketing show, with a lot of buzzwords, a lot of “bedazzle”, you will likely get a huge level of attendance based on that flashy session title, and I am pretty sure that a lot of event/conference owners love to have full session.Question will be however on what the sustainability is or how did the audience truly feel about the session?
Think about it differently, do you seriously believe, that with a well written title, abstract and so on you would not be able to get a packed room? Do you think the title truly made the difference in the quality rating of your session, or the attendance did?If you deliver good quality sessions at events, you are more than likely to be selected to other events and have a change to submit and get more sessions approved, but a flashy title has NOTHING to do with it.
Writing a session title and abstract in clear, understandable English
English is not my first language (It’s actually my primary language now, but quite frankly I struggle with it at times. In my early years working and presenting in English it would at times reflect in session evaluations, or even title and abstract submissions. I remember times when one of the attendees that has the audacity to write down on a session evaluation form that “The presenter had a strong understandable accent”…. And that attendee, ... might have been right at the time, no matter how much in denial I was myself, or how popular I was presenting at any potential SQL Server related even in that very same year.
Now for all of you that speak English as the primary language …consider yourself traveling to a country where English is not the primary language and you might get feedback that claims that “The presenter talked too fast” or the “the presenter referred to the Cougs, the Raiders, the Ravens, the Yankees, the Sounders ... I have no idea what that is..” (not to forget “Jerry Seinfelds”, or geographical references to areas in the US where I haven’t even heard about in Europe, unless you’ve seen the movie Fargo).
Nowadays I am probably a worse presenter in Dutch compared to my average presentations in English. If you have a major problem writing in English, you might want to ask yourself if you should really present at the event, or continue to enhance your skills. You might also consider writing your draft abstract first, and ask one of your English speaking friends to review and read it. Some of the great subject matter experts that I know would do extremely well at an event in Europe, but I wouldn't want to see them getting shredded presenting for a US based audience.
The importance of a session abstract and title that matches the actual delivery targeted to your primary audience is key to the success of session delivery (not to forget your “\ˌprē-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən” skills).
What industry experts say
American Writers and Artist trainers, teach “the Four U” approach when writing titles to sessions, blogs or email headers.
- Be USEFUL to the reader
- Provide the reader with a sense of URGENCY
- Convey the idea that the session is somehow UNIQUE
- Do all of the above in an ULTRA-SPECIFIC way
Do you think the following titles are compelling or live up to the content?
SQL Server 2014 – Sharks with Freakin’ Lasers Doesn’t say much, although I was guilty of presenting a session with that title at PASS Summit 2013. As an attendee however I would expect to see sharks with freakin’lasers, which surprisingly they did thanks to Ari Schorr being dressed up like a shark (with lasers), and myself being professional transformed into Dr. Evil. (my first presentation while not wearing glasses or even contacts).
Moves like Jagger: SQL upgrade The session abstract told me that at the end of the session I would have the moves like Jagger. How disappointed I was, that very same night I actually tried to have the moves like Jagger at the event party and I made a complete fool out of myself.
An easy step to disappoint your audience:If you have attendees in your session that purely came to the session because of the great title, and the speaker under-delivers, the attendees will lose their trust in both the speaker and the content owners for the event. Your session title should be authentic and align to the abstract, align to the presentation. Your speaker (or you as a speaker) should live up to every single aspect of what was promised in the title and abstract. If you promise sharks with freakin' lasers ... you better have them or your session is central around the topic.
Some more questionable titles
Playing Russian roulette with your database (although I wouldn't expect to actually play that with a live audience)
Stripping down performance like a professional dancer (let's be honest, a little controversial with a different range of expectations by the attendees)
Death by monkeys (how will you get the monkeys to the event?)
Or some very short ones:
MERGE (which is actually one of the first things i do when a session rooms get packed, I ask attendees to merge, or in database terms to defragment the session room and make space for others to join).
PERFORMANCE (performance of what?)
So you are telling us what’s wrong…but what’s right?
As mentioned above, some really good titles tell the potential attendee more about what’s being presented in the session, and don’t leave the content owner, or the attendee with disappointment when this session is actually approved for an event.
There’s many good session titles out there, and when I go through content selection as content owner, I typically first look at the session title, read the abstract and then look at the speaker, speaker history.
One of the sessions that came to mind that I though had a great title was the following:
Real World SQL Server Performance Tuning examples
No theory, no lecture, straight to the point. Come to this session if you really want to see some glaring examples of SQL Server Performance Tuning. In this eye-opener session you will learn tricks and techniques that you can immediately take back to your environment and achieve considerable performance improvement. Well, who doesn't like the 'JUST DO IT' attitude?
Now at the first look the session has a lot of potential and might make it to the final session cut, but the abstract certainly needs to be modified due to the “JUST DO IT” reference, which might be a potential trademark infringement.
Other session titles that will certainly attract and audience, but they won't be mislead by the title
SQL Server Index Internals Deep Dive
Have you ever wondered what an index actually looks like and how it performs under the covers? In this talk we’ll discuss Index Internals, and how SQL Server creates, maintains, and uses indexes internally for normal operations. We’ll be discussing topics such as index data structures, query optimization (briefly) and maintaining indexes and statistics.
And if you truly want to make the titles a bit more attractive, think about session title and abstract writing that are still relevant to the topic, and provide something unique, useful, ultra-specific, and have a certain level of urgency to the potential attendee.But keep in mind, live up to your commitment.
From Zero to SQL Integration Services Super Hero
In this session you will start with the basics of SQL Server Integration Services and perform basic data transformations and SSIS package control flow. By the end of the session you will be a true superhero that understands what it takes to create master/child packages, as well as understand as package execution with variables. You will also learn how to monitor and troubleshoot SSIS components. This session is a should attend session for anyone starting with SSIS.
So what to write in my title / abstract?
My session didn’t get selected and I am really ##I_@ @# about that
A couple of years ago I presented at the Microsoft Certified Trainer summit, with a session titled as above. And ….. my session DID get selected. Key goal of the session was to make people understand what content owners like myself are looking at an event.
There are a couple of things to understand:
The targeted audience for the event
How technical is the event? Is the audience IT Pro/DEV? SQL Server Expert only, or is it a mixed event such as Microsoft TechED.
Timeliness of the topic
Is it the right moment to talk about the topic, or would it be rather to have a program manager that actually owns the topic present on it)
Are you the best presenter for the topic or do you know someone else?
There are many subject matter experts out there, are you the best presenter on the topic, or do you have that everlasting competitor that will also submit on the same topic and likely do a better job? Make sure you apply the U that is called Uniqueness
Topic relevancy
Please don’t tell me you still use the codename in the session title and abstract after the product or feature has been officially named or released for over 6 months? Are you really going to submit a session that talks about a feature that is replaced in the current version or likely might be announced soon?
The technical level of the event, and overall content level.
Understanding which content level would be most appropriate for your session, and submitting a session in the right content level category is critical to session evaluation as well.Below is a list of the Microsoft content levels used at events and readiness solutions:
Level 100
Introductory and overview material. Assumes little or no expertise with topic and covers topic concepts, functions, features, and benefits.
Level 200
Intermediate material. Assumes 100-level knowledge and provides specific details about the topic.
Level 300
Advanced material. Assumes 200-level knowledge, in-depth understanding of features in a real-world environment, and strong coding skills. Provides a detailed technical overview of a subset of product/technology features, covering architecture, performance, migration, deployment, and development.
Level 400
Expert material. Assumes a deep level of technical knowledge and experience and a detailed, thorough understanding of topic. Provides expert-to-expert interaction and coverage of specialized topics.
Other factors that count in selection process
At some of the events I run only allow me to have about 25% external presenters, a rule that I have to live with. In that case, I will definitely use the 25% external speakers and find tricks on where I can go above and beyond.
Factors that are considered for paid speakers certainly also relate to the cost of Travel to actually get to an event. International speakers likely have a lesser representation at an event, which might relate to expensive travel costs.
More details about selection criteria
In a future blog post I will spend a bit more time going through session selection process to make you understand on what those criteria are, but primary identifier for a session to be considered as a candidate for an event despite any of the other factors: Session Title and Abstract, with topic relevancy.Another interesting blog on the subject I found was written by SQL Server MVP Adam Machanic, which actually shines through in session submissions I've seen from him.
The joy of online shopping versus trying to find a parking spot at the mall
Just like many other people, for this year's Christmas, we decided to order some items online to avoid busy shopping lines at stores and get some really good deals.We decided not to procrastinate and actually get our packages delivered on time, to avoid having to miss out on actually getting the package before Christmas.
So in the week of December 16, it was rather busy in our community, with package delivery trucks going on and off, delivering packages to our neighborhood.One of the things I was surprised about, was that a package didn't get delivered so I turned to the seller's website to figure out where my package was.
And it claimed: Delivered on Dec 18, which also happened to be my birthday.
No problem right, it would be rather easy for me to validate the delivery, since we have a Logitech Alert security camera that enhances our home security system by monitoring the surroundings of our home.
The great thing about this system is that it has motion detection, super night shot, and it actually offloads the recordings that it first captures internally to storage sitting on my desktop computer.
So while reviewing the camera status and series of events:
Based on that discovery I did on Dec 20, I contacted Snohomish County Sheriff's department, a deputy was dispatched to our house.After filing my case, the deputy asked for a copy of the video which I put on youtube as well, to inform our neighbors and ask them if they "saw" this lady.Pretty soon we figured out that some other neighbors were also missing packages.
So our packages did get stolen, and I have it on video...(and it was not a HOAX as according to some comments)
The video that, at that time was posted on YouTube, was broadcasted on the 11 PM news that night by KiroTV.
Now, I thought - that's where it ends -- maybe the thief will get caught, maybe not, and we started preparing for our well deserved family trip to Disneyland.
This unfortunate event is really getting some traction...
Dec 21 , around 10:00 AM, my security camera gives an alert, indicating that someone was at our doorstep, turned out it was KiroTV's reporter Maria Guerrero, asking me if I wanted to do an interview for the 5 PM news.
I agreed to the interview, and the video was broadcasted on the 5PM news, and also featured on other news stations.
The day after we departed for Disneyland and my phone was receiving emails, text messages and notifications, as well as comments on the Youtube video.The afternoon of Dec 22, that the video hit 300,000 views, and by the end of the day it was over 900,000 views.
So I was curious on what made this video go viral, since there are certainly other videos out there on how people got their packages stolen.People also told me that I should 'monetize' on the video, now despite to some iPad lovers taking their iPads all over the place in Disneyland, or the well versed "It's the happiest place on earth software developer" taking his laptop with him
I didn't have anything with me that would connect me to Youtube and assign monetization and set up an account for paid advertising. After all, our trip was family time and it was a joy being with them.
Next morning when we woke up, my mailbox was filled with over 200 messages and requests from people if they could use the video in their blog, which security system I was using and so on..
Should I be thankful for the Data Insights the grinch gave me?
A week later, the "Grinch" has not been caught yet, but I should be thankful for the great data insights she brought me having the video gone viral.The data insights she gave me are quite impressive especially if you drill down into usage, demographics of the 1.45 million viewers of the video.
Some data points:
Countries with over 10,000 views:
Not totally surprising, the majority of the views (+950K) came from the United States, but Croatia landed 3rd place with over 38,000 views.
As Microsoft Employee and techie, I was of course also interested into some of the data exposed through the API, and wanted to find out a bit more about the operating system usage by Youtube users.Turns out that the majority of users are Windows users, with Android surpassing IOS primarily in the mobile phone usage. It was also interesting to see that XBOX scores significantly higher than Playstation.
Operating System Usage:
Amount of views per US State:
Summary of facts:
I wouldn't recommend taking packages from our doorstep again...
Without realizing herself, the "grinch that stole our Christmas" truly gave me some interesting data insights, and as I announced on the news I would go even further by putting out a "tracking package" in case she or another package thief were to return to our neighborhood.
As a matter of test I put out a package on which we validated the tracking functionality by simulating a potential thief.
Here's what we did:
The result of our tracking and route can be seen in the following video, so no more stolen packages for us
Now how did the video go viral?
It's really hard to determine on what makes a video go viral, but he fact that it got picked up by Reddit, got featured on the news thanks to KiroTV that surprisingly ended up unannounced on my doorstep, and the so many links on several media sites actively contributed to the huge traction that the video had. After being the top most watched video on YouTube it showed up on people's landing pages, and how did it all get started? By a simple message on twitter.Shortly after the video got picked up by many other new sites, and got also featured on MSN.COM through an agreement with Jokeroo.
My learnings?
Well of course it will be better to have someone home when packages get delivered, but it's been an interesting and fascinating experience seeing a video go viral and learn all about different media channels, news sites out there.It certainly provided me with great insights into "how videos go viral".
As content owner for some of the public facing events at Microsoft, I have the great honor to work with very respectful people in our industry, and big names that drive a significant amount of attendance to their sessions at events.I also have the great honor to review session content, and presentations prior to events, going through hundreds and hundreds of slides.
The quality of those presentations has significantly improved over the past couple of years, but very frequently it's the eye for detail, the final touch of presentation and a solid delivery that make a huge difference in session feedback and scores.
And if there is something that most presenters care about, it is how great their scores are, because if they wouldn't you should wonder what they would be doing in front of the audience anyways.
That's right, this blog might be a little spiced up and salted, maybe a little peppered up too.
In this first part on presentation skills, I wanted to tackle the "Contact Slide", "About Me", "About the Presenter", "Who Ami" slide that some presenters have in their presentations.
And there is a simple set of rules you can maintain when you think about building your presentations:
1. PowerPoint is not a Word Processor, you can actually use graphics or images to bring a better message
2. The audience is typically there for the content, on which you are a subject matter expert
3. A simple contact slide is sufficient, you don't gain ANY credibility by putting in a detailed about me slide
4. A session breakout presentation is not a "market yourself and put in some promo slides" presentation
5. Stick to the basics, sell on knowledge, not on established or want to have established credibility
6. Keep it simple, if the attendee wants to find out more about you, in nowadays social media, he/she definitely will.
Now what would say more than a presentation, built to showcase on what we talk about, when referring to the overly self-centric, promotional, credibility gaining (or losing) "About me slide".
Attached is the slidedeck, also shared on slideshare -http://www.slideshare.net/dandyman72/food-for-thought-21303418
Now don't let this presentation derail or upset you, I gladly have an open discussion on this topic.
I first wanted to highlight, specifically in this post, that I am a Microsoft Employee, not a spokesman for the company, and that this opinion is pure personal and might be different from the vision my employer has.Now we have that out of the way --- I kind of feel like a "donky" - but hence the lack of a spell checker might actually make me feel more like a "Donkey" - (look up the following Wikipedia article for synonyms - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey)
What happened?
A couple of years ago, while I was still trying to find my own identity, I guess you could say so, I signed up for a raffle at an event, that would give you some cool prizes, but also a subscription to Oracle Magazine.My lower grade teachers would likely unanimously agree that my handwriting was probably not the best one to interpret, but hey, I was using the first forms of digital encryption I guess we can say.
So a while later I started to receive Oracle Magazines, that were addressed to Donky Weyn, and when things moved over to the digital timerame, I started getting my magazine subscription in digital form only.Here's a screenshot of that:
Now I think it was about a month ago that I was contacted by an agency asking for "Donky".I responded wisely and asked if this was in regards to my digital magazine subscription that I had not renewed, and of course the answer was "Yes".
So after telling them that my name wasn't Donky, and it must have been some typo, I informed them that I wouldn't trust my information to a company that doesn't seem to care about Data Quality, which sarcasticly enough was a company that builds the majority of their revenue on databases and applications running on top of those.
Despite my decline on the renewal, I still seem to get my magazine subscription.
Now what happened today:
Today I received a letter in the mail, with the opportunity to get a $50 Amazon Gift card, coming from another software company, but addressed to "Donky Weyn".
Needless to say that the company that manages the dataset for Oracle, obviously has sold my data or transferred it to another company, or shared the dataset with them.
Data Quality, Address Validation etc...
When we released Data Quality Services in SQL Server 2012, one of the great features we brought in the release of it was the integration with Windows Azure MarketPlace and the capability of adding data and address validation through services like Melissa Data (http://www.melissadata.com/newsreleases/address-check-windows-azure-marketplace.html).
Even more, in a world where social media, sentiment analytics and Big Data are keywords and valuable assets to businesses, having quality data is key to the success of providing valuable business insights and analytics.
I think I just find myself a great demo on using Data Explorer, or Data Quality Services for one of the next events I'll be presenting at.
Here's some useful links on Data Quality Services, I think I showed you 2 example images on the lack of it already :)
DQS Blog: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/dqs/
MSDN Data Quality Services: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff877925.aspx
TechEd Sessions on Data Quality Services:
Using Knowledge to Cleanse Data with Data Quality Services - http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2011/DBI207
Enterprise Information Management (EIM): Bringing Together SSIS, DQS, and MDS - http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI310 and http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/Europe/2012/DBI310
Not that I am going to make a big deal about it ---- after all I don't want to be a "donkey" about it .
Cheers!
The importance of understanding DAX....
The DAX language is the foundation of self-service Business Intelligence using the Microsoft stack. It is the language used to query and program both Microsoft PowerPivot for Excel 2013 and the new SQL Server Analysis Services Tabular model. Learning the basics of DAX is very simple, but mastering it is a different story because it requires a mindset that requires some study, for both BI Professionals and Information Workers. The syntax of the DAX formulas are very similar to what Excel uses in formulas, however they defer from Excel Formulas that it works with tables and columns, not ranges to let you do sophisticated lookups to related values and related tables.
DAX formulas are highly optimized for in-memory operations, the xVelocity in-memory engine is second to none. Scanning fact tables and performing leaf-level computation happens in a matter of milliseconds. Nevertheless, as with any other language, you can write good DAX or bad DAX, depending on your understanding of the engine internals.
With DAX being used in the BI Semantic Model and PowerPivot and added functionality in SQL Server 2012, DAX is being used as the primary query / expression language in Business Intelligence allowing you to build out data models used for Power View, Data Explorer and Geoflow visualizations.
To highlight the importance and get you up to speed on DAX we are bringing a series of DAX related sessions to TechEd North America and Europe, including an amazing pre-conference presented by DAX / BI Experts Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari: From 0 to DAX.
Marco and Alberto are top selling authors in the Microsoft BI space and published multiple books: http://www.sqlbi.com/books/.
As Data Platform and Business Intelligence content owner for TechEd North America and TechEd Europe, I am delighted and honored to have these guys on our session agenda.
In their full day pre-conference seminar , you'll have a great opportunity to drill down into every single detail of DAX, starting from zero.Even if you are not attending TechEd, you can register just for this highly rated and ranked pre-conference seminar.
TechEd North America - Preconferences
TechEd Europe - Preconferences
Additional Learning Resources:
What is DAX - http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/Europe/2012/DBI323
Enriching your BI Semantic Model using DAX: http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2011/DBI408
Automated and unattended installations
Being able to install software fully automated can significantly reduce download times, walking through many graphical setup tools and waiting to provide options, that you can typically fully automate.The following use case scenario will show you why, and will give you insights on how I was able to install 5 Surface Pros with all software requirements as listed below.
This blog is an update to a previously posted blog (at the point in time CU3 for SQL Server 2012 and Visual Studio 2012 Update 2 were not available yet, and we didn't have Geoflow or Data Explorer publicly available)
The challenge of having to run manual installations
As part of a setup I needed run on several "just out of the box" machines, my requirements were to:
My setup time was limited to only about 1 hour total, to install about 9 kiosk machines, and the biggest constraints: - The machines would only come with Windows 8 Professional pre-installed- Internet Connectivity might "not yet" be available as we get to the event onsite.
Getting Installation Media and software bits for automated / unattended setup
First things, first getting the installation bits in place.I decided to use a brand new 32 Gb MicroSD card on which I could copy all my installation bits and also expand any of the downloads for which the creation of an administrative install is necessary in order to be able to automate the installation.In order to prepare my installation I downloaded the bits I needed, and extracted them to the a MicroSD card. (I use MicroSD to USB 3.0 adapters for fast deployment and being able to use the MicroSD in any device, including my Surface Pro)
Downloaded installation bits and extracted to a MicroSD Card (ISO files open very easily on Windows 8 and can be copied)
Created a downloads folder and downloaded the follow updates / tools to d:\Downloads on the MicroSD Card
Visual Studio Update 2 (http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=38188)
SQL Server Data Tools (December Update) for Database projects for Visual Studio 2012 - (SSDTSETUP.EXE - SSDT for Visual Studio 2012: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/jj650015)
SQL Server Data Tools Business Intelligence for Visual Studio 2012 - (SSDTBI_VS2012_x86_ENU.exe - http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36843)
Data Explorer Preview (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/redir/XT104019906.aspx)
Geoflow Preview (http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/redir/XT104048049.aspx)
SQL Server 2012 CU 3 update for SQL Server 2012 SP1 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2812412)
Creating Administrative Install points for the downloaded bits
To create administrative install points and thus prevent the requirement to have internet connectivity on any of the other systems you anticipate installing you have to extract the installation bits or create an administrative installation point.
Here is what you do for the updates above, the following command line plus a little bit of patience downloading the additional bits required for the unattended install.
Open an administrative command prompt, then browse to the D:\drive (my MicroSD card).
On the D:\drive - type the following commands
cd downloadsvsupdate_kb20750.exe /layout d:\vs2012updatevs2012.2.exe /layout d:\vs2012update2SSDTSETUP.EXE /layout d:\SSDTDATA SSDTBI_VS2012_x86_ENU.exe /x:d:\SSDTBI /q
Extract the downloaded ZIP file with SQL Server 2012 SP1 CU 3 update Hotfix to d:\SQLServer2012Developer\PCUSource - file is named SQLServer2012-KB2812412-X64
Editing Configuration files and unattended setup files
Modifying Office 2013 Installation bits for unattended setup
While there are several ways to install Office 2013 unattended, the easiest one is to use a configuration file.For Office, that config file is named CONFIG.XML.Locate the CONFIG.XML file on your installation media and modify as highlighted below.More details on how to modify the config file for automated office installation can be found at the following TechNet Article: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd630736.aspx
Modifying Visual Studio 2012 Installation bits for unattended setup
Similar to creating and editing a config.xml file for Office, you will do the same for Visual Studio.
You'll find detailed information on how to create / edit the unattended installation file in this MSDN article: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee225237.aspx.The file is called AdminDeployment.xml and can be found in the IDEInstall folder on the installation media.
Modify the highlighted line and select each of the options that should be installed.
Ready for install - command line syntax
Installing SQL Server from the command line (and why I avoid installing SQL Server Data Tools as part of it)
The following MSDN article explains how to perform an unattended installation of SQL Server 2012- http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms144259.aspx.
This is the command line I use, which probably requires a little bit of explanation:
d:\sqlserver2012Developer\setup.exe /Q /ACTION=INSTALL /FEATURES=SQLENGINE,REPLICATION,DQC,CONN,BC,SDK,BOL,SSMS,ADV_SSMS,SNAC_SDK /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER /SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLSERVER" /SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="%userdomain%\%username%" /INDICATEPROGRESS=1 /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS /PID=productkey /UpdateEnabled=True /UpdateSource=d:\SQLServer2012Developer\PCUsource
/Q - Quiet installation, meaning that you are performing an unattended installation of SQL Server.
/ACTION=INSTALL - relatively self-explaining, performs an installation option
/FEATURES= - enlists all the features that you want to install with SQL Server. While you will see options in the above mentioned blog to install with the TOOLS parameter, the TOOLS parameter would install SQL Server Management tools as well as SQL Server Data Tools (Visual Studio 2010 Shell). Since I opted to only install SQL Server Data Tools in Visual Studio 2012 and thus avoid the 2010 shell to be installed, there currently is no other option but enlisting all the features separately. Note: ADV_SSMS should always be used in combination with SSMS, since otherwise you will not have the full SQL Server Management Studio capabilities which you'll require for AlwaysOn and many of the HA features enablement using the GUI or the wizards.
/INSTANCENAME= MSSQLSERVER - default instance
/SQLSVCACCOUNT= specifies the account user and typically is used in combination with the /SQLSVCPASSWORD parameter. Since in this installation I am defaulting my install to run under the NTService account, there is no need to specify the password.
/SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS= specifies each of the sysadmin accounts that need to be added to the SQL installation. In my example I use the %userdomain%\%username% variable to include my local user as sysadmin. You can add more sysadminusers using a comma separated list.
/INDICATEPROGRESS=1 - indicates that the installation process should provide verbose listing to the command line.
/IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS - indicates the agreement to the license terms of SQL Server
/PID=productkey - provides the product key for the SQL Server installation, if not specified, it might be that the PID is listed in a file name DEFAULTSETUP.INI on the installation media (for MSDN versions). Note that without a productID SQL Server will only install as evaluation copy.
Including CU updates as part of the SQL Server installation process
/UpdateEnabled=True/UpdateSource=<location>
SQL Server 2012 is smarter, faster when it comes to "slipstreaming" or applying updates, you can actually just drop the KB files in the same folder, and indicate that in the installation process, which will result in automatically including that updatesource during installation.
Installing SQL Server Data Tools Business Intelligence from the command line.
Since you already extracted the installation bits of SQL Server Data Tools Business Intelligence above, you will use the following command to install SQL Server Data Tools unattended.Because I didn't specify SQL Server Data Tools installation as part of SQL Server Installation, the Visual Studio 2010 Shell will never be installed, and you will only get the Visual Studio 2012 Shell.
d:\ssdtbi\setup.exe /ACTION=INSTALL /FEATURES=SSDTBI_VS2012 /Q /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS
Installing SQL Server Data Tools Database Projects from the command line.After installing SQL Server Data Tools for Business Intelligence, you will now add the installation of database projects to the Visual Studio Shell.I choose the /passive parameter instead of the /q or /silent parameter in order to show interaction and execution progress in the GUI (Graphical User Interface)
d:\ssdtdata\ssdtsetup.exe /passive
Installing Office 2013 unattendedIn previous steps you edited the office config.xml file. In order to perform the unattended installation you will have to specify the configuration file at the command line:
d:\office2013\setup.exe /config d:\office2013\config.xml
After the installation of Office 2013, a dialog box (graphical) will display that the installation ran successfully, click OK to continue installation
Installing Visual Studio unattendedIn previous steps you edited the Visual Studio Admindeployment.xml file. In order to perform the unattended installation you will have to specify the configuration file at the command line:d:\VisualStudio2012\vs_ultimate.exe /adminfile d:\visualstudio2012\admindeployment.xml /quiet /norestart
Installing Visual Studio Update 2 (it's a cumulative update, so you don't need to install update 1 first)Since you already extracted (layout) the installation bits of Visual Update 2 the next step would now be to perform the unattended installation of the Visual Studio 2012 Update 2 .d:\vs2012update2\vs2012.2.exe /quiet
All Set?One last thing to do is perform a system reboot, so some updates can kick in and we are all set.So how does my Start screen look like at the next login? All set - and ready to go :) - and - no Visual Studio 2010 Shell, but everything on Visual Studio 2012
Putting it all togetherSince I have to perform this installation frequently, and certainly wanted to avoid all the typing, I actually put everything together in a nice batch file:
InstallALLMyTools.CMD
@echo offecho NOTE:Uncomment the extraction of the downloaded files if you haven't done sorem d:\downloads\SSDTBI_VS2012_x86_ENU /x:d:\SSDTBI /qrem d:\downloads\en_sql_server_data_tools_december_2012_for_visual_studio_2012_x86_x64 /layout d:\SSDTDATA rem d:\downloads\vsupdate_kb20750.exe /layout d:\vs2012update
echo installing SQL Serverv2012 Developer Editiond:\sqlserver2012Developer\setup.exe /Q /ACTION=INSTALL /FEATURES=SQLENGINE,REPLICATION,DQC,CONN,BC,SDK,BOL,SSMS,ADV_SSMS,SNAC_SDK /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER /SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLSERVER" /SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS=%userdomain%\%username% /INDICATEPROGRESS=1 /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS /UpdateEnabled=True /UpdateSource=d:\sqlserver2012Developer\PCUSourceecho Installing SQL Server Data Tools - Database Projectsd:\ssdtdata\ssdtsetup.exe /passiveecho Installing SQL Server Data Tools - BI projectsd:\ssdtbi\setup.exe /ACTION=INSTALL /FEATURES=SSDTBI_VS2012 /Q /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMSecho Installing Office 2013 unattendedd:\office2013\setup.exe /config d:\office2013\config.xmlecho Installing Visual Studio 2012d:\VisualStudio2012\vs_ultimate.exe /adminfile d:\visualstudio2012\admindeployment.xml /quiet /norestartecho Installing Visual Studio 2012 Updates:\vs2012update2\vs2012.2.exe /quiet /forcerestartd:\DataExplorer\DataExplorer_1.0.3231.4(64-bit)
d:\Geoflow\Package\Geoflow Preview For Excel 2013
How long did my automated setup really take?
As i spent quite some time gathering my installation bits, copying them out to a MicroSD, and creating the necessary batch files to automate the unattended setup, the full installation of several machines took me significantly less, than when I had to perform manual installations on each of them. Actually, for demo purposes on my own Surface Pro, I typically reset my entire environment to factory reset, and perform clean installs with only the components I need based on the events I present.
Everything else I pretty much run on Windows Azure (Virtual Machines), or I leverage our hands-on-lab portal for some of my demos (www.microsoft.com/sqlserverlabs)
Running the actual setup on my own Surface Pro, not calculating in the full extraction and pre-downloaded installation bits, completed a full install of all required components in less than 40 minutes.Pretty neat for an installation of SQL Server, SQL Server Data Tools, full Office 2013 and Visual Studio 2012 including updates.In my installation I actually reduced and avoided installing some of the Office components and Visual Studio 2012 components that I will never use, bringing my installation process down to less than 15 minutes.
More Details on SQL Server Data Tools can be found here, also note that you can install any .MSI file unattended as well as listed here
Join us for a rock solid pre-conference at TechED!
At Microsoft Teched (www.msteched.com), I will copresent with @SQLRockstar Thomas LaRock and @scarydba Grant Fritchey.
Our pre-conference will focus around how you as a SQL Server DBA can embrace new technologies that will make your job not only much cooler, but allow you to leverage HA/DR scenarios that you probably haven't thought about in the past.
The pre-conference, titled: How to Be a Successful DBA in the Changing World of Cloud and On-Premise Data, will focus on how SQL Server DBA and Developers can leverage cloud opportunities to make themselves more successful in their job keeping the database platform up and running.
We will focus on Hybrid IT scenarios, allowing you to combine SQL Server on-premise in either a baremetal installation or Private Cloud environment (using Virtualization on Hyper-V) with a HA/DR implementation using Windows Azure Virtual Machines.
This pre-conference highlights the SQL Server Data Platform and the Windows Azure SQL Database as the data platform and architecture of choice for current and future database projects.
We'll be covering:
During the pre-con we'll enable you on how to take advantage of these Hybrid IT scenarios, and provide you with all the assets and samples, scripts that we've used during the session.
This pre-con will run full relative soon, so no time to waste - register now.
As content owner for Data Platform and Business Intelligence I look forward to seeing you in Madrid and New Orleans, and it is my commitment to you to bring a great list of sessions and presenters.
For the first 20 people registered for our pre-con in New Orleans, or our pre-con in Madrid, we promise to do something "special".
Priority Lanes, Heavy weights and lifting, and no storage space
You've probably been there, getting on a flight, and if you're a frequent flyer like many of us in the IT industry you probably want to get on the flight early to claim the often limited storage space available for all your stuff.The laptop bag, the carry-on items, since last thing you want to do is check any luggage and wait at the baggage carrousel.So you pack to the max, and probably end up with something very close to what I used to take with me when I travel to a conference as I outlined some of the accessories I take with me each time I travel in this blog.
Getting all packed
More recently I decided to just pack the bare minimum to be able to run presentations and demos whenever needed, but still ended up with quite some heavy weight as you can see from the items below:
Here is what I would typically pack and take with me:
Total weight including laptop bag: 20.2 pounds, seriously? I think we need to go on a diet...
Putting my laptop bag on a diet...
If you want to drop weight, considering a diet might be the right way to go (at least that's what my healthcare checkup explained to me), similar to a diet, I decided to move out of my comfort zone, and change my "behavior".And as David Bowie put that in the lyrics of "Changes", I realized it was time for me to "Just gonna have to be a different man".
For the majority of my demos, I rely on our Hands-on-Lab Portal, since based on the richness of the VM set we have there, I can easily demo anything I want to demo on SQL Server (www.microsoft.com/sqlserverlabs).
I also started leveraging Windows Azure SQL Database, and Windows Azure VMs as part of my demo platform and environment.
How I did on my first week of dieting...lost the biggest weight - there goes the W520
In my first week of dieting I decided to leave the Lenovo W520 home, and just work from the Lenovo Tablet X220T, and dropped a good 7 pounds.I also decided to create a couple of Windows Azure SQL Databases that I could use to demo T-SQL functionality, and was also running SQL Server on the Lenovo Tablet X220T, with the latest client tools installed.
Shortly after I also decided to spin up a fully networked virtualized environment leveraging Windows Azure VMs, configure SQL Server on it, put my own "Installation VHD as part of my domain controller", and use all the magic and tricks to perform unattended configurations, install my own demo domain etc. (More detailed blog on that to follow later).
Second week of dieting...dropped a Lenovo X220T
On my second week dieting, I picked up a Surface Pro at the Microsoft Store, since I was really targeting to get lean and mean, and set my target goal of dropping 15 pounds.
After joining the Surface Pro to the corporate domain, and going through the installation process of installing every tool I needed using unattended installations (as covered in this blog), I was able to "test" what would happen if I also decided to leave the Lenovo X220T home, so in my second week I dropped another 6 pounds. At this point I already presented for a Seattle based user group, only using the Surface Pro, for which I actually used on of the 2 display adapters (Displayport to VGA and Displayport to HDMI) I purchased for less than $50 total.
The demo I ran focused on AlwaysOn SQL Server 2012, xVelocity Columnstore , BI stack integration and I used the Data Platform showcase on www.microsoft.com/sqlserverlabs.Cloud based demos, at that point I was running from the Surface Pro, which seamlessly allowed me to connect to any of my VMs directly from SQL Server Management Studio and RDP, and SQL Server Data Tools I installed locally, giving me the capability to publish my database projects to any destination.
Second week of dieting - there goes the iPad.. - may it rest in peace
Thanks to the great experience I had with Surface Pro, and being able to use Surface Pro both for my corporate work, and personal use (which primarily comes down to some web browsing, facebook, twitter, videos and music), I already was able to fully drop 2 laptops, and also decided that I would no longer need an iPad for personal use. The biggest constraint I had with the iPad was that I really couldn't use it for any other purpose but personal use. Thanks to Windows 8 on Surface Pro, I am actually using our Comcast subscriptions to catch up on some of the shows that I might miss (primarily Amazing Race, I guess that explains the travel bug in me).
My kids and wife were already on a Surface RT, and the great thing is - we can actually use both the Surface Pro and RT by easily interchanging the 64Gb MicroSD card that holds family pictures and videos, and all of the kids videos including the Belgian version of the Smurfs (that's right - Flemish for the kids, ad great memories for daddy who grew up with "De Smurfen"). The cool thing about Xbox Video is that we can use Xbox Smartglass, play movies on xBox, Windows Phone and any Windows 8 or Windows RT device.
Sorry iPad - may you rest in peace
Third week of dieting... a total loss of over 15 pounds...
As I am currently writing this blog on my Surface Pro, I am actually excited to share with you that I lost a total weight of over 15 pounds, and was able to slim down my laptop bag to a much more comfortable, and stylish shoulder bag (after all I am European, and yes one of my colleagues calls it a "murse" (thanks Mike).
Thanks to the great capabilities with Skydrive, Office 365, our SQL Server Hands-on-lab platform and my own set of Virtual Machines and SQL Databases running on Windows Azure I am now fully transitioned to "a different man".
All my presentations reside on the 64Gb MicroSD card that I have in the Surface Pro, as well as every single installation bit that I have with me.
When disaster happens...
So what were to happen when on one of my events my "hardware decides to give up on me"?
No worries right - every single presentation and recorded demo (Clickthrough or WMV), I also have on Skydrive, my personal Office 365 SharePoint, and a second copy of my microSD Card, or could use any machine to connect to our publicly accessible platform.
How does my laptop and travel kit looks like after the 3 weeks of "slimming down"?
Just like the picture below:
Some things to consider:
I switched to Surface Pro as my primary laptop, and the both the hardware and software truly do it for me.Both at home and in the office I connect the Surface Pro to an external monitor that also supports 1920x1080, and I even hook it up using HDMI to connect to our 46" flatscreen TV at home.
Bring it on iPad, MacBook Air...
The iPad never did it, and actually never will do it for me when it comes down to being able to use it as a business professional.I have full Office 2013 installed on Surface Pro including our latest tools and add-ins such as Data Explorer, a local instance of SQL with sample databases, a full blown Visual Studio 2012.From a disk space perspective I currently have a about 58Gb available from the 128Gb Surface Pro version.
Did I ever consider a MacBook Air? sure - but 2 things that didn't do it for me would be the need to fully reinstall the software, or go virtual when it comes down to running Windows 8.I would still have to keep an Apple OS in order to be able to perform BIOS updates or firmware flashes (are you seriously kidding?). Also a MacBook Air would not give me any of the touch capabilities, the ability to disconnect the keyboard from the screen and so on.
The Surface Pro is joined to my corporate domain so I can easily use remote access.
What I actually didn't expect that would happen...
I personally didn't expect that I would be able to fully switch to a Surface Pro as my primary and only laptop. (I do keep the W520 aside in order to support the offline creation of VMs prior to sending it to our datacenters, but typically build the majority of those directly on our lab center or on Windows Azure).
Over the past week I presented at a SQL Server User Group, only using the Surface Pro to present from (including AlwaysOn demos), and also used it in the live presentation with thousands of attendees at www.certifiedcareerday.com (watch those recording, especially if you are interested in any Microsoft Certifications)
The final weight
After putting my laptop bag packed with everything I need for a trip this Monday to Amsterdam for the week, I am now downsized to 5.1 pounds (that includes the bag actually).Not only does that make travel much easier, it also significantly reduces the risk for me to "leave something behind in the hotel" or simply get something stolen from my bag thanks to the single lock I can apply to the inner zipper of my new laptop bag.
Disclaimer:
As Microsoft Employee, people might thing I am leaning towards Microsoft technology and devices.From a software perspective, I always struggled with the Apple OS's and remember my frustration when I had my first G4 now quite a couple of years ago, supporting one of my customers when I was still an OEM system builder and system integrator in Belgium.The choice to switch and reduce my laptop footprint, reduce the amount of stuff I travel around with was rather a personal choice on which I decided to justify and decide what works for me.When I decided to opt for the Logitech Keyboard for example, I basically made my selection on feature and found great use out of the illuminated keyboard and chargeability using micro USB, the connectivity with 3 devices.I've been a Mac user in the past, but haven't been religiously attached to any hardware vendor like some of the Apple centric fans are.My car still has an original iPod U2 20Gb build in, as I bought that when it was released now many, many years ago, but I also have a connection for my Windows Phone (using a standard jack) to play all of my music.
Written by Dandy Weyn - www.ilikesql.com - twitter: @ilikesql
As part of a setup I needed run on several "just out of the box" Surface Pro, my requirements were to:
My setup time was limited to only about 1 hour total, to install about 5 Surface Pro, and the biggest constraints: - The Surface Pros will be waiting for me as I get to the venue- Internet Connectivity might "not yet" be available as we get to the event onsite.
First things, first getting the installation bits in place.I decided to use a brand new 32 Gb MicroSD card on which I could copy all my installation bits and also expand any of the downloads for which the creation of an administrative install is necessary in order to be able to automate the installation.In order to prepare my installation I downloaded the bits I needed, and extracted them to the a MicroSD card.
Visual Studio Update 1 (vsupdate_KB2707250.exe - http://www.microsoft.com/en-au/download/details.aspx?id=35774)
cd downloadsvsupdate_kb20750.exe /layout d:\vs2012updateSSDTSETUP.EXE /layout d:\SSDTDATA SSDTBI_VS2012_x86_ENU.exe /x:d:\SSDTBI /q
d:\sqlserver2012Developer\setup.exe /Q /ACTION=INSTALL /FEATURES=SQLENGINE,REPLICATION,DQC,CONN,BC,SDK,BOL,SSMS,ADV_SSMS,SNAC_SDK /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER /SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLSERVER" /SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS=%userdomain%\%username% /INDICATEPROGRESS=1 /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS /PID=productkey
Installing Visual Studio Update 1Since you already extracted (layout) the installation bits of Visual Update 1, the next step would now be to perform the unattended installation of the Visual Studio 2012 Update.d:\vs2012update\vsupdate_kb2707250.exe /quiet
echo installing SQL Serverv2012 Developer Editiond:\sqlserver2012Developer\setup.exe /Q /ACTION=INSTALL /FEATURES=SQLENGINE,REPLICATION,DQC,CONN,BC,SDK,BOL,SSMS,ADV_SSMS,SNAC_SDK /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER /SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLSERVER" /SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS=%userdomain%\%username% /INDICATEPROGRESS=1 /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMSecho Installing SQL Server Data Tools - Database Projectsd:\ssdtdata\ssdtsetup.exe /passiveecho Installing SQL Server Data Tools - BI projectsd:\ssdtbi\setup.exe /ACTION=INSTALL /FEATURES=SSDTBI_VS2012 /Q /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMSecho Installing Office 2013 unattendedd:\office2013\setup.exe /config d:\office2013\config.xmlecho Installing Visual Studio 2012d:\VisualStudio2012\vs_ultimate.exe /adminfile d:\visualstudio2012\admindeployment.xml /quiet /norestartecho Installing Visual Studio 2012 Updatesd:\vs2012update\vsupdate_kb2707250.exe /quiet /forcerestart
As i spent quite some time gathering my installation bits, copying them out to a MicroSD, and creating the necessary batch files to automate the unattended setup, the full installation of 5 machines took me significantly less, than when I had to perform manual installations on each of them. Actually, for demo purposes on my own Surface Pro, I typically reset my entire environment to factory reset, and perform clean installs with only the components I need based on the events I present.
Running the actual setup on my own Surface Pro, not calculating in the full extraction and pre-downloaded installation bits, completed a full install of all required components in less than 40 minutes.Pretty neat for an installation of SQL Server, SQL Server Data Tools, full Office 2013 and Visual Studio 2012 including updates.In my installation I actually reduced and avoided installing some of the Office components and Visual Studio 2012 components that I will never use, bringing my installation process down to less than 30 minutes.
About SQL Server Data Tools
In this blog it is my goal to outline how to successfully obtain and install SQL Server Data Tools for both database development projects, as well as Business Intelligence Projects.First, we'll have a look at each of the components, and go over the features / how to install.
What happened to Business Intelligence Development Studio?
With the release of SQL Server 2012, Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) was renamed to SQL Server Data Tools.During the installation process of SQL Server, the option to install SQL Server Data Tools will give you the same features as they were existing previous editions of SQL Server which comes down to:
These tools only integrate within Visual Studio 2010 or install the Visual Studio 2010 Shell if no installation of Visual Studio 2010 is present.Recently the Business Intelligence projects also became available for Visual Studio 2012, or install a Visual Studio 2012 Shell when downloaded and Visual Studio 2012 is not present.How to obtain the Visual Studio 2012 Business Intelligence Projects is covered further in this blog post.
What are Database Projects, and SSDT Database Projects? (also branded as SQL Server Data Tools)
SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) transforms database development by introducing a ubiquitous, declarative model that spans all the phases of database development and maintenance/update inside Visual Studio. You can use SSDT Transact-SQL design capabilities to build, debug, maintain, and refactor databases. You can work with a database project, or directly with a connected database instance on or off-premise. (Source: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh272686(v=vs.103).aspx)
By downloading the SQL Server Data Tools - Database Projects you can either download the add-in for Visual Studio 2010 or Visual Studio 2012.The download can be found here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/hh297027, or you'll have the option to download them directly from within the Visual Studio 2010 shell if you installed SSDT as part of SQL Server 2012 installation.
What can I do with Database Projects?
A great way to learn more about SQL Server Data Tools Database Projects is to review the presentation that Gert Drapers did at Microsoft TechED Europe 2012 - http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/Europe/2012/DBI311
Getting the Business Intelligence Projects integrated in Visual Studio 2012 or Visual Studio 2012 Shell
SQL Server Data Tools - Business Intelligence Project for Visual Studio 2012 (or Visual Studio 2012 Shell) only released recently (March 6) and can be downloaded here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36843. Kasper De Jonge wrote a nice blog on the functionality of it here: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/analysisservices/archive/2013/03/06/sql-server-data-tools-business-intelligence-for-visual-studio-2012-released-online.aspx.
Question? - So if I both want the BI projects, as well as the Database project do I have to install both?
It depends:
For Visual Studio 2010 Shell or Visual Studio 2010 integration you would install SQL Server Data Tools using the SQL Server 2012 Installer and Select SQL Server Data Tools during setup.You would then also download the Database Projects for SSDT from: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/hh297027 and install the Visual Studio 2010 projects for it.
For Visual Studio 2012 Shell or Visual Studio 2012 integration you would not have to install SQL Server Data tools using the SQL Server Installer, you would rather install the separate download for both SQL Server Data Tools Business Intelligence for Visual Studio 2012 and SQL Server Data Tools Database Projects for Visual Studio 2012.
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=36843
and
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/data/hh297027
Both can be installed by creating an administrative install point as well, which I outlined in the blog post here.
Question? - Now that I have Visual 2012 based tools installed, do I still need the Visual Studio 2010 Shell?
Likely when you installed Visual Studio 2012 Shell or Visual Studio 2012 it is very unlikely that you'll be using any of the Visual 2010 Shell functionality as it was installed by the SQL Server 2012 installation process.Therefor, it would be wise to either:
Question? I am installing a new laptop or virtual machine, how do I do things right from the first time?
I just finished writing a blog about automated and unattended installation of SQL Server, Visual Studio, SQL Server Data Tools and Office 2013.You'll find more on the topics below in the blog here:
As part of our hands-on-lab builds (www.microsoft.com/sqlserverlabs), I frequently have to install .MSI files.Using unattended installations for the majority of software installations significantly reduces installation time.
The process below indicates how to install a .MSI unattended.
How to install an MSI file unattended
MSIEXEC /a "product.msi" /qn
Example:
MSIEXEC /a "d:\downloads\DataExplorer_1.0.3207.2 (64-bit)" /qn
Typically this installation will not show any user interaction or verbose logging.Combine with the Full MSI Syntax options as listed below to output installation progress to a log file.
Other installation considerations - passive mode
Another great option to consider is using the /passive parameter.This parameter will provide UI interaction and show progress graphically.
MSIEXEC /a "product.msi" /passive
Full MSI syntax options
msiexec /Option <Required Parameter> [Optional Parameter]
Install Options </package | /i> <Product.msi> Installs or configures a product /a <Product.msi> Administrative install - Installs a product on the network /j<u|m> <Product.msi> [/t <Transform List>] [/g <Language ID>] Advertises a product - m to all users, u to current user </uninstall | /x> <Product.msi | ProductCode> Uninstalls the productDisplay Options /quiet Quiet mode, no user interaction /passive Unattended mode - progress bar only /q[n|b|r|f] Sets user interface level n - No UI b - Basic UI r - Reduced UI f - Full UI (default) /help Help informationRestart Options /norestart Do not restart after the installation is complete /promptrestart Prompts the user for restart if necessary /forcerestart Always restart the computer after installationLogging Options /l[i|w|e|a|r|u|c|m|o|p|v|x|+|!|*] <LogFile> i - Status messages w - Nonfatal warnings e - All error messages a - Start up of actions r - Action-specific records u - User requests c - Initial UI parameters m - Out-of-memory or fatal exit information o - Out-of-disk-space messages p - Terminal properties v - Verbose output x - Extra debugging information + - Append to existing log file ! - Flush each line to the log * - Log all information, except for v and x options /log <LogFile> Equivalent of /l* <LogFile>Update Options /update <Update1.msp>[;Update2.msp] Applies update(s) /uninstall <PatchCodeGuid>[;Update2.msp] /package <Product.msi | ProductCode> Remove update(s) for a productRepair Options /f[p|e|c|m|s|o|d|a|u|v] <Product.msi | ProductCode> Repairs a product p - only if file is missing o - if file is missing or an older version is installed (default) e - if file is missing or an equal or older version is installed d - if file is missing or a different version is installed c - if file is missing or checksum does not match the calculated value a - forces all files to be reinstalled u - all required user-specific registry entries (default) m - all required computer-specific registry entries (default) s - all existing shortcuts (default) v - runs from source and recaches local packageSetting Public Properties [PROPERTY=PropertyValue]
As I wanted to give a more personal touch to our Surface and my Surface Pro, I decided to look for custom skins.
There actually is a great offer that runs through the Microsoft Stores.
The store offers a customized skin for Surface RT, with direct print options and they even apply it for you.To find the nearest Microsoft Store click this link.
The great thing about the custom skins is that they can easily be applied and removed. So if you have a Hello Kitty or Monsters Inc and want to change it up for a customer presentation you can easily remove, and reapply later - you're all set to go. (However, if you remove / re-apply, after a while the skin might loose its grip).
Here's what I did to our Surface RT, which is currently primarily consumed by my wife and our son to play movies.
For my Surface Pro I decided to go with a more professional looking theme that also shows my highest level of certification and a visible twitter handle.After a visit to the Woodland Zoo (Seattle), and signing up for a one year membership, I decided to take my most favorite pictures of the Spectacled Owl.
Since the Microsoft Stores currently doesn't have an offering to print custom skins for Surface Pro, I decided to order mine through http://www.skinit.com
If you don't like the well cut out holes in any of the custom skins you'll find on Skinit you should consider having a look at http://www.schtickers.com as well.
Today I am happy to share with you that we released our updated hands-on-labs to our public portal.
On www.microsoft.com/sqlserverlabs you'll find a set of pre-configured hands-on-labs that will allow you to get your hands dirty on the latest and greatest technology and features in SQL Server 2012.
The nice thing about our labs is that the only thing you really need to run is a browser (Internet Explorer, ActiveX enabled).
Instantly after launching a lab, a hands-on-lab manual will provide guidance to walk through the set of Virtual Machines that are preconfigured for these tasks.
Just image the capabilities for a second, anything that you would like to try with SQL Server is basically possible in our configuration.
Below is a list of labs that we released to our public portal:
Note: Clicking on the lab name will actually immediately start the lab on www.microsoft.com/sqlserverlabs
Data Platform
SQL200 - Introduction to SQL Server 2012 AlwaysOn Availability Groups
SQL201 - Data Platform Showcase on SQL Server 2012
SQL202 - Exploring new T-SQL features in SQL Server 2012
SQL203 - Exploring SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) in Visual Studio 2012
SQL205 - Installing SQL Server 2012 on Windows 2012 Server Core
SQL206 - Installing SQL Server 2012 on Windows Server 2012
SQL208 - Upgrading to SQL Server 2012 from SQL 2005/2008
SQL209 - Implementing Transparent Database Encryption
SQL210 - Implementing and Managing AlwaysOn Availability Groups
Business Intelligence
SQL211 - Creating a PerformancePoint Services dashboard based on a SQL Server 2012 BI Semantic Model
SQL212 - Optimizing a SQL Server 2012 Tabular BI Semantic Model
SQL213 - Exploring Power View in SQL Server 2012
SQL214 - Creating a SQL Server Reporting Services Report based on a Tabular BI Semantic Model
SQL215 - Developing a SQL Server 2012 Tabular BI Semantic Model using SQL Server Data Tools
SQL216 - Creating a PerformancePoint Services dashboard based on a SQL Server 2012 BI Semantic Model
SQL217 - Creating a PowerPivot workbook in Excel 2013
As an OEM System Builder in my early computer days, I spent quite a significant time finding the right drivers for a specific motherboard or a graphics adapter.Everytime we have new hardware, the same problem arises, and I've seen many people showing up to a presentation at an event with brand new hardware and simply being unable to use the projector due to wrong configuration or not even having the driver framework installed.
Many people in our industry have the luxury to work with high performing laptops and experiencing beta products or being able to be an early adopter to RTM bits --- and as geek level presenters we always love to be on new hardware or cool technology right?
Running a presentation at an event is not only a privilege as a presenter, for which you need to make sure you have a well prepared presentation and demo, it also heavily relies on making sure your hardware works correctly and you have everything lined up to be successful and satisfy the hungry needs of the audience. And at times, geeks like me just like to do that on a brand new installed laptop, or brand new hardware that they haven’t truly tested prior to their presentation since they live in the assumption that “things just work the way they expect it”
Every time I switch over to a new laptop or a new operating system, I want to make sure that I have everything working correctly, in combination with a “tech-check” that I usually conduct onsite prior to my presentation (and typically well in advance rather than just a couple of minutes).Primary reason for that is to make sure that I don’t freak out or stress out the 10 minutes prior to my session and give myself the time to either listen to some music to “Pump me up” (Pump it up by Danzel really works well for that), or have a conversation with some of the attendees.<Johan Waem - you owe me a beer I guess for promoting your music wherever I can including my children's education>
Recently I switched over to a Lenovo W520, and I have been a huge fan of its performance, but as I have seen several people struggling getting the correct drivers installed, or fellow presenters being able to display correctly onto a projector.
The Lenovo W520 is an interesting beast that has a variety of options when it comes to display adapters, driven by an Nvidia Graphics Quadro 2000M card and a separate laptop display. Bios Settings however define on which of the output ports (VGA or DisplayPort) will function as the “Duplicate display” or as a 3rd display that you can extend graphics to.Now the digital world we live in, with a mix of HDMI devices, display ports, DVI adapters or VGA adapters can be quite challenging.
Currently, the only drivers that I’ve used to configure my Lenovo W520 are beta drivers that are available through the following URL: http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=HT072084
Prior to installing the drivers and making sure nothing (or very minimal) hardware sources show up as unknown or without any device drives in Device Manager, you have to bear in mind that some of these drivers are depending on the .NET Framework 3.5, which can be configured by enabling the feature in Windows Server 2012 (Server Manager | Add Roles an Features Wizard) or under Turn Windows Features On or Off on Windows 8 (Easy way to get there is using Windows-X key and then selecting Program and Features from the menu that pops up.
Install Intel Chipset Drivers
Networking – Wireless Lan Drivers:
Mouse and Keyboard:
Camera and Card Reader:
Audio:
Video:
While the majority of the above drivers can be installed in any particular order, you should start by enabling the .NET Framework first, followed by the installation of the Intel ChipSet drivers, you’ll notice a significant decrease of unknown devices in Device Manager after installing the Chipset drivers, and will continue to decrease the unknown devices significantly.
Using the Role and Feature based installation Wizard in Windows Server 2012 Server Manager you can easily add the .NET Framework.
A quick way to go to Program and Features in Windows 8 is using the magic Windows-X key which will give you access to the following menu.
You can then easily add the .NET Framework by turning on the .NET Framework as a Windows Feature.
Windows Server 2012 doesn’t support the Bluetooth driver, so the left device that shows up as Unknown Device after you installed should be disabled.
In order for the VGA output to function as the secondary monitor when you press Windows-P, you have to configure your BIOS settings to set the Graphics to “Discrete Graphics”.
Restarting your computer and getting access to the BIOS can easily be done by using the Thinkvantage button which will get you to the following screen:
Set the BIOS settings to the following settings in order for the Display drivers to correctly output the duplicate monitor to VGA.
After Save and Reboot you'll be happy to see that the Windows-P Duplicate display feature will now use your VGA adapter as the secondary feature.
As new drivers become available, I will update this blog article when appropriate.
One of the primary reason I’ve seen people installing Window Server 2012 on their demo laptops is to make sure they have a host for their virtual machines built in Hyper-V. Needless to bring it to the attention that you can also have Hyper-V enabled in Windows 8 and thus can save a huge amount of time having to install dual boot machine configurations. You can easily turn this feature on on Windows 8 by configuring Program and Features.Again - use the Windows-X feature to get you to the Program and Features quickly.
I’ve been quite happy about the Lenovo W520 installation and was pleasantly surprised by the speed of actually installing Windows Server 2012 on it. The drivers were a bit challenging to find, but after all things just work amazingly great. While I have been playing around with VM replication etc, there truly isn’t a reason why I would not be able to use the Windows 8 client with Hyper-V enabled and run the Virtual Machines that we use on www.microsoft.com/sqlserverlabs on a local copy.
Value of Certification
The payout on certification in the IT Industry has been a key value to my professional career for many years. As I became certified on Windows NT and SQL Server 7.0 in 1999, qualified as Microsoft Certified Trainer and started teaching Microsoft Official Curriculum Courseware (MOC) I was able to make a shift from a rather successful OEM System Builder to strengthen my passion for data, a passion I picked up as writing my first applications in Dbase at the age of 16.
Using skills and experience supported and backed up with the proven certification (MCDBA, MCSE, MCT etc…) opened doors for me as an independent consultant that would have remained unopened without certification.
In 2010 I became a Microsoft Certified Master on SQL Server, and shortly after I transitioned to a role as Sr. Technical Product Manager in the SQL Server Marketing organization, and had the great opportunity to participate in launch of PDW, and SQL Server 2012.
I did see the quality of certification and importance of certification going up, with great success stories from the many people I have trained globally, and as Microsoft Learning landed the SQL Server 2012 certifications I was more than excited to update my certification by achieving MSCSE: Data Platform on SQL Server 2012.
Preparing for SQL Server 2012 certification
From my own preparation and successfully passing quite some certification exams I would love to share some of my readiness actions on how I prepared for exams in the past, and give some insights, based on my own experience on how to prepare for the SQL Server 2012 exams.
To encourage you to take certification I have a set of exam certification vouchers available to reach out and encourage people who don’t have any SQL Server or Microsoft Certification yet.
Now, getting those exam certifications would be nice right, but I definitely want to imply certain conditions:
- You have experience working with SQL Server
- You don’t have any SQL Server 2012 certifications at this stage
- Your ultimate goal is to achieve SQL Server 2012 MCSE: Data Platform or MCSE: Business Intelligence prior to June 2013
- You are willing to take some of our hands-on-labs on www.microsoft.com/sqlserver and follow a series of exam preparations for the MCSA: SQL Server 2012 certification that I will start blogging and post videos on, starting October 1st.
- You are willing to share your preparation story and exam results
- You are well aware that the number of available certificates is limited to only SQL Server exams, and I can’t guarantee you’ll get a certificate for the entire certification track.
How to apply and potentially score a free exam voucher?
Send me an email (dandyw@microsoft.com) with the following subject: “I want to get certified on SQL Server”. Provide the following details: Name, email address, City, State, Country, and most of all the reason why you want to get certified on SQL Server 2012.
Thanks for reading…Publish
As Track Program Manager for the Database and Business Intelligence Track at TechED North America, I wanted to express my sincere THANK YOU to all attendees, speakers, staffers, and everyone involved in the logistics of TechED North America.
We had a very strong attendance at each of the sessions which is truly appreciated.!
Now what are the sessions you should definetely have a look at online, if you were not attending, or you simply want to get access to session recordings or presentations.
While all sessions are recorded and can be review at: http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012, below is the preference list for the DBI track , based on audience feedback and session highscores.
If you are traveling to TechED Europe, you can most likely attend some of these sessions in person.
Database Track - Top 10 session list:
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI404
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI328
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI406
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI409
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI410
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI333
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI411
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI408
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI310
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI321
Business Intelligence Track - Top 10 session list:
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI304
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI413
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI319
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI305
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI414
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI320
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI323
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI303
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI332
http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/TechEd/NorthAmerica/2012/DBI301
When presenting at an event such as TechED, or any roadshow events you see your favorite presenters appear at, a lot of the skills, quality of the presentation comes down to:
- presentation skills
- content (which truly comes down to right content level, title, abstract, level of functioning demos and overall content balance)
- being a well prepared presenter
While I will share some thoughts on presentation skills and content best practices later, I wanted to give you some insights on what goes into my bag when presenting at an event or roadshow tour, and highlight some of the few items and scenarios that I've run into in which my "laptop bag" came to the rescue.Beware --- this is based on personal preferences, and yet I still try to keep my "luggage" to a strict minimum with maximum fault tolerance
Below is a picture and list of items:
Soothe-Aide, Non-Drowsy Multi-Symptom cold relief, Pain Killers, VGA cable / VGA to DVI converter / DVI , TO VGA,Wireless Router, 4G access point, mini screwdriver, duct-tape,backup laptop power supply, Portable Power Strip with USB charger,Set of batteries (AA,AAA and 9 volt),power converter / Adapter when traveling overseas, Windows Phone(unlocked), Cordless Presenter with timer, Wireless Keyboard and Mouse,Traveler kit with Network, USB cables, usb hub and mini mouse, usb stick with cellphone backup battery power, cellphone charger,SSD withcopy of presentations and VMs, USB stick with copy presentations, USB 3.0 diskwith copy of VMs and presentations. monitor wipes, pen, black permanent marker,whiteboard marker,business cards.
Now on a first impression, I am pretty sure some of the readers of this blog will respond "WOW - seriously that's a lot - and I didn't even cover the fact that I am ofcourse also taking my laptops along.
One of the most useful items:
- Cordless presenter with timer (various vendors have different models):
key in being able to start your presentation, finish your presentation on time.
While a lot of the events have an on-stage timer, majority of them don't and as a presenter it's up to you to closely monitor your session timing.Since the cordless presenter counts down, you know exactly when to start wrapping up your presentation or get into QA section if you planned for it.
Batteries
I usually travel with a variety of the most common batteries for the occasion that:
- AV guy is not in the room and actually forgot to replace or check the batteries on your microphone for the session
- you forgot to power off the cordles presenter and now you can't time your session anymore because you ran out of batteries
- the wireless keyboard or mouse that you like to use while rehearsing your session in your hotel room ran out of batteries.
Display adapters
- Adapters are key: as a presenter it shoudl be a best practice to check the room days in advance or at least before in order to:
- review display resolution issues
- review the connections and that your laptop or demo machine correctly displays color schemes on the projection
- it never caught me by suprise but I've seen events where the video outputs are DVI and here I stand with my VGA output on my laptop only (or vice versa).
wireless keyboard / mouse / VGA cable / wireless access point / 4G
In a lot of venues occassionally internet connection might not work, or you need to provide connectivity between 2 demo machines that you have.The wireless accespoint that in my occasion at that point also functions as my DHCP server / switch provides me with that connectivity.
The VGA cable and wireless keyboard/mouse and my access point are primarily used at the hotel room, so I can take advantage of using the TV (those large flatscreens you get at some hotels) to be used as my primary monitor while sitting on the bed going through email, posting blogs, or looking at event scores and results.
The 4G access point provides me a cheaper and portable way to have internet connectivity rather than paying higher hotel rates.
Backup
As a presenter ... always have a backup, have a backup for your demos, your slides and anything else you want to show.
I've seen presenters SSD disks crash prior to keynotes, presentations not being uploaded onto the demo station, -- none of that should really happen.
I rely on having a copy of my primary demo virtual machine "in the cloud", as well as make sure that I have my presentation handed off to the event team in advance.
One of the other things I do --- have a copy of the VMs on a fast USB harddisk, in my case I ahve 2 copies, as well on external USB/e-sata and SSD. (allowing me to virtually booth from external e-sata on any machine).
In the picture you also see a mini screw driver that comes in very handy when having to swap out disks.
Not having a backup and having to "apoligize" to the audience (we drill more into that in a next blog on presentation skills) - will most likely have your session end in low scores or negative feedback
Windows Phone
My Windows Phone holds several songs that were "rated" for event usage, at some of the events I actually listen to some songs prior in order to "hype" myself up as a presenter, or calm down :)
Power Adapters / converter / Power Cord
I still remember my friend Paul blowing up a wireless router and some other tools when he visited my house in Belgium.Having the right voltage when traveling overseas will be key,but also making sure you have the right adapter.When traveling in the US I use a mini powercord that has a USB port to it, so I can charge my cellphone from the same port.
At airports, other people certainly like it that you can now share that 1 single powerplug that everyone was waiting on.
Health
While I seldom need any form of medications, I want to be prepared in case I would have a headache or symptoms of getting a cold, especially when being on the road with a lot of travel, I make sure I have something in my bag.Soothe Aid (or even Halls or any other brand), that can soften that rough throat will certainly make things easier for you if you haven't presented in a while and all of a sudden your voice starts acting or giving up on you.
Conclusion
Being prepared is key to the event and to your session - if you are a presenter, I hope this blog was useful, gives you some thoughts on what to think about.
Now of course I would love to hear from all of you what is missing or things that you travel with when you are going.
The audience truly deservers the best of their presenters.
In a future blog I will point to some of the presentation skills training and preperation, provide some tips on what to do / what not do do.
The items listed in this blog are pure personal preferences, and items that I consider to be important in preperation to presentations that I run at many events. They don't reflect any guidance or recommendations from my employer.As Track Owner for events such as TechED and some of the events I presented at myself (SQL Server Special Ops Tour 2012), and having presented to an international audience with over 15,000 attendees so far, these insights are onlyfor the purpose of sharing and pitching some ideas.
I truly wanted to write this type of blog long time ago, but given the fact that next week I am teaching our SQL Server 2012 Workshop, for which I did the primary design and development (and thus also delivery),I think it is very time appropriate to start with these series now.
In these series, I will start writing about how to build your own demo / test environment for SQL Server 2012 and business intelligence on a Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 Hyper-V based installation.
This blog is written using my own method of installation, (unattended installations), and is purely based on publicly available Microsoft evalation copies of Sharepoint 2010, Visual Studio, SQL Server 2012 RC0, SQL Server Data tools, sample databases, and anything else you need to build your own VHD file (or non-vhd install base) that has everything offline that you need to do anything you always wanted to do with SQL Server and/or business intelligence.
In this blog, I will work based on a publicly available download of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, for which we will download the .ISO file to install the base operating system for my Virtual machine.
Bear in mind that this blog will be part of a series, in this part we only focus on getting you the right bits.
The BareMetal framework is a framework I use for the development of our hands-on-labs (www.microsoft.com/sqlserverlabs), and the outcome of these series is to have your own local copy of the Virtual machines used in the hands-on-labs on our lab portal.
Task 0: Assumptions and basic understanding
The scripting and file locations displayed below and I would suggest you follow the same folder structure, you can however replace the drive letter X:\ wIth the driveletter where you actually extract and download your files to.
For some of the downloads you need to register with your Windows Live ID.
Some of the scripting could definetely be done in Powershell, VBscripting, WSH or any scripting language.You'll see that I did stick to the basics - which frequently is just a simple .CMD file to perform some basic steps.
Task 1: Creating a folder that will hold all of your downloads:
Diskspace is mandatory if you want to create an install base, you will need approximately 40Gb of diskspace, since we will download files that need to be extracted.Now what we want to accomplish with this, is to make sure that we have everything downloaded that we need, and of course we want to be able to use that in the most flexible way, by putting that into a VHD file so we can easily mount it into a VM,or on any Windows 7 or Windows Server platform.
The folder structure will hold each of the downloads we perform in Task 2.
Now ofcourse I don't want you to manually create those, and when you extract the handy-dandy (what's in a name) BareMetalWorkshopSeries-part1.zip file, as per attachement to the root folder of the drive you want to place al of your VMs and install bases,you are pretty much ready to go.
After extraction you are ready to go and pretty much will spend the next couple of hours downloading your all favorite software.
Task 2: Downloading everything you ever need to get started with SQL Server 2012 and Business Intelligence
(Now look at this list - you'll have fun downloading for a bit)
Windows Server 2008 R2 64bit Edition, Installation .ISO file – with SP1
Required for:
VirtualMachine based installations
Download URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2008/en/us/trial-software.aspx
Destination Folder
x:\BareMetal\ServerISO
Notes
ONLY GET 64 BIT VERSION IN ISO FILE FORMAT
Alternate locations
MSDN / TECHNET Subscription (MUST HAVE EXISTING ACCOUNT)
After Download
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Installs\ServerISO\WindowsServer2008R2.ISO
NOTE: you might have to rename the downloaded file
SQL Server 2008 R2 installation bits
SQL Server 2008 R2 (nice if you want to do upgrade testing)
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=186656&clcid=0x409
x:\BareMetal\Installs\SQL2008R2
ONLY GET 64 BIT VERSION in .EXE
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Installs\SQL2008R2 if not downloaded to the correct destination folder.
SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1
SQL Server 2008 R2 (scripting will show how to slipstream)
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=26727
x:\BareMetal\Installs\SQL2008R2SP1
Download all the files as part of the SP1 update
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Installs\SQL2008R2SP1 if not downloaded to the correct destination folder.
SQL Server 2012 installation files
SQL Server 2012 Database & Business Intelligence
http://www.microsoft.com/sqlserver/en/us/future-editions.aspx
x:\BareMetal\Installs\SQL2012
Download the ISO file version only
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Installs\SQL2012 if not downloaded to the correct destination folder
SharePoint 2010
SQL Server 2012 Business Intelligence
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?DisplayLang=EN&id=13768
x:\BareMetal\Installs\SharePoint2010
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Installs\SharePoint2010 if not downloaded to the right folder location.
SharePoint 2010 SP1
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=26623
x:\BareMetal\Installs\SharePoint2010SP1
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Installs\SharePoint2010SP1 if not downloaded to the right folder location.
SharePoint 2010 Prerequisites
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc262485.aspx
Download all the required components
x:\BareMetal\Installs\SharePointPrerequisites
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Installs\SharePoinPrerequisites if not downloaded to the right folder location.
Office 2010 Professional Plus
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/ee390818
x:\BareMetal\Office2010
ONLY GET 32 BIT VERSION
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Office2010 if not downloaded to the right folder location.
NOTE: SAVE the product key displayed as part of the download
Office 2010 SP1
Download Office 2010 SP1 (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=220084)
x:\BareMetal\Office2010SP1
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Office2010SP1 If you didn’t download to the right destination folder.
Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate ISO
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=06a32b1c-80e9-41df-ba0c-79d56cb823f7
X:\BareMetal\Installs\VS2010Ultimate
Download All Files (4 files)
Copy file to X:\BareMetal\Installs\VisualStudio2010 if not downloaded to this folder
Copy file to x:\BareMetal\Installs\SharePoint2010SP1 if not downloaded to this folder
PowerPivot Client Software
http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=28150
X:\BareMetal\Installs\PowerPivot
Download All Files
Copy file to X:\BareMetal\Installs\PowerPivot if not downloaded to this folder
SQL Server Data Tools CTP4
Read the notes on how to Create an Administrative Install Point and perform those tasks after download in the folder where you downloaded the SSDT executable to.
X:\BareMetal\Installs\SSDTCTP4
See steps described on the download page
Silverlight 5
SQL Server Business Intelligence
http://www.silverlight.net/downloads
Download Silverlight Developer Runtime (32 bit) and (64 bit)
X:\BareMetal\Installs\Silverlight
Copy file to X:\BareMetal\Installs\Silverlight if not downloaded to this folder
SQL Server Sample Databases
http://msftdbprodsamples.codeplex.com/
X:\BareMetal\Installs\Samples\SQL2008R2
X:\Baremetal\Installs\Sampes\SQL2012
Copy file to X:\BareMetal\Installs\Samples\SQL2008R2
Copy file to X:\BareMetal\Installs\Samples\SQL2012
Winrar (3rd party software – evaluation copy)
Automated extraction during installation of several components
http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm
X:\BareMetal\Installs\Winrar
Download All Files, extract to the x:\BareMEtal\Installs\Winrar
PowerShell Management Library for Hyper-V
Automation of the creation of Virtual Machines
http://pshyperv.codeplex.com/
X:\BareMetal\Installs\PSHyperV
BGINFO
Automate the setting of desktop backgrounds
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897557.aspx
X:\BareMetal\Installs\Tools\BGINFO
Task 3: How to extract all these downloads with the least administrative effort?
Extracting of downloaded files (.ISO, .ZIP, .EXE) etc can be a tough one, depending on what your purpose of the extraction is,Some of the downloads would automatically start the installation process, which we want to prevent of course, we rather extract and have a solid installation base that we put into a VHD file, so that it is easyto mount in both Windows, as a Windows Server 2008 R2 based Hyper-V image.
If any graphical UI interface pops up (including a request to format your newly mapped VHD file, please ignore)
Step 1: Creating a VHD file using diskpart
Open and administrative command prompt to x:\BareMetal\Hostscripts
type the following command:
BuildInstallVHD.VHD
This script will create a VHD file in x:\BareMetal\InstallVHD using DiskPart
Step 2: Extract all of the downloaded files into the VHD file
In the same administrative command prompt type LoadInstallsVHD.CMD
This script will run for a bit and 'voila' - after that you will have a drive letter (mapped as M: drive) with all your installation bits
Step 3: Dismount the VHD if you want to attach it to a Virtual Machine
In the same administrative command prompt [x:\Baremetal\Hostscripts], type the following command
UnmountInstallVHD.CMD
Task 4: What's next?
In the next part of these series will write about the automated creation of a Virtual Machine using the Hyper-V Powershell Management Library.in the series post after that we will then look into the installation process and correct installation steps to get you going with:
As content lead on the Database and Business Intelligence Track I am happy to announce that we will have 2 pre-cons at Tech ED North America an Tech ED Europe.
That's right - based on popular demand we are hosting these pre-conferences at both Tech ED North America and TechED Europe.
And the great line up of presenters for the pre-con's are certainly no strangers to the Database and BI communities.
Presented by: Denny Cherry and Thomas LaRock
In this session, learn about SQL Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2012 performance tuning and optimization. Industry Experts Thomas LaRock and Denny Cherry guide you through tools and best practices for tuning queries and improving performance within Microsoft SQL Server. This session details real-life performance problems which have been gathered and tuned using industry standard best practices and real-world skills.
More information about TechED Europe which takes place in Amsterdam from June 26 - 29 can be found on http://europe.msteched.com
More information about TechED North America which takes place in Orlando from June 11 -1 4 can be found on http://northamerica.msteched.com
Presented by: Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari
Microsoft SQL Server 2012 introduced new BI Services, like Power View and the BI Semantic Model (BISM) in Analysis Services, which offers two types of models, Tabular and Multidimensional. The Tabular model is required in order to publish data for Power View and it is based on concepts like tables and relationships that are familiar to anyone who has a relational database background. In this seminar, learn how to build a complete solution in Tabular, either by creating a new model from scratch or by importing an existing PowerPivot model.
After an initial introduction of the overall architecture with the Microsoft platform, including SharePoint, PowerPivot and Power View, most of the time is dedicated to the definition of a BISM Tabular model. Learn about creating one from the ground up and then defining all the metadata required in order to obtain a rich semantic model that provides better user experience for data exploration in both Excel and Power View. You also learn the basics of DAX language and how to manage role based security and partitioning in a Tabular model.
At the end of the day, you will be able to create your BISM Tabular models, fully exploiting the features available in a Corporate BI scenario. You will gain a solid background to enable you starting your next project with Tabular.
CALLING ALL SQL SERVER PROFESSIONALS
The Special Ops Tour, brought to you by Microsoft and PASS, is deep into the planning stages. The most highly-anticipated SQL Server tour of the year is just a few months away. But our agents can't do this without you. The time has come to select the 12 DBA operatives who have the skills and accomplishments to join the team. You could be one of the 12. Simply complete and submit the form on the www.specialopstour.com website , including a link to a short video as instructed.
Show us how you resolved any IT problem using SQL Server 2012, RC0. The 12 winners will be highlighted on the Special Ops Tour, profiled on the Tour website, receive full conference passes to PASS Summit 2012, and have their travel and accommodations to the nearest Tour stop covered. Your mission is clear - good luck!
www.specialopstour.com
While I was traveling in Europe, I was inspired by some announcements that were made in regards to the release of the first Nokia Windows Phones.Inspired and encouraged as I was .. I tried to get my hands on one of them which shouldn't be that big of an issue since my parents only live about 30 minutes away from the border to the Netherlands, where the phone was released on November 17th.So here we go - starting to drive - with a good old printed map, to find directions to one of the stores in Terneuzen, NL - my first stop was Belcompany one of the larger phone supply chains in the Netherlands.Arrived at the store, I got dissappointed, since the first store sold out of them already.
No problem --- The PhoneHouse (one of the other phone shops in the Netherlands), had one on stock, and before I realized I spent about $675 on a brand new, Nokia Lumia 800.
First impressions:
The phone feels very solid, probably due to its metal frame, and it truly feels like it has very solid and quality manufacturing.It also clearly has the Nokia brand on it, accompanied by the well know Windows Phone buttons allowing quick navigation through applications.
The side of the phone provides solid metal buttons for volume control, Lock / Power and of course the Windows Phone Camera button to quickly snap pictures.
Phone specificifications:
AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors480 x 800 pixels, 3.7 inches (~252 ppi pixel density)- Gorilla Glass display- Nokia ClearBlack display- Multi-touch input method- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off- Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate- Touch-sensitive controls
512 Mb RAM, 16Gb internal storage
GPRS - Class 33EDGE - Class 333G - HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Bluetooth
3.5 mm phone jack
MicroUSB 2.0
8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, dual-LED flash with geo tagging
720@30fps
Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 Mango
1.4 GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset, 3D Graphics HW Accel.
Stereo FM radio with RDS
- MicroSIM card support only- SNS integration- Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic- Digital compass- MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA player- MP4/H.264/H.263/WMV player- Document viewer/editor- Video/photo editor- Voice memo/command/dial- Predictive text input
Up to 265 h (2G) / Up to 335 h (3G)
Up to 13 h (2G) / Up to 9 h 30 min (3G)
Phone call quality
The call quality on this phone, as well on the speaker phone and over bluetooth is great, which is what I would expect from a manufacturer like Nokia.
Screen Size / Display
While the screen size is smaller than some of the other windows phones, this display and screen seems much brighter, even in outside/sunny conditions.A smaller screensize is definetely something I welcome since the phone perfectly fits in my pocket and is well protected using the standard, in-the-box, provided sleeve that seamlessly fits around the phone.After using the phone for about a week now there isn't a single scratch on it - which - surprising to my usage (putting it in my pocket with car keys etc) - is quite exceptional by itself.
Nokia Drive - GPS application.
When traveling, I truly can use a turn-by-turn GPS system, since I tend to get lost in a shopping mall.The nice thing about the built in Nokia Drive GPS is that you basically have a global GPS system on which you can install maps from anywhere in the world (a feature that is only available on select portable GPS systems, that end up costing you more than a Nokia Lumia 800 phone). Immediately after my trip to Europe I was able to put this GPS system to a test, since I traveled to Hollywood with my wife for Thanksgiving, and we decided not to opt for a GPS with our rental car.It took a while to install the 1.7Gb maps (which covers and spans the entire United States), but after the installation we were ready to go - ready to test the navigation getting us from the airport, to the airport, and discover Hollywood and surrounding areas.When connecting the phone to the car charger (microUSB available at any retailer), it perfectly fitted onto the dashboard, acquired a GPS signal within seconds, and took nothing to set our destination to start our navigation to our destination.The maps display in either 2D or 3D which is fully selectable. Driving around in Los Angeles, going to Universal Studios, Beverly Hills.
When putting the phone into the vertical / horizontal position the map automatically turns as well, which is what you would expect.As i traveled a lot previously and used several GPS systems (even though I have always been a big fan of TomTom), I am truly happy with the turn-by turn navigation in the Nokia Drive application (both from a sound quality perspective, as well as the time it takes for the GPS to determine its initial position (which was seconds, rather than minutes on some of the GPS systems I had in several rental cars).
This turn by turn navigation is definetely amazing - but keep in mind that, as any other portable GPS navigation system, turn by turn GPS navigation is battery intensive (you'll need a micro USB car charger - which to that advantage will also keep your phone charged :) )
Picture Quality
As I like photography, most of the time when traveling for fun I take my Nikon D5100 with additional lenses with me, so I rarely use my phone for pictures, other than occasional snapshots (that quick picture of our little guy, or a snapshot that is too funny not to miss when i don't have the camera handy). I've always been a big fan of the Carl Zeiss lenses on point and shoot cameras. With the Nokia Lumia 800 featuring a f/2.2 aperture Carl Zeiss lens, it makes it the brightest lens on a mobile phone, resuitng in a great 8MP picture (sample below).
Random picture taken at the Hollywood Walk of fame
Nokia Application Highlights
The phone also features some Nokia Only Windows Phone applications that give you highlights of some of the new releases in the Windows Phone MarketPlace.While I tend to use my phone primarily for email, navigation, texting and phone calls, the expected integration of Windows Phone with Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live, Xbox and LinkedIn, make this phone into a succesful business partner for me.
Micro SIM
One of the first surprises when i tried to move over my simcard (while in the store), was that the Nokia phone won't fit the standard simcard.The PhoneHouse where I purchased it said that they can trim down the simcard to a micro-sim, however they don't have the tool/aid to actually cut it correctly and suggested me to ask BelCompany, the store that initially ran out of stock on the Lumia 800.While I know that that kind of service probably is unlikely to happen at certain locations, the Belcompany sales representative made no issue about it, and cut down my simcard to a Micro-Sim form factor.Amazingly that worked!
3G/4G
The phone in its current European release supports HSDPA.High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) is an enhanced 3G communication protocol also branded 3.5G, 3G+ or turbo 3G, which allows networks to have higher data transfer speeds and capacity. Current HSDPA deployments support down-link speeds of 1.8, 3.6, 7.2 and 14.0 Megabits.. Further speed increases are available with HSPA+ providing speeds of up to 42 Mbit/s downlink and 84 Mbit/s.
Proud Owner / Conclusion
While the Nokia Lumia 800 has not yet been introduced in the United States, I am now the proud owner of a phone that gives me all the Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" features, and so much more with apps such as Nokia Drive, Nokia Maps, Nokia Music.While I also have a Samsung Focus S, I consider this Nokia phone to be my primary phone because of the "cool factor", the great and solid design, and the fact that I have a turn-by-turn GPS system on the Go.This is a great phone and I can't wait to get back to the office on Monday and put it on the table during meetings (pretty sure some people will look at it wondering what phone I have --- )
With that, I can't wait to see the Nokia phones being introduced to the US market, and am truly excited with the roadmap, and technology moving forward.While I never had a Iphone before, but owned several Windows Phones prior to Windows Phone 7, I truly believe, as a Microsoft employee, that our company is on the right roadmap with our Windows Phone platform, and this product is so user friendly, that even my wife is happy with her Windows Phone and finally gave up on a phone with integrated keyboard :).
A special thanks to The PhoneHouse in Terneuzen, NL for keeping a phone aside while I was driving up there, and thank you to Belcompany for the great assistance in trimming down my simcard.
We've had some great announcements over the past couple of days, with the announcement of the SQL Server 2012 SPECIAL OPS TOUR. #specialopstour
Now we have even more updates: SQL SERVER 2012 RC0 is available.
Since this morning SQL Server 2012 RC0 bits are available for download the Microsoft Download Center.
With RC0 we are making another huge milestone towards the release of SQL Server 2012.
The following list provides an overview of what we've added to RCO:
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