One More Reason to Attend

I've posted a few times already[1] about the SSWUG Business Intelligence vConference that I have been helping to organize. Well, the conference is now less than a month away, and there is more news to share:

We're giving away a copy of Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 Team Suite with MSDN Premium to one lucky attendee.

That's right - the big one. This is the ultimate version of Microsoft's MSDN subscription, with a suggested retail price of $10,939. If you're a software developer or BI professional, this package has everything that you need to develop for the Microsoft platform, and then some.

If you'd like a chance to win this MSDN subscription, just register for the SSWUG Business Intelligence vConference. For just $100 you get:

• 30 amazing technical sessions from 10 amazing speakers.
• The ability to watch the sessions either during their multiple scheduled timeslots, or on demand for up to 14 days after the conference is over.
• Online chat and Q&A with the speakers during the scheduled sessions.
• Downloadable slides, transcripts and demo files so you can continue the learning once the session is done.
• And here's the one that blows my mind - a $150 discount on the Fall SQL Connections conference in Las Vegas. So if you're planning to attend the SQL Connections conference, the SSWUG Business Intelligence vConference more than pays for itself.

So what are you waiting for? This vConference is going to be amazing, and we'd love to see you there!

[1] For example:

• BI for the Virtual Guy
• Check Out This Lineup!
• And also a mention in What Happens in BIDS, Stays in BIDS

SSIS Deployment at TechEd Online

The third and final "Tech*Talk" video interview I recorded during Microsoft's TechEd conference this June in Orlando is now online. I talked with INETA board member Mark Rosenberg about SQL Server Integration Services deployment. You can check it out on the TechEd Online video library site in various formats:

• WMV low quality video
• WMV high quality video
• MP4 high quality video
• MP3 audio only

Enjoy!

SSIS for IT Professionals

One of the "Tech*Talk" video interviews I recorded during Microsoft's TechEd conference last month in Orlando is now online. I talked with Joey Snow of the TechNet Edge web site about SQL Server Integration Services for IT Pros. You can check it out on the TechEd Online video library site in various formats:

• WMV low quality video
• WMV high quality video
• MP4 high quality video
• MP3 audio only

Enjoy!

SSIS on RunAs Radio

My interview on the online radio show "RunAs Radio" is now online - check it out here: http://www.runasradio.com/

This is a short (36 minutes, including the opening and closing bits) show where Richard Campbell, Greg Hughes and I talk about SSIS for the IT Professional. Because many of the enhancements to SSIS tend to be developer-focused, I know many IT Pros who shy away from SSIS and cling irrationally[1] to the "good old days" of DTS. But I believe that with a little information about how SSIS works and how to use it, IT Pros everywhere will happily leave DTS behind and embrace the power and beauty of SSIS.

Well, perhaps I may be getting carried away, but the show is a lot of fun nonetheless. We covered topics ranging from architecture to development to deployment and had a pretty good time doing it. So be sure to download the show and check it out.

[1] Ok, so it may seem rational to them, but my memories of DTS are still fresh and painful in my mind. ;-)

RunAs Radio - In The Can

Just a few hours ago I finished recording an episode of RunAs Radio, talking with Richard Campbell and Greg Hughes about SQL Server Integration Services. It was a ton of fun, and we covered a lot of ground for a 30-minute session. Even though there really wasn't an agenda per se, these were the basic topics we covered:

• Why SSIS rocks, and why most IT Pros won’t appreciate it very much.
• How SSIS works, and where to go to get started with SSIS.
• SSIS Deployment – how to make (some of) the pain go away.
• My two SSIS breakout sessions at TechEd IT Pro in Orlando next month.

This episode should be ready for your listening pleasure in just under three weeks, on May 28th. If you're a DBA and would like to know more about SSIS (or if you would just like to hear the soothing sound of my voice) you should definitely check it out. I'll be sure to post another update here when the show goes live.

After the show was recorded, we also talked for a little while about the possibility of getting back together to record an episode of .NET Rocks! or dnrTV! to go into more depth on the development side of SSIS. It's too early to say if we'll be able to record a follow-up show, but I had a great time today and would love to do it again - what fun!

RunAs Radio

I grew up listening to the .Net Rocks! podcast series. I remember huddling around the Internet radio on those cold winter nights, wishing that we had more coal for the fire, and so grateful that I had those pearls of developer wisdom to help keep me warm.

Ok, so that's not exactly true. I never did grow up, you know...

In any event, I have been a fan of .Net Rocks! for many years. I don't listen to every show (Carl Franklin and Richard Campbell are way too prolific for me now that I have a 20 ft commute) but I listen whenever I have the chance. And odds are, if you're a .NET developer, you probably do too.

Of course, SSIS isn't just for developers. Lots of DBAs and other IT Professionals use SSIS too. And the fine folks who produce .Net Rocks! also produce a weekly talk show for that IT Pro audience, called RunAs Radio.

Why do I know this, and why do you care?

Next week I will be recording an episode of RunAs Radio with hosts Richard Campbell and Glen Hughes, talking about SSIS with a focus on the IT Professional. I don't yet have details on when this show will air, but as soon as I know, you'll know too - I'll keep you posted.

SQL Down Under Show Online

Remember back on Halloween when I recorded an episode of SQL Down Under with SQL Server MVP Greg Low? Well, the episode is now online! You can download it in MP3 or WMA format here: http://www.sqldownunder.com/

Enjoy!

Evangelists, Evangelists, Evangelists!

I consider myself an evangelist on SQL Server and BI technologies, but my friend and colleague Lynn Langit has this in her job title. She's a Developer Evangelists with Microsoft, and right now she's on the home page of the MSDN Channel 9 web site, talking about her job.

Check it out: http://channel9.msdn.com/Showpost.aspx?postid=352786

Edit: Damn, that's funny! I blogged this while I was downloading the WMV version of the webcast, before I actually watched it. Now I'm watching it, and laughing my head off.

That Was Fun!

I just got off the phone with Greg Low from SQL Down Under. I had a great time talking to him about SQL Server Integration Services, covering some of the best practices that I've compiled over the years of working with SSIS. I've always loved Greg's casual interview style, and it made the time fly. I wish we had another few hours to talk, but then of course no one would listen to the whole thing. ;-)

In any event, the show should be online by next week. I'll post another notice here when it's ready to download.,

And before I forget (again), many thanks to Chris Randall for demanding SSIS coverage on SQL Down Under. Without his nudge, I probably never would have gotten to speak with Greg, so it's official: I owe you one, Chris!

SSIS Down Under

I'm talking to Greg Low, the host of the wonderful SQL Server-focused podcast series SQL Down Under about being a guest on the show and talking about SQL Server Integration Services best practices. I've long been a fan of this podcast series, so I'm awfully excited.

We've yet to set a firm agenda, so if there is anything SSIS-related you'd like to hear covered, why not post a comment?

Ted Malone on geekSpeak

My friend and colleague Ted Malone is going to be the guest star next week on Microsoft's live call-in webcast series geekSpeak. Ted is going to be speaking on the integration of SQL Server Reporting Services and SharePoint 2007, which is a very powerful new capability in the Microsoft BI toolkit, and not always the simplest thing to get up and running correctly.

So make sure that you can join Ted for the show on September 12, and have your questions ready for him. And since I cannot be there that day, please make sure that you ask him "What's a NUMA?" for me.

Thanks!

Webcast Available on Channel 9

I just got am email from Lynn Langit, one of the hosts[1] of Microsoft's geekSpeak show, that my show is now online on Channel 9, here: http://channel9.msdn.com/Shows/geekSpeak. Enjoy!

[1] I have a feeling that Lynn is responsible for the delightful synopsis of the show at the URL above. If I knew for a fact, I would identify her as "the evil host" but since I'm not certain, I'll withhold judgment. For now.

Speak with a Geek!

Although visitors to the SSIS Forums on MSDN know that it's really easy to ask me questions about SSIS, it's about to get even easier. I've been contacted by one of the masterminds behind the geekSpeak webcast series on MSDN to be a guest on the show next month talking about real-world SSIS. Attendees can submit questions in a talk show style format during the show

We haven't set a date yet, but it will probably take place some Wednesday in June. If you have SSIS questions and would like to participate in a fun, live participatory event, start getting ready now, and I'll keep you posted as I have more news to share.