Back to the Glory of Germany!

If you're a Manowar fan, you know the lyrics to the song "Blood of the Kings" by heart:

"Our armies in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales
Our brothers in Belgium, Holland and France will not fail
Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Italy
Switzerland, Austria, back to the Glory of Germany"

Well, I don't get to visit all of these other countries right now, but I am off today flying to Berlin Germany to present three SQL Server 2008 sessions at the Microsoft MCT Summit event.[1] This is the premier annual technical conference for Microsoft Certified Trainers, and I feel very honored to be involved. According to the attendance numbers I was given a early in the week, I have around 100 people registered for each of these sessions:

• What's new in SQL Server 2008 for Database Developers
• What's new in SQL Server 2008 for Business Intelligence Developers
• So you want to be a SQL Server MCT? Jumping into the Deep End with SQL Server 2008

That last session is the one that I'm looking forward to the most, and is also the one with the most attendees signed up. I've been training people on SQL Server for over ten years now, and have loved every minute of it. There are so many talented trainers out there who teach Windows admin and Exchange Server and SMS and .NET Development and so on whose lives could be wonderfully enriched by exposure to SQL Server. And I get to help open their eyes to the beauty of SQL. What could be more fun? [2]

Of course, I'm also going to have an audience comprised completely of professional trainers. That's both exciting and slightly disquieting. I hope they're all better students than I am.

And remember - if you can't meet me in Berlin, the North American Summit event is scheduled for the first week in February in Redmond. If you're an MCT, you don't want to miss this!

[1] Believe it or not, this is the first time I've traveled to Germany for business. I've been there three times in the last few years, but each time has been to see Manowar in concert. Traveling to Germany for Microsoft instead will be an interesting change. Quieter. ;-)
[2] Going to a Manowar concert. Yes, that's exactly correct!