It’s been a while since I’ve written for T-SQL Tuesday, but I couldn’t resist this month’s topic. Aaron Nelson (blog | @SQLvariant) is asking about logging, and it needn’t to pertain to SQL Server. I love transaction logs a lot, but there’s plenty of other logs in my life, the vast majority of which actually involve …

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SQL Saturday #119, our third one in Chicago, was a total blast. This was only my second time on the organizing committee, but I’ve yet to hear anything negative about the event. From my perspective, everything went incredibly smoothly! SQL Saturdays are a learning experience for all involved – not just the attendees. …

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A week ago I was privileged to attend Brent Ozar's Free-Con event. The original Free-Con was held in Seattle before the 2010 PASS Summit, and the second one took place in Chicago before last year's SQL Saturday. Since it was so awesome last year, Brent decided to do it again. What is the Free-Con? To paraphrase Brent's …

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On April 2 of this year, the National Archives released the complete population schedule of the 1940 census. These records were highly anticipated not only for their genealogical value but also because of their detailed information about an incredibly interesting period of U.S. History. This census captured the point …

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Chicago's third annual SQL Saturday will soon be upon us, and as food and beverage coordinator it's my job to obsess over what's on the menu. SQL Saturday food offerings seem to have evolved over time. The first few I attended offered pizza, which is of course a great way to feed a large number of people. While very …

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"Statistics means never having to say you're certain" is a well-known quote that would often come up in my AP Statistics class back in high school. The same can be implied for estimation, and while estimates need not be perfect, they should at least be logical. While estimating the effects of compressing data …

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This past weekend I was very fortunate to be able to attend and speak at SQL Saturday #118 in Madison, Wisconsin. This was a top-notch event; all the hard work and planning that went into it really showed in how smoothly things ran. My trip began around noon on Friday, which was a great decision because I hit no …

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Every once in a while I find myself building a report in SQL Server Reporting Services. I know my way around SSRS enough to get a report looking the way I like, but I'm definitely not an expert in the subject. While developing a report recently I noticed some very strange behavior that I have a hard time believing is …

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Imagine you had the chance to get together with other data professionals in your area in a setting outside of a training session or user group meeting. There's no formal agenda, just an excellent meal and some great conversation. Perhaps a respected expert is available to answer questions and bounce ideas off of. Does …

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I feel very fortunate to have been chosen as a speaker for SQL Saturday #118 in Wisconsin on April 21, 2012. After an excellent time speaking at MADPASS in February, I'm really looking forward to getting back to Madison for this event! I'll be giving my presentation entitled The Skinny on Data Compression which covers …

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