Category: Professional Development

My PASS Summit 2014 Submission Feedback

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Speakers have been asking PASS for feedback regarding their Summit submissions for a few years. This year, following a bit of a heated “discussion,” PASS announced that session feedback would be available upon request. I, like so many other speakers had done, applaud this decision. PASS did make it clear that the both the quantity and the quality of the feedback varies widely.

I am a big proponent of learning from the experiences of others. As such, in the hopes that someone can learn something from the feedback I got, I hereby share what I received. I want to thank the reviewers who took the time to make these comments.

Analysis Services Terms and Concepts For The DBA (REGULAR SESSION – NOT SELECTED)

ABSTRACT

Despite some overlapping concepts, the worlds of the Relational engine and Analysis Services really are quite different. With more and more organizations realizing the power of Analytics, there is a good chance a BI initiative will come your way at some point.

 

This session is intended for the DBA that wants/needs to learn more about SQL Server Analysis Services. The goal is to provide a meaningful base of knowledge that will allow you to effectively participate in discussions of Analysis Services in your organization.

 

Through both slides and demos, you will learn:

— The differences between SSAS Multidimensional and SSAS Tabular

— Key terms like Measures, Dimensions, and Hierarchies

— Storage options such as MOLAP, HOLAP, ROLAP, and Direct Query

— Monitoring with Extended Events

— Overviews of MDX, DAX, and XMLA

— And more

 

Come take a few steps into the exciting world of Business Intelligence with SQL Server Analysis Services.

FEEDBACK

Seems this may be a 100 level session
Good topic, sounds more like a 100-level session to me.
No need of prerequisites to be SQL Server Administrator. should also focus on OLAP DW part and schema concept, slice and dice part of SSAS OLAP cube if someone wants to show the power of BI Analytics using SQL server analysis services.
Thanks,
Excellent and useful topic!

 

DANGER: The Art and Science of Presenting (REGULAR SESSION – NOT SELECTED)

ABSTRACT

Over the past decade, we have learned a lot about the chemistry of the brain and why humans react the way we do to events in our environment. The idea of Emotional Intelligence – EQ – is a compelling concept that applies this knowledge in a set of learn-able, improvable skills for leading others. Although EQ is often applied to corporate leadership, this session will explain the basics of EQ and demonstrate how you can use it to make your presentations better in the following areas:

 

• Crafting better slide decks

• Preparing yourself for presenting

• Delivering your content

• Dealing with the unexpected

 

Understanding and practicing the concepts of EQ can make your presentations a better experience for everyone in the room – including you.

NOTE

This session was chosen as an Alternate last year and I ended up presenting. It was greatly successful (narrowly missed being in the Top Ten sessions) so I submitted it again, noting to the committee why I was doing so. That should provide some additional context to some of the feedback.

FEEDBACK

Excellent topic. Excellent consistency across session name, abstract, topic and goals. Perhaps, given the topic, some real examples should have been added. Reference to PASS is 2013 should have been avoided.
While the abstract and topic are great I’m not sure that we would want to see a repeat session from last year.
Delivered too recently at the past Summit. Very targeted audience.
The abstract goes too much into EQ and feels disconnected from the title.

 

Keeping the "Business" in Business Intelligence (REGULAR SESSION – NOT SELECTED)

ABSTRACT

It is no accident the term “Business Intelligence” starts with “Business.” Any Business Intelligence initiative should, likewise, start with the needs of the Business. For many years, BI was seen as a technology project. This is one reason why so many BI initiatives fail. Rather than a Technology Project, BI is a Business Program. It must grow and evolve as the Business grows and evolves.

 

In this session, we will discuss the following:

— Why BI is a worthwhile investment (using case study examples)

— What criteria to use in determining the success of a BI initiative

— Several reasons why BI initiatives fail

— Critical Success Factors for BI

 

So much of the success for BI happens before the requirements are even gathered. Come learn how you can set yourself up for success with Business Intelligence.

FEEDBACK

Could be an interesting approach to a rather dry topic
The abstract is clear about what will be discussed as for failures of BI projects. If it has real examples, maybe you can get some demo to demonstrate. You can demo the results in chart, as time and effort, even the results.
Thanks for the abstract.

 

Power Query: Data Chemistry for The Masses (REGULAR SESSION – SELECTED)

ABSTRACT

ETL Developers have being doing chemistry with data for years in tools like SQL Server Integration Services. These tools require training, experience, and time that few business users have. But in the age of self-service BI, those business users need a way to shape data to support their analysis.

 

This session will show how Power Query can be easily used to take advantage of data’s properties to drive the change we need to support our goals.

 

We will discuss/demonstrate:

— The simple process of accessing a wide variety of data sources

— The ease with which simple transformations can be achieved using the Power Query Ribbon

— Power Query’s fantastic ability to travel through time to see every step taken with the data

— The foundations of the Power Query Formula Language, informally known as "M"

— Using "M" to take Power Query WAY beyond what the Ribbon has to offer.

 

Come learn about what may well be the most exciting member of the Power BI family.

FEEDBACK

seems like too much to cover in 75

 

MDX Trek: First Contact (REGULAR SESSION – NOT SELECTED)

ABSTRACT

As with so many aspects of life, a solid foundation makes a huge difference. This Star Trek themed introduction to MDX leads you on a voyage through the terms and concepts necessary for a solid foundation for learning this fascinating language. Terms covered include:

— Measures and Measure Groups

— Attributes and Dimensions

— Hierarchies

— Members

— Tuples

— Sets

 

This session also shows how you can think about the cube space in a way that is very easy to understand. The word "cube" suggests a 3 dimensional object. That way of thinking is fraught with confusion. Forget about the Rubik’s Cube. It doesn’t help.

 

With that foundation, we then dive into MDX syntax and fundamentals including:

— Query Axes

— Slicer Axis

— Tuples and Sets

— Hierarchy Navigation Functions

— Crossjoin

— Functions allowing us to travel through time

 

Come join us for a fun voyage through the cube space and boldly go where no MDX presentation has gone before.

FEEDBACK

Is the topic about MDX or DAX? Just got a little bit confused. The abstract states what will be discussed and what the analogy comes from. About the level, it may be better to be at level 100 since it is an introduction of MDX.

 

Getting Started with SSAS Extended Events (LIGHTNING TALK – SELECTED)

ABSTRACT

With SQL Server Profiler on its way to retirement, our friends on the relational database side of the house have already been taking great advantage of the power of Extended Events (XE). There is a lot of great info out there for using XE against the database engine. For Analysis Services, there is a lot less.

 

This Lightning Talk will demonstrate how easy it is to get started very quickly with SSAS XE once you have some basic information.

 

We will demonstrate:

— Creating an SSAS Extended Events Trace which outputs to a .xel file

— Make sure your trace is running via the DISCOVER_TRACES rowset

— Importing the contents of that .xel file into a SQL Server db engine table for analysis

— Deleting the SSAS Extended Events trace

FEEDBACK

Good topic and the abstract explains exactly what the attendee can expect from the session
Great abstract with details on what will be presented and what to expect to learn!
Thanks for the abstract,It’s good to have someone talk on the  power of Extended Events (XEvents) part.

 

Reporting Services Pagination Triple Play (LIGHTNING TALK – NOT SELECTED)

ABSTRACT

The ability to have some control over the pagination of Reporting Services reports has been around a while. But it never hurts to review the fundamentals.

 

This demonstration will cover:

— Basic pagination in Reporting Services using Rectangles (Love these)

— Adding a page name that carries to Excel exports

— Adding a basic Table of Contents to your multi-page report using Bookmarks

— Adding a more dynamic, data driven Table of Contents to your report using Bookmarks and expressions

 

Come on out to this ballgame where we hit on  SSRS pagination with a report about three of the most famous infielders in the history of Baseball.

 

FEEDBACK

Great abstract
Excellent topic that people always ask about in classes
100 demo!
Level appropriate to content
lots to cover in 10 minutes

 

My Takeaways

Given that there seems to be a wide range in terms of quality and quantity provided to speakers, I have to say that I feel I made out pretty well here. I am pretty happy with both the quantity and quality here.

I am a little puzzled about the confusion over whether my MDX session is on MDX or DAX. And I think MDX is complex enough that any session on it is at least a 200 level, particularly given that almost everyone learns TSQL first and must “unlearn” some things in order to grasp MDX.

Given that the Keeping the “Business” in Business Intelligence is about concepts and ideas, and not technology, I am not sure how I could add demo to it that would not be contrived in an attempt just to say there was some demo.

Overall, I am pretty happy with this feedback and glad PASS made the decision to make it available.

Thanks.

PASS Business Analytics Conference 2014 Recap

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BadgeWow. That was quite a few days I had in San Jose last week. Since you follow my blog with rapt joy, you no doubt have already read my two Live Blogs of the keynote addresses. As you can see, there was a lot of great info flowing. It was really fun to participate in that flow and help people who could not be there to share in some of the experience. I actually enjoy the pressure of blogging something live and it is gratifying that people keep telling me how much they like it when I do.

A few people have commented on the nature of my live blog posts, how they auto-update themselves without the reader having to refresh. The key for me is a free WordPress plugin called Live Blogging. You can find info about it here. It is out of date now, but I like it so much that I will keep using it as long as I am able.

The overall pressure was a bit less for me this year since I was not speaking. I actually wasn’t expecting to go at all until a few things fell into place just right about a month ago. In addition to the missing Speaker ribbon this year, I was happy to wear a different ribbon for the first time. Do you see which one I mean? You found it. Yes. I am a Diva. I wore that proudly. It started some conversations, as I expected it would. Mission accomplished. Conversations, after all, are a HUGE part of what makes conferences like this so valuable. Networking and connecting with people is essential. I don’t really consider myself a Diva. But it did fit my Purple ribbon theme this year.

Last year, my PASS Business Analytics Conference Recap focused on stepping out of my comfort zone and the ROI involved with doing so. This year, the theme of my Recap is on Sharing. PASS marketing for events often includes the slogan: Connect. Share. Learn. That is really what we do at these events. The more I think about it, though, the more I see that Share is at the center of all of it (literally, too, for those paying attention). When we Connect with others, it involves Sharing something of ourselves. When we Learn, that involves someone sharing their knowledge with others. In the age of social media, a massive number of people share so much information with others, including what their lunch looked like, where they are now, where they are going, who they are with, where they want to be, which Lord of the Rings character they are, and “It’s Complicated.”

Sharing is at the root of so much that is happening today. We are sharing more within our organizations with the rather new Enterprise Social movement with Lync and Yammer and other similar technologies. We are sharing our passion for coding with the next generation with Reshma Saujani’s Girls Who Code and Lynn Langit’s Teaching Kids Programming. We are sharing our treasure to support interesting projects via Kickstarter. We are sharing our data and insights more effectively with Power BI (I couldn’t resist. I’m a BI guy after all). With the Self-Serve BI movement in general, BI professionals like me are sharing the experience of enabling others to explore data with an ever larger group of people. So many of today’s tools and technologies revolve around making insights easier to get. Why should the CXO be the only one with access to interesting data about our organizations? Why not share it with people at all levels that can make better decisions via that data? We are proving more and more that sharing what we have does not make us weaker, it makes us stronger. It is such an exciting time to be working with Data during what can easily be called a Renaissance in that respect.

Data is everywhere. It permeates (wow, fancy word, eh?) our society in ways you may not think about. We are learning more and more, as well, that it is not just THAT we share Data, but HOW we share it that makes a big difference. I was ECSTATIC to see the mighty Data Visualization expert David McCandless (Website|Twitter) was delivering a keynote. There is SO MUCH bad data viz out there. So many people LYING to us by presenting what might otherwise be good data in a way that is intended to mislead. It is not going to get better until we learn to see through it and the people LYING with data, who rely on our ignorance, see that ignorance evaporate. It is not just those extreme cases, though. There are so many people with great intentions who try to share data effectively but just don’t know how. Often, they mistakenly obscure the meaning of data with something shiny. They don’t realize that it is the DATA that should POP, not the shiny. Data Visualization is an area that I am just digging into. I find it exciting and strewn (another fancy word) with possibilities.

We teach our children to share at school, at home, at the park, at parties, etc. We, as adults, are getting back into sharing. And, by sharing data, we get back into another activity from childhood: play. Just as children learn through play, so too do we, as data professionals, learn through playing with Data. It is through play that we can find the patterns and relationships we didn’t know where there. As David McCandless said, “There is so much data in the world, what else can you do but play with it?”

I have said it before, and I will say it again: events like the PASS Business Analytics Conference are an amazing opportunity. If you have never been to a conference like that, or a SQL Saturday, I implore you to make every effort to try it. I have NEVER been disappointed that I attended a conference. Ever. I have gotten something valuable out of each and every one. I have one last piece of advice to share: Go find something you are passionate about. Connect with others in your community. Share your passion with them. Learn together. Repeat.

I know that was more than one. But, hey. It’s my blog. I’ll do what I want. 🙂

<mic drop>

Looking Forward to the PASS Business Analytics Conference

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Next week, I have the great privilege to attend the PASS Business Analytics Conference in San Jose, CA. This is actually a bit of a surprise since the pieces only fell into place a few weeks ago for my being able to go.

I have been given the opportunity to be part of the Blogger Core again this year and will be Live Blogging the Keynotes. I will also be spending a fair amount of time in the PASS Community Zone chatting about PASS, BI, Data, Star Trek, Star Wars, Dr. Who, and Firefly. And Spenser For Hire, if anyone is interested. Remember that show? It was awesome.

I wanted to take a moment to share some of the things I am really excited about. These are in no particular order and this is certainly not everything.

1.

I have never been to California, so it will add another US State to my list of “Been There.”

2.

Day 1 Keynote by Amir Netz (Twitter) and Kamal Hathi (Twitter) of Microsoft. These gentlemen are both brilliant and great speakers. I actually had the honor to sit down with Kamal for an interview at the 2013 PASS Summit in Charlotte, NC. That was a great experience.

3.

Day 2 Keynote by Data Visualization expert David McCandless (Website|Twitter). I consider myself a student of data visualization. The field fascinates me and I am excited to keep learning more.

4.

Panel: Has Big Data Killed the EDW? This session is a panel discussion with five speakers for whom I have immense respect:

Joseph D’Antoni (Blog|Twitter)

Josh Fennessy (Blog|Twitter)

Karen Lopez (Blog|Twitter)

Lynn Langit (Blog|Twitter)

Stacia Misner (Blog|Twitter)

There is just so much hype around Big Data. And whenever anything new comes along, there always has to be people screaming about some other thing that has to be “dying” because of it. I am looking forward to hearing the views of these excellent data professionals.

5.

DAX From the Field: Real-World Case Studies This session, by DAX expert Alberto Ferrari (Blog|Twitter) looks really exciting. I have to come out and say it: I love DAX. I really do. And I fully realize that my DAX needs improving if I want to keep taking my skills forward. This session by Alberto will be a great way to do that.

6.

Health Analytics: Quality and Effectiveness of Healthcare With Power BI Tom Lawry (Blog|Twitter) is the Director, Worldwide Health for Microsoft. This looks to be a great session as it combines Healthcare AND Power BI. There is just so much happening in the Healthcare industry as it related to data and BI. I’m love the tools in Power BI. This session has Awesome written all over it.

7.

Business Intelligence Transformed Our Finance Department This looks to be an outstanding session by Gremeen Foundation Senior Business Manager Jason Hahn (Twitter) and Marc Reguera (YouTube Channel|Twitter) of Microsoft Finance. I have viewed many of Marc’s Microsoft BI YouTube videos and they are great real-world examples.

8.

A Master Data Management Case Study: MDS and DQS The concepts involved in Master Data Management are so important to successful BI. This session from the mighty Josh Fennessy (Blog|Twitter) looks to be jam packed with great information from his experience.

9.

SQLFamily There are so many friends I have made through PASS events like the Summit, BA Conference, and SQL Saturdays. And often, it is only at these events that I get to see some of these friends. That is one of my favorite aspects of going to events like this. The People are AWESOME.

That wraps it up for now. If you are attending the BA Conference, I would love to meet you.

2014 Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for SQL Server

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So… This happened:

Dear Mark Vaillancourt,
Congratulations! We are pleased to present you with the 2014 Microsoft® MVP Award! This award is given to exceptional technical community leaders who actively share their high quality, real world expertise with others. We appreciate your outstanding contributions in SQL Server technical communities during the past year.

I am so proud to receive this award from Microsoft. I can’t adequately explain how gratifying it is to know that my contributions to the SQL Community are seen as being so valuable as to be recognized by Microsoft.

I need to thank Microsoft as well as the many many fine people in the SQL Community who set an excellent example for how to make an impact. There are too many people to name without risking missing someone.

Holy cow…

New Role: Business Intelligence Enterprise Consultant

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I am delighted to announce that I have taken on a new role at Digineer, the consulting firm I work for and adore.

As the Business Intelligence Enterprise Consultant, I take on responsibilities that align well with my strengths and overall desires. At a high level, my duties are laid out below:

1. I still get to do work for clients, which I really enjoy.

2. I am responsible for helping to drive the overall development of the members of the Information Management (SQL Server) Team. This means that I get to help my teammates continue to grow their skills/careers as it relates to SQL Server and related tools. This is something I LOVE doing anyway, so it fits really well.

3. I am to help Digineer with service offerings and intellectual property related to BI and SQL Server tools in general. This also includes helping to establish best practices and methodologies for use on client projects.

4. I am to help serve as a respected expert/leader in the company as well as the community at large when it comes to BI and SQL Server and related technologies. This is a goal I have long held and continue to strive for. I have to say that, over the past few years, I have made great strides in this area. This also includes volunteering in the community as a speaker, blogger, etc.

I am really excited about this new role. I have been doing many of these things of my own accord for a few years. It is very gratifying to now have them be part of my job description. You hear people talk about organizations growing their own experts instead of hiring out all the time. I am an example of that practice. I started at Digineer 7 years having never used SQL Server before. Digineer enabled me, set me up for success, and got the heck out of the way to let me do it. I count myself very fortunate to work for a company that gets that.

There are so many people in the SQL Community who have served as examples for me over the years. Some of them don’t even know they have inspired me. I do need to list a few people in the SQL Community who have played a huge role in helping me get where I am today.

Lara Rubbelke (Blog|Twitter): Lara was the person who originally hired me at Digineer. She was the Enterprise Consultant at that time while also serving as the overall manager for the Information Management Team. It was Lara that first encouraged me to start Blogging and also got me involved with PASS (Professional Association for SQL Server).

Jason Strate (Blog|Twitter): Jason served as a mentor for me from the moment I started at Digineer. On my first project ever with SQL Server, Jason was my Top-Cover (overall advisor and teacher). Jason eventually became the Enterprise Consultant as well. It was Jason that really pushed me toward presenting and and helped a lot on the blogging front as well.

I wish to say a hearty Thanks to Lara, Jason, Digineer, and to all the members of the #SQLFamily to have helped me in one way or another.

Upcoming Presentations Spring 2014

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It has been a while since I posted a list of upcoming presentations. In fact, some have come and gone without a blog post.

Recent Past:

SQL Saturday #241 Cleveland, OH – February 8, 2014

MDX Trek: First Contact

DANGER: The Art and Science of Presenting

West Michigan SQL Server User Group – February 27, 2014

MDX Trek: First Contact

* I ended up having to cancel this one at the last minute. I am really bummed about that and will discuss lessons learned in a separate post. 😦

Pragmatic Works Free Webinar Series – March 11, 2014

MDX Trek: First Contact

On the Horizon:

 

SQL Saturday #287 Madison, WI – March 29, 2014

DANGER: The Art and Science of Presenting

PASS BI/DW Virtual Chapter – April 2, 2014

MDX Trek: First Contact

Montreal BI User Group – April 16, 2014

MDX Trek: First Contact

SQL Saturday #291 Chicago, IL – April 26, 2014

MDX Trek: First Contact

DANGER: The Art and Science of Presenting

Minnesota SQL Server User Group (PASSMN) – May 20, 2014

Power Query: The Data Chemist’s Laboratory

This is what I have on my schedule so far. I have to say that I am really happy about how often I have been able to speak at events and user groups over the past few years. It is an important part of my career development and I just love doing it.

“Winning” The Power BI Demo Contest

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First things first. According to the official rules, I did not win. My video did not even make it to the Top 15 Semi-Finalists. Not even close. The number of votes I got was laughable compared to others. But it was never about the votes for me. I never really had any illusions of winning the contest. However, this contest had #winning all over the place for me anyway. I shall explain.

#winning : I got to play with some really exciting tools. From Power Query to Power Pivot to Power View to the Power BI Team Site I played with for my demo, I had a total blast.

#winning : Holy crap is Power Query awesome! Even the base options in the tool’s ribbon makes common things really easy. I only dabbled a tiny bit with M (Officially: The Power Query Formula Language), but that was really cool as well. I will certainly be delving more deeply into Power Query and M.

#winning : I went from never having done a video to recording and editing a video I can be proud of. I used Camtasia Studio (got a 30-day free trail) and LOVED that software. I watched about 30 minutes worth of training videos and then went to town. That was a great experience I would love to repeat. One day I shall get my own license and make some videos… ideas are already churning.

NOTE: Techsmith, the maker of Camtasia Studio, has not compensated me in any way for saying these things. I have used their SnagIt software for years and love it. And I loved using Camtasia Studio as well. This is my own honest assessment.

#winning : I feel the need to mention Power Query again.

#winning : I learned my DAX needs some attention. After posting my video, i got a Tweet from the mighty Dan English (Blog|Twitter): “I think all three of your DAX calcs i would have done differently:)” This turned into a little back and forth discussion about how I could have done them differently. And it was not just about the awesome DIVIDE() function that I only remembered after submitting my entry. As such, I have recommitted myself to really digging deeper on this exciting expression language. I want to thank Dan for sparking that again.

NOTE: I beg you not to be afraid of posting your work for fear of embarrassment. The feedback we get from others helps us grow and improve. When I post my work/code, I have learned NEVER to say “This is the BEST way” when I do so. I leave it open to others to provide different suggestions. I sometimes flat out ask for exactly that. This is on purpose and part of what keeps me learning.

#winning : The mighty Paul Turley (Blog|Twitter) included my demo in his list of his favorites. See his Power BI Contest post. That was a great compliment from someone I have long respected.

#winning : More Power Query.

#winning : My entry got 218 views. That is a paltry sum when compared to others, to be sure. But from my perspective, that is 218 people who may not have seen my work otherwise. That is 218 people who may choose to come to a session of mine at a SQL Saturday, PASS Summit, or other event at which I speak. That is 218 people who may not have known I exist before that have now been introduced to me via something I am really proud of.

With the Winter Olympics in Sochi having just gotten under way, I remembered a swimmer in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Eric Moussambani represented Equatorial Guinea in the 100 Meter Freestyle. His two competitors both had false starts and were disqualified. Eric swam alone and put in a time that, while more than double the fastest times for that event, set a national record for Equatorial Guinea. That race, at the Olympic Games, was the first time he had been in an Olympic size swimming pool. When he finished, the crowd cheered like mad. He was interviewed afterward and asked how he felt. He replied, “I’m happy.” Eric’s definition of #winning was different from that of the others. I would encourage you to watch this video about this race and Eric’s #winning attitude. I am not comparing myself to Eric. Rather, I am calling attention to the idea that the only way to really lose is to stop learning and stop having worthwhile experiences.

I really want to encourage you to jump at opportunities like the Power BI Demo Contest. There are great experiences waiting for you. There are great learning opportunities waiting for you. And don’t be afraid to create your own definitions of #winning.

Upcoming Presentations: SQL Saturday #241 Cleveland

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It is with great joy that I announce that I will be presenting at SQL Saturday in Cleveland on February 8th. I have driven through Cleveland before, but never stopped for long. So, this will be my first real visit. Although, if it helps, I used to love to play as the Cleveland Browns in Tecmo Bowl back in my Nintendo days. I will be giving two sessions.

MDX Trek: First Contact

Cube space; the final frontier. In this Star Trek themed introduction to MDX, we will discuss the fundamentals of cube structure and vocabulary, including tuples, members, sets, hierarchies, and more. We will introduce and demonstrate the basic syntax of MDX with queries that include navigating hierarchies and even some time-based expressions. This session will give you the tools you need to write simple, yet meaningful, MDX queries in your own environment.

Session Level: Intermediate

I love this MDX session. I have given it many times over the past few years. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. It turns out that my view of the Cube space is a bit revolutionary. I have heard that writing MDX was like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube in your head. When I first started dealing with MDX, I understood what that meant. But I soon found that it need not be that hard. In this session, before diving into code, I explain my model of looking at the Cube space that is much easier to deal with and understand. The Star Trek theme also keeps this really fun.

DANGER: The Art and Science of Presenting

Is there a great difference in the brain chemistry of someone fleeing a hungry mountain lion and someone presenting to a group of colleagues in a corporate board room? The answer is: NO. Over the past decade, a lot has been learned about the chemistry of the brain and why humans react the way we do to events in our environment. The concept of EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is a compelling and growing concept that applies this knowledge in a set of learnable, improvable skills for leading human beings. While EQ is often applied to corporate leadership, the parallels to presenting are fantastic. This session will explain the basics of EQ and demonstrate how you can apply it to make your presentations better in the following areas:

* Crafting better slide decks
* Preparing yourself for presenting
* Delivering your content
* Dealing with the unexpected

Understanding and practicing the concepts of EQ can make your presentations a better experience for everyone in the room–including you.

Session Level: Beginner

In this session, which I gave at the PASS Summit in Charlotte, I introduce the concepts and skills of Emotional Intelligence as they relate to presenting. This, too, has been incredibly well received and the feedback has been spectacular. Presenting is definitely a strength of mine and this session shows some of the mechanics behind my philosophy. This session can not only help you with presentations and their delivery, but also lays a great foundation for leadership and working with other humans.

I am also excited to announce that Digineer, the consulting firm I work for and adore, is a Gold Sponsor for this SQL Saturday. As such, I will also be giving a shorter presentation during lunch. This presentation, “Keeping The Business In Business Intelligence” lays out our philosophy around BI. While this session will touch a bit on Digineer and who we are, it will also be grounded in solid content for achieving success in Business Intelligence initiatives.

SQL Saturday has been a hugely successful program. I have participated in as many SQL Saturdays as I could over the past several years. You can read about many of my experiences in previous posts on this blog. I have to say that SQL Saturdays have been a hugely important part of my growth in working with SQL Server and related tools. The idea of members of the SQL Community (dubbed SQLFamily with good reason) sharing their expertise with others at free events is just exciting and inspiring. I am proud to be a part of these events. I also consider it part of my own personal mission to help encourage new speakers. If you have questions about speaking (or blogging), please come chat with me. I love helping people get started. The more people we have sharing their knowledge and passion, the stronger a community we are.

PASS Summit 2013 Recap of Madness and Mayhem

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Greetings! Another PASS Summit has come and gone. This was my third Summit and I have to say that I am truly hooked on this spectacular event. I had the privilege to be a bit more involved this year than in years past. I love when I can give some of my time and energy to help out an organization that has been hugely important for me in my career with SQL Server.

I spent much of Tuesday in meetings related to the PASS organization. There was the Regional Mentors meeting, the Chapter Leader meeting, and a chance to sit down with the Canadian Chapter Leaders. As a PASS Regional Mentor for Canada, that was great since I don’t often get the chance to see them in person.Summit 2013 Badge

Since it was already confirmed on Twitter, I would like to say that I will be working with SQL MVP and Winnipeg  SQL Server User Group chapter leader, Mike DeFehr (Blog|Twitter), on planning a SQL Saturday in his fine city. I am hoping I will get to go as well. I have never been involved in running a SQL Saturday and I thought helping Mike would be a great way to fulfill my role as a Regional Mentor and also give me the experience to better help others with their event planning in the future.

PASS invited me to be on the Blogger Core and have a seat at the Bloggers table for the keynotes this year. While it can be challenging to keep up with meaningful things to post while live blogging, I really enjoy it. I always get a lot out of it. You can read those posts at PASS Summit Keynote Live Blog – Day 1 and  PASS Summit Keynote Live Blog – Day 2 respectively.

When PASS invited me to serve on the Blogger Core, they also indicated I would have access to an Interview room. I had never interviewed anyone before, but it seemed like a great opportunity to capitalize on connections I had made at PASS BA Conference, Tech Ed North America, and past PASS events. I decided, with the fast pace of change occurring in Business Intelligence both at Microsoft and in the industry as a whole, that I should try to sit down with prominent Microsoft personnel to talk about their work and the future of Microsoft BI. Being a lowly blogger from Minneapolis, I didn’t expect to get very far, but I had to try. I was astonished at the access I was given. Listed in chronological order of when the interviews took place, I sat down with:

  • Matt Masson (Blog|Twitter), Senior Program Manager for SQL Server Integration Services
  • Kamal Hathi, Director of Program Management for Microsoft Business Intelligence
  • Kasper de Jonge (Blog|Twitter), Program Manager for SQL Server Analysis Services

I know! Right? For real.

Transcribing the audio from these interviews is taking a little time. Each interview will get its own blog post. I hope to have the first one released next week. I have to express my great appreciation to Matt, Kamal, and Kasper for giving of their valuable time to chat with me. I also need to say thanks to Microsoft’s Cindy Gross (Blog|Twitter) for helping with my connection to Kamal Hathi.

I also had the honor of wearing a SPEAKER ribbon on my Summit badge this year. It was my first time speaking at PASS Summit; a career milestone to be sure. I am happy to report my presentation, DANGER: The Art and Science of Presenting, went extremely well. And, despite presenting right after Dr. David DeWitt’s brilliant keynote and being on the other end of the Convention Center, there were very few empty chairs in my room. The feedback I have received so far is all very positive. Thanks to all who chose my session when there were so many great options to choose from.

While I ended up having to miss the public Q&A Session with the PASS Board of Directors, I do have some notes from the private Blogger Q&A with the executive committee. I will prep that for another post.

If you ever get the chance to go to PASS Summit, grab onto it with both hands. There’s nothing like connecting, sharing, and learning with a few thousand of your closest friends to get you jazzed about what you do.

GO