I saw Jason Strate’s (Blog|Twitter) recent call out for the February #Meme15 assignment, “Why and how you use LinkedIn?”, so I figured I’d chime in.

“Why I use LinkedIn?’ Simply put, it is my online resume.  While I try to update an actual resume in MS Word, having my information on LinkedIn allows me one online location where the content is saved.  But in a day and age where job security is not always dependent on what you know, I myself try to keep my MS Word resume up to date, and simply have LinkedIn mirror it.

As far as “How I use LinkedIn”, I’ll take this moment to say that I do not use it to connect to every person I know of or read about or even tried to get a job from.  On that last comment, that means I always decline accepting connections from random recruiters or even other SQL Server Professionals with whom I have never talked to or even corresponded to.  It’s not that I am being an elitist or such; it’s just that if I haven’t talked with you or met you in person, I simply won’t connect.  To me, this ensures my connections are genuine.  Each and every connection made, I feel I have worked with them in some way or another, and usually there’s a back story to relay in regards to that connection.  Whether it’s former co-workers from my days at Humana, to my early SQL Server reports and applications work at WaMu or Citi, to even recent connections via SQL Saturdays or other SQL Server Community events, the people I connect to, I know.

Anyway, that’s my take on Jason Strate’s call for the #Meme15.  There is definitely more to LinkedIn, and opportunities abound within its network of connections.  But for now, this is why and how I use LinkedIn.

My two and a half cents…

Tim Radney (Blog|Twitter:@TRadney), our wonderful and most excellent leader in organizing our SQL Saturday #89 up here in Atlanta, GA, blogged recently about the difficulties involved in organizing such an event.  That blog post can be found here.  What stands out for me and what I feel is important to note is the number of Microsoft MVPs and even Microsoft employees scheduled to speak.  Currently, there are 14 MVPs and 3 MS employees.  And two of them are hosting PreCons!!!  Here’s the awesome list:

• Kevin Boles (Twitter:@TheSQLGuru)
• Jim Christopher (Blog|Twitter:@beefarino)
• Louis Davidson (Blog|Twitter:@drsql)
• Grant Fritchey (Blog|Twitter:@Gfritchey)
• Geoff Hiten (Blog|Twitter:@SQLCraftsman)
• Adam Jorgensen (Blog|Twitter:@Adam_Jorgensen)
• Kevin Kline (Blog|Twitter:@KEKline) <- Also hosting a PreCon!!!
• Teo Lachev (Blog|Twitter:@TLachev)
• Adam Machanic (Blog|Twitter:@AdamMachanic)
• Aaron Nelson (Blog|Twitter:@SQLvariant)
• William E. Pearson III (Blog|Twitter:@Bill_Pearson)
• Mark Tabladillo (Blog|Twitter:@MarkTabNet)
• Mike Walsh (Blog|Twitter:@Mike_Walsh)
• John Welch (Blog|Twitter:@John_Welch) <- Also hosting a PreCon!!!

• Evan Basalik (Blog)
• Jen Underwood (Blog|Twitter:@idigdata)
• Bob Ward (Twitter:@BobWardMS)

I don’t know about other SQL Saturdays, but that is a lot of brain power here.  So be sure to see and meet these fine folks, this coming September!  Be there, or be square!

My two and a half cents!!!…

I’ve seen on Twitter and heard over the grapevine that the SQL Saturday website can be managed a lot better.  Now while that is true, for an extension of PASS, it’s a common look and feel web tool for user groups to host a SQL Saturday event in their backyard.

But here we are now posting the schedule for SQL Saturday #89 to be held in Atlanta, GA on September 17!  Want to see a better view.  Check out the image below, linked to a bigger image.

Better yet, want to check it out in MS Excel?  Well here you go!

So check it out, and make plans to attend!!!

Thanks, and again, just my Two and a Half Cents!!!…

It’s that time of the month again for TSQL2sday, this time around, hosted by Amit Banerjee (Blog|Twitter).  The topic for the twentieth edition: T-SQL Tuesday #20 – T-SQL Best Practices.  Follow the link to see all of the other contributions made by the wonderful Online SQL Server Community, here is my humble contribution.  And many thanks to Adam Machanic (Blog|Twitter) for hosting the very first TSQL2sday event!

In my experiences and in my opinion as a SQL Server Developer, one of the best ways to help manage and mitigate SQL issues is to at least encourage consistent formatting within T-SQL code.  In one of IT shops I used to work for, each project was handled by a different IT resource, whether it was a developer or a DBA or even a Business Analyst who knew how to write T-SQL.  T-SQL would be written, would be deemed to work, and then implemented without question or with little to no peer review.  The process worked and that’s what matters most, right?

Cartoon Image from: http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?SpaghettiCode

Well, when I became a follow up IT resource tasked with Production Support on these processes, it amazed me how much the T-SQL itself was written with no formatting whatsoever.  For the most part, the term ‘spaghetti code’ came to mind when I witnessed T-SQL all garbled up with inconsistent or no formatting.  Ironically, the code would work, but something new was introduced—whether it was new data or new business rules—that now required the T-SQL to be fixed.  And my, did it need fixing.  I recommended using free online tools such as TSQLTidy.com (Blog|Twitter) to quickly clean up any T-SQL that came across that was deemed unreadable.  While I praised TSQLTidy.com to members of my team, only a few took note, and unfortunately for some, promoting better T-SQL formatting became a lost cause.

Spaghetti Code Image, as shown from WikiPedia

So while I encourage consistent formatting in T-SQL code, here is an example of how I would apply good formatting practices that I observed from two different shops.  The first image is just a sample query used against the AdventureWorks database:

Within the script above, there is a lot of inconsistent formatting and code use.  Mind you, the query correctly pulls the desired results, but I would hate to support Production code where the majority of the T-SQL looked like this.  (Actually, I did hate supporting this.)  The point is, if a little effort was done to clean up the script, maintenance and troubleshooting would be much easier for the next IT resource to manage.

So in one shop, I would reformat the query as such:

To clarify what I did, here are some notes with the following image:

1. Use of the TAB value when indenting groups of lines.
2. Use of braces to identify all returned columns from the query, where the name in braces is followed by the equal sign and the value for the returned column.
3. Always aliasing all tables, and all fields appropriately prefixed with the alias.  This is done so that every referenced field can be traced back to which table it is sourced from.
4. Use of the braced returned columns within ORDER BY clauses.

In another shop, I would reformat the code as such:

And again, to clarify what I did, here are some notes with the following image:

1. Instead of returned columns noted by braces, the AS syntax is used consistently with each returned column in a quoted name.
2. Use of a ‘river of white space’ over tabs in order to format the query around a column of spaces.
3. Still, always aliasing all tables, and all fields appropriately prefixed with the alias.  This is done so that every referenced field can be traced back to which table it is sourced from.
4. Use of the quoted returned columns within ORDER BY clauses.

This is by no means a how-to document on the best way to format T-SQL.  If anything, the message is to be consistent with whatever formatting style used by the company.  Check with senior team members and even the DBA team for their recommendation, and follow suit, if only to have a common look for all of the Production T-SQL code.  Sure, it may be a daunting task to re-format everything, but if anything has to be maintained or managed or enhanced, then theirs is your opportunity to clean up the inconsistent code.

As s quick note, here is what TSQLTidy.com will do for us:

So in short, a T-SQL Best Practice: Consistent formatting of T-SQL code.  It’ll save some stress, and it’s not only a best practice, it’s a good practice!

Thanks for reading my TSQL2sday entry!

And as always, just my two and a half cents!  Thanks!

I want you to attend John Welch’s (Blog | Twitter) PreCon “Data Warehousing with SSIS DEEP DIVE” for SQL Saturday #89 Atlanta.  Yes, that’s what I want.  It’s to be held on Friday, September 16, and the details of which are below and can also be found here at the SQL Saturday #89 site.

Now why do I want this? Sure, it’s to be sure we have good number of attendees.  But also, it’s to share with you that as an attendee to John’s PreCon, you’re bound to participate in an engaging and informative day of BI training. I myself had attended one of John’s SQL Saturday session, way back in January this year in Tampa.  I even blogged about here over at BIDN.com. In about an hour, I learned a few things that I captured in the blog that I did not know before. But for a day’s worth of BI, there’s bound to be more. And as mentioned, it’s sure to be engaging and full of information and learning.

Whether you’re new to BI or a seasoned BI veteran, if you’re in the Atlanta area and can make it to Georgia State University (Alpharetta Center) on Friday September 16, please consider John’s PreCon.  At $99 for a full day of training, plus the networking amongst peers and the like, it’s definitely worth the price of admission and more!

Thanks again!  My two and a half cents!!!…

Well, technically, there’s no official NFL Football yet for the fall, but if you’re in tuned in the online SQL Server Community, you may have noticed a fair number of us are filling the social network media with new about this September’s Atlanta SQL Saturday #89.  Details on SQL Saturday in general can be found at SQLSaturday.com, but for those in the Atlanta area or even in the South Eastern United States, we are encouraging you all to come on down (or up) to North Atlanta to the fine campus of Georgia State University on Saturday, September 17.  With three other SQL Saturday events across North America occurring on the same day, your team from Atlanta wants to make sure you all are in the know with what’s happening for SQL Saturday #89!

So again, a number of us have been filling Twitter with messages about Atlanta SQL Saturday, specifically using the hashtag #SQLSat89.  This fine group comprises the organizing committee that’s dedicated to bringing one of the best SQL Saturday events out there.  Team members include the following SQL Server Community notables:

• @TiffanyHeffner – Tiffany Heffner is the awesome BI Resource Manager at Key2 Consulting, the fine company I now work with.  I must say, without her, I would not be where I am today (see my blog post here).

• @Erin_Intellinet – Erin Hicks is the wonderful Director of HR & Recruiting at Intellinet, a management and Microsoft-centric technology consulting firm in the Atlanta area.  At our last meeting, leave it to Erin to make sure we had deliverables and deadlines with all of the many tasks we have to juggle to get SQL Saturday organized and ready for you all.

• @SQLThugette – Kristy Mishra is the excellent DBA for iPartners.net, that designs “’on-demand’ management information and analysis solutions for P&C [insurance] companies”. When not too busy, you can find Kristy tweeting away under the handle @SQLThugette, often referencing the many works of the great Josh Whedon!

• @Datachix1 – Julie Smith is the “way cool” co-worker of mine here at Key2 Consulting. Even before I began working at key2, I met Julie down at SQL Saturday Tampa, back in January 2011.  A friend of mine from Jacksonville and I were both at her session, and he pointed out “Hey Jason, Julie works with Key2… Isn’t that the company you’re talking to?”… Lo and behold, I met Julie, and now I get to work with her in a great company and with a great SQL Saturday Team!

• @Datachix2 – Audrey Hammond, the other great half of DataChix.com is no longer with us at Key2…  Boo.  But she’s doing what she loves working more SQL Server  work versus BI, so she’s in a great place!  (What, you don’t love BI???)  Audrey has been great welcoming me to the Atlanta area, and I must thank her for introducing me to Taco Mac.  PS., I still have laptop-envy for her cool Alienware laptop!

• @SQLvariant – Aaron Nelson.  For many, Aaron needs no introduction.  A master (or perhaps grandmaster) of PowerShell, I did meet Aaron briefly at SQL Saturday Orlando back in October 2010 (which he didn’t remember meeting humble, old me), but I remember him best participating in SQL SmackDown in SQL Saturday Tampa, January 2011.  He’s a great guy, but in a SQL SmackDown, beware the fury of the @SQLvariant!

• @TRadney – Tim Radney, I must say, is the most humble yet most organized leader of our cool Atlanta SQL Saturday team.  Tim has a vision to bring the best SQL Saturday event to all, from speakers to sponsor, and to attendees and volunteers.  Myself and the members above just need to keep up and just supplement the work Tim has before us.  It’ll be great, and I know with Tim as our lead, we’ll have the best Atlanta SQL Saturday, if not one of the coolest SQL Saturdays out there.

So that’s out team.  Don’t be surprised to be called upon by one of these fine folks.  Don’t be surprised to asked to speak, to volunteer, or even just attend.  SQL Saturday is a free event in nature.  But SQL Saturday is also brought to you by great people behind the scenes, as you can see by the list above.  I just hope I too can do my part to bring to you all the best Atlanta SQL Saturday of them all!

Thanks for reading!  As always, just my Two and a Half Cents!

So while I am working with .NET and MS SQL Server today, and while leveraging my TSQL and SQL Server experience, I am tasked to build an application with user functionality to add, remove, and modify data.  I also have to include data logging and workflow rules based on various data states.  I am building SP after SP, and the progress is good.  However, as I work with a more seasoned consultant on my team, I am being reminded that I need to consolidate repeated logic wherever possible.

Why should I do this? Well, of course, for ease of maintenance in the future!  Similar logic is being applied to various areas of the application.  So why repeat code and syntax?  A simple scenario I can share is in deleting and adding data within the application.  Sure, each operation is its own SP, but each makes a change to the log table; rather, each makes the same change to the log table.  So I now need to build one SP to make the log changes, and then call that SP from the delete and add process.  The result: repeated code and logic is simplified into one, reusable code set, that can be used and applied anywhere it is needed.

It’s a difficult lesson at times; I know I got the logic right and all, but I know there’s bound to be a better way.  Until then, I’ll do my best, and continue to improve, as a SQL Server Developer, and ultimately as an MS BI Professional.

I’ll get off my soapbox now…

My two and half cents…

So I am writing this blog post ahead of time, to be published right when I am about to start presenting this actual presentation to the folks at the Jacksonville SQL Server Users Group Meeting.  What I have here is not the presentation, as I need to figure a work around to the 1 MB file limit.  Instead, I have the “Cheat Sheet” that I created specifically for the presentation, which will be handed out at the JaxSSUG Meeting tonight.  In addition to great content presented to the audience, I think presenters ought to think of takeaways that the audience can receive.  So in this case, I present a “Cheat Sheet” of the links presented in the session.  While I applaud any of those taking the time to write notes during the session, here I make it easy for audience members to have a listing of what was covered, in the event they wish to follow up on anything covered in the slide deck.

Slide deck is due later, but for now, here’s the “Cheat Sheet”!!!

The CheatSheet

My two and half cents!!!…

Yes, it’s that time of the month again, and this time, I have something to share!!! Allen Kinsel (Blog|Twitter) is hosting this month’s T-SQL Tuesday event titled “Invitation for T-SQL Tuesday #19 – Disasters & Recovery”. This monthly blog party is the original brainchild of the one and only Adam Machanic (Blog|Twitter), and now it’s time for the 19th installment!

Proper advice for disaster recovery?...

I really don’t have that great of a TSQL Tuesday Disaster and Recovery post that details the how-to’s and what-to-do’s for recovering and restoring a database during DR, nor have I had to manage any other HADR (high availability disaster recovery) situations. I’m sure the experts will weigh in with the correct info out there and such. And no, I am not a Player HADR! (It rhymes with hater, get it?… D’oh! SMH!) … But I do have a quick anecdote relating to disaster recovery that I’d like to share if you’d like to read on!

The definition of a disaster with no recovery?... Maybe…

I am lucky in that I have had work experiences in both large global companies where the employee size was nearly half-a-million and also in small domestic companies where there were nearly 500 employees. The IT needs, and thus the disaster recovery needs I have seen, vary between the two, where in one, each year there was a one month period where DR was actively participated by all development teams along with DBA and Sys Admin teams, and where on the other end, in nearly a two and a half period at another company very much smaller, I never saw DR as a project; however, DR may have been managed by others in IT and I was simply not privy to the DR efforts at the smaller company. With that said, my observation is that one culture viewed DR with the goal of having it in the minds of everyone in IT, and the other not as much for all of IT.

So my anecdote is this… One time around Christmas, I was among the staff at work while much of IT had scheduled their time off during the holiday season. A production process failed, and I was on hand to troubleshoot. It turned out a database failed and had to be restored. DBA resources were called in to act, the database was therefore restored, scheduled jobs on the database were subsequently executed, and deadlines were met in time before Christmas Eve. Case closed, right?… Silent night, holy night, eh?…

A Christmas fail? Perhaps… Oh look! Young Ani Skywalker!!!

Well, the week after Christmas, the business had alerted IT that not everything ran as expected; something was wrong and it looks like some production processes still did not run. We looked at the jobs on the server and all listed on the server ran right before Christmas Eve with no apparent failures. But by now, our SME on the processes was back from vacation, and it was then determined that deployed production jobs from earlier in December were not executed. WTF, right? (I meant Wed, Thur, Fri, for the easily offended out there… hehehe) How could this happen? Every job was accounted for, right?… Well, it turns out that the DBA team restored a backup copy of the database that was taken back in mid-October, and in fact, the scheduled backups that were running were backing up the October backup over and over again. Oh vey.

In the list of big fails, don’t let your story end up like this…

So how does this tie in to Disaster Recovery? Well, while it may be that proper practices like backing up databases are occurring so that in the event of DR, the databases can be restored, it’s also a wise practice to test those backup routinely, and ensure what’s being backed up is what needs to be backed up. I mean, backing for the sake of backing up a database is not the end all of DR practices. Testing those backups should at the least be part of the DR plan! The good news for the IT group is that no heads rolled as luckily the processes were not ‘mission critical’. If it was another database, however, the story may not have ended well. But in relation to Disaster Recovery, odds are, the story is not going to be going well. But with the proper practices in place behind the scenes, the story may end better than not, for all!

More recovery advice from the experts?...

Hope you enjoyed this little piece. As always, see you all around The Net!

My two and a half cents!!!…

The Power of Social Networking within the SQL Server Community

Now a Business Intelligence Consultant for Key2 Consulting out of Atlanta, GA, Jason E Bacani presents his first ever presentation for professional development to his hometown JaxSSUG, where he details his use of the social network to further his career in MS SQL Server technologies. Learn tips and tricks and some tools of the trade to keep tabs with the ever growing knowledge-base that is available within the SQL Server Community.

• Email newsletters?… Check!
• Blogs?… Check!
• Free training resources?… Check!
• Twitter (and how not to be afraid of it)?… Check!
• LinkedIn?… Most definitely, check!

About Jason E Bacani

Jason E Bacani is an accomplished, innovative, and imaginative IT professional and MBA graduate, offering over 15 years’ experience primarily as a T-SQL and SQL Server Developer, specializing in the Microsoft Business Intelligence (BI) stack: SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS), SQL Server Integration Services(SSIS), and SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS). From his Twitter account (@JEBacaniSQLDude), Jason is a “SQL Server Developer, DCU Online PS3 Gamer, Music & Movie Fan, Air Jordan Fan, NBA & MLB Fan, Comics & Star Wars & Star Trek Fan, World Traveller, Splenda fan!” Learn more at About.Me/Jason.E.Bacani!

About.Me/Jason.E.Bacani