24 HOP Diary

Much like last time, I decided to keep a running diary of events as the day unfolds, so check back frequently for updates.

I will also be on UStream, you can watch me watching the sessions by going to:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/24-hours-of-pass

The broadcast will get started in just a few minutes…

6:55AM I’m awake, and so are the kids. I have enough time to get the bacon started before the event begins in just over an hour.

7:13AM Slight network issue, my laptop can’t get it going with the WiFi, but the iMac has no trouble making my life easier. Thank you, Mr. Jobs. And the bacon is prepped and ready to be deployed.

7:36AM Prepping the UStream and grabbing my bacon from the oven. Oh, and redirecting people from the overflow session to the actual session.

7:47AM Bacon is done, but I forgot the cracked pepper. Rookie mistake and I’ll blame the rush of activity here at SQLRockstar central.

7:55AM Debating if I should open my work email, or just use the blackberry all day (and night). I’m going to open it up, just in case someone needs my help.

8:28AM This is crazy, about 400 people in the meeting, a handful of which have audio issues (not sure they are using the right version of the LiveMeeting client), I haven’t eaten my bacon yet, and people keep sending me private chat messages. I haven’t been able to interact much on Ustream yet.

8:49AM Starting to get more control over things, we have over 440 people inside this meeting right now.

9:07AM OK, I have had my first slice of bacon for the day and everything is looking good. We are climbing up to 500 people already for this session.

9:13AM Just found out that @AndyLeonard uses schemas. Somewhere, @BrentO is weeping.

9:27AM Andy just posted this quote “You should build as many tables as you need, but no more.” True dat.

1:13PM Forgot I had the diary. Since my last post we have had a LOT of activity including Rushabh not being able to do his session and needing to switch with Jacob at the very last minute. @AdamMachanic just declared tempdb as “the single biggest bottleneck in SQL Server”.

1:32PM Adam just broke the 800 barrier and set a new high water mark for attendees. I’m wondering if we can crack 1,000 today. LiveMeeting will break at 1,250.

2:00PM Adam just finished up a great presentation and topped out at 814 attendees. I’m excited for the next talk as well by Don Vilen.

2:20PM I am very interested in using filtered indexes.

2:29PM So, the DTA can suggest a filtered index, but the missing indexes functionality will not flag them as missing. Great info right there.

2:55PM Don is done, and up next is the Donald, @donalddotfarmer.

3:26PM Donald always has wonderful slides, and great demos. It is clear to me the PowerPivot will be for the power users first, and I am wondering how long before it trickles down to casual users.

4:13PM Don just lays this gem “sometimes the best way to protect data is to never put it in a database.” Agreed, it should be left in various office products like MS Access and Excel, and then store those files inside of Sharepoint.

4:30PM Don Kiely has omnipotent powers over his schemas, or something like that.

5:13PM Maciej is diving into data compression, he just mentioned how vardecimal was introduced with SQL 2005 SP2 and deprecated by the time SQL 2008 RTM came out, setting the record for the shortest lived feature in the history of SQL Server.

6:10PM Jessica just tells us that LOOKUPSET does not mean what you think it means; think ‘lookup’ and ‘set’, not ‘look’ and ‘upset’.

7:48PM Had to drop off to take a phone call but got back in time to swap the audio to Simon’s session. I always enjoy seeing the differences in how T-SQL functions can perform. Liked linked servers, functions are one of those things that can work well in one circumstance and horribly in another and all too often get misused (or abused).

8:24PM Brad always has such great professional advice. I love the fact that he talks about writing down your goals, that is such an important things to do. Getting your thoughts and dreams on paper always make them seem more attainable.

9:24PM Got started a little late, but @kekline is finally in the house to talk about the top ten mistakes in SQL Server. Here’s number one: showing up late for your own presentation.

10:11PM Kevin finished up strong and not Peter Myers is up to talk about PerformancePoint. Which made me realize that Microsoft currently has PerformancePoint, PowerPivot, and PowerPoint. Where’s the PerformancePivot? Or PivotPerformance? My guess is we will see one (or both) of them with SQL11.

11:11PM Shutting things down for a few hours so that my family (including me) can get a little sleep. My streak comes to an end for now. I’ll pick this back up in the morning, should be online for @BrentO.

3:45AM OK, I am back, and just in time to listen to the end of @rob_farley, who stepped in at the very last minute to cover an open spot. Sounds like his presentation was a good one and I am sorry to have missed it live. Here’s hoping I get a chance to meet him at the PASS Summit later this year.

5:13AM Rushabh gave a great overview of Master Data Services and we are now getting an overview of CPU’s from Thomas Grohser. My favorite part so far? That would be when he said “If snapping your finger once a second is memory access, doing it once every 11 days is disk access.” A wonderful way to conceptualize what is happening inside that black box known as a server.

5:46AM Thomas’ phone just rang (at least I think it was his phone) and it reminded me how the US is always behind when it comes to things like polyphonic ringtones.

6:06AM @drsql gets us into the right frame of mind by giving his talk the sub-title of “Things that had the people who designed some of your databases considered then you could be upgrading to sql 2008 r2 without a lot of work”. If you look up the phrase “liquid awesome” you will see that sub-title as one of the definitions.

6:07AM Louis now just claimed that chess is also a pie. This could be the most confusing session I have ever attended and I once listened to Jerry Tarkanian talk to me for 45 minutes about how the best thing you can do for your basketball team is to have an Armenian as your 12th man.

6:26AM Funny, but Louis just described all the ways you don’t want to design a database and he ended up also describing Sharepoint.

6:45AM And now Louis just told us to find a new career. Wait, it might have been just me that needs a new career. Still not sure, but I think there was a double negative in that slide or in his answer. But to cover myself I re-enabled my account on Monster.

7:01AM And we made it to the last session, @BrentO is ready to take us home.

7:06AM Apparently Brent has money to burn, and he smokes cigars by lighting them with hundred-dollar bills. And he names his servers after the stations on Lost.

7:26AM Brent just showed us how to check to make certain that a DBCC CHECKDB has been run against a particular database. I never thought about checking for that, and I am now thinking of a new custom monitor for OpsMgr. But I am also thinking about how I want some pumpkin pie, thanks to @datachick.

7:53AM Brent just showed no fewer than six tips on how to hack into your database server, including “Devious Dave” who created a trigger to delete data after they have left the company. I am thinking Brent is looking for a side job with a security firm.

8:00AM And we’re done, just like that another 24 hours of my life has passed. It seems like only yesterday.