I have no idea if those two items are related or not but I felt it warrants mentioning.
Anyway, this Saturday I will be in South Florida, which is apparently the new name for Miami. No, I don’t know how or why we need to call it “South Florida”, but if they really wanted me to visit more often they would call it “North Cuba, serve me pork sandwiches, cut power to my hotel room every few hours, and give me fantastic healthcare.
I have three (!) sessions lined up for Saturday. That is officially a record for me, I have never done three sessions at one event before. I usually only submit one session for consideration because I don’t like to take away a speaking slot from someone else that needs the chance to speak and grow their presentation skills. Not that I don’t need the same help, I just have many more opportunities than most. I happened to submit two this time, then a third, only had two of those accepted, and then when someone backed out I was asked to step in. So, there you go, you’ll have three chances to hear me go on and on about the topics below:
SQL Server Memory Management
Abstract: Are you suffering from memory issues? Is your SQL Server configured for proper memory management? Attend this session and learn how to best determine if you are suffering from memory pressure, how to resolve issues that result from memory pressure, and how to properly configure your SQL Server to minimize the chance of having memory issues.
What this means: I come across MANY customers and clients that are seeing memory pressure but have little understanding of how a few simple configuration changes can make a big difference when it comes to SQL Server memory management.
Who should attend: Anyone that is running Win2003, 32-bit version, with 4GB of RAM, is expected to be attending this session. And I *know* there are more of you out there than would care to admit to this, just like the masses that are still running SQL 2000. Others that should attend are people who are unfamiliar with terms like VAS and VMM, or how memory pressure can be external or internal.
Monitoring Databases in a Virtual Environment
Abstract: When moving databases to a virtual environment the performance metrics DBAs typically use to troubleshoot performance issues such as O/S metrics, storage configurations, CPU allocation and more become unreliable. DBAs no longer have a clear, reliable view of the factors impacting database performance. Understanding the difference between the physical and virtual server environment adds a new dimension to the DBA tasks. This presentation describes the changes that DBAs need to make in their performance and monitoring practices.
What this means: It means that when you go virtual you have an extra layer of abstraction to investigate as a possible root cause. Failure to do so will cause you to waste time when trying to resolve performance bottlenecks. I will walk you through some performance scenarios as well and help guide you to making better decisions about architecture, design, and resolving issues.
Who should attend: Anyone running SQL Server on VMWare and is still using Task Manager to determine if there is a problem. On second thought, I don’t want you coming, you are probably going to be more trouble than you’re worth. I want people coming that have heard of vSphere, or vCenter, but don’t know the difference, or why they should care about them. I also want people who have extra slices of bacon, since this talk is close to lunchtime.
Waits and Queues and You
Abstract: Many database professional have little to no understanding about how to use wait events as part of an overall performance tuning process. And yet wait events are the secret sauce that many leading experts have been using for years. Attend this talk and you will gain an understanding of the SQLOS execution model, an understanding of how to use DMVs to find out what your queries are waiting for, and why using wait events could be the best thing to happen for your career as a DBA.
What this means: I am going to explain to you how the database engine processes statements in terms of the “running-waiting-runnable” cycle. And I am going to do so by drawing comparisons between the SQLOS and to the most efficient, professional, consistent organization on Earth: the TSA.
Who should attend: Anyone that has never heard of the SQLOS, or has gone through a TSA checkpoint. But only if they don’t ask any questions because I need to make a flight home immediately after finishing this talk.
There you go, see you Saturday, I can’t wait to hear what I will say!
Thomas,
I had read your book DBA Survivor and it was fantastic book. I am implementing most of the ideas you mentioned in the book. I am curious to know if there is a webinar for your SQL Saturday sessions?
I’d love to attend them but I am based in London.
Cheers – DV
I found your lectures invaluable. I am using this morning to tune queries using select * from sys.dm_os_wait_stats . I can’t remember the 5 bottlenecks. Are they
cxpacket
writelog
pageiolatch
async_network_io
locks? I think I have 4 right.
I found the tell me where it hurts web page and created a view in my production database so I can monitor what’s going on. This is an ETL shop so we need parallelism. I set the number of cpu’s to 4 with sp_configure and got an immediate boost in speed. Thanks for all the info. Best presentation i went to all day.
John,
Thanks for coming, glad you found the information useful.