Blog

I’m excited about our two newest syndicated bloggers for the same reason: they promote the community.

Allen Kinsel (Blog – @SQLInsaneO)

Allen herds cats.  Not just any cats, but big, nasty cats that haven’t been declawed.  I’m not talking about his day job, where he works with SQL Server, Sybase, Orace, and DB2 DBAs for a Fortune 1000 company.  No, I’m talking about his crazy volume of work for the Professional Assocation for SQL Server (PASS), including his current Program Committee position.  He’s responsible for getting volunteers to submit Summit sessions, getting other volunteers to judge those sessions, and then build a ginormous calendar that makes the speakers and attendees happy.  I don’t envy him at all, but I thank him tremendously for donating so much of his personal time to accomplish such a difficult task.

Then to top it all off, he blogs too!  Some of his recent posts include:

• Should PASS Release Speaker Evaluations? – should the evaluation scores be made public?  This would be awkward for the low-scoring people (let’s face it, if you’ve got top scores, you’ve got bottom ones) but could help attendees make better decisions on which sessions to sit through.  A comment on this post inspired my recent Rock Stars, Normal People, and You post.
• Allowing Developer Access to SQL Server – how do you give someone just enough permissions to do what they need, and nothing else?  Allen explains the right roles.
• Runaway System Cache Kills SQL – if you’ve ever tried to drag & drop a huge file in Explorer, you might have seen this issue.

Luke Hayler (Blog – @LukeHayler)

I can’t sum up Luke any better than the About page on his blog, which says:

“I have yet to write a book, become a SQL Server MVP, make a million, gain notoriety, build an AC Cobra or restore a 1968 Corvette Stingray. But some day I will. And I will enjoy every minute of doing so.”

Awe. Some.  From a technical perspective, he’s a SQL Server developer in London who works with SSIS and SSRS.  His recent posts include:

• The 24 Hours of PASS – the more people who get out the word about this killer free event, the better!
• CV Tips for Landing an IT Interview – and for you Yanks, a CV is a resume.  Here in America, CV reminds me of a CV joint, a part on the front end of front wheel drive cars that makes a loud clanking noise as it starts to fail.  Been there.
• Creating Subtotals in an SSRS Matrix – Luke does a silent screencast of how to do it.  Somebody get that man some background music!