About Me
Brent Ozar
I’m a 35-year old guy who works from home in Chicago, Illinois as a Microsoft SQL Server expert for Quest Software.
I’m one of the authors of Professional SQL Server 2008 Internals and Troubleshooting.
I’ve got a wonderful girlfriend named Erika, a beautiful Schnauzer mix named Ernie, and a passion for travel.
What I Twitter About
- Microsoft SQL Server news, tips and tricks
- How to use Twitter and how to get started blogging
- But never spam for Quest products, period. I don’t do marketing over Twitter (or here on my blog, for that matter.)
What I Blog About
Some of my more popular blog posts include:
- Top 10 Reasons I’m Not Following You on Twitter – if you’re following people and they’re not following you back, find out why.
- Best Books for SQL Server DBAs – my recommendations for getting trained.
- SQL Server Perfmon Counter Tips – a tutorial on how to use Performance Monitor to gather information about your database servers.
- Top 10 Questions to Ask Before Taking an IT Job – make sure you don’t get on board a sinking ship.
- SQL Server Installation Best Practices – configuring service accounts, drive config, partition alignment, and more.
- SQL Server Backup Best Practices – learn these before it’s crash time and your rear is on the line.
If you like the sound of those, you can sign up for email delivery of my new blog posts. They come out a couple of times a week, and I never send spam. I do work for Quest, but this email database is totally separate, and I don’t write promo pieces about Quest products. (Well, I don’t blog them HERE, but I do write ‘em, heh.)
I also record a SQL Server video podcast over at SQLServerPedia, which is also free. I know, right? All this free SQL Server training? For real? I’m lookin’ out for you like that.
Hope you do not mind me asking…how do you have time being a production DBA, writing books, managing this site, twitt and still have a LIFE ? I was told that a production DBA is a 24 hour job, is that right ? And how can you be a production DBA working from home ?
Well, I work a heck of a lot. As I type this, I’m standing in line at the grocery store. When you love what you do, you keep finding more ways to work more hours.
DBA work is very well suited for remote work because DBAs often pass off the hands-on systems administration to the Windows guys.
BrentO, Master
I’m a newbie, and, just ‘tweaked’ my Twitter w/PowerTwitter and now, using tinyurl, i see a link to bity.ly instead of MY tinyurl (that i KNOW isn’t ‘badware’ and yet that’s what powerTwitter is showing and WORSE, on their site where you go on a redirect when you click that message, it’s RISK – DANGER Will Robinson DANGER…
WTF, over? is it just a competitor for tinyurl and peeing on them or?
ken @progressivevoip
Yep, Bit.ly is just one of dozens of URL-shortening companies.
[...] experience. I am speaking of Kevin Kline (twitter, blog, bio) and Brent Ozar (twitter, blog, bio), both of Quest Software, both SQL Server MVPs. I admire Kevin for his dedication to his [...]
BrentO,
It was nice to finally meet you at PASS. Though I did miss out on the bacon!
You too! I love that summit – it’s like a class reunion.
Brent:
We miss you guys and know that you’re enjoying the tropical weather in Chi town. Looks to me like you’re into a lot of new stuff which is a natural progression of everything you’ve been doing up until now–and the co-authorship, what a great thing! Hope you’ll still talk to us when you’re a famous big-wig CEO of your own company.
We got back last week from a 7 day cruise out of Galveston and had a wonderful bottle of wine on the ship, an Austrailian Wolf Blass 2006 Shiraz, cheap and ready to drink, doesn’t even need to breathe. We liked it so much so that we had it 3 nites in a row. If you pick one up pls let us know what you and Erika think of it (and Ernie too.)
What’s Erika up to these days? Is the FAA still on her radar screen?
Harold worked for a year at the CBOT trading bonds before moving on to Boston and then Stockholm. Here’s the web site for his new company that he started up from scratch, http://reztart.se/
When do we get to see you guys??
Happy Holidays, hugs and lots of love….
Hey man! We miss you and Bev too! I can’t believe how fast time is flying by. We ended up canceling the November trip for a few reasons, but I’m hoping we get back down to Houston this year for a visit.
I’ve gotten my hands into all kinds of things, that’s for sure. The book was a total shock – I was unbelievably honored that they’d even ask me to participate. It drained a lot of time, but the more time that passes since the work, the better I feel about it. The book’s about to come out in the next couple of weeks, and I’m pretty psyched.
We miss cruising! We’ve been looking at Alaskan cruises in September. My dad’s always wanted to go on one, so we’re going to surprise him with one this year. (I can say this because he doesn’t read my comments here, hahaha.)
Erika’s still looking to sign back on with the FAA, but it is one heck of a slow-moving process. Some candidates are delayed by as much as a couple/few years before they get the call back again. Erika’s going back to work in the private sector, doing interviews this week.
Happy holidays to you too! Tell Bev & Harold we said hi!