What I actually do at Microsoft
I started working at Microsoft in January 2022. I enjoy it. I even wrote a stream-of-consciousness post about it last year. A significant part of our job in the Database Docs team, is to resolve…
You should be running on SQL Server 2022
It’s me again with my apparently semi-annual blog post. This time we’re going to talk about which version of SQL Server you should be on, now that we’re at the end of 2023. Which version…
On being a woman and a data professional
This is a list of links, in no particular order, that you should read in no particular order. But read all of the words at the end of these links. This is just ten minutes’…
Deadline for Microsoft MVP contributions is 20 March 2023
Since changing to the new MVP renewal model, Microsoft MVPs have had until 31 March each year to provide the list of their annual contributions. For 2023, the deadline has been brought forward to 20…
Winding down
Normally I write these posts on a Friday evening. Sometimes it’s later than that, but always before Monday so that my editor can give it some attention before I publish. On Friday though, I spent…
On bias
Last week saw the second month of my employment at Microsoft. I admit that I’m enjoying my job, and I can’t deny that the reduced amount of time I’ve spent on social media has helped.…
Checking accessibility in your day-to-day work
Last year I wrote a series of posts about accessibility as it relates to presentations, and one aspect which I didn’t cover is within the documents themselves. We create slides with wonderful typeface choices, clear…
Database Projects 101 in Azure Data Studio (Calgary Data User Group)
On Wednesday February 23rd, 2022, the Calgary Data User Group will be hosting our first user group session of the year, featuring Warwick Rudd. The topic is an introduction to Database Projects in Azure Data…
Join me in Germany in June
I have been selected to speak at the DataGrillen conference later this year. I will be presenting my session How Does SQL Server Store That Data Type?, which I debuted during last year’s EightKB online conference. This…
A new chapter begins
In 2012 when I originally founded Born SQL, I never imagined I would find myself a five-time recipient of the Microsoft Data Platform MVP award, let alone be offered a job to work for Microsoft alongside…
One year later: my look back on the PASS organization
My good friend and talented singer Rob Volk reminded me recently that I had promised to write about my involvement with PASS at the end of its life, and I remember saying out of respect that…
And that’s a wrap
It’s the final week of 2021, a year that was both twice as long and half the length of 2020. If you can, please make sure you are vaccinated and boosted. It doesn’t prevent infection,…
Calgary Data User Group: Big Data Clusters with Bob Pusateri
This is one of those shameless plugs I’m allowed to do from time to time to promote my user group here in Calgary. Tonight, starting 5pm Mountain time, Bob Pusateri (blog | Twitter) will be…
Join me next week at my first GroupBy session
2021 has been the year people want to learn about Temporal Tables, it seems. Not only am I speaking at the SQL Trail conference next week, but I was also selected to speak at the…
Join me at SQL Trail 2021 to hear the next thing about Temporal Tables
I’ve had the privilege of presenting all over the world about temporal tables in SQL Server including the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. The theme of the session has always been Back to…