Michael Wall

Becoming a Master

Michael Wall June 10, 2020 0 Comments

I miss working with Kat. She was the one that gave me the tagline that caused me to write the above titled presentation which caused me to move forward with my life. "Novices absorb knowledge like a sponge, intermediates hoard it for themselves, and masters just give it away" (accompanied by the appropriate hand gestures). Kat told me that she was taught that phrase by a former boss of hers. I...

User Groups

Michael Wall June 10, 2020 0 Comments

When I decided that I wanted to get into the "speaker" gig, I went straight for the SQL Saturdays. I wasn't surprised when I was rejected the first time, but the second time I was a little disappointed. At that point, Arnie Rowland, suggested that I start by supporting the local user groups. I took his advice to heart and contacted the Eugene UG as you can see from the top post. It took three...

Business Continuity – having a backup workstation

Michael Wall June 06, 2020 0 Comments

I mentioned this topic briefly when I presented on HA/DR for Pragmatic Works in March during my DBA Madness Series. I got the idea from Randolph West and he said it was fine to mention it during the webinar. Since then, I've got a video "in the can" on the topic and will be posting it on my Videos page once it goes through final edit. I've been reorganizing my office due to lighting issues and...

Business Continuity for June!

Michael Wall June 01, 2020 0 Comments

It's June and it's the beginning of hurricane season! That makes me think about Business Continuity. There's nothing like a hurricane/tornado/flood/pandemic/cat invasion that can really mess up your Business Continuity plans. Have you reviewed all of the plans that keep your business running? Have you partnered with Human Resources to come up with a communication plan? Have you partnered with...

Helping Out

Michael Wall May 31, 2020 0 Comments

Last night I had the pleasure of moderating at #SQLSatBrisbane and helped out Mr. Warwick Rudd (@warwick_rudd) and his hard-working crew make their first virtual SQL Saturday a real success. I'm sure it wasn't easy. I've been on multiple planning teams for SQL Saturdays and I know exactly how hard it is to pull one off. I also have some ideas on how hard it is to make a virtual event work for...

Being a DBA – the long and the short of it

Michael Wall May 26, 2020 0 Comments

Over the years, I've realized that being a DBA is more than just a set of skills. Sure, one needs to have experience in many different specialities, but it's also a mindset, a passion, and a willingness to listen. DBAs are the communicators. No longer are they the ones that hide in the back room waiting for food and requests to be slipped under the door. They have to understand the OS platform...