This week on Sunday January 28th was Data Privacy Day. Here are my thoughts about digital privacy in 2018.
My Project: Wired House for Ethernet Cat 6
Last year I completed a project in my house to wire most of it with cat 6 Ethernet cable. See how I did it with lots of pictures.
Achievement Unlocked: MCSA SQL 2016 Database Development
This week I accomplished something to continue my education. I obtained my MCSA in SQL Server 2016 Database Development!
UPDATE: I told you the who, what, when, and why but not the how. Added a new section below.
T-SQL Tuesday #97 – Setting Learning Goals for 2018
The topic for this months T-SQL Tuesday #97 (hosted by Malathi Mahadevan Blog/Twitter) is:
Setting Learning Goals for 2018
I like to think of year end goal setting in terms of inhaling and exhaling. Reflecting back on the year and planning ahead for the next year is exciting to me. I think a lot about these things – sometimes too much. Like breathing there is a balance between thinking about something and taking action to do it.
Let’s see about a healthy balance by looking first at 2017 then ahead to 2018.
Knowledge Based Authentication and Data Breaches – Your Security Questions Are Belong to Us
Troy Hunt recently testified before the US Congress about Data Breaches. The focus was how data breaches affect knowledge based authentication. Identity verification in a post breach world is more challenging than ever.
His testimony is available on his blog. It is worth a read – I’ll wait here until you return.
You can watch the hearing on YouTube. (1.5 hours)
Much of his talk comes from his experience running a website tracking data breaches. If you have not already checked your information in Have I Been Pwned take a look. You can have it notify you if your account has been in a data breach.
T-SQL Tuesday #96 – Inspire to Make a Difference
The topic for this months T-SQL Tuesday #96 (hosted by Ewald Cress Blog/Twitter) is:
Who inspires you in the data community?
Inspire means to motivate or move to action. To many, the word conjures up images of fun, happiness, and cajoling to leisure time. That’s not what I think of when I look at those who have motivated me and impacted my career. Inspire involves both good and bad experiences.
I’m not saying that you need bad times to learn good lessons – there are more desirable ways – but they can work. To be fair, I consider both in my experiences and how they’ve impacted me for the better. Stay with me as I’m going to take a different angle on this.
Irregular Identifiers – Be Aware of Surprises
Surprises exist in SQL Server. There are “gotchas” to be aware of. One thing that can trip up your code is how tables, indexes, and other objects are named. They’re called identifiers. If you step outside the bound of a regular identifier then you must be careful how it is referenced.
For example adding a datetimestamp suffix to a table – let’s see how this can cause trouble.
Blogiversary #1 – Blogging is a Ladder
Last month marked the 1 year point for my blog. It’s been quite the year of blogging! I wrote 21 posts over the 12 months. It is a little less than I thought I’d post but I’ve learned a lot on the way.
Here’s a quick recap of my 1st year:
I’m Speaking – SQL Saturday Charlotte!
On Saturday October 14 I’ll be speaking at SQL Saturday Charlotte. I’m excited to be presenting a lively session about Environmental SQL Server Troubleshooting. If you want a preview you can check out some of my previous posts:
- Microsoft SQL Server Environmental Checks
- SQL Server Environmental Diagnostics Guide
- SQL Server Environmental Diagnostics Guide – Windows Server
- SQL Server Environmental Diagnostics Guide – VMware
There are about 45 different sessions scheduled ranging from beginner to advanced – something for everyone.
Drive – Your Motivation at Work is Calling
What Moves You?
Motivation is what moves us to action. What motivates you at work? For some it is pay, others prestige, and others a wide array of things: recognition, seeing results, making a difference, working with interesting people, etc. Sometimes you need to get motivated – this article is for exactly that.