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Amazing Presentation by Itzik Ben-Gan

I registered for the Advanced T-SQL Querying & Programming in Microsoft SQL Server 2005 & 2008 at the last minute this morning and I was a little worried that I wasn’t going to be able to get in. Turns out that I had every reason to worry - the presentation room was packed, and with good reason.

Itzik is an amazing presenter. He’s obviously passionate about his job and passionate about writing T-SQL and that comes across in his presentation style - very engaging, very animated, and exceptionally capable of answering any questions that the audience threw at him. I plan on ordering his newest book later this week. He has two more Inside SQL Server 2008 books coming out in 2009 and I cannot recommend them enough to T-SQL developers out there. The new editions promise to have additional chapters giving a solid foundation in relational algebra and set mathematics which can only improve the skills of any database developer or DBA.

After the first question, Itzik remarked ‘There are two types of questions: good questions and excellent questions. A good question is a question that I can answer, an excellent question is answered in another slide in my presentation.’ This set the tone for the presentation, almost every question he was able to answer on his feet and provide amazing, in-depth responses about not just the how but also the why of the problem at hand.

I was able to take something away from every portion of the talk. In some cases, it was confirmation that I’ve been doing the right thing, but I came away knowing the underlying principles of why I should be doing what I’m doing. All-in-all, coming to Seattle was worth it for this session alone.

Data Geeks in Seattle

Today brought some added bonuses, as well. I finally got to meet and chat with Brent Ozar, TJay Belt, Tim Ford (sqlagentman), Tom LaRock (SQLBatman), Louis Davidson (drsql), Blythe Morrow (from PASS, she’s been amazingly helpful getting the Columbus chapter started), and so many other fine people that my head is reeling and I’m glad that we all wear badges at the conference.

Tuesday’s Agenda

Tuesday brings volunteer training where I learn how to keep TJay out of my hallway (we’re both volunteering as ambassadors at the same time) as well as learn more about how I can help out PASS beyond starting a chapter and keeping it alive in Columbus. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to volunteer with PASS as a whole and involve myself in this great organization.

In addition, I’ve volunteered to be a victim in the Quiz Bowl - Tim Ford and Louis Davidson volunteered me while we were waiting for the volunteer bowling event to start, and I happily agreed to embarrass myself in front of my fellow nerds.

If you want to know more, check out Rob Boek’s Google Calendar for PASS for more goings on as they arise. Also, keep an eye on Brent Ozar’s blog for more info, especially since he’s going to very different sessions than I am.

Update: Additional recaps

Both Brent Ozar and Buck Woody have posted recaps of the first day of the conference.