SQLSaturday Richmond 2010

Do you have a neat T-SQL trick that you'd like to show off? Is your idea of a good time figuring out Analysis Services hierarchies? Have you solved world peace using SQL Server? If so, you should submit an abstract to speak at SQLSaturday Richmond!

We are currently accepting speaker submissions. You can submit an abstract by going to the website: http://www.sqlsaturday.com/30/callforspeakers.aspx! Please submit by 12/12/2009.

If you're not interested in wowing people with your extensive SQL ninja skills, we hope you will consider attending this amazing SQLSaturday event first time ever in Richmond, VA. Obligatory marketing blurb with further information below:

Join the Richmond developer community for a free, one-day training for SQL Server professionals, developers, DBAs, and even people who don't know how to spell SQL.

When: January 30, 2010
Where: ECPI College of Technology
4305 Cox Rd
Glen Allen, VA

Admittance to this event is free; all costs are covered by donations and sponsorships. Please Register soon as seating is limited, and let friends and colleagues know about the event. For more information, visit http://www.sqlsaturday.com/ and select “SQLSaturday #30 - Richmond 2010”

I won't be speaking this time around, but I will be there to help things run smoothly! I hope to see all of you there :)

Installing and Configuring SSRS in SharePoint Integrated Mode

To put it bluntly, configuring SQL Server Reporting Services 2005 or 2008 to run in SharePoint integrated mode with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 is a pain in the behind.  The setup of the numerous moving pieces seems to get confused between two sets of configurations, two sets of security, and two sets of databases. (I would get confused with all those pieces too! ;) )  Let's take a look at some highlights of the installation steps and a few warnings that may help you in your environment.

Components
It makes sense that you would need Reporting Services (2005 with SP2 or 2008) and SharePoint (WSS 3.0 or MOSS 2007) in some fashion on your servers.  The secret ingredient to tie everything together is actually an extra add-in that must be installed on your SharePoint server.  This is a free download that can be found here (2005) or here (2008).

Security
Once you have installed all components, you must complete a series of screens in the SharePoint Central Administration tool.  The screens tell SharePoint where the report server resides and sets up the security so that the two pieces can talk to each other.  You need to be sure that you have a user account that has access to both server/databases to facilitate this.

Warning, warning!
Here are a few road bumps that I have run into in the past:

• When you configure your SSRS databases, ensure that you have selected the option to create the database in SharePoint Integrated mode.  Each mode creates its own type of database and never the twain shall meet.
• Once you get your environment set up, make sure Reporting Services reports are stored in the Default zone.  Otherwise, the reports will not render.
• Don't mix your SharePoint and Reporting Services (2005) applications in IIS.  SharePoint should have sole ownership of its virtual, and SSRS's setup should not be disturbed.

Do as I say, not as I do
To install and configure your environment, I highly recommend that you follow the steps in the EXACT order as written in the Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) Installation/Configuration Guide for SharePoint Integration Mode whitepaper.  While this document is written for SSRS 2005, it very closely aligns with the 2008 method as well.  Good luck with your setup!

PASS Community Summit 2009

One of my favorite times of the year is the PASS Community Summit.  It's five jam-packed days of SQL Server sessions by Microsoft employees, MVPs, and the people that you read about in technical books.  It's pre-conference and post-conference workshops on all different levels of topics of SQL Server.  It's a way to meet new people who love to do what you love to do and connect with old friends who you only see once a year.  It's a way to get a job or sell a job.  It's all of this and so much more that I can't even begin to describe.

I'm excited to attend for the third year starting tomorrow.  If you are attending the Summit, I hope you'll come and introduce yourself.  You can find me at one of these locations/times:

Monday, November 2, 2009
4:30pm-6:30pm 
Networking Pre-Con - I'm really excited to learn about the best ways to meet people and meet other people who are interested in the same thing!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009
11:45am-12:45pm
Birds of a Feather Lunch (Expo Hall 4B) - I am hosting a table during lunch on “Is Business Intelligence an Oxymoron?”.  I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can incorporate the business into our data warehouse and delivery design.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
11:30am-1:30pm
Women in Technology Luncheon and Panel Discussion (Room 6BC) - I am one of the panelists discussing “Energizing the Next Generation: Encouraging and Inspiring Young Women to Choose Tech Careers”.

3:00pm-4:15pm
“Adding SSRS Report Bells and Whistles” (Room 612 (165) ) – I am presenting on Reporting Services 2008 design best practices and guidance.

Thursday, November 5, 2009
12:00pm - 12:30pm
Book Signing (South Lobby, across from Summit Bookstore) – I’ll be hanging out by the bookstore as one of the authors of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Integration Services Problem-Design-Solution.  Definitely come by if you have any question about the book!

Of course, I will also be attending sessions and some evening events, so please come and talk to me there instead.  I’m looking forward to attending the best Summit yet.

Fall 2009 Conference Odyssey

As promised, I wanted to let you know about a few events where I'll be in the upcoming weeks. This Saturday (10/17), I'm making the trek up to East Iowa for their SQLSaturday event. They pulled in quite a few great speakers, and they've also invited me to speak on my favorite BI products: SSRS, SSIS, and SSAS! It looks like registration is still open, so if you're in the area, you should definitely sign up, come by, and say hi.

The following week, I am pleased to be speaking at the Charlotte SQL Server User Group on Extract, Transform, and Load your Data Warehouse. I'll be making the drive down (audio book suggestions, anyone?) on Thursday, October 22 to speak that evening. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and seeing some old friends in the area. I'll also be staying over for a soon-to-be-announced event on Friday.

The first week of November, I'll be at the PASS Community Summit. These is my third year attending the conference, second year speaking, and first time as a panelist on the WIT luncheon. This conference is so big and has so much going on that I will give it its own post closer to that time.

The following week is the SharePoint Connections conference. My friend and colleague, Kevin Israel, invited me to deliver a joint preconference workshop entitled SharePoint BI - Building Dazzling Dashboards and Sizzling Scorecards in SharePoint. Can you tell which section will be my part? *coughBIcough* ;) The all-day workshop is on November 9, so I'll be taking the rest of the week to attend some sessions and talk shop with attendees. Please do look me up and introduce yourself!

Rounding out the list is the SharePoint Saturday event in Richmond on November 21. I'm not sure if I'm volunteering or speaking yet, but either way, I will be there! The SharePoint Saturday events have taken off like a rocket, and I'm excited to participate.

That wraps up the current list. I hope to see you at one of the events.

Update: Fixed SQLSaturday date

I'm an Author and Other Sort-Of-But-Not-Completely-Related News

Over the years, I've read several posts similar to this one, and now it's my turn!  At the beginning of this year, I was asked to participate in writing a new SSIS book with co-authors: Erik Veerman, Brian Knight, and Jay Hackney.  After many late nights and just a few cans of Mountain Dew, I'm proud to say that the book has been completed and will be published at the beginning of November.  Please check out: Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Integration Services Problem-Design-Solution.

Along with that exciting news comes an apology for not blogging as much as I would have liked.  Here's a quick recap from the past several months:

• David Giard invited me to do a short video on Integrations Services on his Technology and friends series.
• I had a great conversation with Richard Campbell and Greg Hughes on Reporting Services on RunAs Radio.
• The PASS BI Virtual Chapter had me speak a few times.  I definitely recommend you check out the line up of great speakers/presentations that they have coming up as well!
• I flew to Nashville to participate in the devLink conference with two presentations on SSRS and SSIS.
• I am honored a second time to be re-awarded a Microsoft MVP Award on October 1.  Thank you all for allowing me to come speak at events and share the exciting things I've learned with you.

Also, if you follow me on Twitter, you probably already know a lot of this.  And if you don't follow me on Twitter, why not?

More posts to follow on future events and, of course, some technical content as well!

Sitting on the beach in Pensacola

The SQLSaturday phenomenon is taking over the nation!  I was honored to be selected to give a presentation at the Pensacola event on June 6, 2009 on PerformancePoint Server 2007 M&A (I'm still waiting to hear more information about next version incorporated with SharePoint :))  I had a great time seeing the SQLSaturday crew, old friends, and meeting some new friends!

While I was down in beautiful Pensacola, I was also thrilled to participate in the third episode of the It's All About The Tools TV Show!  I gave a demonstration on the SSIS 2008 data profiling tools - you can check it out here: http://channel9.msdn.com/shows/toolshed/Show-Episode-3-Its-All-About-The-Tools-TV-Show/.  Russ Fustino and Stan Schultes put on a great show that I'm sure you're going to enjoy!

I really enjoy speaking at events and sharing information on data warehousing and the Microsoft business intelligence suite.  I’ll warn you in advance that I prioritize engagements based on the shortest distance to water, sunshine, and community -- and not necessarily in that order :)

SQLTeach Vancouver 2009

On June 8-12, I'll be attending and speaking for the DevTeach/SQLTeach Vancouver conference. I've written about SQLTeach before, and I have to say that it's one of my favorite conferences. It's a small group of attendees with speakers who are some of the biggest names in the field. You really get a great opportunity to learn from and hobnob with speakers such as Peter DeBetta, Bill Graziano, Kevin Kline, Joe Webb, and more! I know I'm looking forward to picking their brains on a few things.

A few highlights of the conference:

• Monday night: Party with Vancouver IT community DevTeach Kickoff party
• Weekend after: Alt.NET event - DevTeach attendees receive a special registration code
• Preconferences: 3 preconferences on Silverlight, F#, and Agile Development
• Keynote: Tim Huckaby will discuss "Your Development Happy Place"

Register soon to get a great deal - the conference is right around the corner. I look forward to seeing you there!