Tag Archives: SQL Server Training

SQL Server, SQLServerPedia Syndication, Training

SQLMentor: Do you have a mentor?

I’ve been looking for better ways of learning and improving my SQL Server skills. Blogs, BOL, webcasts, and training videos are great learning aids. Having the right tools and method makes a lot of difference. Building a SQL Server VM Playground to put the lessons in practice is a vital part of the learning process.

In The 4-Hour Chef,Timothy Ferriss suggests a recipe for learning any skill, which is pretty much applicable to learning SQL Server:

Deconstruction – What are the minimal learnable units, the LEGO blocks, I should be starting with?

Selection – Which 20% of the blocks should I focus on for 80% or more of the outcome I want?

Sequencing - In what order should I learn the blocks?

Stakes – How do I set up stakes to create real consequences and guarantee I follow the program?

“Where do I start?” is always the first question we ask when we want to learn something new. And the answer to that is the fundamentals – the building blocks.

The same is true with SQL Server. You want to learn how to be great at Performance Tuning? Learn the Database Structure and Index Internals. You want to master Disaster Recovery? Learn the Data Storage and Backup Internals. It’s always going back to the basics.

With a huge system such as SQL Server, learning just the basics alone can still be overwhelming. You need to deconstruct SQL Server into “minimal learnable units”. You have to select and line up what you want to learn in a sequence that aligns to your learning goals.

Sometimes you just know what you want and how to get it. You want to become better at skill x, and you know that getting there would take y and z.

But you can raise the bar one notch.

You can study and learn on your own but wouldn’t it be great if someone can give you guidance and direction – someone that will not only show you the ropes but will also help you find the most effective way of achieving your desired outcome.

Get a mentor who’ll bring out the best in you.

I am currently under the mentorship of Edwin Sarmiento (b | t). He’s doing a great deal of work in helping the SQL Sever Community around the world (check his MVP Profile). This is my first experience having a mentor in learning and building my SQL Server skills. I should have done this sooner.

Wikipedia defines Mentorship this way:

“Mentorship is a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. However, true mentoring is more than just answering occasional questions or providing ad hoc help. It is about an ongoing relationship of learning, dialog, and challenge.”

There are three things to take away from that definition:

Learning – Since your mentor is someone who has “been there, done that”, he exactly knows how to deconstruct the challenges you’re facing based on your strength and weaknesses. A relationship between you and your mentor must therefore be established prior to your mentoring sessions.

Dialog – A line of communication should always be open between you. A good mentor is someone who provides an open channel through which he makes himself accessible at any reasonable time. A constant dialog must be in place to communicate what’s needed on both side.

Challenge – We become better by overcoming challenges. A great mentor provides challenges that are tailored to test our aptitude. Not only that, challenges keep the process interesting. On the mentor’s side, the real challenge for him is not only to help us get closer to our goals but also to make us see our Purpose.

Do you have a mentor?

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SQL Server, Training

Agile way of acquiring SQL Server skills

You probably heard about 7 Days To OLAP by Simon Doubt. It’s Simon’s experiment on learning OLAP during his stay on the PASS Summit. This is a very interesting concept and you should try it. The experiment has four key elements:

  • Focus on one goal
  • Isolation from regular work/life responsibilities
  • Immersion (in SQL Server)
  • Access to Resources (Experts, Community Members, Vendors, Books, etc.)

Go to Simon’s blog and read his 7-day chronicle on this experiment. I love hearing about other people’s self-study method. I’ll surely adopt this ”sprint method” and incorporate it in my self-study effort.

If you remember I wrote SQL Server Training on a Budget which was published on MSSQLTips. In that article I suggested some tips that you can implement to effectively gain SQL Server skills without breaking the bank:

  • Set Your Goals
  • Create Your Study Plans
  • Invest in Tools
  • Set Your Training Hours
  • Get Help

If you adopt these methods and incorporate them in your self-study style, you got yourself an effective approach to learning SQL Server or any technology- agile and lean.

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Career, Training

SQLskills joining Pluralsight is a good news for all

Many can boast that they were trained by Paul and Kimberly Randal at SQLskills. That company is so highly regarded in SQL Server circle that having undergone training with them is considered a great privilege.

Not all of us will have the same privilege of sitting in an Immersion Event class (IE). Finance might not always be the problem. Many just couldn’t attend because of conflict of schedule or any other logistical concern.

However legitimate that reason might be, there’s no real excuse for us for not making ourselves available for such training, specially if it’s available online.

We owe it to ourselves to become better at our craft. That is true regardless of the industry we’re in.

That is why I was stoked to learn that SQLskills is joining forces with Pluralsight to deliver quality training content to SQL Server professionals.

SQLskills is a respected authority in SQL Server training. They are known for their Immersion Events and Microsoft Certified Master Training courses. Paul and Kimberly Randal, the founders, are elites in SQL Server mastery.

When you think of SQLskills training, you think of quality SQL Server training. These phrases are almost interchangeable. I’ve never gone to any IE class. I would want to, but I just don’t have the logistics to make that happen right now.

I’m so glad that, through the Pluralsigt-SQLskills strategic content partnership, I can now equip myself with quality SQL Server knowledge to gain new SQL Server skills to better prepare myself for opportunities down the road.

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