Fantastic news about the PASS BA Conference!

Award-winning economist and author Dr. Steven D. Levitt – co-author of the best-selling book Freakonomics and its sequel SuperFreakonomics – will keynote at the inaugural PASS Business Analytics Conference in Chicago, April 10-12.

Dr. Levitt will take the stage on Day 2 to share his passion for data and the stories it tells. If you'd like a flavour of his discussion, please take a look at on of his TED talks, which I've taken from the TED site for you to view, so please see below:



What is the  2-day PASS BA Conference? It is a conference, featuring 60+ sessions across 5 topic tracks – will bring together 1,200 business analysts, data scientists, architects, and business analytics/business intelligence practitioners to connect, share, and learn.  I'm hugely proud that I'm speaking.

If you'd like a flavour of it, please join us for our 24 hours of PASS webinars. Held on 30th January, these webinars are not repeats or previews of the PASS BA sessions, but will give you an idea of the speakers and the broad brushstrokes of the Business Analysis oriented content.

I was massively excited about speaking at the PASS BA Conference, and this is just fantastic news - icing on the cake!

You can learn more about the PASS BA Conference at http://passbaconference.com

See you there!
Jen

I'm in the process of installing SharePoint Server 2013 on a VMWare machine, with Windows Server 2008 R2 and SQL Server 2012 Service Pack 1.  After I've installed all the pre-requisites, I start to install the server itself. That's when I get a cute Spanish error message:




In case you need more detail, it says:

Error 1335. El archivo.CAV "Proof.CAB" que se necesita para esta
instalacon esta danado o no se puede usar. Esto puede indicar un error de 
red, un error al leer desde el CD-ROM, o un problema con esta paquete.

Hopefully that's more 'search engine' friendly than the image.

I don't speak Spanish, but I can tell you that it simply means that the VM can't see your CD drive properly. Super easy to fix. All I did, was use the *.ISO file as the CD drive, and you can see how to do this in the image below:


Once you do this, you can proceed to install SharePoint 2013. Good luck!

I've just finished a Herculean effort for the community. I delivered two presentations at SQLLive360, Orlando, Florida... then stepped on a plane for a nine hour flight to London, to deliver a presentation on mobile Business Intelligence at a SQLSanta event that I helped to organise.

Why? Well, I'm not really sure, but I had a blast at both events.

SQLLive360 was an event which delivered four events in one location. Each event focused on SharePoint, Cloud, SQL Server and Visual Studio. The SQLLive360 team, which included my 'go-to' Big Data expert Andrew Brust, were incredibly helpful and worked very hard, and the event was a great success, judging from delegate comments. It was also great to see my SQLfamily: Tom LaRock, Allen White, Edwin Sarmiento, Grant Fritchey,William Pearson, Bradley Ball and finally, it was great to meet Lynn Langit at long last. Lynn's been an inspiration to me for a long time, and it was great to talk with her.

So, then, straight after the Mobile Business Intelligence presentation, it was a mad dash to a town car, which took me to Orlando Airport for a 9 hour flight back to London. Once I arrived at Gatwick, after having had two hours sleep on the plane, I drove my car from London Gatwick Airport to central London, and arrived in time to deliver my presentation for the SQLSanta event in the Microsoft offices in London. Much kudos must go to Dave Ballantyne, Tony Rogerson and Neil Hambly, my partners-in-crime for organising SQLSanta. It was a lot of fun!

In case you'd like a copy of the presentation, please find it below.



Enjoy!


 

Recently, someone asked me for a list of good books, sites and other resources for learning SSAS. Here are my thoughts!

• You're an absolute beginner. What do you do?
• What in-person events can you attend?
• So you've done all these, and want more Analysis Services. What next?  
• My favourite SSAS sites! 

You're an absolute beginner. What do you do?

Start with the Technet Tutorial. Follow it step-by-step. When you're done, then do it again - but this time, don't look at the site to do it! This will help you to see what areas didn't 'stick' the first time.

Take a look at the Microsoft Free e-book collection. Yes, free! Go and take a look! See if anything there will help you.

Try the TechEd webinars. Here is a range of the top ones, from Dandy Weyn  

I'd recommend the Analysis Services team blog for a regular read. 

I'd also spend time on the Professional Association of SQL Server  (SQLPASS) website. If you're not a member, it's free to join, and you can access a wealth of material, from beginners to advanced, delivered by SQL Server experts around the globe - for FREE! How awesome is that?
For example, take a look at their Business Intelligence Virtual Chapter for webinars, downloads and more. Well worth a look!
If you can, I'd think about purchasing the DVDs from the SQLPass Summit. I have had some much value from these DVDs. In fact, I still listen to 2010 Summit sessions, as well as 2011. Therefore, I've had massive value from the Summit DVDs, making it a great investment. 

What in-person events can you attend?

Attend a local SQL Server User Group. These are usually organised by SQLPass volunteers, and you can probably find one near you!   

If you are in Europe, attend SQLBits. No excuses. It has to be done! The UK has a great SQL Server community and this is the longest-standing, largest free European SQL Server community conference. I love this conference - great people, great learning, great community spirit!

If you are in the US - or can travel to the US - go to SQLPass Summit. This is the pinnacle of SQL Server community events in the US, and I regard it as a huge honour to be picked to speak. Like SQLBits,  I love this conference - great people, great learning, great community spirit! Once you attend for your first time, you'll go home and book up for your second visit next year. Seriously. It is *that* good. I'm travelling 5000 miles to attend - there's dedication for you!

If you can't afford to attend SQLPass Summit, but still want free (or nearly free!) in-person training, take a look at the SQLSaturday events that occur across the globe.  Most events are free, but some ask for a contribution towards lunch. In my opinion, this is a great investment of your time.

If you can make Orlando in December, think about attending SQL Live 360. This looks set to be an awesome conference. There are different streams, including SharePoint and Visual Studio. You can register here! 

So you've done all these, and want more Analysis Services. What next? 

Expert Cube Development with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Analysis Services

This book is by Chris Webb, Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari. It's very well written, and it is a great reference and guide from very experienced authors, who will help you to take your SSAS to a deeper level. It is full of practical advice, and will help you to deliver your SSAS cube more professionally.

Chris Webb's blog

Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari blog

 I hope that helps!

Jen

 

 

 

In less than two weeks, I'll be on a flight from London to Seattle to attend the SQLPass Summit at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, WA.  Essentially I will be travelling a round trip of 10,000 miles and seven time zones to be there.  Why would a Scottish girl, born in Kilmarnock and now living in the Home Counties, end up at the SQLPass Summit, I hear you ask?

SQLPass Summit 2012 will be my second Summit, and it already feels like what we Scots call a 'homecoming'. I mean this in the traditional Scottish sense of far-flung people who return to their home - I think, in the US, the word 'homecoming' has lots of different meanings. As a Scot, I see it as a 'trip home' where you belong, a warm place. Summit is s a great place to meet people who are as passionate and excited about SQL Server and data as I am. I love meeting other Business Intelligence specialists, and we often swap 'horror stories' about deployments and projects. There is a real sense of community that happens outside the sessions. 



So, it is worthwhile to attend SQLPass Summit? I'm travelling thousands of miles to do so, giving up my vacation time. This is my second Summit. I'm a 'repeat customer' since I felt at home amongst people who 'get it' about SQL Server. That doesn't mean that everyone is an expert; there are real experts, and 'newbies' who just want to learn. That's why they have a range of sessions from beginners to experts. Further, I think it is impossible to know everything about SQL Server. As a product, it is simply too big now. In version 6.5, maybe. However, there are so many 'veins' to SQL Server, it's possible to wear some 'hats' more comfortably than others. Some of the beginner sessions allow me to learn about new areas of SQL Server that I don't normally get the chance to explore; it allows me to have 'me time' to get the 'skinny' on a topic - otherwise I don't get the chance!

How do you introduce yourself and start chatting to technical people, for example, other SQLPass Summit delegates? It's tough walking up to someone you don't know, in a large conference. I know - I still get very shy when I meet new people. Here's a tip: if you fancy chatting to someone, then just try one of the speakers and/or volunteers. I tend to ask people (a) their name (b) what they love most about the technology and (c) a bit about their role, and how they got there. I try this trick since I'm shy myself, and find it easier to draw someone else to talk than do it myself. At SQLPass Summit, there will be a lot of DBAs, devs, and Business Intelligence people around, so you will probably have shared experiences in doing similar things. One reason I do speak is to overcome my shyness. I think that is has helped to 'manage' shyness better, rather than having it go away.

Saying 'hi' to one of the speakers or volunteers is a great way to start; they will know their way around, and, by definition, the 'speakers' will like to speak! SQLPass Summit is a friendly place, and I hope that people will feel at home there - a 'homecoming' of SQL Server fans.

I have to mention that I'm also speaking - twice! Since Summit is the pinnacle of the US SQL Server scene, I want to emphasise that this is a huge honour and I'm tremendously grateful to have been picked. The speakers all work very hard to try and make sure that the audience learn something.  Here are my topics:

Business Intelligence and Data Visualization in SQL Server 2012 [BID-204]

Mobile Business Intelligence for Everyone, Now! [BID-102]

If you do see me around, please come up and say 'hi'. I can introduce you to other people, and I'm more than happy to share my love of Business Intelligence to anyone who will listen.

If you've any other tips for 'ice breakers', please feel free to post in the comments. I will learn from your feedback, too! Thank you in advance.

See you there!

In partnership with Technitrain, on 21st September, I'll be holding a Data Visualisation in SQL Server 2012 course in Dublin, Ireland. If you'd like more details, please click here to register

Key benefits
This course will enable you to create data visualisations that will help you and your colleagues interpret you data more effectively in Excel and Power View.

The course is being held at BT Training Solutions, Castleriver House, 14/15 Parliament Street, Temple Bar,Dublin 2, Ireland on 21st September. A breakdown of the course can be found here:

9:45   What is data visualisation? Here, we will talk about data visualisation, what is it not, and why is it important? How is it supported in the Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Business Intelligence stack? How does it fit into the latest paradigm shift towards self-service Business Intelligence?

10:00    Finding patterns in the data. You will learn about the cognitive psychology process involved in finding patterns in the data, looking at some of the more well-known data visualisation examples in order to understand the rationale behind designing and creating a data visualisation. We will have an overview of Power View, and some new features in Excel 2010. We will look at the purpose of Power View – and what it isn’t designed to do. This section is intended to provoke discussion with topics such as (a) should a data visualisation be beautiful as well as informative? (b) to 3D, or not to 3D? (c) are pies just for dessert, or can we use them in charts too? (d) data journalism – can it mislead as well as inform? Although this section concentrates on the psychology and human perceptual processes of data visualisation, understanding the ‘why’ of data visualisation will ultimately mean that we become stronger ‘datavizzers’.

11:00     Break
11:15   Getting to Know your Data using Excel and Power View. An essential part of analysis is to know and understand the data. Both applications can be used to explore tabular models. In this session, we will look at how they can be used to explore your data, and when each application is best suited. We will also look at key features of understanding data, such as searching for dirty data, anomalies or inconsistencies.

12:30  Lunch
13:30  Data Visualisations. Using Power View, you will learn about query design and presentation layout in order to create visualisations in Power View. This includes various visualisations such as sparklines, motion charts (as in Hans Rosling’s BBC4 programme, ‘The Joy of Stats’), parallel co-ordinates.

14:45 Break
15:00 Power View in Depth. In this section, we will cover the complexities of displaying multivariate data, and how Power View can help. Here, we look at ways of displaying multivariate data such as parallel co-ordinates and crosstab arrangements of Tufte's 'small multiples'. We will also talk about Power View ‘under the hood’ by tracing its behaviour, and how it initially obtains its schema and metadata information from the source.

16:00 Break
16:15 Dashboards  Putting it all together. Dashboards are more than simply placing a few reports on a page. We will look at the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of implementing Dashboards, KPIs and other visualisations in Excel and Power View.
17:30 Close

I hope to see you there!

• setting up Chapter meetings
• organizing free SQLSaturday events  around the world
• presenting on SQL Server topics
• holding SQL Server webinars - please take a look at the totally free, totally quality 24 hop SQL Server event which is taking place on 20th September
• welcoming new members
• supporting SQL Server 'newbies' with questions and advice during User Groups
• participating as Ambassadors at PASS Summit
• reviewing session abstracts for events
• updating the SQLPass website so we can all take advantage of the free online SQL training
• keeping us all informed about upcoming elections
• sitting on the Board of Directors

.. the list of the different opportunities is long, and means that there is something for everyone who wants to know more about SQL Server, and perhaps share their expertise too!

Before I go, here is the awesome logo which I'm now delighted to display on my blog!



Yours as always,
Jen