Tag Archives: General

Nice 5 Minute Scrum Overview

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My project manager has been kicking around the idea of using the Scrum methodology for some upcoming data warehouse projects and as such, I decided I better do a little research to figure out how it will apply to me as a developer.  In looking for something on the web to quickly explain the key concepts, I stumbled across this video from Brian and Devin Knight at Pragmatic Works. 

While the video isn’t all inclusive and left me with a lot of questions, I think it did a good job of illustrating the basics – not just in academic terms, but in a real life scenario that I was able to apply to my current situation.

Definitely worth the 5 minutes…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUsDZ4CBu6I

Knight’s 24-Hour Trainer, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Integration Services – Book Review

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As part of a recent job transition, I found myself needing to quickly come up to speed with the basics of SSIS 2008.  In searching out a good tutorial to help me get back up to speed with the current technology, I quickly settled on Knight’s 24 Hour Trainer as a book that would meet my needs for a few different reasons.

  1. I was already familiar with Brian & Devin Knight from, well, everywhere.  Seriously, if you are at all interested in learning SSIS or the SQL Server BI stack, you can’t avoid these guys – not that you’d want too.  From BIDN to SQLServerCentral to PragmaticWorks these two are everywhere and well respected.
  2. The book seemed to cover all the basics of SSIS from A to Z in a thorough manner without overkill.
  3. Training videos are included on DVD for each lesson in the book.
  4. At $30 bucks on Amazon, the price is right.

What this Book is

If you are looking for a basic introduction to SSIS, this is your book.  It will walk you through the steps of installing Microsoft Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) and take you all the way to creating, configuring, and deploying SSIS packages for a data warehouse.  The book touches on most all of the major transformations, sources, and destinations within SSIS.  The book also helps guide you towards best practices and using the correct tool for the correct purpose. 

Along with all of this, the book is able to guide you in a very systematic, structured approach to learning.  If you start at the beginning of the book and work your way through it, you will find that each lesson builds on prior lessons.  Additionally, the projects get more and more complex and involved as you progress.  While this is not a revolutionary learning model, it is well executed in this book and serves its purpose well.

What this Book is NOT

Do not buy this book if you are looking for an all inclusive reference for SSIS.  While it covers most of the major topics for SSIS, it would not serve you well as a development reference book. If you are looking for a solid SSIS reference, you’d be much better served buying a book like Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Integration Services also co-authored by Brian Knight.

Finally, the end

I would highly recommend this book as a quick alternative to a basic  SSIS course.  There are loads of hands on examples, it’s laid out very well, and it does a great job of covering the fundamentals of SSIS.  If you are new to the Microsoft BI stack, looking to quickly study up on SSIS, you will enjoy this great resource.

I’ll Tri Anything…

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Sorry it has been so long since I’ve updated. I’ll try to keep everyone up to date a little better from now on, but we’ll see how it goes – I’m not making any promises of daily (or even weekly) posts. I’ll do the best I can!

Today started the first week of a 39 week triathlon training program that I’m using to get in shape for next spring/summer and the triathlon season. Hopefully if everything goes as planned, I’ll update my training here, once a week.

If you are interested, you can look at the training plan here. Monday’s (like today) are a day off – great way to start! Tomorrow is a swim day.

In the end, there are a few little nagging details I need to work out before I have an actual race. For example, I don’t have a bike suitable for a triathlon. I have a bike, actually a really good bike, but it’s one of those “comfort” style bikes. Great for hauling the kids around in the bike trailer and pedaling around the local parks, but I think the 2 inch wide tires and 30 pounds of bike would slow me down a bit in a triathlon. So, with that, if you have – or know anyone that has – a good road bike they’d like to lend me for next spring and summer let me know!

Another detail I need to figure out is what races I’m going to do. I’d like to do the North Mankato triathlon in June, but other than that I’m pretty open to anything within a couple hours drive of the Twin Cities. Any advice is welcome – if you’ve raced somewhere and had a good (or bad) experience, let me know!

I’m totally new to the whole triathlon experience and I’m looking forward to everything it has to offer. From what I can tell so far, this training program will get me in great shape and the constant change of pace will be nice. After only doing running for the last 3 years, getting something different in the mix will be fun!

I’m sure I’ll have more questions and comments as this moves forward. I’ll post them here and I look forward to sharing them with all of you!

Keep running, swimming, and biking!

Aaron