SQL Rally: Business Intelligence Workshop

Just TWO DAYS until the start of SQL Rally!  I’m going to the Business Intelligence Workshop Pre-Con as my first stop.  I’m as excited as a kid on the 1^st day of school!

“Balls”, you say, “Why BI?  Aren’t you a DBA?”

Excellent question Dear Reader.

I’m working on my MCITP: 2008 DBA Certifications and after that I’ll begin work on the DBA developer Certifications.  My goal, for the end of this year, is to have all the pre-qualifications to go for the MCM sometime next year.  So where does BI fit in?

BECOMING MORE INTELLIGENT ABOUT BUSINESS 

Yep I’m a DBA, and it used to be we weren’t so compartmentalized.  It used to be if you were a DBA you were the Developer, the Administrator, and the BI person (and I would bet in some smaller shops that dichotomy probably still exists).  A database, was a database, was a database and that’s all there was to it.  But as the technology has advanced so has the set of skills required to do each job.

I’d like to say I couldn’t Cube my way out of a paper bag.  But this won’t be my first go round with SSAS.  Back in 2008 I had started studying to get my BI certifications for 2005, but life has a way of guiding you and BI was not a place I was supposed to dedicate my focus back then.  I understand the concepts at a 5,000 foot level, but as for applying them I need some work.

So Why BI?  Because our data can tell us a lot of things, and while storing it, maintaining it, and protecting it is important understanding what it can tell us is important as well.  Our data can help us understand trends, patterns, and answers to questions that we might not know existed.  You probably use metrics from your servers to analyze your performance (tracking and trending) .  Well this is doing it with your business data.

KICKING SSAS ONE CUBE AT A TIME

The guys over at Pragmatic Works are the top dogs when it comes to Business Intelligence, and the Pre-Con for SQL Rally get’s you training from not One, not Two, not Three, but FOUR of the top guys in the field today.

Go over to Kendal Van Dyke’s blog  Meet the SQL Rally Pre-Con Presenter’s and read about them, l .  Patrick LeBlanc, Devin Knight, Adam Jorgensen, and Mike Davis are all at the top of this game. 

This is an area where I really want to expand my knowledge and I can’t wait to attend.  I’ll blog about this more in depth on Wednesday night as part of my SQL Rally Day by Day Series. 

I can’t wait get started!  Bring on Wednesday!

Thanks,

Brad