Monday, May 16, 2011 at 3:41PM Mike Walsh over at StraightPath Consulting has a nice post up on how to troubleshoot problems, whether with software or hardware. The hardware in this case being a pickup truck, but the same methodology applies.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 11:36AM I just signed up for SQL Saturday #67 in Chicago! SQL Saturday is a free one-day training event that is put on in cities around the country. There may be a small charge for lunch – $7 in my case. I’m completely comfortable with basic administration of SQL Server but I want to learn more about the internals and be able to quickly resolve weird performance issues. I’m not expecting to get too deep into those topics in one day of free training but I do hope to network with some real SQL pros and get pointed in the right direction.
Unfortunately not all of us work for companies that see the value of investing in their employees, so a fat training budget or professional development plan are not in the cards. I’m left to pay for my training out of my earnings, so Convergence every year isn’t an option. I genuinely enjoy my work, my customers, and most of the people I work with, so I want keep improving my skill set, which requires investing in myself. There are a lot of good free and low cost options for Dynamics GP as well – free virtual conferences at MSDynamicsWorld.com, online training at Partnersource and Customersource, as well as two great books from Mark Polino and Victoria Yudin.
So to all the GP admins out there, I encourage you to check out the SQL Saturday events in your area at the SQL Saturday page here. It’s an excellent option for “sharpening your axe” – and if your employer won’t support you, don’t let that stop you. You may find that demonstrating your commitment to learning and improving will change that in the future. In addition to SQL Saturday check out 24 Hours of PASS at http://www.sqlpass.org/24hours/Spring2011/.
Professional Development, SQL Server