T-SQL Tuesday #014 – Resolutions

Since I only recently started blogging (in Nov. 2010), I haven’t yet participated in a T-SQL Tuesday; that is, until now. Jen McCown (blog | twitter) is the host blogger this month and her selected topic is Resolutions! So what better topic to kick off my inaugural T-SQL Tuesday posting as I resolve to:

• Participate in at least 4 T-SQL Tuesday topics in 2011 with a stretch target of 6 (give me a break – I’m new at this! Maybe in 2012 I’ll shoot for all 12 months!)
• Submit presentations to at least two SQLSaturdays (which are not hosted in Houston!)
• Attend at least two SQLSaturday events in 2011 (and yes, I get to count SQLSat57 in Houston on January 29!)
• Post at least 4 times a month to my blog. (I’m hoping this gets easier the more I do it, but I suspect I’ll be my own worst enemy and think my ideas are too lame or not refined enough to post.)
• Lastly, I resolve to keep learning about new features of SQL Server (Denali is coming and there is still SQL 2008 R2 stuff to learn!), increasing my knowledge of existing features, and sharing my learning with the community.

Jen didn’t just ask us to list our resolutions, but to also specify why? Participation in T-SQL Tuesday with the topic pre-selected will challenge me to think, research, and write about themes which I might not otherwise – and who knows where that will lead!  Developing presentations always challenges me as well – I find that I will generally learn more in developing the presentation than I can ever convey to my audience, although I try.  Attending SQLSaturday events helps me to build my network and I get to experience a wider array of presenters than just the monthly local user group meetings and perhaps get more just-in-time training than the yearly PASS Community Summit. Posting to the blog regularly will also be a big challenge for me, but I believe that I have much I can share with the community and have a desire to do so.  The final item is really the first step to the others – keep on learning. What’s the old adage? The day you stop learning is the day you die? I plan to live a very long time!