On this page you will find downloads of my presentations that have static material that can be provided.  This includes slide decks and code if applicable.  If you have attended any of my presentations that you don’t see below, then send me an email and I would be more than happy to help you out or provide more information.

Mirroring Start to Finish

Mirroring is not dead! If you don’t have Enterprise Edition, then this is still your tried and true solution.  We’ll cover what mirroring is from start to finish, how it can fit into an HA/DR plan, the rules surrounding its use, configuration via the GUI and T-SQL, as well as how to monitor mirroring. This presentation is designed to walk you through a basic implementation. At the end you will have learned what mirroring is, how it can fit into your environment, what business requirements it solves, and how to configure it.

Slide Deck | Code for Principal | Code for Mirror

Manage your shop with CMS and Policy Based Management

In this SQLRally #3 rated session I will talk about Central Management Server and how it can help you manage a disperse environment. I will also cover what Policy Based Management is and how you can leverage its power to better manage your environment. With PBM we’ll see what it can and cannot do to help you enforce standards in your enterprise. I will demonstrate PBM from creating and evaluating policies to receiving alerts on policy violations.

Slide Deck

Is AlwaysOn the Right High Availability and Disaster Recovery Plan for me?

You need a high availability and disaster recovery solution for your mission critical databases.  SQL Server AlwaysOn can help, but with Windows Clustering, Failover Cluster Instances, and Availability Groups, the choices get confusing and complicated quickly. This session will clear up all the confusion by explaining the various components and exposing all the gotchas.  You will learn how to choose the right level of protection for your environment.  You will walk away with the knowledge and confidence to pick the right solution to give your critical databases a solid high availability and disaster recovery plan.

Slide Deck

How Active Directory Affects SQL Server

If you have ever had a Kerberos or SSPI context error, then you won’t want to miss this session.  SQL Server has a large surface area and Active Directory can influence how SQL Server performs.  I will discuss AD DNS configuration, Group Policy Objects, Kerberos, and how all of them affect your SQL Server.  By the end of the session you’ll have a check list of things to discuss with your domain administrator when you return to work.

Slide Deck

Install an AlwaysOn Failover Cluster and Availability Group

You have decided to install and deploy a Failover Clustered Instance (FCI) and an Availability Group and you don’t know where to start.  This is a complicated architecture with many moving parts (including Windows Clustering) and you are overwhelmed.  How do you install these features?  This session will walk you through a complete AlwaysOn environment where we will install and configure an AlwaysOn FCI and an AlwaysOn Availability Group across 5 nodes.  We will use both the GUI and T-SQL so you know how, why, and when to use each method.

Slide Deck and Code

Backup and Restore Tips and Tricks

Do you need to devise a backup and restore plan to meet the Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of your business?  I’ll show you how to pick the right backup type, method, and recovery model to meet your business needs.  You’ll learn how the network and drive format can have an effect on your backups and avoid the pitfalls that slow down your backup and restore plan.  You’ll also learn how to keep your transaction log from growing uncontrollably while speeding up your backups and restores using the native tools without any added cost!

Slide Deck and Code

Navigating PASS

PASS is a huge organization with a lot of facets and opportunities and you’re looking for some direction on how to find and navigate them.  This session will talk about different ways to get involved in local user groups, virtual chapters, and SQLSaturday.  You’ll learn how to navigate the PASS website to find these free learning opportunities and signup for communications from them.  You’ll also learn how to find volunteer activities and become active in the SQL Server Community.

Slide Deck and Code