This is the third in a series of interviews with speakers leading up
to the 2012 PASS Summit which will be held in Seattle from November 6th -
9th. This
interview is with SQL Server MVP Karen Lopez.
Tell us about yourself
I’m a
Senior Project Manager and Architect at InfoAdvisors. I specialize in all things data. I want you to Love Your Data.
Tell us your favorite thing about your PASS session(s)
I love
talking with people about data modeling and database design, especially in the
SQL Server crowd, were the vast majority of people tend to be operational, not
development. So in my first session on
Database Design Throwdown, I get to debate with a DBA about the nuances of
issues in design. In my other session on
Data Model Driven Development, I get to talk about how modeling can help
improve the quality of designs and free up time for production and operational
people to do more good stuff.
Tell us about your first time at PASS Summit
That was
in 2010. I was new not only to the
Summit, but also the PASS community. I
had been active in the online community for a while, so meeting hundreds of
people I already knew was incredible. My
impression of the Summit was that 1) there’s too much to see and do 2) there
are too many people to meet and engage and 3) those two “problems” were amazing
ones to have.
What advice do you have for PASS Summit First Timers?
Don’t
think that the Summit ends with the last session every day. Go to the after events and/or find other
people to socialize with in the evenings and in the morning. Things are going on around the clock. The best thing about attending an in-person
event is the fact that you can spend time with people in the real world.
Feel
free to change sessions if you find the session you are in doesn’t meet your
needs or the speaker is being overly “salesy” PASS does a wonderful job keeping
that to a minimum, which is great. I
also encourage people to attend sessions outside their area of expertise. Learning something new about SQL Server is
one of the best things about being in such a diverse environment. There are so many options available in the
program.
What are your can't-miss PASS sessions?
I’ll be
blogging about this soon, but in summary, I tend to pick speakers over
topics. I find the value I get out of
hearing a great speaker present is worth learning a few new things, too.
Besides sessions, what's on your must-do list at
Summit?
Meeting
people. Sharing stories, pain points,
and successes. My favourite part.
Besides
that, I love chatting with the vendors at the Summit. I’m a strong advocate of vendors being part
of our community. One of my Splendid
Truths about tools is that they impact our decisions and designs much more than
we could ever imagine. By sharing our
success stories, our pain points, our questions with vendors, we have a great
opportunity to help them help us. I chat
with them at their booths, but also at evening events and coffee breaks.
Also,
events like the Summit, SQLSaturdays and usergroups could not happen without
the support of these sponsors. In fact,
I make it a habit of personally thanking each of them for being there and
helping us make this event possible. I
encourage others to do the same.
The PASS
mission is Connect, Share, Learn. For me, that’s what the Summit is all
about. Connecting with others, sharing
what we know and learning more about SQL Server and data management.
How can attendees become involved in the SQL Server
Community and continue their learning throughout the year?
There are so many
options here, too. Join their local SQL
Server user group (My user group is Toronto.sqlpass.org). Start a user group, tweetup, event. Join Twitter and chat with other data
professionals. Attend training, both
formal and informal. Read blogs. Blog
yourself. Attend a PASS Virtual Chapter webinar. Attend the PASS Summit and other PASS
events.
The great thing about the SQL Server Community
is that there are so many options.
