I have to admit, I felt a bit like I did during my senior year of high school when I read the words, “You have been ACCEPTED to speak at SQL Saturday #150 Baton Rouge!” This is my first time submitting a session to a “real” event… previously I’ve spoken in front of coworkers at the office, and my own local Pensacola SQL Server Users Group. But a rare opportunity and gumption crossed streams, and my brain decided this was the right time to take the next bold step.
My session, Developer vs DBA: Can They Coexist? is scheduled just after lunch, and a fed audience is less likely to fall asleep or run out. I don’t expect a kumbaya-singing campfire, but if I do my job well, a few in the audience will leave a step closer to understanding why DBAs restrict developer activity in production, and why developers really do want to just get into production and fix stuff – immediately, and how with planning and communication the two sides can coexist without a policy of Mutually Assured Destruction. I will also discuss some big mistakes I’ve made, and pitfalls that I’ve run into, because the road from Wild West to Seamless Integration is never complete, and never, ever a straight line.
The full schedule is available to view here, and I recommend planning well ahead because there are ELEVEN TRACKS! I have enough trouble deciding what to order on a prix fixe menu. It’ll take me a week to plan out my route on August 4. I also really, really hope we’ll be using the Guidebook app and have live tweets of any schedule changes. I’ve been to conferences with 8-10 tracks… speakers cancel, schedule shifts happen, and the attendees only know how confusing or organized an event was, meaning the organizers have to work a lot harder to keep each change seamless. I may offer to volunteer in some capacity (i.e. room monitor/proctor) but I’ve recently volunteered at Birmingham and organized Pensacola, so I intend to be a little more selfish for this one.
If you have questions about my session, or recommended content, leave a comment here. I’m open to including your influence in my first presentation.
Thanks to William Assaf and the Baton Rouge SQL Server User Group for selecting me!