Unless you’ve been under a rock lately (or just really, really busy 😉 you’re probably aware of the MCM program changes, as well as SQLskills new training format, Master Immersion, which takes their former Immersion training a step further, making it even more MCM-focused.
Three of us attended the Boston Immersion event last year (me, Brooke Philpott (blog | twitter), and Aaron Bertrand (blog | twitter)), and so we know firsthand the high quality training it provides. I blogged about the experience here. Now what was already great training has become even better, and if you want to apply it to your quest for MCM certification, you can.
While demonstrating our software, particularly Performance Advisor, over the past several years I’ve made an interesting observation. It’s that a person’s depth of knowledge about SQL Server tends to be proportional to their appreciation for the things our software does. This isn’t a knock on junior level SQL Server professionals because everyone starts somewhere. It’s merely a statement that if you don’t start with an understanding and appreciation of the underlying issues impacting SQL Server performance, then you’ll inherently have less appreciation for why we’re showing certain information, and the fashion in which it’s being shown.
Hey, everyone wants to be understood and appreciated, right? 😉 So this realization is one thing that has led us to increase our support for various “newer” educational events over the past couple of years. From helping to organize a SQLSaturday here in Charlotte, sponsoring other SQLSaturdays, being one of the first U.S.-based companies to support (and attend) SQLBits, to sending 4 people on the inaugural SQLCruise. Now I’m not going to ask you to believe there is no promotional aspect to what we do, of course there is. We have to sell our software to remain viable. But we truly believe in our software – we know it has substantial real world merit, and we know it is quality through and through. We work too hard for it not to be. Just like SQLskills knows their training is the best, because they put everything they are into making it so.
When we heard about the new Master Immersion Events, we couldn’t help but get excited. So much so that we approached Paul Randal (blog | twitter) and Kimberly Tripp (blog | twitter) and asked if there was any way we could be involved. One thing led to another, and I’m proud to announce that we are the exclusive sponsor of the first two Master Immersion events! We are providing a full breakfast and lunch for attendees all week, and some really cool swag! We’re also sending three more SQL Sentry employees through the training.
As I said in my previous post, it doesn’t matter where you lie on the SQL Server skill or experience spectrum, if working with SQL Server represents a significant portion of your job, you will benefit greatly from this training. If this same material was in the hands of lesser instructors this simply would not be the case, but Kimberly and Paul do an incredible job of presenting deep material in an easily digestible, stimulating fashion.
If you can break away for a week in February or March, do it, you won’t regret it. In case you need help justifying it with your boss, spouse, kids, whoever, here are 5 reasons you need to go:
5. It is the best SQL Server training, from the best instructors in the business. Period.
4. It costs no more than a week of run-of-the-mill SQL Server training at your local IT training center… except that Kimberly Tripp, Paul Randal, and Brent Ozar (blog | twitter) will be teaching the class.
3. It will make you better at your job, which may lead to increased job security, pay, and praise from management and peers.
2. It doesn’t last 3 weeks or cost $18,500, and there is no killer pass/fail test at the end of the week.
1. You won’t have to pay for breakfast or lunch since SQL Sentry is picking up the tab!
Believe it or not there are still a few seats left for the Feb 21st class on Internals and Performance, as well as the March 14 class on Performance Tuning. So if you’ve been thinking about it, don’t wait, get going and register now!
Greg is founder and Chief Scientist at SentryOne. He is a Microsoft developer by background and has been working with SQL Server since the mid 90s. He is perpetually engaged in the design and development of SQL Sentry, Plan Explorer and other SentryOne solutions for optimizing performance on the Microsoft Data Platform.
