SQL University Faculty
Thanks for following along with SQL University! I’m proud to introduce our illustrious lineup of instructors. Each professor is available for contact via their blog or Twitter so please feel free to reach out to any one of us if you have any questions. Also please use their posts as place to post questions and discussions.
Chancellor
I’m an MCTS (SQL Server 2005) living and working in Tampa, Florida with my beautiful wife, dog and three cats. I currently work as a SQL DBA and system administrator for University Community Hospital. In addition to being a member of the Tampa SQL Server, Tampa SQL Server Business Intelligence, and VMware user groups I am also a Hypervisor for the PASS Virtualization Virtual Chapter and also manage the PASS Professional Development Virtual Chapter. I’ve also co-authored “Pro SQL Server 2008 Policy-Based Management” from Apress.
Dean
A SQL practitioner for over 18 years, specializing in performance & tuning of servers and T-SQL. I am the Redgate ’2009 Exceptional DBA’. I have developed a passion for SSIS and continue to push the limits of that tool. I’ve given numerous presentations for PASS App Dev. Virtual Chapter and written for Simple-Talk.
Professors
Adam Machanic is a Boston-based independent database consultant, writer, and speaker. He has been involved in dozens of SQL Server implementations for both high-availability OLTP and large-scale data warehouse applications, and has optimized data access layer performance for several data-intensive applications. Adam has written for numerous web sites and magazines, including SQLblog, Simple Talk, Search SQL Server, SQL Server Professional, CoDe, and VSJ. He has also contributed to several books on SQL Server, including “SQL Server 2008 Internals” (Microsoft Press, 2009) and “Expert SQL Server 2005 Development” (Apress, 2007). Adam regularly speaks at user groups, community events, and conferences on a variety of SQL Server and .NET-related topics. He is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for SQL Server, Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), and a member of the INETA North American Speakers Bureau.
Adam blogs at http://SQLblog.com and you can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AdamMachanic
Mike is an experienced SQL Server professional and has worked with SQL for over ten years. He has performed the duties of Database Administrator, Developer, Architect and Performance Team Lead but always leans on his DBA experience and passion. Most recently he is the Principal DBA and SQL Server subject matter expert for a global insurance company. He enjoys helping companies experiencing SQL Server challenges through StraightPath Solutions, a consulting firm he started in his spare time.
Mike can be found online blogging at http://www.StraightPathSQL.com or chatting about a strange array of topics on twitter, http://twitter.com/mike_walsh.
I’m a SQL Server developer and DBA of over 10 years. I’ve worked for FedEx, Brinks, and Microsoft, and am currently having a lovely stint at AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group. My hobbies include code and database optimization, fixing other people’s scripts, and long walks with an ice cream cone.
I’m the co-designer and administrator of ITBookworm.com and MidnightDBA.com. I write book and product reviews for Bookworm, and make training videos, articles, and blogs for MidnightDBA. My SQL blog is syndicated through SQLServerPedia.com, where I’m a contributor.
I live in Dallas with the MVP with the pretty eyes (oh yeah, I said it) and our three so-cute-you-could-eat-em kids. Sean’s right: they’re growing up way smarter than us.
Mladen Prajdić has started with professional programing in 1999 in Visual C++. Since 2002 he’s been actively developing various applications in .Net (C#) and SQL Server. He especially like to optimize slow running queries. He blogs at http://weblogs.sqlteam.com/mladenp and tweets under @MladenPrajdic.In his free time he’s developing an immensely popular free add-in for SQL Server Management Studio called SSMS Tools Pack (http://www.ssmstoolspack.com)
Ted Krueger has been working in development and database administration for 13+ years. Specialties range from High Availability and Disaster / Recovery setup and testing methods down to custom assembly development for SQL Server Reporting Services. Ted blogs and is also one of the founders of LessThanDot.com technology community. Some of the articles focused on are Backup / Recovery, Security, SSIS and working on SQL Server and using all of the SQL Server features available to create stable and scalable database services.
David is an Accidental DBA/Developer for a Marine Electronics Manufacturing company in Alabama. David has over three years of experience learning about and administering a small SQL Server installation within the company, making use of it to make the manufacturing process more visible to management. Having earned his MCTS SQL Server 2008 Implementation and Maintenance certificate, David is now studying for his MCITP SQL Server 2008 Database Administrator 2008. He also is the Volunteer Coordinator for PASS’ Application Development Virtual Chapter. A beginner sharing with other beginners.
Argenis Fernandez (Blog | Twitter)
I’m a SQL Server Technology Owner (Fancy term for Senior DBA) for a mid-size SaaS company in South Florida. I’ve been working with SQL Server since version 6.5. I thoroughly enjoy working with SQL Server, managing Windows servers and scripting. Yes, I hate manual work.
I’m a MCITP on SQL Server 2008 Database Administration, 2005 Database Administration, and MCDBA on SQL 2000. I’m also an MCSE in Windows Server 2003, 2000 and NT 4.0. Other industry certifications include RHCE, EMC Smarts Administrator and ITIL Foundations.
Jeremiah Peschka is a SQL Server developer in the Columbus, OH area with Cass Information Systems. Jeremiah has broad IT experience in systems administration, web design, application development, and database development spread across diverse platforms. This broad IT experience has given him exposure to a variety of situations and perspectives throughout his varied career. In his current role, Jeremiah specializes in developing solutions based on the SQL Server platform. Jeremiah heavily involved in PASS (the Professional Association for SQL Server) – he serves as the Group Leader for CBusPASS, the Columbus, OH chapter of PASS, and is currently incarcerated in a two year term as a Director at Large for PASS. Additionally, Jeremiah serves on several committees within PASS and is an active community member, speaking at several local user groups and conferences. He has been known to blog, from time to time, at http://facility9.com where he concerns himself largely with the vagaries of T-SQL.
Outside of work and PASS, Jeremiah is an avid music fan, a voracious reader, occasional guitar slinger, and amateur food critic. Jeremiah is owned by two cats whose real names have been lost to the sands of time. Jeremiah sometimes enjoys writing about himself in the third person.
I am a Microsoft SQL Server columnist, author and Microsoft MVP. I recently contributed the database engine security chapter to the Wrox book Professional Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Administration. Previously, I wrote a couple of chapters to the Syngress book How to Cheat at Securing SQL Server 2005
. In 2002 I also wrote an e-book, Start to Finish Guide to SQL Server Performance Monitoring.
I also write articles for SQL Server Standard magazine and SQL Server Central, the largest community site for Microsoft SQL Server. I can also be found on the forums at SQL Server Central. Certification-wise I hold the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE), CompTIA Security+, and ISACA CISA certifications.
Professional SQL Server DBA and Dance Instructor/Troupe Director and Mom. Midwest gal with a fabulous husband, two great kids and in-laws to die for. No, Really.
Kendal began working with SQL Server 7.0 as a VB developer 10 years ago. He has spent the last 8 years as a production DBA working on systems that process hundreds of millions of transactions per day. He is currently Senior DBA at Channel Intelligence in Celebration, FL where he is responsible for the management, monitoring, and performance of over 40 SQL Servers. Kendal is known as @SQLDBA on Twitter and maintains a technical blog on SQL Server topics at http://kendalvandyke.blogspot.com
I have been in IT industry for 19 years now when I started while I was a student for the University of Washington doing helpdesk type support. Most of my career has been in systems administration, but in past 6 years or so I have concentrated on just SQL Server and SharePoint. I was recently nominated as a top five finalist in Exceptional DBA award. I currently work for Demand Media as a Sr. DBA Manager and love my job.
I’m a certified Microsoft SQL Server expert Master for Quest Software, Microsoft MVP, Editor-in-Chief at SQLServerPedia.com, and coauthor of Professional SQL Server 2008 Internals and Troubleshooting from Wiley/Wrox.
You can learn more about me or read my SQL Server DBA resume.
My name is Grant Fritchey. I have twenty years experience in IT. That time was spent in technical support, development and database administration. For the last seven years I’ve been working at a major insurance company as a DBA. I write articles for publication at SQL Server Central, Simple-Talk, PASS Book Reviews and SQL Server Standard. I have published two books, ”Dissecting SQL Server Execution Plans” and “SQL Server 2008 Query Performance Tuning Distilled.” I’m one of the founding officers of the Southern New England SQL Server Users Group and it’s current president.
In April 2009 I was awarded as a Microsoft SQL Server MVP.
In the past I’ve been called rough, intimidating and scary. To which I usually reply, “Good.”
You can contact me through grantedd -at- gmail dot kom (unobfuscate as necessary).
Steve Jones is the editor of SQLServerCentral.com and visits a wide variety of data related topics in his daily editorial. Steve has spent years working as a DBA and general purpose Windows administrator, primarily working with SQL Server since it was ported from Sybase in 1990. You can follow Steve on Twitter at www.twitter.com/way0utwest
DBA Coach
Thomas LaRock is a seasoned IT professional with over a decade of technical and management experience. Thomas is a Senior DBA at Confio Software, currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS), and is a SQL Server MVP. Thomas can also be found blogging at http://thomaslarock.com and is the author of DBA Survivor: Become a Rock Star DBA (http://dbasurvivor.com).
