An Update For Cousin Tom: Classroom Stories, Business Intelligence, and Career News

Hey there cousin..

It’s been almost two months since we discussed data warehousing here. I apologize for the long delay since my last correspondence. It’s been a very busy time here; we’ve been preparing the first offering of our four-week SQL Server Microsoft Certified Architect OLTP/Ranger certification training. We started teaching 18 students this past Monday, and I even I gave my first (brief) presentation this week and had a blast (no laughs I didn’t shamelessly solicit). When I’m not presenting, I’m riding shotgun while an incredible array of the company’s best SQL talent presents to our candidates. On the family side, we’re closing in on closing on our house, which is way exciting, and up until pretty recently the weather here in Redmond was freakishly fine. I’m still walking to work most days.

When we talked in August, I said..

[A] topic which any good Data Warehousing project should address [is]: how is the business going to use the data? If you answer [this question], then you're well beyond "Let's build the perfect solution to problems that don't yet exist" and "Let build a solution that solves only the problems we have already solved". Worth tackling? I think so.. I hope I've convinced you as well.

I really hope you were convinced, because I’ve been offered (and accepted) the opportunity to bet a portion of my career on the proposition. In addition to my ongoing Subject Matter Expert chores around OLTP schema design, application development, and performance optimization, I’ll soon begin my grooming to become the group’s Business Intelligence SME as well. To say I’m jazzed would be an understatement.

Once I get started in this training, we’ll have lots to talk about here. I’ll keep you posted, hopefully much sooner than two months away this time.

Give my love to the family..

          -wp