While discussing THREADPOOL waits, I missed the name of a helpful DMV for identifying a lack of worker threads. I did hear the name of the relevant column though… “work_queue_count.” Thanks to SQL Server’s catalog views, it was easily to track down the DMV in question, [sys].[dm_os_schedulers]:

SELECT [_Objects].[object_id] AS [ObjectID],
    [_Objects].[name] AS [ObjectName],
    [_Objects].[type_desc] AS [ObjectType],
    [_Columns].[column_id] AS [ColumnID],
    [_Columns].[name] AS [ColumnName]
FROM [master].[sys].[system_objects] AS [_Objects]
INNER JOIN [master].[sys].[system_columns] AS [_Columns]
ON ([_Objects].[object_id] = [_Columns].[object_id])
WHERE (
    ([_Objects].[name] LIKE N'dm_%')
    AND
    ([_Objects].[type] IN ('IF', 'TF', 'V'))
    AND
    ([_Objects].[schema_id] = Schema_ID('sys'))
    AND
    ([_Objects].[is_ms_shipped] = 1)
    AND
    ([_Columns].[name] LIKE N'%work%queue%count%')
)
ORDER BY [_Objects].[name] ASC,
    [_Columns].[name] ASC;

This type of query is also useful when searching for gems in SQL Server’s meta data:

SELECT [_Objects].[object_id] AS [ObjectID],
    [_Objects].[name] AS [ObjectName],
    [_Objects].[type_desc] AS [ObjectType],
    [_Columns].[column_id] AS [ColumnID],
    [_Columns].[name] AS [ColumnName]
FROM [master].[sys].[system_objects] AS [_Objects]
INNER JOIN [master].[sys].[system_columns] AS [_Columns]
ON ([_Objects].[object_id] = [_Columns].[object_id])
WHERE (
    ([_Objects].[type] IN ('IF', 'TF', 'V'))
    AND
    ([_Objects].[schema_id] = Schema_ID('sys'))
    AND
    ([_Objects].[is_ms_shipped] = 1)
)
ORDER BY [_Objects].[name] ASC,
    [_Columns].[column_id] ASC;

This year, the session selection committee is trying something new and has requested input on the submitted abstracts. I strongly encourage you to take a few minutes and vote for abstracts that appeal to you in the PASS Summit 2011 Session Preference Survey. You can vote even if you might not be able to attend the conference… all that you need is an account on the SQLPASS.org web site. If you don’t already have one, registration is easy and free.

If you have attended any of my presentations and enjoyed them/learned from them, I would greatly appreciate the support of voting for some of my sessions. I submitted the maximum of four abstracts, but I would prefer to deliver either of my “cookbook” presentations:

• A PowerShell Cookbook for DBAs
  • I have been delivering this presentation since SQLSaturday #22 on 2010-06-05
  • As a production/escalation DBA, I use PowerShell more than any other single program, especially when interacting with SQL Server
  • My goal is to convince fellow DBAs to try PowerShell by showing a variety of ways that PowerShell makes our jobs easier and by providing attendees with a collection of ready-to-use scripts for getting started
• An XQuery Cookbook for DBAs
  • This is a new presentation that is under development. I will probably deliver it for the first time at the July meeting of the Fort Worth SQL Server Users Group
  • A lot of valuable diagnostic data is exposed as XML these days
  • I have written many T-SQL/XQuery scripts to analyze and manipulate the data, but I would not describe the experience as being pleasant
  • I would like to give other DBAs these scripts, along with a little bit of background understanding, so that they can access this very powerful meta data without the many hours of frustration in developing the scripts
  • Some of the “recipes” included in the presentation will work with the following data sets:
    • DDL trigger event data
    • Deadlock graphs
    • Extended Events payloads
    • Output from the Performance Analysis of Logs (PAL) Tool
    • The [sys].[dm_os_ring_buffers] DMV’s contents
    • Windows event logs
    • XML statistics profiles (query plans)

Note: The deadline for voting is tomorrow, so please do so as soon as possible!

I want to thank Patrick LeBlanc (blog, Twitter) again for helping me to pull off the rehearsal on such short notice! I look forward to returning as a SQL Lunch presenter in the not-too-distant future.

When I gave the SQLDiag presentation on the 21st, there was good response to the recently added case study and it was suggested that I increase its role in the talk. Mike McKinney also made a great observation: I’m spending too much time describing the configuration of SQLDiag (overall, but especially before showing the end result of using it). In other words, I need to firmly establish the value of these tools before delving into the mechanics of their usage. His point made so much sense and I’m grateful for the insight.

I made a lot of changes based on those suggestions, which were put into play for the first time this morning. They made a huge difference, but it did lead to some continuity issues and glitches.

Another friend from the user group, David Stein (blog, Twitter), provided some very detailed and helpful constructive criticism. I also received emails with good ideas from Steve Jones (blog, Twitter), Tim Mitchell (blog, Twitter), and Vic Prabhu (Twitter). The following points, which ring true, were raised by one or more of them:

• I need to work on my demeanor. Apparently it takes five to ten minutes for me to warm up and start to seem comfortable and confident
• I should significantly cut back the introduction section
• I’m switching between windows too often, giving a choppy feel to the talk
• I need to speed up/cut back on the content. I’m still running out of time long before I cover everything
• I’m spending too long on the troubleshooting methodology at the expense of demonstrating the tools and techniques
• I need more practice

I have blocked out at least an hour for each of the next three days for solo rehearsals. I am also making the following adjustments (some based on audience feedback, others based on my own evaluation):

• I’m reducing the introduction section considerably. People can read the slides and check out this blog to learn more about me. Also, my credibility will be established by the presentation’s content (I don’t need to sell myself based on the number of instances I help support in Terremark’s Highly Managed Hosting environment). Besides, when somebody chooses to attend my session it is because they already have the presumption that my information is reliable and will hold value for them
• I’m trimming down the coverage on troubleshooting methodology quite a bit. I did classify this session as being at the "intermediate" skill level—the audience members should already understand the importance of having a formal process and it will take less for them to adapt mine to their needs
• The PAL demonstration will now precede working with SQL Nexus. It will flow better, plus this is actually the order I follow when applying these techniques in the field
• I will work the demonstration of the RML Utilities back in and explain the way that this tool and SQL Nexus complement each other
• I plan to move the "’Strategies’ to Avoid" slide to the end of the presentation. If I run out of time, it is the best material to sacrifice
• I have several improvements for the case study
• I am considering printing out (and distributing to the audience before the session) the three Microsoft Word documents: "Troubleshooting Methodologies," "Troubleshooting Checklist," and "Case Study"

I feel really good about giving this at PASS!

As I mentioned previously, I’ve been adding to and improving the demonstrations for the SQLDiag presentation. I was satisfied with the code (in terms of functionality, it still needed polishing and testing) until last week, when I got an escalation call about end-user complaints of poor performance with a customer’s application. This type of case calls for the techniques covered in my presentation. I then realized that October has been a bit of a dry spell in terms of complex issues that merited these techniques.

I ended up seeing a number of opportunities to further automate the process, pleased with the dual benefit of 1.) helping to solve the issue for the customer and 2.) having more to share with my audiences. For example, I finally created a PowerShell script that automatically extracts a single SQLDiag data set from a 7-Zip archive and loads it into PAL and SQL Nexus. This saves an immense amount of time! The downside is that I added a significant set of new scripts that have to be refined and tested (but they are absolutely worth it!).

I have been putting the release of the presentation materials above many other tasks (including blogging, participating on forums, and many responsibilities in my personal life), which has really added to my stress level. It’s time to reprioritize… I need to enjoy some down-time with my wife, tie up a few loose ends at work, and prepare for the PASS conference. I’m sorry to postpone further, but on the other hand, the quality and quantity of deliverables will be much greater this way. I’m sure that you’ll find it worth the wait!

Expect the presentation materials the week of November 9th.

One reason is that the demonstrations for my SQLDiag presentation are still being actively developed and tested. They’ve come a long way so far (at SQLSaturday #25 they didn’t work and at the October NTSSUG meeting they were merely adequate). Last night I decided to add scripts for creating a SQL Server Agent job and alert pair that will launch SQLDiag. I’ve mentioned this technique each time that I’ve given the presentation so I thought that it was time to include the code for doing so. It’s an important addition, but it did take a bit of time to churn out instruction-quality code.

I briefly considered posting the PowerPoint slide decks for the presentations, without the accompanying sample code, but I would hate for somebody to neglect to return and get the updates. I put a lot into the sample code and I hope that it provides great value to the audience members.

Last night, I also had to upload the final revision of my PowerPoint slide deck for the PASS Community Summit 2009. I spent quite a while tweaking the content with ideas that I’ve gotten from the last few deliveries of the material.

Finally, there are a few remaining preparations for tonight, my last scheduled presentation (before the Summit).

I’m working diligently to get everything ready for you… there’s just a great deal to do. I even passed on going to the first meeting of the DFW IT Professionals users group, despite my strong desire to attend. I decided that my commitment to those of you that have attended my presentations trumped my own enjoyment (in this case).

• Send the slide decks and code for my SQLSaturday #25 presentations to Stuart Ainsworth (blog, Twitter) for posting on the SQLSaturday.com web site
• Post the slide deck for last Thursday’s presentation on the NTSSUG web site
• Continue refining my SQLDiag presentation for this coming Wednesday
• Catch up on some blogging, including an account of my experience at SQLSaturday #25

I made some great progress on the SQLDiag presentation, but the other tasks had to give way to caring for my sick wife and fielding an inordinate number of escalation calls (it was my turn to be the on-call DBA, a duty that rotates to me every four weeks).

I haven’t forgotten these tasks… hopefully I can catch up tomorrow, since I have the day off from work. Please bear with me.

Leaving Usability Sciences Corporation (USC) was not easy to do. Having worked there for nearly eight years, I have significant ties to the organization. I consider several of my teammates amongst my dearest friends. I am also extremely grateful for the opportunities given to me while at USC. It was there that I first encountered SQL Server, which is a pretty important part of my life now. I also matured, first as a software developer, then as a sysadmin and database administrator. Being a small company, there were always more roles than employees, so I was allowed to take on as many responsibilities as I could handle (and then some). I was very much an "accidental DBA" or "involuntary DBA." I was able to learn and grow, becoming a knowledgeable and skilled SQL Server DBA. Eventually, though, the systemic lack of resources (personnel and funding) took its toll and I got burned out. My SQL Server expertise also started to plateau and I realized the need to move on. Thankfully, my departure was on good terms and I’m still in frequent contact with my good friends at USC. They even let me rehearse my technical presentations there from time-to-time.

After I made my job search public, I sent an announcement to the NTSSUG mailing list to solicit ideas and opportunities. I received a fantastic response, including interest from three separate Terremark employees: Jason Massie (blog, Twitter), Kevin Hill (blog, Twitter), and Bill Lester (the manager of the Database Implementation and Escalations team). I knew Jason from the user group and considered him a role model (I still do), so I invited him to lunch for a good ol’ informational interview, which he graciously accepted. Then I got to meet Kevin and Bill at a Terremark open house (showcasing their new Enterprise Cloud product). Several interviews followed and Terremark made an offer, which I gladly accepted. My first day was Monday, October 13th, 2008.

Landing this job has been a tremendous blessing. I was glad to be on a team whose expertise and experience was far beyond my own (two of my teammates came directly from the local Microsoft campus where they were on the SQL Server support team!). For the first time in many years, I could learn database skills from co-workers and wouldn’t have to be out-in-front, teaching myself.

Jason originally worked in a different unit, but by serendipity he became my immediate manager a month later. I’ve learned a great deal about SQL Server from Jason, but he has also helped immensely with my entry into technological public speaking. This type of mentoring, which I don’t consider to be included in his job responsibilities, has been invaluable.

Like any job, there are pros and cons. However, with the exception of the beat down from Project Asculum (which still needs coverage on this blog), I have greatly enjoyed this job and the benefits have far exceeded the drawbacks. I look forward to many more years with Terremark.

The NTSSUG meeting will be this Thursday, October 15th (6:30 p.m.), at Microsoft’s Las Colinas campus in Irving, Texas.

The GFWSSUG meeting will be on Wednesday, October 21st (6:30 p.m.), at the Freese and Nichols office in Fort Worth, Texas.

I hope to see you at either (or both)!

1. Deadlock Detection, Troubleshooting, & Prevention at 8:30 a.m.
2. Leveraging SQLDiag for Efficient Troubleshooting at 11:00 a.m.

The latter will be my first public delivery of that presentation, the same one that I will be giving in less than a month at the PASS Community Summit 2009! I hope to get a lot of good feedback so that I can continue to refine it.

As before, with SQLSaturday #17, a secondary reason for attending is to gain greater insight into the workings of a SQLSaturday event, in order to apply the experience to the North Texas SQLSaturday event that we are planning. I learned a great deal from a great blog post by Stuart Ainsworth (blog, Twitter), so it will be great to see him in action (he’s also the event coordinator of SQLSaturday #25).

I’m fortunate to get to travel with another friend from the user group, Tim Costello (blog, Twitter). This is going to be a fun trip!

This seems like a good time to evaluate the progress on my professional/technical goals for the year:

Overall, I’m pleased with my progress. I’m going to dedicate more time to this blog and to participating in forums and newsgroups.