Origin Stories

Origin stories are something I enjoy hearing when talking with fellow data professionals at conferences. I've yet to meet anyone who has said it was their lifelong passion to work with data. No one has told me they wanted to grow up to be a DBA instead of a doctor, astronaut, or firefighter. We all seem to have come here by destiny and a series of very wrong decisions (I kid.) My plans for adulthood were based on math. All went according to plan until I hit some form of super-advanced calculus and my brain shut down. Math wasn't fun for me anymore at that point. I ended up in the business program when I found accounting. Accounting was math, right?

After graduation I found a job in desktop publishing. I was one of the reasons the models in magazines looked so good. Eventually I went on to become the estimator for the company when my color blindness started to affect my work. This is where I had my first taste of development. Saddled with an archaic estimating system I wrote my own using Microsoft Excel and Visual Basic for Applications. Eventually I moved on to a career in data (ok, Microsoft Access) but only for a brief period of time.

'You should be a DBA'

I still remember my friend of (now) 45+ years saying those words on a trip to Moab, Utah in the summer of 1999. I also remember my response: 'What's a DBA?'

Armed with knowledge of what a DBA was at that time along with a 'Learn T-SQL In 21 Days' book, I landed my first true data-based job just four months later.

I was hired to work with a team of two others to convert as many vital Microsoft Access data solutions to a Y2K-compliant version of MS Access. Once done, I transitioned to SQL Server development. It was shortly after earning my first Microsoft certification: Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) that I was approached to become the first SQL Server Database Administrator our burgeoning medical system ever had.

Order Out of Chaos

My first day as a DBA was also my first exposure to managing expectations and stress. I walked into my office as it was any other day when I caught a yellow note stuck to my keyboard. The letters were cryptic, but the message under it was not: 'sql sa password to our server. We broke it.'

There was a single SQL Server instance at the time and no DBAs to administer it. Within the hour I was surrounded by numerous hospital administrators asking for a updates. I knew nothing of administration of a database environment and through learning on-the-fly, the Internet, and blogs from many individuals who are now my peers, friends, and occasional hired hands presenting on one of my SQL Cruises, I was able to recover the instance and (almost) all data.

Motivated by my lack of complete success, I tore through every book I could get my hands on and every blog post I could find at the time on the subject of SQL Server administration & development. At the time, there were not nearly as many sources for this knowledge on the Internet as there is now. I could count individual contributors to my future successes on perhaps two hands.

Growth, Networking, Volunteerism

Over the years to follow, I grew the SQL environment to 200 instances of 3,000 total databases before I engineered a virtualization/consolidation project to reduce that figure by 50%. Saving an estimated $600,000 in licensing over the first three years for our enterprise.

In this time I also was introduced to PASS (The Professional Association for SQL Server.) I've attended every annual PASS Summit since 2002 until it's demise in 2020. My first Summit I found myself volunteering: tasked with creating the first DBA Virtual Chapter for PASS. I've been a volunteer since then, serving on various committees, speaking, and eventually being elected to serve on the PASS Board of Directors where I ultimately served as the final Executive Vice President before we had to go through the insolvency process due to reliance on in-person events for funding PASS. We know what caused events as such to have to be suspended and I don't need to bring the 'C' word into this discussion.

It Was the Best of Times

By 2007 I was writing articles like those that helped me earlier in my career. I was also now presenting at various events and had co-created a Quizbowl event at the PASS opening reception that we used as an icebreaker for the week. I was the guy on stage in the role of emcee, building energy and excitement for the week to come. Then came 2010.

That was the year things started happening that I never anticipated. Brent Ozar and I founded SQL Cruise, started consulting, and I wrote my first book:

Eventually Brent and I decided to follow our own paths: he was interested in growing the consulting business (spoiler alert: he succeeded.) I was driven to build up SQL Cruise and focus on building up those who were coming up behind us as time flew by. I had received so much from volunteering, community, and networking that I wanted others exposed to that priceless mix.

Since then, I've grown SQL Cruise (now Tech Outbound) to include topics that are beyond just SQL Server and am working on growth outside of cruise ships for training venues. I've moved west, and found myself speaking internationally, running a successful part-time consultancy, and continuing to write, and also run Tech Outbound.

It Was the Worst of Times

Today I look back on these events as though I was watching someone else's life. Our family has been dealing with some personal tragedies since 2016 and while those were (and are still) brutal, I don't think anyone had pandemic on their bingo sheet. I've since stopped writing, presenting, PASS has gone away, and I find myself in a different world from which I was living in - like so many others. I've not felt like writing, contributing, or necessarily even leaving the home office for most of 2020-21. However this is not sustainable and this revamped site is what is pulling me back from a very dark place.

The Future

At this point I think we can all agree that no one knows what the future is looking like at the moment. Uncertainty is the bane of many a data professional - we like consistency and order. That is no longer a safe haven for anyone wanting to survive and thrive. I would not be here if not for taking chances, stupidly ignoring the odds, and taking chances. I used to focus on data and tech as subjects either here, at ITProToday.com, MSSQLTips.com and the like. I expect this new site to be a bit more me, a bit more aspirational, and hopefully fun. I'm finally at a point where I am ready to be part of the world again and I hope to see you all there.

If I had to decide on one lesson from all these experiences, it's that knowing the 'how' of what you do is important, but not as important as building networks, giving back, and sharing that knowledge.

Links

LinkedIn Profile / CV.

ITProToday Articles

Tech Outbound (No new events until 2023 at the earliest)

MSSQLTips Articles

Recommendations

'It may seem like a rort, but what Tim has done with SQL Cruise is nothing short of extraordinary, and very commendable. He's established a training program that has caught the imagination of the SQL Server community, and has differentiated himself from the rest. He's not only a leader, but also a nice guy to spend time with. He's clued up to business, and technically strong. All in all, he's a real asset to the community and everything he gets involved with.' - Rob Farley, Owner/Principal at Lobster Pot Solutions and SQL Community Leader

'I've known Tim for a few years now via the SQL Community and he's bar-none one of the best on all levels. I had the pleasure of being a student on the inaugural SQLCruise, which Tim founded and presented for. Tim's expert knowledge combined with his wonderful demeanor and ability to clearly teach complex topics is top notch. I highly recommend hiring Tim as a consultant and can't recommend enough the value of sending yourself or your staff on a SQLCruise.' - Jorge Segarra, Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft

'Tim is one of the featured authors @ MSSQLTips.com with over 100 tips to date. Tim has been recognized as an MSSQLTips.com Champion Award recipient. Congrats and well deserved. Tim’s tips benefit the global SQL Server community day in and day out. His ideas are always on point and he does all that he can to help the reader. Many thanks to Tim on behalf of our team and the global SQL Server community!' - Jeremy Kadlec, Editor/Co-Founder at MSSQLTips

'Arranging a technical event is a skill that requires not only technical acumen but extreme organizational skills. Tim has both. It's a rare person who is able to coordinate several things at once, and Tim is able to do that with apparent ease.' - Buck Woody, Applied Data Scientist & Data Science Team Manager at Microsoft

'Tim cares about delivering excellent solutions. He is passionate about data solutions, specializing in Microsoft SQL Server at work. Tim also conducts training in the SQL Server community. He is a gifted presenter and trainer. I learn from each time I have the opportunity to hear him present. I look forward to the next opportunity with anticipation.' - Andy Leonard, Chief Data Engineer at Enterprise Data & Analytics, Author, Blogger