Winter Nerd-Cation: I'm Talking about Isolation Levels in Cleveland on February 5 (#SQLSat60)

on January 27, 2011

A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend about upcoming plans. Without thinking, I said:

“Oh, and I’m going to go to Cleveland to talk about Isolation Levels. And partitioning. In February.”

There was a  pause. My friend laughed. I believe she called me a nerd.

I took it as a compliment.

What Makes A Great Nerd-Cation

To me, the best, most relaxing vacation is a nerd-cation. I like to go someplace new, meet some new people, and ideally see some friends I don’t get to see often. I enjoy speaking and learning from other speakers. I like driving around and seeing an unfamiliar city. It gives my brain things to work on, but in a different way than I use it most of the time. (If I traveled for work, this might be a bit less vacation-y. Since I don’t, it’s all ice cream.)

If you’ve never tried this: you should! Make sure to add an extra day or two to the trip so you’re not in a rush. Take a copilot or go solo- it’s fun either way.

Note on terminology: I mean ‘Nerd’ in the nicest way possible. I’m proud of my inner nerd!

Why I Picked Cleveland

I submitted sessions to SQLSaturday #60 in Cleveland because I know two of the organizers, Allen White (b | t ) and Erin Stellato (b | t) are going to put on a really great event. I was really happy to be accepted to give sessions.

And although I have been to the midwest in the winter (taking my warmest hat and mittens!) I’ve never been to Cleveland.  Things I’m looking forward to trying to fit in: pierogi (oh how I love pierogi!!!), the Algebra Tea House, and the West Side Market.

Come to SQL Saturday Cleveland!

It’s going to be a blast. The schedule is full of good stuff.

My sessions are:

Table Partitioning: Evaluation, Planning, Options

Does SQL Server’s table partitioning feature offer performance improvements, manageability benefits, or both? Table partitioning is a significant investment: it’s important to understand many aspects of the feature to evaluate where it will be useful. This session will cover basic concepts of table partitioning. We’ll discuss where the feature can be applied, its benefits, and changes that partitioning may require to existing database schema. Special considerations for management of partitioned tables will be discussed, as well as potential changes to query optimization and plans

(NOLOCK) for YESFUN: Games with Isolation Levels

Understanding transaction isolation levels is critical for developing concurrent software as well as administering databases. Unfortunately most of us learn about transaction isolation early in our careers and don’t maintain an in-depth knowledge of different isolation levels. This talk will help! We’ll cover all isolation levels and discuss problems and benefits.

Check the event out on Twitter here: #sqlsat60

And get full information on SQLSaturday60 here.