November will be a busy time of the year for many SQL Server DBAs as they head off to the PASS Community Summit (November 8-11) or SQL Server Connections (November 1-5) for training. One of the things I have noticed, after attending the PASS Summit for 9 years now, and SQL Server Connections for 4 years, that there is very little overlap between those who attend each conference. Each conference has its strengths, and attendees select one or the other that they feel best meets their training needs.

In the past, and still today, SQLServerCentral.com has been a strong supporter of the PASS Community Summit. But because of the lack of overlap among those who attend each conference, we felt that we had been missing out on those DBAs and developers who chose to attend the SQL Server Connections event. Because of this, starting last year, SQLServerCentral.com began to offer a SQLServerCentral.com track at SQL Server Connections.

SQL Server Connections (which is a part of the larger DevConnections conference), will be held November 1-5 in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Conference Center, and will follow this schedule:

Monday, November 1, 2010: Two SQL Server pre-conference workshops:

• “Database Best Practices for the Involuntary DBA” with Paul Randal and Kimberly L Tripp
• “Plumbing the Depths of SQL Server / PowerShell Integration” with Bob Beauchemin

Tuesday, November 2, 2010: Microsoft Day

• There will be three different tracks (DBA, DEV, BI), all presented by members of the Microsoft SQL Server Team

Wednesday and Thursday, November 3-4: SQL Server Connections and SQLServerCentral.com tracks:

• There will be three DBA tracks that are managed by Paul Randal and Kimberly L. Tripp, which includes a wide variety of speakers
• There will be a single SQLServerCentral.Com track, that is managed by Brad M. McGehee, which includes four different speakers
• Attendees will be able to attend any of the sessions in these four concurrent SQL Server tracks.

Friday, November 5, 2010: One SQL Server post-conference workshop:

• “Indexing Strategies and Analysis” with Paul Randal and Kimberly L Tripp

For a list of all the speakers, you can visit this webpage, and for a list of all the sessions, you can visit this webpage.

The SQLServerCentral.com track includes four speakers presenting a total of nine different session over two days. If you recognize any of the speakers, that is because you have probably seen their contributions at SQLServerCentral.com or Simple-Talk.com.

Glenn (blog | twitter) works as a Database Architect at NewsGator Technologies in Denver, CO. He is a SQL Server MVP, and he has a large collection of Microsoft certifications, including MCITP, MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD, and MCTS, which proves that he likes to take tests. His expertise includes DMVs, high availability, hardware selection, full text search, and SQL Azure. Glenn is also an adjunct faculty member at University College – University of Denver, where has been teaching since 2000, and also where he recently completed the Master Teacher Program. He is the author of two chapters in the book SQL Server MVP Deep Dives, and blogs regularly.

Brad (blog | twitter) is the Director of DBA Education for Red Gate Software, and is an accomplished Microsoft SQL Server MVP with over 15 years SQL Server experience. He is a frequent speaker at SQL PASS, European PASS, SQL Server Connections, SQLTeach, devLINK, SQLBits, SQL Saturdays, TechFests, Code Camps, and SQL Server user groups. Brad is the author or co-author of more than 15 technical books and over 250 published articles. His most recent books include How to Become an Exceptional DBA (2nd Edition), Mastering SQL Server Profiler, and Brad’s Sure Guide to SQL Server Maintenance Plans. His website is at http://www.bradmcgehee.com.

Allen (blog | twitter) is a consultant and mentor for Upsearch Technology Services in Northeast Ohio. He’s spent over 35 years in IT and has been using SQL Server since 1992, and is certified as both a SQL Server MCITP and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). Allen has been awarded Microsoft’s MVP Award for the last three years. He’s active in the Ohio North SQL Server User’s Group and contributes in the MSDN Forums, answering questions about SMO and PowerShell, and blogs regularly.

Buck (blog | twitter) is a SQL Server Senior Technical Specialist for Microsoft, working with enterprise-level clients to develop data platform architecture solutions within their organizations. He has over twenty years professional and practical experience in computer networks and database design. He is a popular speaker at TechEd, PASS and many other conferences; the author of over 400 articles and five books on SQL Server; and he teaches a Database Design course at the University of Washington.

If you plan to attend SQL Server Connections this year, be sure to stop by and meet our speakers, if you don’t already know them.