I did my presentation on automated restores for the second time, changed a few things. It was/is a presentation with two different parts; one is about a pattern, the other is about implementing the pattern. We had a much better discussion this second time, but often about the quirks/complexities of my environment rather than the overall pattern. It’s tough to balance. I’m trying to get attendees to see it’s not going to be a one size fits all pattern, but personalizing it (and showing the code to match) is both powerful and interesting. Right now it’s still a lot for a 60 minute presentation. Noted some things to try next time – probably April in Clearwater.

Couple interesting things from the meeting. One was that we had a new attendee. First time there, thinking about being a DBA. Relatively rare occurrence. Right was we stopped for the dinner break the new attendee introduced herself to the great, stated her goals (which included networking) and that she hoped to learn a lot. Perhaps the bravest thing I’ve seen a new attendee do. It generated a very positive response – was nice to watch! Few first timers are going to do that, and we have to remember to do a lot to make them feel welcome.

The other part was Kendal showcased his supply of “big” and “small” raffle prizes for the year. That definitely got people interested. He will raffle one big and two small items each meeting and they get to pick from what remains. A simple thing, but it added some fun to the meeting and the process. Sadly I didn’t win anything.