A few days ago I was surprised to learn from Aaron Bertrand of SentryOne that he was selecting me as Community Influencer of the Year for 2018.

Aaron states that the Community Influencer of the Year award goes to, “someone who has made a dramatic impact on the SQL Server community.”  This type of recognition is wonderful to hear and I am honored to have such kind words come from someone like Aaron.

I’m especially flattered since the previous award recipients are Andy Mallon (2016) and Drew Furgiuele (2017). Being recognized in the same league as those two feels amazing. Andy and Drew are incredible and inspiring, both in the data platform community and outside of it.

2018 was a great year and I’m looking forward to 2019. The number of people I’ve befriended this year and have helped me along the way is staggering; thank you to each and every one of you.

And finally, thank you all for following me along on this journey. I truly appreciate the interactions I have with you in-person, on Twitter, in the comments, and everywhere else.