It’s time for the MVP Profile of the Week!
You’ve probably seen his work, as he’s been busy producing content for a number of web-sites, such as DatabaseJournal.com, SQL-Server-Performance.com, and of course, our beloved SQLServerCentral.com.
He’s written a lot on identifying the worst performing SQL statements, bringing us his custom stored procedures using SQL Server 2005’s DMVs and DMFs that provide detailed performance-related information – for which was featured here in SQL Server Magazine’s Reader-to-Reader column. (Don’t click yet, you’ll give it away 😉
He is currently the lead DBA at the Washington State Department of Health and has been working with SQL Server since 1999 and other database platforms since 1985. He is also a PASS chapter leader for the Olympia Area SQL Server User Group. He currently holds a MCITP: Database Administrator and MCITP: Database Developer certificates, and is a SQL MVP. His own website http://www.sqlserverexamples.com is dedicated to providing examples of how to code T-SQL. He is, drum roll please, SQL Server MVP and TSQL extraordinaire, Greg Larsen.
Fresh back from his vacation in the wild remote wilderness of British Columbia Canada and Deer Harbor in the American San Juan islands, he’s well rested and revving up to bring us more articles, T-SQL code, training videos, and in-person presentations for our SQL DBA edification.
Greg has several training videos posted on SQL-Server-Performance.com that are featured on the main page under ‘Latest SQL Server Training Videos’. I recently viewed his training clip that introduces us to ‘Policy Based Management in SQL Server 2008’ that shows us DBAs how it can be implemented across the enterprise. Great stuff that should not be missed!
The thing that grabbed my attention the most, and put me in touch with this recently minted SQL MVP, is his creation of the awesome SQL Server DBA Dashboard, which is a homegrown report console that provides reporting and monitoring capabilities for a single instance of SQL Server 2005 utilizing the ‘Custom Report’ feature implemented with SQL Server 2005 SP2.
If you liked some of the performance dashboard stuff, put out by Microsoft, then you must check out and download the SQL Server DBA Dashboard, available for FREE on Greg’s sqlserverexamples.com website. I was truly impressed with his time and dedication to the SQL Server community, especially with his contribution of the DBA Dashboard, that I was compelled to write, and always felt that he would be an MVP someday.
So, what’s he working on right now? Never a dull moment, Greg wanted me to share the news about his upcoming SQL Saturday event where he plans to give his presentation on T-SQL Best Practices. The session gives us hands-on real-world examples of methods to write more efficient code:
“One of those things that I’m doing that give back to the SQL Server User Community is planning a SQL Saturday event. I’m right in the middle of the final planning stages of my SQL Saturday event to be held in
If all the above wasn’t enough to keep him busy, he’s also been helping revamp the DBA SIG website which has branched out from the PASS website, so that they now have their own DNN portal. The DBA SIG site is open to the public and can be found here: http://dba.sqlpass.org/.
Commenting on his PASS Chapter (Olympia Area SQL Server User Group) that he runs, he enthusiastically urges his DBA brethren to get involved, “Attending local SQL Server user groups is a great way to learn more about SQL Server technology and network with other SQL Server professionals. If people are not attending a local PASS chapter in their area of the world they should find the closest group and start attending. It is a great resource where you can routinely talk to other people with the same problems you face on more routine timeframe then once a year at the PASS Summit (http://summit2009.sqlpass.org/AboutSummit.aspx ). People can find out more information about PASS chapters on the http://www.sqlpass.org/PASSChapters.aspx website. Running the local user group has been quite an interesting experience”
Finally, I honestly don’t know how he finds time for it all, but we should indeed be grateful for dedicated SQL Server community contributors, like Greg Larsen.
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