As of October

1, 2015, I am no longer a Microsoft SQL Server MVP.  Countless of my colleagues met the same fate,

as the future of our SQL MVP award was in doubt.  Where does that now leave us?  Yes, it is true, we are no longer SQL Server

MVPs.  We are now Microsoft Data Platform

MVPs.  Say what? No one told me that this

would happen.

Yep, you read

right. It sounds like a mouthful, but that is the NEW designation for us MDP

MVPs, formerly known as SQL MVPs, and is the future of data integration with

Azure and other complimentary solutions and services at Microsoft. The title

was just simply bestowed upon us traditional SQL Server types that, hey, you’re

now a part of a bigger group.  .

To understand

this major shift, you first should be familiar with an overview of what the

Microsoft Data Platform Overview is. We all know that Microsoft for some time has

been repositioning its data platform as an end-to-end analytics business intelligence

platform.  These include a variety of

solutions including SQL Server, Azure, Big Data, and BI predictive

analytics.  This push is the biggest

integration of all these technologies and evolving at rapid speed.  SQL Server 2016 has been released with new

and improved features and functionality. Here is a great summary compilation of

SQL2K16 NEW FEATURES by SQL…, er, Data Platform MVP, Warner Chaves

Here is a good

graphic on all the components making up the End-To-End Analytic Platform

Capabilities.  Mixed with traditional

BI, such as OLTP sources, data warehouse/ETL and OLAP cubes, Big Data gets

integrated with additional real-time operational analytics.  And guess what? All these cloud based services

will fit into the bigger Azure picture with the upcoming Azure Data Lake, for big

data analytic workloads, and

Azure warehouse, data warehousing as a service.  Can’t do much justice for these, other than

to direct you to THIS

MSDN BLOG.

So, what areas of expertise qualify you for a Data

Platform MVP?  This MVP Award Update

page should explain it all. There are 14 areas of contribution now rolling

up to the Data Platform MVP award. What does this mean for us?  As one MVP noted, no more wars between DBAs

and BI!  I would not say this is a

promotion, but a duty to rise to the challenge for new and exciting areas of

the future of data at Microsoft.  I

better get up to speed here.

Although there is a lot of rapidly evolving technology

around the Microsoft Data Platform, especially with Azure, I will still focus

on my traditional SQL Server expertise, but definitely with a desire and

purpose to learn all these new wonderful things! In fact, if you are SQL Server

professional at any level, it would be a foolish calculation not to immerse

yourself in BI and Azure. The cloud is the future!

Although, we may now officially be a Data Platform MVP,

but I, as other MVP colleagues have noted, still consider ourselves SQL Server

MVPs.

  And of

course, if anyone is interested in learning more about my book Healthy SQL – A

Comprehensive Guide to Healthy SQL Server Performance, published by Apress, you can go to the url:

                     http://bit.ly/orderHealthySQLnow

You can also

get the book on Amazon: http://bit.ly/HealthySQLonAmazon

For all

things SQL, news, events, jobs, info, and other fun tweets, follow me on

twitter @Pearlknows and join the #HealthySQL campaign to

keep your SQL Servers healthy!

Comments

If you are interested in a DBA strategy and hands-on book, read Healthy SQL – A

Comprehensive Guide to Healthy SQL Server Performance, published by Apress, you can go to the url:

                     http://bit.ly/orderHealthySQLnow

  You can also

get the book on Amazon: http://bit.ly/HealthySQLonAmazon

  For all

things SQL, news, events, jobs, info, and other fun tweets, follow me on

twitter @Pearlknows and join the #HealthySQL campaign to

keep your SQL Servers healthy!

C

Comments

If you are interested in a DBA strategy and hands-on book, read Healthy SQL – A

Comprehensive Guide to Healthy SQL Server Performance, published by Apress, you can go to the url:

                     http://bit.ly/orderHealthySQLnow

  You can also

get the book on Amazon: http://bit.ly/HealthySQLonAmazon

  For all

things SQL, news, events, jobs, info, and other fun tweets, follow me on

twitter @Pearlknows and join the #HealthySQL campaign to

keep your SQL Servers healthy!

C

Comments