I will be giving two presentations next week at the SQL Server Connections conference in Las Vegas. There is a great selection of wonderful speakers lined up for this conference.

The titles and abstracts of my two sessions are shown below:

Dr. DMV: How to Use Dynamic Management Views to Monitor and Diagnose Performance Issues with High Volume OLTP Workloads
Glenn Berry
Originally introduced in SQL Server 2005, and enhanced in SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2, Dynamic Management Views (DMVs) allow you to take an in-depth look at exactly what is happening inside your SQL Server instances and databases. In this session, you will learn over 30 different DMV queries you can execute to quickly and easily to detect and diagnose performance issues in your OLTP environment. For example, you will learn how to identify top wait states, most CPU intensive stored procedures, find missing and unused indexes, and many more. The scripts will be available for download so you can put them to immediate use.

Selecting and Sizing Database Hardware for OLTP Performance
Glenn Berry
The foundation of database performance is the underlying server hardware and storage subsystem. Even the best designed and optimized database application can be crippled by an inadequate hardware and storage infrastructure. Recent advances in processors and chipsets, along with improvements in magnetic and SSD storage, have dramatically changed the evaluation and selection process as compared to the past. Many DBAs struggle to keep up with new technology and often simply let someone else make their hardware selection and sizing decisions. Unfortunately, the DBA usually gets the blame for any performance issues that crop up later, so don’t let this happen to you! This session covers current and upcoming hardware from both Intel and AMD, and gives you the tools and resources to make better hardware selection decisions to support SQL Server OLTP workloads.

I will have some printed copies of the SQL Server DMV Starter Pack book to give away at each session. In addition, Red Gate Software is giving away a free license for SQL Source Control to every attendee who goes to a SSC Track session. There will be postcards handed out at each session that you turn in at the Red Gate booth to get the software (which normally sells for $295). That should be enough bribery to get you to come listen to these sessions…

Finally, I am also going to be participating the “Red Gate Manhunt” during the conference. I will be wearing a special Red Gate Manhunt button, and if you see me, and have your picture taken with me, and then Tweet the picture, you will be entered in a drawing for a free iPad that Red Gate Software is giving away on Thursday.  That is just enough work to keep many people from doing it, so if you just go ahead and do it, your odds of winning the contest are pretty good. The conference should be a lot of fun, and a good opportunity to learn a lot at the same time. See you there!