The 2013 SQL in the City tour kicks off today for me. I'm flying to LA this morning, early, in order to ensure the venue is ready and perform our last 3-4 keynote practice sessions in real time. We've been practicing remotely, but in order to ensure things run smoothly, we want some last minute real-time rehearsals at the podium, with all three of the speakers together. I think we have a fun, informative, and not-too-long keynote you'll enjoy.

Then it's off to the pool. I've been swimming more this year with a sore knee, and I've got pools lined up for the all the stops on our tour: Pasadena, Atlanta, and Charlotte. I've even searched out a few places in Charleston, where I'll be SQL Saturday #227 in between the Atlanta and Charlotte events. I'm not sure of my schedule, but if you want to put in some laps, send me a note on twitter and I'll let you know when and where I'm going.

These events are free, one day events sponsored by Red Gate Software. Our intention with the events is to support the community, help you learn more about SQL Server, and give you some tips, tricks, and hints for using our tools. You don't need to use our tools to learn something at the events, but we do think you'll see that our tools make your job much, much easier. We think we provide a lot of value, and it's worth the price of the tools to make you more productive.

This year we were much more organized than the previous years and we've broken up our days and sessions into DBA and developer tracks. Our goal is to teach both groups, and tailor sessions for each side of the SQL Server community to help you get better at your job. We started in London earlier this year, and with additional practice by Grant and myself at our smaller seminar events, we think we've got some great sessions for you to see.

If you're in one of the cities, register and come by. We've heard great feedback from people and most think the information and inspiration you get is worth a day away from the office.