SQL Server Permissions and Security Principals on UserGroup.tv

You can now watch my presentation on SQL Server Permissions and Security Principals from SQLSaturday Houston 2017 on UserGroup.tv, a site dedicated to capturing presentations just like this, run by Shawn Weisfeld, Sr Technical Evangelist from Microsoft. Thanks Shawn!

Thanks again to the organizers of the very successful SQLSaturday Houston event and to my first-in-the-morning presentation audience! 

Click here for the video.

A Big July Planned in Baton Rouge

Three big events planned in Baton Rouge this year that everyone can be a part of:

User Groups Networking Night at the Louisiana Technology Park on July 12

Attendees from all Baton Rouge User Groups (SQL Server, .NET, Power BI, IT Pro, SharePoint, and Women in Technology, students, and the public) are invited to this free event!

Our annual Networking Night features short-format entertaining presentations on career topics, technical or nontechnical. In 2014 and 2015 and 2016, 80+ IT professionals and students, including many newcomers, attended this fun event! It's all at the Louisiana Technology Park on July 12.

Be part of this free event by attending, enjoy a free dinner, and all the professional networking you can handle. Even better, be a part of the event by giving a 7-10 minute talk on career soft-skills, professional guidance, etc. WE NEED SPEAKERS!

Examples of entertaining short-format speech topics and a signup form here. Best of all, be a part of Networking Night with an official sponsor presence if you are a Gold or Platinum sponsor of SQLSaturday Baton Rouge (more on that later).

PowerBI PreCon at the Louisiana Technology Park on July 28

The day before SQLSaturday Baton Rouge, join us on Friday all day in the TechParkU room of the Louisiana Technology Park. The only precon for SQLSat Baton Rouge this year features an ALL DAY Deep Dive into PowerBI with Microsoft employees Adam Saxton (Guy in a Cube on Youtube) and Baton Rouge SQL UG founder Patrick Leblanc!

Bring your laptop, grab a cup of coffee, and get ready to learn! Registration fee is $120 for the all-day event and includes lunch! Register Today for the Pre-Con on Friday, July 28!

SQLSaturday Baton Rouge at LSU on July 29

And of course, the big finale to our SQL Summer and the last of the three Gulf South 2017 SQLSat events, our 9th annual SQLSaturday features an 11-track lineup of speakers from around the country, assembled by our scheduling extraordinaire Kenny Neal.

The schedule includes a whole track of PowerBI experts, a panel on Careers in IT, an entire track on Big Data/Analytics, tracks for .NET, mobile, and web developers an entire track for Business Intelligence, and so much more.  Oh, and of course top-notch SQL DBA and SQL Development tracks from big names in the SQL industry!

Who attends SQLSaturdays, you say? I'm glad you asked...

This event is entirely free for attendees, including a jambalaya lunch, and tons of raffle prizes to giveaway at the end of the day. Everything is paid for by our amazing sponsors.

Please pre-register if you plan on attending! Please also consider signing up to be a volunteer as well, and our expert volunteer coordinator Adrian Aucoin will put you to work, probably just by being a proctor and attending the same sessions you were going be in anyway. And we still have of sponsor tables available in the atrium to be a part of this local community-driven event.

Have questions about sponsoring? Check out our informational sponsorship PDF explaining all the benefits, costs, the day-of experience, and the process of getting involved in one of the largest and broadest SQLSaturday events in the world. Have questions? Please reach out to us via email at sqlpassbr@gmail.com. The sponsor registration and payment deadline is July 15.

Thumbs up if I'll see you there!

Registrant Job Title Data from SQLSaturday Baton Rouge events 2014-2016

In a blog post on the Sparkhound website, I laid out the strong case for a sponsor's Return on Investment (ROI) for sponsoring local SQLSaturday events. Part of my argument in favor of sponsoring SQLSaturday events are the diversity of attendees and their responsibilities, and particularly, the presence of decision makers.

Attracting the Decision Makers and Influencers

At a large-tent event like SQLSaturday Baton Rouge where we have tracks for IT management, server admins, and .NET developers, the cross section of responsibilities in the registrants skews heavily towards developers and especially decision makers, as evidenced in the below graph:

I believe the percentage of attendees in a decision-making capacity in their workplace is understated at SQLSaturday events, broadly. This is a fact that should be emphasized by SQLSaturday organizers and promoters to potential sponsors.

At SQLSaturday Baton Rouge we have sought out speakers for "IT Management" and "CIO" tracks over the past few years. The speakers remain the type of experienced, highly motivated volunteer professionals that speak in technical tracks. Topics include SQL Server disaster recovery and high availability, the value of business intelligence dashboards, and cloud adoption strategy. The typical "career" track with soft-skills sessions can include giving feedback to employees, or how to best conduct interviews, and how to be more inclusive of women and under-represented demographics. The value of having "something for the boss" at a SQLSaturday translates directly to sponsor ROI.

What about small SQLSaturday events?

To sponsors, the size of the event is a factor, but it shouldn't be the only one. Significant ROI can be returned merely by a sponsor's presence at a local event, showing support for the local IT community. Whether the sponsor is looking to recruit, drive sales, or increase market recognition, the size of a SQLSaturday event doesn't necessary translate to higher ROI.

In fact, smaller SQLSaturdays may provide a bigger share of the spotlight, a more recognized local contribution, and more face time with local IT connections. There are SQLSaturday events held locally around the world almost every weekend of the year - meaning that at least one a year, almost any company has a local, authentic, home-grown opportunity nearby.

Job Title Categorization

If you're curious for how the job titles were categorized, I've included the relatively simple TSQL categorization logic below:

...  set JobTitleCategory = CASE
      
      WHEN [job title] like 'C%' and len([job title]) = 3 
       OR [job title] like '%Chief%'   
       OR [job title] like '%Director%' 
       OR [job title] like '%President%'   
       OR [job title] like '%Officer%' 
       OR [job title] like '%Owner%' 
       OR [job title] like '%CIO%' 
       OR [job title] like 'VP%'
       OR [job title] like '%Partner'
       OR [job title] like 'Founder'
       OR [job title] like 'Attorney%'
       THEN 'C-Suite'

      WHEN [job title] like '%Manager%' 
       OR [job title] like '%Senior%Associate%'
       OR [job title] like 'Head%'
       OR [job title] like '%manger%'
       OR [job title] like 'HR%'
       OR [job title] like '%supervis%'
       OR [job title] like '%coordin%'
       OR [job title] like '%Advisor%'
       OR [job title] like '%Legal%'
       OR [job title] like 'Managing%'
       OR [job title] like 'team lead'
       OR [job title] like 'Process Optimization%'
       OR [job title] like '%Mgr%'
      THEN 'Management'

      
      WHEN [job title] like '%dba%' 
       OR [job title] like 'data%admin%' 
       OR [job title] like '%data%base%' 
       OR [job title] like '%ETL%'
       OR [job title] like '%SQL%'
       OR [job title] like '%PASS%'
       OR [job title] like '%Chapter Leader%'
       OR [job title] like '%DB Admin%'
       THEN 'DBA'
       
      WHEN [job title] like '%BI %' 
       OR [job title] like '%Business Intelligence%' 
       OR [job title] like 'Data%Scien%'
       OR [job title] like '%analytic%'
       OR [job title] like 'Math%'
       OR [job title] like '%data%Architect%' 
       OR [job title] like '%report%' 
       OR [job title] like '%warehouse%' 
       OR [job title] like '%data%specialist%' 
       OR [job title] like '%data%analyst%' 
       OR [job title] like '%Informatics%'
       OR [job title] like '%Information%'
       THEN 'Business Intelligence'

      WHEN [job title] like '%Studen%' 
       OR [job title] like '%grad%'
       OR [job title] like '%Candidate%'
       OR [job title] like '%Intern'
       THEN 'Student'

      WHEN [job title] like '%Accounting%'
       OR [job title] like '%CPA%'
       OR [job title] like '%AP %' 
       THEN 'Accounting'

      WHEN [job title] like '%design%' 
       THEN 'Design'

      WHEN [job title] like '%access control%' 
       OR [job title] like '%security%' 
       OR [job title] like '%sec%' 
       THEN 'Security'
       
      WHEN [job title] like '%Instructor%'
       OR [job title] like '%Teacher%'
       OR [job title] like '%faculty%'
       OR [job title] like 'Research%'
       OR [job title] like 'Editor'
       OR [job title] like 'Librar%'
       OR [job title] like '%school%'
       OR [job title] like '%education%'
       OR [job title] like '%science%'
       OR [job title] like '%instruct%'
       OR [job title] like 'Fellow'
       THEN 'Academia'

      WHEN [job title] like '%programmer%'  
        OR [job title] like '%software%developer%' 
        OR [job title] like '%Software%Engineer%'
        OR [job title] like 'App%Dev%'
        OR [job title] like 'Dev%'
        OR [job title] like 'Comp%Scien%'
        OR [job title] like 'App%Dev%'
        OR [job title] like '%developer%' 
        OR [job title] like 'Tech%Lead'
        OR [job title] like '%application%'
        OR [job title] = 'P/A'
        OR [job title] like 'Program%'
        OR [job title] like '%Architect%' 
        OR [job title] like '%software%' 
        OR [job title] like 'Code%' 
        OR [job title] like 'Analyst%' 
        OR [job title] like 'pgmr%' 
        OR [job title] like 'E-%' 
        THEN 'Developer'

      WHEN [job title] like '%System%Ana%' 
       OR [job title] like '%Comp%Ana%'
       OR [job title] like '%Sys%eng%' 
       OR [job title] like '%Sys%admin%'
       OR [job title] like '%Net%Admin%'
       OR [job title] like '%IT%Tech%'
       OR [job title] like 'IT%specialist%'
       OR [job title] like 'tech%specialist%'
       OR [job title] like '%Engineer'
       OR [job title] like 'MCT%'
       OR [job title] like 'Implement%Spec%'
       OR [job title] like '%technic%'
       OR [job title] like '%Administrator'
       OR [job title] like '%Network%'
       OR [job title] like '%integration%'
       OR [job title] like '%repair%'
       OR [job title] like 'helpdesk%'
       OR [job title] like  'IT%Pro%'
       THEN 'Server Admin'

      WHEN [job title] like 'Customer Support Specialist'
       OR [job title] like 'Tech%Support%'
       OR [job title] like 'Dispute Resolution%'
       OR [job title] like 'Specialist'
       OR [job title] like '%IT%Supp%'
       OR [job title] like '%IT %'
       OR [job title] like '%Support%'
       OR [job title] like 'field%service%'
       OR [job title] like 'desktop%'
       OR [job title] like 'service desk%'
        THEN 'Customer Support'

      
      WHEN [job title] like '%QA%'
       OR [job title] like '%Quality%' 
       OR [job title] like '%test%' 
       THEN 'QA/Testing'

       
      WHEN [job title] like '%SharePoint%'
       THEN 'SharePoint'

     WHEN [job title] like 'Acc%Exec%' 
      OR  [job title] like '%Sales%'
      OR  [job title] like '%Account rep%'
      OR  [job title] like 'Business%Dev%'
       THEN 'Sales'

      WHEN [job title] like  '%Recruiter%'
       THEN 'Recruitment'

      WHEN [job title] like  '%Admin%Assistant%'
       OR [job title] like  '%Assistant'
       THEN 'Administrative Assistant'

      WHEN [job title] like '%Admin%'
       OR [job title] like '%systems%'
       OR [job title] like '%engineer%'
       OR [job title] like '%technolo%'
       OR [job title] like '%operat%'
       OR [job title] like '%IT%'
       OR [job title] like '%server%'
       OR [job title] like '%system%'
       THEN 'Server Admin'

      WHEN [job title] like '%Business%Analyst%'
       OR [job title] like '%Analyst%'
       OR [job title] like '%Auditor%'
       OR [job title] like 'BSA%'
       OR [job title] like '%process%'
       OR [job title] like '%product%'
       OR [job title] like 'BA'
       THEN 'Business Analyst'

      WHEN [job title] like 'Self%Employ%'
       THEN 'Self Employed'
      
      WHEN [job title] like 'Social Worker'
       OR [job title] like '%nurse%'
       OR [job title] like '%dental%'
       OR [job title] like '%health%'
       OR [job title] like '%clinic%'
       OR [job title] like '%medical%'
       OR [job title] like '%nutrition%'
       THEN 'Medical'
      
      WHEN [job title] like '%legal%'
       THEN 'Legal'
      
      WHEN [job title] like '%Project%' 
       OR [job title] like '%PM%' 
       THEN 'Project Management'
        
      WHEN [job title] is null 
       OR [job title] = '' 
       OR [job title] = 'Mr' 
       OR [job title] = 'NA' 
       OR [job title] = 'n' 
       OR [job title] = 'n/a'
       OR [job title] = 'not provided'
       THEN 'Not provided'
      
      WHEN [job title] like '%Consultant%'
       OR [job title] like 'Principal%' 
       THEN 'Consultant'

      ELSE 'Other'

      END

Great to see you at SQLSaturday Houston 2017

Great to see all of you at #SQLSatHouston today, an awesome event put on by a great crew of volunteers. I presented in the first timeslot of a stacked schedule, and met and made a lot of friends.

My talk on SQL Server Permissions and Security Principals had a great crowd in the morning, about half of whom had never attended a SQLSaturday event before. I was thrilled to be their (hopefully good) energetic first impression!

You can download my slide deck and sample scripts here at the SQLSaturday Houston schedule page.

Please reach out if you have any questions, contact info in the slidedeck. Thanks to UserGroups.tv, you can click here for the video of the presentation.

See you all at SQLSaturday Baton Rouge on July 29!

Early birds catch the worms. Learning in the 8:30am session. #SQLSatHouston pic.twitter.com/IwKb7Jsi57

— Robert Anderson (@RAndersonTexas) June 17, 2017

SQLSaturday Houston 2017 - I'll be there, will you?

Looking forward to combining a work trip with a SQLSaturday trip to Houston this week!

Will be happy to see the #SQLFamily on Friday night and Saturday! So many faces I only get to see once a year, too many!

I'll be presenting in the very first time slot on Saturday morning. Who says 830AM is too early for SQL Server Permissions and Security Principals? Then I'll be helping represent both Sparkhound and PASS at the event. Maybe I'll even get to do this again.

I'm bummed that I'll be presenting in the same timeslot as good friend and fellow Baton Rougean Thomas Leblanc and also good friend and my predecessor as PASS Regional Mentor (and now Microsoft employee) Ryan Adams. What a loaded lineup the rest of the day too!

See you there!

SQLSat Pcola 2017 Security Principals and Permissions

Great attendance and awesome questions from my afternoon session on "SQL Security Principals and Permissions". As promised, both the demo script files, and the entire info-packed slidedeck are available for download here on the official SQLSaturday Pensacola 2017 website.

If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, please let me know, contact info inside. Happy to meet, and thanks again for participating in the session and asking so many great questions.

The wife and I are always happy to join the #SQLFamily at Pensacola annually, hope to see many of you sooner than next year!

SQL Server Security with @william_a_dba PEBKAC is a true issue! #sqlsatPensacola pic.twitter.com/pjd0TBvQkx

— Angela D. Tidwell (@AngelaTidwell) June 3, 2017