About the Blog

This is my second attempt at running a blog, and I’m updating this page a little over a year after its launch. The first blog was started as the old “this is what I did today” thing, and although it was fun for a while, I burned out on it eventually, because I spent too much time on less-than-important details. I did, however, have a kickin’ rad logo, thanks to my wife, @tameraclark. I wanted to post it here for posterity, but it was heavily based on the Canadian Airborne Regiment’s crest, so it won’t be going back up.

This time around, I’m doing things completely different: I’m using WordPress, it’s not hosted on a machine that sits within earshot of where I sleep, and, holy crap, LAMP. I’m trying to focus on writing technical content first and foremost, but don’t feel like I’m being overly successful in that endeavor. There are some reasons for that (along with some excuses), and I’m working on those. Initially, I had wanted the blog to serve as internal documentation for things that I do and work on, but in making the transition from DBA to BI work, that target is probably going to change—I want this to be a resource for fellow BI Pros working out problems. That of course means that I need to really put some effort into writing about things I’m learning and doing, and I hope that I can stand up to that challenge.

Although I’d rather write about SQL Server and the Microsoft BI stack, most of my work today is using Business Objects-related technologies. I don’t think all tools and technologies are created equally; everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. But, general concepts, methodologies, and guidelines transcend platforms, and as such, are useful to all. For the time being, I expect to be writing less on SQL Server and other specific topics (save for things like T-SQL Tuesday), but instead, more on general concepts and strategies. This should work out well, as I learn what it means to be a BI Developer and try to get along with SAP. As was true before, I’m sure there will be posts where I talk about server administration and maybe even some network-specific stuff; those are things that I’m still interested in and very occasionally get to tinker with, even if only at home… There will be rants about weird hardware and even weirder database designs, and if things go well, there will be posts that are actually insightful (if this happens twice a year, I’ll be happy). If I ever start flying again, there will be funny stories about the controller I’m talking to trying to keep some poor lost guy from flying in front of a busy departure runway, while trying his best to not outright tell the guy he’s being a moron (not that I’ve ever heard that happen before…).

In general, don’t take most of what’s on the site too seriously, because I sure don’t take myself that seriously. I try to write useful things about useful topics, but at the end of the day, I’m a big goof-off, so plan accordingly. If something is really important, I’ll make sure to point it out.