Connections 

~ SqlAsylum ~ 4 Comments

In my previous post about my planning for the new year, I left something out.   

This wasn’t entirely intentional.  It was just a problem I didn’t know how to articulate. I still don’t have a firm answer, but it’s something I want to talk about more and more.    

Most people would say that I have a lot of Connections, a large network.  I’ve even had my kids tell me, “Dad, you know everyone”.   While many people know me in the community, or know of me. I don’t really feel like I’m connected to them.  One of my favorite Authors and speakers, Simon Sinek, has recently started talking about this much more. Here is a quick video describing some of the ideas. 

I want to make something very clear: I’m not advocating for moving back to more in-office work.  I just started a fully remote position! What I am advocating for is connections.  Human connections that mean something to you. Now more than ever, we can go through a full day without any actual human intervention. We can pretty much do everything sitting behind our phones or computers and never really talk to people.  Even if we do talk to a friend, it might just be in a chat channel or something else.  This is concerning.  

I can’t change the whole world;

I can only change myself.  

I can change the events I manage and attend. 

I can influence the people I meet.  

My goal is to make real connections. 

We have seen a decline in convention attendance over the last year; people are questioning the value of conferences and events, given that they can do everything through AI or learn online.  Personally, the value of an event to me has never been the learning. It’s always been the connections I’ve made.  I know that I can learn without an event/conference.   I cannot easily make connections outside my company without an event/conference.  

This is my initiative for the year.  My next post will be all about how to make this happen for you with tips and tricks.  If you are interested in helping with this initiative, please reach out, and I’ll suggest ways we can work together. 

Human connection should be one of the most important things in our lives.  

Wrapping up 2025 and looking forward!

~ SqlAsylum ~ 5 Comments

It is that time of year when the world reflects on the past and starts making plans for the future. I personally am not a big fan of “Resolutions”. I prefer to look at goals for the next quarter, identify what I want to improve, and then focus on just those items. I intend to make this a quarterly post going forward. For now, I’ll recap the last year.

Below are some key accomplishments from last year:

  • I spoke internationally.
    • I was able to speak at PG Conf India in Hyderabad. It was a great experience, and I plan to do it again soon. It was even better since many of my team members were able to attend.
    • Personal fitness.
      • Failed my first 50-mile Gravel ride. (Moab Gravel Fondo)
      • Succeeded at my first 50-mile Gravel ride. (Rebecca’s Private Idaho)
      • Total of 5k miles on bike for the year.
    • Travelled a LOT.
      • New Countries indeed: Canada, Singapore, Japan (Tokyo).
      • New States: Hawaii, Virginia.
      • Several International trips, multiple regional trips, and vacations with family.
    • Led a team of DBAs and DBEs
      Very proud of how well the team works independently. Enabled the team to react quickly to any situation. More proactive changes were implemented to improve system stability.
    • Upgrade of PG towards the end of the year.
    • Started a new job
      Very excited about starting a new job right at the end of the year. Going to be the most challenging position for me yet!

    Some key goals I have for the next quarter:

    • Write every day. Post a blog once a week.
      This is critical to my new position and something I’ve wanted to do in the past, but haven’t had the time to focus on.
    • Set up the Testing environment.
      I typically have a production/Test/Dev environment to play with that includes lots of real-world data. When I want to test something new in PG or some other database. I now need to create something that does this. I have plenty of scripts and data to use for this; I just need to get it set up. This project is in process, and you will probably hear more about it soon.
    • Plan dates for three events in Utah.
      I have an SQL Saturday, a Kids Code Camp, and a Big Mountain Data event to plan. Need to lock in dates.
    • Figure out how to work differently.
      As mentioned in a previous blog post, I am transitioning into a very different role and need to focus my attention on a very different way of seeing the world.
    • Prepare my new presentations.
      I have several new presentations I’m working on and will be prepping all the content for them in the next few weeks.
    • Restart the user groups here in Utah.
      We have some user groups that need to resume operations, and I will be focusing on those events with other members of the community.
    • Manage Sponsorships.
      I have 3 events this year that I’m managing sponsorships for, and I need to make sure they are all ready to go.

    This is not everything I have planned for the quarter, but it’s a good start to keep things moving along. Hopefully, I can post an update in a few months and let you all know how these things are going.

    Hope to see you all at a future event in 2026!

    Here are some photos that I hold dear from my 2025 Adventures.

    Presenting in India!

    My Daily Driver. Most of my commuting to work.

    Just ride!

    Solemn moment at Arlington National Cemetery

    The Jewel in Singapore is well worth a visit. Amazing place! I would love to go back.

    Tokyo was a fantastic city.

Changing Jobs

~ SqlAsylum ~ 2 Comments

If you haven’t seen my LinkedIn post regarding my new job, you should check that out first. 

I started this week at Redgate Software as an Advocate. This isn’t just a new job for me, it’s a complete change in my day-to-day work. I’ve spent the last 20 years working in the DBA world. It’s a complete change to come to a position where my first few days were not spent discovering which Databases the company has and where they were located, not trying to figure out whether Backups were being done on the systems or what performance problems they had. 

It’s a BIG change for me.  The idea of not being on call, dealing with incidents, or simply being a member of the Engineering department is a foreign concept to me.  

The good news is that it’s VERY exciting!  Change is a tricky thing, but one that we need to embrace.  

I’m a firm believer that to find happiness, you need to find challenge and change.  

It also helps that my biggest passion has always been the community and helping others.  

I’m pretty sure these are going to change.  But I like to set something I can measure at different points along the journey. I don’t have a problem failing at my goals as long as I learn something.  I intend to review these each quarter. So while they are listed as 2026 goals, I’m sure they will change as I move forward through the year. 

2026 Goals

  • PG SLC UserGroup needs to be restarted and running. Hold at least five meetings. 
  • SLC SQL Server UseGroup, Same as above, with at least five meetings. 
  • Host an AI event. 
  • 3 Events in Utah for Utah Geek Events this year. 
  • Speaking at 5 PG conferences this year. Hopefully more. 
  • Assist three conferences in the US to get started. Hopefully, using the new https://dayofdata.org/
  • Speaking at 10+ User group meetings, Virtual or in person. 
  • Create five new presentations.  Three are already in progress. 
  • Have fun

These goals are mine and don’t necessarily reflect the specific goals I will have with my employer. I think many of them will align, and I’m sure a lot of these items will overlap.  I also think I’m being a little conservative on the numbers here.

What can you expect next?  This blog will be changing. It will still have content on PG, SQL Server, and biking, but I intend to revamp its look and make it easier to find things.  I will also be posting at least weekly, so check back often and subscribe!