As you may or may not know, PASS has a new conference, SQLRally, which is being held in Orlando, FL this upcoming May. Unlike a normal PASS conference, you guys get to vote on what sessions you want to see.

I submitted two sessions for the DBA track, both of which fall under the “Summit Spotlight” category. I would love for you to vote for them. Both sessions are listed below with why I think you should choose them.

Thanks for your consideration, and I hope to see you at SQLRally!

Session One

Title: Clustering, Database Mirroring, Log Shipping, Replication, and HADRON: Oh My!

Abstract: Are you confused by the buffet of options available to you now or that soon will be available to you in Denali for making your instances and databases available? There are many built-in features such as failover clustering, replication, database mirroring, log shipping, and soon, HADRON. This session will compare and contrast all of them in a practical way so you can think about how and where you would use them. MOre importantly, this session will cover what it takes to truly have mission critical SQL Server deployments. Also discussed will be the non-SQL Server options for making instances and databases highly available.

More Info On Why You Want To See This Session at SQLRally: This is an update to a popular session I have given in the past where I talk about what it truly takes to stay up, this time adding Denali to the picture since it is on the horizon. Availability is more than a technical problem, though. This session is especially helpful if you’re just starting to get into the availability arena and need a clear view on how to approach the challenge and truly understand what each of these features does and does not bring to the table. Even if you’re not new and want a refresher, this is the type of session that can be very helpful and easy to apply back home.

Session Two

Title: Planning and Deploying Failover Clustering for SQL Server 2008 and Denali

Abstract: Failover clustering is one of the most popular options to make SQL Server available in environments both large and small. However, clustering is something that must be properly planned and has many aspects to consider. This session will demystify what you need to do to have rock solid cluster deployments using Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 for SQL Server, including how clustering will need to be thought about for the upcoming Denali release. Also discussed will be the top tips for deploying and administering a clustered SQL Server failover clustering instance.

More Info On Why You Want To See This Session at SQLRally: If you haven’t noticed, there are a few clustering sessions up for voting. All of ’em will probably be pretty good I’m sure. Why mine? My session is not a 60 minute click through the screens and demo of installation (although I’ll have plenty of demos; another session may give you that A to Z for the install). My goal is to give you the information you need to be successful before and after you do the installation, and empower you with as much base knowledge as I can cram in including some Denali changes (such as geographically dispersed clusters).