George Walters

The greater Boston, Massachusetts area is rich in technology and people.

The technology space I have been involved with for around 18 years is Microsoft, SQL Server, and Windows.  In recent years, Azure has been added, and advanced analytics as well.

I have had the pleasure of getting more involved in these groups, and I will testify to the friendly nature of the people involved.  Technology does not have to be a scary thing to get involved with!

One question I get from customers is, “Where can I go to learn more about SQL Server and Azure?”

Fortunately, we have a wonderful set of communities full of experts, who volunteer their time to share knowledge.  Both technical and nontechnical people should consider attending to better the understanding and skills in these areas.

Here is my short list for SQL Server, Business Intelligence, Windows, and Azure within Boston and Cambridge MA.

The SQL Users group in Boston meets in the Microsoft Office at 255 Main street, Cambridge, MA:

http://www.meetup.com/NESQLUG/

The Boston Azure users group meets at Microsoft’s 1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA community area.

http://www.meetup.com/bostonazure/

The Windows users group meets in the Microsoft Office at 255 Main street, Cambridge, MA:

http://www.meetup.com/WindowsBoston/

The Boston BI group meets in the Microsoft Office at 255 Main street, Cambridge, MA:

http://www.meetup.com/Boston-Business-Intelligence/

Further out, in Rhode Island are two great Microsoft SQL Server and Business Intelligence groups:

The Rhode Island Business Intelligence User Group meets at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI:

http://www.meetup.com/The-RI-Microsoft-BIUG/

The Rhode Island SQL Users Group meets in East Greenwich, RI:

http://www.meetup.com/Rhode-Island-SQL-Server-Users-Group/

I welcome comments for your own favorite user groups.  Thank you!

Are you in the mood to learn more about data? Perhaps you’re a server or desktop admin, but the DBA seems to have a cool job? Do you want to get connected to the data your company uses?

Why do companies care about that data? They care because we are moving to a data-driven economy.

Good data can help companies earn more, and understand their customers better, if used properly. The skills needed to handle this data tend to start with storage and maintaining that valuable data.

To break into the field, perhaps start with some of these courses on Microsoft Virtual Academy. They will help you understand the concepts, see some of the work in action, and help you decide to go further.

To help you decide where to start: SQL Server is rated the top operational database system as rated by Gartner, a highly respected research firm.

Anything you learn in the following courses can generally be applied to other relational database systems. So let’s get you started!

Database Fundamentals

https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/training-courses/database-fundamentals-8243

How to query with Transact-SQL (The language used to get and push data into Microsoft SQL Server)

https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/training-courses/querying-with-transact-sql-10530?l=TjT07f87_9804984382

Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Jump Start

https://mva.microsoft.com/en-us/training-courses/administering-microsoft-sql-server-2012-jump-start-8259