Pass-Summit

It’s been a minute since I’ve gotten out to speak at events, but the second half of 2025 is going to be packed.

As PASS Summit approaches this week, I’m re-reviewing my evaluations from SQL Saturday Boston and I’d like to give feedback about feedback.

Why Feedback?

Both speakers and event organizers depend upon getting feedback about every session delivered at SQL Saturday, Data Saturday, PASS Summit, or any of the user groups (in-person or virtual). This feedback is valuable to speakers and event organizers alike.

• For speakers, it helps us understand if we’re doing OK when we’re in front of the room, but more importantly we want to know what we can do better.
• For event organizers, it’s helpful in understanding what content attendees want to see. As a former event organizer and user group leader, I’ve even used that feedback to say “hey, we should invite this person to speak at a future meeting.”

Ratings on a scale of 1-5 are okay, but when you’re looking at product reviews on Amazon you aren’t just look at the stars, are you? The written reviews are what matter most when you’re making a decision about garden hoses or cheese graters. This is your opportunity to tell the speaker what works in their presentation and what doesn’t. This is information that can’t be conveyed via 4 stars or an emoji. We need actionable feedback.

All week, my phone has been reminding me (via photo memories) of the amazing experience I had at PASS Summit 2017. This can mean only one thing - PASS Summit 2023 is less than two weeks away!

I’ve written a lot about Summit in the past and many of the posts I’ve written about getting ready are still applicable today, so go check those out too.

Content and Scheduling

As always PASS Summit is delivering a ton of amazing content - an embarrassment of riches! And the topics are getting more and more diverse every year. Which is excellent because in the coming year(s) I, like many data professionals, will be asked to work across a variety of tools and platforms and not just the handful we’ve been using for a decade or more.

As I write this, it’s the weekend before PASS Data Community Summit 2022 and depending upon when I finish, it’ll post either shortly before SQL Saturday Oregon, or in time for folks to read it on SQLTrain en route to Seattle. Summit has snuck up on me this year and far more than any other year, I’m feeling woefully unprepared.

If you’d asked me 5 years ago if I would ever speak at Summit, I’d have said “no way, not possible.” I didn’t even think I was able to produce the kind of material that’s expected at an event on such a large scale. Not to mention having that many eyes on me.

But times change. Experience, skills, and knowledge change. People change. And sometimes, people get talked into doing things things by their friends.

A collection of the resources mentioned in my PASS Data Community Summit session Backup Basics with PowerShell and dbatools, including bonus content!

I am thrilled to announce that I will be speaking at this year’s PASS Data Community Summit! This year’s event runs November 8th through 12th. I am thrilled to announce that I will be speaking at this year’s PASS Data Community Summit!

PASS Summit 2020 has wrapped up (or is in the process of wrapping up), and as with years past, I’m getting this written while the experience is still fresh in my mind. This is also my long-form event evaluation.

We’ve Moved! We’re Closed!

The announcement that Summit 2020 was to be held in Houston brought was both disappointment and excitement. I enjoy visiting Seattle and have gotten to know little bits of it. I like the fall weather there. But it’s a long flight to get there and back.

Just because we aren’t all together in Houston doesn’t mean we can’t have a #SQLRun at this year’s Summit. It might even be easier for some folks as there’s no luggage space/weight limits, jet lag or a late night out on Tuesday.

So here’s the deal. A while back, I created a SQLFamily group on Strava. If you’re not already a member of the group, no problem - anyone can join! You can even sync your activity from Garmin and some other platforms if you track things elsewhere.

I took a bunch of photos at and around Summit this year, including more selfies than in years past - I’m getting better about it! For a few more photos, check out my earlier Summit Photowalk post.