My presentation was entitled fair or foul (on side or offside) and used the soccer analogy of being offside to determine our system perform–either you are in or out and if you are out, we have to make a change.  We reviewed the SQL Profiler, Pal Tool, and several DMVs and discussed how we can collect performance information from SQL Server.  I was in a great slot just before lunch, but had what I thought was the toughest lineup of the day–Eduardo Castro, the organizer and holder of a PhD in databases, Andy Leonard, and Kenneth Urena–a local speaker who is one of the more active members of the community all at the same time as my session.

I was pleasantly surprised by the attendance and glad I gave the presentation in Spanish.  I did stumble a few times, but I would simply say the word in English and the entire audience would respond in Spanish.  The biggest soccer rivalry in the country would take place on Sunday so we had a little fun talking about it and fanning the fanatic’s flames.  I had one of my daughters with me (pictured at right) and let me assure you the other attendees appreciated the material more than she did.

In addition to meeting Eduardo, I also got to meet Russell Fustino of Component One and he even convinced me to be on the Russ Cam! I can’t wait to see how it turns out.  It was my first interview on camera and made me realize I need to practice that another time or two.

My goals for going to this SQL Saturday were two fold–first, give a presentation in Spanish and become more familiar with the tool sets in Spanish.  Second, to meet the community members and see how I can become more involved.  I was able to meet both of these goals and I hope to present a webcast in one of Eduardo’s sessions shortly.  !Pura Vida!