One of my fears going into SQL Cruise was that, although I technically met the minimum requirements for the training, that it would still be worlds above me. That my inexperience would stick out or that I’d drag the sessions to a grinding halt with unrelenting questions and clarifications. Thankfully, that fear never came to pass and here’s the good, the bad and the ugly about SQL Cuise (for Beginners).

The Good

The trainings were great. I knew about all the topics that had been covered from Dynamic Management Objects (AKA DMVs) to Terabyte Databases and my brain never hit a speed bump along the way. I’ll give myself half the credit for actually knowing more than I give myself credit for. The other half I’ll give to both Tim (Blog | @SQLAgentMan) and Brent (Blog | @BrentO) for being experienced and clear presenters. To write in cliché, they both really know their stuff. I don’t think that was ever in question, but I think the community has an expectation when it comes to presentations by Brent and Tim, and the trainings on SQL Cruise were no disappointment. The best thing for a beginner is a good, clear teacher; one that knows more than the topographical features of a portion of subject matter.

The cruise itself was also good. There was lots of sun to be had, a fair amount to do around the boat, and even within a few hours of embarkation I found myself simply sitting around doing nothing. I don’t do nothing. I’ve got two jobs, a ton of responsibilities, a lot of hobbies, and I was doing none of them. It was strange but nice. A few hours after that I had begun to contemplate and understand what drew Hemingway and I wished that I had packed one of my portable typewriters. And no: installing the sounds on a laptop isn’t even close to the same experience.

But for SQL Server novices, I know that life can get hectic, especially when it feels that one is always behind on information, or that the mountain of “what we need to know” seems insurmountable. The cruise gave me a much need moment of respite, even if I felt it burn away within a few hours back on the job.

The Bad

While the cruise was great for cruising, I do have second thoughts on using it as a training venue. Sometimes the ‘conference space’ that we utilized was a drink lounge, and while it was nice to have something informal, there were space considerations that caused the group to spread out a bit further than is good for discussions. There were power considerations for those that used laptops and even simply for the projector and PC running PowerPoint. At one point, the captain made an announcement over the PA system, and the boat actually cut power from all the sockets in the room, which didn’t kill anyone’s laptop, but the projector had to be restarted and caused an interruption in the presentation. That sort of interruption isn’t the best for the learning environment, but it couldn’t be helped (and Tim took it like a pro – BOOM!).

The other major consideration is the ship’s movement. Ships rock a lot when sailing and it picked up when we were on open water between Florida and Cozumel. And I don’t even suffer from motion sickness, but the movement is noticeable when watching a demo or reading from a slide deck. Maybe it was simply the way we were positioned in the room, but nearly every time the ship rocked to port, I felt as though I were falling backwards. Again, there is scant little to be done about the ship’s movement because there is no stopping it, but it could act as an additional distraction for people who are more affected by motion sickness.

The Ugly

Yeah, ugly sunburn. Despite my Eastern European and Irish tendencies, I only really got burned on the tops of my feet, so I’m declaring victory on that front. The rest of me got lobstered a little, but I’ll be back to pasty in no time at all. As skin cancer runs in my family, I’m happy to be pasty. Young beginners take note: you are not invincible against UV radiation.

Wrap Up

SQL Cruise was an interesting experiment. I don’t mean it as an insult, but it was the first of its kind and in that sense an experiment. I’m not sure if anyone was 100% certain that it would work, but the die was cast and we all did the best we could to make it a fulfilling and memorable occasion. I know that both Tim and Brent walked away with ideas for future events and with ideas on how to make them better and more accessible – simply more successful. Even future events that are focused on SQL Server novices. The event has the ability to mature and there is definite room for growth.

And yeah, I’d go on another. SQL Sentry, you holding more contests for future cruises? I’m joking, but it must be said one more time: thank you once again our gracious sponsors! SQL Sentry, Quest Software, Redgate and MSSQLTips.com – we couldn’t have done it without you!