Data & AI at Microsoft | Former MS MVP | CKA & CKAD
I am wrapping up my 4th week at Microsoft and part of my “ramp up training” is becoming familiar with Power BI. (Apparently it’s in high demand :) The only experience I have with BI / Reporting tool is setting up SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) and creating a couple basic reports using Report Builder.
Continue reading “Power BI – Free Dashboard in a Day Workshop”
In July of 2020 I was awarded Microsoft MVP in the Data Platform category for my community contributions on SQL Server Big Data Clusters. This was a huge accomplishment for me and I am truly honored. The rest of 2020 was spent studying and passing Kubernetes certifications and dedicating time for introspection. I dug a little deep and tackled the good’ol question, “where do I see myself in 5-10 years?” After some time pondering certain paths and outcomes, I came to a pretty solid answer which involved giving up my MVP award.
Happy New Year!! Even though the year 2020 was full of surprises, I managed to accomplish a few things:
I can’t believe it’s already been a year since BDCs went GA (general availability). Time sure does fly by!
I don’t recall how I came across this Kubernetes IDE called Lens, but all I know is it’s cool as hec! It connects to a Kubernetes cluster (using the kube config file) and gives you an in depth view of all the different Kubernetes objects, their associated yaml files, health/metrics, etc. In this blog post I will show you how we can look into a Big Data Cluster’s Kubernetes infrastructure using Lens.
First let’s install Lens.
Continue reading “A Look Inside Big Data Cluster Infrastructure Using a Kubernetes IDE”
I remember when I first started deploying Big Data Clusters, they were on Azure Kubernetes Service utilizing the $200 credit for first time sign ups. By the time I got around to figuring out how to deploy the BDC, not only was my $200 credit gone, but I started to incur cost out of pocket.
If only there was a feature that would allow me to stop the VMs in AKS whenever I wasn’t using them. Well, I’m excited to share that Microsoft AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service) came out with a neat feature (currently in preview at the time of the publishing of this post) that allows you to stop and start your AKS cluster by running a simple command. Of course I had to try it out on BDCs and to my surprise it worked. Well, sort of. Let me explain…
Continue reading “Stop and Start your AKS Big Data Cluster and Save $$$”
Are you a data professional and curious about Kubernetes but not quite sure what type of opportunities are available? Maybe you’re hesitant because you think Kubernetes is a “fad”? Or perhaps you’re just starting out in IT and don’t know what path to take?
Whether you are new to IT, or a seasoned IT professional, pondering these questions can be exhausting. In this blog post I will go over the importance of learning Kubernetes and how it can massively level up your career!
First, a little primer.
About 2 years ago I started coming across a lot of online chatter on “containers” and “Kubernetes”. This was back in 2018 and around that time I had no interest of learning about it because it had no direct connection to SQL Server and my daily job duties as a DBA. Up until that point I had been working with SQL Server for about ten years. So like most people, “containers and Kubernetes” went in one ear and out the other.
That all changed with the hype, and eventual release, of SQL Server 2019. In SQL Server 2019 comes a feature called “Big Data Clusters”. This new feature in SQL Server really intrigued me because it was something completely different. I started to hear those terms again (containers and Kubernetes) because those are technologies behind Big Data Clusters. Over the next year, I heavily blogged, spoke, and created video content on Big Data Clusters. As a result of my deep passion and promotion of the product, I was awarded Microsoft MVP. My journey didn’t stop there as I have a natural “thirst for knowledge” and had to learn more about the underlying technology that makes Big Data Clusters feasible in the first place: Kubernetes.
So I started to study for the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam.
Continue reading “From DBA to CKA – How I Passed the CKA Exam”
On July 1, 2020, I was awarded the Microsoft MVP in the Data Platform category. That was a truly elevating moment for me and this blog post is intended to share my journey over the past year.
This whole “social distancing” is a perfect time to spruce up the resume. What better way than to add a new certificate? I recently took the Microsoft AZ 900 Azure Fundamentals exam and want to share the two-pronged approach I took to pass.
Before I go into that, I want to talk about the importance of the AZ 900 exam. This is my first certificate in Azure. I have some experience working with Azure through deploying Big Data Clusters on Azure Kubernetes Service. So not every concept was new to me, but I still decided it would be a good idea to expand my fundamental knowledge of Azure.
Continue reading “How I Studied for, and Passed, Microsoft Exam: AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals”
There are a few server-wide configurations that you cannot setup during inital Big Data Cluster deployment. One of those is enabling SQL Agent service. That’s right. If you have deployed a Big Data Cluster you will notice the SQL Server Agent is disabled by default (see screenshot below):
Continue reading “How to Enable SQL Server Agent on a Big Data Cluster”
In my previous posts, I showed you how to deploy a single node cluster and a multi-node cluster. That’s find and dandy but how do you upgrade to the newest SQL Server CU? This blog post will show you how to easily upgrade a SQL Server Big Data Cluster. This method applies to a single node or multi-node cluster. It does not matter how many nodes your BDC has, this upgrade process will work.
Continue reading “How to Upgrade a SQL Server Big Data Cluster”
In my previous post, I talked about deploying a Big Data Cluster on a single node Kubernetes cluster. That’s cool and all but what if you’re a business or organization that cannot have your data on the cloud for whatever reason? Is there a way to deploy a Big Data Cluster on-premise? Absolutely! I’ll walk you through setting that up this blog post. I will walk you through deploying a 3-node Kubernetes cluster, then deploying a Big Data Cluster on top of that.
Continue reading “How to Deploy a Big Data Cluster to a Multi Node Kubeadm Cluster”
One of my 2020 goals was to start presenting more. The easiest, and most cost efficient, way to do that is by presenting remotely. Another goal I had was to start creating Big Data Cluster videos for my YouTube channel. These two goals required a different set of tools. I also had no idea how complicated video recording could get. I finally got everything setup the way I want and a few friends asked me about my setup. This blog post will list everything I use and lessons learned.
So you want to play around with a Big Data Cluster but on a strict budget? No problem! Keep reading or watch the video below.
If you are interested in deploying a Big Data Cluster on a multi-node kubeadm cluster, check out my post here.
Continue reading “How to Deploy a Big Data Cluster to a Single Node Kubeadm Cluster”