The Microsoft New Zealand Tech Ed 2010 is sold out, and just about to start this coming week. As if those crazy days of all things Microsoft would not be enough to fuel developers and system admins for the next year, the MS Communities is running its Code Camp event again, this time called "MS Communities Code Camp and Technology Summit".

This is a free event, but registrations are required. It is happening Sunday 29th August, at The University of Auckland.

More details on the MS Communities Code Camp and Technology Summit page.

Microsoft has just sent out the email notification confirming registrations for the Microsoft Tech.Ed New Zealand 2010 is open from today, 10th May 2010.

The Microsoft Tech.Ed is New Zealand's largest education, training and networking event for the IT sector. This year, Tech.Ed runs from Monday 30 August to Wednesday 1 September at SkyCity Convention Centre, Auckland.

Pricing is unchanged from last year, and a limited number of discounted Earlybird tickets are available. In previous years Tech.Ed has sold out very fast.

There are also great opportunities to sponsor or exhibit at Tech.Ed, with more information available on the Tech.Ed website.

Microsoft Tech.Ed 2010 includes technical content with 13 tracks planned and over 125 sessions. Tracks planned include: Architecture, Client, Server, Database, Development, Office & SharePoint, Security, Unified Communications, User Experience. Plus new tracks: Cloud, Windows Phone, Innovation and Business Overview.

Microsoft is planning to bring on IT "rock star" speakers, including the very best technical presenters to New Zealand.

The hands-on lab environment with 80 workstations will be back, allowing attendees to work through training courses and get hands-on with the software. This year the hands-on-labs will feature a new architecture for improved stability and performance.

A new Marketplace is in the plans, with new layout, more interactive activities, new "zones" and great exhibition stands.

The TechFest 2010 is back at the Auckland Town Hall and will have a line-up of top New Zealand bands and entertainers.

There's also a hint about a special HP offer for delegates - this year it seems like a HP MediaSmart Datavault is in the cards.

One of the driving forces behind Microsoft events in New Zealand is our very active .NET community, represented all over the country by .Net User Groups.

Here are some Tech.Ed New Zealand 2009 videos that may be of interest to anyone who wants to get in touch with communities:

A tour of CodePlex (Sara Ford)

Students and the community (Ryan Tarak)

Microsoft helping startups (Mike Zeff)

Community Spotlight (Debbie Ireland)

Community Spotlight (Kirk Jackson)

Community Spotlight (Mark Orange)

Tech Girls Dinner (Julia Raue and Amanda Jackson)

For more Tech.Ed official videos visit TechEd Online, a global online community where visitors can explore video interviews with industry experts, view on-demand sessions and keynotes, join the community with Tech.Ed blog posts from around the world.

There were quite a few Office and Unified Communication tracks at Tech.Ed. Here are some of the official session recordings:

Business Productivity Online Suite (Mark Orange)

Building rich calendaring experiences with Exchange Web Services (Albert Kooiman, David Claux)

High availability in Microsoft Exchange Server 2010

Microsoft Exchage Server 2010 Architecture (Ross Smith IV)

Storage in Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (Matthew Gossage)

Unified Messaging in Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (Michael Wilson)

Driving contextual collaboration with Microsoft Office Communicator 2007

And here is our "unofficial" interview with Andrew Ehrensing, Microsoft Principal Consultant talking to us about upcoming release of Exchange 2010:



For Tech.Ed official videos visit TechEd Online, a global online community where visitors can explore video interviews with industry experts, view on-demand sessions and keynotes, join the community with Tech.Ed blog posts from around the world.

On behalf of the Microsoft SQL user group I am sharing some information about Brad McGehee's tour around New Zealand:

Brad M. McGehee is the Director of DBA Education for Red Gate Software; an accomplished Microsoft SQL Server MVP with over 14 years' SQL Server experience, over 6 years' training experience, and has been involved in the industry since 1982.

A well-respected and trusted name in SQL Server literature, Brad is the author or co-author of more than 14 technical books and over 100 published articles.

Auckland Monday 19th October 2009
http://aucklandsql.com/Meetings/Brad-McGehee.aspx
DBA 101: Best Practices Every DBA Should Know
This session focuses on key fundamentals, such as: Installing & Upgrading SQL Server; SQL Server Configuration; User Data and Log File Management; Database Configuration Settings; Configuring Critical Maintenance Jobs; Setting Up Alerts for Critical Errors; Security Basics; Implementing a Backup Strategy; Creating a Disaster Recovery Plan; Testing; Monitoring; and Documentation

Wellington Tuesday 20th October 2009
http://wellington.sqlpass.org/Home/tabid/1764/Default.aspx
How to Optimise tempdb Performance
DBAs often don't spend a lot of time watching tempdb performance. They think of it as a black box that takes care of itself. What many DBAs don't fully realize is how tempdb performance can affect SQL Server's overall performance. In this session, we will cover how tempdb is used; tempdb internals; how to monitor tempdb; and how to optimize tempdb for best performance.

Christchurch Wednesday 21st October 2009
http://www.dot.net.nz/Lists/Events%20Calendar/DispForm.aspx?ID=144
Want to become an exceptional DBA?
Becoming a DBA doesn't have to be just a job; it can be a very rewarding career. While many DBAs are happy with just getting by, the Exceptional DBA is not only outstanding in their knowledge of SQL Server, they are consummate professionals who are in high demand, and command high salaries.


Dunedin Thursday 22nd October 2009
http://www.dot.net.nz/Lists/Events%20Calendar/DispForm.aspx?ID=137
Best Practices Every SQL Server DBA Must Know 
With the continued popularity of SQL Server, more and more people are becoming SQL Server DBAs, whether they planned to or not. Many of these DBAs don't have formal training, but are doing the best they can under the circumstances. Most of these DBAs want to do a good job, but just don't know where to start. While Books Online is a great reference tools, it doesn't tell someone what they need to know about commonly established best practices that experienced DBAs know by heart.