SQL Saturday 700 in Colorado Springs is coming up!

If you work with SQL Server in any capacity, I can't recommend attending a SQL Saturday enough. A day of no-cost training and networking is a fantastic opportunity. SQL Saturdays offer a wide variety of content - there are commonly tracks on database administration, business intelligence, development, professional development, management, and many others. 

So many big names in the SQL Server community got started speaking for local user groups, SQL Saturdays, and the like, and many of them continue doing so. It's a fantastic opportunity to learn and spend time with deeply knowledgeable people, pretty much all of whom are also super-nice!

It's also a great opportunity to get to know the sponsors. Odds are you'll have the opportunity to talk directly with knowledgeable folks from storage vendors, tool vendors, recruiters, and more.

One of the other best things about SQL Saturday is that there's an open call for speakers for each event, and many of them work hard to include new speakers and local folks. If you want to share your knowledge in a larger venue, it's a great opportunity to get started. I've submitted a session myself this year. You don't even have to stick to your local area. While you're on your own for your expenses, it can be extremely rewarding to travel, meet new people, and get yourself out there in front of a larger audience.

If you live along the Front Range in Colorado (or anywhere in CO, really), northern New Mexico, etc., I hope you'll consider attending SQL Saturday #700 in Colorado Springs on 24 March.  

There are also ample volunteer opportunities. It can take a surprising amount of work to make the events run smoothly, and there's always something the organizers can use help with. Even though I'm no longer helping to plan and run the event, I've still ticked the volunteer opt-in on the registration form.

Dan Gurney, 1931 - 2018

I wrote a brief memorial for Dan Gurney over at The Pit Crew Online. The man had a LIFE, let me tell you.

A quick note about multi-hop replication in SQL Server

Many people use SQL Server replication in a multi-hop setup. Publish from A to B, republish from B to C, and so on. This is a well-known use case, even if it makes those of us who have to maintain it a bit crabby at times - throw in some other stuff like Change Data Capture that uses the Log Reader Agent and it's a recipe for fun (but that's another post for another day).

One thing I've seen a number of people run into trouble with is making changes to publications in this sort of environment. It's simple enough when you're adding new things - you start at the start and move down the chain. Where I've seen folks have the most trouble is with removing articles and publications - for that, you have to start at the last hop and work your way back to the source.

Managing this kind of setup can become tedious, so I urge you to get comfortable with the various stored procedures, views, and tables that are present in SQL Server. Microsoft's documentation on the topic is thorough and helpful, and spending some time in the lab poking around will amply repay you. Document your environment, learn what replicates where, and when it comes time to make those changes you'll be in much better shape.

If you don't have a lab, don't fret! Simply sign up for a Visual Studio Dev Essentials account at VisualStudio.com, and you can download SQL Server Developer Edition at no cost to you.

Helllllloooooo 2018!

Gosh, about 4 years. I figure it's time to start bloggin' again!

I'm still working with SQL Server, so I'm going to mostly blog about that. I'm still interested in things Japanese, so I'm probably going to blog about that a bit too. I've also developed an interest in motorsport in the interval, but for that you'll want to check out The Pit Crew - that's where I write about that!

A tough power situation in the Tohoku, and its roots in the Meiji period

While TEPCO and its Fukushima crapfest disaster idled power plant still occupy much of what little attention the US press pays to the ongoing electricity crisis in Japan, it's worth noting that Northern Japan is having capacity issues on top of the earthquake and tsunami aftermath. My friends in Southern and Western Japan are in comparatively good shape, electricity-wise, but it's difficult to get surplus power to the East and North due to an interesting quirk in Japan's electrical grid.

Power companies in Western Japan produce power at 60 Hz, while the generating firms in the East produce power at 50 Hz. This discrepancy has its roots in the modernization rush in the Meiji period. The link above gives a great capsule summary - the generating firms in Tokyo and Osaka imported equipment from different countries, and the nation grew to have two frequencies as firms in the East followed Tokyo's lead, and those in the West followed Osaka's.

While the frequency discrepancy doesn't cause problems for most devices that use mains power, the nature of power generation and transmission equipment is such that you can't simply send power from West to East, or the other way. There are a few conversion stations (three, to be precise), but there's only so much capacity per station. The combined 1 GW capacity falls far below the nearly 10 GW shortfall in the East. There is also some limited HVDC transmission capacity between the grids, though it isn't enough to transmit much more power.

The rush to modernize, and the uncoordinated growth stemming from long-held regional rivalries, leaves its mark on Japan even today.

がんばれ日本! がんばれ東北！

It was very sweet that the Independent in the UK had this phrase on their front page. It's been a very busy and exciting (in the negative sense) few days in Japan. Thankfully, everyone I know is accounted for and safe as far as I know, but many were not so fortunate. I've changed the title of my blog to a more somber phrase for a bit - it's a haiku by Issa, written after the death of his young daughter.

I will have more to say on the situation soon, but right now I'm still in processing mode. My one word of advice to observers is to look past the Fukushima reactor complex problems and focus on the un-sexy but far more important human toll in the Tohoku region.

I will say that it's interesting (and really, rather understandable) that much of the world is paying more attention to the reactor problems than many of the other issues. This is perhaps a common human thing - the quakes are (for now) largely over (this is leaving aside the aftershocks), and the tsunami is done (again, for now), so we pay attention to the immediate drama at Fukushima. I don't think the instant gratification culture is to blame here, rather I think it's just in our nature to be attracted to the more dramatic issues. The cleanup and search efforts are just not as exciting, though I'm sure we'll see a few stories of people beating the odds and surviving in amazing circumstances, but soon enough even this will be forgotten by most people not directly involved.

Give money if you can, give your time if you can, give your thoughts and encouragement if that's all you can give.

Kan he get Japan's budget in shape?

I first apologize for the horrible pun in the title.

Japan is showing some signs of growth again, even though it's small. The budget is still a problem, though, and one thing PM Kan is considering the LDP's suggestion to increase in the consumption tax, from 5% to 10%, over the next few years. He's also talking about a balanced budget by 2020.

Compare this to Mr. Osborne's bumping the UK's VAT to 20%, up from 17.5%.

Apart from the oddity of the major political parties suggesting a tax INCREASE just before an election (which really does underscore the depth of the problem), it's worth noting that Mr. Kan has proposed this as his cabinet's popularity is slipping.

Mr. Kan is in a very tough spot, but I hope that he sticks to his guns and lays the groundwork for future responsible fiscal policies. Even if he suffers politically, history will be far kinder if he can get Japan on the right track.

Perhaps the timing of Mr. Kan's accession to the Prime Ministership will work in his favor, though. Elections are looming and the DPJ has lost a lot of public goodwill. The churn in Prime Ministers in Japan (including Mr. Kan, there have been five since Mr. Koizumi left office in 2006, though all but Mr. Hatoyama have lasted right around a full year; Mr. Koizumi, by contrast, was in office for over five years) indicates a general failure of leadership and concomitant lack of public confidence in both the LDP and DPJ (even though the PM is selected by the ruling party, public sentiment is very important). Mr. Kan may not have much of a future in office no matter what.

Thanks to this, he may well feel free to bite the bullet and make the hard choices that must be made. In the immortal words of Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose (Janis Joplin's version of the song was far and away the best, by the way). Mr. Kan may well be supremely free to act.

There is of course the concern that raising taxes could cause growth to stall. This is a legitimate worry, and a reason to implement a tax increase gradually. It is heartening to note that Mr. Jimi is taking a sensible departure from his predecessor's preference for yet more spending to stimulate growth. It is also heartening that he is taking the position that postal funds should not be directed toward risky overseas ventures. At this point, Japan can ill-afford a crisis generated by unwise use of Japan Post savings funds.

I encourage Prime Minister Kan to press forward with the hard choices and keep Japan on the road to sensible fiscal policy.

(All linked articles were accessed on 22 Jun 2010. They are subject to change without notice, and the links may eventually break. Paragraph on taxation vs. growth concerns added after the article was published. Due to time zone differences, some articles may have a publication date of 23 Jun 2010; they were accessed on 22 Jun 2010 in the Mountain time zone, GMT -6 due to DST.)

Japan's next steps

With PM Kan taking the reins on a coherent note, I'm cautiously optimistic about Japan's immediate future. That said, I think Japan must address a few issues urgently in order to keep the ball rolling. Yes, some of these are certainly optimistic, possibly bordering on wishful thinking, but needful nonetheless.

• First, address the textbook issue and concomitant historical revisionism. In terms of public perceptions of Japan, this is perhaps the single most significant sticking point in Japan's relationships with its neighbors. Japan must own up to its wartime acts and come to terms with its Imperial past. Germany has managed to survive after doing so. Taking this step will help cool anti-Japanese sentiment throughout East and Southeast Asia.
  As an example, recent polls indicate that the Chinese and Japanese public both see addressing historical issues as the top priority (see question 16 here, for instance). Given the increasing economic interdependence in Asia, the dividends of such a program will be substantial. As the public goes, so often go the leaders.
  
  Interestingly, this could have some interesting repercussions in China regarding the Chinese Communist Party's legitimacy in the public eye. Communism is no longer a viable ideology, and so the CCP has had to rely on other means to maintain its legitimacy. Anti-Japanese sentiment is a convenient tool, and if the Chinese public begins to warm toward Japan, the CCP will face an interesting time domestically. It will at least harmonize their domestic take toward Japan and their diplomatic take - China is on quite the charm offensive with Japan right now from a diplomatic perspective, particularly Premier Wen's jogging excursion through Yoyogi Park. While there could be some unintended consequences (aren't there always?), I believe that overall the two nations could begin to build a more meaningful bilateral relationship once the public opinion gap is bridged.
  
  I realize that this is not likely to happen, given the significant resources that the ultranationalist players possess. That said, it is an effort that must be made. If the DPJ wishes to meaningfully distinguish itself from the LDP, they are the party to get the ball rolling. Unless the Ultranationalists and Rightists and other fringe Uyoku groups are brought to heel, they will continue to be a problem. Textbook reform will be a key tool in reducing rightist influence. The kids need to know the truth. The truth sometimes really hurts, but Japan will continue to suffer prestige problems until this is resolved.
• Next, as Kan mentions, get the economy sorted out. This is crucial in so many ways, and one more blog post can't do it justice.
  
• Either get the birth rate sorted out or enact meaningful immigration reform. Japan is rightly proud of its unique culture, produced under unprecedented historical circumstances (periodic contact with continental Asia, punctuated by long periods of isolation, during which the Japanese had time to truly internalize and transform what they learned from the mainland, producing culture that, while obviously derived from the culture on the mainland, is vibrant and distinctive and very much a Japanese sort of thing). That said, Japan can't meaningfully continue without some solution to the impending demographic crisis (see this paper - eek! There is an alternate methodology proposed here, so it'll be interesting if it goes anywhere, and if so what results are obtained. I will be keeping an eye on projections either way.). Japan has a choice to either get its domestic birth rate up, allow immigration in a more meaningful way, or face relegation to a 2nd- or 3rd-tier power.
  
  The downside of the aforementioned history is that xenophobia and associated racism are endemic in Japan, though they're generally quite polite about it. This will need to stop even if the birth rate rises. As the world grows ever more interdependent and interrelated, foreigners will continue to seek opportunity in Japan, and jobs teaching English aren't going to cut it. The government needs to quit scapegoating foreign residents for domestic problems, and needs to institute reasonable measures to allow legitimate immigration. The government also needs to take steps to ensure foreign resident workers are treated as well as their Japanese counterparts. These problems are of course not unique to Japan, but the Japanese approach to the issue isn't terribly productive here.
  
  Also, and I'm just saying, granting Japanese citizenship to the descendants of Korean and Chinese immigrants whose families have been in Japan for generations would be a nice gesture here.
  
• Evaluate Japan's security relationship with the United States and its closer neighbors. I will come back to this in a follow-up post, but suffice to say that the Futenma issue is symptomatic of some strains in the US-Japan security relationship. The relationship is strong overall, of course, and very beneficial to Japan, but it will not last forever.

Everyone has their own list of things Japan must do, of course. Not being in Japan (and not being Japanese, of course) colors my perceptions. Any of my Japanese readers/readers in Japan (a man can dream!) have input? I look forward to any comments.