The world has already known a lot of editions of SQLSaturday in a lot of different corners of the world: Northern America, Western Europe, Southern America, Africa, Eastern Europe (Turkey), India and Australia. Almost every corner of our planet has been touched by a great knowledge sharing party for SQL Server amateurs and professionals. Shameless plug: me & my team in Lisbon have organized the first one outside of the northern america :)
There is one big and important country which has not had any of the SQLSaturdays so far – China. The country of the dragon has been an empty spot on the PASS SQLSaturday map way too long – its time to turn the page. Over 1 billion people are living in the country where must be many many thousands of people working with SQL Server, and we need to get them connected to the rest of the SQL Server community. We need them to start sharing the knowledge, helping each other to grow, generating the valuable knowledge for everyone.
The moment is now, and we are just a couple of days (5) away from the very first SQLSaturday in China – SQLSaturday #148, and I am going to be there, connecting with my distant #SqlFamily. I will be helping to represent PASS on this event, explaining to anyone interested what PASS is all about, and how it helps for every SQL Server professional to grow. Actually to be honest, PASS is going to have a quite serious presence on this event – Bill Graziano, the actual PASS president is also traveling to Shanghai to support this event. I know a couple more people who will be there – Tiffena Kou & Mark Stacey, so I am definitely going be in a great company.
I am deeply honored to be selected as a presenter on this marvelous event. I will do my very best not to disappoint those who entrusted me to present before the Chinese SQL Server Community. I am going to present a session on the T-SQL enhancements in SQL Server 2012, the same session which I have already presented for the Portuguese SQL Server community at SQLSaturday#115 last March.
The schedule for the SQLSaturday in Shanghai is already online, and my session was inserted between some great SQL Server specialists, so I will have some challenges to follow on some seriously awesome presentations before and after me.
I am so excited about my upcoming trip to the land of the dragon. I have no doubt, that in the nearest future there will be great many SQLSaturdays in China, but the first one is always a great challenge, and those who risk to implement it will forever be remembered in the history of the SQL Server community. Especially those who go from a completely different country & continent in order to make it happen, yes I am talking about you, Tiffena! :)
Have no doubt, this is just a very first post in a series of many about this adventure.