Staying true to the meaning of SQL Community with respect to local chapters and user groups, I wanted to bring you some links of upcoming events in the NY/NJ area and surrounding cities.

Coming up in the Big Apple, the New York City Microsoft SQL Server Users Group kick off its first meeting of 2012, with Joe Lax and SQL MVP Linchi Shea as they team up to demonstrate their favorite tools and scripts they use to help make their lives easier as DBA’s.  So, SQL Server Tools & Tips is the topic, and they're meeting at NYC's Microsoft Headquarters on January 26, 2012.  (This is the same place that hosted our successful SQLInspire NYC 2011 event.  Videos are now available.)   All their meetings are scheduled for Thursday evenings, and you can bring your own scripts to share with the group.  You need to register in advance to enter the building.  There will be giveaways and refreshments.

Home of the SQLDiva, Melissa Demsak leads the New Jersey SQL Server User Group.  As you know, Melissa has been instrumental in helping us with SQLInspireNYC 2011, and previous SQLSaturdays in NYC & NJ!

Their meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of every month at the SetFocus training facility, 4 Century Drive, Parsippany , NJ.  The NJSSUG brings in great experts and MVPs on SQL Server and related technologies.  They often feature excellent and timely topics on the future of the world of SQL Server.  They just had a wonderful presentation on SQL Server Data Mining (SSDM) for SQL Server Professionals, by SQL MVP, Mark Tabladillo, based on his previous SQLSaturday presentations.  You can check his blog out at MarkTab.net.  They are planning to cover the current industry buzz on Big Data/Hadoop (DonXML with SQLDiva), at their February 21, 2012 meeting.  Should be quite interesting, as for those who don't know, DonXML, otherwise known as Don Demsak (well that gave it away), is the husband of SQLDiva.  Come see how their SQL Chemistry mixes :-).  Anyone is the local NJ area, can frequent these User Group meetings by monitoring their site, NJSQL.org

If you are in the area, and interested in the exploding BI industy, then we have a user group for you too!  The Microsoft Business Intelligence User Group of New York City, features cutting edge presentations, and new technologies in the BI space.  The MSBYNYC group is a community dedicated to the development of expertise in Microsoft BI technologies and related third party products.  The group is lead and organized by Andrew Brust, CEO of Blue Badge Insights, longtime BI expert and SQL MVP.  (Andrew also spoke on Big Data, Big Deal, back at SQLInspire2011)  You can also access their previous BI presentations online. For upcoming events on BI in NYC, be sure to bookmark their site MSBINYC.com.

The Philadelphia SQL Server User Group (PSSUG) is a community of SQL Server database professionals, specializing in DBA, Database Development, and Business Intelligence topics.  They also host a number of workshops, a bi-monthly online meeting that focuses on certification exam prep for both SQL Server and Business Intelligence.   They are free and open for anyone to attend.  For more info on the user group workshops, click on the referenced link.  They meet monthly in different locations throughout the Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey area, so to find an event of interest and attend in person, you must visit the site to learn the details of how to register for upcoming events and activities: PSSUG.  The next scheduled SJ SQL Meeting is on Tuesday, January 24th at the Haddon Heights Public Library. And hey, you never know who may just pop-in to these user-meetings.  If a superstar MVP happens to be in town, they may show up, and even do a presentation - At their January 11, 2012, meeting, SQLQueen MVP Kalen Delaney dropped by, and gave an impromptu internals session.

It certainly is worth mentioning that the PSSUG hosted SQLSaturday #69, back in March, 2011. (At which event I presented my I/O - Waits & Queues discussion)  Furthermore, they just announced another highly anticipated sql training event, SQLSaturday#121, coming up on June 9, 2012.  Be sure to visit the event home page and register as soon as possible.  This group is run by Chapter President Vince Napoli, and VP, frequent SQLSaturday circuit speaker and SQL/Cluster expert Joseph D'Antoni

There's a new chapter in town, and its up north for the folks in Upstate New York, who can't often get to NYC, and it's in the capital of the Empire State (that's NY State :-), Albany.  In fact, its been aptly named the Capital Area SQL Server Users Group, and is organized by SQL DBA & Developer Joseph Barth. Their meetings occur on the third monday of every month and meet at the local New Horizons training center.  Now, I want to take moment to give Joe a fair amount of due credit.  He attended my session at SQLSaturday in NY, and often asked what he could do to get more involved in the SQL Community.  Since it's not always easy to get down to the city (unless you're the Governor flying in by helicopter, or limo :-), Joe decided to start a SQL User Group up in his neck of the woods.  I've been invited to speak, and would love to and plan on doing so soon.  Congratulations Joe! 

The next upcoming meeting will take place on February 20, 2012.  Their will be a discussion on JOINS, correlated and non-correlated subqueries, and the test for existance, how this impeeds or improve query performance.  It is suggested that attendees bring their ideas, problems and solutions to the meeting, as they participate in the user group's SQL code workshop.  Again, that the CASSUG 

Well, that's all of the local SQL Server Community news for now.  I hope you will check out the above user group meetings, workshops, resources and events that are upcoming this exciting year of 2012!!  More good news is sure to come!  Thank you for reading this space!

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