24 Hours of PASS : Celebrating SQL Server 2008 R2

24 Hours of PASS is a virtual event organised by the Professional Association of SQL Server (PASS). This year it was held on May 19th to celebrate the launch of SQL Server 2008 R2 which was released worldwide on May 12th 2010. The 24 back-to-back webcasts were presented by the most knowledgeable and top-rated SQL Server speakers from around the world.

This year I was able to attend all 24 sessions thanks to a few cold showers and two Red Bulls. The event was totally worth the lack of sleep; all the sessions were quite enjoyable and informative. I am now posting about the event because I was waiting for the recorded sessions to become available. While I recommend that you watch all of the sessions, the following are what I consider as 'must watch' sessions:

Session 01: Introduction to PowerPivot (Brian Knight)
Brian sells PowerPivot to you. Great presentation to get you excited about the next 23 sessions.

Session 03: What Exactly is in SQL Server 2008 R2 (Kevin Cox)
Want to know about the features available in R2 and too lazy to read my previous blog post? Then this session is for you!

Session 05:  Data Tier Applications (Jacob Sebastien)
This session shows benefits for both Developers and Database Administrators. A presentation for everyone.

Session 06:  What's Really Happening on Your Server? 15 Powerful SQL Server Dynamic Management Objects (Adam Machanic)
Adam delivers a well balanced presentation - great introduction and important information.

Session 11: Easier than Ever Report Authoring in SSRS 2008 R2 (Jessica M. Moss)
R2 features makes it easy to create Reports but Jessica makes it easier.

Session 13:  Manage Your DBA Career, Don’t Let it Manage You (Brad McGehee)
The one and only PD session that reminds you of things that you take for granted.

Session 14:  Top 10 Mistakes on SQL Server (Kevin Kline)
If you want to remain a DBA then you should learn how to avoid the mistakes shown in this session.

Session 17:  SQL Tuning - Get it Right the First Time (Dean Richards)
Should Developers or Database Administrators do SQL Tuning? View this session if you want the answer.

Session 20:  Advanced T-SQL Query Tuning Techniques (Rob Farley)
This was not one of the original 24 sessions but I was glad that it became one. Rob Farley came out of moderating session 19 and jumped into this session to show his approach to taming a 'wild' query.

Session 24:  BLITZ! 60 Minute Server Takeovers (Brent Ozar)
Perfect Session and great presenter to end the event. Brent not only shows DBA what to do when taking over a server but his session also reminds them what should be done to all their existing servers.

Thanks to all of the presenters for sharing their knowledge with us and thanks to the PASS members for all the hard work and long hours they spent to make this event a huge success.  Special thanks to PASS Board Member and 24 Hours of PASS organizer, Thomas LaRock (aka SQLRockstar).