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Formatting a VTT Caption File into a Transcript with Sublime Text and Multiple Regular Expressions

Kendra Little
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Do you ever need to use a text editor to apply regular expressions to files? If so, this post is for you! If not, you may wanna skip it and just return to it if you ever need it. Ever since I started working with data, I’ve occasionally had to format raw text files for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s a one-time import to a database system, or a one-time analysis. Often it’s not directly related to a database at all, but it’s part of a business process. I first learned about regular expressions when formatting a large data file: I needed to remove line endings, and regular expressions were the answer. Throughout my career, those regular expressions have come in handy. I need them just often enough that I can usually get the job done after a bunch of missteps and cursing. These days, I use a series of…
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WordPress: Create a Sidebar List of Parent/Child Pages

Kendra Little
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Recently, I wanted to create a list of pages for a custom WordPress sidebar. Specifically, I had a “parent” page, sqlworkbooks.com/free-sql-server-quizzes. Under this page, I had more than 30 individual quiz “child” pages, each with a URL like this: sqlworkbooks.com/free-sql-server-quizzes/quiz-batch-mode-in-sql-server I wanted: A sidebar list of selected child pages (clickable URLS) The ability to show the sidebar page links only on the parent and child pages (not on the whole site) The ability to group the links and change the names The ability to add / remove links from the sidebar without having to un-publish or delete the page In the past, I’ve used the PageMash plugin for this Long ago, in a WordPress install far away, I used the PageMash plugin for organizing and managing lists of page links like this. But PageMash is one of those plugins that hasn’t been updated in (checks watch) nine years. I thought about it a little…
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Auto-Tuning and the #1 Mindset Problem I Had as a DBA

Kendra Little
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A few folks have asked: will auto-tuning and adaptive query plans mean the end of performance tuning jobs for SQL Server? In this week’s episode, I talk about why I’m excited about those features rather than afraid of them. Digging into this problem, I share the #1 mindset problem I had as a DBA, why this mindset is so common among database professionals, and a daily habit that can change your approach to new technology. Audio version No time to watch right now or read the transcript below? Listen on the go! This is available in podcast format on iTunes , on Google Play, or plug this RSS feed into your favorite podcast app: http://dearsqldba.libsyn.com/rss Video version  Transcript Disclaimer: this is a transcript of a chatty webcast, so it’s not written like a blog post. It was created by machines and edited by a lady who was also thinking about Hekaton and decoupage at the…
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Slowing Down Your Motor Mouth – Presentation Tips for Fast Talkers

Kendra Little
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Are you worried that you talk too fast when you give a speech, talk, or presentation? Is fear being a fast-talker one of the concerns that keeps you from getting started with public speaking? In this episode, I give you simple, practical tips that I’ve used to successfully improve the way I give presentations. Four years ago, I got frustrated feedback from listeners who had a hard time keeping up with my mouth; now I get congratulations that the pace was great. Audio version (18 minutes) No time to watch right now or read the transcript below? Listen on the go! This is available in podcast format on iTunes , on Google Play, or plug this RSS feed into your favorite podcast app: http://dearsqldba.libsyn.com/rss Video version (18 minutes) Transcript of this episode Please forgive errors in grammar and punctuation: robots helped create this transcript. And I’ve never diagrammed a sentence in my life, unless drawing dinosaurs…
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#TSQL2SDAY 96 – Kalen Delaney’s Inspiration for Adventure

Kendra Little
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This post is part of TSQL Tuesday, a monthly blog party. You’re welcome to join in this party: if you’d like email notifications of future topics, here’s how to set them up. This month’s topic is “Folks Who Have Made a Difference”, by Ewald Cress. Ewald Cress has given us a prompt “to give a shout-out to people (well-known or otherwise) who have made a meaningful contribution to your life in the world of data.” The people in the community who have taught me things and contributed to my life are too many to list, and impossible to rank. So I thought: who made the biggest impression on me in just the last year? You can’t really predict what people will remember Memory is a funny thing: sometimes you try to remember something and fail. Lots of times, we return to memories that are of an event that may have…
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Things I Learned from Speaker Idol 2017 at the SQL PASS Summit

Kendra Little
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I was lucky enough to serve as a judge for the Speaker Idol competition at the SQL PASS Summit conference this year. One of the great thing about watching presentations and giving feedback on them is that you learn a lot about speaking by watching sessions and crafting your feedback. I’d like to thank everyone who participated. I enjoyed every single presentation, and I learned a ton. I wish I had the time to write about everyone, but to keep this reasonably short, here are some highlights of what I was wowed by from the finalists. Simon Whitely: excitement is infectious It’s tricky to be excited at the beginning of a presentation without seeming nervous, but Simon showed us how this is done. He’s terrific at pacing – he shows you don’t have to talk fast to convey excitement. He uses large, controlled hand gestures while he’s excited and introducing his…
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