{"id":465,"date":"2012-12-03T11:57:21","date_gmt":"2012-12-03T11:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"\/blogs\/glenn\/post\/Top-10-Learning-Resources-for-Accidental-DBAs.aspx"},"modified":"2018-12-20T11:24:58","modified_gmt":"2018-12-20T19:24:58","slug":"top-10-learning-resources-for-accidental-dbas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sqlskills.com\/blogs\/glenn\/top-10-learning-resources-for-accidental-dbas\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 Learning Resources for Accidental DBAs"},"content":{"rendered":"

So what should you do if you are an \u201caccidental DBA\u201d, who ends up dealing with SQL Server in some capacity on a regular basis without the benefit of any training or experience?\u00a0 What if you are what I like to call a \u201ccaptive DBA\u201d, because you must install, maintain, and support some other Microsoft product (such as Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft System Center, Lync Server, Team Foundation Server, etc.) that uses SQL Server as a data store? Perhaps you have some third party applications or internal applications that use SQL Server as a data store?\u00a0 If you find yourself in this situation, you are not<\/span><\/strong> completely alone in your cubicle or office, with only your favorite search engine for help. There are plenty of good resources out there where you can get help and learn more about SQL Server. Even if you are not planning on becoming a dedicated SQL Server professional, there are a number of ways to get immediate help and to start learning enough to get your job done.<\/p>\n

Luckily, there is a large and vibrant \u201cSQL Server Community\u201d that is more than willing to help each other out, both online and in person. There are many different ways to learn more about SQL Server, depending on what works for you. One of the first things you should do is get a free account on Twitter<\/a>, and start using it. You should follow some SQL Server people, and start participating so you get to know people and they get to know you. You can use the #sqlhelp hash tag on Twitter to get expert help within minutes. You can post questions on the various SQL Server-related forums to get more detailed help that may take a little longer.\u00a0 As you use these resources, be polite, and try not to annoy people right off the bat.\u00a0 Saying please and thank you, and not arguing too much make a world of difference when it comes to getting help on Twitter and in the forums.<\/p>\n

It is also a good idea to read a few blog posts related to SQL Server every day. You can use your favorite RSS reader to subscribe to a number of blogs and see what interests you. I think it is also valuable to buy a few books about SQL Server, and actually read them. There are also a number of different training resources, both online and in-person, that you can use to learn more about SQL Server. I have listed a few of these various resources below, to help get you started.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Twitter<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

WeFollow \u2013 SQLServer (Good list of some of the better known SQL Server people on Twitter)<\/p>\n

#sqlhelp Hash Tag on Twitter<\/a> (Good advice from Brent Ozar on how to use the #sqlhelp hashtag on Twitter)<\/p>\n

Forums<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

MSDN SQL Server Forums<\/a><\/p>\n

SQLServerCentral Forums<\/a><\/p>\n

Stack Overflow Forums<\/a><\/p>\n

Server Fault Forums<\/a><\/p>\n

Blogs<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

SQL Server Blogger Rankings<\/a> (Thomas LaRock\u2019s blogger rankings list)<\/p>\n

Microsoft TechNet SQL Server Blog List<\/a> (List of SQL Server-related blogs compiled by Microsoft)<\/p>\n

SQLServerCentral Bloggers<\/a> (Blogs that are syndicated to SQLServerCentral)<\/p>\n

SQLBlog Bloggers<\/a> (Blogs that are syndicated to SQLBlog)<\/p>\n

Books<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

SQL Server Books for DBAs<\/a> (Thomas LaRock\u2019s list of recommended SQL Server books)<\/p>\n

Troubleshooting SQL Server – A Guide for the Accidental DBA<\/a> (Excellent book on how to configure, monitor and troubleshoot SQL Server)<\/p>\n

DBA Survivor: Become a Rock Star DBA<\/a> (Great career guidance for new DBAs)<\/p>\n

SQL Server Hardware<\/a> (My book on how to select and configure hardware and how to install and configure SQL Server)<\/p>\n

Professional SQL Server 2008 Internals and Troubleshooting<\/a> (Classic book about how to diagnose and troubleshoot performance and other problems with SQL Server 2008)<\/p>\n

Professional SQL Server 2012 Internals and Troubleshooting<\/a> (Completely new version for SQL Server 2012)<\/p>\n

Training Resources<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

SQLSaturday Events<\/a> (Free training events that are held on Saturdays around the world)<\/p>\n

SQLskills Free Online MCM Training Videos<\/a> (Great learning resource even if you are not interested in the MCM certification)<\/p>\n

Pluralsight SQL Server Courses (High quality, affordable online training)<\/p>\n

SQLskills Immersion Events<\/a> (Extremely deep technical training from SQLskills)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So what should you do if you are an \u201caccidental DBA\u201d, who ends up dealing with SQL Server in some capacity on a regular basis without the benefit of any training or experience?\u00a0 What if you are what I like to call a \u201ccaptive DBA\u201d, because you must install, maintain, and support some other Microsoft […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,31,36],"tags":[53,52],"class_list":["post-465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sql-server-2008-r2","category-sql-server-2012","category-teaching","tag-accidental-dba","tag-learning"],"yoast_head":"\nTop 10 Learning Resources for Accidental DBAs - Glenn Berry - SQLskills<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Provides valuable learning resources and links for novice database administrators and new database administrators\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sqlskills.com\/blogs\/glenn\/top-10-learning-resources-for-accidental-dbas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top 10 Learning Resources for Accidental DBAs - 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