As always, I learnt a lot at the SQL PASS Summit. One resource I discovered was the Microsoft Customer Advisory Team or SQLCAT for short. This is a Microsoft team of consultants that helps customers on the bleeding edge of SQL Server to be successful. The great thing about this investment by Microsoft is that they publish their results and experiences on the www.sqlcat.com web site. Let’s take a look.
The SQLCAT team put on 15 sessions at the PASS Community Summit in Seattle in November and the sessions I saw were excellent. For instance, the session on Data Compression and Backup Compression by Sanjay Mishra showed how the team had helped customers to achieve space savings and performance gains from the new SQL Server 2008 compression features. Because they are working with real-life customers on real-life applications, the road is not always smooth, but they are there to make sure these high profile accounts are successful. And the most important thing is that they record their results and findings for all to see and learn from.
For me, this is an awesome strategy by Microsoft to enable successful customers, gain references, improve the product and support the SQL community as a whole.
The web site is well organized and interesting with the “Top 10 Lists” on the front page. Unlike David Letterman’s version, there is no drum roll but this is an informative and quick way to publish Best Practices and new features. For instance, “Top 10 SQL Server 2008 Features for ISV Applications” hits the highlights of why you might try SQL Server 2008. Again, the findings are backed up by real customers and real applications so this is no marketing blitz. These are techies talking to techies. Unfortunately, there are only six items in the Top 10 list for “Failover Clustering Benefits Realized from Migrating to SQL Server 2008” but still, you get the picture.
There is a tab for the team Blog, where brief posts can be made to update the community. There are Technical Notes, Whitepapers and a Toolbox for freeware solutions to some difficult issues. Throughout the web site you can post comments in true blogging style so that feedback is always there.
The SQLCAT represents a significant investment by Microsoft, but it is absolutely the right strategy for extending the lifecycle of SQL Server for the future. Simply put: if you make your customers successful the rest takes care of itself.
Cheers
Brian
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