Thus far I have made it through 11 of the MCM videos on SQLSkills.com, as well as the associated demos.

There is a large amount of information in these videos, and I’ve been learning a lot.

The point of this training next year is to fill in the blanks. I consider my T-SQL skills for SQL Server 2000 and 2005 to be pretty good, but the stuff that happens at a lower level needs work. I have a good understanding of indexes and statistics too, or at least I thought I did. These videos have blown me out of the water with the why that goes along with the how, making my understanding a lot stronger. I’ve even discovered that some of the advice I’ve given in the past was more relevant to SQL Server 2000, and no longer applies to the newer versions. It’s important to keep this in mind, because we need to give our clients the right information.

It helps that Paul and Kimberly have a manner of speaking that I can tune into very quickly. The only times I’ve found myself rewinding a video is where my mind has wandered, either a result of being tired, or thinking about the topic described and losing focus.