One of the things I love about hosting SQL Saturday is giving stuff away. Our sponsors give us a lot of money, and we spend that money on the community. After we cover the event expenses, it’s fun to spend on things to give away. We buy things like tablets, books, gift cards, laptop bags, and even a Surface Pro. I get to play Oprah for a few minutes, giving away my favorite things.

Not everything can be free, though. So when I can, I like to get inexpensive things, specifically training. SQL Saturday is a free event to our attendees, courtesy of our sponsors. But on Thursday and Friday, we try to squeeze in as much inexpensive training as we can. We bring training classes that could cost thousands of dollars for only a few hundred.

On Friday, March 18, Microsoft Data Platform MVP Denny Cherry will be presenting SQL Server Performance Tuning and Optimization. Denny is one of the most highly regarded names in the SQL Server community. He could charge thousands of dollars for a full day training class, and it would be worth every penny. For the Boston SQL Server community, a full day of training with Mr. Denny is only $249. If you purchase those tickets before December 31, it’s only $199. You just can’t beat that price.

On Thursday, March 19, my dear friend and fellow Microsoft Data Platform MVP Jes Borland will be teaching how to move to to Azure. Stay tuned for more details.