About

I am the Technical Editor to SQL Server on Linux (published 2018, McGraw-Hill), and Technical Reviewer to High Performance SQL Server: Consistent Response for Mission-Critical Applications 2nd Edition (published 2021, Apress), SQL Server Query Tuning and Optimization: Optimize Microsoft SQL Server 2022 queries and applications (published 2022, Apress), and Expert SQL Server Transactions and Locking Concurrency Internals for SQL Server Practitioners (published 2018, Apress).

I am a strong believer in community and have previously founded and lead SQLSaturday Cambridge, SharePoint Saturday Cambridge, East Anglia SQL Server User Group, SQL Nexus (as co-founder), and Hybrid Virtual Group (of which is still running). I have been a recipient of the PASS Outstanding Volunteer award and Microsoft Community Contributor awards.

I am an experienced international conference speaker, having delivered sessions to hundreds of on-premises and online events including Microsoft Future Decoded, PASS Summit, SQLRally, SQLSaturday, SQL Nexus, SQLBits, 24 Hours of PASS, and SQLRelay.

More about me

In what would at one time have been a list as long of your arm of websites that mentioned me for a variety of my professional and community activies, has now over time dwindled to a handful of references. I’ve kept the remaining links for posterity (and no doubt a minor twinge of narcicism!) but slowly over time these will themselves cease to exist. It’s all quite sad in a way since old memories and reflections in other peoples blogs are slowly falling out of existance as time moves ever slowly forward (particularly those who were once good friends), but those that remain are interesting to me nether-the-less.

Geeks on Screens with Coffee Season 1
I was awarded the Microsoft Data Platform MVP
SPS Cambridge
UK TechDays Online 2016
Nikoport PASS Summit 2014 Recap
PASS Summit 2014….here it comes!
Ask SQL Family
2014 Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for SQL Server
Matt Smith SQLCambs
Pedro Simoes SqlSaturday #267 – my chosen sessions
PASS Summit 2013 Program Survey Results History repeats itself…
My Experience As a SQL Bits First Timer
Announcing DiTBits at SQLBits
SQL Saturday in Edinburgh on June 2013
What’s protected from accidental deletion in Active Directory?
PASS Summit 2012 – Day 4 Recap
SQLSaturday #162: Cambridge, England
A few laps around the SQLRally Track
Going to SQLSaturday #162 Cambridge
Derek Colley SQL Saturday #162 - Cambridge, UK
The PoSh DBA: Solutions using PowerShell and SQL Server
Let the PASS Summit 2011 Begin! Wednesday Keynote
SQLBits 9–”Oops, I did it again” or “Come together”