---

Enjoy reading interviews with more than two dozen data professionals to see a picture of what it´s like to work in the industry managing and analyzing data, helping you to know what it takes to move from your current expertise into one of the fastest growing areas of technology today. Data is the hottest word of the century, and data professionals are in high demand. You may already be a data professional such as a database administrator or business intelligence analyst. Or you may be one of the many people who want to work as a data professional, and are curious how to get there. Either way, this collection helps you understand how data professionals work, what makes them successful, and what they do to keep up.
You´ll find interviews in this book with database administrators, database programmers, data architects, business intelligence professionals, and analytics professionals. Interviewees work across industry sectors ranging from healthcare and banking to finance and transportation and beyond. Each chapter illuminates a successful professional at the top of their game, who shares what helped them get to the top, and what skills and attitudes combine to make them successful in their respective fields.
Interviewees in the book include: Mindy Curnutt, Julie Smith, Kenneth Fisher, Andy Leonard, Jes Borland, Kevin Feasel, Ginger Grant, Vicky Harp, Kendra Little, Jason Brimhall, Tim Costello, Andy Mallon, Steph Locke, Jonathan Stewart, Joseph Sack, John Q. Martin, John Morehouse, Kathi Kellenberger, Argenis Fernandez, Kirsten Benzel, Tracy Boggiano, Dave Walden, Matt Gordon, Jimmy May, Drew Furgiuele, Marlon Ribunal, and Joseph Fleming. All of them have been successful in their careers, and share their perspectives on working and succeeding in the field as data and database professionals.
What You´ll Learn

Stand out as an outstanding professional in your area of data work by developing the right set of skills and attitudes that lead to success

Avoid common mistakes and pitfalls, and recover from operational failures and bad technology decisions

Understand current trends and best practices, and stay out in front as the field evolves
Break into working with data through database administration, business intelligence, or any of the other career paths represented in this book

Manage stress and develop a healthy work-life balance no matter which career path you decide upon

Choose a suitable path for yourself from among the different career paths in working with data

Who This Book Is For

Database administrators and developers, database and business intelligence architects, consultants, and analytic professionals, as well as those intent on moving into one of those career paths. Aspiring data professionals and those in related technical fields who want to make a move toward managing or analyzing data on a full-time basis will find the book useful. Existing data professionals who want to be outstanding and successful at what they do will also appreciate the book´s advice and guidance.

---

Malathi Mahadevan is a senior database consultant and has over 20 years of experience working with data, primarily in Microsoft SQL Server and related technologies. She has worked in many industries, such as healthcare, finance, and consulting, to name a few. She also has been volunteering with the SQL Server community by arranging free training and seminars for the past 15 years, and is a recipient of the PASSion award for being an outstanding volunteer from the Professional Association of SQL Server (PASS). She blogs frequently at the Curious About Data site, and is active on Twitter as @sqlmal. Malathi is a featured blogger on the SQL Server Central site, and has also written several articles for the site.

---