PASS Summit 2009 Partner Press Release

Solid Quality Mentors “Gets Real” with The SolidQ Journal and SolidQ University

New Interactive Offerings Deliver “Real Practices for the Real World”

RESTON, VA—November 3, 2009—Solid Quality Mentors is excited to announce the launch of two groundbreaking initiatives under the banner “Real Practices for the Real World”™:

The SolidQ Journal—a free, interactive, monthly publication, featuring in-depth articles, practical case studies, on-target advice, and behind-the-scenes discussions from the organization’s roster of global experts
SolidQ University—a comprehensive virtual training and conference program, bringing SolidQ’s knowledgeable speakers and industry-leading courses, seminars, and presentations directly to IT pros wherever they are

“Everyone likes to talk about best practices, but real life is messy,” notes SolidQ Co-Founder and Managing Director Brian Moran. “Sometimes best practices aren’t possible or aren’t the best for a particular real-world situation. The SolidQ Journal and SolidQ University will offer the world-class knowledge and Real Practices™ you need to succeed within the complex SQL Server ecosystem.”

With more top book, magazine, and white paper authors than any other organization in the SQL Server industry, SolidQ has been providing compelling how-to articles, independent insights, and expert guidance for years. Through The SolidQ Journal (SQJ), the organization can now share original content directly with the community and provide a central hub for accessing all the different resources its mentors create.

Designed to meet the real-world needs of IT pros working with Microsoft’s SQL Server, Business Intelligence, and development technologies, The SQJ will feature the best in-depth features, real-life case studies, practical columns, and seasoned perspectives from its lineup of influential global experts. The free online journal will also focus on community and collaboration, encouraging reader comments and discussions and helping build bridges between different IT teams as well as between IT and business users and managers.

“Being successful in IT is also about people and relationships, not just systems and processes,” says Moran, Publisher of The SQJ. “Our goal is to help busy IT pros in this constantly changing world make the best decisions about which technologies to use when and where, how to get the most out of their systems, and how to be more productive and effective in their organizations.”

Complementing The SQJ is the new SolidQ University (SQU), which translates the company’s internationally recognized training program into the virtual space in the form of convenient courses and online conferences. With more than 100 sessions under development for Q1 2010, SQU is on target to produce the world’s largest online events in the SQL Server space.

SolidQ’s highly respected speakers and instructors—the company has more speakers and content at PASS Summit 2009 than any other organization besides Microsoft—are also hands-on experts who develop and implement innovative, high-performing, reliable solutions in businesses of all sizes and across all industries.

“Our mentors bring to the classroom their personal experiences and lessons learned working with leading-edge clients around the world, including Microsoft,” adds Moran, Dean of Education for SQU. “Our courses, seminars, and conferences go beyond theory into the nitty-gritty tips and processes that work in the real world and that students can translate into action immediately in their own organizations.”

Students will be able to customize their own training tracks, pick and choose one-off courses, attend virtual conference events, and in time, follow roadmaps to different SQU degree programs over a semester. SQU will feature live interaction with the instructor and fellow students, repositories of resources and code demos and downloads, as well as forums for follow-ups and continuing discussion with instructors and other alumni. And with SQU, students don’t have the extra time away from the office or travel expense associated with traditional courses and training.

The SQJ and SQU, along with SQU tuition rates, are currently under development, with the first journal issue planned to coincide with the beginning of SQU’s first semester in Q1 2010. Sign up for SolidQ’s newsletter at http://www.solidq.com/na/Newsletter.aspx to catch the latest updates and watch The SQJ (http://www.solidq.com/sqj) and SQU (http://www.solidq.com/squ) websites for news.

About Solid Quality Mentors
Solid Quality Mentors is comprised of more than 100 of the world's top technical experts who specialize in assuring client success using integrated Microsoft technologies. Our mentors are located around the globe and include more than 40 Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) and seven Microsoft Regional Directors (RDs). Since its founding in 2002, Solid Quality Mentors has become a trusted global provider of advanced solutions and education for the Microsoft Data Ecosystem™. And our experts work daily with the constantly evolving Microsoft SQL Server, Business Intelligence, and .NET Development platforms to help you take advantage of the latest features for database and application deployments. Learn more about Solid Quality Mentors at www.SolidQ.com; for assistance, you can reach us at 1-800-757-6543 or Info@SolidQ.com.

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Data Ecosystem™, SolidQ™, The SolidQ Journal™ (The SQJ™), and SolidQ University™ (SQU™) are all trademarks of Solid Quality Mentors.

The Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) is an independent, not-for-profit association, dedicated to supporting, educating, and promoting the Microsoft SQL Server community. From local user groups and special interest groups (SIGs) to webcasts and the annual PASS Community Summit � the largest gathering of SQL Server professionals in the world � PASS enables knowledge sharing, in-depth learning, access to the Microsoft SQL Server team, and the ability to influence the direction of SQL Server technologies. PASS was founded in 1999 by Microsoft and CA and continues to enjoy executive level endorsement from both organizations. As the number one user community for Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft looks to the PASS community for valued feedback, input, and inspiration. PASS Mission Empower the global Microsoft SQL Server community to connect, share, learn and be inspired through networking, knowledge sharing, peer-based learning, and the ability to influence the direction of Microsoft SQL Server products and services.