Topics of discussion: SQL Server Scripting & Automation Outside the Box Excel Automation - Data retrival via automated scripts using ASP / WSH / VB Scipt techniques pulling SQL job schedules and related information.  Duplicate Indexes - A quick script to roll through a large database with tables to search for duplicate indexes before creation of new ones. Database Report Script - Neat script to show all devices, filegroups & locations. Process & Transaction Logs in realtime - cmd shell scripts to watch your T Logs % full and another to watch active processes CPU / I/O / Memory / blocking locking contention in real time from the shell. If time permits how to quickly find a root blocker and the T-SQL being issued from the memory buffers. If time permits -  How to port into the Win32 API and dump the event logs into a SQL table or watch a database service if it goes down

Edward started his career with an AS. Degree in Culinary Art's back in 1985. Owned a restaurant and sold it to go to a Tech School to be a MSCE and attended a SQL Seminar there. My first "real" computer job right out of Zincon tech School obtaining my MCSE at Zincon Technologies in Edison NJ was a  NT 4 automation imaging tier 3 job at AT&T  which I learned a world of things regarding automating administrative tasks & the gathering of information on a very large network. My first day of work started my DBA/MCDBA courses at Zincon and I waited 10 months or so to enter the DBA group there which at that time was about 11 veteran Sybase DBA's who had shell monitor scripts watching everything. My 1st manager was great and basically said write those in windows. He involved me in some little departmental projects which added to the scripting skills learning Active Server page type data retrieval. I currently went VO in IBM to work on many other accounts. I am now a SME for MS SQL have been a mentor and the lead speaker for 15 in house seminars including one on SQL2005 Database mirroring. I developed a MS SQL Tool kit of Scripts over the last 5-6 years which was voted best of breed in the IBM SMU(Script) Macro Utility) area which is under industrial Strength tools such as Quest.