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What a great link bait title right? The purpose of this post is to give my reasoning for joining the Friends of Red Gate program. So without further ado:

Education - I simply love software development with all my heart. Much of this love is channeled towards learning. In the SQL Server arena there are a couple resources that just stand out above the others… I’m talking about SQL Server Central, Simple-Talk, the wealth of information that Brad McGehee(blog twitter) puts out, Grant Fritchney(blog twitter), and the various books. It became quite apparent that a lot of what has made me such a successful DBA is because Red Gate shares that same passion for building great software.

Community - Another manifestation of this love shows itself in community events. Whenever I put on an event or attend one, there is one company I know of that consistently steps up to the plate. Red Gate. Even during slower economic times, when some sponsors required coaxing and justification, when it came to community, Red Gate was always on board. While they are a company and these events are advertising or promotional opportunities, that aspect of it never comes on. No matter how big or how small the event, I always feel like they genuinely want all of us to learn and be better at our craft. I have a tremendous amount of respect for that company on this alone.

Tools - When I first downloaded and installed the beta of SQL Source Control, my knees became weak. In the chaotic world of database change management and DDL triggers, this tool absolutely blew my mind. When I started playing with this tool, it was like I had just won a lifetime supply of pizza and cupcakes. Everyone has schema/data compare tools or backup tools, but a native source control tool? Way to step up to the plate Red Gate. I wanted to email customer support and ask for SQL Source Controls ring size because I was hooked. We use TFS at work, but on the side I use a combination of Subversion and GIT… SQL Source control doesn’t even care - it just does its job. The quality, ease of use, and the need that tool fills made me think that Red Gate loves software development just as much as I do.

I am not a salesman and I don’t try to be. I’m not trying to sell you Red Gate tools. All I can do is tell you how they have worked for me and let you make the best decision for your situation. One message I do hope I convey is that the next time you are at an event that Red Gate sponsors or take advantage of any of their various learning resources, take a moment to thank them. They do a lot of things in front of and behind the scenes to help all of us reach success without any of us being forced to buy their tools and I find that amount of passion in a company both admirable and rare.

Friends of Red Gate