Who Am I

About Me

Name:	William Shawn Melton
Location:	Montgomery, AL

Personal

I grew up in Adger, Alabama, on a farm. We did the animal thing for a little bit with pigs and chickens but after that stuck with baling hay. I grew up helping my Dad and Grandfather tend to the garden, gathering up the hay bales, and splitting wood for the winter.

I home schooled from 6th grade to 12th and attended Auburn University going for a degree in Wildlife Science. After finishing my freshman year at Auburn some things happened in my family that required me to return home for the summer. Then decided to do my freshman and sophomore year at Auburn University Montgomery (now just Auburn Montgomery). After trying to get a C or higher in Biology 101 and 103 (took going through each class twice), I figured I had better find something else to work on. I changed over to an IT degree, on the business side. I graduated Auburn Montgomery with a B.S.B.A. in Data Communications when it was all over.

I’m married with 5 kids, living in Montgomery, Alabama.

You can catch me on Twitter. Then I also frequent a few forums: StackExchange and Ask SSC.

Professional

I have been in the IT industry for almost 9 years now (since 2002 after I graduated). The first job I got out of college was a System Technican with the State of Alabama. I became more interested in the system administrator work with that job. Which that became my primary job role by 2005. Around 2006 I got involved in supporting a few SQL Server applications. I took my first full-time Database Administrator position in 2009.

The position I started at in 2009 was being a full-time database administrator supporting SQL Server 2008, 2005, and 2000. My main role was troubleshooting production issues (performance, connection issues, etc). I worked with a few configurations involving high availability, mostly clustering. In 2010 I took on a second job (part-time) and had to move off the support DBA position. So I am not still a DBA but focus mostly on the security side of the house, which is fun too.

Whether you believe or disbelieve in the worth of certifications, I took it upon myself to earn a few. The test help to me confirm what I thought I knew and also made me read up on those features of SQL Server that I do not work with daily. I have the MCTS and MCITP (DBA) in SQL Server 2005. In 2010 I earned the MCTS for SQL Server 2008. I hope to get the MCITP (DBA) in SQL Server 2008 by Summer of 2011.

I do a little bit of technical writing for MSSharePointTips.com, MSSQLTips.com, and SQLServerCentral.com. I am not a frequent contributor but have a few articles.

This Blog

I will mostly be dumping my thoughts and workings with SQL Server and PowerShell. I will try to keep to some schedule but family and work tend to take up a good bit of time right now (hey 5 kids..all I’m saying).