Ready to attend one of my live training classes? Here's what you wanna know:

How do I attend a live class?

On the day/time of your class - ideally a few minutes before - log in and go to the "Watch Live Classes Here" link in this class. During paid private classes, the only folks who will see the live stream are the folks who've paid for the class.

For the best experience while watching live classes, I recommend using wired networks (not WiFi) and at least a 1080p monitor. I'll be sharing my desktop, working through queries and execution plans at full 1080p resolution, and you won't wanna be squinting at a 12" monitor screen as I go.

How do I ask questions during live classes?

During the live classes, join the #BrentOzarUnlimited Slack channel, or read the instructions on how to get in. I only do Q&A over Slack – if you can’t get in there, you won’t be able to ask questions or turn in your homework.

After class finishes, when you have a question about a particular module, leave a comment on the Instant Replay page for that module. I answer those questions within a business day or two.

What order should I attend the classes in?

Each class has its own prerequisites listed, but overall, here's what I'd recommend:

1. How to Think Like the Engine (free)
2. How I Use the First Responder Kit
3. Fundamentals of Index Tuning
4. Optional: Fundamentals of Columnstore Indexes
5. Fundamentals of Query Tuning
6. Fundamentals of Parameter Sniffing
7. Optional: Fundamentals of TempDB
8. Mastering Index Tuning
9. Mastering Query Tuning
10. Mastering Parameter Sniffing
11. Mastering Server Tuning

I can't tell you how many times folks have told me, "Whoa, I thought I knew what I was doing - I've been working with databases for 10 years - but it turns out I didn't even know the fundamentals!" Don't skip classes: you're only going to feel terrible if you can't keep up at the Mastering level.

What do I need to follow along with the labs?

Click on the class name above that you're taking, and for each class, there are modules about prerequisites and how to set up your own lab server.

If you bought the Live Class Season Pass with a VM included, the VM login information will be emailed to you the morning before your Mastering classes. (We only give you Mastering VMs because those are pretty beefy, whereas you can follow along in the Fundamentals classes on your own local desktop.)

How many students are in each live class?

In my free public classes, there are often over 1,000 students, so the questions can be kind of wild and crazy.

In the paid private classes, attendee count is way, way lower, typically around 20-40 students. That gives me the time to really dive deeply into your questions.

Can I share my login with someone else?

Only one session can be logged in at a time, so if you share your login with someone else, and they attend class at the same time you do, bam, your login will be disabled for 24 hours. You'd be pretty disappointed, and no, I won't unlock it for you during class. I'm busy teachin'. ;-)

Can I watch the class recordings?

Yes, your Live Class Season Pass also includes the recordings of all of my online classes.

After each class finishes, if the material has changed or if I feel like the demos went even better than usual or if the question quality was great, then I update the recordings.