Thanks, Dan. I appreciate the suggestion. I actually put together the SharePoint seminar years ago because several students were asking about it. At the time, I thought it might be a nice middle ground for people who wanted to get some of their Access data online without making the jump to SQL Server.

After working with it, though, I found SharePoint to be pretty limiting. It changes the way Access behaves in a number of ways, and I wasn't really a fan of the overall experience. The more I've worked with SQL Server over the years, the more convinced I've become that it's the better long-term solution for the kinds of databases I teach.

As for Drupal, I've certainly heard of it, but I've never really used it. From what I understand, it's more of a content management system than a database platform, so I'm not sure what I could realistically teach there, especially if organizations like DHS already have their own custom implementations.

Putting together a Drupal course would be a bit like putting together a WordPress course. While they're different products, they're both content management systems. I'd mostly be teaching people how to install, configure, and administer someone else's platform. That's certainly useful for people who work with those systems every day, but it doesn't really fit with what I normally teach. My focus has always been helping people build their own database solutions with Access and, increasingly, SQL Server. That's where I think I can provide the most value to my audience.

The vast majority of my students are small business owners, people building databases for their own businesses, or developers managing a department within an organization. I don't spend much time teaching technologies designed for large enterprise or government-wide deployments because that's just not the audience I serve. I prefer to focus on tools that my students can install, configure, and manage themselves.

I do appreciate you thinking of me, though. It's always good to know what kinds of technologies are being used out in the field, even if they don't end up fitting into my curriculum. Of course, I'm always watching where technology is headed. If more businesses start moving in this direction and enough of my students are interested, I'd certainly be willing to take a closer look.

What does everyone else think? Is Drupal something you'd like to learn about, or would you rather see me continue focusing on SQL Server and database development?

I agree, just thought it may be an avenue to explore.  Me personally, I'd like to see more SQL Server.

Dan More's comin'. :)