My Sitecore contributions in 2021

Wow we’re almost already at the end of 2021. Sitecore’s MVP nomination season opened up again.

The time has moved fast. And what a year it has been. COVID-19 has changed the world and affected us all in 2021 and it looks like it’s going to affect us the upcoming winter with numbers increasing again over here in Europe. Hereby I would like to express that I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and remain healthy.

At the beginning of the year I received my 12th Sitecore MVP title from Sitecore and during the year I’ve been working on some prestigious Sitecore platforms, open-source Sitecore projects, and continued with my Sitecore blogging, something I increased a lot since 2019 & 2020.

With the Sitecore MVP 2022 nominations coming up, with this blog-post I would like to write down what my contributions were in 2021 to the Sitecore Community.

Sitecore blogs

• January 6, 2021 – Sitecore SI-Snitch upgraded to support Sitecore 10.0.1
• January 8, 2021 – Gutters for Sitecore Data Exchange Framework updated to Sitecore 10.0.1 & DEF 5.0.0
• January 13, 2021 – Auto deploy custom xConnect models through Sitecore SIF
• January 25, 2021 – ‘Sitecore Hugs’ interview with Rodrigo Peplau on the history of the Sitecore MVP program
• January 27, 2021 – Auto install SolrCloud 8.4.0 & ZooKeeper for Sitecore 10
• January 28, 2021 – Kayee’s Robbert Hock Wins 12th Sitecore Most Valuable Professional Award
• February 17, 2021 – Auto install the Sitecore Publishing Service & Publishing Module through Sitecore SIF
• March 1, 2021 – Sitecore SIF AutoInstall Publishing Service project updated for Sitecore 10.1
• March 2, 2021 – Gutters for Sitecore Data Exchange Framework project updated to Sitecore 10.1
• March 11, 2021 – Sitecore SI Snitch project upgraded to support Sitecore 10.1.0
• March 30, 2021 – Deploy blazing fast Digital Experiences with Sitecore Experience Edge
• May 14, 2021 – Sitecore 10.1 XP0 Container Deployment with Docker – The most simplified install
• May 21, 2021 – Sitecore SIF pre-requisites install fails due to Web Platform Installer
• June 24, 2021 – Sitecore SI Snitch project upgraded to support Sitecore 10.1.1
• June 29, 2021 – Gutters for Sitecore Data Exchange Framework project updated to Sitecore 10.1.1
• July 1, 2021 – Auto create a Docker Asset Image for your Sitecore Module
• July 2, 2021 – Docker Asset Images available for Sitecore module ‘Sitecore DataExchange Gutters’
• July 7, 2021 – In Action: Creating Docker Asset Images for Sitecore SI-Snitch project
• July 7, 2021 – Docker Asset Images available for Sitecore module ‘SI-Snitch’
• July 20, 2021 – Get to know an MVP: Robbert Hock (Podcast)
• August 1, 2021 – Version 1.2 for Sitecore Module Docker Asset Image Creator project released
• August 24, 2021 – My must-see sessions of Sitecore Symposium 2021
• September 2, 2021 – Sitecore xDB Index Token issue – Analysis from a different angle
• September 10, 2021 – SUG Columbus – Pre-Symposium Panel Discussion
• September 16, 2021 – Recording of SUG Columbus Pre-Symposium Discussion
• September 20, 2021 – ‘Retryer vs Transient Retryer with Sitecore’ explained
• September 21, 2021 – Completed ‘OrderCloud Sales and Marketing Fundamentals’ elearning
• October 21, 2021 – Featured in CMSWire’s ‘What’s Behind Sitecore’s New Cloud-Native CMS Launch?’ 
• November 15, 2021 – Sitecore Remote Cache Kick project updates

Sitecore open-source contributions

I contributed to or shared the following Sitecore open-source projects/code:

• https://github.com/KayeeNL/Sitecore.DataExchange.Gutters, where I upgraded the code to a more open source variant with Unicorn and upgraded the project to be compliant with Sitecore 9.3 and DEF 4.0.0 and Sitecore 10 & 10.1 with DEF 5.0.0.
• https://github.com/KayeeNL/SI-Snitch, where I upgraded the code compliant with Sitecore 9.3, Sitecore 10 & 10.1.
• https://github.com/KayeeNL/SolrCloud-Helpers, where I upgraded the automated SolrCloud install to be compliant with Solr 8.4 & Sitecore 10 versions.
• https://github.com/KayeeNL/sitecore-sif-deploy-xconnect-models, A Powershell script project that uses SIF to deploy your custom xConnect models to your xConnect instance.
• https://github.com/KayeeNL/sitecore-module-docker-asset-image-creator, a Powershell script that handles the auto creation of a Docker Asset Image for a given Sitecore Module.
• https://github.com/KayeeNL/Community.Foundation.RemoteCacheKick, upgraded the project, which allows to clear the remote server caches from a CM server, all the way from 8.2 to 9.3 all the way up to 10.2.

For 2022 my goals are to continue to work on great Sitecore projects, pick up presenting again (weather that’s on stage or on YouTube), and do even more with Docker and Headless Sitecore (JSS/Next.JS and .NET Core).

But maybe more important, I hope to see you all in real life again, whether it is in Budapest during SUGCON Europe 2022 or at a future Sitecore Symposium, I really miss the Sitecore Community! Let’s hope the pandemic will pass by as fast as possible.

Tips & Tricks for your MVP nomination

Here are some tips and tricks that might help you with your application:

• Frequently Asked Questions for the Sitecore MVP application
• What information is needed for the Sitecore MVP application?
• Sitecore Ambassador MVP Application Guidance

Wishing you all a great 2022 with lots of Sitecore-ing! Good luck on your Sitecore MVP nominations!

Robbert