Event Location:
Microsoft Technology Center
1065 La Avenida
Mountain View, California
Abstract:
Virtualizing SQL Server has many benefits, but performance isn't one of them. Typically, I/O bottlenecks (due to storage) in a virtualized environment lead to poor and unpredictable database performance. Throwing money at the problem by purchasing more storage hardware is often expensive, disruptive and doesn't quite solve the problem.A better way is to accelerate virtualized SQL Servers by reducing I/O latency with Flash Hypervisor software.In this session, we will discuss:. Leveraging the virtualization platform to reduce costs and complexity of SQL Server deployments. The performance challenges of virtualizing SQL Server. Using Flash Hypervisor software to accelerate I/O and create high-performance SQL Servers. Real-world results – faster queries, more transactions and shorter processing times
Speaker(s): Bala Narasimhan,
Abstract:
Along with backups, consistency checks are arguably the two most important tasks that DBAs need to perform regularly. Our databases are getting bigger every day, and CHECKDB run times, along with its performance impact to Production systems, keep increasing. In this session we discuss how to improve your system so that you can reduce the time that it takes to run CHECKDB or the individual DBCC CHECK* commands. We will cover topics like Transaction log and VLF management, tempdb configuration, trace flags, Resource Governor, and many more. In one of many the demos we will explore a real life example where SurveyMonkey's consistency checks were taken from 7 days down to 6 hours.
Speaker(s): Argenis Fernandez,
Abstract:
Today’s organizations face growing challenges extracting business value from their data. The need for rapid insight is made more challenging by the expanding volume, complexity, and velocity of data. Traditional approaches to information management fail to harness this “data deluge”. New paradigms for data management and data analytics are emerging. Transformation of data to business insight requires a holistic approach that aligns the right platforms, technologies, and processes to support the decision process and analysis that business demands. During the session, we will the examine the Microsoft’s vision of enabling organizations to manage any data at any scale while empowering business users through self-serve information management and self-serve business intelligence. Through demos and interactive discovery we will explore how the PowerBI BI tools can be used with Hadoop /HDInsight to accelerate organizations’ journey from data to insight.
Speaker(s): Jarek Kazmierczak,
Abstract:
With the release of SQL Server 2012, the new SQL Server Data Tools serves as your primary development environment for building applications on top of SQL Server. SSDT plugs in to Visual Studio with tooling designed specifically for the application developer. With SSDT, developers no long need to constantly switch between VS and SSMS. In this session, Lenni demonstrates how SSDT is used to develop for (and deploy to) on-premise and Windows Azure SQL Database. You will learn how to use code navigation, IntelliSense, and refactoring with your database model, and how to design databases offline and under source control right from VS. Don’t miss out on this demo-centric information-packed session on the new generation of database tools for developers!
Speaker(s): Leonard Lobel,
Abstract:
You always have more report requests than you can possibly fulfill. Wouldn't it be great if you could speed up the generation of reports? Templates can streamline the life cycle of a report for the whole team. In this session, you'll learn how templates in your tool belt can help you efficiently gather requirements, quickly design mock-ups, and standardize the look and feel of your SSRS reports. Reports don't stop changing once they're released into production, and some reports are phased out over time. Wouldn't it be great to have a way to keep track of the changes a report takes on in production over time? We'll talk about how to keep track of change requests, how to analyze the utilization of existing reports, and how to track changes in users for the reports in production.
Speaker(s): Mickey Stuewe,
Abstract:
In this session we will review the xVelocity engine enhancements for columnar data and In-Memory OLTP. • For OLAP/DSS: provide an overview of columnstore –v- rowstore, learn how/when to apply columnstore indexes, demonstrate the radical improvement in columnstore can provide. There will be a demonstration where a DW system will be optimized using columnstore indexing. • For OLTP: describe the bottleneck inherent in OLTP operations, review a radical new approach to resolving the issue, and demonstrate the results. There will be a demonstration where an OLTP database will be converted to leverage SQL Server 2014’s new in-memory optimization. Benefits of attending: • You will learn where columnstore indexes are best suited, and, just as importantly, scenarios where they are not suited • You will learn how and why columnstore may provide orders of magnitude performance increase for your DW systems • You will learn how to create columnstore indexes • You will learn how to diagnose a specif
Speaker(s): Pat Sheehan,
Abstract:
As Big Data becomes the norm to deal with data volume, variety and velocity, it becomes increasingly harder for the Data Analyst to understand and work with data sets. To overcome this we introduce Platfora, a Hadoop-backed data analysis framework which nicely complements more traditional data warehousing and BI solutions. We'll go over ingestion of new data and building of data sets and visualizations in a system that requires no more work than interacting with a graphical interface. More specifically, we will do so in the context of peer-to-peer lending, to show how insights on loan applicants and their risk profiles can be quickly revealed with no ETL development or demanding data transformation.
Speaker(s): Roberto Arnetoli and Andrew Eichenbaum,
Abstract:
Quite frankly, some aspects of building out a business intelligence solution are tedious. As you cycle through iterations of your star schema, you’ll find that even a simple data type change in the data warehouse requires you to make corresponding changes to staging tables, SSIS packages, and SSAS multidimensional or tabular models that take a considerable amount of time to implement. But there’s a better, faster way!In this session, we’ll explore lessons from a project that required implementation of a framework to easily generate BI objects based on reusable patterns. We’ll walk through the decision points in the framework design, review the implementation steps, and see demonstrations of how easily you can make iterative changes to your BI solution’s design by using reusable design patterns. Whether you simply want to accelerate change management or reproduce objects in bulk on demand, this session will give you practical tips for automating these processes.
Speaker(s): Stacia Varga,
Abstract:
Targeted at experienced SSAS practitioners, this session covers topics geared to enterprise implementations such as tabular schema compare, deployment of large tabular models, branching/merging models, and standardization of models in the enterprise. BISM Normalizer, a free tool for the SQL community, is included. Also contrast multidimensional features with tabular equivalents (typically using DAX): many-to-many dimensions, measure expressions, semi-additive measures, default members, non-aggregatable hierarchies, IgnoreUnrelatedDimensions, conditional formatting, member properties, CurrentMember vs filter context, MDX vs DAX. Some demos perform currency conversion; all are relevant to a wide range of business scenarios.
Speaker(s): Christian Wade,
Abstract:
Are you confident that your application performs as expected on Leap Day? Do you know how long it would take to run out of identity values in your major tables? Can you support case-sensitive collations and non-standard sort orders? If not, odds are good that you are not edge and corner testing your application. In this session, learn how to define the edges of your application and start to stretch those boundaries by setting up challenging test and development environments. For database administrators, learn what configurations in your environment may be a source of bugs in application code and what you can do about it. Learn about edge cases that you can start hardening your code against on Monday morning!
Speaker(s): Vicky Harp,
Abstract:
Learn about Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) and how it can enable an efficient and optimal platform for Microsoft SQL Server. During this session we will be discussing key differentiators that place Cisco well ahead of the competition. Learn about UCS’ management model, Service Profiles, Service Profile Templates, Virtual Interface Adapters, and how they all can help to simplify and standardize SQL Server deployments. We will also discuss how these differentiators can help to drastically reduce deployment and recovery times, and how UCS provides the best of class hardware platform that can help to achieve the highest levels of consolidation and performance for both virtual and bare metal SQL Server implementations.
Speaker(s): Gary Serda,
Abstract:
HDInsight is the latest evolution of Hadoop on the Windows platform. It allows you to manage big and unstructured data while using the rich Business Intelligence tools provided by SQL Server. This session will cover big data architecture and demonstrate map/reduce, the nucleus of big data technology. You will also see how you to get maximum value out of big data by incorporating it into your BI architecture with tools such as Hive, Excel, PowerQuery, and Tabular models.
Speaker(s): Carlos Bossy,
Abstract:
When moving databases to a virtual environment the performance metrics DBAs typically use to troubleshoot performance issues such as O/S metrics, storage configurations, CPU allocation and more become unreliable. DBAs no longer have a clear, reliable view of the factors impacting database performance. Understanding the difference between the physical and virtual server environment adds a new dimension to the DBA tasks. This presentation describes the changes that DBAs need to make in their performance and monitoring practices.
Speaker(s): Thomas LaRock,
Abstract:
Missing data has possibly been the thorniest aspect of database management: without a logically sound yet practical solution, data professionals and users are left between a rock and a hard place. They must either (a) rely on SQL's arbitrary and flawed implementations of three-valued logic (3VL) based on NULLs and risk results that are easy to misinterpret, or wrong in ways hard to discern, or (b) undertake in applications a prohibitively complex, error prone and unreliable burden that belongs in the DBMS. This presentation outlines a relational (2VL) solution to missing data that is devoid of NULLs and theoretically correct.
Speaker(s): Fabian Pascal,
Abstract:
In the second of this 2-part Expert Panel discussion, learn to apply best practices in design to build and deliver a successful BI solution in your organization. BI solution experts and SolidQ Mentors Rushabh Mehta, Brett Tomson and Paul Turley will help you define an end-to-end BI solution including data sourcing security, data quality controls, ETL, dimensional design, semantic modeling, interactive dashboards, reports and mobile BI delivery.
Speaker(s): Paul Turley,
Abstract:
Considering a promotion into management? This session will teach you the fundamental skills needed to effectively lead an IT team. Topics include motivational skills, communication skills and project/job tracking skills. Attendees will learn: 1. What are the fundamental ways that a new leader can build credibility and trust with their team? 2. What are the unique ways in which IT people are motivated? 3. How can a leader effectively communicate with their IT team using a variety of communication channels? 4. How steps can a leader take to ensure that their IT team is achieving optimum effectiveness?
Speaker(s): Kevin Kline,
Abstract:
In this presentation we will discuss the Parallel Data Warehouse Technology from Microsoft in-depth. We will cover its main use cases, why it was built, and how PDW works. We will then talk about how we use Polybase and big-data technologies within PDW to access data stored in Hadoop. With the new Appliance Update release in 2014, we are now able to automatically create MapReduce code based on T-SQL. In this overview we will cover PDW’s ability to implement Predicate Push-Down and show how we integrate with Hadoop natively.
Speaker(s): Sean Mikha,
Abstract:
Join a panel of Business Intelligence experts from SolidQ and learn the best practices for planning and delivering successful BI solutions. Join Rushabh Mehta (former PASS President), Brett Tomson and Paul Turley to discuss how to bring BI to your organization, avoid common pitfalls, apply proven design patterns and learn from deployments in companies around the world. Bring your hard questions and be prepared for an interactive discussion.In this first of two sessions, learn how to wrangle requirements from the business, plan, prototype, design your solution.
Speaker(s): Paul Turley,
Abstract:
Allan Hirt on #SANLess Clustering on the Ground and in the Cloud...more details to follow!
Speaker(s): Sios Technology and Allan Hirt,
Abstract:
There is MUCH more to SQL Server 2014 than just Hekaton and Updatable Column Store Indexes!! This session will be a medium-to-high-level overview of many of the new features and enhancements coming in SQL Server 2014. We will take a look at some of the new functionality via demos as well.
Speaker(s): Kevin Boles,
Abstract:
The cloud is a polarizing buzzword in IT, especially for DBAs. The reality is that all of us will be affected by it over the next few years in one way or another much like we have been by virtualization. One of the best uses for the cloud is creating disaster recovery easier than we have been able to do in the past. This session will discuss the cloud from a SQL Server DBA perspective and how things like hybrid on premise/cloud solutions can be architected today to bring resiliency to current solutions with features like availability groups in SQL Server 2012 and 2014.
Speaker(s): Allan Hirt,
Abstract:
SQL Server 14 is continuing to expand on the in memory database features that were first introduced in SQL Server 2012. During this session we will explore the new in memory database tables which were developed under the code name project hekaton. During this presentation the scope of the feature will be discussed as well as reviewing the use cases and best practices for using in memory database tables and when the in memory database tables shouldn’t be used.
Speaker(s): Denny Cherry,
Abstract:
The presenter will consider different architectures to move data across environments during the software development life-cycle. Whether you start from scratch working with XP, or you have to establish processes in already existing organization working in waterfall, whether the data to move is 1 MB or terabytes, the presenter will present ways to handle the tasks and outline the cons and pros of each approach.
Speaker(s): Virginia Mushkatbat,
Abstract:
SQL Server 2014's In-Memory OLTP allows truly optimistic locking and no latching! In this session, we see how rows can be inserted, deleted and updated without the need for latches or locks.
Speaker(s): Kalen Delaney,
Abstract:
PowerPivot in Excel is a free, easy to use data analytics engine capable of flexible calculations on large data sets with numerous connectivity options. Come and learn how you can take advantage of this data modeling tool in Excel and then promote it to the enterprise with Analysis Services and SharePoint. Also learn how to visualize this data with Power View, a fluid and highly interactive data visualization tool that will take your analysis to a new level.
Speaker(s): Angel Abundez,
Abstract:
Does your data sit around mocking your best attempts to support good data practices? Databases are also bound by the GIGO rule: Garbage In is Garbage Out. In this presentation, Karen shows you examples of the types of mistakes, misunderstandings and outright cheats that lead to poor data quality, mistrust in IT systems and overall smelliness in our IT solutions. Using real-life evidence of her own data in your systems.
Speaker(s): Karen Lopez,
Abstract:
Latching is a necessary function of the database engine. Although latching is a topic is normally presented only in expert-level sessions, a good grasp of the problems excessive latching exposes is important even for novice tuners. This session focuses on the PAGELATCH_* and PAGEIOLATCH_* wait types, explaining what is happening, why it is happening, and how to use the exposed information to tune queries and solve performance problems. If you've seen these wait types in Activity Monitor and wonder what they meant, then this session is for you!
Speaker(s): Eddie Wuerch,
Abstract:
Self-promotion is often times the best promotion you can get. In this session, we will talk about how to promote yourself, your brand and your career without looking like “That Guy”. We will discuss Social Medias, communities, volunteering and other ways to get your name out… What are the first steps? Come find out.
Speaker(s): Mitchell Bottel,
Abstract:
In this class you will see various machine learning tools and products that best integrate with the Microsoft business intelligence and analytics stack. Techniques include use of clustering, time series prediction, market-basket analysis, text mining and neural networks . We also cover real-world data preparation for model building, including outlier detection and removal, discretization and other common machine learning techniques. You will take away practical experience with machine learning processes that you can use in common business scenarios with Microsoft software, and particularly Office.
Speaker(s): Lynn Langit,
Abstract:
Everyone wants a dream job that they enjoy going to each week. However finding that job, and getting yourself hired can be hard for most people. Steve Jones will give you practical tips and suggestions in this session that show you how to better market yourself, how to get the attention of employers, and help improve the chances that the job you want will get offered to you. Learn about networking, blogging, and more.
Speaker(s): Steve Jones,
Abstract:
Dimensional Modeling (DM) is the de facto standard for the design of databases for BI reporting analytics. Regardless of whether a database is a data warehouse used for reporting or an OLAP cube or advanced analytics, DM should be the basis for the data model. This session will cover the fundamentals of DM along with best practices in designing and implementing the data model. Additionally, we will cover practical situations that require “breaking the rules” of DM and how to implement solutions to these problems.
Speaker(s): Dan Bulos,
Abstract:
In-memory OLTP is probably one of the most radical technologies to hit SQL Server in a long time. It has become the topic of endless discussions, debates, and the unavoidable myths. In this session we will cover the actual pains that drove the design of in-memory OLTP. We will understand WHAT it was created for, WHY it solves challenges that proved to be extremely hard to solve, HOW to find out if it is the right technology for you and not less important, what it was NOT designed for. We will cover a few real stories of applications that have utilized In-Memory OLTP successfully.
Speaker(s): Ami Levin,
Abstract:
Managing concurrency is one of the most challenging aspects of working with any enterprise DBMS. There is much confusion out there about locking, blocking, and deadlocks. In this demo heavy session we will clear up the confusion.
Speaker(s): Randy Knight,
This is a list of speakers from the XML Guidebook records. The details and URLs were valid at the time of the event.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrdenny
Contact: https://www.dcac.com
Denny Cherry is the owner and principal consultant for Denny Cherry Associates Consulting and has over a decade of experience working with platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, Microsoft SQL Server, Hyper-V, vSphere, and Enterprise Storage solutions. Denny’s areas of technical expertise include system architecture, performance tuning, security, replication, and troubleshooting. Denny currently holds several Microsoft Certifications related to SQL Server 2000 through 2019, including being a Microsoft Certified Master, Microsoft MVP and VMware vExpert Award.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pturley
Contact: http://www.sqlserverbiblog.com
Paul is a Principal Consultant for Pragmatic Works, a Mentor and Microsoft Data Platform MVP. He consults, writes, speaks, teaches blogs about business intelligence and reporting solutions. He works with companies around the world to model data, visualize and deliver critical information to make informed business decisions; using the Microsoft data platform and business analytics tools. He is a Director of the Oregon Data Community PASS chapter user group, the author and lead author of Professional SQL Server 2016 Reporting Services and 14 other titles from Wrox Microsoft Press. He holds several certifications including MCSE for the Data Platform and BI.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=tab_pro
Contact: http://www.dbdebunk.com
Independent educator, author and consultant specializing in data fundamentals and relational database management. Published three books and hundreds of articles in the trade press. Founder, editor and publisher of DATABASE DEBUNKINGS blog and PRACTICAL DATABASE FOUNDATIONS series of seminars and papers.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/allan-hirt/1/b72/673
Contact: http://www.sqlha.com/blog
SQLHA, LLC founder, consultant, trainer, author, and business continuity, infrastructure, and virtualization expert Allan Hirt has been working with SQL Server since 1992 when it was still a Sybase product. He has also been clustering in Windows Server since the late 1990s when it was known as Wolfpack. Currently a dual Microsoft MVP (Data Platform; Cloud and Datacenter Management) as well as a VMware vExpert, Allan works with all sizes of customers, no matter if they are on premises or in the public cloud. He also delivers training and speaks at events over the world.
Contact: http://mask-me.net
Virginia Mushkatblat is currently a founder of Hush-Hush, a data masking company. She wrote her first computer program at the age of 14 and has been in technology ever since, progressively rising through the ranks and trying on different hats including database architecture, development, security and operations. She has worked for Startups and Fortune 100 companies in finance, entertainment, e-commerce, internet advertisement, manufacturing, and communications industries and dealt with both heavily transactional and BI applications.She holds B.S. and Masters Degrees in Engineering and in Computer Science, originated a couple of patents, and currently teaches databases and multimedia to graduating seniors in CSUN, her Alma Mater.
Contact: http://www.how2hadoop.com/
Sean Mikha is a technical architect who specializes in implementing large scale data-warehouses using MPP (Massively Parallel Processing) technologies. In the past,Sean was a part of implementing one of the largest commercial clinical data warehouses in the world. Sean is currently a technology solution professional at Microsoft where he focuses on architecting Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW) solutions. Sean graduated from UCLA with a BS in Computer Engineering, and currently lives in Southern Ca
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlopez
Contact: http://datamodel.com
Karen Lopez is a Sr. Project Manager and Architect for InfoAdvisors. A frequent speaker at conferences and local user groups, she has 20+ years of experience in project and data management on large, multi-project programs. Karen is a chronic volunteer, a Data Platform MVP, and an active advocate for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and data quality. Karen’s presentations are known for their lively and interactive approach to learning. Her motto: “Love Your Data!”
Contact: https://christianwade.wordpress.com/
Christian Wade is a Senior Program Manager for Analysis Services. His consulting experience includes data-warehousing, BI and application-development projects for numerous enterprise customers. Christian is the creator of the BISM Normalizer, which is a database comparison tool for Analysis Services tabular models. He is a frequent presenter at Microsoft conferences. You can find his blog at https://christianwade.wordpress.com/.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/thesqlguru
Kevin Boles is a SQL Server expert, working exclusively with the product since v6.5. With over 25 years of database experience and over 45,000 man hours of SQL Server engine experience, he holds many related certifications, is an MCT and was a SQL Server MVP from 2007 to 2012. Kevin has been a very successful independent consultant for over 20 years. His passion is the relational engine, especially designing, building, analyzing and tuning high-performance database applications.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pturley
Contact: http://www.sqlserverbiblog.com
Paul is a Principal Consultant for Pragmatic Works, a Mentor and Microsoft Data Platform MVP. He consults, writes, speaks, teaches blogs about business intelligence and reporting solutions. He works with companies around the world to model data, visualize and deliver critical information to make informed business decisions; using the Microsoft data platform and business analytics tools. He is a Director of the Oregon Data Community PASS chapter user group, the author and lead author of Professional SQL Server 2016 Reporting Services and 14 other titles from Wrox Microsoft Press. He holds several certifications including MCSE for the Data Platform and BI.
Contact: http://www.mitchespitch.com
Mitchell Bottel is a senior database administrator with Sutter Physician Services, owner of Innovative IT Consulting and President of the Sacramento SQL Sevrer User Group. He has 14 years of IT experience, focusing on SQL Server for the last ten years with an emphasis on database administration and high availability solutions. He has authored blog posts on the SQLServerPerformance website and written White Papers on using Dynamic Management Views.
I recently join the Microsoft Silicon Valley Technology Center (SVC MTC) as Data Platform Architect. Prior to the MTC, I was with Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) as an engineer, architect, and enterprise strategist, specializing in SQL Server, Business Intelligence, and Enterprise/Solutions Architecture. For much of the 5 years I have been with Microsoft, I have worked with one of Microsoft’s largest enterprise customers in the US Federal Government (multiple Agencies) to design and deliver
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin/in/carlosbossy
Contact: http://www.carlosbossy.com
Carlos Bossy (MCTS, MCP BI, CBIP) is a data and cloud analytics architect with 25 years of experience in software and database development. As a principal of Datalere, Carlos focuses on developing BI, Data Science, and Advanced Analytics solutions, including modeling data warehouses and delivering predictive models, integration, and visualization. He has developed warehouses and BI solutions for a variety of industries and state agencies, including health insurance, solar energy, foster care, telecom, and manufacturing.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balanarasimhan
Bala Narasimhan serves as VP, Products at PernixData where he is responsible for PernixData’s product strategy amp; roadmap. Prior to PernixData he was Director, Products at ParAccel, an enterprise software startup focused on data warehousing amp; analytics. Before ParAccel he was a software engineer at Oracle amp; HP where he designed amp; developed key features in the Oracle RDBMS amp; HP-UX. Bala is an expert in column stores amp; in memory computing amp; has 2 patents in memory management for RDBMS technologies.
Contact: http://vickyharp.com
Vicky Harp is the Group PM Manager for the SQL Server Tools Team, which is responsible for the full set of experiences from drivers and scripting libraries, to GUI tools, to the Azure Portal. She has been building tools for SQL Server for 15 years.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/argenis
Contact: http://blog.purestorage.com/author/argenisfernandez/
Argenis is a Principal Architect at Pure Storage. He works with customers around the world to make sure they don’t have to worry much about their infrastructure for Data. He is a former Data Platform MVP, former VMware vExpert, Microsoft Certified Master, and more recently worked in the Microsoft Azure Data/SQL Server engineering team as a Principal PM in the Tiger team.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lynn-langit/1/621/b40
Contact: http://www.lynnlangit.com
Lynn Langit is a Cloud and Big Data Architect. She's been working with a team on an AWS IoT project this year. Lynn speaks, blogs and creates courses on technical topics for LinkedIn/Lynda.com. She holds a number of partner awards - Microsoft MVP for Data Platform, AWS Community Hero, Google Developer Expert (Cloud). Her blog is at www.LynnLangit.com. She is also director of the non-profit Teaching Kids Programming (www.TeachingKidsProgramming.org).
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mickeystuewe/
Contact: http://www.MickeyStuewe.com
Mickey Stuewe has been working with SQL Server since 6.5. That gives her over 20 years of experience. She has not only been a database developer, but also an application developer, even before Visual Studio existed. She is now thankful to be focusing on database design, t-SQL development, and query optimization. She also has a habit of enjoying SSIS and data warehouse design. She blogs regularly on her website mickeystuewe.com and contributes to sites such as SQL Server Central and SQL Server Pro. She enjoys presenting at PASS Summit, SQLSaturdays, User Groups and other events. When she is not immersed in SQL related activities, she enjoys action movies, art, reading, and laughing. She laughs loudly and often...just ask her children.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/way0utwest
Contact: http://www.voiceofthedba.com/
Steve Jones is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and has been working with SQL Server since version 4.2 on OS/2. After working as a DBA and developer for a variety of companies, Steve co-founded the community website SQLServerCentral.com in 2001. Since 2004, Steve has been the full-time editor of the site, ensuring it continues to be a great resource for SQL Server professionals. Over the last decade, Steve has written hundreds of articles about SQL Server for SQLServerCentral.com, SQL Server Standard magazine, SQL Server Magazine, and Database Journal.
Contact: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andreweichenbaum
Roberto has 20+ years of technology and operations management experience. Before DesignMind, he was Senior Product Manager, Big Data Analytic Solutions at Western Union and CTO of Prosper.com. Roberto has an MSc in Management Science and Statistics. | Andrew has over 10 years of industrial data science, Business Intelligence, and back-end experience. Before joining Designmind,Andrew founded and led the RA team at Yummly. Andrew earned his PhD. in Experimental Particle Physics from UofW Madison.
Kalen Delaney is a Data Platform MVP who has worked with SQL Server for more than 32 years. She has provided performance consulting services and taught advanced courses on SQL Server to thousands of people and organizations. In addition to her courseware development, Kalen has been writing about SQL Server for decades. She is the primary author of SQL Server Internals and the Inside SQL Server series. Kalen is also one of the primary editors for the Red Gate SQL Server Stairways tutorials.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/staciavarga
Contact: http://blog.datainspirations.com
Stacia Varga is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and SSAS Maestro with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences. A consultant, educator, author, and principal of Data Inspirations, her career spans more than 30 years, with a focus on improving business practices through technology. Since 2000, Stacia has provided consulting and education services for Microsoft's Business Intelligence technologies. As Stacia Misner, she also authored several books covering the Microsoft BI stack.
Contact: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mtc/default.aspx
Jarek is a Principal Enterprise Strategist at the Canadian Microsoft Technology Center, focusing on Big Data and Advanced Analytics. Jarek started his career in the Golden Age of expert systems, lived through the boom and bust years of Artificial Intelligence, and has partaken with the increasing excitement in the emergence and practical adoption of machine learning.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/levinami/
Contact: http://www.amilevin.com
Ami is a data nerd that has been designing, consulting, training, writing, and speaking about SQL, relational modeling, and data platform architecture for more than 20 years. Currently works as a freelance consultant, senior SQL instructor at O'Reilly Media, as an author for PluralSight and LinkedIn Learning.
Dan Bulos is president and founder of Symmetry Corporation, a leading BI consulting firm and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. He has over 25 years of experience consulting with Fortune 500 companies on using analytical systems and has provided strategic consulting on new product features and directions to leading software vendors. A featured speaker at BI and data warehouse conferences in the US and Europe, Dan is a recognized authority on multidimensional database technology.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kekline/
Contact: http://blogs.sentryone.com/author/kevinkline
Kevin Kline is a database and industry expert serving as Principal Program Manager at SentryOne, the industry leading SQL Server database tools vendor. A Microsoft SQL Server MVP since 2003, he is a founder and former president of PASS. Kevin is an author of many books, blogger, columnist, and popular international speaker. Kevin’s best known book is the best-selling SQL in a Nutshell and contributes monthly to Database Trends Applications magazine. He tweets at @kekline and blogs at http://Blogs.SQLSentry.com/Author/KevinKline.
Contact: http://www.sqlha.com
Cluster MVP Allan Hirt is a consultant, published author, speaker, and trainer who has been using Microsoft SQL Server in various guises since 1992. He is currently based in the Boston, MA, area and travels all over the world to work with and train clients. His most recent book is "Pro SQL Server 2008 Failover Clustering" (Apress) and is currently working on its sequel, Mission Critical SQL Server due in 2014.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/eddiewuerch
Contact: http://www.indydba.com
Eddie Wuerch has 20 years of experience as a SQL Server specialist in a much-longer IT career. A Microsoft Certified Master, Eddie spends his days in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, focusing on performance, scale, and uptime for the massive SQL Server backend. These SQL Servers churn billions of transactions daily against trillions of rows of data in a 24x7 continuously-available online system accessed by millions worldwide every day.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/randyknight
Contact: http://www.sqlsolutionsgroup.com/blog
Randy Knight is a data professional who has worked with Microsoft technology for over 25 years, focusing on SQL Server since 1997. He has worked in a variety of settings, including 6 years as a database architect for match.com. In 2010, he founded SQL Server Solutions Group LLC, a boutique SQL Server consultancy. A Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) in SQL Server, he speaks often at events all over the country including the PASS Summit, SQLIntersections, and numerous SQLSaturday and User Groups.
John Rice is a Data Center Consulting Systems Engineer for State amp; Local Government and Higher Education for Cisco in the Southwest States. He has been at Cisco for 4 1/2 years and has over 30 years of experience in computing, storage, networking, applications and systems management. He has certifications in Sun Microsystems Solaris, VMware VCP, Hitachi Data Systems Modular and Enterprise Storage, and Netapp.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lennilobel
Contact: http://lennilobel.wordpress.com
Leonard Lobel (Microsoft MVP, Data Platform) is CTO and co-founder of Sleek Technologies, Inc., a New York-based development shop with an early adopter philosophy toward new technologies. He is also a principal consultant at Tallan, Inc., a Microsoft National Systems Integrator and Gold Competency Partner. Programming since 1979, Lenni specializes in Microsoft-based solutions, with experience that spans a variety of business domains, including publishing, financial, wholesale/retail, health care, and e-commerce. Lenni has served as chief architect and lead developer for various organizations, ranging from small shops to high-profile clients. He is also a consultant, trainer, and frequent speaker at local usergroup meetings, VSLive, SQL PASS, and other industry conferences. Lenni has also authored several MS Press books and Pluralsight courses on SQL Server programming.
LinkedIn: http://linkedIn.com/in/angelstreamline
Contact: http://angelstreamline.com
Angel leads the Solutions Architecture team at DesignMind, helping design and build world class data-related systems. His expertise includes Microsoft SQL Server BI tools, Power BI, Azure-based database services, and Tableau. His team develops Proofs of Concept, Pilots, and highly scalable production systems. Angel co-leads the Bay Area Microsoft Business Intelligence User Group and the San Francisco Power BI User Group. He speaks at Data Analytics events throughout the U.S. and writes for SQL Server Central. He is a graduate of Cal Poly SLO with a BS in Mechanical Engineering.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sqlrockstar/
Contact: http://thomaslarock.com
Thomas LaRock is a Head Geek at SolarWinds and a Microsoft Certified Master, Data Platform MVP, VMware vExpert, and a Microsoft Certified Trainer. He has over 15 years’ experience in the IT industry in roles including programmer, developer, analyst, and database administrator.
The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event.