Event Location:
Grand Canyon University
3300 West Camelback Road
Phoenix, Arizona
Abstract:
Foreign Keys are the ultimate Catch-22; you need them for data integrity, but they just kill insert, update, and delete performance. In this session we will describe the concept of Foreign Keys and how they maintain data integrity. You will learn their syntax for creating, deleting, disabling, and re-enabling. You will also learn the possible effects of disabling and re-enabling Foreign Keys for data modification. We will also examine the two most important Foreign Key attributes: is_not_trusted and is_disabled and their effect on query performance. All of these characteristics will be demo'ed with many script examples. After attending this session you will 1. Comprehend the pro and cons of Foreign Keys in a real world production environment 2. Understand the consequences of disabling and re-enabling Foreign Keys for data modification 3. Be able to better assess best approach for Foreign Key maintenance
Speaker(s): Mike Byrd,
Abstract:
Query performance is what it is all about. SQL Server 2014 now has the new in-memory functionality that takes a completely different approach to data access and manipulation. Google “In-Memory Tables” and you’ll get a myriad of results from white papers, blogs, webinars, etc. This session will consolidate the relevant information from all these sources so the production DBA/Developer will be able to understand, create, use, maintain, and trouble-shoot in-memory table functionality. This session will also examine several demo scripts showing performance gains using the in-memory tables over equivalent disk based tables. This session is all about when and how to apply in-memory tables in a production environment. After this session you will 1. Understand what in-memory tables are and how to create and maintain them including their limitations 2. Be able to identify performance gains over equivalent disk back tables 3. Comprehend the new data monitoring needed for in-memory table
Speaker(s): Mike Byrd,
Abstract:
The Analysis Services 2012 (and above) Business Intelligence Semantic Model (BISM) unifies Multidimensional (OLAP) and Tabular (relational) options for organizational BI. BI professionals can implement Multidimensional cubes, or they can deploy Tabular models, developed by business users, to a dedicated server. Those new to Tabular, or those embarking upon BI for the first time with Analysis Services 2012, may find it difficult to choose between the two paths. In this session, BI Architect, SSAS Maestro and SQL Server MVP Bill Pearson overviews the nature and design goals of each option, comparing Multidimensional and Tabular features. He then offers guidance on selecting the appropriate model, providing real world examples to illustrate approaches for given scenarios.
Speaker(s): William E Pearson III,
Abstract:
Despite the wealth of analytical technologies available today, 65% of fraud at public companies is detected through tips, management review, or simple accidents. Forensic Analytics combine human intuition and leading-edge technologies, and can provide superior detection methods to significantly improve the detection and investigation of illegal or unethical activities. In this session, we explore Forensic Analytics: a set of techniques we can use to uncover irregularities in financial data. We also gain an understanding of goals of Forensic Analytics: to enable us to find out how — and why — these irregularities exist, and to find out their source(s) — especially when fraudulent activity is suspected. We discuss guiding principles that are key to isolating data anomalies, and outline a standard, repeatable process to Forensic Analytics. Throughout the session, we view examples of how we can employ Power BI to drive Forensic Analytics via various tests and reviews.
Speaker(s): William E Pearson III,
Abstract:
Troubleshooting can be easy when the cause of an issue is obvious - except sometimes it isn't because it's not. In those cases, how do you find the cause - especially when it's something you don't directly control? You're having issues with your storage, but is it a result of RAID being setting up improperly or a constraint on the fiber channel switch? Can you tell the difference between a blockage of firewall ports and a network switch that's nearing capacity? You're not a SAN admin or a firewall engineer, but you don't need to be to understand enough to identify whether these systems are involved. In this session, we'll talk about troubleshooting as a process - how you can identify issues beyond what you can see and may not understand. While we may discuss some specific situations or hard-to-identify causes in the examples, the session will be focused on understanding the impact of different issues, and how you can better identify the cause of an issue when it's outside your system.
Speaker(s): Ryan McCauley,
Abstract:
One of the most exciting new features of SQL Server 2016 is the integration of the R statistical programming language into the platform with the brand-new SQL Server R Services. In this introductory session we'll briefly introduce the R language and then look at how to install and administer SQL Server R Services. We'll start to demonstrate the power of R by showing you how to create and run simple R scripts from within T-SQL. We'll then discuss some of the powerful open source packages that are available to aid your data analyses. Finally, we'll go through some examples of how to use R to integrate data analytical methods in real-world situations, and wow your customers with the power of statistics!
Speaker(s): Chris Hyde,
Abstract:
Find the bottlenecks in your environment using best practice wait based analysis. If you listen to your database engine, it will tell you where it's spending the time which helps the database professional identify where to focus for performance issues. We tend to jump straight to resources when we hear performance issues - what if I told you there's a better way?
Speaker(s): Rob Mandeville,
Abstract:
SQL Server is a popular and powerful relational database system. It's easy to install with just a few clicks. Create a database, and you are in business. It will run great without much attention...until it doesn't. It's true that your shop may not have enough SQL Server instances to require a full time DBA, but SQL Server still needs some love and attention to perform its best. Attend this session to learn about knobs that need turning and more to get the most out of SQL Server.
Speaker(s): Kathi Kellenberger,
Abstract:
Come and learn tips and tricks for optimizing multidimensional cubes! We'll be covering cube file system storage and the top design considerations for cubes. Dimension design best practices, optimizing for degenerate dimensions, as well as partitions and aggregations will also be covered. Come join me as we spin through a checklist for MultiD cube design! A foundational knowledge of OLAP design and MultiD cubes will be helpful, but is not required.
Speaker(s): Delora Bradish,
Abstract:
After working 20 years in the industry on hundreds of SQL Servers clear patterns emerge. These observations of patterns and best practices directly relate to the health of the server.#160; During this session we will review the patterns of healthy SQL Servers and identify unhealthy behavior that clearly shows servers that are at risk.#160; We will review shared patterns, configuration and practices.#160;#160; Which of these repeating patterns represent healthy Servers and which of these patterns are#160; shared with servers that are having issues daily.#160; These patterns are so clear in fact that I many SQL Servers will benefit from the application of at least one if not more of the tips we will cover.#160; At the end of this session attendees will have the tools to identify and correct common issues that impact SQL Servers Performance and Resiliency.
Speaker(s): Chris Shaw,
Abstract:
Whether you've dabbled in PowerShell or wondered what all the fuss is about, make no mistake: PowerShell is something worth learning to make your life as a SQL Server professional easier. Whether you're a DBA, a SSIS developer, or security professional, In this session you'll see practical, real world examples of how you can blend SQL Server and PowerShell together, and not just a bunch of regular T-SQL tasks that have been made more complicated.
Speaker(s): Drew Furgiuele,
Abstract:
What constitutes a view? Do we really need them in database development? Do they serve their purpose? Can we make them faster? At what point have we gone overboard with views? Just some of the questions that will be asked and answered...
Speaker(s): Kevin Wilkie,
Abstract:
Getting a good 360 degree view of organizations (customers or vendors) or doing customer centric analysis is often complicated as a result of bad data/ duplicate data / inconsistent data coming from multiple systems. In addition, there are external factors like mergers and acquisitions, inter-company relationships and other nuances that may not be captured in source systems. Getting a clear picture of customer and vendor data can not only provide a clear picture for analysis of information, but also aid in critical risk management functions. In this session, you will learn about some techniques and data services from DB that you can use to clean and enhance your data.
Speaker(s): Rushabh Mehta,
Abstract:
Being on the Bleeding Edge of technology doesn't hurt until you hit a roadblock, Jeff has compiled a road map of treasure and pitfalls from the upgrade of all my servers* to the newest SQL version. With what he has found with in memory, high availability and replication. (*Well of course we can't get rid of the SQL 2000 box )
Speaker(s): Jeff Schmidt,
Abstract:
So you have your availability groups configured and everything reports green. How do you measure SLA compliance? Do you know when replication is delayed? Did you know it failed over last night? This session will answer all these questions and more, and will show you what should you be looking at to ensure no surprises... We will look at the DMVs, extended event sessions, perfmon counters, SQL agent jobs and policies to show what to monitor in your AG and how to setup alerts so you know when to take action.
Speaker(s): Phil Ekins,
Abstract:
How does SQL do what it does? Take a look under the hood at how the SQL database engine works with the storage engine. What causes those waits and where do we look to resolve them!
Speaker(s): Naomi Williams,
Abstract:
As your organization grows, one challenge will be the management of data between systems and organizational units. With MDS, Microsoft provides the ability to have one accurate source of non-transactional data. This data can then be used within applications, other databases, and ETL processes. By leveraging data stewards to help manage the data repository, you can ensure that your MDS data is always up-to-date and accurate. In this presentation we will cover MDS from start to finish including installation, creating models/entities, working with data, using the Excel add-in, security, hierarchies, views, versions, and business rules. After this presentation, you will have a good understanding of what master data management is, what MDS does, how to use it, and how to get started with your own MDS project.
Speaker(s): Jeff Prom,
Abstract:
Is Kerberos delegation something you avoid like a vicious three-headed guard dog? Once you hear a clear explanation, it will all make sense and no longer be scary! Attend this session to learn what needs to be done to get SSRS working with Kerberos delegation.
Speaker(s): Kathi Kellenberger,
Abstract:
The topic for this hour will be modeling for MS BI with a focus on multidimensional modeling. We’ll talk about a recommended blueprint for MS BI projects, the best option for effectively handing deleted rows, denormalization, degenerate dimensions, slowly changing dimensions, many-to-many relationships, considerations for predictive analytics, and tips for migrating from other platforms. Given time considerations, we’ll also be covering how agile methodologies and ABC (audit, balance and control) impact our modeling decisions. Come join us for an information packed hour!
Speaker(s): Delora Bradish,
Abstract:
The practice of Data Science has arrived and as data professionals we're on the forefront of this change. The data we collect can now be used in new and exciting ways, providing more value than ever before. To get started in this field, a number of tools and methodologies must be employed to help you achieve predictive analytics success with your data. In this session the predictive analytics process will be covered from start to finish, providing a practical understanding of what it takes to develop your own predictive models. The session includes an overview of definitions, concepts and terminology, successful applications of predictive analytics, and how predictive analytics fits into a BI environment.
Speaker(s): Carlos Bossy,
Abstract:
Welcome to the strange and mysterious world of SQL Server Failover-Clustering and enter Ye Olde Cluster Curiosity Shoppe where we will reveal a miscellany of top tips, tricks and advice gained from nearly two decades of installing and troubleshooting SQL Clusters. Roll-up roll-up! Come and see: The Shrunken Head; The Bearded Lady; Many Headed Cluster; The Marie Celeste; The Zombie; Installation of Death; The Bodysnatcher; Montezuma’s Revenge ...and many more exhibits and top tips from the field.
Speaker(s): Mark Broadbent,
Abstract:
A session full of demos demonstrating how SQL Server startup parameters, trace flags and the create database and alter database command when used correctly for the underlying hardware can make scanning your fact tables much faster. We will also as a side effect explore the Mary Go Round query feature and find ways to bulk load data faster and how to load from an OLTP system with zero impact to it.
Speaker(s): Thomas Grohser,
Abstract:
Get ready to play SQL Buzzword Bingo with the subject matter being SQL Install, Migration Configuration. Are you preparing to move a database from one SQL Server to another? Whether it's your first SQL install, a SQL Server Upgrade or changing from physical to virtual, there is a lot to consider. In some areas of the setup, you get only one chance to "get it right." Come to this session and find out all about the process - and have some fun while you're at it. First one to hit BINGO! Are you preparing to move a database from one SQL Server to another? Whether it's your first SQL install, a SQL Server Upgrade or changing from physical to virtual, there is a lot to consider. In some areas of the setup, you get only one chance to "get it right." Come to this session and find out all about the process - and have some fun while you're at it. First one to hit BINGO! will win a fun and unique prize.
Speaker(s): Mindy Curnutt,
Abstract:
Join Microsoft TSP Josh Sivey as we explore Microsoft’s new Azure SQL Data Warehouse cloud service. SQL Data Warehouse is a data warehouse as a service offering that offers petabyte scale massively parallel processing power, created and managed with the tools developers are familiar with. In this session we will provision a SQL Data Warehouse in minutes and show how we can independently scale the storage and compute to meet the needs of the workload on demand. We will showcase SQL Data Warehouse’s Polybase feature to allow us to write T-SQL queries across relational and non-relational data. We will manage and maintain our SQL Data Warehouse using the tools we are familiar with (SSMS and Visual Studio). Finally, we will show how SQL Data Warehouse seamlessly integrates with Power BI, Machine Learning and other Cortana Analytic services.
Speaker(s): Josh Sivey,
Abstract:
"With the release of SQL Server 2016, Microsoft has included two features that could fundamentally change the way we look at Data Warehousing. The addition of Polybase for connecting to external data sources such as Hadoop and Azure Blob for native TSQL queries extends the reach of the DW. The Temporal Table feature creates all kinds of possibilities for implementing Type 1 and 2 dimensions as well as time based reporting and logical data recovery. In this session we will take an in depth lock at the features and scenarios for use. We will also look at some actual demos of the technologies so you can get a feel for the technologies in action."
Speaker(s): Stan Geiger,
Abstract:
We all know that MDX is not an easy language, and cryptic (or no) error messages make it even more difficult to figure out where you have gone wrong. In this session I will share (and demonstrate) very useful ways to find out the reason(s) behind your MDX query not returning the correct results...or any results for that matter.
Speaker(s): Martin Schoombee,
Abstract:
Having BI measures available in real-time is a challenging endeavor that requires putting together a dependable architecture with many moving parts. In this demo-rich session we will explore database and ETL architectures that let you reliably move data from your application databases across the enterprise in real-time to your data warehouse. You will see how to use the many features provided by SQL Server such as Replication, Change Data Capture, SSIS, and other techniques to extract, transform, and load data fast and dependably. The development of an actual real-time system during the session from beginning-to-end will be shown, that by its conclusion will populate a star schema with actual data. We will also discuss and walk through alternative real-time architectures such as data virtualization. Finally, we will see how to create cubes and reports to present data with a minimum amount of latency.
Speaker(s): Carlos Bossy,
Abstract:
Business Intelligence Markup Language (Biml) is an XML language for Microsoft Business Intelligence that can take your Integration Services package development to the next level. Creating template packages added productivity to your Integration Services development effort. If the template design changes after development begins, a fair amount of rework to packages could be needed. See how Biml can help create template packages that can better adapt to changing business needs and allow for more comprehensive design or redesign. This session will be a demo based session that will inspire you to make Biml your number one integration services development tool. Learn how to use Biml scripts to create staging tables and integration services packages. Add metadata to your Biml scripts and really watch the possibilities expand.
Speaker(s): Reeves Smith,
Abstract:
With the introduction of in-memory based tables in SQL Server 2014, it’s natural to expect significant increases in query performance. But what do we do when queries which utilize in-memory tables actually start to perform same or, in some cases, even worse than their equivalent disk based table predecessors? In this session, we are going to take a look at the changes to the indexing design for in-memory based objects and how it differs from existing disk based table indexing. Also, we are going to cover how to choose the appropriate indexes for your in-memory object to give you the performance boost that you have been expecting.
Speaker(s): Konstantin Melamud,
Abstract:
Come with me back to a simpler time - a time where children played outside by light from a streetlamp, people still listened to music on a cassette tape, and if you wanted to call someone, you looked up their phone number in the phone book (all the while learning some important database concepts). Wait... what was that last part? In this session, you'll gain a deeper understanding of key indexing concepts such as clustering, included columns, sargability, and more through the lens of the good old White Pages.
Speaker(s): Ben Thul,
Abstract:
The use of READ UNCOMMITTED isolation and its evil lock hint offspring NOLOCK is the root cause behind 9 of 10 stress-related heart attacks suffered by SQL Server pros on the job. In this Lightning Talk, through the use of real-world examples, we will do our best to convince the SQL Developer and Business Intelligence (BI) communities to avoid this nasty practice. We'll reveal unexpected behaviors and provide alternative solutions.
Speaker(s): Mark Broadbent,
Abstract:
How SQL Server performs I/O How is SQL Server really accessing the data and log files on the disk? What's done asynchronous and what's synchronous and what impact does that have on our queries and DML statements. Which impact have features like database mirroring and replication, what's different when SQL Server is starting up. #160; Which I/O Subsystems (including SSD) are best for which type of data and what's the impact if you choose a different one. Which files can be placed on the same volume and which should not.
Speaker(s): Thomas Grohser,
Abstract:
So you are responsible for monitoring the availability and performance of an SSAS instance as well as making recommendations for performance improvements. So you’re like no problem it’s just SQL Server right? All of the “tricks of the trade” for SQL Server you have learned over the years will work right? Then you do some research and find out that Analysis Services is not your mother’s SQL Server. In this presentation we will open the “black box” that is Analysis services and highlight key areas of performance that you should be looking at when monitoring. We will also discuss architecture of Analysis Services for both multidimensional and tabular model.
Speaker(s): Stan Geiger,
Abstract:
First released in SQL 2014, Hekaton - also known as In-Memory OLTP - is a vast technology that is designed to solve scalability problems specific to write-intensive, highly concurrent workloads. In SQL 2016, Microsoft has further enhanced In-Memory OLTP, removing many of the former barriers to adoption. Attendees will learn about the benefits and pitfalls of In-Memory OLTP in SQL 2016, allowing them to determine if their production workloads might benefit from this exciting new technology. Session topics include architecture, capacity planning, and database maintenance.
Speaker(s): Ned Otter,
Abstract:
JSON: What it is, what it isn't and how to use it. We'll look at JSON vs HTML, JSON implementation as a built-in vs. native data type in SQL, shaping the JSON output and code examples of using SQL JSON from .Net and PHP.
Speaker(s): Eric Peterson,
Abstract:
This course will focus on the fundamentals of strategic SQL Server index design and creation. Terms that will be covered and clarified: clustered index, non-clustered index, uniqueness, covering index, fill-factor, scan, seek, key lookup, and fragmentation. This is a beginning level course for those who have always found indexes confusing and somewhat elusive. Lots of valuable information will be provided in a short amount of time.
Speaker(s): Mindy Curnutt,
Abstract:
Cristian Vasconez and I will be presenting an in depth look at DataZen and what it has to offer, previewing Dashboard capabilities, KPI's, and administration. We will also explore the different cloud solution that was used to create this project and how we use different BI Tools, such as Powershell and SSIS to not only create this project, but to show how cost effective the cloud can be .
Speaker(s): Geoff Valera,
Abstract:
With all of the excitement around data science and the increased demand for advanced analytics, the business needs your help. Data integration involves combining the available data, and providing the business with a unified view of all of the enterprise data assets. What if your data integration target is a mining model? ETL developers are required for the majority of the work on a data science project. What are the additional skills that are needed to enable ETL Developers to work on the next data science project? In this presentation, we’ll discuss the data preparation and integration considerations that are needed for data science project. Some of the topics that will be covered in this session include: • Data Cleansing • Data Normalization • Missing Values • Noisy Data • Data Reduction • Model Integration This presentation is ideally suited for Business Intelligence professionals that are interested in applying their skills to a data science project.
Speaker(s): Reeves Smith,
Abstract:
You've read about table partitioning; you know that partitioning ‘promises’ to solve some performance issues, make backups -and even restores, faster, and, wait, wait, there’s more! Perhaps you have worked through demo code and set up a POC scenario. It looks good, like maybe it would solve some of the problems your organization faces. But … You’re just not sure how to pull it off. Sure, the demo code made it seem easy -and it will always be realtively simple for new tables, new data. You have a handle on the ‘basics’. However, your production database has very large tables, hundreds of millions, or even billions, of rows. The SLA does not allow much, if any, downtime. This session will look at how Table Partitioning can be introduced into existing production environments with little or no downtime And we will explore the ‘real’ performance and maintenance benefits that can be harvested. So, if you want to move beyond the ‘Basics’, don’t miss this session.
Speaker(s): Arnie Rowland,
Abstract:
We've mastered the basics of data modeling and data modeling patterns, but what happens when you or a teammate wants to use this one weird trick to improve on the data model and the resulting database design? Have you just discovered a brilliant new trick that no one else has ever thought of? Or will your new design cost you more, take on more risk and cause all kinds of pain for both IT and your business users? We'll look at a few tricks that we've seen in our database design review and show you how they work and talk about the trade offs for using them. You'll learn about: Building a database engine inside your database Designing before understanding your business model Dealing with data structures that don't do well in RDBMSs Optimizing the developer versus the data or the app Using design patterns that don't reflect modern architectures and tools …and a lot more
Speaker(s): Joseph D'Antoni,
Abstract:
What kinds of things can you determine with Azure ML? Attendees will find out what kind of questions are good candidates for Azure ML and what aren't. This session will show how to use Azure ML, by ncorporating items created in and SQL to develop an Azure ML solution and incorporate the results into a data environment.
Speaker(s): Ginger Grant,
Abstract:
tSQLt is a testing framework that is designed to help you write repeatable, isolated tests against your database code. In this session we will briefly examine the goals of testing, where it can be used in an automated deployment pipeline, and introduce you to the tSQLt framework. We’ll show you how to design and write tests to enforce standards, check calculations and other DML operations as well as check exception handling. You will see how a real world refactoring task can be tested in a repeatable manner. Learn how you can incrementally write tests that help you build higher quality code and minimize the introduction of errors against your existing objects.
Speaker(s): Steve Jones,
Abstract:
Data Factory is a cloud-based data integration service that orchestrates and automates the movement and transformation of data. Just like a manufacturing factory that runs equipment to take raw materials and transform them into finished goods, Data Factory orchestrates existing services that collect raw data and transform it into ready-to-use information. In this session, we will review key concepts associated with Azure Data Factory to understand how key entities work together to define input and output data, processing events, and the schedule and resources required to execute the desired data flow.
Speaker(s): Alan Faulkner,
Abstract:
Protecting our data from unauthorized access becomes more and more important all the time, however it has been difficult to ensure sensitive data is encrypted in SQL Server. The new Always Encrypted feature in SQL Server 2016 makes this much simpler for developers and DBAs with a framework for protecting data from the client, across networks, and inside of the database. This new feature allows for limiting access to the data, even from the DBAs and sysadmins that may control the database instance itself. Learn how to implement and use Always Encrypted in your applications.
Speaker(s): Steve Jones,
Abstract:
Analysis Services have become a major part of upper management daily decision making activities. However, with our DW sizes reaching multiple terabytes minimizing time required to process our data has become our top priority. In this session, we will cover the options we have as DBA’s to improve the performance of our DW processing time. We will look at features and general best practices available to us within SSAS as well as enterprise level features within the database engine itself and how aligning them to work side by side would yield us at least 200% improvement in our processing time.
Speaker(s): Konstantin Melamud,
Abstract:
This session focuses on Microsoft’s BI capabilities within SQL Server and its abilities to make advanced easy to use, accessible, insightful, and actionable decisions, all while helping clients increase organizational performance. Through several releases, Microsoft dramatically enhanced the Microsoft BI platform. During this session Plus Consulting, one of Microsoft's top global BI partners, will explore the improvements to SQL Server self-service reporting and talk about creating blended value from your BI platform. We’ll show you why the combination of Microsoft Office, PowerBI and SQL Server are an excellent solution for creating self-service dashboards, scorecards, KPIs, pivots, data exploration and discovery.
Speaker(s): Sayed Saeed,
Abstract:
"SQL Server 2008 introduced object compression to the DBA toolkit. We all know there are different kinds of compression available in SQL Server. What you might not know boils down to some subtleties of compression. For example, not all page compressed objects are entirely page compressed. Many pages can be uncompressed or just row-compressed. This session shows you how to reach into the database and discover compression states at the page level. At the lower level, this session also shows how to determine compression settings of objects in the database. You can use both some undocumented and more commonly known commands to derive some interesting information from the database engine. "
Speaker(s): Jason Brimhall,
Abstract:
It may not be the most exciting topic, but it can quickly become the most important topic for a project! Many developers and architects make technical decisions based on features and capabilities, but do not consider licensing as part of the decision making process. Other times decisions are made by perceived licensing costs, that may not truly impact a customer’s environment. In this session Matt Smith will provide an overview of licensing options and details to consider for SQL Server including editions, versions, agreements, and software assurance. After an initial level set, Matt will then focus on guidance and best practices for licensing a SQL Server environment across a number of scenarios such as: Virtualized environments, public and private cloud scenarios, support, upgrades, high availability and disaster recovery scenarios.
Speaker(s): Matthew Smith,
Abstract:
Azure Stream Analytics is an Azure feature for the ingestion of Streaming Data. What is Streaming Data, how is it utilized in Azure Stream Analytics, how does Azure Stream Analytics compare to other open source products, and how does one use Stream Analytics. These questions will be addressed when you attend this session.
Speaker(s): Robert Miller,
Abstract:
It may not be the most exciting topic, but it can quickly become the most important topic for a project! Many developers and architects make technical decisions based on features and capabilities, but do not consider licensing as part of the decision making process. Other times decisions are made by perceived licensing costs, that may not truly impact a customer’s environment. In this session Matt Smith will provide an overview of licensing options and details to consider for SQL Server including editions, versions, agreements, and software assurance. After an initial level set, Matt will then focus on guidance and best practices for licensing a SQL Server environment across a number of scenarios such as: Virtualized environments, public and private cloud scenarios, support, upgrades, high availability and disaster recovery scenarios.
Speaker(s): Josh Sivey,
Abstract:
Using Wait Types and Response Time Analysis is a proven methodology for tuning SQL Server instances and applications. However, there is often confusion on exactly what the data represents. The issue typically centers around the fact the response time data is analyzed at the wrong level and is not detailed enough. This presentation will focus on these problems and review several real-life case studies of using SQL Server wait types coupled with response time analytics to solve the most difficult performance issues. If you are a DBA or Developer you will definitely benefit from having this methodology in your toolbox.
Speaker(s): Dean Richards,
Abstract:
Power BI Desktop is the new self-service entry in the Microsoft BI development landscape but what does it offer the professional BI developer? This session will explore Power BI Desktop features for data accusation and manipulation, sample some of the visualization provided and review the deployment options.
Speaker(s): Phil Robinson,
Abstract:
Ever feel like there are just too many layers with SQL Server? You peel off a layer and behold there is yet another layer. SQL Server is rather complex. The complexities can be rather frustrating from time to time. Join this NSFW (not safe for whining) session as we strip SQL down to the bare bones. I will help you undress the complexities of a few of the basic SQL Server concepts. These concepts will include locks, principals, query directives and deadlocks. In this session I will disrobe misunderstandings related to the aforementioned topics. I will show the different types of principals in SQL Server. I will also show various scenarios involving locks and deadlocks along with some of their effects with and without query directives. The goal is to better understand these topics and to hopefully stop using and perpetuating common mis-uses of terminology and common misconceptions about the technology.
Speaker(s): Jason Brimhall,
Abstract:
Do you like Power BI – but your company is not ready to move to cloud? Does your organization need a platform that will provide agility, speed, and scalability without sacrificing governance and security? Do you want to allow your business users to build Tabular models on the fly, or connect to your multi-dimensional cubes – and visualize them immediately? Come and learn from Matt White about Version 6 BI Office from Pyramid Analytics, an end-to-end platform that enables people across your organization to have governed access to trusted data – to form insights, collaborate freely, and make better data-driven decisions.
Speaker(s): Matt White,
Abstract:
While more and more workloads have moved to virtual environments, the data warehouse is often one of the last physical server in the data center. However, that doesn’t need to be the case, in this webinar you will learn about the challenges of implementing your BI environments in a virtual environment. This includes your data warehouse, and its ancillary systems like Analysis Services, Integration Services and Reporting Services. Finally, we’ll talk a little bit about how Azure VMs can change this guidance.
Speaker(s): Joseph D'Antoni,
Abstract:
Tips and Tricks and Painful lessons learned as I have ventured into the world of Hadoop, JSon and Hive. Our data has made the move from a relational database to a JSon structure, and reporting across the entire enterprise of data has changed. We have introduced Hadoop batch processing to our ETL processes to collect and process data from various locations, depositing them in various other locations. Along the way, various brick walls were surmounted. We will discuss some of these brick walls. Some of the oddities encountered in this journey. and hopefully prepare you for a similar trip, without all the pain we suffered.
Speaker(s): TJay Belt,
Abstract:
The Apache Spark framework can accelerate processing 100x or more on Hadoop from diverse data sources such as Cassandra, Hive, or HBase. We’re going to look at the architecture and go step by step through examples using R and Python against public data sources.
Speaker(s): Rowland Gosling,
Abstract:
While blocking and deadlocks are part of the territory for a DBA, dealing with them can be another story. In this session we will break down locking types, capturing and identifying deadlocks and the code behind them, and things you can do to resolve and prevent blocking and deadlocks. If you are frequently dealing with deadlocks in your databases this session is for you.
Speaker(s): Amy Herold,
Abstract:
Window functions and the OVER() clause are an underused feature in T-SQL. These functions can help you solve complex business problems such as running totals and ranking. If you have never used these functions or are looking to solve ranking and aggregate types of calculations without using GROUP BY, join us for a demo filled session on SQL window functions. We will also look at some of the performance implications of using these functions.
Speaker(s): Steve Hughes,
Abstract:
Powershell wants to be your friend - your very powerful friend. In this session we will go over some Powershell basics that will help get you started as well as some known "gotchas" when working in Powershell. This is a beginner session - no Powershell experience necessary. WARNING: You may get warm-fuzzies about Powershell by attending this session.
Speaker(s): Amy Herold,
Abstract:
This session will discuss the fantastic new capabilities of Query Store with SQL Server 2016. It will illustrate what it is, why we want it, how we would use it, and how it is BETTER than any other available performance tuning tools. This session will walk through enabling this feature, leveraging its capabilities, and modifying some of the available options. If attendees walk away with nothing else from this session, remember the LIVE Query Statistics (or Execution Plan). This is a game changer and will greatly impact any on-demand query optimization.
Speaker(s): Sean Werick,
Abstract:
Without temporal tables (AKA history tables), we can only see the current version of data. We can’t see rows that have been deleted or rows as they existed before the latest update. The temporal table support in SQL Server 2016 gives us the ability to create system maintained “history” tables to track all changes to the table data. In this session we’ll discuss how you can benefit from temporal support in your tables, how to implement temporal tables in SQL Server 2016, and how to write “time travel queries” using the new FOR SYSTEM_TIME clause in a SELECT statement to easily query historical information.
Speaker(s): Vern Rabe,
Abstract:
Imagine being successful beyond your wildest dreams but not being truly happy. This session will discuss how saying yes to those things that scare you can change your life!
Speaker(s): Kathi Kellenberger,
Abstract:
After spending the last decade or so completely devoted to the Microsoft stack, I spent the last year supporting the SQL Server instance for a team of Java developers. Yes, sure, Java is just another language so there aren't really and issues that are absolutely unique to the Java world. I did find, however, that there were cultural differences which made my biggest challenges different from what I was used to dealing with in the .Net world. Come hear about my misadventures with JBoss, server side cursors, and NOCOUNT settings.
Speaker(s): Rick Lowe,
Abstract:
After creating your perfect ETL process, how do you know if it is performing properly over time? It should be monitored and validated regularly. I will discuss several different types of validation as well as different methods to validate these attributes. I hope others will be willing to share their experiences with this session as well.
Speaker(s): Paul Graham,
Abstract:
Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) appliances have gained increasing popularity for processing both structured, unstructured and semi structured big data. Cloud platforms for big data as a service are gaining momentum in recent years because of the convenience they provide mainly due to fast and independent scaling of storage and compute resources as well as a pay-as-you-go pricing model. In this session Orion will explain the fundamentals behind MPP big data processing tools, with a focus on Azure SQL Data Warehouse and provide a practical demonstration of the capabilities of the tool.
Speaker(s): Orion Gebremedhin,
Abstract:
With the fast moving release cycles as well as frequent emergence of various new big data and advanced analytics tools cloud platforms can be the home of disconnected services. This can impact business continuity, cost ease of use and application integrations. With Cortana Analytics Microsoft provides a well-integrated and managed platform for advanced analytics and big data solutions. In this session, Orion will explore the different components of Cortana Analytics as well as provide various reference architectures and uses cases built on top of Cortana Analytics to solve real world problems.
Speaker(s): Orion Gebremedhin,
Abstract:
SmartStack solutions bring together the innovative Cisco Unified Computing System (Cisco UCS) and the Nimble Storage Adaptive Flash platform, creating the first integrated infrastructure solution based on a modern, flash-optimized storage architecture. Learn how SmartStack provides an efficient platform that delivers enterprise capabilities in a small form factor for Microsoft’s SQL Server workloads.
Speaker(s): Ed Cho,
Abstract:
In this introductory Step-by-step you'll learn how to visually analyze data with Tableau by connecting to data, creating views and more. - Introducing the Tableau Desktop application - Connecting to data sources (e.g. SQL Azure) - Creating worksheets and dashboards - Demonstrating query and design best practices
Speaker(s): Michael Perillo,
Abstract:
Introduction to managing Database objects in Visual Studio using TFS as the version control system. Topics covered: 1 - Why manage a database in Visual Studio, is that for application code? 2 - Creating and changing objects in Visual Studio 3 - Deploying objects to the live database
Speaker(s): Sean Brown,
Abstract:
Your old favorite reporting tool just got a lot better. In the new world of SSRS, traditional RDL reports integrate with mobile dashboards, Power BI and Excel. You'll receive guidance and learn best practices to design and orchestrate integrated reporting and BI solutions with improved Reporting Services features and the new report portal.
Speaker(s): Paul Turley,
Abstract:
It is quick and easy to build large, complex data models in Power BI (based on Power Pivot). However, Building a model that performs well might seem hit or miss unless you are aware of how Power BI manages your data. A Power BI data model can increase your model's size exponentially even for relatively small data sets causing significant performance issues. This session provides design techniques and tips that will have you building your own models to deliver solutions without those nasty performance surprises!
Speaker(s): Rachael Martino,
Abstract:
In this session, you'll learn how to quickly build an Access Web App, tour the online development environment and see a real, live working app in action. We'll discuss app distribution and deploying updates and demonstrate add-in features like Power BI Tiles and Bing Maps. And lastly, you'll learn the pros/cons of Access Web Apps and hybrid solutions in a corporate environment as well as how to extend the data to mobile phones tablets. Presented by Andy Tabisz, Microsoft MVP, WorkSmart Database Masters.
Speaker(s): Andy Tabisz,
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/e/fpf/252170891
Contact: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=02C5CD07-7511-4151-A678-3A4A3451F85E
Bill Pearson created Island Technologies Inc. in 1997, and has developed a large and diverse customer base since. Bill#39;s background as a CPA, Internal Auditor, Management Accountant, and SQL Server MVP (BI) enables him to provide value to clients as a liaison between Accounting / Finance and Information Services. Bill has implemented enterprise business intelligence systems over the years for many Fortune 500 companies and focuses his practice upon the integrated Microsoft Business Intelligence
Konstantin has over 15 years of SQL Server experience and demonstrates his expertise and commitment to helping SQL Server DBAs succeed through his position as Director of Service Delivery at RDX. In his role, Konstantin is responsible for designing and implementing RDX’s service delivery strategies, including those for SQL Server. Since joining RDX in 2009, Konstantin has proven to be a strong leader and expert in SQL Server database administration, architecture, performance tuning, and business intelligence. He is also a very active member of the SQL Server community and frequently presents at SQL Saturdays and user groups throughout the year. In addition, Konstantin presented during 24 Hours of PASS and at the PASS Summits.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/delora-bradish/1b/a16/698
Contact: http://www.delorabradish.com
Delora Bradish comes to SQL Saturday by way of Pragmatic Works. She has worked with SQL Server from 1999 with a primary career focus in MS BI since 2005. Delora has assisted companies of every size to implement SSIS, SSRS, SSAS and Sharepoint solutions. Some of her clients have included Hewlett-Packard, NASCAR, and General Motors, as well as state governments and prominent medical agencies. Delora is a MCSE in BI and Data Platform, and holds her MCSA in SQL 2012.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindycurnutt
Contact: http://www.mindycurnutt.com
Mindy Curnutt is a 5X Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Business Owner and Entrepreneur. Her specialties include SQL Server hardware, configuration, migrations, scalability, performance tuning. She has been actively involved in the SQL Server Community for over two decades and has become a well known speaker within the SQL and Transportation Management communities. She is a two-time PASS Volunteer of the Month, has presented at 6 SQLPASS Summits, Live360, DevConnections, MVPMix and too many SQL Saturdays to count. She is currently the President of the North Texas SQL Server User Group out of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/delora-bradish/1b/a16/698
Contact: http://www.delorabradish.com
Delora Bradish comes to SQL Saturday by way of Pragmatic Works. She has worked with SQL Server from 1999 with a primary career focus in MS BI since 2005. Delora has assisted companies of every size to implement SSIS, SSRS, SSAS and Sharepoint solutions. Some of her clients have included Hewlett-Packard, NASCAR, and General Motors, as well as state governments and prominent medical agencies. Delora is a MCSE in BI and Data Platform, and holds her MCSA in SQL 2012.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/christophershaw/
Contact: http://chrisshaw.wordpress.com/
Chris Shaw started his database career in 1993. Following the Marines, Chris continued working with databases for companies such as Wells Fargo, Pulte Mortgage, and Yellow Pages Inc. Chris has been writing and speaking about SQL Server for over 15 years at events such as SQL Connections, PASS Summit, and SSWUG Ultimate conferences. Chris received his 5th Microsoft MVP award.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rick-lowe/a/228/441/
Contact: http://dataflowe.wordpress.com/
Rick is a Microsoft Certified Master with more than 20 years of SQL Server experience in a variety of roles. He currently lives in Washington state and works as an independent consultant providing remote performance DBA and performance tuning services for clients in the USA and Canada. His first exposure to SQL Server was as a database developer, but over time he became more and more interested in how the database engine operated... eventually specializing more on performance issues than code. Rick will work with all things relational, but most enjoys helping smaller companies get better performance from MSSQL, as well as smoothing over relationships between DBA and development teams.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3997984amp;trk=hb_tab_pro_top
Contact: http://joeydantoni.com
Joseph D'Antoni is a Senior Consultant and Microsoft Data Platform MVP with over 20 years of experience working in both Fortune 500 and smaller firms. He is a Principal Consultant for Denny Cherry Associates and lives in Malvern, PA. He is a frequent speaker at major tech events like Microsoft Ignite, PASS Summit, and Enterprise Data World. He blogs about all topics technology at joeydantoni.com. He believes that no single platform is the answer to all technology problems. Joseph holds a BS in Computer Information Systems from Louisiana Tech University and an MBA from North Carolina State University, and is the co-author of the Microsoft book "Introducing SQL Server 2016”.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanwerick
Contact: http://www.seanwerick.com
I have been in the data industry for 15 years, specializing in Microsoft business intelligence for the last decade. I have architected, developed and integrated end to end solutions for customers in various sectors including finance, government, health care and retail. I am extremely passionate about data and the endless possibilities for companies utilizing it in the best ways. I enjoy data science and business intelligence because the possibilities and magnitudes of impact are immeasurable.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/vern-rabe/a/ba3/980
Contact: http://www.rabedata.com
Vern Rabe is an independent SQL Server consultant and contract trainer in Portland, OR, and leader of the Oregon Data Community user group, formerly OregonSQL. He has attained MCSE, MCITP (both Administration and Development), and MCT certifications, among others. Vern has been passionate about databases since 1992 and has worked with SQL Server since version 4.21a. He provides broad technical SQL Server knowledge gained from the mixture of academic and practical experiences acquired from his classroom instructing and varied consulting contracts. Vern regularly presents technical sessions at SQL Server user group meetings, SQLSaturdays, and PASS Summit.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasgrohser/
Thomas Grohser has spent most of the past 26+ years exploring the deeper inner workings of SQL Server and its features while working for entertainment, pharmaceutical, and financial services industries. His primary focus is to architect, plan, build, and operate reliable, highly available, secure, and scalable infrastructures for SQL Server. Over the years he has managed thousands of SQL Server instances, processing trillions of rows, taking up petabytes of storage. Thomas has been a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for 9 years and has spoken regularly at conferences, SQLSaturdays, and user groups for 12 years.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuasivey/
Josh Sivey is a Microsoft Certified Professional with over fifteen years of experience delivering solutions using Microsoft technologies. He enjoys helping empower users to unlock the power of corporate data using the Microsoft BI stack. Josh is a Technology Solutions Professional with Microsoft. In his free time, he enjoys saving Hyrule from the clutches of Ganon with his son and playing My Little Ponies with his daughter.
BI is my passion and working for Neudesic is my ideal job. I have had the opportunity to work in several different industries developing Business Intelligence solutions for our client. I find that extremely challenging and rewarding. I also enjoy sharing what I have seen and learned with others as well as continuously learning new things myself. SQL Saturday is an excellent opportunity for me to do both (to share and to learn). I hope to see you there.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dean-richards/6/167/a90
Dean Richards is a Senior DBA for DBMS Insights and has helped hundreds of companies solve database and virtualization performance issues. Dean has over 20 years of experience in both development and database administration and has focused his entire career on performance tuning of Oracle and SQL Server environments. Most recently Dean has focused on the trend to virtualize and move databases to the cloud.
Eric Peterson is a consultant specializing in database architecture with experience in demanding Fortune 100 company environments. He has a Computer Science degree complemented with an MBA, which meshes well with his jobs integrating business information with the systems that process it. He has worked with SQL Server since its inception and was an instructor of SQL courses at a national technical training company. He also speaks are regional SQLSaturday events.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindycurnutt
Contact: http://www.mindycurnutt.com
Mindy Curnutt is a 5X Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Business Owner and Entrepreneur. Her specialties include SQL Server hardware, configuration, migrations, scalability, performance tuning. She has been actively involved in the SQL Server Community for over two decades and has become a well known speaker within the SQL and Transportation Management communities. She is a two-time PASS Volunteer of the Month, has presented at 6 SQLPASS Summits, Live360, DevConnections, MVPMix and too many SQL Saturdays to count. She is currently the President of the North Texas SQL Server User Group out of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3997984amp;trk=hb_tab_pro_top
Contact: http://joeydantoni.com
Joseph D'Antoni is a Senior Consultant and Microsoft Data Platform MVP with over 20 years of experience working in both Fortune 500 and smaller firms. He is a Principal Consultant for Denny Cherry Associates and lives in Malvern, PA. He is a frequent speaker at major tech events like Microsoft Ignite, PASS Summit, and Enterprise Data World. He blogs about all topics technology at joeydantoni.com. He believes that no single platform is the answer to all technology problems. Joseph holds a BS in Computer Information Systems from Louisiana Tech University and an MBA from North Carolina State University, and is the co-author of the Microsoft book "Introducing SQL Server 2016”.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ned-otter-3627b712
Contact: http://www.nedotter.com
DBA with vast experience administering Microsoft SQL Server since version 4.21 to the present. Certifications: MCSE SQL Server 2012 Data Platform MCTS SQL Server 2008 Overall computer experience: 25 years SQL Server experience: 23 years Currently obsessed with In-Memory technology. Please see LinkedIn profile for more details.
5+ years working with SQL Server. Working with SSMS, SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS. Worked in multiple industries such as Utilities, Healthcare, and Manufacturing. Current Hobbies include: Learning about Big Data and Playing with Azure, but when I#39;m not playing with anything related to data I enjoy spending time with my Wife and four kids on the Wii U or running around in the park.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanmccauley
Contact: http://www.TryCatchFinally.net
Ryan McCauley has been in IT for 15 years, and has filled roles from .NET developer to MSSQL DBA, but is currently an IT Manager at a mid-size Cable/HSD company. In each role, Ryan is always looking for ways to solve new and unique challenges. In additional to solving technical problems and managing a team of DBAs and Report Developers, Ryan likes to get to the bottom of problems and help everybody clearly define a shared solution. Ryan is an MCP and frequently helps out others on StackOverflow, Experts-Exchange, and under the #sqlhelp tag on Twitter.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dataonwheels
Contact: http://www.dataonwheels.com
Steve Hughes is the Director of Consulting at Pragmatic Works. In his current role, Steve manages the consultant team at Pragmatic Works and directs implementation of our cloud practices for customers. He focuses on team development and company growth with this role. In his previous role as a Principal Consultant Lead, he focused designing solutions for customers on Microsoft technologies including SQL Server, Power BI, and Azure. He has been working with technology for over 20 years with much of that time spent on creating business intelligence solutions and helping customers implement leading BI and cloud solutions. He is passionate about using data effectively and helping customers understand that data is valuable and profitable.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinwilkie
Contact: http://sherpaofdata.com
Kevin has 15+ years experience with SQL Server and has worked with the product since version 6.5, although he remembers with distaste the early versions of the product. He started working with SQL Server as an "Accidental" DBA, and has moved up through the ranks as a SQL Developer, a BI Associate, and Production DBA at various parts of his career. Currently, he works as a Lead Data Analyst spreading the gospel of how great data can be to anyone and everyone who will listen.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathikellenberger
Contact: http://auntkathisql.com
Kathi Kellenberger is the editor of Simple Talk at Redgate and a Data Platform MVP. She has worked with SQL Server for over 20 years and has authored, co-authored, or tech edited over a dozen technical books. Kathi is the co-leader of the PASS Women in Technology Virtual Group and a volunteer at LaunchCode. When Kathi isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cycling, singing, and climbing the stairs of tall buildings. Be sure to check out her courses on Pluralsight.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffprom
Contact: http://www.jeffprom.com
Jeff Prom is a Data and BI Developer with over 19 years experience. From a wide variety of industries, he has worked with corporations both large and small including several global fortune 50 companies. Jeff is an active member in the SQL community and regularly speaks and attends user groups and conferences. He has earned MCTS certifications for Database Development, Administration, and BI. Jeff is currently employed at Bridgepoint Education as a Business Intelligence Data Architect.
A skilled technician at heart, Matt has developed his foundation from curiosity, passion, and drive. Originally from a software development background Matt has always yearned to answer questions not from a technology perspective instead focusing on the impact of value gained. Matt#39;s opportunistic and entrepreneurial views have fueled his success in overcoming obstacles inhibiting his goals. Matt prides himself in his native ability to have an executive mindset with an architect#39;s toolset. Currently fulfilling the role of Solution Specialist at Microsoft, he assists Microsoft#39;s largest customers in the Desert Mountain territory rationalize their technology investments in Microsoft#39;s Data amp; Cloud platform aligning these acquisitions with t
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/en/philekins
Phil Ekins is a Principal Architect at House of Brick Technologies. With over two decades of experience in SQL Server, Automation, Migrations, Virtualization and HA/DR Solutions. Phil has presented at SQL Saturday's and Local Chapters. As a AWS Certified Solutions Architect and a seasoned SQL Server Professional Phil brings a DBA's needs to the world of cloud computing.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nfwilliams
Naomi Williams is a SQL Server professional working in the San Antonio area. Currently a seasoned Database Administrator for both Oracle and SQL Server doing database development, SSIS, SSRS and SSAS. Naomi has been working with SQL Server for almost 15 years. Naomi is passionate about performance, high availability, and creative non standard solutions to complex problems
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgosling
I've worked on a variety of data platforms including SQL Server, Oracle, DB 2 and Hadoop. SQL Server has been my choice OLTP/Data Warehouse platform for many business needs. These days I'm working almost exclusively in the cloud using Microsoft's Azure and a variety of new products like Azure Data Warehouse, Azure Cosmos DB and Data Factory. As a Microsoft employee, my focus is working on our data platform for our financial services customers.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/millerrobert
Contact: http://sqlhuman.com
Robert Miller has managed Microsoft SQL Server implementations for the past twenty years. Additional, he is an accomplished architect, application developer, SAN and Systems administrator. In addition to Microsoft SQL Server, he has experience with Oracle and VMS/Rdb database environments. Robert#39;s specialty is working in and architecting high-performance, high-availability environments.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathikellenberger
Contact: http://auntkathisql.com
Kathi Kellenberger is the editor of Simple Talk at Redgate and a Data Platform MVP. She has worked with SQL Server for over 20 years and has authored, co-authored, or tech edited over a dozen technical books. Kathi is the co-leader of the PASS Women in Technology Virtual Group and a volunteer at LaunchCode. When Kathi isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cycling, singing, and climbing the stairs of tall buildings. Be sure to check out her courses on Pluralsight.
Data Architect and BI Architect. Experience building Data Warehouse and ETL platforms, BI Analytics and OLTP systems. He is currently a Director of Product Manager at Idera, responsible for the development of the multi-platform tools.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/alan-faulkner/31/b79/932/
Contact: http://falconteksolutionscentral.com/
I am an IT professional with over 20+ years of progressive technical experience with managing, consulting, software development, data integration architecture, data warehousing, and business intelligence development projects. The focus of my work is to work closely with stakeholders to develop architecture frameworks that align with organizational strategy, processes, and IT assets. Specializing in Business Intelligence (BI), Data Warehousing, database architecture, design and implementation.
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.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=218587224amp;trk=hp-identity-name
Rob Mandeville is a Senior DBA with over 20 years of broad experience in database technologies. He's served in many roles including production DBA, development DBA, and architect/data modeler on a variety of platforms. Before coming to Solarwinds, Rob worked in the aerospace, global technology, and geospatial industries. Rob also had the honor of teaching database related master level courses at Regis University.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hyde-3803706
Chris Hyde is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He works as an independent SQL Server BI and DBA consultant, and is the leader of the Albuquerque PASS local user group. He is also part of the Friends of Redgate program and was a member of the Idera ACE class of 2018. He loves loud music and cricket, but usually not at the same time.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasgrohser/
Thomas Grohser has spent most of the past 26+ years exploring the deeper inner workings of SQL Server and its features while working for entertainment, pharmaceutical, and financial services industries. His primary focus is to architect, plan, build, and operate reliable, highly available, secure, and scalable infrastructures for SQL Server. Over the years he has managed thousands of SQL Server instances, processing trillions of rows, taking up petabytes of storage. Thomas has been a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for 9 years and has spoken regularly at conferences, SQLSaturdays, and user groups for 12 years.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/martinschoombee
Contact: http://www.martinschoombee.com
Martin is an independent Business Intelligence Analytics consultant, helping customers make sense of their data for more than 15 years.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/e/fpf/252170891
Contact: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=02C5CD07-7511-4151-A678-3A4A3451F85E
Bill Pearson created Island Technologies Inc. in 1997, and has developed a large and diverse customer base since. Bill#39;s background as a CPA, Internal Auditor, Management Accountant, and SQL Server MVP (BI) enables him to provide value to clients as a liaison between Accounting / Finance and Information Services. Bill has implemented enterprise business intelligence systems over the years for many Fortune 500 companies and focuses his practice upon the integrated Microsoft Business Intelligence
Konstantin has over 15 years of SQL Server experience and demonstrates his expertise and commitment to helping SQL Server DBAs succeed through his position as Director of Service Delivery at RDX. In his role, Konstantin is responsible for designing and implementing RDX’s service delivery strategies, including those for SQL Server. Since joining RDX in 2009, Konstantin has proven to be a strong leader and expert in SQL Server database administration, architecture, performance tuning, and business intelligence. He is also a very active member of the SQL Server community and frequently presents at SQL Saturdays and user groups throughout the year. In addition, Konstantin presented during 24 Hours of PASS and at the PASS Summits.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasgrohser/
Thomas Grohser has spent most of the past 26+ years exploring the deeper inner workings of SQL Server and its features while working for entertainment, pharmaceutical, and financial services industries. His primary focus is to architect, plan, build, and operate reliable, highly available, secure, and scalable infrastructures for SQL Server. Over the years he has managed thousands of SQL Server instances, processing trillions of rows, taking up petabytes of storage. Thomas has been a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for 9 years and has spoken regularly at conferences, SQLSaturdays, and user groups for 12 years.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/reevessmithiii/
Contact: http://reevessmith.wordpress.com
Reeves Smith, owner and principal architect of Macer Consulting, is passionate about applying data technologies that empower organizations. Reeves wields his knowledge and experience to lead, design, architect, and teach, working with both data center and business project teams. He approaches every project by first understanding the organization’s business challenges, and then developing a unique approach that targets those business needs accurately and effectively. Reeves Smith has more than 20 years of experience working on the SQL Server stack. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Microsoft Certified Master, and regularly delivers technical presentations at international, regional, and local conferences and user groups.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/matt-white/0/a41/944
Matt has been working with the Microsoft BI stack for over a decade. As an Account Manager for Pyramid Analytics he works with organizations to leverage their investment in SQL Server to create Business Intelligence solutions for IT and Business end users.
Contact: http://www.spartansql.com
Born naked and defenseless, he overcame these obstacles to become a mender of broken things, seeker of magic rings, and occasional watcher of slow pings.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/aherold
Contact: http://www.sqlkitten.com/
Amy Herold is currently a Premier Field Engineer with Microsoft, specializing in APS. Prior to this, she was a Sr. Database Administrator, focusing on PowerShell and automation. She is also currently the Director of Programs for the North Texas SQL Server User Group (NTSSUG). She frequently speaks at SQL Saturday and user group events across the United States and has also participated in numerous Women in Technology sessions as a panelist. Amy currently blogs at sqlkitten.com.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadamjorgensen/
Contact: http://www.pragmaticworks.com
As President of Pragmatic Works Consulting Adam drives market strategy, sales, partnerships, implementation and thought leadership. He has over 15 years of experience helping companies use their data to fuel their growth. Adam has been wowing audiences around the world for over a decade. He has delivered hundreds of sessions, published over a dozen books and hundreds of online videos and webinars on data and cloud topics. His passion is growing companies and mentoring leaders and companies to help them achieve their dreams.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/aherold
Contact: http://www.sqlkitten.com/
Amy Herold is currently a Premier Field Engineer with Microsoft, specializing in APS. Prior to this, she was a Sr. Database Administrator, focusing on PowerShell and automation. She is also currently the Director of Programs for the North Texas SQL Server User Group (NTSSUG). She frequently speaks at SQL Saturday and user group events across the United States and has also participated in numerous Women in Technology sessions as a panelist. Amy currently blogs at sqlkitten.com.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/retracement
Contact: http://tenbulls.co.uk
Mark Broadbent is a Data Platform MVP and SQL Server MCM with more than 20 years of experience working with SQL Server and principal of SQLCloud, a consultancy specializing in concurrency control and highly available solutions. He is the founder of the UK's SQLSaturday Cambridge (its first and largest), SharePoint Saturday Cambridge, the Hybrid Virtual Chapter and the East Anglia SQL User Group.
Phil Robinson is an independent consultant focused on developing Business Intelligence solutions using Microsoft Reporting Services and Power BI. He is founder of the San Diego SQL Business Intelligence Group and co-founder of SQL Saturday – San Diego.
LinkedIn: ?https://www.linkedin.com/in/sayed-saeed-68079a18?
Contact: http://www.plusconsulting.com/blog/
Sayed Saeed is the Business Intelligence Practice Director at Plus Consulting. He is highly proficient in developing targeted BI solutions for clients and offers solid knowledge and experience in BI products that help organizations better leverage information to effectively manage business. He is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert in Business Intelligence as well as Oracle Certified Professional.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/tjaybelt/
Contact: http://tjaybelt.blogspot.com
TJay Belt is an outdoorsman at heart who enjoys riding dirtbikes, waterskiing, boating, playing racquetball and spending time with his family. When he can't be out playing, TJay loves to tinker with databases. TJay has been an IT professional for over a decade and a half. Currently serving as a Senior Database Administrator with Imagine Learning. TJay has progressed through several roles in his database career including developer, data guy, database developer, database analyst and DBA.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasgrohser/
Thomas Grohser has spent most of the past 26+ years exploring the deeper inner workings of SQL Server and its features while working for entertainment, pharmaceutical, and financial services industries. His primary focus is to architect, plan, build, and operate reliable, highly available, secure, and scalable infrastructures for SQL Server. Over the years he has managed thousands of SQL Server instances, processing trillions of rows, taking up petabytes of storage. Thomas has been a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for 9 years and has spoken regularly at conferences, SQLSaturdays, and user groups for 12 years.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginger-grant-3a177b157/
Contact: http://www.DesertIsleSQL.com
Ginger Grant manages the consultancy Desert Isle Group and shares what she has learned while working with data technology to people around the world. As a Microsoft MVP in Data Platform, Microsoft Certified Trainer and an instructor on DataCamp, she focuses on guiding clients to create solutions using the entire Microsoft Data Stack, which includes SQL Server, Power BI, and Azure Data Cloud components. When not working, she protypes the latest pre-release data technologies, maintains her blog http://www.desertislesql.com, and spends time on twitter @desertislesql.
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.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuasivey/
Josh Sivey is a Microsoft Certified Professional with over fifteen years of experience delivering solutions using Microsoft technologies. He enjoys helping empower users to unlock the power of corporate data using the Microsoft BI stack. Josh is a Technology Solutions Professional with Microsoft. In his free time, he enjoys saving Hyrule from the clutches of Ganon with his son and playing My Little Ponies with his daughter.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbajbrimhall/
Contact: http://jasonbrimhall.info
Jason Brimhall has more than 20 years of experience and has worked with SQL Server 6.5 through SQL Server 2019. He has experience in performance tuning, high transaction environments, and large environments. He is currently a consultant specializing in performance tuning, server analysis, and problem resolution. Jason is a Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) and a Data Platform MVP.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oriongm
Contact: http://www.bi-insights.com/
Orion Gebremedhin, is the Director of Technology for Data and Analytics Platform at Neudesic . He is also a Data Platform (vTSP) for Microsoft Corporation focusing on Big Data technologies. Orion brings extensive experience in implementing advanced analytics and big data technology solutions in various industries. He is a frequent speaker in various technology events; and currently leads the Big Data and Advanced Analytics roadshow sponsored by Neudesic and Microsoft. Neudesic has been providing innovative technologies, services and software products for more than a decade to help organizations gain a competitive advantage and position them for success.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanpbrown
Contact: http://seansdigs.com
Sean Brown has been working with SQL Server since 2005, mostly doing ETL work but more recently supporting the database layer of multilayered web applications and writing web services to support data transfer between systems. Sean has previously worked at Acxiom, Dell, Blackboard, and Grand Canyon University. He currently works at DriveTime in Database Engineering
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: http://www.linkedin.com/in/retracement
Contact: http://tenbulls.co.uk
Mark Broadbent is a Data Platform MVP and SQL Server MCM with more than 20 years of experience working with SQL Server and principal of SQLCloud, a consultancy specializing in concurrency control and highly available solutions. He is the founder of the UK's SQLSaturday Cambridge (its first and largest), SharePoint Saturday Cambridge, the Hybrid Virtual Chapter and the East Anglia SQL User Group.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathikellenberger
Contact: http://auntkathisql.com
Kathi Kellenberger is the editor of Simple Talk at Redgate and a Data Platform MVP. She has worked with SQL Server for over 20 years and has authored, co-authored, or tech edited over a dozen technical books. Kathi is the co-leader of the PASS Women in Technology Virtual Group and a volunteer at LaunchCode. When Kathi isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cycling, singing, and climbing the stairs of tall buildings. Be sure to check out her courses on Pluralsight.
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.
Has worked as a Marketing specialist at Cisco for multiple years.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnie
Contact: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/arnie_rowland/
Arnie long ago realized that most issues between Developer and DBA comes from incomplete communication and a misunderstanding of each other's objectives. He is a frequent Trainer and Mentor for Developers and DBAs, bringing both sets of skills to better communicate with teams to create a working solution. For over a decade, Arnie has been a SQL Server MVP, Certified Trainer, technical editor for several publishers, including MOC, and has served as University and Community College adjunct faculty. Clients include Fortune 500 and Multi-Nationals, Federal and State agencies, Foreign governments, and local enterprises –both public and private.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dbajbrimhall/
Contact: http://jasonbrimhall.info
Jason Brimhall has more than 20 years of experience and has worked with SQL Server 6.5 through SQL Server 2019. He has experience in performance tuning, high transaction environments, and large environments. He is currently a consultant specializing in performance tuning, server analysis, and problem resolution. Jason is a Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) and a Data Platform MVP.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/reevessmithiii/
Contact: http://reevessmith.wordpress.com
Reeves Smith, owner and principal architect of Macer Consulting, is passionate about applying data technologies that empower organizations. Reeves wields his knowledge and experience to lead, design, architect, and teach, working with both data center and business project teams. He approaches every project by first understanding the organization’s business challenges, and then developing a unique approach that targets those business needs accurately and effectively. Reeves Smith has more than 20 years of experience working on the SQL Server stack. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Microsoft Certified Master, and regularly delivers technical presentations at international, regional, and local conferences and user groups.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rushabhbmehta
Contact: http://blogs.solidq.com/RushabhMehta
Rushabh Mehta is a Business Intelligence Mentor with SolidQ and the Managing Director for Solid Quality India Pvt. Ltd. He served as PASS President for 2010/2011 term. Rushabh has worked with MS Data Platform since 1998 and has designed and developed BI systems since 2001. He has been the lead architect for many large-scale and complex BI solutions for clients such as Publix, Raymond James, Jackson Hewitt, US Dept. of Defense, and Microsoft. He is an MVP with Microsoft, Damp;B amp; Melissa Data
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/mike-byrd/1/aa0/bbb
Contact: http://logicalread.solarwinds.com/?s=byrd, www.TSQLMentoring.com and SQLServerCentral.com
Former rocket scientist and USAF Fighter Pilot -- now a SQL Server geek (24 years)! Past opportunities include free-lance technical writer for PC Magazine, Senior Software Manager for government sponsored munitions effectiveness committee, and insurance company CTO. Currently senior database engineer consultant for several Austin companies. Presenter at many SQL Saturdays over last 6 years in United States, Europe, and Australia. Specialize in SQL Server performance tuning; database (OLTP OLAP) architecture; trouble-shooting; teaching TSQL (Basic through Advanced). Video presentations (for local SQL Server user groups or SQL Saturdays) can be found at http://usergroup.tv/videos/category/speaker/mike-byrd
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffkschmidt
Contact: http://NoSchmidt.com
After prepping for Y2K Jeff stumbled into a DBA role with SQL 7 then spent the next 17 years using MS SQL all versions from 6.5 to 2017 with some Oracle and MySQL sprinkled in for good measure. He is currently working as a Senior DBA for International Cruise Excursions Inc.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelperillo
Michael has 15 years of experience with business intelligence products, SQL Server, and SharePoint development. Michael focuses on on-boarding, training, community involvement, and product evangelism across many BI platforms.
Data Architect and BI Architect. Experience building Data Warehouse and ETL platforms, BI Analytics and OLTP systems. He is currently a Director of Product Manager at Idera, responsible for the development of the multi-platform tools.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andytabisz
Contact: http://www.worksmartdb.com/blog/
Andy Tabisz is a Microsoft MVP and owner of WorkSmart Database Masters based in Grand Rapids, MI. WorkSmart provides custom database and mobile solutions for small to mid-sized corporations using Access, SQL/Azure, ASP.NET, SharePoint, Power BI, Excel and integration with many technologies. Through rapid application development, WorkSmart empowers organizations to work smarter and make better decisions by automating workflow, alerts and reporting capabilities.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oriongm
Contact: http://www.bi-insights.com/
Orion Gebremedhin, is the Director of Technology for Data and Analytics Platform at Neudesic . He is also a Data Platform (vTSP) for Microsoft Corporation focusing on Big Data technologies. Orion brings extensive experience in implementing advanced analytics and big data technology solutions in various industries. He is a frequent speaker in various technology events; and currently leads the Big Data and Advanced Analytics roadshow sponsored by Neudesic and Microsoft. Neudesic has been providing innovative technologies, services and software products for more than a decade to help organizations gain a competitive advantage and position them for success.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/pittfurg
Contact: http://www.port1433.com
Drew Furgiuele is a senior DBA that lives in Dublin, Ohio who is passionate about SQL Server and PowerShell. He's been working with SQL Server since 2002. When he’s not accidentally dropping tables in production, he likes writing automation scripts, blogging about SQL Server Replication, wiring electronics, playing board games, and spending time with his dog. He's also not embarrassed by his Spotify playlists.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachaelmartino
Rachael has been both an IT Executive and a Consultant. Systems training, data based application development experience and leadership training have prepared her to build stable. maintainable and successful solutions. Rachael has been in the industry working with SQL Server since SQL 2000. She started out her IT life as an application developer and lead a team of developers, creating data centric applications using SQL Server and Oracle. She has worked in the Business Intelligence field using SSAS, multi-dimensional and Tabular, SSRS, SSIS, and PowerBI. She has two Masters degrees from MIT, Systems Design and Management amp; Civil Engineering Information Technology. Her interests surround the Big Data and Data Science areas.
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/pub/mike-byrd/1/aa0/bbb
Contact: http://logicalread.solarwinds.com/?s=byrd, www.TSQLMentoring.com and SQLServerCentral.com
Former rocket scientist and USAF Fighter Pilot -- now a SQL Server geek (24 years)! Past opportunities include free-lance technical writer for PC Magazine, Senior Software Manager for government sponsored munitions effectiveness committee, and insurance company CTO. Currently senior database engineer consultant for several Austin companies. Presenter at many SQL Saturdays over last 6 years in United States, Europe, and Australia. Specialize in SQL Server performance tuning; database (OLTP OLAP) architecture; trouble-shooting; teaching TSQL (Basic through Advanced). Video presentations (for local SQL Server user groups or SQL Saturdays) can be found at http://usergroup.tv/videos/category/speaker/mike-byrd
The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event.