Event Location:
Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC)
2800 Campus Ridge Road
Charlotte, North Carolina
Abstract:
Let's use Biml to automate the implementation of a standard, pattern-based SSIS Framework. I.e. Logging, error handling, etc. Business Intelligence Markup Language (Biml) is great at automating the creation of SSIS packages. With Biml we can generate a template package that implements a standard SSIS framework. In this fast-paced session, we will create the tables and load some metadata, write the Biml to implement logging and error handling, and generate some packages that implement our standard framework. In this session, you don't need to know Biml, but some familiarity with XML, TSQL or C# will help. By the end of this session, you will know how to use Biml to automatically generate packages that implement a simple SSIS Framework with Audit Logging and Error Handling.
Speaker(s): Simon Kingaby,
Abstract:
Have you ever thought to yourself “All these people think I’m smarter than I really am" or "I really don’t know what I’m doing, they're going to figure out I'm a fraud!” If yes, then you suffer from the Impostor Syndrome. And despite all the accomplishments, awards and accolades, you still doubt yourself. It’s rampant in the modern day tech workplace, and the fear will make you shrink back from opportunities. You dismiss praise. You overcompensate by working harder, being charming and demanding perfection from yourself. What would happen if you were released from this bondage, and kicked your impostor to the curb? In this session, learn 3 powerful techniques that can help to improve your confidence and silent that annoying voice in your head!
Speaker(s): Mindy Curnutt,
Abstract:
One of the most common problems I have encountered as a DBA is the complaints from users that a particular query is slow, just one query. Many times one that used to run in acceptable time, but that over time has slowed down substantially. In this session we will show some of the causes for this, with emphasis on I/O requests being too high for the query. First part of the session will explain how to find these numbers, looking at a few queries with some major performance issues, including explaining why they have a problem. The second part will focus on how to reduce I/O requests. All of this can be done without the need for any 3rd party tools, all within the scope of what is available to SQL Server, all versions, all editions, including Azure.
Speaker(s): Anders Pedersen,
Abstract:
DevOps came out of the Agile movement and the idea that operations needed to be part of the solution for agile development to be successful. The DBA was often the most resilient and robust member of the operations team and most resistant to change. This mentality was essential to the protection of company’s critical production data. This session discusses common database challenges and how they can be minimized or solved with newer DevOps practices without impacting the DBAs “safe zone”. We’ll discuss how to use these vital skills and motivate everyone towards solutions for more success in agile development environments. Development, testing, provisioning, patching, upgrading and managing will become easier with agile tools, virtualization and collaboration. The take-aways from this session are to embrace DevOps basics with a “DBA twist” such as: • Develop, Rinse, Repeat • Test Until Your Five Year Old Can Do It • Human Intervention Creates Human Error- Automate EVERYTHING.
Speaker(s): Kellyn Pot'Vin-Gorman,
Abstract:
The deployment process is frustrating; an object is missing, an object is deployed in the wrong order or an incorrect version. Deploying to multiple environments like Dev, QA, UAT, and Prod is a challenge whether on-premise or in the cloud. Source controlling database objects is paramount. Team development is required. Database code will only be deployed when changed. Proper security deployment will be repeatable per environment. Together, let us discover how using Database Project will help us with consistent releases. Deployments can cause you trouble but we will share a reliable deployment and version control process. Let’s see how Database Project can help us accomplish this goal.
Speaker(s): Thomas Norman,
Abstract:
Remember that first time you saw Service Broker and thought of all the great things you could do with it? Remember when you actually tried Service Broker and found all the limitations and pain points? Enter Apache Kafka. Apache Kafka is a distributed publish-subscribe messaging system which can scale out to handle millions of messages per second and support a distributed, microservices-oriented architecture. In this talk, we will cover the basics of this powerful system, including general architectural and design principles. We will also build a .NET project which uses Kafka to produce and consume messages quickly and efficiently.
Speaker(s): Kevin Feasel,
Abstract:
Are you experiencing challenges managing Very Large Databases (VLDBs), or anticipate challenges do to future growth? In this session, I will provide practical advice on managing very large databases (databases > 1TB) with SQL server, focusing on common problem areas for new and experienced DBAs alike. These problem areas include index maintenance, integrity checks, archival, backups, and restores. We will look at new features available in SQL Server 2016 and SQL Server 2017 which make managing large databases easier, and we will explore some of the challenges and opportunities of managing large databases using SQL Server 2017 on Linux.
Speaker(s): Brian Carrig,
Abstract:
When asked to design a critical database system, too many people pick an HA feature and then design the solution around it. This usually results in a costly and disappointing design. This session will show you the five basic archetypes for mission critical database systems and how to select the right features from SQL Server to implement each design. Along the way you’ll hear some best practices, tips, and real world advice for choosing between features like Availability Groups and clustered instances of SQL Server, as well as the history of some of the more interesting and less often used availability features. You will also get a glimpse of how some of the largest mission critical systems running on the Microsoft platform are created using a distributed model where redundancy replaces failover. While you may not be able to revisit your current designs right away, what you learn will improve how you approach thinking about making a system as fail-proof as it can be.
Speaker(s): Maxwell Myrick,
Abstract:
You already know a thing or two about tuning a SQL query on Microsoft SQL Server. You can read an execution plan and know the most significant red flags to look for. And you have also learned how to track the most important metrics revealed by features like the SET STATISTICS. But you want to take it up another level! First, we will examine using undocumented trace flags to look at the steps of parsing, binding, and query optimization. Second, we will show how SQL Server builds internal memo structures and it interrogates the heuristics of the optimizer search space. Finally, we will discuss a secret trace flag that gives the optimizer more time to produce alternative execution plans for queries that push the boundaries of extreme database processing.
Speaker(s): Kevin Kline,
Abstract:
When called in to diagnose a performance issue what are the 1st things you review? Many DBAs and developers make the mistake of diving straight into the code looking for an answer. However, often times the solution is not in the code but rather in the overall environment. Environmental troubleshooting is often a quick and overlooked method for discovering and configuring SQL Server to perform at a higher level without the need for application change controls. In this session we will discuss both performance pitfalls and optimizations that can be made to the system outside of code changes. We will diagnose configurations commonly misapplied and review best practices in SQL Server, Windows Server, and VMware!
Speaker(s): Jeff Mlakar,
Abstract:
In a cloud-first world, DB DevOps are critical, not only from a functional perspective but even more from both scalability of operations and availability perspectives. Here are some of the challenges faced by SaaS ISVs and enterprises using Azure SQL DB or SQL Server: - How do you minimize downtime due to database schema changes? - How do you deploy at scale across hundreds or thousands of databases? - How do you ensure end-to-end security at the DB layer regardless of the type of the query? SQL Server offers some great DB DevOps capabilities with SSDT and SQLPackage. Underlying these are the SQLDOM parser and the DACFX libraries. Iwill showcase the power of these libraries by using some real-world use cases (with demos!), each of which was encountered in direct customer engagement by the SQLCAT team and field counterpart.
Speaker(s): boB Taylor,
Abstract:
Long gone are the days where the only architecture decision you had to make when scaling an environment was deciding which part of the datacenter would store your new server. There is a dizzying array of options available in the SQL Server and Azure ecosystems and those are evolving by the day. Is “the cloud” a fad? Are private datacenters a thing of the past? Could both questions have a kernel of truth in them? In this session I will go over real world scenarios and walk you through real world solutions that utilize your datacenter, cloud providers, and everything in between to keep your data highly available and your customers happy. This is a shorter preview version of this talk that I'll be presenting at PASS Summit 2017.
Speaker(s): Matt Gordon,
Abstract:
Most DBAs use multiple native and third party tools to fully document SQL Server instances yet still dont get all the objects. Even using Visual Studio and Database Projects, not all objects are exported because they live at the server level, above the database. Using Powershell, we will script out an organized set of files that can be checked into any Source Control system and or used for Disaster Recovery purposes. Objects exported include: SQL Agent Jobs/Alerts/Schedules, NT Service Credentials, SSIS-MSDB, SSIS-Catalog, SSAS Cubes, SSRS Reports, Logins, Server Configs, Linked Servers, DB Mail Operators/Accounts, Server Triggers and much more
Speaker(s): George Walkey,
Abstract:
You keep hearing about the machine learning and R recently. R become a language for data analysis and machine learning that makes the need for learning it more clearly. Moreover, Microsoft introduces R server as a comprehensive platform for using machine learning and R functionality inside the data analysis tools such as SQL Server 2016 and Power BI. Azure ML: The main functionality of Azure ML and how to set it up. Different components in Azure environments Such as Data import and Export into Azure studio in “Dataset” component using “Import Data”, “Export Data”, “Enter Data Manually”. Using “Reader” component to fetch data from cloud services Data format conversion such as “Convert to CSV”, “Convert to Dataset” Manipulation: Add columns and rows, Apply SQL Transformation, Clean Missing Data, Join Data, Remove Duplicate Row, Select Column in Dataset. Split and Sample: Partition and Sample and Split Data. Scale and reduce: Group Data in Bins and Normalize Data.
Speaker(s): Leila Etaati,
Abstract:
This full-day session will focus on principles for designing and implementing a data lake. There will be a mix of concepts, lessons learned, and technical implementation details. During the session we will build a data lake from the ground up, populate it, organize it, secure it, integrate it with a data warehouse via logical constructs, and query the data. You will leave this session with an understanding of the benefits and challenges of a multi-platform analytics/DW/BI environment, as well as recommendations for how to get started. Target audience: Technologists who are considering using a data lake. No data lake experience is required. However, familiarity with SQL Server and data warehousing is suggested, as the scenarios discussed will primarily focus on extending functionality and improving agility for an existing data warehouse. You will learn in this session: Scenarios and use cases for expanding an analytics/DW/BI environment into a multi-platform environment
Speaker(s): Melissa Coates,
Abstract:
Data vault is a compelling architecture for an enterprise data warehouse using SQL Server. We will review the basics about enterprise data warehouse design, introduce you to the data vault architecture and discuss how you can leverage BI features of SQL Server to help make your data warehouse solution provide maximum value to your users. We will walk through example data models to help highlight why data vault architecture facilitates traceability, auditability and scalability. Additionally we will cover implementation advantages which can facilitate agile development, strategies to load massive amounts of data in parallel, how to transition the data warehouse to a system of record, how to easily automate loading using BIML because of strictly naming rules and conventions, and finally how to support the Master Data Management needs of the organization.
Speaker(s): Jeff Renz,
Abstract:
Azure ML is the Microsoft cloud based Machine Learning tool. It provides variety of algorithms for doing descriptive, Predictive and Prescriptive analysis. Moreover, it supports the variety of Data science the techniques for data wrangling, feature selection, cross validation and so forth for enhancing the accuracy. In this session, I will first talk about how to measure the accuracy of the predictive or descriptive analysis in azure Ml. then I will show how to do feature selection in Azure ML to find proper attributes. Finally, I will demo how to do data sampling and Cross validation using existing components in Azure ML which will help us to enhance the machine learning accuracy.
Speaker(s): Leila Etaati,
Abstract:
15 Mins : Introduction To R Data Structures 5 Mins : R Markdown 10 Mins : Functional Programming - R Functions 15 Mins : RevoScaleR Package 15 MIns : Operationalized R All Section will be demonstrated using very simple examples. Data Modeling and Data Visualization will not be covered in this session. Familiarity with RTVS ( R Tools for Visual Studio) or R Studio will be helpful Download R Studio : - https://www.rstudio.com/ Download Open R : - https://mran.revolutionanalytics.com/
Speaker(s): Kiran Math,
Abstract:
Power Query is the transformation engine in Power BI. This is the engine that you do all data preparation before loading data into the model. This is the keystone of your Power BI solution. In this session, you will learn what things Power Query can do. M is the language behind the scene of Power Query, you will learn how M can be more beneficial than the Power Query Graphical interface. You will see demos of transformations that you can do with M Code. You will learn about Functions, Parameters, Generators and many other amazing features of this tool. This session is full of live demos. Prepare to be amazed by what Power Query can do with heaps of demos in this session.
Speaker(s): Reza Rad,
Abstract:
Security audits such as PCI, STIG, or HIPAA, are important and can be complicated. Depending on the requirements it may take considerable time to gather the information you will need. In this session, you will get scripts that I use for compliance audits that help to collect the information required for many different audits quickly. Even when you have multiple SQL Servers, you can quickly and easily identify where to focus your efforts to ensure you pass security audits. Through demonstration and discussion of what and why certain items get reviewed you will leave with a better understanding of how to be compliant within you SQL Server environment.
Speaker(s): Chris Bell,
Abstract:
SQL Server 2016 SP1 makes data compression available in all editions. Data compression can reduce storage costs, and provide a performance boost—and now compression is available without the added cost of Enterprise Edition. Whether you are a developer or a DBA, it's important to know how to use compression to save money and improve speed. Come learn about how data compression actually works, the differences between ROW and PAGE compression, and learn how to pick the best compression level for your data. This session will cover the details of the compression algorithms, and the costs and benefits associated with each type of compression. By the end of this session, you'll have a better idea of how the different compression algorithms work, when compression is the right solution, as well as what type of compression to use.
Speaker(s): Andy Mallon,
Abstract:
Data Visualization is the front end of every BI system, and getting it right is one of the most important tasks in a BI application. Good visualization will affect tremendously on decision making process, bad visualization leads to wrong decisions. In this session, you will learn how to choose the right chart of visual with examples of Line chart, bar/column charts, and some other main charts in Power BI. You will also learn some tips and tricks to control interactivity of visuals in Power BI. You will learn about specific features in Power BI that helps empowering your visualizations. Session is full of demos, and through that you will learn tips and tricks for choosing best colors and best visuals for your solution.
Speaker(s): Reza Rad,
Abstract:
This session will take a look at the new Query Store feature in SQL Server 2016. Query Store tracks changes in execution plans, allowing you to easily view performance differences and revert to older plans with a few clicks of the mouse. We will take a hands on look at how to use Query Store to troubleshoot problems new features in 2017.
Speaker(s): Tracy Boggiano,
Abstract:
Getting started with basics of Azure environment, such as Accounts, VNET, Storage and creating VMS. Once we fly by reviewing several building blocks, we then build Active Directory VM, SQL Server VM and App Server Tier VM using Azure portal and PowerShell.
Speaker(s): Michael Wharton,
Abstract:
Description of Session: Master Data Services (MDS) helps organizations standardize and streamline the business data customers use across their organization to make critical business decisions. MDS is a Master Data Management (MDM) application built from platform components which may be deployed as an application or extended by use of the platform components to consistently define and manage the critical data entities of an organization. This session will cover an overview of MDS services installation, configuration and how customers can manage critical data assets by enforcing data quality rules, defining workflows around data changes, managing hierarchies etc.
Speaker(s): Prabhaker Potharaju,
Abstract:
Middle school aged girls often lose interest in STEM topics. Come learn how you can help usher in the next generation of technology gurus. TechGirlz is a grassroots effort to enable busy technology professionals give back to their local communities in a major way, putting the power of technology in the minds of young girls to help keep the spark of interest in the tech fields for future job markets.
Speaker(s): Lindsay Clark,
Abstract:
There's a ton of buzz around Data Science and Machine Learning. What is it? What can we do with it? Do I have to learn a new language or tool? We will walk through an example of how to use Azure Machine Learning to predict income based on demographic data. You'll see why Azure Machine Learning is the future of data science.
Speaker(s): Brad Llewellyn,
Abstract:
If you do not have enough space in your hard disk and do not want buy more space, one way to get more space is compress the tables and also do some house keeping. I will use T-SQL script to generate script to compress each tables and release the free space by shrinking the datafiles. And in the final I will defragment the indexes and update the statistics, since shrink datafile is not fragmentation aware task.
Speaker(s): Thomas Chan,
Abstract:
Automating extract packages is trivial, you simply use INFORMATION_SCHEMA. The problem is not all your data sources have easy to read metadata like SQL Server. How do you create usable metadata from these sources? In this hour, I’ll show you how easy it is to make an educated guess on the schema of flat files and other “semi-structured” data sources. With that schema, automatically generating your extract package is a matter of seconds! Join me while I share my interrogator project with you and start saving hours at work today!
Speaker(s): Shannon Lowder,
Abstract:
You get a ticket or email indicating there is a problem with the database and are asked to review. How do you know there is a problem? Baselines. Without a set known measurements to compare against it will be impossible to know whether your change is helping. This session reviews the process for collecting information about your SQL Server so you can compare current processes with historical processes. Once you understand the current behavior of the database, you can measure the impact of any change. This session will review ways to set up the collection of performance information and make it available for review later.
Speaker(s): Carlos L Chacon,
Abstract:
This session will rely on Audience Participation as we play games like Charades with SQL / BI/ Azure related terms.
Speaker(s): Rick Heiges,
Abstract:
Sponsor Session
Speaker(s): Kevin Kline,
Abstract:
Unit testing allows database code to be consistently tested during the development process, but it can be challenging to get unit testing setup for database development. This session will give an overview on the purpose of unit testing, the installation of the tSQLt framework, and the design of unit tests. I will use general concepts of test driven design to create and run unit tests to confirm that objects exist and to test single and multiple test cases. Learn how to implement unit testing in a development environment and create and run your own units tests.
Speaker(s): Elizabeth Noble,
Abstract:
What are your first steps when you hear one of your SQL Servers is having a performance problem? In this demo-driven session, we will discuss key DMVs that can provide us data quickly. We will examine a number of example queries that can lead us to a quick root cause analysis in a number of different situations. This session will be kept at a very functional level, and should be accessible for anyone interested in SQL Server performance.
Speaker(s): Jared Poché,
Abstract:
Join us for a discussion of strategies and architecture options for implementing a modern data warehousing environment. We will explore advantages of augmenting an existing data warehouse investment with a data lake, and ideas for organizing the data lake for optimal data retrieval. We will also look at situations when federated queries are appropriate for employing data virtualization, and how federated queries work with SQL Server, Azure SQL DB, Azure SQL DW, Azure Data Lake, and/or Azure Blob Storage.
Speaker(s): Melissa Coates,
Abstract:
With the proliferation of SQL, NoSQL and Big Data databases, organizations can now target specific fit-for-purpose database platforms that align with their particular application requirements regarding scalability, elasticity, functionality and manageability. Platform as a Service offerings make this even easier now, enabling developers to roll out their own database infrastructure in minutes with minimal management overhead. However, this same amount of flexibility also comes with the challenges of picking the right tool, on the right provider and with the proper expectations.
Speaker(s): Richard Weiss,
Abstract:
The Azure Resource Model (ARM) enables Azure infrastructure automation for both IaaS and PaaS deployments. Using Visual Studio as a management tool enables repeatable, automated, source controlled deployments for test and development environments, enabling true DevOps practices for all aspects of pre-production systems. In this session, I will demonstrate, explain, and deploy a IaaS/PaaS hybrid environment (SQL and BI stack elements) using ARM templates, Visual Studio, source control integration, and PowerShell scripts.
Speaker(s): Geoff Hiten,
Abstract:
Learn all you wanted to know about index design, but were afraid to ask. This session focuses on physical index structures as well as how the server chooses indexes. Note: Join optimization is a separate session
Speaker(s): Jeffrey Garbus,
Abstract:
Sponsor Session
Speaker(s): Vincent Staropoli,
Abstract:
While SQL Server on Linux is getting the major marketing push for 2017, there are plenty of other new features which will also be included in SQL Server 2017. This session will provide an overview and some demos on new features in SQL Server BI tools. This will include changes to SSAS, SSIS, SSRS (Power BI Report Server), and Machine Learning Services (formerly R Services).
Speaker(s): David Mellinger,
Abstract:
Ever wonder why SSIS runs so slow? Watch SSIS author Andy Leonard as he runs test loads using sample and real-world data and shows you how to tune SQL Server 2016 Integration Services (SSIS 2016) packages. We'll start by experimenting with SSIS design patterns to improve performance loading AdventureWorks data. We will implement different change detection patterns and compare execution performance for each. Then, we'll explain a Data Flow Task's bottleneck when loading binary large objects - or Blobs. Finally, we'll demonstrate a design pattern that uses a Script Component in a Data Flow to boost load performance to MySql, whether on-premises or in the cloud.
Speaker(s): Andy Leonard,
Abstract:
Do you have large tables you can’t delete old data from or perform maintenance on? Then this may be for you! Table Partitioning 101 will make an introduction to table partitioning through the GUI and a code based approach. The session will be a discussion about how to make it work and will include: creating partitioned tables, partition schemes, left vs. right facing partition functions and how to do a basic switch operation. A small deep dive about how to find out which partition your data is in and what exactly does it mean for an index to be “aligned” will also be discussed.
Speaker(s): Robert Smith,
Abstract:
DAX is the new formula language (builds upon Excel's) supporting PowerPivot and Analysis Services Tabular mode. If you know Excel, you already know the basics of DAX (without even knowing it). PowerBI also uses DAX for all the formula expressions. We'll cover the basics of DAX, and go over some time intelligence functions.
Speaker(s): Azhagappan Arunachalam,
Abstract:
One of the most frequent questions around Microsoft visualizations and reporting platforms is whether to choose Power BI or SSRS 2016. We will provide brief overviews of each, the pros and cons of each, the pricing models, and ultimately how they can even work together to satisfy your business goals.
Speaker(s): Sean Werick,
Abstract:
This presentation describes the tasks a DBA needs to perform to do a great job. Formal training classes and certifications only take you so far; this session talks from experience about everything from preventive maintenance to planning to scaling to communication. Great for beginner to intermediate DBAs, as well as Developers who think this is a direction in which they might want to move.
Speaker(s): Jeffrey Garbus,
Abstract:
Power BI is constantly evolving; this session is an overview of the current elements of Power BI and ways to implement them, based on our experience in the field using it. Topics include the Power BI Service, Power BI Desktop, Power BI Embedded, Pricing models and some details of Power BI Premium. Sample data set used in this presentation is from @DogRates
Speaker(s): Julie Smith,
Abstract:
Sponsor Session from Vexata
Speaker(s): Matt Henderson,
Abstract:
Sponsor Session
Speaker(s): Ben Page,
Abstract:
From the basics to the advanced, we will explore techniques that will ensure you leave a positive impression and help you land that role!
Speaker(s): Leveat Ruse,
Abstract:
Database corruption could happen to you. When it happens to you, do you know what to do? Will you realize quick enough that you have corruption? The presentation begins by talking about how to detect the corruption and the different strategies for handling unique corruption issues. Highlight of topics 1. Why corruption occurs? 2. Detecting corruption – how SQL Servers detects corruption at the page level. 3. Different types of corruption- e.g. False alarms, memory corruption etc. 4. Limitation of DBCC how to speed the DBCC process. 5. Undocumented DBCC commands. 6. Monitoring I/O errors. 7. Verifying backup for corruption.
Speaker(s): Stephen Muliokela,
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/pub/lindsay-clark/58/5b/29
Lindsay started out in network administration with a BA in Computer Science from South University prior to finding her true love in database administration. Whether it#39;s mentoring in the office or presenting sessions at SQL Saturday, Lindsay loves to find new ways to collaborate and share information. In addition to her role as DBA at American Credit Acceptance, she actively recruits speakers for her user group and chairs her local SQL Saturday event.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sqlatspeed
Contact: http://www.sqlatspeed.com
Matt is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and has worked with SQL Server since 2000. He is the leader of the Lexington, KY PASS local group and a frequent domestic and international community speaker. He's an IDERA ACE alumnus and 2020 Friend of Redgate. His original data professional role was as a database developer, which quickly evolved into query tuning work that further evolved into being a full-fledged DBA in the healthcare realm. He has supported several critical systems utilizing SQL Server and managed dozens of 24/7/365 SQL Server implementations. He currently utilizes that real world experience as a data platform consultant helping clients design solutions that meet their ever-changing business needs.
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.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leveatruse
As an Executive Technical Recruiter with Ctrl+f, I currently develop effective recruitment strategies to attract top talent at all levels of an organization. I am an IBM certified trainer and began my career performing general human resources duties. I quickly worked my way up through the ranks of technical recruiting from Lead Recruiter to Senior Recruiter to Business Development.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jared-poche-51102797
Contact: https://sqljared.com
Jared Poche began working with SQL Server as an instructor for certification classes and has a passion for teaching and performance troubleshooting. Jared spent 10 years providing customer support at Microsoft, most recently as a Sr. Support Escalation Engineer. He is currently working as a Database Engineer for ChannelAdvisor and is blogging about his current experiences at sqljared.com
Kiran Math is a Software Engineer on the Construction Predictive Analytical team at Fluor, where he specializes in T-SQL, R, Python, C# etc. A resident of Greenville, South Carolina, he can be found cycling and hiking the trails around Greenville. He is active in his local SQL PASS chapter in Greenville, speaking and volunteering at SQL Saturdays.
LinkedIn: http://nz.linkedin.com/in/rezarad/
Contact: http://radacad.com/blog
Reza Rad is a Microsoft Regional Director, MVP, author, trainer, speaker and consultant. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for nine years from 2011. Reza wrote many books on Power BI subjects including the Power BI from Rookie to Rock Star, and Pro Power BI Architecture. Reza is the invited speaker at the world's well-known conferences such as Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft Business Applications Summit, Ignite Tour, PASS Summit, and many other conferences. Reza is an active blogger and writes regularly about Power BI at https://radacad.com.
LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/pub/leila-etaati/36/46/b03
Contact: http://blog.radacad.com
Leila Etaati is the First Microsoft AI MVP in New Zealand and Australia, as well as a Data Platform MVP. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Auckland and is the co-director and data scientist in RADACAD company with many clients around the world. Additionally, she is the co-organizer of Microsoft Business Intelligence and Power BI Use group in Auckland with more than 1300 members. Leila has also co-organized 3 main conferences in Auckland: SQL Saturday Auckland (from 2015), Difinity (from 2017) and Global AI Bootcamp. She is a data scientist, BI consultant, trainer, and speaker. She is a well-known International speaker to many conferences such as MS Ignite, SQL PASS, Data Platform Summit, SQL Saturday, Power BI World Tour and in Europe, USA, Asia, Australia, and NZ. She has over 10 years’ experience with databases and software systems. Leila is an active Technical Microsoft AI blogger in RADACAD.
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.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/armordba
Contact: https://armordba.com/
Tom Norman is a Database Architect at KPA with a strong fervor to protect data. He works daily to review and improve data protection methodologies while reviewing governing laws affecting finance, healthcare, and personal data. His areas of expertise include encryption, auditing, data identification, and database object deployment. He is the current leader of the PASS Virtualization Group and Vice President of the TRIPASS user group. You can read his blog at https://armordba.com/ and reach him on twitter at @armordba. Tom speaks at a number of SQLSaturday events and SQL Server user groups.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carloslchacon
Contact: http://sqldatapartners.com/blog
Carlos Chacon is the managing partner of SQL Data Partners LLC and co-host of the popular SQL Data Partners Podcast. While getting his start as a typical accidental DBA, Carlos has sat on Microsoft exam review panels, served as regional mentor and chapter leader. He enjoys traveling and has been to four continents, speaks Spanish and can eat his weight in raspberries (not yet proven). He and his family live in Richmond, Virginia.
Az Arunachalam has been working with SQL server since v4.21/SQLNT. He started his career with troubleshooting at chip level, worked as a network engineer managing Novell NetWare networks, graduated into managing Windows NT, moved onto development, administered databases, and is currently working as a database architect. He#39;s excited about all the cloud offerings that Microsoft and others have made possible, and in sharing his findings with aspiring data enthusiasts.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/amtwo
Contact: http://www.AM2.co
Andy is a Data Platform MVP and SQL Server DBA that has managed databases in the healthcare, finance, e-commerce, and non-profit sectors. He has been supporting high-volume, highly-available OLTP environments with demanding performance needs since 2003. Andy is the founder of the BostonSQL User Group, and previous co-organizer of SQL Saturday events in Boston. He blogs at am2.co. Andy lives just outside Boston, Massachusetts, USA with his husband and their two dogs.
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://linkedin.com/in/skingaby
Contact: http://omwtm.blog
Simon Kingaby has been moving data for 20 plus years. In the last few years, he’s been moving data from DB2, Oracle, Netezza and SQL Server to Azure SQL and Azure Data Warehouse, using Azure Data Factory, SSIS and SQL. At BMI, he developed a Rules Engine Sync application that uses DB2 QRep messaging and Azure ESB to move DB2 transactions to the cloud in near-real-time. Now at Deloitte on the Big Data team, he is developing ETL processes to move API, SaaS and SQL data into reporting databases on-premise and in the cloud. He is also creating SSRS and Power BI dashboards for the CIO and related Services.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/melissacoatesprofile
Contact: https://www.CoatesDataStrategies/blog
Melissa Coates is a data architect with a background in data warehousing and business intelligence. Her current professional focus is enterprise-level Power BI governance, deployment, security, and administration. As the owner of Coates Data Strategies, Melissa produces training and consults to help companies strengthen and sustain their data-driven initiatives. Melissa is big supporter of the technical community, and has been a Microsoft Data Platform MVP since 2013. You can visit Melissa's website at CoatesDataStrategies.com, which includes community resources like diagrams, blogs, and videos.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sqlha
Contact: http://sqlha.com/blog
Max Myrick is a SQL Server consultant whose experience includes 15 years at Microsoft with 5 years on the SQL Server development team where he ran the SQL Customer Lab and then the Sustained Engineering team. He was an founding member of Microsoft#39;s Mission Critical team where he worked with the largest SQL Server applications worldwide for almost a decade. Max was a regular speaker for Microsoft and has continued to speak at various PASS and other SQL Conferences since becoming a managing partner of SQLHA LLC.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/robert-smith/30/b26/74a
I#39;m a happy, go-lucky type of guy who#39;s addicted to learning why and how things work, perpetually seeking answers to life#39;s questions and searching for meaning in the journey.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com\in\sqlbobt
Contact: http://aka.ms\sqlbobt
In his 45-year IT career, boB Taylor has pretty much done it all – Fortran 66 on Hollerith Cards, assembly language programming on drum-based computers, and LOB application development. He served as a VP of Software Development and was Director of Database Technologies for Avanade West Region. Then he joined Microsoft’s Partner Advantage practice, advising ISVs on effectively using SQL Server. After becoming a Microsoft Certified Architect, boB moved to PFE and is now with the Oracle Compete Team. Besides passing 40+ certification exams on the first attempt, boB helped develop both SQL Server 2000 certification exams, SQL Server 2005 developer exams, and all MCSD.NET exams. Ask him about the spelling of his name!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henderson1134/
A 20 year veteran of designing database architectures for high performance, business critical transactional and analytics systems, Matt has worked as an independent consultant, managed data centers for large corporations and most recently has been a solutions consultant and evangelizing force for startups in Silicon Valley including speaking engagements on 5 continents. Today Matt works for Vexata, an Intel-backed leader in all-flash storage who is transforming what is possible.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmellinger/
David started working with SQL Server as an application developer in 2003. He switched to focusing on the database over 10 years ago. He has created and worked with ERP, e-commerce, middleware, geo-spatial, and of course analytic (ODS, DW) databases. David is a Practice Lead for Allegient’s Data Platform Analytics practice. He loves working with businesses to get them setup to use technology for success. Diving into complex challenges or “can you\how can you do this” scenarios is fun for David. He is passionate about mentoring and sharing experiences to help others (and himself!) grow.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/AndyLeonard
Contact: https://andyleonard.blog
Andy Leonard is founder and Chief Data Engineer at Enterprise Data Analytics, Microsoft Data Platform MVP, creator of the DILM (Data Integration Lifecycle Management) Suite, an SSIS trainer, consultant, developer, Business Intelligence Markup Language (Biml) developer and BimlHero, SQL Server database and data warehouse developer, community mentor, engineer, and farmer. He is a co-author of "The Biml Book and SQL Server Integration Services Design Patterns" and author of "Managing Geeks - A Journey of Leading by Doing", "Data Integration Lifecycle Management with SSIS", "Building Custom Tasks for SSIS", and the "Stairway to Integration Services". Andy blogs at andyleonard.blog where you can learn more on the About Andy page.
Ben is a consultant who is passionate about BI and Data Analytics solutions. He enjoys working with clients to understand business needs, provide advanced solutions, and identify new opportunities for continued client success.
Prabhaker Potharaju is a Senior Consultant at Microsoft and has been with Microsoft for almost 19+ years with experience in Business Intelligence, Database Development and Administration, and Application Development using Microsoft technologies. He has extensive understanding of SQL Server internal architecture, performance tuning, as well as data implementation and maintenance of high availability, disaster recovery, and high performance OLTP and OLAP systems. Also has experience on Public and Private cloud platforms, Hybrid IT and delivering SQL Azure offerings.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmlakar/
Contact: http://www.mlakartechtalk.com/
Jeff Mlakar is a database professional specializing in Microsoft SQL Server. He has worked the past 15 years as a database developer and administrator (admini-loper or develo-strator…take your pick), analyst, and with Business Intelligence. A technology enthusiast – he is interested in data security and privacy topics. Jeff lives in the Raleigh-Durham area of NC.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vincentstaropoli/
Vincent Staropoli is the Data Practice Manager for Cardinal Solutions in Charlotte, NC. Focused on enabling business to make better decisions, he holds several Microsoft Certified Solution Expert designations for the Data Platform and Business Intelligence. He is active in the technical community and is passionate about all things data.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/chiu-yuen-chan/b/a67/b07
I work with SQL Server since 2001 with version 7.
Brian Carrig is a Microsoft Certified Master of SQL Server and is currently a Senior Program Manager on the SQL Server Tiger Team at Microsoft focusing primarily on persistent memory technology and replication. In a previous life, Brian spent some time as an academic and holds a PhD in Computer Science. He is a native of Dublin, Ireland but now lives with his wife and two daughters in Redmond, Washington. If he is not talking about, thinking about or working with technology you will usually find him watching Chelsea FC.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/stephen-muliokela/32/a45/830
I have been a DBA for many years now and currently hold multiple SQL Server certificates. In addition, I am also a Six Sigma Blackbelt.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyboggiano
Contact: http://databasesuperhero.com
Tracy Boggiano is a Senior Database Administrator for DocuSIgn. She has spent over 20 years in IT, using SQL Server since 1999, and is currently certified as an MCSE Data Platform. Tracy has worked on SQL Server since 6.5. She has spoken at local user groups and numerous SQLSaturdays. She is currently a co-leader of a TriPASS Local Group in Raleigh, NC. Tracy also tinkered with databases in middle school to keep her sports card collection organized. She blogs at databasesuperhero.com. Her passion outside of SQL Server is volunteering with foster children as their advocate in court through volunteerforgal.org and being a mental health advocate as part of the PAIMI NC Advisory Council.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelwhartoncomputer
Contact: http://MyProjectExpert.com
Michael Wharton is a Project MVP. He has been an independent consultant for the past 20 years, with over 30 Project/SharePoint Server deployments. He has an MBA from Wake Forest and has over 44 Microsoft Certifications. Michael's primary job is helping companies setup a PMO, Project Management Office using Project Server using SQL server on a SharePoint Farm. He has worked extensively with the back end support setting up SQL server, SharePoint Server and Project Server using PowerShell.
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://linkedin.com/in/slowder
Contact: http://shannonlowder.com
For over 15 years Shannon Lowder has been spotting patterns and learning ways to work smarter instead of harder. He started with development and moved into database administration. Using TSQL, Database Jobs and PowerShell, he automated himself out of contracts quickly. As Business Intelligence became a greater demand, he moved into SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS development. Early on, he tried using PowerShell and .Net to automate BI Development. Later those efforts turned to Biml. After founding a startup six years ago, he finds himself a data platform consultant, designing and guiding other professionals to build highly automated enterprise solutions. Today, he is a Biml Hero candidate and is awaiting the final approval for the award.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellynpotvin
Contact: http://dbakevlar.com
Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman is a member of the Oak Table Network and an Idera ACE and Oracle ACE Director alumnus. She is a Data Platform Architect in Power BI with AI in the EdTech group at Microsoft. Kellyn is known for her extensive work with multi-database platforms, DevOps, cloud migrations, virtualization, visualizations, scripting, environment optimization tuning, automation, and architecture design. Kellyn has spoken at numerous technical conferences for Oracle, Big Data, DevOps, testing, and SQL Server. Her blog (http://dbakevlar.com) and social media activity under her handle, DBAKevlar, is well respected for her insight and content.
LinkedIn: http://nz.linkedin.com/in/rezarad/
Contact: http://radacad.com/blog
Reza Rad is a Microsoft Regional Director, MVP, author, trainer, speaker and consultant. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for nine years from 2011. Reza wrote many books on Power BI subjects including the Power BI from Rookie to Rock Star, and Pro Power BI Architecture. Reza is the invited speaker at the world's well-known conferences such as Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft Business Applications Summit, Ignite Tour, PASS Summit, and many other conferences. Reza is an active blogger and writes regularly about Power BI at https://radacad.com.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-a-noble
Elizabeth Noble is a Director of Database Development in the metro Atlanta area. When she was introduced to her first database over 10 years ago, it was love at first sight. Her passion is to help others improve the quality and speed of deploying database changes through automation. When she is not trying to automate all of the things, she can be found spending time with her dogs, playing disc golf, or taking a walk at the gym.
Contact: http://insyncva.com
SQL Server DBA, Developer, IT Manager, Business Owner from the Richmond, VA USA Area Interested in pushing the limits of both hardware software and my own brain
LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/pub/leila-etaati/36/46/b03
Contact: http://blog.radacad.com
Leila Etaati is the First Microsoft AI MVP in New Zealand and Australia, as well as a Data Platform MVP. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Auckland and is the co-director and data scientist in RADACAD company with many clients around the world. Additionally, she is the co-organizer of Microsoft Business Intelligence and Power BI Use group in Auckland with more than 1300 members. Leila has also co-organized 3 main conferences in Auckland: SQL Saturday Auckland (from 2015), Difinity (from 2017) and Global AI Bootcamp. She is a data scientist, BI consultant, trainer, and speaker. She is a well-known International speaker to many conferences such as MS Ignite, SQL PASS, Data Platform Summit, SQL Saturday, Power BI World Tour and in Europe, USA, Asia, Australia, and NZ. She has over 10 years’ experience with databases and software systems. Leila is an active Technical Microsoft AI blogger in RADACAD.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=176471amp;trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Contact: http://mssqlperformance.blogspot.com/
Jeff has been consulting on and performing technical training for MS SQL Server since 1989, Version 4, on OS/2. Since then, he has worked extensively with each release of the product, specializing in performance and tuning, from concept through legacy system, on systems of all sizes, from small start-up company applications to multi-terabyte data warehouses. In addition to hands-on consulting, he speaks at SQL Saturdays several times/year, has a youtube channel with free training, and has written 20 books on database management systems. His latest book is "Transact SQL the Definitive Guide."
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=176471amp;trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Contact: http://mssqlperformance.blogspot.com/
Jeff has been consulting on and performing technical training for MS SQL Server since 1989, Version 4, on OS/2. Since then, he has worked extensively with each release of the product, specializing in performance and tuning, from concept through legacy system, on systems of all sizes, from small start-up company applications to multi-terabyte data warehouses. In addition to hands-on consulting, he speaks at SQL Saturdays several times/year, has a youtube channel with free training, and has written 20 books on database management systems. His latest book is "Transact SQL the Definitive Guide."
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffhiten
Geoff Hiten is a Technical Solutions Professional at Microsoft. Geoff began working with SQL Server in 1992 with version 4.2 and has used every version since. He specializes in highly available SQL systems, performance tuning, and systems migration. Geoff is heavily involved in the Microsoft SQL Server Community and was initially awarded MVP status in 2004. Geoff was appointed in 2011 to fill an interim Director position at the National PASS organization.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/richardaweiss
Contact: http://www.Pythian.com
Richard Weiss is a Principal Consultant and Solution Architect at Pythian specializing in Cloud, SQL Server, and Wintel technologies. Over the past 20 years, he has held senior technology roles at First Data, Western Union, and AAA. Additionally, Richard serves on the Data and IOT standards committee for the National Retail Foundation
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-bell/19/a08/93/
Contact: https://www.wateroxconsulting.com/
Chris Bell offers a unique view of how we live and work with data, both now and as we head into the future. Having braved many roles, lifecycles, and battles in the IT world, he has honed his DBA (Database Administration or Do 'Bout Anything) skills in Information Systems and development, focusing on SQL Server. Currently, he serves as the lead DBA at The Motley Fool. You can keep up with Chris' thoughts and technical community activities at WaterOxConsulting.com.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jeff-renz/29/82a/aa4
Contact: http://www.revgen.com
Jeff Renz is a Senior Architect at RevGen Partners, currently working as the design architect and implementation lead on several projects for a Fortune Top 50 company. Jeff has worked with SQL Server and BI for 15+ years and has 10 years’ experience with data warehouse design and implementation. In addition to consulting, he is joining the University of Denver adjunct faculty and is expected to begin teaching in the ICT program starting in June. He received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, his master’s degree in Operations Research from Colorado School of Mines, and will be graduating from the Harvard Business Analytics Program in December.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-feasel/7/716/504
Contact: http://www.catallaxyservices.com
Kevin Feasel is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and CTO at Envizage, where he specializes in data analytics with T-SQL and R, forcing Spark clusters to do his bidding, fighting with Kafka, and pulling rabbits out of hats on demand. He is the lead contributor to Curated SQL (https://curatedsql.com), president of the Triangle Area SQL Server Users Group (https://www.meetup.com/tripass), and author of PolyBase Revealed (https://www.apress.com/us/book/9781484254608). A resident of Durham, North Carolina, he can be found cycling the trails along the triangle whenever the weather's nice enough.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/juliesmith0503/
Contact: http://datachix.com
Julie Smith is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and a BI consultant for Innovative Architects in Atlanta, GA. She#39;s implemented increasingly complex Business Intelligence solutions for over a decade at various organizations. She#39;s also worn many other database “hats” in her career – production DBA and database developer--but data integration and BI are her true passions. Julie holds a BA from the University of South Carolina. She and Audrey Hammonds co-created The Datachix.com blog.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anders-pedersen-993676
Contact: http://blog.AndersOnSQL.com
20+ years of experience with SQL Server, from version 6.0 to 2017. Funnily enough, the only certification I have is on SQL 2012, the one version I have never used. Mostly worked at medium sized companies, by choice. Was a consultant for 6+ years, working on anything from facility security systems, background checks, retail PoS systems, to major financial systems. Passion for performance, and teaching people easy ways to better SQL performance.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/melissacoatesprofile
Contact: https://www.CoatesDataStrategies/blog
Melissa Coates is a data architect with a background in data warehousing and business intelligence. Her current professional focus is enterprise-level Power BI governance, deployment, security, and administration. As the owner of Coates Data Strategies, Melissa produces training and consults to help companies strengthen and sustain their data-driven initiatives. Melissa is big supporter of the technical community, and has been a Microsoft Data Platform MVP since 2013. You can visit Melissa's website at CoatesDataStrategies.com, which includes community resources like diagrams, blogs, and videos.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rick-heiges/1/b93/777/
Contact: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/rick_heiges/default.aspx
Rick is a Former Data Platfrom MVP and Sr. Consultant for Microsoft where he focuses on working with customers on their data estate. His career includes work as a DBA, University full-time faculty member, Systems Analyst, Project Leader, and Developer. He has found his passion in working with data and the community. Rick served nine years on the PASS Board of Directors and spearheaded the popular 24 Hours of PASS event. He also started his local User Group in 2002. Today, he spends much of his time with his head in the clouds.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradllewellyn/
Contact: http://breaking-bi.blogspot.com/
Brad Llewellyn is a Service Engineer on Microsoft's FastTrack for Azure Team in Charlotte, NC. Brad helps individuals and organizations leverage Analytics and Azure to revolutionize themselves and their industries. He has an M.S. in Statistics from the University of South Carolina, MCSE Certification in Data Management and Analytics, MCSE Certification in Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, and various MCSA Certifications in Business Intelligence and Advanced Analytics. Brad is an active blogger at breaking-bi.blogspot.com. He is also an organizer for the Charlotte BI Group, a local PASS chapter in Charlotte, NC. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradllewellyn and on Twitter @BreakingBI.
The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event.