Event Location:
Camosun College, Lansdowne Campus – Young Building
3100 Foul Bay Rd
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Abstract:
Your database is running fine month after month with no problems. Suddenly someone reports that their query won’t run. They get an error stating “SQL Server detected a logical consistency-based I/O error“, or something even scarier. Do you know what to do now? We will walk through 3 corrupt databases exploring ways to go about finding and fixing the corruption. More importantly we will explore how to prevent further data loss at the time corruption occurs. Learn what things you can do to protect yourself when corruption strikes. Learn how to avoid making things worse, and how to protect your data if things do get worse. You will leave with a checklist of steps to use when you encounter corruption. By the end of this session you will be ready to take on corruption, one database at a time.
Speaker(s): Steve Stedman,
Abstract:
In the times of data explosion, a dazzling array of information streams and unbelievable possibilities of different techniques to manage data via the Microsoft Data Platform, this session asks the question: what about data curation? We dive into the requirements of modern curation and show in examples, what the Microsoft Data Platform has to offer: Can SQL Server Master Data Service (MDS), Data Quality Services (DQS) and Integration Service (SSIS) especially with the integration in ADF help? Which options offers the Azure Data Catalog and how does the Microsoft Dataflows come into play? We also look at the potential of the new integrated languages in the Data Platform like R or Python via Azure Databricks. At the end of this session you will have an overview and understanding of the possibilities, that Microsoft Data Platform offers you to address your data curation requirements.
Speaker(s): Oliver Engels,
Abstract:
Does your Enterprise data include from social media posts, product reviews and survey results with free form text ? Feel like you need a Data Scientist, equipped with Tools like R, text mining sentiment lexicon to unlock the value of that data ? Not anymore ! Thanks to our friends at Microsoft, a developer or analyst can leverage Azure Cognitive services and PowerBI to easily analyze text data and create effective visual dashboards. This session will walk through how to use text analytics APIs in Azure cognitive services, to analyze free form text responses to survey questions . We will learn how to parse key phrases, derive sentiment scores and how to effectively use Power BI visualizations like Word Cloud, Gauge, Histograms , etc to create a Dashboard for effectively analyzing this data. We will browse through performing similar analysis in R. Session Goals Understand how to use Azure Cognitive Services APIs for analyzing text data Learn how to load and prepare your
Speaker(s): Sanil Mhatre,
Abstract:
This fall Microsoft introduced Power BI dataflows, a powerful new feature for self-service data preparation powered by Azure Data Lake Storage gen2. Dataflows bring the familiar Power Query data prep experience to the Power BI service, and enable analysts and business users to define reusable data entities that can be shared and reused across workspaces and apps. In this session, Power BI program manager Matthew Roche will introduce this exciting new capability, including an end-to-end demonstration of the Power BI dataflows experience. If you haven’t yet started to explore dataflows – or if you want to build on what you already know – this is the session for you.
Speaker(s): Matthew Roche,
Abstract:
According to the Economist magazine, data is the world’s most valuable resource. So, it makes sense that Data Science, Azure Machine Learning, and Analytics are all becoming core pieces to the success of every business. As data professionals, we need to know how these core pieces will affect what we do, and how we can use the Azure AI suite to help our clients. Microsoft’s AI suite is the central hub for learning and implementing each of these core pieces. Using an easy to follow example, I will show the flow from problem to solution. Multiple demonstrations of the different pieces will show use cases of the AI suite. This overview of Azure AI will use the various pieces like a puzzle which, when brought together, will form a seamless picture of the whole so that participants can see that the individual pieces were meant to work together.
Speaker(s): Melody Zacharias,
Abstract:
Power BI reports are typically used for descriptive analysis: a historical look of what has happened. But what if your report could visualize what is likely to happen and recommend what you can do about it now? This session will cover how to shift from descriptive to predictive analysis and leverage the power of machine learning to enhance your business intelligence solutions. The basics and best practices of predictive modeling will be introduced, and these concepts will be applied to create three predictive models in R using three different techniques. We will then walk through the three different ways to integrate the predictive power of these models into a Power BI report.
Speaker(s): Joseph Yeates,
Abstract:
Now that SQL Server loves PowerShell and Microsoft loves open source, it is even easier to automate even your most time-consuming, repetitive, mundane or burdensome tasks. Using the DbaChecks PowerShell module released at the SQLBits 2018 conference we can: Track SQL Server instance configurations Promptly provide required information to managmement, change configuration or developers Deftly respond to audit change requirements across your entire estate (and impress your auditor with PowerShell;) Restore SQL Servers to their correct state prior and post deployment Test *everything* from configuration to permissions, SQL service account share access to sysadmins, Agent Jobs to SPNs This session will look at how to install and use this module . With multiple examples we will look at both running the checks and viewing the data in the supplied PowerBI reports. Pre-requisites Some basic knowledge of PowerShell and DBA
Speaker(s): Patrick Flynn,
Abstract:
DevOps automation can be intriguing to learn and overwhelming to implement. This session will take a real life use case of a multi-tier and complex environments, with various stake holders to a successful conclusion. The session will demonstrate the reasons to automate, along with the steps required to make it possible, offering insight into concepts that are often too vague to employ. The attendee will see multi-platform and cloud tool demonstrations on how to take the DevOps methodology and continuous delivery to actuality in their own projects, no matter if small or large.
Speaker(s): Kellyn Pot'Vin-Gorman,
Abstract:
Have you ever wanted to know how Transparent Database Encryption (TDE) works or how you set it up? What about encrypting your backups? This session will go over all the steps and caveats that go with this technology. TDE allows you to have your database encrypted on disk and the same Encryption Hierarchy allows you to back up your database and have it encrypt the contents in the backup file. We will discuss the Encryption Hierarchy which is used for encryption in SQL Server and take you through keeping your secrets safe. We will also go over how Always Encrypted works as well. Master the concepts of SQL Server Encryption when you are done with this session.
Speaker(s): Ben Miller,
Abstract:
Do you and your team feel overwhelmed by the amount of outstanding work? Are your clients constantly complaining because work is not being delivered? Do you think that despite throwing time and resources at every project very little seem to get done? Kanban may be for you. Kanban is a method of managing work with a focus on continuous delivery, this means that there is a steady stream of completed work going out the door and resulting in more efficient use of developer time but more importantly happier clients. You will be introduced to the concepts behind Kanban, finding that it is one of the most natural work methodologies to setup and scales well from one person teams through to large enterprises. While there are many tools, many of them free, you can still get going with nothing more than a few sticky notes and a whiteboard.
Speaker(s): Michael Johnson,
Abstract:
When Microsoft released SQL Server 2017 it allowed us to run SQL Server on Linux and native Linux containers. This radical change provides a wider and open platform that data professionals can choose how to deploy and run SQL Server. This session will demonstrate what on SQL Server for Linux is familiar for the data professional and will also highlight some of the differences. We will look at how containers are a game changer for deploying and managing of SQL Server. The session will also introduce how the Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a scalable and highly available platform for SQL Server within containers. DEMOs in this session will show how easy it is to install SQL Server on both Linux and containers and how Infrastructure as Code provides a mechanism to automate the installation of SQL Server, deploy databases and perform integration tests. This session will show you the exciting future of SQL Server and how you can learn about it today.
Speaker(s): Hamish Watson,
Abstract:
If you're interested in Hadoop but don't know where to begin, this session will give you an idea of what you can do with the open-source platform. We will see an overview of the Hadoop architecture, becoming familiar with the overall platform and its solutions for warehousing, ETL, streaming data ingest, in-memory processing, and more. We will compare Hadoop to SQL Server to help gain an understanding of when to deploy which technology.
Speaker(s): Kevin Feasel,
Abstract:
Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) are well used methods in modern software engineering approaches and can help reduce workload, risks and therefore costs significantly. But Business Intelligence projects and amongst those especially Analysis Services projects offer certain challenges to the appliance of those methods. Comprehensive support by software vendors is definitely not given. So if you want to integrate those methods into your application life-cycle management (ALM) you probably will need to build your own solution. We will shortly recap definition and advantages of CI and CD. After a short analysis of the special challenges for BI projects we will dive into possible approaches. And let's try to find out if cloud services can be of significant importance.
Speaker(s): Gabi Münster,
Abstract:
SQL Server is a high frequently used piece of software which need to serve single requests and/or hundreds of thousands of requests in a minute. Within these different kinds of workloads Microsoft SQL Server has to handle the concurrency of tasks in a fashion manner. This demo driven session shows different scenarios where Microsoft SQL Server has to wait and manage hundreds of tasks. See, analyze and solve different wait stats due to their performance impact: - CXPACKET: when a query goes parallel - ASYNC_IO_COMPLETION: speed up IO operations (Growth / Backup / Restore) - ASYNC_NETWORK_IO: What happens if your application refuses data? - THREADPOOL starvation: crush of requests for Microsoft SQL Server - PAGELATCH_xx: How does Microsoft SQL Server protects data?
Speaker(s): Uwe Ricken,
Abstract:
There are several ways to create a machine learning model. You can use R or Python or even other languages such as C#. Advanced coding skills are required no matter which language you choose. Once the solution is created, it’s often difficult to deploy. Microsoft addresses those problems with Azure Machine Learning, or Azure ML. Azure ML has built-in transforms for cleansing and munging data. It also contains a variety of configurable machine learning models that can be used without coding. Deploying the model is easy, and users can link to it directly with Excel or a custom application can be written. If you are experienced in machine learning but haven’t seen Azure ML or if you are curious about machine learning and data science, this session is for you.
Speaker(s): Kathi Kellenberger,
Abstract:
In todays hyper accelerated pace of business there is a massive demand for insights, intelligence and automation delivered at the speed of business. In this session I will demonstrate and explain how you can integrate Power BI, Power Apps, Flow, Azure Machine Learning and Dynamics 365 to rapidly build a functioning system which allows users to analyze, insert, automate and action customer data. I will show you how you can use the tools listed above to rapidly build a system that will allow sales reps to instantly analyze and segment customers based on their purchases in real-time, enabling them to better serve their customers.
Speaker(s): Anthony Bulk,
Abstract:
Ever heard the term, "work smarter, not harder". A mantra to live by in my book. Over the years, I have seen, forgotten, seen again and forgotten again all of the shortcuts, tips and tricks we all take for granted. SO like a good DBA, I started to document and share all of these commands and shortcuts to share. Come see and learn many of the everyday shortcuts in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) that will help make your life easier on a daily basis.
Speaker(s): Mitchell Bottel,
Abstract:
For data professionals, understanding why a data warehouse doesn't get adopted immediately and broadly in an organization can be difficult. Data in your warehouse is arguably of better quality and in a more usable form than what's in the systems you source your data from… so where does this reluctance come from, and how do you overcome it? Despite our broad expertise of data tools, the robotic consistency of the computational resources they leverage, and the immutable GIGO law - presenting a reasoned and thorough validation process often isn't enough. Trust isn't given instantly, it has to be earned - by involving SMEs, letting them make the rules, and proving daily consistency. Learn how to leverage your tooling expertise in SSIS and SQL to build a dead-simple framework to build faith in data. Leverage analyst and business user questions and angst into repeatable, consistent proof of correctness - that's part of the science of success for a data warehouse.
Speaker(s): Todd McDermid,
Abstract:
What is Governance? Information Access Policy Groups/Workspaces Sharing vs Publishing Licensing Policy – Who is important enough?? Visual Governance Reporting the reports Including the exciting How to enforce/enable the policy? Best Practices and Lessons (already) Learned… Will include the latest and greatest updates in PowerBI, as presented in PASS 2018 and the developments since in the Governance area.
Speaker(s): Yana Berkovich,
Abstract:
At Birds-of-a-Feather (BoF) sessions, attendees group together based on a shared interest and carry out discussions without any pre-planned agenda. This is a chance to connect and share over lunch at an informal gathering. The speaker(s) listed are NOT presenting to the room, they're just there to join in. Topic: PowerBI
Speaker(s): Anthony Bulk,
Abstract:
Azure Data Studio is no longer the new kid on the block. How many of you have used Azure Data Studio? In this session we will take you on a journey introducing you to Azure Data Studio so that you can understand the ins and outs and when you should consider using Azure Data Studio in place of SQL Server Management Studio. In this demo heavy session we will look at how productive you can be with Azure Data studio and some of the features that are not available in SQL Server Management Studio.
Speaker(s): Warwick Rudd,
Abstract:
At Birds-of-a-Feather (BoF) sessions, attendees group together based on a shared interest and carry out discussions without any pre-planned agenda. This is a chance to connect and share over lunch at an informal gathering. The speaker(s) listed are NOT presenting to the room, they're just there to join in. Topic: Data Warehousing, Analytics Reporting
Speaker(s): Todd McDermid,
Abstract:
Abstract: You just found out that a client needs a SQL database to be designed from scratch. However, you existing DBA has given two week notice. This presentation is meant for the Accidental DBA that has little to no experience with creating a database from the group up. Topics are focused on data storage structures, security, and integrity. After this presentation, will be ready to meet that clients need. Coverage: 1 - Files File Groups 2 - Logins Users 3 - Security using schemas 4 - Database roles for access. 5 - Table design via SSMS or TSQL. 6 - Default, Check, and NULL constraints 7 - Handling table relationships (PK vs FK). 8 - To index or not to index? 9 - Testing database integrity using DML.
Speaker(s): John Miner,
Abstract:
Amazon web services offers a befuddling number of of different services. Among these are the two major options for running SQL Server on AWS - Elastic Compute Cloud and Relational Database Services. Why would one be picked over the other? What are the limitations and trade offs? We will discuss these questions among others while working through the process of restoring a sample database under both services.
Speaker(s): Rick Lowe,
Abstract:
At Birds-of-a-Feather (BoF) sessions, attendees group together based on a shared interest and carry out discussions without any pre-planned agenda. This is a chance to connect and share over lunch at an informal gathering. The speaker(s) listed are NOT presenting to the room, they're just there to join in. Topic: Development DevOps
Speaker(s): Hamish Watson,
Abstract:
Microsoft Power BI, Flow, and PowerApps are powerful cloud tools that can take your on-premises data to new heights. Using your data where it is now gives you the ability to invest in improving processes, instead of focusing on a data migration strategy. In this session, we will discover the benefits of using the cloud tools, how those benefits translate to being on-prem, and how we can use the data in Office 365 as well. We will setup a data gateway, connect to on-prem data sources, and use that data in Office 365 and SharePoint Server 2019.
Speaker(s): Daniel Glenn,
Abstract:
Have you struggled to get BI off the ground, or had months or years of work overturned by a change in management? In this talk we will discuss how we can set ourselves up for success with an AGILE data warehouse, and methods of utilising AGILE and DevOps in delivering business intelligence in a fast, effective, and user-centred method. Architecture of our warehouse, data flows, data security, user engagement and how it all fits together to build rapid value for the organisation and set yourself apart.
Speaker(s): Christopher Docherty,
Abstract:
You’ve heard all the buzz about Power BI, but you have no idea what it is and how it works. This session explains what Power BI is, who can use it and why you would want to. It’s an introductory session that gives you the information you need to determine if Power BI is right for you and your organization.
Speaker(s): Angela Henry,
Abstract:
This session is a compilation of extreme techniques I had to use over time to make very fast operations go a bit faster. It will cover multiple areas (table design, data access layer, schemas, object naming, datatypes, collations physical data placement and more. All examples given in this session are from real world cases of some of the most demaning workloads in the world.
Speaker(s): Thomas Grohser,
Abstract:
When SQL Server arrived on Linux in 2017, Microsoft brought with it a database engine that works exactly the same as it does on Windows. While you can manage and monitor SQL Server on Linux using existing tools designed for Windows, there are command line tools that will feel right at home to seasoned command-line and scripting veterans, including Oracle DBAs. This session will cover mssql-conf (for configuring the server instance), mssql-cli (for connecting to the database engine), and dbfs (mounting a virtual file system) to query database management views (DMVs) using bash.
Speaker(s): Randolph West,
Abstract:
As an Excel user, you've probably been building Pivot Tables for years… but do you know the difference between a Fact and a Dimension? The reality is that PivotTables have done a great job of protecting us from needing to understand proper data modeling, but in modern Excel and Power BI that has changed. In this session we will look at understanding the benefits of dimensional modeling in Power Pivot. We will define and review key terms and best practices, and show you how to use Power Query to reshape, split and combine tables into their proper tabular formats for a model.
Speaker(s): Ken Puls,
Abstract:
Ever wondered what makes an index useful? Curious about why the optimizer picks the indexes that it does? Wondered what black magic goes into designing good indexes? In this session, we'll look at design considerations for rowstore non-clustered indexes. We'll investigate what makes an index useful to SQL Server and what common mistakes make indexes useless. We'll go into the details of how various query predicates interact with indexes and what the primary driver is when designing indexes for any database application. This session is aimed at people who are relatively new to SQL Server indexing.
Speaker(s): Gail Shaw,
Abstract:
At Birds-of-a-Feather (BoF) sessions, attendees group together based on a shared interest and carry out discussions without any pre-planned agenda. This is a chance to connect and share over lunch at an informal gathering. The speaker(s) listed are NOT presenting to the room, they're just there to join in. Topic: Database Administration
Speaker(s): Patrick Flynn,
Abstract:
In order to ascertain the abilities of cloud computing platform, let us overview what is available offered on Microsoft Azure. Microsoft Azure has the ability to move, store and analyze data within the cloud. It is essential to evaluate multiple opportunities and options with Microsoft Azure data insights. In this session let us talk about strategies on data storage, data partitioning and availability options with Azure. A tour on how best these Azure components can help you achieve success for your Big Data platform.
Speaker(s): Satya Jayanty,
Abstract:
At Birds-of-a-Feather (BoF) sessions, attendees group together based on a shared interest and carry out discussions without any pre-planned agenda. This is a chance to connect and share over lunch at an informal gathering. The speaker(s) listed are NOT presenting to the room, they're just there to join in. Topic: Big Data, Data Science AI
Speaker(s): Kevin Feasel,
Abstract:
Learn the power of modern data transformation using DataBricks with Azure Data Factory. Take a look how to power transformations using R, Phyton, SQL, Scala and more. Utilize runtime job clusters to power through the biggest data. Integrate, deploy, schedule and monitor with Azure Data Factory.
Speaker(s): Andrew Boudreau,
Abstract:
Docker can not only be used for testing purposes, but also for deploying applications. The big advantage for the customer of the application is that nothing has to be installed, there are no obstacles to the application running in the given environment etc. because the environment is defined by the developer. German Data Platform MVP Frank Geisler will show how all of this can be achieved by using docker. There will be plenty of demos in which all the necessary steps will be shown.
Speaker(s): Frank Geisler,
Abstract:
Building and maintaining enterprise data warehouse is quite a daunting task; it takes months of planning and development and usually by delivery date the requirement and business goals have changed and process needs to start from scratch. This session is focused on new approaching on design and building data warehouse using latest innovation in SQL Server which allows faster time to market and delivery of value to business groups
Speaker(s): Sepand Gojgini,
Abstract:
SQL Server has brought to market a new modern data platform including support for Linux, Docker Containers and rich features in intelligent performance, HADR, machine learning, and graph database. Come learn about the roadmap and new functionality planned for SQL Server including intelligent query processing, data virtualization, new features for mission critical security and HADR, and new scenarios for Linux and Docker Containers.
Speaker(s): Argenis Fernandez,
Abstract:
Scott isn't a rocket scientist… far from it… he will shy away from .NET development ANY chance he can get! PowerApps, part of Microsoft's Power Platform, allow the knowledgeable information worker to develop in a "Low Code/No Code" environment. Sure, there are expressions to control logic in PowerApps, but if you can handle writing excel formulas, I'm sure you'll be just fine. Watch Scott sweat on stage as he builds a responsive application in the cloud and push it down to his iPhone, store and retrieve data from an enterprise data solution, and take a bow… (or scrunch up into a fetal position and never step on stage again… )
Speaker(s): Scott Stauffer,
Abstract:
Celebrate International Women’s Day by joining in as leaders from the Data Platform community talk about working in tech. These amazing women are Angela Henry, Gabi Münster, Gail Shaw, Kellyn Pot'Vin-Gorman, Melody Zacharias, Pam Lahoud, and Yana Berkovich. The session will be hosted by Kathi Kellenberger, leader of the PASS Wit Virtual Group.
Speaker(s): Kathi Kellenberger,
This is a list of speakers from the XML Guidebook records. The details and URLs were valid at the time of the event.
Contact: http://www.ssis-components.net
Oliver Engels is CEO of oh22data AG, a Microsoft Gold Partner in Germany specializing in CRM and BI. His special interests are Azure, Data Governance and Integration, Visualisation Tools like SSRS, Power BI, Tableau, R, and SharePoint. He has worked with SQL Server since version 6.5 and is a founder and Board member of PASS Germany, a PASS Regional Mentor, and runs the Frankfurt PASS Local Group. For more than seven years he is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and a Microsoft pTSP.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanilmhatre
Contact: http://sqlwithsanil.com
Sanil Mhatre is a Senior Data Engineer, currently focused on delivering Analytical insights for a large Technology solutions Services company in Missouri. He has a Master's degree in Information systems and enjoys working with various Data processing technologies, analytics tools and visualization platforms. Sanil has an interest in Data Science, is an active member of PASS and a frequent speaker at technical conferences and user groups. He volunteers with STEM mentorship programs, blogs and loves to keep up with developments in the fields of Machine Learning AI. When Sanil isn't working he enjoys spending time with family and friends, tasting craft beer and hiking with his dogs.
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/kenpuls
Contact: https://www.excelguru.ca/blog
Ken Puls, FCPA, FCMA is a Chartered Professional Accountant, author, and trainer. With over 20 years of experience as a corporate controller and business owner, he has been exposed to many business systems, databases, and analysis tools, leading to a career of building Excel and Power BI-driven applications to harness data and turn it into management information. A Microsoft Excel/Data Platform MVP since 2006 and author of 2 books, Ken has also been recognized as a Fellow of CPA Canada.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mjbottel/
Mitchell Bottel is a Senior Database Administrator and Operations Team Lead with Sutter Health, owner of Innovative IT Consulting and President of the Sacramento SQL Server User Group. He has 19 years of IT experience, focusing on SQL Server for the last 16 years with an emphasis on database administration and high availability solutions.
LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/hamishwatson8
Contact: http://www.sqlservercentral.com/blogs/the-hybrid-dbas-blog/
Hamish Watson is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and VMware Expert with a passion for efficient database and application deployment using DevOps methodologies. He has 20+ years of IT experience in managing and deploying large scale databases on SQL Server technologies. He has been managing SQL Server since SQL Server 2000, and pragmatic approaches to delivering business value to clients is his career passion. Educating and helping others learn is a driver for Hamish. He is a Director-At-Large on the PASS Board, international speaker, and a repeat guest lecturer at a local university.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevestedman
Contact: http://SteveStedman.com
Steve Stedman is the Leader of a PASS Local Group in Bellingham WA USA. Steve runs his own SQL consulting firm Stedman Solutions, LLC. He has 29 years of programming and SQL experience. He has written the book on SQL Common Table Expressions. He teaches, speaks at conferences, writes, and has taught SQL server classes at Western Washington University. Steve has previously spoken at PASS Summit, TechEd, DevTeach Vancouver, many SQL Saturdays, and more.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yanaberkovich/
Contact: http://yanaberkovich.com
A people-oriented professional, aspiring Product Manager, with 11 years of process analysis, building solutions, customization, developing, managing and training experience. Working with Power Bi, Oracle SQL and SQL server for the past few years. Data enthusiast with international experience in many companies as a BA, Team Lead and everything SharePoint Office 365.
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: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minerjohn/
Contact: https://www.mssqltips.com/sqlserverauthor/154/john-miner/
John Miner is currently a Data Architect at BlueMetal advising corporations on how to solve their business needs with data platform solutions. He has over twenty five years of data processing experience, and his architecture expertise encompasses all phases of the software project life cycle, including design, development, implementation, and maintenance of systems. He has an undergraduate and graduate degrees in Computer Science from the University of Rhode Island. Other credentials include an up to date MCSE certificate and currently taking the Data Science program from EDX. Before joining BlueMetal, John won the Data Platform MVP award in 2014 and 2015 for his outstanding contributions to the SQL Server community.
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rabryst
Contact: https://bornsql.ca/blog/
Randolph West (they / them), founder of Born SQL, is an independent IT consultant, speaker, Calgary PASS user group leader, Microsoft Data Platform MVP, and lead author of “SQL Server 2019 Administration Inside Out”. Randolph specialises in SQL Server performance tuning, disaster recovery, and migrations from really old versions, with an emphasis on implementing best practices. Randolph has presented at PASS Summit, SQLBits, SQL Saturdays, and user groups. You can also find Randolph acting and directing on screen or the stage, or annoying people on Twitter. Do not trust Randolph around chocolate.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/scottstauffer
Contact: http://scottstauffer.ca
Scott Stauffer (@SQLSocialite) is very PASSionate about data and enjoys meeting with like-minded data geeks. He started the Vancouver PASS Chapter in 2004. In 2008, Scott was recognized by Microsoft with a SQL Server MVP award. In 2009, Scott started a PASS BI Chapter in Vancouver, and was also at one time the PASS Regional Chapter Mentor for Canada. For over 10 years he has been an independent consultant working with clients to solve their data woes and extract insight from their business data.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=270775013amp;trk=tab_pro
Contact: http://www.sqlmaster.de
Uwe Ricken is working with IT systems since the 90’s. The primary passion for developments with Microsoft SQL Server expanded in 2007 with his engagement as a DBA for Deutsche Bank AG in Frankfurt am Main. After 6 years of operational experiences as a DBA and over 14 years as a developer of complex database models he achieved the “Microsoft Certified Master – SQL Server 2008” certification which “was” the highest technical certification. In the same year he earned his first award as a Data Platform MVP for his support to the Microsoft SQL Server community in Germany and Europe. Uwe Ricken is a speaker on many international conferences and events and preferred topics are “Database Internals”, “Indexing” and “Development”.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=4839367
Contact: http://www.gdsbi.de
Frank Geisler is owner and CEO of GDS Business Intelligence GmbH. He is SQL Server MVP, MCT, MCSE – Business Intelligence, MCSE – Data Plattform and MCSE - Azure Solutions Architect. In his Job he is building Business Intelligence Systems based on Microsoft Technology, mainly on SQL Server and SharePoint.
LinkedIn: http://za.linkedin.com/pub/michael-johnson/22/73/735
Contact: http://michaeladrianjohnson.com/
Michael Johnson is a Microsoft data platform MVP and leader of the Johannesburg SQL User Group and Business Analytics Virtual Group. He works as an Independent Business Intelligence Consultant and regularly presents at local user groups, SQL Saturdays and PASS Virtual Chapters.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabimuenster/
Gabi Münster is working as a Business Intelligence consultant and team lead and brings in her experience with SQL Server, data warehousing, relational and multidimensional database design and implementation, report and dashboard design, and Master Data Services, as well as project management into the community as a regional PASS Local Group lead. She is also passionate about motivating other women to start a technical career and therefore initiates and supports "Women in Technology" events. Apart from SQLSaturdays, she also spoke at SQLBits, SQL Nexus, Tuga IT, and 2015's and 2017's PASS Summit. In October 2017 Gabi received her first Data Platform MVP award.
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/janthonybulk/
• Has a long proven track record of success in the IT industry. • Influences a multi-million dollar practice area with over 20 people internally • Register p-seller with MS • Setup and runs the Victoria Power BI user group (80+ people) • Presents in external facing Sierra webinars once a quarter • Presented at //BUILD 2017 on deep learning • Presented at Power BI World Tour 2017 on Power BI and Azure Machine Learning • Has a specialization and focus on Cortana Analytics Suite, SQL Server and Power BI • Has worked on many different projects in both the private and public sector • Has successfully delivered projects of all different sizes from $2K - $3M
LinkedIn: http://au.linkedin.com/pub/warwick-rudd/0/956/718
Contact: http://www.sqlmastersconsulting.com.au/Blog
Warwick Rudd is a Microsoft Certified Master – SQL Server 2008 and Principal Consultant at SQL Master Consulting. He is a frequent speaker at local SQL Server User Groups and SQLSaturday events in Australia. When not playing with the SQL stack, Warwick likes to get away to the cold and spend time snowboarding.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewroche/
Contact: https://ssbipolar.com/
Matthew Roche is a Senior Program Manager in Microsoft’s Cloud + Enterprise Group, where he focuses on business intelligence, enterprise information management, metadata, and data warehousing. Matthew is currently a member of the Power BI CAT team, where he was saddened to learn that there were not actually any cats. Previously he has worked on Azure Data Catalog, SQL Server Integration Services, Master Data Services, and Data Quality Services. Before joining Microsoft, he worked as an architect, consultant, and trainer focusing on ETL, data warehousing, and business intelligence. When he’s not enabling the world to get more value from its data, Matthew enjoys reading, baking, heavy metal, and competitive longsword combat.
Contact: https://blog.sqldoch.ca/
Originally a statistical process control specialist, the lure of working with data could not keep Christopher away for long. From planning logistics operations as an officer in the military, or building up end to end business intelligence solutions in higher education or just building up data mining algorithms on his data lab at home, Christopher can only be described as a avid enthusiast of the data platform. He can be reached through his ongoing blog at SQLDoch.ca and is always open to discussing new ideas and methods to improve.
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/sqlmaster
Contact: http://www.sqlserver-qa.net
My experience surrounded with high focus on the data platform with a track record of defining strategy, designing and delivering digital transformation migrations with major enhancements to current working methods. Worked in a capacity of Head of Data Engineering, Enterprise Data Architect and Solutions Key career accomplishment recognition as an industry expert technical excellence from the Microsoft as Data Platform Most Valuable Professional (MVP) recognition since the year 2006 (13 years as MVP and counting), which recognizes exceptional technical community leaders worldwide who actively deliver, present share their extraordinary contributions, high quality, and real-world expertise. Twitter pod (http://twitter.com/sqlmast
Contact: http://sqllensman.com/blog/
Patrick Flynn is a Senior Database Administrator with 10 years experience in large 24 x 7 enterprise environments. He is a certified master for SQL Server and a regular attendee of the PASS Summit. Has presented at SQLSaturday events in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland, Edmonton and Calgary, Oslo and Cambridge
A long time Database guy and data geek. With over 20 years experience on the Microsoft Data Platform I have morphed from DBA to BI Architect to Data Wrangler to data scientist. I have left my DBA shell far behind and now enjoy the endless possibility of new tools and services beyond the Database box. Advanced analytics and machine learning are my new passion and love to talk data with everybody.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielglenn
Contact: https://DanielGlenn.com
Daniel is a Microsoft MVP with 15 years' experience building technology solutions, intranets and extranets. As Practice Leader for the Nashville-based InfoWorks Inc., Daniel helps organizations of all sizes solve complex data challenges by implementing Office 365 and SharePoint without the need of customization and costly investments. Daniel is passionate about giving back and building the Microsoft technical community. Daniel holds leadership roles in various local user groups, serves as an organizer for Microsoft 365 Nashville, and is a co-host for the popular podcast 365 Message Center Show on https://MessageCenter.Show. You can follow Daniel online at https://DanielGlenn.com and @DanielGlenn on Twitter.
LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/toddmcdermid
Contact: https://toddmcdermid.blogspot.com
Todd McDermid is a local BC developer who’s turned into a data warehouse and business intelligence evangelist. He started out programming DBase, VB6, and C# - but is now passionate about the SQL Server BI stack. He’s concentrated on using Integration Services to build the backbone of BI delivery – a dimensional warehouse. Todd has been known to blog, forum troll, code open-source extensions, and present on BI topics across the continent.
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: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janthonybulk/
• Has a long proven track record of success in the IT industry. • Influences a multi-million dollar practice area with over 20 people internally • Register p-seller with MS • Setup and runs the Victoria Power BI user group (80+ people) • Presents in external facing Sierra webinars once a quarter • Presented at //BUILD 2017 on deep learning • Presented at Power BI World Tour 2017 on Power BI and Azure Machine Learning • Has a specialization and focus on Cortana Analytics Suite, SQL Server and Power BI • Has worked on many different projects in both the private and public sector • Has successfully delivered projects of all different sizes from $2K - $3M
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/angelahenrydba
Contact: http://SQLSwimmer.com
Angela is a Solution Architect, living in High Point, NC and loves what she does. She's worked with all versions of SQL Server worn all the hats that come with dealing with SQL Server throughout the years: developer, administrator, data architect and BI developer. She has her MSCE in Data and Analytics (f.k.a., Business Intelligence), is a Data Platform MVP, and a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). She is the former chapter leader for the PASS Triad SQL User Group in Greensboro, NC. In her spare time you can probably find her in or at the pool, she's an avid US Masters Swimmer, Coach and Instructor.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janthonybulk/
• Has a long proven track record of success in the IT industry. • Influences a multi-million dollar practice area with over 20 people internally • Register p-seller with MS • Setup and runs the Victoria Power BI user group (80+ people) • Presents in external facing Sierra webinars once a quarter • Presented at //BUILD 2017 on deep learning • Presented at Power BI World Tour 2017 on Power BI and Azure Machine Learning • Has a specialization and focus on Cortana Analytics Suite, SQL Server and Power BI • Has worked on many different projects in both the private and public sector • Has successfully delivered projects of all different sizes from $2K - $3M
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://nz.linkedin.com/in/hamishwatson8
Contact: http://www.sqlservercentral.com/blogs/the-hybrid-dbas-blog/
Hamish Watson is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and VMware Expert with a passion for efficient database and application deployment using DevOps methodologies. He has 20+ years of IT experience in managing and deploying large scale databases on SQL Server technologies. He has been managing SQL Server since SQL Server 2000, and pragmatic approaches to delivering business value to clients is his career passion. Educating and helping others learn is a driver for Hamish. He is a Director-At-Large on the PASS Board, international speaker, and a repeat guest lecturer at a local university.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joseph-yeates-bba5663a/
Contact: https://www.feathersanalytics.com
Joseph is a data enthusiast and blogs about all things Power BI on Feathers Analytics. He has a passion for crafting compelling data narratives and making insights accessible to a wider range of users through visualization. He holds the Certified Analytics Professional designation as well as a DBA certification with a focus on SQL Server Analysis Reporting Services. He uses R Studio, Power Query and Power BI to model, manipulate, analyze, and visualize data. He integrates R into Power BI to bring the power of predictive analytics into reports and dashboards. He is a member of the Vancouver Power BI User Group and has presented on Power BI Tips Tricks and Predictive Analytics with R in Power BI.
Contact: http://sqllensman.com/blog/
Patrick Flynn is a Senior Database Administrator with 10 years experience in large 24 x 7 enterprise environments. He is a certified master for SQL Server and a regular attendee of the PASS Summit. Has presented at SQLSaturday events in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland, Edmonton and Calgary, Oslo and Cambridge
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://ca.linkedin.com/in/toddmcdermid
Contact: https://toddmcdermid.blogspot.com
Todd McDermid is a local BC developer who’s turned into a data warehouse and business intelligence evangelist. He started out programming DBase, VB6, and C# - but is now passionate about the SQL Server BI stack. He’s concentrated on using Integration Services to build the backbone of BI delivery – a dimensional warehouse. Todd has been known to blog, forum troll, code open-source extensions, and present on BI topics across the continent.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/argenis
Contact: http://blog.purestorage.com/author/argenisfernandez/
Argenis is a Principal Architect at Pure Storage. He works with customers around the world to make sure they don’t have to worry much about their infrastructure for Data. He is a former Data Platform MVP, former VMware vExpert, Microsoft Certified Master, and more recently worked in the Microsoft Azure Data/SQL Server engineering team as a Principal PM in the Tiger team.
LinkedIn: 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://ca.linkedin.com/in/melodyzacharias
Contact: http://sqlmelody.com
Melody is the Sr. Microsoft Solutions Manager at Pure and has been in love with data since 1991. She has been sharing her passion with the community in technical sessions and blogs since 2014. She has been a Microsoft MVP since 2016, including winning Rookie of the year for Canada that year. This last year, she was elected to the board of directors for PASS.org, the professional association for SQL Server and was awarded Regional Director by Microsoft. She has co-authored 3 books, including, SQL Server 2019 Administration inside out by Microsoft Press.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/dbaduck/
Contact: https://dbaduck.com
Ben has been a member of the SQL Server Community since 2000. He loves a challenge and has fixed many SQL Servers and helped hundreds of people get more out of their DBA jobs. He is a Data Platform MVP a SQL Server Certified Master (MCM). He has worked at various companies throughout the USA, as well as at Microsoft for 7 years. He is passionate about SQL Server Infrastructure, High Availability, Automation and Integration using SMO and PowerShell. He teaches DBAs how to use PowerShell to do their job and teaches SQL Server Internals. He is @DBAduck all around the web (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Blog) so let's catch up.
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.
Contact: http://sqlinthewild.co.za
Gail Shaw is a Database Specialist focusing on database performance tuning and database recovery, with a particular interest in topics such as indexing strategies, execution plans, and writing T-SQL code that performs well and scales gracefully. Gail holds a Microsoft Certified Master certification for SQL Server 2008 and is a Data Platform MVP. She's a frequent poster on the SQLServerCentral forums, a Pluralsight author, writes articles for both SQLServerCentral.com and Simple-Talk.com, and has spoken at SQLSaturdays, SQL Bits and at the PASS Community Summit. Gail has been responsible for extending the lifespan of many an application, by performance-tuning their databases and providing technical guidance on all things SQL Server related.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sgojgini/
Product Director at Datateam Services, 10+ years of experience designing data warehouse model and ETL engines used globally. Had a chance of working on world biggest relational Data Warehouse at Amazon managing 5+ PetaByte of data with growth 7+ TeraByte daily. Seeking to apply best software development practices to ETL development and streamlining development process.
The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event.