Event Location:
Edgewood College
1000 Edgewood College Dr
Madison, Wisconsin
Abstract:
Ross has implemented Power BI Premium for regional, national, and global clients. Join this healthcare focused presentation to hear the various licensing and data sourcing methods for PBI. Ross will discuss actual use cases to help illustrate the flexibility in rolling out the product to different teams within your organization. Implementation strategies for the IT department will also be discussed. Deployment topics to be covered include a PBI loaded model, PBI direct connect, PBI live connect, and PBI mix-model. On-premises data sourcing topics include SQL databases, Oracle databases, Analysis Services Tabular, and Excel files. Discussion will cover various healthcare reporting sources, such as an Operational Data Store and a Data Warehouse. Cloud data sourcing topics include Azure Data Lake, Azure Analysis Services, Dataflows, and Snowflake on Azure. Ross will start the session by introducing the basics of PBI, and work our way into complexities necessary to support an enterprise.
Speaker(s): Ross McNeely,
Abstract:
When done right, data visualization informs users quickly and efficiently with a minimum of distraction. When done wrong, we end up with spinning 3D pie charts. In this talk, we will look at techniques for effective dashboard design, minimizing noise and clutter (like spinning 3D pie charts) while providing relevant information to the intended audience. We will see how different types of charts work, build out rules of thumb around which charts to use, and integrate visuals to create a coherent dashboard image. When it comes to dashboards, we will compare and contrast dashboards based on their intended uses, such as interactive dashboards versus TV dashboards. Finally, we will take an awful dashboard and turn it into something which end users will appreciate.
Speaker(s): Kevin Feasel,
Abstract:
For years, those of us who wanted to use non-Windows-based machines to do .NET or SQL Server development have been caught in a "worst of both worlds"-type of situation. We have had to use some sort of Windows VM or have had to go without a local copy of SQL Server. The good news is that thanks to Microsoft's efforts, we can now do full stack .NET development without ever touching a Windows VM or work arounds! In this talk, I'll live code a simple service with database back-end while introducing platform independent tools such as Visual Studio Code, SQL Operations Studio and SQL Server for Docker. Along the way, I'll discuss key differences and limitations between the Windows tools and their platform independent counterparts.
Speaker(s): Dan Mallott,
Abstract:
Your application developers benefit from Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment practices to accelerate feature deployment and catch regression issues up front, but your database deployments are still stuck in the proverbial dark ages. The build scripts might be in source control or even an SSDT project already, but deploying is still an exercise in creating the perfect script, and don't even think about making a data (or data type) change! SSDT and Azure DevOps can solve some of these problems, and even give us a window into the world of automated testing. In this talk, we will explore how to automate your database builds and deployments using SSDT and Azure DevOps, and we will explore automated testing using tSQLt and Docker. Lastly, we will check up on some tasks that you cannot (or should not) automate and talk about how to make sure your application developers are not left behind.
Speaker(s): Dan Mallott,
Abstract:
In this session we will discuss Data Strategy around data lake ingestion and how that shapes the design of a framework to fuel Azure Data Factory. This session will take you through the development of a Metadata database designed using Data Vault modeling, the collection of the metadata, as well as building a fully automated Data Factory pipeline.
Speaker(s): Sean Forgatch,
Abstract:
Ever considered giving a presentation of your own? Pondered how your favorite speakers got their start? Contemplated whether you could ever do that too, but were not sure where to begin? Well I say you can and will show you how to get started! In this session, I will teach you how to develop your idea and create session content, and share tips tricks that I have learned along the way. You will leave armed with a wealth of resources (and hopefully some inspiration) to venture forth and develop your first presentation.
Speaker(s): Andy Yun,
Abstract:
In this live demo I would like to show you how to create an effective and interactive dashboard using Power BI, I will also talk about and show some Power BI best Practices.
Speaker(s): Farouq Abukhamireh,
Abstract:
Ever wonder how the SQL Server storage engine processes your T-SQL queries? Curious about what else you could be doing to improve query performance? Having basic exposure to SQL Server Internals enables one to write more effective T-SQL. Join me as we peek into the black box of the storage engine. Topics will include an overview of the storage engine, indexing, and the query optimizer, accompanied by practical consequences and solutions. When you leave, you will have a greater understanding of the storage engine and how to avoid T-SQL design patterns that negatively impact performance.
Speaker(s): Andy Yun,
Abstract:
Most data models contain at least one situation requiring role playing dimensional behavior. For example, Order Date, Ship Date, and Invoice Date all linked to the Date table. The tabular model, available in Power BI, Power Pivot, and SQL Server Analysis Services, provides multiple methods for handling role playing dimensions. In this session, we will implement examples of each of these alternatives, including the DAX expressions required to fully exploit each one. We will explore the strengths and weaknesses of each approach as well as best practices when implementing each of these alternatives. Special emphasis will be given to model maintainability as well as the experience created for users exploring and analyzing the model.
Speaker(s): Brian Larson,
Abstract:
SQL Server 2016 came out with a bucket full of cool new features. One of them is Temporal Tables. SQL Server 2017 made some enhancements in this area. Temporal tables are basically history tables of the normal tables; that allows us to retrieve data from any point in time for every change such as updates and deletes. It does this all without any change to application code and without needing any triggers. In this session, we will see what the requirements of creating temporal tables are. We will see the demo on insert and update functionality and how to query historical information using new TSQL clause. We will touch upon retention of history as well. It has lots of demos and less theory.
Speaker(s): Ameena Lalani,
Abstract:
Do you see curly brackets stored in your database and wonder what that is? Are you a DBA, with developers storing JSON in your database? As a database administrator or developer, it's important to understand JSON today. This session will explain what JSON is, where it came from, and why it is showing up all over the place. When you leave this session you will understand how to investigate, manipulate, and validate JSON in your database. You will walk away with example code of how to use Microsoft’s additions to SQL Server to use this data.
Speaker(s): Jim Dorame,
Abstract:
This is a 100 level sessions intended for the folks that are just starting their career as a data professional working with SQL Server. In the session we will go over the common data types and limitations associated with each of them. We will review how to determine the most appropriate data type to use in common situations. This sessions will not only cover the basic of a number of data types, but also review data type precedence, auto type conversions and the performance implications of data types.
Speaker(s): Dave Bland,
Abstract:
A truly strong security model starts with no permissions and adds what is necessary to allow the user or application to do their assigned task - no more, no less. This is called the Principle of Least Privilege. It's a simple concept, but it can be quite difficult to implement in practice, especially if the prevailing practice has been much more permissive. In this session, we'll talk about the Principle of Least Privilege in more detail, and we'll discuss ways to implement it for the three primary classes of users - general users, applications, and administrators. Each has their own set of needs that requires a separate approach to allowing the security to meet those needs. You'll leave with actionable ideas on ways that you can improve your company's security while minimizing the impact of the changes.
Speaker(s): Ed Leighton-Dick,
Abstract:
In this session, geared toward beginner level users, attendees will be introduced to SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) as an ETL tool. We will review the SSIS workspace and toolbox to familiarize users with the various features offered and how to navigate between them, as well as discuss their functionality. We will then build an SSIS package to extract data from a flat file source and load it into a SQL Server Database. The session will conclude by reviewing best practices surrounding the documentation of SSIS solutions, and attendees will receive a copy of documentation describing the package we created. This session is designed for users with little to no familiarity with SSIS who are looking for a baseline understanding of the tool, or who want to begin working more with SSIS development but do not know where to begin.
Speaker(s): Ashley Day,
Abstract:
CosmosDB is Microsoft’s globally distributed, massively scalable, cloud based database that is hosted in AZURE. Who cares? You should if you need to support thousands of transactions a second, global distribution and redundancy, and different consistencies. Do you need to support JSON, Graph, et al? Done. Join me and see how easy it is to get started. We will set up a local instance of CosmosDB, load JSON data and build a PowerBI visualization. Along the way I’ll point out a couple of things to watch out for. At the end of the session you will then learn how, with a couple of commands, to switch your visualization to the cloud.
Speaker(s): Jim Dorame,
Abstract:
This presentation is a quick introduction for the DBA or developer who was just told that their boss promised a major new customer a scalable, well designed database. The customer will pay a lot of cash and years of ongoing business using this database… If you deliver it this week! You’ll get a big bonus if you build this right, but you also remember what your co-workers did to the person who bungled the last database design… and wonder if that designer ever recovered! This session will introduce you to the fundamentals of Datatypes, Relational Algebra, and Normalization to help you avoid the major pitfalls and maybe get some sleep too! This presentation is a survey of Data Architecture for the Intermediate DBA, it is not intended for experienced Data Modelers.
Speaker(s): Pat Phelan,
Abstract:
This is a introductory session on how a DBA and developers can use Execution plans to find performance bottlenecks. This will cover the fundamentals and cover some of the basic techniques that can be used to find hidden performance problems. We will also spend some time on how to properly read execution plans.
Speaker(s): Dave Bland,
Abstract:
Always Encrypted was introduced in SQL Server 2016, and it was a big step forward for encryption - but it had a very long list of exclusions which prevented it from being adopted by many organizations. Now, with SQL Server 2019, Always Encrypted is getting some much-needed improvements to its functionality. By utilizing the secure enclave capabilities of Windows 2019, SQL Server adds some impressive new abilities to work with data while it is encrypted. In this session, we’ll explore the secure enclave, and we'll see how you can leverage the new capabilities of Always Encrypted in your environment.
Speaker(s): Ed Leighton-Dick,
Abstract:
Building a data warehouse that is effective and efficient is a constant challenge to designers and developers, and this session will highlight some of the fundamental guidelines to use during the life cycle of a data warehouse. With a broad range of topics, both business reporting users and developers architects will find this session informative. We will review the importance of each phase of the lifecycle, including analysis, design, development, testing and maintenance. We will discuss the expected outcomes for each phase, as well as the stakeholders who should be involved in the decision making process along the way. We will provide examples of documentation to help guide each step and discuss issues that commonly arise when building a Data Warehouse. At the conclusion of the session, attendees will receive a Data Warehouse checklist that provides a comprehensive overview of everything discussed and can serve as a resource beyond the session.
Speaker(s): Cassie Zirbel,
Abstract:
Microsoft introduced the APPLY operator in SQL Server 2005. This under-used, non-standard operator can help us solve a number of common (and not-so-common) problems with elegant code which performs well. We will look several problem spaces in which the APPLY operator shines, such as joining to table-valued functions, getting the top N child records for each parent record, string splitting, and word matching. With the use of these examples, we will gain a deeper understanding of when to use the APPLY operator.
Speaker(s): Kevin Feasel,
Abstract:
This session will discuss your options for running SQL server in AWS, the easy way (and the hard way) to configure High Availability and how to ensure your Disaster Recovery needs are also met. We will also look at strategies for moving your data into AWS. Done right there is rarely an "Easy" button for solid infrastructure choices but this session will get you well on the way!
Speaker(s): Phil Ekins,
Abstract:
Along with change tracking and change data capture Microsoft has introduced a new method for tracking data changes within its databases called Temporal tables. Microsoft introduced temporal, or system-versioned, tables in SQL Server 2016 as a new database feature. A temporal table truly introduces two tables into the mix: one for current data and another for historical data. This talk will show how the feature is implemented and used along with a discussion on the common usage for temporal tables. Comparison to change tracking and change data capture will also be discussed. Scripts will be explored for the automation of the creation of temporal tables along with its use in data warehousing.
Speaker(s): Thomas Lane,
Abstract:
Join this demo heavy session to get up and running on Snowflake in 60 minutes on Azure. You will learn how to quickly setup a data warehouse that can scale-up to support any data size, or scale-out to support any number of uses. Just as important is scaling-down to save on cost. We will first cover an overview of the Snowflake platform, and key enterprise capabilities. Demos will include loading data into Snowflake, exploring data, data time travel, and provisioning for various end users without eroding performance. Best practices will be discussed throughout the session, and we will conclude with a use case. Ross McNeely is a certified SnowPro.
Speaker(s): Ross McNeely,
Abstract:
Most of the time you’ll see ETL being done with a tool such as SSIS, but what if you need near-realtime reporting? You need to get the updates in your OLTP database to the Data Warehouse quickly, but with minimal impact on your application. This session will demonstrate how to keep your data warehouse updated in near real-time using Service Broker messages from your OLTP database.
Speaker(s): Allen White,
Abstract:
You know how locking works in SQL Server, but now you are tasked with diagnosing and fixing deadlocks. How do you take the knowledge you have and apply it to address deadlocks in your production database? In this session, we will discuss how you can use free tools to detect and analyze deadlocks in your system. We will do a deep dive on deadlock XML with an eye toward interpreting the information automatically collected by SQL Server when the free tools fall short. Attendees will leave with the understanding they need to develop solutions to deadlocks in their systems.
Speaker(s): Jake Manske,
Abstract:
We get it. Move fast and break things. Just ship it! But what's left a giant stored procedure with cursors, temp tables, and mystery calculations. It's a big black box that nobody wants to touch. Let's fix that. We'll open the lid on an example monolith and do major surgery. What's left will perform better, be easier to understand, encourage code reuse, and be easier to test.
Speaker(s): Riley Major,
Abstract:
We are excited to host our Second Women In Technology Speaker Panel. This year we have 6 panelists joining us for discussion of issues pertinent to women working in technology. Please join us as we welcome: • Virginia Logston – Retired - IT Pioneer • Jenny Herritz - Principal - SVA Consulting • Jesi Betley – VP of IT and Process Improvement – Mueller Sports Medicine • Molly Gallmeier – VP Business Development – Talavant • Sarah Terry-Rost - Director of Clinical Applications - UnityPoint Health • Tammy Passineau – BI Lead – Sub Zero
Speaker(s): Brijeet Akula,
Abstract:
Databricks holds enormous promise in providing organizations with large-scale analytics and machine learning at lightning speed. In this session, we will demonstrate a real business case where we utilize machine learning to improve customer retention. The session begins with an overview of machine learning and its applications in business today; then, we dive into Databricks and its applications and advantages for data and analytics; finally, we implement our machine learning model in Databricks and build an analytics pipeline in Azure that delivers insights to decision makers.
Speaker(s): Daniel Woods,
Abstract:
Consistent and predictable performance is critical for any successful deployment of Microsoft SQL Server. All-Flash arrays have been available for years and sub-millisecond response times should be the expectation. Maximize the performance and agility of your environment and learn how to automate and leverage self-service for snapshots of your databases for protection and re-purposing. Test/dev infrastructures can be refreshed from production DBs in minutes rather than hours or days. Stop working harder and slower than you need to be, learn how you can leverage Dell EMC. Whether storage, servers, networking, data protection, converged or hyper-converged… we have you covered.
Speaker(s): Bryan Walsh,
Abstract:
Stay on track with your version control tool and learn the transition from TFVC to Git. We will demonstrate the migration process from TFVC to Git along with some things to consider before your migration. Stick around for some Git best practices that will get you off to a fast start with your new version control tool!
Speaker(s): Marcus Radue,
Abstract:
Do you have more than 1 server that you manage? More than 1 database? Then this session is for you. PowerShell interest is on the rise and it is one of the coolest tools you can learn as a DBA. Learn tips and tricks using PowerShell that will help you manage SQL Servers and get more done with less effort. From getting started in PowerShell to getting information about your servers/databases to making changes to your SQL Servers all using PowerShell. This is one tool you will want in your toolbelt to help sharpen your skills.
Speaker(s): Ben Miller,
Abstract:
As the velocity of device data increases, the promise of the Cloud is often limited by the latency of the office Internet connection. Leveraging the power of Azure, we will deploy real-time analytics at the edge and illustrate how performing high-frequency analysis is possible. In this session, we will cover the basics of Azure Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Stream Analytics, then we will deploy Stream Analytics at the edge using a Raspberry Pi device connected to the Azure IoT ecosystem. No prior Azure IoT or Azure Stream Analytics knowledge is required to benefit from this session.
Speaker(s): Jordan Anderson,
Abstract:
SQL Server 2019 has a number of new and exciting features for the BI world, including the Big Data Cluster Edition with HDFS and Spark being added to Microsoft's offering. This session will give an overview of these features, as well as a few demos. Since SQL Server 2019 is still in CTP, features shown in this presentation are subject to change at RTM.
Speaker(s): Erin Dempster,
Abstract:
If you aren't using DB projects yet, you should! If you tried to start and failed, we'll discuss some of the common challenges and how to resolve them. We'll cover a typical project setup and best practices for effective schema management and deployment across environments.
Speaker(s): Bob Charapata,
Abstract:
This session will go over best practices for using subqueries and common table expressions (CTEs). We'll review basic concepts and then several examples. The focus will be on building efficient queries to solve complex problems while remaining understandable. Participants should feel welcome to bring their own complex query problems that we can work through together.
Speaker(s): Jeremiah Robinson,
Abstract:
Every expert has their own set of tools they use to find and fix the problem areas of queries, but SQL Server provides the necessary information to both diagnose and troubleshoot where those problems actually are, and help you fix those issues, right in the box. In this session we will examine a variety of tools to analyze and solve query performance problems.
Speaker(s): Allen White,
Abstract:
Do you love Power Query? Are you ready to take your skills to the next level? Learning to write M code is easier than you think! Writing M code can reduce maintenance and create a more dynamic solution for you and your users. In this session you will learn: 1. Where you can write M code in PowerQuery. 2. The different types of objects you can use as variables in your code. 3. Different ways you can leverage variables to create a dynamic solution.
Speaker(s): Justin Mannhardt,
Abstract:
When you're performance tuning queries with memory grants, you want to know where, how and why the memory is granted and used in your query. In this session, we'll talk about analyzing requested and granted memory inside execution plans, the plan cache, and in currently running queries. We'll also talk about troubleshooting your system when many queries have memory grants. Prerequisites: General knowledge of execution plans and query writing
Speaker(s): Arthur Daniels III,
Abstract:
Have you ever thought about becoming a Consultant, but just didn't know if it was the right fit for you? In this session, I touch on various aspects of what being a consultant means, be it working for a consulting firm or independently for yourself. I'll cover some skills that are necessary to succeed in this field, touch on aspects of owning your own business, discuss ways to build up a network, and draw attention to some questions you should be asking yourself and others before you make the leap. By the end of the session, I hope you have enough information to know if becoming a consultant is the right choice for you or not.
Speaker(s): John Eisbrener,
Abstract:
Did you know that poor data type choices can be a real performance killer? Would you be surprised to learn that data type decisions can have a significant impact on your database design and performance? Attend this session to learn how database records are stored within SQL Server and why all data types are not created equal. Armed with that knowledge, we will explore several performance scenarios that may be impacting your systems right now! When you leave, you will be able to explain to your colleagues why data type choices matter, assess your own systems, and implement some best practices to mitigate these performance killers.
Speaker(s): Andy Yun,
Abstract:
Clustered Columnstore indexes can be a great solution for data warehousing workloads, but loading lots of data as quickly as possible is still an arcane art. We will walk through how to improve scalability of two common loading patterns using lessons learned from production workloads involving billions of rows. Come to this session to improve your Columnstore load times, to learn about scalability on large servers, or simply to be challenged.
Speaker(s): Joe Obbish,
Abstract:
This session covers the "101" issues of security within SQL Server. It covers authentication (AD, SQL Server, and Application Roles) and the basics of security declarations. This is targeted at entry and mid level database administrators and application designers that need an introduction or a refresher on how to grant access to the database engine and permissions at the SQL Server and database levels. NOTE: this presentation does NOT cover hacking, security work-arounds, etc.
Speaker(s): Pat Phelan,
Abstract:
Are you looking to incorporate CI/CD into your data warehouse solution? Azure DevOps provides tools to help automate deployment of DB and Analysis Services projects (and more). We'll demonstrate how to create a Build and Release pipeline to manage promotion across environments. We'll also discuss tips and tricks that provide greater control over deployment configurations with a little help from PowerShell.
Speaker(s): Scott Hietpas,
Abstract:
Azure Data Factory V2 is relatively new in Azure and has a lot of great new SSIS-like features but is it good enough to replace SSIS? In this session we will go over some of the new control flow, branching, and scheduling features in Azure Data Factory and see how to make a fully cloud capable data orchestration engine. As a bonus we'll also show how you can run SSIS packages directly in Azure!
Speaker(s): Joshuha Owen,
Abstract:
You've got the hang of writing queries and creating indexes, but once you hit F5 you have no idea what's going to happen. * Why did I get that plan? * Why didn't you use that index? * Why are you slow? In this session, we'll look a little deeper into query optimization, and why SQL Server makes the choices it does. This will be fast-paced, demo-heavy and slide-light.
Speaker(s): Erik Darling,
This is a list of speakers from the XML Guidebook records. The details and URLs were valid at the time of the event.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andersonjordan/
Contact: http://blogs.talavant.com/
Jordan has over 10 years of experience as a consultant, analyst, and developer of business intelligence and analytics solutions. He has a proven background in business process analysis, planning, and strategic alignment across numerous business functional areas in a wide range of industries. Jordan is proficient in cross-functional team facilitation, organization, leadership, and cultivating cooperative relationships with project sponsors and stakeholders. Jordan brings an extensive track record of delivering successful technology solutions that align with the business, engage people, and produce value. Jordan drives teams with a focus on creativity, relevance, quality, and high performance.
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: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-woods-9520a0a6/
I graduated from Johns Hopkins with degrees in both Mathematics and Economics. After being recruited by Epic to be a Business Intelligence Developer, I eventually transitioned to a specialized developer in Epic that focused on tackling difficult reporting concepts for customers with SQL and Oracle. Wanting to grow my career further, I joined Talavant in July of 2018. My goal with Talavant is to help provide Pythonic solutions whether it be data transformations, artificial intelligence or automation-focused applications. Python is my preferred coding language as I believe it provides the flexibility to tackle a wide range of problems and can be used to help marry the gap between data engineering and data science.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesdorame
Contact: http://www.jamesdorame.com/
Jim Dorame has been working with SQL Server for over 20 years. Over those years he has learned a great deal from the SQL community. He has also given back to the community in the hopes that he may help someone in their career. He is always looking for something to learn and luckily Microsoft keeps adding to SQL Server.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-eisbrener/4/356/b36/
Contact: http://www.dbatlas.com
John is a DBA (Default Blame Assignee) with over a decade of experience breaking and subsequently fixing, database solutions. He maintains separate swear jars for Oracle, Postgres, and Greenplum, but keeps the largest container reserved for SQL Server. When not accumulating loose change for his children's college funds, John can be found trying to help others with their database solutions as the Principal Consultant for DB Atlas, speaking at various SQL Saturdays throughout the Midwest, or helping out with his local PASS chapter meetings in Madison, WI.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/brianlarsonscs
Contact: http://sqlmag.com/author/brian-larson
Brian Larson is Chief Creative Officer/Partner at Superior Consulting Services and has presented at SQL Server Connections, PASS Summit, and the Microsoft BI Conference. As a consultant to Microsoft, Brian contributed to the original code base of Reporting Services. Brian is the author of “Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Reporting Services: 5th Edition” and “Delivering Business Intelligence with SQL Server 2016: 4th Edition”, as well as the forthcoming “Data Analysis with Microsoft Power BI.”
20 years into a career focused on Microsoft technologies and the impact of they make for companies across all industries and verticals. Started at EMC in 2006 and have held numerous leadership roles that champion Microsoft to our field, partners and customers. In my current role at XtremIO, my primary focus is SQL Server and how to unlock agility and end storage inefficiency.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/czirbel/
Business Analyst / Project Manager / Certified Scrum Master (PSM I) with a passion for working with customers to improve business performance through better data. Experienced in the health care revenue cycle industry. Skilled in giving presentations, meeting facilitation, stakeholder relationships, process improvement, time management, project planning and execution. Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) focused in Information Systems, Management Human Resources and a Health Care Management Certificate from University of Wisconsin-Madison - School of Business.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/allen-white-sql-server-mvp/5/784/b08/
Contact: http://dataperfpro.com/blog/
Allen White is a Data Platform consultant. He has been both a developer and an administrator, so he understands both perspectives towards database technology. He loves sharing his experiences and helping people learn how to use SQL Server. Allen has spent over 40 years in IT, using SQL Server since 1992, and has been awarded Microsoft’s MVP Award for the last 13 years. Allen was a PASS Director from 2016 - 2018.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-bland-sql-server
Contact: https://www.davebland.com
Over 20 years of SQL Server experience that includes being a DBA, BI development and Application development using VB.NET. Dave currently is the Manager of the DBA team at Stericycle. Dave is a Friend of Red-Gate for 2019. He is a frequent presenter at SQL Saturday events and user groups around the country. Has been teaching SQL Server since version 2000 and is the SQL Server instructor at Harper College in Palatine, IL. Current certifications include: • Microsoft Certified Trainer • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, BI Development and Maintenance • MCSA: SQL Server 2008 • MCSA: SQL Server 2016 • MCSE: SQL Server 2016 - BI • MCDBA: SQL Server 2000 • MCSD • MCSE: Data Management and Analytics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmallott/
Contact: https://www.danielmallott.com
Dan Mallott is a Chicago-based consultant for West Monroe Partners in their Technology Practice. His passion is for service-layer development, particularly database technologies, including Microsoft SQL Server and Apache Cassandra. Recent projects have included designing a new integration architecture for a mid-sized health insurer, designing a full technical architecture for a large health insurer, building a new member portal for a healthcare-related association, and developing threat hunting software for use by West Monroe. In his spare time, Dan can be found writing his own libraries instead of using package solutions, or on the ice as a hockey player and referee.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobcharapata/
Bob is a Senior Data Analytics Consultant at Skyline Technologies, who has been working with Microsoft SQL Server for over 20 years. He loves the way the data landscape has changed and allowed him the opportunity to learn new ways of creating solutions with Microsoft SQL Server and the Microsoft BI stack. He is passionate about learning new technology and sharing with his fellow development community to effectively use that technology.
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/in/ameena
Ameena Lalani is a SQL Server veteran and started her journey with SQL Server 2000. She is a Microsoft Certified Solution Associate on SQL Server 2016 and also hold Azure Administrator Associate certification. Ameena works at Microsoft as a Premier Field engineer. She has implemented numerous High Availability and Disaster Recovery solutions at various companies. Ameena loves to share her technical knowledge and speaks at local user groups and SQL Saturday events throughout the United States.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanforgatch/
Contact: https://www.modern-dataengineering.com
Sean Forgatch is a Manager in Data Engineering consulting Avanade\Accenture based out of Chicago, IL focusing on Data Strategy, EIM , and Data Archtiecture. Serving multiple Fortune and Global 500 companies he has helped push the limits of Azure and is working on some of the largest Azure Data Lake and Analytics implementations in the industry. He has spoken at over 25 conferences across the United States since 2016, was the President of the Northeast Wisconsin PASS, and served on the board for SQL Saturday Madison. Originally from Southern Illinois, Sean enjoys running and lifting, as well as casual conversations with coffee, and spending time with his dog Sailor, an all white Siberian Husky.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sqlbek
Contact: http://sqlbek.wordpress.com
Andy Yun is a SentryOne Principal Solutions Engineer and a former Microsoft MVP. He has been working with SQL Server for nearly 20 years as both a Database Developer and Administrator. Leveraging knowledge of SQL Server Internals and extensive experience in highly transactional environments, he strives to make T-SQL leaner and meaner. Andy is extremely passionate about passing knowledge onto others, regularly speaking at User Groups, SQL Saturdays, and PASS Summit. Andy is a co-founder of the Chicago SQL Association, co-Chapter Leader of the Chicago Suburban User Group, and part of the Chicago SQL Saturday Organizing Committee.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-day-a007a430/
Ashley found the world of data analytics and business intelligence after a supervisor saw her potential and introduced her to SQL and report writing. Her analytical mindset and thirst for knowledge quickly turned that opportunity into a career, and she has spent the past five years working within the sphere of data management and business intelligence. She has experience working with data from a number of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, benefits administration, and the financial sector. Ashley is very passionate about working with data and helping others gain access to the clean and reliable data they need to make informed business decisions.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-dempster-55967b6
Contact: https://www.endlessreporting.com
Erin currently serves as a SQL Developer II at Trean Corporation in Wayzata, Minnesota. With over 15 years of experience with SQL Server, as a developer and as an administrator, she has dabbled with most areas in the SQL Server realm. Areas of expertise include database design, query tuning and SQL Server Integration Services.
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: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremiah-robinson-76286173
Jeremiah Robinson spent his career solving problems that nobody ever solved before, and solving existing problems in new ways. This includes both software/database development and other topic areas. After several other careers and business startups, Robinson has spent the past three years solving unique database and analytics problems using the Microsoft stack. And he's having a great time (he told me himself)! He regularly presents to and teaches for groups of 10-400 and has a reputation for being clear, engaging, and funny.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-radue-0ab5496a/
Marcus is a Data Analytics Engineer with 4 + years of experience in data modeling and business intelligence reporting. He has created data warehouses and has been responsible for numerous reports and dashboards via the Microsoft SQL Stack and Power BI software in his career. He has experience with creating complex SQL queries and various data extraction techniques. His passion for data modeling and data visualizations motivates him to bring his clients meaningful insights about their data. His recent exposure to Git and Azure DevOps have prompted him to present his findings at SQL Saturday.
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/in/farouq
Contact: http://www.blogger.com
Farouq Abukhamireh is a Microsoft Business Intelligence Architect and a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) who is focused on Microsoft’s Business Intelligence (BI) stack (Power BI, Azure, SSAS, SSIS, SSRS, MDX, DAX, Excel Services, PowerPivot, PowerView and SharePoint). Farouq is a seasoned Information Technology professional with 21 years of experience developing innovative solutions using Microsoft technologies. Farouq works as a consultant with Dicense LTD.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sqlbek
Contact: http://sqlbek.wordpress.com
Andy Yun is a SentryOne Principal Solutions Engineer and a former Microsoft MVP. He has been working with SQL Server for nearly 20 years as both a Database Developer and Administrator. Leveraging knowledge of SQL Server Internals and extensive experience in highly transactional environments, he strives to make T-SQL leaner and meaner. Andy is extremely passionate about passing knowledge onto others, regularly speaking at User Groups, SQL Saturdays, and PASS Summit. Andy is a co-founder of the Chicago SQL Association, co-Chapter Leader of the Chicago Suburban User Group, and part of the Chicago SQL Saturday Organizing Committee.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phelanp
Pat Phelan first joined a computer user group (DECUS) in High School, and has joined many more since then. Pat worked many jobs in high school and college, and over twenty years for a major accounting firm. Pat started working for Involta in 2007 and is now the database mentor and a member of the Engineering team. Involta builds, owns and operates world class colocation datacenters and also provides managed services and support staff to clients.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuha
A Data and AI Premier Field Engineer by day and tech geek at all times. I enjoy working with data technologies as well as dabbling in other areas such as VR programming.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/eleightondick
Contact: http://www.edleightondick.com
Ed Leighton-Dick is a Microsoft MVP, SQL Server performance and architecture specialist, and Founder/Principal Consultant of Kingfisher Technologies. He is a frequent volunteer with PASS, including current roles as a Regional Mentor, co-leader of I-380 PASS local group, and co-leader of the HA/DR virtual group. He can often be found teaching sessions at local, regional, and national events, including user groups, SQLSaturday, and PASS Summit.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesdorame
Contact: http://www.jamesdorame.com/
Jim Dorame has been working with SQL Server for over 20 years. Over those years he has learned a great deal from the SQL community. He has also given back to the community in the hopes that he may help someone in their career. He is always looking for something to learn and luckily Microsoft keeps adding to SQL Server.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/allen-white-sql-server-mvp/5/784/b08/
Contact: http://dataperfpro.com/blog/
Allen White is a Data Platform consultant. He has been both a developer and an administrator, so he understands both perspectives towards database technology. He loves sharing his experiences and helping people learn how to use SQL Server. Allen has spent over 40 years in IT, using SQL Server since 1992, and has been awarded Microsoft’s MVP Award for the last 13 years. Allen was a PASS Director from 2016 - 2018.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielmallott/
Contact: https://www.danielmallott.com
Dan Mallott is a Chicago-based consultant for West Monroe Partners in their Technology Practice. His passion is for service-layer development, particularly database technologies, including Microsoft SQL Server and Apache Cassandra. Recent projects have included designing a new integration architecture for a mid-sized health insurer, designing a full technical architecture for a large health insurer, building a new member portal for a healthcare-related association, and developing threat hunting software for use by West Monroe. In his spare time, Dan can be found writing his own libraries instead of using package solutions, or on the ice as a hockey player and referee.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/scott-hietpas/2/119/189
Contact: http://www.skylinetechnologies.com/
Scott is a solution architect at Skyline Technologies with over 20 years of consulting experience helping organizations solve business problems with technology. He has architected on-premises and cloud-based data integration and data warehouse solutions as a foundation for data-driven decision making capabilities, and helped organizations adopt rich data visualization tools such as Power BI to turn data into insights.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossmcneely
Contact: https://rossmcneely.com
Ross McNeely is a Tail Wind Principal Consultant in Data Management, and the Practice Manager of Business Intelligence. He works with external vendors, customers, and partners to integrate disperse data sources. Throughout most of his 15 year career he has been specializing in Information Management, and implementing solutions for Information Strategy, Information Asset Management, Enterprise Data Management, and Business Intelligence.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rileymajor
Contact: http://www.Scribnasium.com/
Riley Major is an Enterprise Architect based in the Twin Cities, MN metro area who enjoys collaborating with business leaders to design technical solutions and working with technology professionals to build them. He's been programming and designing databases since he was a kid and doing so professionally for 20 years. He has a special place in his heart for T-SQL in SQL Server and loves to share that enthusiasm.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/en/philekins
Phil Ekins is a Principal Architect at House of Brick Technologies. With over two decades of experience in SQL Server, Automation, Migrations, Virtualization and HA/DR Solutions. Phil has presented at SQL Saturday's and Local Chapters. As a AWS Certified Solutions Architect and a seasoned SQL Server Professional Phil brings a DBA's needs to the world of cloud computing.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doclane
Thomas has been living and breathing Microsoft databases for over twenty years and is now relishing his position as a DW Consultant at Talavant (www.Talavant.com). After receiving his Ph.D. in Chemistry and following three years as a post-doc at Marquette University, Thomas left the world of science for a career in IT. He has worked as a programming and database instructor, a VB and C# developer, and for the past fourteen years worked with SQL server as a DBA, ETL specialist, and Data Architect at various Midwestern companies. Thomas recently received his MSCE in Data Management and Analytics.
Contact: https://erikdarlingdata.com/blog/
Erik Darling started using SQL Server after a dispute with Excel over a vlookup. He enjoys public arguments with the optimizer and wine photography.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossmcneely
Contact: https://rossmcneely.com
Ross McNeely is a Tail Wind Principal Consultant in Data Management, and the Practice Manager of Business Intelligence. He works with external vendors, customers, and partners to integrate disperse data sources. Throughout most of his 15 year career he has been specializing in Information Management, and implementing solutions for Information Strategy, Information Asset Management, Enterprise Data Management, and Business Intelligence.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sqlbek
Contact: http://sqlbek.wordpress.com
Andy Yun is a SentryOne Principal Solutions Engineer and a former Microsoft MVP. He has been working with SQL Server for nearly 20 years as both a Database Developer and Administrator. Leveraging knowledge of SQL Server Internals and extensive experience in highly transactional environments, he strives to make T-SQL leaner and meaner. Andy is extremely passionate about passing knowledge onto others, regularly speaking at User Groups, SQL Saturdays, and PASS Summit. Andy is a co-founder of the Chicago SQL Association, co-Chapter Leader of the Chicago Suburban User Group, and part of the Chicago SQL Saturday Organizing Committee.
Contact: https://concurrencyexchange.com
Jake has been a T-SQL developer since 2013, starting after he jumped ship from an academic life as a mathematics professor to the software industry. He focuses on solving difficult concurrency problems, large scale data warehouse ETL processes, data conversions, and understanding SQL Server optimizer behavior.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brijeetakula
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Contact: https://www.DBA-Art.com
Arthur Daniels is a Premier Field Engineer (PFE) at Microsoft. He has focused on diagnosing and optimizing performance on very large databases in mission critical environments.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/brianlarsonscs
Contact: http://sqlmag.com/author/brian-larson
Brian Larson is Chief Creative Officer/Partner at Superior Consulting Services and has presented at SQL Server Connections, PASS Summit, and the Microsoft BI Conference. As a consultant to Microsoft, Brian contributed to the original code base of Reporting Services. Brian is the author of “Microsoft SQL Server 2016 Reporting Services: 5th Edition” and “Delivering Business Intelligence with SQL Server 2016: 4th Edition”, as well as the forthcoming “Data Analysis with Microsoft Power BI.”
Contact: https://orderbyselectnull.com
Joe Obbish has nearly a decade of experience with SQL Server and other database platforms. He works as a query tuning, columnstore, and scalability expert within Epic, a large EHR and analytics vendor in Madison, WI. In less than two years, he became one of the top contributors for SQL Server on the DBA StackExchange community. Joe blogs about advanced columnstore and query tuning topics on his blog, http://www.orderbyselectnull.com. In his spare time, Joe enjoys baking and sharing these treats with his coworkers.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-bland-sql-server
Contact: https://www.davebland.com
Over 20 years of SQL Server experience that includes being a DBA, BI development and Application development using VB.NET. Dave currently is the Manager of the DBA team at Stericycle. Dave is a Friend of Red-Gate for 2019. He is a frequent presenter at SQL Saturday events and user groups around the country. Has been teaching SQL Server since version 2000 and is the SQL Server instructor at Harper College in Palatine, IL. Current certifications include: • Microsoft Certified Trainer • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, BI Development and Maintenance • MCSA: SQL Server 2008 • MCSA: SQL Server 2016 • MCSE: SQL Server 2016 - BI • MCDBA: SQL Server 2000 • MCSD • MCSE: Data Management and Analytics
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phelanp
Pat Phelan first joined a computer user group (DECUS) in High School, and has joined many more since then. Pat worked many jobs in high school and college, and over twenty years for a major accounting firm. Pat started working for Involta in 2007 and is now the database mentor and a member of the Engineering team. Involta builds, owns and operates world class colocation datacenters and also provides managed services and support staff to clients.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/eleightondick
Contact: http://www.edleightondick.com
Ed Leighton-Dick is a Microsoft MVP, SQL Server performance and architecture specialist, and Founder/Principal Consultant of Kingfisher Technologies. He is a frequent volunteer with PASS, including current roles as a Regional Mentor, co-leader of I-380 PASS local group, and co-leader of the HA/DR virtual group. He can often be found teaching sessions at local, regional, and national events, including user groups, SQLSaturday, and PASS Summit.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-mannhardt-569b7830/
Contact: https://powerpivotpro.com/
An experienced Data and Analytics leader, with 10 years of diverse experience. With a specialty in Power BI, Justin helps individuals and organizations get the most from their data. As a Principal Consultant with PowerPivotPro, Justin knows what it takes to deliver a successful Power BI deployment from Data Management to ETL to Dashboards, and everything in between. Justin is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate in BI Reporting.
The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event.