PDF of Schedule

Revenge: The SQL!

Abstract:

Pop quiz DBA: Your developers are running rampant in production. Logic, reason, and threats have all failed. You're on the edge. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO? Hint: You attend Revenge: The SQL! This session will show you how to "correct" all those bad practices. Everyone logging in as sa? Running huge cursors? Using SELECT * in ad-hoc SQL? Stop them dead, without actually killing them. Ever dropped a table, or database, or WHERE clause? You can prevent that! And if you’re tired of folks ignoring your naming conventions, make them behave with Unicode…and take your revenge! Revenge: The SQL! is fun and educational and may even have some practical use, but you’ll want to attend simply to indulge your Dark Side. Revenge: The SQL! assumes no liability and is not available in all 50 states. Do not taunt Revenge: The SQL! or Happy Fun Ball.

Speaker(s): Rob Volk,

Smart Alerts in SQL DB using Automation and Logic Apps

Abstract:

If you've played with Azure SQL DB, you'll know that there is no SQL Agent provided with the service. Fortunately there's options available to get over this hurdle such as Azure Automation which can be used as a scheduling engine to run PowerShell or Python scripts to perform your tasks. However, Azure Automation Runbooks can also be triggered from Azure SQL DB alerts. This session will introduce Azure Automation, from a basic manually executed Runbook to an alert-driven responsive utility that can save you considerable effort. We'll then take our Alert responses a step further and use them to trigger an Azure Logic App workflow. Azure Logic Apps provide a robust workspace with built-in scalability and retry logic for your workflow along with many connectors which can expand the response to your alert. Imagine capturing an Alert, performing remedial action, logging the issue response in your ticketing system and switching on the kettle for a cuppa while Azure does all the work.

Speaker(s): Martin Cairney,

Power BI Infographic related on the Power BI Eco System

Abstract:

What actually makes up the Power BI Eco System? Have you ever wondered what are all the parts that make up the Power BI Eco System and their features? In this session I will cover the area's which make up the Power BI Eco system. This will include Power BI Desktop, Power BI Service (Free, Pro Premium), Power BI Gateway, Power BI Report Server Power BI Mobile App. The goal of this session will be to give you a better understanding of all the working parts. And once you have a better understanding it will allow you to have the knowledge to know what to do where. It will be an insightful journey into how much is actually going on within the world of Power BI in an easy to understand and digest manner. The most popular blog posts are ones where it is easier concepts and details on how Power BI works.

Speaker(s): Gilbert Quevauvilliers,

5 Critical Considerations When Moving to the Cloud

Abstract:

Migrating an existing on-premises SQL Server application to the cloud can be a daunting task that consists of many complicated steps. In this webinar, our focus is on what is perhaps the MOST important steps of the process – those that lead up to the actual move to the cloud. The session takes you on a dive deep into the most critical considerations for moving your data and databases into the cloud, whether you use Microsoft Azure, Amazon, or another cloud provider. We will cover: • The importance of cleansing your data before a major migration • Fully documenting your data sources and metadata • Choosing from many different tools and techniques to move the actual data • How to test data for fidelity • Forecasting how much migration will cost • How to maintain parallel systems during transitional phases You also see demos and overviews of native features within SQL Server that enable you to move data, as well as show powerful tools from the SentryOne product set that can make

Speaker(s): Kevin Kline,

Introduction to SQL Server Managed Instances

Abstract:

Azure Managed Instances are one of the newest SQL Server related PAAS offering from Microsoft (Azure SQL Managed Instance GA in September 2018). It can be considered a hybrid of Azure SQL Database and on-premises SQL Server with all the great benefits of Platform as a Service. In this session we will explore: What exactly are Azure Managed Instances The differences between Azure SQL Database, Managed Instances, and SQL Server on an Azure VM What's good and what could be improved. We'll investigate: 1. When to consider this option 2. How to "lift and shift" our "production" instances. 3.What Service level to consider and the possible costs. We will also discuss some of the future directions, in particular the new Hyperscale service tier

Speaker(s): Patrick Flynn,

Test Driven Development in SQL Server – how to deploy code safer

Abstract:

Test Driven Development (TDD) is a design approach which has enabled application developers to write cleaner code. It is relevant for database development as it ensures that code produced using TDD and unit tests will be of higher quality which means interactions with data will be safer. TDD is not a new method of unit testing, it is an essential design practice for improving the quality of your deployed code. In this session it will be shown how we can use TDD to design and write better unit tests using open-source frameworks and industry standard tools. These tools can be run within SQL Server Management Studio which means DBAs can also take advantage of TDD and unit test, to ensure more reliable code is deployed to databases. TDD can result in code that can be deployed more reliably and faster when using DevOps processes such as Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery. A comprehensive DEMO will reveal how Test Driven Development can help you deploy database code safer.

Speaker(s): Hamish Watson,

Enterprise Big Data Analytics using Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2

Abstract:

Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 is a highly scalable and cost-effective data lake solution for big data analytics. Data Lake Storage Gen2 makes Azure Storage the foundation for building enterprise data lakes on Azure. Data Lake Storage Gen2 allows you to easily manage massive amounts of data. In this session you will learn • How to ingest structured and unstructured data into Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2? • How to access Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 data with Azure Data Bricks using Spark? • How to secure data in Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2? At the end of the session you will learn how to implement end to end Analytics for a modern Data Warehouse using Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2.

Speaker(s): Anupama Natarajan,

Performance Baselining and Alerting

Abstract:

Ensuring peak performance on an instance of Microsoft SQL Server is not easy and requires a lot of work on the part of the DBA. Experienced DBAs know that to maintain the best possible performance, you need to make sure you are monitoring the right performance metrics on a regular basis. Using those metrics, you can determine what normal performance looks like under most workloads. After all, when troubleshooting, how can you tell what is abnormal performance if you don’t know what is normal? But how do you know what performance information to track and how to interpret it? Baseline comparisons can help. This session describes techniques and procedures to monitor important performance metrics you can use to define as a baseline for “normal” performance. From there, we will show you how to use these baseline metrics to identify and alert on abnormal circumstances. The session includes detailed demos of how to use the native Microsoft tools, plus open-source tools, to run baseline and b

Speaker(s): Kevin Kline,

(Humble) Azure Cloud Shell CLI : Demo

Abstract:

Azure Cloud Shell has been around for some time (months) now. Let's explore some of the things you can do with it - for free! Especially useful for those midnight side-projects, and maybe, for start-up enthusiasts.

Speaker(s): Vikas Rajput,

Technologies to Watch: A Gaze into Greg's Crystal Ball

Abstract:

Last year, Greg delivered a session on technologies that fascinate a technologist as the keynote for SQL Saturday Auckland. People were raving about it afterwards and wanted to see a longer version of it. This is a longer and updated version of that keynote. Greg dives into technologies that fascinate him, that he thinks will fascinate you, and that he thinks will fundamentally alter the world. He looks into how they are likely to change work as we know it today. Come and be intrigued and inspired.

Speaker(s): Greg Low,

Your Modern Data Warehouse Journey with Azure

Abstract:

Game on! It’s time to move or create your data warehouse in Azure. What are the options? Azure offers an endless list of services that will be a good fit for your data warehouse solution. This session covers the main services and classifies them into the various layers of a data warehouse architecture. I am also going to show you how easy it is to start developing and delivering within the Azure environment and share some tips that can help you start this journey. Azure Data Warehouse, Databricks, Data Lake and Data Factory are some of the services that will be part of this session.

Speaker(s): David Alzamendi,

Modern Enterprise BI in Azure

Abstract:

With lot of BI and Analytics solutions moving to the cloud, you might be asking yourself what a modern, end-to-end BI solution looks like now. There are several different options for how you can implement such a solution. In this session, Craig will discuss and demonstrate how you can implement enterprise BI in Azure. Craig will do so by taking "on-premises" data into Azure SQL Data Warehouse and then surface this in Power BI. Some of the technologies used will include: - SQL Server - Azure Data Factory - Azure SQL Data Warehouse - Azure Analysis Services - Power BI

Speaker(s): Craig Bryden,

Bridging the gap between SSRS and Power BI

Abstract:

Traditionally, SSRS is used for paginated reports which gives flexibility like drill through reports, subscriptions and print formatting. With Power BI the reports are now more interactive and dynamic. There are still few gaps between these two platforms which are built to purpose. This gap is getting smaller as features are ported between these two platforms. In this session I will be going through various features which are bridging these gaps and point out the differences. These are significant and can affect your decision in choosing the right platform which will fit your needs.

Speaker(s): Manohar Punna,

SQL Server Deployment Options and When to Use Them (Full Instance vs Managed Instance vs PAAS)

Abstract:

With the advent of cloud we now have multiple deployment options for SQL Server. Be it a Full instance on premise or in the cloud, to a managed instance or a Platform as a service in the form of Azure SQL Database - each deployment options have their own use case. In this session, we will explore SQL Server's deployment options to help you decide which path is applicable to which scenarios.

Speaker(s): Pio Balistoy,

Looking at the Cosmos(DB)

Abstract:

Azure Cosmos DB is Microsoft’s Globally Distributed, Multi-Model database service. Transparently scaling across multiple Azure regions, Cosmos DB provides for many API’s including MongoDB, Cassandra, Gremlin and SQL. It offers multiple consistency models and guarantees uptime or 5 9’s. In this session we’ll take a look at this technology and learn how it might be useful – either now or in the future.

Speaker(s): Martin Catherall,

Always Encrypted in SQL Server

Abstract:

Always Encrypted was added to SQL Server 2016 and is being enhanced in SQL Server 2019 to easily allow developers and DBAs to protect their data with strong encryption. Come learn how to design and implement Always Encrypted, including a discussion of the requirements, capabilities, and limitations for your environment. We will discuss the places where this encryption mechanism makes sense while showing the ease with which this can be added to an application while providing the potential architectural issues you may encounter.

Speaker(s): Steve Jones,

Understanding Big Data Clusters

Abstract:

Starting with SQL Server 2019 preview, SQL Server Big Data Clusters allow you to deploy scalable clusters of SQL Server, Spark, and HDFS containers running on Kubernetes. These components are running side by side to enable you to read, write, and process big data from Transact-SQL or Spark, allowing you to easily combine and analyze your high-value relational data with high-volume big data. In this session we will explore the technology and business/use cases for using SQL Server Big Data Clusters within your organisation. Welcome to the future of SQL Server.

Speaker(s): Victor Isakov,

Branding Yourself for a Dream Job

Abstract:

Everyone wants a great job that they enjoy, but few of us know how to take charge of our career. Learn why it's important to raise your profile in today's highly competitive world where there are often more candidates than positions for great jobs. This session will help you build a strong brand that allows you to attract potential employers or clients and start to convince them ahead of time that you are the person they want to hire.

Speaker(s): Steve Jones,