SQLSaturday #164 - Cleveland 2012

Event Date: 08/18/2012 00:00:00

Event Location:

  • DeVry University
  • 4141 Rockside Road
  • Cleveland, Ohio

PDF of Schedule

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Sessions

This is a list of sessions from the event, based on the schedule in the XML files.


Title: LinkedIn for SQL Server Professionals

Abstract: LinkedIn is more than an online resume! The platform is chock full of useful features for networking, relationship building, and job searching. Think of it as your professional online image. LinkedIn is rapidly becoming the de facto platform for business networking. There are many powerful, advanced features that most people don’t know how to use or even exist. It is also an online communication platform, professional networking portal, and contacts database. Takeaways include: how to optimize and polish your profile, how to get your profile to 100%, quality vs. quantity networking strategies, selecting of and the correct use of LinkedIn groups

Speaker(s):

  • Craig Purnell

Track and Room: LL5 - N/A


Title: Creating a Metadata Mart w/ SSIS - Data Governance

Abstract: This is an expanded and updated version of the session I presented at the SQL Rally in Orlando. We will cover Tactical Data Governance and in detail specific code examples, using Stock and Custom SSIS Transforms ,Data Models, SSAS Cubes used to create and populate a Metadata Mart as defined by Michael Belcher(Gartner). We  will demonstrate incorporating complete custom Data Profiling capabilities (SSIS Transform Scripting, TSQL) capable of Profiling any Source and Targeting any destination. In addition we will implement Data Quality(Address Correction, Fuzzy Matching) and Visualization via PowerPivot , Excel and QlikView. Last will will demonstrate code generation.

Speaker(s):

  • Ira Warren

Track and Room: LL16 - N/A


Title: Hierarchies… on Steroids the No RBAR Way

Abstract: Hierarchical data sets are everywhere. If you haven’t worked with one yet, you will. If you’re already working with them, you know they can be horribly complex, slow performing, difficult to maintain resource hogs that can really take the steam out of any GUI or batch process. This simple but code intensive “black arts” session shows you how to quickly and easily get around all of that using all 3 common hierarchical structures and a new structure that just might make Nested Sets obsolete. For stalwarts, it also includes a very high performance method (100,000 nodes in 6 seconds) for converting Adjacency Lists to Nested Sets that even a beginner can understand. You just have to know that a Tally Table is involved somewhere in this. ;-)

Speaker(s):

  • Jeff Moden

Track and Room: 114/115 - N/A


Title: Building Your Own SQL Server Virtual Playground

Abstract: As the number of SQL Server versions and features grow over time so does the the difficulty in maintaining a set of tools for working with all of them on your local machine. Add in that some features require multiple physical instances and suddenly a single installation isn’t enough. Need to quickly switch between versions and editions of SQL Server? Want to learn how to set up a cluster? Or maybe you want to try out the latest features in SQL 2012…virtualization offers a convenient way to do any or all of these. In this session we’ll show you how by covering the fundamentals of desktop virtualization and demonstrating how to set up a virtual playground on your own machine.

Speaker(s):

  • Kendal Van Dyke

Track and Room: LL9 - N/A


Title: Factors for Successful Business Intelligence

Abstract: Whether you are starting your first business intelligence project or have a struggling effort underway, this presentation will explain the challenges typically encountered in a BI effort. Success factors are grouped by skills and staffing, philosophy and architecture, technology selection, development methodology, quanlity and testing, production engineering, and user training. Addressing these factors early can avoid a failed project, and turn a good project into a great project!

Speaker(s):

  • Dave Rodabaugh

Track and Room: LL2 - N/A


Title: Strategies for Sharding with SQL Azure Federations

Abstract: Putting big data in the cloud is not without its difficulties and the Microsoft Azure teams have been consistently upping the resource limits that you are able to utilize within a given instance. Those of us with larger capacity instances still have to hedge our bets when looking at moving to the cloud. That is until the recent release of SQL Azure Federations, which offers a native SQL Azure based option to possible unlimited scalability. In this session, we will break down the basics of sharding within SQL Azure Federations, explain what needs to be taken into consideration in terms of database design, and put you on the right path to a successful Federation based deployment.

Speaker(s):

  • Arie Jones

Track and Room: LL13 - N/A


Title: What Sequence objects are (and are not)

Abstract: SQL Server 2012 adds a new object to our arsenal called a sequence that can will give us the capability to implement automatically incrementing values. However, it cannot replace a lot of functionality that we have used a numbers table and windowing functions for (though they can be complimentary to one another). In this session I will demonstrate the uses and performance characteristics of sequences, including how they compliment the use of number tables and windowing functions to create surrogate key and sorting values, and more.

Speaker(s):

  • Louis Davidson

Track and Room: 114/115 - N/A


Title: Administering the BI Stack

Abstract: More often than not, a SQL DBA will also be requested (or required) to administer other applications in the SQL universe. These applications are often the BI stack, SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS. In this session, you will learn not only what each of these applications does, but also some behind the scenes views into how they work. At the end of this session, you will have a better feeling of what to look for when something goes wrong, and have the knowledge to be proactive with your Business Intelligence implementations.

This session will focus on the SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS engines in this session. Not a session for developers, we will be focusing on the ADMINISTRATION of these applications/services only.

Speaker(s):

  • Josh Fennessy

Track and Room: LL15 - N/A


Title: Introduction to SQL Server Service Broker

Abstract: In this session, we’ll cover the basics of setting up SQL Server Service Broker from the ground up with lots of demos. We’ll discuss some pros and cons to using Service Broker, some common problems encountered when using it, and some example use cases. If you’ve ever been curious about Service Broker, need to send data between databases or instances, or are wondering if Service Broker is right for your organization, then you won’t want to miss this session.

Speaker(s):

  • Adam Belebczuk

Track and Room: LL13 - N/A


Title: Transactional Replication: Beyond The Basics

Abstract: Transactional replication can support synchronizing from as few as a hundred to as many as hundreds of millions or more of changes a day across multiple servers. However, replication is more than clicking your way through wizards; Monitoring and tuning are required to achieve optimal performance and the number of processes involved increase the likelihood that problems can (and usually will) occur. This session is for DBA already familiar with the basics of transactional replication and looking to go beyond the setup wizards to gain a deeper understanding of the technology. We’ll cover monitoring techniques, calibrating performance, and troubleshooting common replication problems plus share some tricks and tips.

Speaker(s):

  • Kendal Van Dyke

Track and Room: LL9 - N/A


Title: Designing for Common Problems in SQL Server

Abstract: In this session, I will do a design and code review of several common patterns of solving problems that a typical programmer will come up against. Problems like coding for hierarchical data, data driven design, dealing with image data, structure generalization, user specified schemas, dimensional reporting, and dealing with uniqueness beyond what you might deal with using a simple uniqueness constraint might allow you to deal with.

Speaker(s):

  • Louis Davidson

Track and Room: 114/115 - N/A


Title: Designing Tabular BI Semantic Models

Abstract: Analysis Services Tabular models provide a new paradigm for analytical data exploration and analysis. This session explains the architecture and significance of Tabular models powered by xVelocity, and will get you started creating high-performance analytical databases with stunning performance characteristics. Both PowerPivot and SSAS Server-based models will be covered.

Speaker(s):

  • Rob Kerr

Track and Room: LL16 - N/A


Title: Database Design Throwdown

Abstract: A highly interactive debate between Thomas LaRock and Karen Lopez about options and best practices of common and advanced design issues, such as: * Natural vs. Surrogate keys *NULL vs NOT NULL * Quality vs Performance…and others. Bring your votes, your debates, and your opinions.

Speaker(s):

  • Thomas LaRock

Track and Room: 114/115 - N/A


Title: Fundamentals of Join Operations

Abstract: This is a wonderful session for those that don’t yet grok the three types of joins available to the SQL Server engine or the scenarios for which each join type is optimal. All will be explained here with some very slick visual demonstrations of internal data flow as well as TSQL code samples. We will also show how bad performance can get when suboptimal joins are used.

Speaker(s):

  • Kevin Boles

Track and Room: LL2 - N/A


Title: Way Too Deep–Inside AlwaysOn

Abstract: Are you really interested in the new Always On Availability Group feature in SQL 2012? Like really interested? We will talk about the basic architecture of AlwaysOn, then dive deep into the system views behind it, and then use Extended Events, to walk through what’s going on inside of SQL and the Windows cluster to make AlwaysOn work.

Speaker(s):

  • Joseph D’Antoni

Track and Room: LL15 - N/A


Title: Searching for the Holy Grail of DDL Auditing

Abstract: Who altered this view and how? When was this index created? What happened to my stored procedure? From SQL Trace to SQL Audit, from C2 to Extended Events, we’ll explore various methods of auditing object changes in SQL Server in a quest to find the perfect DDL audit solution.

Speaker(s):

  • Colleen Morrow

Track and Room: LL9 - N/A


Title: SQL Injection

Abstract: Well, we have all heard about the horror stories of data loss due to SQL Injection and how costly (in many ways) they can be. This in-depth discussion covers various forms of SQL Injection attacks and offers some guidelines on how to avoid them. Lots of code examples in both .NET and TSQL. Watch me hack a website and retrieve user data in just 3 hits on an unprotected html page!

Speaker(s):

  • Kevin Boles

Track and Room: LL5 - N/A


Title: Migrating to and Integrating with SQL Azure

Abstract: This is SQL Azure 102. Now that you have an idea of how to create and use a SQL Azure database in the cloud, let’s discuss the questions around Migration and Integration. How do you migrate to the Cloud? What are the challenges? Why should you Integrate On-Prem and Cloud data? How do you implement this? What are the tools available to you? We’ll cover these questions, demos on Migration and Integration, plus Backup and Syncing demos.

Speaker(s):

  • Jeff Mlakar

Track and Room: LL13 - N/A


Title: SQL Server Security for Developers

Abstract: SQL Server has a robust and granular system for granting and denying access to users, but all too often we see applications running as DBO or even sysadmin. Why? Part of is that same granular system can be overwhelming and part is that many developers don’t see the point in applying such granular security. In this introductory level presentation we’ll start at the beginning with creating and managing logins, take a quick look at system roles, and then get into the nitty gritty of users and roles and permissions at the database level. Along the way we’ll talk about why its so important to set security at the database and not just rely on the application enforced security.

Speaker(s):

  • Andy Warren

Track and Room: 114/115 - N/A


Title: TempDB Performance Troubleshooting and Optimizing

Abstract: Every SQL Server instance relies on the tempdb database. Whether through explicit use with #temp tables or @table variables, or implicit use through working space for many other operations, most tempdb databases get quite a workout. This session will dig into many of the otherwise-hidden issues that can kill server performance. After this session, you will be able to spot tempdb performance issues, drill into the causes, and take the steps necessary to solve them.

Speaker(s):

  • Eddie Wuerch

Track and Room: LL9 - N/A


Title: SQL Server and Sharepoint: Best Frienemies

Abstract: SharePoint is a rapidly growing application that relies heavily on SQL Server. In this session, we will discuss what a DBA needs to know to successfully manage instances hosting SharePoint databases. What configurations options are best for a SharePoint workload? What kind of maintenance shoule be performed? How should databases be provisioned? What the heck are all these databases for anyway? We will also discuss some nomenclature and key components of SharePoint to help better communicate with SharePoint application teams.

Speaker(s):

  • Lisa Gardner

Track and Room: LL15 - N/A


Title: Before You Optimize: Understanding Execution Plans

Abstract: You know what your query does, but do you know how it does it? Do you know what type of resources your query uses? Come to this session to find the answers to these questions and more as we walk through reading execution plans. We will see how SQL breaks down the execution of your query and what each step tells us about the overall query. If you are newer to Microsoft SQL or you just don’t feel totally comfortable with reading execution plans, this session is for you.

Speaker(s):

  • Tim Corey

Track and Room: LL2 - N/A


Title: Shade Tree Mechanic’s Guide to SSAS

Abstract: This is a session for the SQL DBA that has SSAS in their environment, but is not sure what happens under the hood when it queried, much less how to tell if it’s performing at its best. This is not a session on query optimization. But, this session will help you better understand if there is room for query optimization or if some basic configuration changes might provide that needed boost. We’ll discuss the basic architecture of SSAS and cover some of the most pertinent metrics to give you a quick and easy view into your SSAS server’s performance.

Speaker(s):

  • Steven Wright

Track and Room: LL9 - N/A


Title: Building a Better Development Shop

Abstract: In a world where “every company is becoming a software company”, building and managing a software development team that can consistently deliver value is a key concern for hiring managers and executives. In this presentation we cover the key qualities of good software, discuss research showing why hiring great developers pays big dividends, explore why your hiring process sucks, and cover common traits of high performing teams, and more importantly things in your environment that drive great developers away. Bonus: Most of the recommendations are inexpensive!

Speaker(s):

  • Eric Wise

Track and Room: LL5 - N/A


Title: Resource Governor for SQL Server

Abstract: In this presentation, Steve will provide an overview of Resource Governor, a feature introduced in SQL Server 2008 that gives DBAs and system administrators much more granular control over how CPU and memory are used by SQL Server. He’ll discuss the components that make up Resource Governor, then walk through examples of how to set it up along with various usage scenarios.

Speaker(s):

  • Steven Wright

Track and Room: LL9 - N/A


Title: SQL 2012 – All About HA and DR

Abstract: Have you heard about all of the new Availability Group features in SQL 2012? Thinking about implementing a DR solution, but don’t know where to start. In this presentation you’ll learn all about the new DR features in SQL Server 2012 and see them in practice.

Speaker(s):

  • Joseph D’Antoni

Track and Room: LL15 - N/A


Title: 14 New T-SQL Functions

Abstract: The 2012 release of SQL Server introduces 14 new functions for developers. This list includes functions for conversion, date/time calculation, enhanced logic, and string manipulation. In this session we’ll cover the ins and outs of these new functions, making you a better T-SQL developer.

Speaker(s):

  • Sam Nasr

Track and Room: LL13 - N/A


Title: Goodbye Next Next Next, Hello Automated Installs

Abstract: Tired of clicking through all those setup screens and entering the same information over and over again? I know I am, so I’m doing something about it…I’m automating my installs! From base SQL Server installs to Service Packs, Cumulative Updates and even Client Tools for DBA’s and Developers, I’ll show you ways to automate your installs using SQL Server FineBuild (CodePlex Project). We’ll cover many of the scenarios you may encounter and you’ll walk away with some pre-built install scripts to help get you started.

Speaker(s):

  • Brian Davis

Track and Room: LL15 - N/A


Title: Designing a SQL 2012 BI Architecture

Abstract: Learn how to combine SQL Server and SharePoint technologies to deliver compelling insights and rich data exploration. This session covers architecture and deployment planning for BI solutions using SQL Server, Analysis Services, PowerPivot, Power View, Excel Services and related technologies.

Speaker(s):

  • Rob Kerr

Track and Room: LL16 - N/A


Title: Communicate for Great Good!

Abstract: “No one knows what I do.” That’s a chief complaint of data professionals everywhere, and it’s a dangerous position to be in as well. Reviews may not be favorable, promotions more uncommon, and training dollars more rare. But by practicing written and verbal communication, new opportunities may present themselves. Blogging can land a book deal. In-house team lunch-and-learns can lead to community presentations. Most of all, good communication can be the skill that saves your job or opens the door to new horizons.

Speaker(s):

  • Matt Velic

Track and Room: LL5 - N/A


Title: Building Your Professional Development Plan

Abstract: Plan the work and work the plan. Are you doing that when it comes to your professional development? Few of us have a formal approach to professional development and that usually means it gets pushed down the list as other things in life happen. This session is designed to get you thinking about all aspects of your career and from there moves into a discussion about time and money - how much of each are you willing to spend to get where you want to go? At the end of this presentation you’ll be ready for spend a couple quiet hours charting all the things you want to do, and then figuring out which ones you really want to do.

Speaker(s):

  • Andy Warren

Track and Room: LL5 - N/A


Title: Page Latches for Mere Mortals

Abstract: Latching is a necessary function of the database engine. Although latching is a topic is normally presented only in expert-level sessions, a good grasp of the problems excessive latching exposes is important even for novice tuners. This session focuses on the PAGELATCH_* and PAGEIOLATCH_* wait types, explaining what is happening, why it is happening, and how to use the exposed information to tune queries and solve performance problems. If you’ve seen these wait types in Activity Monitor and wonder what they meant, then this session is for you!

Speaker(s):

  • Eddie Wuerch

Track and Room: LL15 - N/A


Title: Conquering ETL Projects

Abstract: Few projects in Information Technology are as fraught with danger as data migration / ETL projects. With the life’s blood of the organization on the line ( the data ), these projects require strategies for success that are beyond just the code. After conquering successful data migration and merger projects, and surviving failed projects as well, I will present the life cycle of an ETL project, with strategies for handling the specifics of each phase. I will also share a battle hardened methodology for transforming and merging data with multiple key conflicts, and resolving overloaded fields.

Speaker(s):

  • Austin Zellner

Track and Room: LL13 - N/A


Title: Getting Started with Report Services: The Setup

Abstract: In the SQL Server tool box there is a great tool called SQL Server Report Services. With five different interfaces, Report Services can be a bit challenging to setup and configure. Our focus will include setup, configuration, and deployment. When you walk away from this session, you will understand terms like BIDS, SSRS, Report Builder, and Crescent. Also, as part of this session we will cover the differences between SQL 2008 R2 and SQL 2012. If you are looking for steps to start developing your repertoire of SQL Server Report Services, this is definitely a session to attend!

Speaker(s):

  • Cory Stevenson

Track and Room: LL2 - N/A


Title: Overview of PowerPivot

Abstract: Learn how easy it is to utilize the free download from Microsoft that allows users of Excel to extract business intelligence from a variety of data sources. This introductory session will demonstrate the power of PowerPivot in analyzing large sets of data quickly and efficiently.

Speaker(s):

  • David Eichner

Track and Room: LL16 - N/A


Title: So I started this blog… now what?

Abstract: Ever thought about trying your hand at blogging? Or maybe you’ve started a blog but struggle with what to write about. We’ll take a beginner’s look at blogging and examine common roadblocks, finding topics, building readership, and setting you on the road to blogging stardom.

Speaker(s):

  • Colleen Morrow

Track and Room: LL5 - N/A


Title: Profiler? What is this tool you speak of?

Abstract: Many new DBA’s are unaware of the power of SQL Profiler. Many don’t know it exists. And better yet, it’s FREE. This session will generalize the importance of using Profiler to troubleshoot and tune your SQL queries. By demonstrating Profiler on a running server, attendees will get a look at what SQL is currently executing. This session will show how to discover query duration, reads, writes, locks, deadlocks, stored procedure executions and more.

Speaker(s):

  • Jason Spangler

Track and Room: LL2 - N/A


Title: NoSQL: Know Your Enemy

Abstract: A current trend among application developers to is move data storage away from a traditional relational database model. This presentation will provide an introduction into the technology known as NoSQL. We will discuss who’s who in the NoSQL world and explain the different ways that NoSQL databases store data. We will also cover which types of applications are best suited for the NoSQL approach and when a relational database would be a more appropriate choice.

Speaker(s):

  • Shelly Noll

Track and Room: LL13 - N/A


Title: (Way Too Much) Fun with Reporting Services

Abstract: Head starting to explode from all the technical information you’re absorbing? Come spend a session with us while we play games with Reporting Services…literally! Come watch and cheer as SQL Server MVP Stacia Misner and a handpicked volunteer engage in word play, all wrapped up in SQL Server Reporting Services. They’ll push the limits with what can be built in SSRS and have a stupid amount of fun while doing it. Trash talk, board games and SQL…who could ask for more?

Speaker(s):

  • Stacia Varga

Track and Room: LL16 - N/A


Title: Data Visualization in Reporting Services

Abstract: Reporting Services 2008 R2 includes several new data visualization features - sparklines, data bars, indicators, and maps. In this latest release, you now have a wide range of options for helping viewers to better understand data through visualization. In this session, you learn what’s new, how best to use these new features, and how to avoid common design problems by properly applying principles of visual design.

Speaker(s):

  • Stacia Varga

Track and Room: LL16 - N/A


Title: Panel Discussion: Managing Your Career

Abstract: This session will provide a panel discussion on how you can best manage your career. Panelists will include experts from the IT industry as well as local recruiters, discussing what they look for when hiring or promoting candidates for hire, and how you can distinguish yourself to get that job that you really want.

Speaker(s):

  • Allen White

Track and Room: 114/115 - N/A


Title: Sets and Relations and Queries, Oh My!

Abstract: Let’s get back to the basics - we’ll talk about basic SQL and how set theory and the relational model are fundamental to building solid queries that do what you want and perform well, too. We’ll look at simple queries as well as some more complex ones, how SQL Server satisfies those queries and why set-based logic will give your applications superior performance. This session will provide an introduction to Transact-SQL as well as some looks behind the curtain to see how things really work.

Speaker(s):

  • Allen White

Track and Room: LL2 - N/A


Speakers

This is a list of speakers from the XML Guidebook records. The details and URLs were valid at the time of the event.

Jeff Moden

With more than 51,000 posts and 39 mostly 5 star articles, Jeff Moden is a strong contributor on SQLServerCentral.com where he coined the term “RBAR” (Row By Agonizing Row) and helped make the “Tally Table” a household name. Jeff has more than 2 decades of experience with SQL Server and is mostly self-trained in what he calls the “Black Arts” of T-SQL. He’s known worldwide for his informative articles, high performance T-SQL coding methods, and methods of mentoring. His dedication to helping others earned him the MS SQL Server MVP award for nine years and the RedGate Exceptional DBA Award in 2011. His mantra is “Performance is in the code”.

Andy Warren

Twitter: - @sqlandy

Contact: https://sqlandy.com

Andy Warren is a SQL Server consultant and trainer based in Orlando, FL. Focusing on administration, performance tuning, and SQL Server patterns and practices, he’s been a SQL Server MVP since 2008. Andy served two terms on the PASS Board of Directors, was a founding principal in SQLServerCentral, and created both the SQLSaturday and SQLRally event models.

Louis Davidson

Twitter: - drsql

LinkedIn: Louis Davidson

Contact: https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/author/louis-davidson/

Louis Davidson has worked in the IT industry for over 25 years as a corporate database developer and architect. He has been a Microsoft SQL Server MVP for 15 years and has written five books on database design, and contributed to many other SQL Server books as an author and tech editor. He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. You can read more about Louis at http://drsql.org.

Arie Jones

Twitter: - @programmersedge

LinkedIn: Arie Jones

Contact: http://www.programmersedge.com

Arie Jones (quot;AJquot;) is one of the owners and Vice President of Emerging Technologies for Indy Data Partners, Inc. in Indianapolis, IN. AJ is a frequent speaker at national conferences and local user groups. With over 15 years of experience in application development and database administration on various platforms, he specializes in developing cross-platform solutions with an emphasis on .NET and SQL Server technologies. He blogs extensively at http://www.programmersedge.com.

Stacia Varga

Twitter: - @StaciaV

LinkedIn: Stacia Varga

Contact: http://blog.datainspirations.com

Stacia Varga is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and SSAS Maestro with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences. A consultant, educator, author, and principal of Data Inspirations, her career spans more than 30 years, with a focus on improving business practices through technology.

Since 2000, Stacia has provided consulting and education services for Microsoft’s Business Intelligence technologies. As Stacia Misner, she also authored several books covering the Microsoft BI stack.

Lisa Gardner

Twitter: - sqlgardner

Contact: http://blogs.msdn.com/sqlgardner

Lisa Gardner is a Microsoft Premier Field Engineer based in Columbus, Ohio. She has been with Microsoft since early 2011 and has been a DBA and database developer since 1998. Throughout her DBA years, she also worked with Sybase and DB2, although SQL Server has always been her favorite RDBMS. Lisa’s passion for working with customers comes from many years of supporting high-profile production systems and wanting to help others gain from her experience.

Eddie Wuerch

Twitter: - @EddieW

LinkedIn: Eddie Wuerch

Contact: http://www.indydba.com

Eddie Wuerch has 20 years of experience as a SQL Server specialist in a much-longer IT career. A Microsoft Certified Master, Eddie spends his days in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, focusing on performance, scale, and uptime for the massive SQL Server backend. These SQL Servers churn billions of transactions daily against trillions of rows of data in a 24x7 continuously-available online system accessed by millions worldwide every day.

David Eichner

Twitter: - @ICANSoftware

LinkedIn: David Eichner

David Eichner is a licensed CPA and is also CEO of ICAN Software Corporation, a Microsoft Dynamics amp; Acumatica ERP partner firm that sell and implements ERP and CRM software, develops software solutions and provides technology consulting. He is the host of a radio show called Business In The Cloud that airs weekly on KLAY 1180AM. He is skilled in building integrated cloud app solutions. His career spans more than 20 years in various technical/managerial positions within industries as diverse as military service, engineering/construction, municipal government, consulting and certified public accounting. Additionally, he holds various national certificates in technology (MCDBA, MCSE, CNE, CITP, Dynamics CRM and ERP, Acumatica CRM and ERP)

Steven Wright

Twitter: - @SQL_Steve

LinkedIn: Steven Wright

Contact: https://blogs.sentryone.com/author/StevenWright/

Steve currently serves as Director of Advanced Analytics at SentryOne. As a member of the SentryOne team for over 13 years, Steve has broad experience working in various environments supporting the Microsoft Data Platform both on-prem and in the cloud. Steve has earned the Microsoft Professional Program Data Science Certification and manages a team of Data Scientists and BI Developers in support of SentryOne’s internal and product facing advanced analytics initiatives.

Colleen Morrow

Twitter: - @ClevelandDBA

LinkedIn: Colleen Morrow

Contact: http://colleenmorrow.com

Colleen Morrow is a database professional living in Cleveland, OH who has been working with database systems since 1996. For more than 12 years, she was a Database Administrator at a large law firm where she developed an appreciation for auditing, automation, and performance tuning. Since that time she has worked with clients in the healthcare, manufacturing, software, and distribution/freight delivery industries. Colleen is currently a Senior Consultant at Fortified Data. She is an active member of the Ohio North SQL Server User Group and has presented at many SQLSaturday events as well as PASS Summit 2014 and 2015.

Kendal Van Dyke

Twitter: - SQLDBA

LinkedIn: Kendal Van Dyke

Contact: http://www.kendalvandyke.com

Kendal is a database strategist, community advocate, public speaker, and blogger. A practiced IT professional with over 15 years of SQL Server experience, Kendal excels at disaster recovery, high availability planning/implementation, amp; debugging/troubleshooting mission critical SQL Server environments. Kendal is a Senior Consultant on the Microsoft Premier Developer Support team and President of MagicPASS (http://magicpass.sqlpass.org), the Orlando, FL based chapter of PASS. Before joining Microsoft, Kendal was a SQL Server/Data Platform MVP from 2011-2016.

Rob Kerr

Twitter: - @robkerrbi

LinkedIn: Rob Kerr

Contact: http://www.robkerr.com

Rob is CTO with BlueGranite, is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and holds top Microsoft certifications in both SQL Server Database Administration and BI Development. Rob has implemented data warehouse and business analytics systems for many Fortune 500 companies, and focuses on large-scale data warehousing, geospatial data analysis and mobile solutions. Rob is the lead contributor to msbiacademy.com, a site providing free on-demand training covering a variety of Microsoft BI topics.

Jason Spangler

Jason is a SQL Server DBA by day, and a Firefighter/EMT by night. Since 2001, he has been a full time DBA with additional duties in Altiris, Sharepoint, and software development. For 12 years, he has also been a volunteer Firefighter and EMT helping his community through fire prevention and teaching firefighting and vehicle extrication techniques to new firefighters.

Louis Davidson

Twitter: - drsql

LinkedIn: Louis Davidson

Contact: https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/author/louis-davidson/

Louis Davidson has worked in the IT industry for over 25 years as a corporate database developer and architect. He has been a Microsoft SQL Server MVP for 15 years and has written five books on database design, and contributed to many other SQL Server books as an author and tech editor. He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. You can read more about Louis at http://drsql.org.

Kendal Van Dyke

Twitter: - SQLDBA

LinkedIn: Kendal Van Dyke

Contact: http://www.kendalvandyke.com

Kendal is a database strategist, community advocate, public speaker, and blogger. A practiced IT professional with over 15 years of SQL Server experience, Kendal excels at disaster recovery, high availability planning/implementation, amp; debugging/troubleshooting mission critical SQL Server environments. Kendal is a Senior Consultant on the Microsoft Premier Developer Support team and President of MagicPASS (http://magicpass.sqlpass.org), the Orlando, FL based chapter of PASS. Before joining Microsoft, Kendal was a SQL Server/Data Platform MVP from 2011-2016.

Allen White

Twitter: - SQLRunr

LinkedIn: Allen White

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.

Dave Rodabaugh

Located in Columbus, Ohio, Dave Rodabaugh has over a decade of experience doing one thing: data warehousing and business intelligence using the Microsoft suite of products. His background as an engineer and exclusive focus on business intelligence has helped clients be successful in both initial-effort and rescued BI projects. He co-owns Atlas Analytics, through which he consults to clients in Ohio and beyond.

Cory Stevenson

Contact: http://corygstevenson.wordpress.com/

Cory Stevenson is a Database Engineer for Hyland Software in Westlake, Ohio. With over 8 years of experience in IT, his interests include Reporting Services, Virtualization, PowerShell, coffee, and keeping up with the latest BI features in SQL Server 2012

Thomas LaRock

Twitter: - @SQLRockstar

LinkedIn: Thomas LaRock

Contact: http://thomaslarock.com

Thomas LaRock is a Head Geek at SolarWinds and a Microsoft Certified Master, Data Platform MVP, VMware vExpert, and a Microsoft Certified Trainer. He has over 15 years’ experience in the IT industry in roles including programmer, developer, analyst, and database administrator.

Andy Warren

Twitter: - @sqlandy

Contact: https://sqlandy.com

Andy Warren is a SQL Server consultant and trainer based in Orlando, FL. Focusing on administration, performance tuning, and SQL Server patterns and practices, he’s been a SQL Server MVP since 2008. Andy served two terms on the PASS Board of Directors, was a founding principal in SQLServerCentral, and created both the SQLSaturday and SQLRally event models.

Joseph D’Antoni

Twitter: - jdanton

LinkedIn: Joseph D’Antoni

Contact: http://joeydantoni.com

Joseph D’Antoni is a Senior Consultant and Microsoft Data Platform MVP with over 20 years of experience working in both Fortune 500 and smaller firms. He is a Principal Consultant for Denny Cherry Associates and lives in Malvern, PA. He is a frequent speaker at major tech events like Microsoft Ignite, PASS Summit, and Enterprise Data World. He blogs about all topics technology at joeydantoni.com. He believes that no single platform is the answer to all technology problems. Joseph holds a BS in Computer Information Systems from Louisiana Tech University and an MBA from North Carolina State University, and is the co-author of the Microsoft book “Introducing SQL Server 2016”.

Joseph D’Antoni

Twitter: - jdanton

LinkedIn: Joseph D’Antoni

Contact: http://joeydantoni.com

Joseph D’Antoni is a Senior Consultant and Microsoft Data Platform MVP with over 20 years of experience working in both Fortune 500 and smaller firms. He is a Principal Consultant for Denny Cherry Associates and lives in Malvern, PA. He is a frequent speaker at major tech events like Microsoft Ignite, PASS Summit, and Enterprise Data World. He blogs about all topics technology at joeydantoni.com. He believes that no single platform is the answer to all technology problems. Joseph holds a BS in Computer Information Systems from Louisiana Tech University and an MBA from North Carolina State University, and is the co-author of the Microsoft book “Introducing SQL Server 2016”.

Tim Corey

Twitter: - @IAmTimCorey

LinkedIn: Tim Corey

Contact: http://www.epicross.com

Tim is a Microsoft MVP whose goal is to make learning software development easier. If you are struggling with learning C#, SQL, or the related technologies, he wants to help.

Kevin Boles

Twitter: - @TheSQLGuru

LinkedIn: Kevin Boles

Kevin Boles is a SQL Server expert, working exclusively with the product since v6.5. With over 25 years of database experience and over 45,000 man hours of SQL Server engine experience, he holds many related certifications, is an MCT and was a SQL Server MVP from 2007 to 2012. Kevin has been a very successful independent consultant for over 20 years. His passion is the relational engine, especially designing, building, analyzing and tuning high-performance database applications.

Josh Fennessy

Senior Business Intelligence Consultant at BlueGranite, Inc., Josh Fennessy has been working with the Microsoft BI stack exclusivley for the last 5 years. He has earned MCITP in both SQL 2005 and SQL 2008 versions of the tools. Josh is also the chapter leader of the West MI SQL Server Users Group.

When he’s not building BI solutions, he enjoys spending time with his 6 year old son, slinging lead at the range, and exercising (but never in his underwear. Promise!)

Craig Purnell

Twitter: - @CraigPurnell

LinkedIn: Craig Purnell

Contact: http://www.craigpurnell.com/

Craig Purnell is a career database professional, trainer, and community activist. He has spent over 10 years as the Database Administrator at a large Midwestern law firm. He has been in IT for 15 years and has spent his entire career working with enterprise databases and ERP systems. Craig is an active member of the Ohio North SQL Server User Group and has presented at many user groups, SQLSaturdays, and the PASS Summit in 2012 and 2013

Brian Davis

Twitter: - @Brian78

LinkedIn: Brian Davis

Contact: http://blogs.sqlsentry.com

Brian Davis is a Product Integration Engineer at SentryOne and has over 15 years in the IT field in multiple areas including software development, support, user training, and as a DBA. He has been working with SQL Server since 2003 and has hands-on experience with SQL Server 2000 through 2016. Brian is also a PASS Regional Mentor and an active member and leader of the Ohio North SQL Server User Group.

Eddie Wuerch

Twitter: - @EddieW

LinkedIn: Eddie Wuerch

Contact: http://www.indydba.com

Eddie Wuerch has 20 years of experience as a SQL Server specialist in a much-longer IT career. A Microsoft Certified Master, Eddie spends his days in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, focusing on performance, scale, and uptime for the massive SQL Server backend. These SQL Servers churn billions of transactions daily against trillions of rows of data in a 24x7 continuously-available online system accessed by millions worldwide every day.

Ira Warren

 Over 35 years experiences in Software Sevelopemt, IT Management and BI Architecture.

Jeff Mlakar

Contact: http://www.jeffmlakar.com

Jeff Mlakar is an Enterprise Architect on the Business Intelligence team at Bennett Adelson Consulting. He has spent the last decade working in database technologies, ranging from SQL Server, SSIS, and the whole Microsoft BI stack, to Oracle and Elasticsearch. He has spoken at the local .NET User group, the Modern Excel User group, SQLSaturdays, the SQL Server User Group, and the Dog Food Conference.

Austin Zellner

Contact: http://metawizardnode.blogspot.com/

Austin Zellner is currently earning a living as a Sales Engineer. Prior to sales, he actually worked for a living as a developer for 15 years in a variety of industries. His proudest moment was designing a rule based engine that may one day be used to either build Mr. Data or Skynet, and along the way he also wrote some code here or there creating Enterprise client server applications, data conversion algorithms, mobile applications, and web apps.

Matt Velic

Twitter: - mvelic

LinkedIn: Matt Velic

Contact: http://mattvelic.com

Matt Velic is a database developer for Sanametrix in Washington, DC. When not jet setting between projects at work, you can find him at a board game, a video game, or playing a guitar.

Sam Nasr

Twitter: - SamNasr

LinkedIn: Sam Nasr

Contact: http://samnasr.blogspot.com/

Sam Nasr has been a software developer since 1995, focusing mostly on Microsoft technologies. He’s a Sr. Software Engineer with NIS Technologies where he consults and teaches clients about the latest .Net technologies. Sam has achieved multiple certifications from Microsoft (MCSA, MCAD, MCTS, MCT), and is the leader of the Cleveland C#/VB.Net User Group since 2003. In addition, he’s the leader of the .Net Study Group, an author for Visual Studio Magazine, and a Microsoft MVP since 2013. When not coding, Sam loves spending time with his family and friends or volunteering at his local church.

Rob Kerr

Twitter: - @robkerrbi

LinkedIn: Rob Kerr

Contact: http://www.robkerr.com

Rob is CTO with BlueGranite, is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and holds top Microsoft certifications in both SQL Server Database Administration and BI Development. Rob has implemented data warehouse and business analytics systems for many Fortune 500 companies, and focuses on large-scale data warehousing, geospatial data analysis and mobile solutions. Rob is the lead contributor to msbiacademy.com, a site providing free on-demand training covering a variety of Microsoft BI topics.

Allen White

Twitter: - SQLRunr

LinkedIn: Allen White

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.

Stacia Varga

Twitter: - @StaciaV

LinkedIn: Stacia Varga

Contact: http://blog.datainspirations.com

Stacia Varga is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and SSAS Maestro with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences. A consultant, educator, author, and principal of Data Inspirations, her career spans more than 30 years, with a focus on improving business practices through technology.

Since 2000, Stacia has provided consulting and education services for Microsoft’s Business Intelligence technologies. As Stacia Misner, she also authored several books covering the Microsoft BI stack.

Shelly Noll

Shelly Noll is a .NET Developer and recovering DBA with over 15 years of IT experience. Currently serving as a Software Developer with Learning Care Group in Novi, MI, she is involved in the .NET developer community and serves as Vice-President for the Great Lakes Area .NET Users Group. Her education includes a BS in Psychology from Loyola University Chicago and a MS in Information Systems from Lawrence Technological University.

Adam Belebczuk

Twitter: - @SQLDiablo

LinkedIn: Adam Belebczuk

Contact: http://www.sqldiablo.com/

Adam Belebczuk is the Owner amp; Principal Consultant at Belebczuk Consulting Services, LLC and has more than 10 years of experience in IT, ranging from customer service to server/network administration to software and database development and administration. Adam is the Chapter Leader for the Ohio North SQL Server Users Group, a frequent speaker and volunteer at PASS events, and specializes in SQL Server development, performance tuning, high availability, and disaster recovery.

Kevin Boles

Twitter: - @TheSQLGuru

LinkedIn: Kevin Boles

Kevin Boles is a SQL Server expert, working exclusively with the product since v6.5. With over 25 years of database experience and over 45,000 man hours of SQL Server engine experience, he holds many related certifications, is an MCT and was a SQL Server MVP from 2007 to 2012. Kevin has been a very successful independent consultant for over 20 years. His passion is the relational engine, especially designing, building, analyzing and tuning high-performance database applications.

Steven Wright

Twitter: - @SQL_Steve

LinkedIn: Steven Wright

Contact: https://blogs.sentryone.com/author/StevenWright/

Steve currently serves as Director of Advanced Analytics at SentryOne. As a member of the SentryOne team for over 13 years, Steve has broad experience working in various environments supporting the Microsoft Data Platform both on-prem and in the cloud. Steve has earned the Microsoft Professional Program Data Science Certification and manages a team of Data Scientists and BI Developers in support of SentryOne’s internal and product facing advanced analytics initiatives.

Colleen Morrow

Twitter: - @ClevelandDBA

LinkedIn: Colleen Morrow

Contact: http://colleenmorrow.com

Colleen Morrow is a database professional living in Cleveland, OH who has been working with database systems since 1996. For more than 12 years, she was a Database Administrator at a large law firm where she developed an appreciation for auditing, automation, and performance tuning. Since that time she has worked with clients in the healthcare, manufacturing, software, and distribution/freight delivery industries. Colleen is currently a Senior Consultant at Fortified Data. She is an active member of the Ohio North SQL Server User Group and has presented at many SQLSaturday events as well as PASS Summit 2014 and 2015.

Eric Wise

Contact: http://iwiserepository.blogspot.com

Eric Wise is a senior solutions architect who plays the role of DBA and .NET developer on demand who is currently working as an independent consultant. He has over 10 years of experience in SQL Server and the .NET stack, has worked in diverse environments from small start-ups to large companies in the financial and insurance spaces. Often placed in the leadership role, he is passionate about building top shelf teams and eliminating bad code and design.

Sponsors

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