SQLSaturday #174 - Charlotte - BI Edition 2012
Event Date: 10/27/2012 00:00:00
Event Location:
- Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC)
- 2800 Campus Ridge Road
- Charlotte, North Carolina
This event has completed. All data shown below is from the historical XML public data available.
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Sessions
This is a list of sessions from the event, based on the schedule in the XML files.
Title: Dimensional Modeling 101
Abstract: So many names! Data warehouse, data mart, star-schema, snowflake schema, dimensional model, Type 1, Type 2, Type 3… What does it all mean? Whether you’re a data consumer, ETL specialist, or database designer, it pays to understand the vocabulary and design concepts of dimensional models. In this session, we’ll cover the basics of dimensional modeling, including dimensions, facts, and the ways they all come together. We’ll talk about why denormlization isn’t necessarily a dirty word, some common design challenges, and a few ETL considerations. By the end of the hour, you’ll be ready to impress your friends and confound your frenemies with your mad dimensional modeling knowledge!
Speaker(s):
- Audrey Hammonds
Track and Room: 1 - N/A
Title: Data Quality Services–Finally!
Abstract: Every organization that stores data stores dirty data, and suffers with how best to handle this unpleasant fact.Organizations must rely on people to deal with data problemseither by paying them to clean it or paying them to work around it. Either way it is costly and only becomes more so over time. Finally with the release of SQL Server 2012, there is a tool to help. Learn how to use the key parts of Data Quality Services: how to create Data Cleansing Knowledge Bases to cleanse data both in the DQS client and inside SSIS 2012, and how DQS Matching Knowledge Bases can integrate with Master Data Services for de-duplication of data. Session focuses on DQS, but also explains how DQS, MDS, and SSIS work together.
Speaker(s):
- Julie Smith
Track and Room: 3 - N/A
Title: Conquer Reporting By Scaling Out SQL Server
Abstract: In this session I will go over how to separate your systems for transactional databases, and for reporting. I will lightly cover how this can be done with mirroring, replication, which one is right for your situation. Then deep dive into replication, the agents it creates and their purpose, provide tips, best practices, and dispel any fears you may have heard or validate them.
Speaker(s):
- Anthony Sammartino
Track and Room: 6 - N/A
Title: Automating SSIS Development with Biml
Abstract: SSIS is a great tool for transferring data from one data source to another, and for implementing complex ETL processes. However, there are some painful shortcomings that make it difficult to automate package creation, easily reuse patterns and templates, and create packages directly from schema information and other metadata. The free and open source BIDS Helper Add-In offers support for automatically generating SSIS packages using the Business Intelligence Markup Language (Biml). In this session we will start by showing the power of Biml. We will then step back, and start from the beginning of using BimlScript. Once we cover the basics, we will cover practical examples using the BIDS Helper add-in to automate SSIS development.
Speaker(s):
- Paul Waters
Track and Room: 3 - N/A
Title: Tame Your Unruly Data…With Constraints!
Abstract: Never given time or care, never forming good relationships, becoming bloated, corrupt and rife with indistinguishable copies, and all so horrifyingly pervasive in society. But enough about the Kardashians, what about YOUR DATA? If you want to straighten it out and prevent it from going too far in the first place, this session is for you. We will cover constraint basics (not null, check, primary key/unique, foreign keys), provide standard use cases, and address misconceptions about constraint use and performance. We will also look at triggers and application logic and why these are NOT substitutes for (but can effectively complement) good constraint usage. Attendees will enjoy learning how to keep THEIR data off the tabloid page!
Speaker(s):
- Rob Volk
Track and Room: 2 - N/A
Title: Expanding Productivity Using BI Data Visualization
Abstract: There are a multitude of data visualization options in a Microsoft environment, Reporting Services, Excel Services, Performance Point, Power View, 3rd party tools…each of these are specialized tools to fill a specialized need. In this session we will walk through each of these tools. Focusing on the most popular tool Excel, we will see how we can take this already excellent tool and extend its capabilities further At the end of the session the attendee will understand the range of data visualization options and how they can use Excel to design reports for both multidimensional, tabular, and relational models for an enhanced user experience on the PC, Web, and Mobile devices.
Speaker(s):
- David Botzenhart
Track and Room: 6 - N/A
Title: Top new features in Integration Services 2012
Abstract: The newest version of SQL Server 2012 introduces many new BI features. This session will help DBAs and ETL Developers ramp up by demonstrating the major changes in SSIS 2012!
Speaker(s):
- Cathy Miller
Track and Room: 4 - N/A
Title: Pretty Output: T-SQL for Presentation
Abstract: So you’ve got your data in the database? That’s great! Now… how about getting it back out? Sometimes complex reports call for complex queries, and this session is all about that. Want to pivot your rows into columns? Sure. Want to format that self-referencing hierarchy? Got it. Ranking? Windowing? No problem. In this session we’ll cover some common data formatting issues and the T-SQL solutions that make them a little less scary.
Speaker(s):
- Audrey Hammonds
Track and Room: 2 - N/A
Title: Deeper into Tabular Models - M-to-M and the “W”
Abstract: You will need to understand how many-to-many relationships work in tabular models. While different than dimensional models, you can be successful in getting many of the behaviors you will need. Understanding how filters propogate is necessary requisite. We will use a “W” diagram to understand how this occurs in tabular models. Then will will learn how to force filter propogation called cross-filtering. The we will cross-filter conditionally, based on what the user has chosen for filters. If time permits we will also learn how to handle large numbers of fact rows, both in development and production.
Speaker(s):
- Wayne Snyder
Track and Room: 5 - N/A
Title: Prototype with PowerPivot: External SSAS Groups
Abstract: Once the enterprise implements SSAS, immediate reporting benefits appear as the power of OLAP is unleashed in the speed of aggregations, the support of organization-wide ad hoc analysis and reporting, and myriad other advantages. A common need that then often arises is the capability to perform extra-hierarchy groupings. In this session, BI Architect and MVP Bill Pearson presents an approach to accomplishing external grouping with PowerPivot. We examine ways to accomplish a stated, example business need for such grouping via the addition of PowerPivot to an integrated Microsoft BI solution. Moreover, we discuss ways to design a scalable solution with PowerPivot that we can then entrain into the base warehouse / mart / cube structure.
Speaker(s):
- William E Pearson III
Track and Room: 5 - N/A
Title: Data Quality Services - Cleanse Matching intro
Abstract: If you haven’t seen it yet, SQL Server 2012 introduces a new feature called Data Quality Services (DQS for short). Its easy and quick to learn in an hour. DQS is useful for data stewards and IT professionals who seek to improve the quality of their business data.
In this intro session, we describe the concept and main principles behind Data Quality Services and demo the main capabilities of the product, such as knowledge management, cleansing, matching, profiling, and the Azure Datamarket Reference Data Services.
Most any business user will quickly see the value of DQS and walk away feeling ready to show off their new found smarts to the rest of their team.
Speaker(s):
- Jason Howell
Track and Room: 3 - N/A
Title: Troubleshooting SSRS Performance
Abstract: Evan will discuss and demonstrate how to troubleshoot Reporting Services performance issues. This will cover both tools included in the product plus some real-world scenarios he has dealt with in the past.
Speaker(s):
- Evan Basalik
Track and Room: 6 - N/A
Title: Service Broker Primer
Abstract: Introduction to the service broker feature and what is new for service broker in SQL Server 2012
Speaker(s):
- Bill Carroll
Track and Room: 1 - N/A
Title: Programmatically Managing the BI Stack Metadata
Abstract: This session will dive into the the SSIS toolkit by creating SSIS Custom Components in SQL Server 2008 and 2012. Discuss how to register the custom components and add to the SSIS Toolbox. Demonstrate a method to open an SSIS package with a C# script and read or make changes to the package design. The start of data driven design and programmatically creating packages, scan an entire BIDS Solution all cubes, dimensions, and connections in SSAS using Analysis Management Objects (AMO) with C#. This allows us to create a metadata mart and full documentation of our SSAS cubes.
Speaker(s):
- Jesse Kraut
Track and Room: 4 - N/A
Title: SSIS Package Realtime Visualzation Analytics
Abstract: Implement an SSIS Framework to track the progress of SSIS production packages similar to how you can in the BIDS Designer, and explore your package withs windows explorer like capability.Utilizing the “out of the box” SSIS Logging with no changes required to the existing logic or packages. The new framework will also use SSIS to scan existing packages and automatically discover Master / Child package relationships and providing a capability for package restartability. This design pattern can be use to replace earlier “Stored Proc” version of SSIS Framework greatly reducing the code required. This functionality is complementary to the 2012 Package Tracking capability.
Speaker(s):
- Ira Warren
Track and Room: 4 - N/A
Title: Incorporating Hadoop into your DW/BI Strategy
Abstract: This session provides a technical overview of Hadoop targeted for Microsoft DW/BI professionals. Emphasis will be on how Map/Reduce paradigms complement and extend BI architectures. Specifically highlighted will be the Hadoop ecosystem, HDFS, Cloud vs. On-Premise, and various strategies to integrate SQL and NoSQL technologies into cohesive solutions.
Speaker(s):
- Rob Kerr
Track and Room: 7 - N/A
Title: Extremely Fast Dimension Updates with CDC and CT
Abstract: Every second counts when you are trying to achieve real time reporting. In this session Luis will demonstrate how to use Change Tracking and Change Data Capture to very quickly update data warehouse dimensions.
Speaker(s):
- Luis Figueroa
Track and Room: 3 - N/A
Title: Let’s Talk Licensing
Abstract: Being a DBA is not all smiles and sunshine; sometimes you have to deal with the tedious topic of licensing. As a DBA, developer, or consultant, you are responsible for ensuring that your company or client is in compliance and can pass software audits. As with any Microsoft product license, there are complicated nuances of the SQL Server licensing program with many new twists added in 2012. This session will help you understand what you can and cannot do with various license types, and, how you could save your company some serious money.
Speaker(s):
- Kevin Goode
Track and Room: 8 - 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: 5 - N/A
Title: Integrating DQS, MDS and Your Data Warehouse
Abstract: With SQL Server 2012 it has never been easier to empower your data stewards and give them greater control over the data management process. Dive in as we integrate Master Data Services and Data Quality Services into a data warehouse. We will explore how Master Data Services and the new plugins available in 2012 can facilitate the management of your organization’s master data. A look at Data Quality Services will highlight how it can be leveraged to provide value to the data management process through its cleansing and matching capabilities. Finally, we evaluate the options available to integrate back into the data warehouse.
Speaker(s):
- Christopher Price
Track and Room: 3 - N/A
Title: It’s a hard Ops life!
Abstract: MDM isn’t just about technology implementation, but about going through the real pain, trials, and tribulations of addressing core issues the company has in the areas of Organization, Process, Data Management/Data Governance, and Technology.
Join John Head and Leo Furlong as they discuss the process of trying to discover a company’s operational MDM issues, set up a program for addressing the real problems, and trying to make real organization change to not only clean up the data, but prevent it from getting dirty in the first place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4sQI8Evfhcfeature=fvst
Speaker(s):
- Leo Furlong
Track and Room: 7 - N/A
Title: Put Your Data on the Map
Abstract: Columbus demonstrated the world was not flat. Our Address table suggests events occurred at a particular location. SQL Server 2008 supports geospatial data. SQL Server 2008 R2 provides the United States map gallery. Come see how Reporting Services leverages those knowns to present our data in a geographical way.
Speaker(s):
- Mark Hudson
Track and Room: 6 - N/A
Title: SQL Server Partitioning From A to Z
Abstract: SQL Server Partitioning from A to Z We will cover most of the bases in this broad and deep coverage of table/index partitioning in the relational engine. Numerous demonstrations will help gel knowledge you can take back to the office and begin to apply to your environments to reap the many benefits of this fine addition to the product that has been significantly enhanced since SQL 2005.
Speaker(s):
- Kevin Boles
Track and Room: 1 - N/A
Title: Introduction to Tableau: SQL Server’s Best Friend
Abstract: Tableau is the Swiss Army Knife for analytics professionals and compliments SQL Server relational, SSAS, SSAS Tabular, and PowerPivot. It is quickly becoming a “must have” data tool.
In this session, you’ll learn about Tableau Desktop and see it in action against a variety of Microsoft data sources.
Speaker(s):
- Russell Christopher
Track and Room: 8 - N/A
Title: What’s new in 2012 - High Level
Abstract: You have heard the news. You could not escape the buzz. It is coming. It is coming. SQL Server 2012 (denali) is here! What is in it? This session will survey SQL Server 2012 at a high level focusing on BI components. This session is perfect for managers or anyone who is looking into SQL Server 2012 for the first time.
Speaker(s):
- Joe Dib
Track and Room: 7 - N/A
Title: SQL Server 2012 Column Store Index
Abstract: Take your relational data warehouse query performance all the way to ELEVEN!! The Column Store Index is a new feature that allows for stunning performance. We will cover how it works, why it is so fast as well as the v1.0 limitations and gotchas.
Speaker(s):
- Kevin Boles
Track and Room: 2 - N/A
Title: Upgrading to SSIS 2012
Abstract: As the newest version of SQL Server, 2012 is introducing many new BI features. This session will look at what has changed in SSIS 2012 and how to best leverage these new features to get the most for your ETL effort!
Speaker(s):
- Paul Rizza
Track and Room: 4 - N/A
Title: Principles of BISM Tabular Modeling
Abstract: Although the Tabular framework is based on simple one-to-many relationships, there are important rules to follow when modeling business scenarios: DAX direction of context propagation, Lookup vs Base tables, disconnected tables and calculated aggregate tables are some of the things to consider when delivering real life Analysis Services models. This session reviews some of the most important ‘gotchas’ encountered when doing developing SSAS models.
Speaker(s):
- Javier Guillen
Track and Room: 2 - N/A
Title: Database Physical File Chemistry for the Non-DBA
Abstract: As a database developer, BI specialist or just getting started DBA… How many times have you simply run out of space in your database? How much better would your life be if you were able to assess your database available space, recognize space problems BEFORE they occur, and make recommendations to your DBA proactively before you hit the ugly “can’t auto-grow” error on Friday at 4:30?
This session will leap frog your understanding of database physical files. You will be given the tools and knowledge to monitor and assess your physical space so you can recommend corrective steps BEFORE they happen.
Speaker(s):
- Dave Turpin
Track and Room: 1 - N/A
Title: Overcoming Barriers and Avoiding Mistakes with BI
Abstract: A Dynamic Dialog session: Whether you’re considering implementing business intelligence for the first time, have completed projects in the past (and are perhaps looking at later phases), or are somewhere in between, an investment in this session will likely pay dividends. Business Intelligence Architect and Microsoft MVP Bill Pearson leads a dialog about common pitfalls or traps that we can encounter in designing and implementing BI. We’ll discuss, as a group, environmental and other challenges we have experienced, and share ways to avoid or minimize them, in our ongoing efforts with BI.
Speaker(s):
- William E Pearson III
Track and Room: 7 - N/A
Title: What’s my xVelocity? All about in-memory analytics
Abstract: Originally called the Vertipaq engine, SQL Server 2012 uses in-memory column-oriented storage and compression to be able to process millions of rows with sub-second response time on desktop hardware. In this session we’ll talk about how xVelocity is used inside PowerPivot and Analysis Services Tabular models to give performance improvements to data warehousing and business intelligence. We’ll look at the columnstore index and SSAS/PowerPivot implementations and what the memory limitations are.
Speaker(s):
- Katherine Fraser
Track and Room: 5 - N/A
Title: What DBAs need to know about SharePoint Databases
Abstract: The backbone for SharePoint is a strong SQL Server to support the environment. Let’s review how SharePoint Databases behave and how to care and maintain them. What is the proper setup for a SQL Server that is supporting SharePoint? What are some pitfalls to watch out for? We will also review some tools that can help make your life easier in monitoring your SQL Server when it comes to SharePoint Databases.
Speaker(s):
- Ben Adams
Track and Room: 7 - N/A
Title: Waiter, There’s a Fly In My Data
Abstract: Dealing with bad data is a painful and expensive experience. In this session we will jump into SQL Server 2012 for a hands-on demonstration of cleansing and correcting data with SQL Server Data Quality Services (DQS) and Integrations Services (SSIS). We will dive into DQS knowledge-driven approach, reusability, cleansing and matching, and explore the collaboration opportunities between data stewards and IT professionals. You will demonstrate how to create a knowledge base, define domains and rules to clean data, enrich data by using third-party data providers, and use the new SSIS DQS cleansing component.
Speaker(s):
- Rafael Salas
Track and Room: 4 - N/A
Title: Making your Data “sing” with Visio Services
Abstract: With the SharePoint 2010 and Visio 2010 releases, the ability to quickly create and share powerful, intuitive, automatically-refreshing dashboard visualizations of both your critical IT and business data has never been easier to accomplish. We will cover a quick overview of SharePoint Visio Services, Visio 2010 tips and tricks, and connecting Visio diagrams to data in varios common data sources like Excel, SharePoint and SQL Server. Several demos of how to do this will enable you to leave this session with the knowledge needed to immediately start using Visio Services to make your existing data tell a real story in your organization.
Speaker(s):
- Paul Wood
Track and Room: 8 - N/A
Title: Explore the Integration Services Catalog
Abstract: What is the Integration Services Catalog? If you plan to use SQL 2012 SSIS for your next project, you need to know the free, new features of logging, tracing, and statistics data provided by the Integration Services Catalogs. In this session we will walk through the steps to configure the catalogs, explore the database objects inside the catalogs, manage the catalogs, and create/deploy custom report to be used in the catalogs.
Speaker(s):
- Fendy Huang
Track and Room: 3 - N/A
Title: Let’s get parallel
Abstract: Have you ever wondered how Microsoft and Unisys loaded 1TB of data in 30 minutes? They used as many parallel processes as possible. This session will walk through a solution that makes heavy use of parallel processing. We will look at the use of scope to isolate threads and script tasks to determine and spread the workload across multiple threads. Additionally, we will look at how to determine how many parallel processes should be run on a single server and techniques to spread loads over multiple servers.
Speaker(s):
- Kevin Goode
Track and Room: 4 - N/A
Title: Predictive Analytics at your fingertips
Abstract: The Business Intelligence adoption over the last few years has grown dramatically to the point where organizations require business insights, not only from what has already happened (typical data warehousing), but from real-time performance and how will the future be, based on the business and market trends. In this session we will explore and demonstrate the main decision-making capabilities in SQL Server 2012 using Analysis Services, Data Mining and the power behind PowerPivot and PowerView hosted within Excel.
Speaker(s):
- Jose L. Rivera
Track and Room: 5 - N/A
Title: High Availability features in the SQL Server 2012
Abstract: This sessions provides insight into the high availability (HA) features planned for SQL Server. I’ll provide a brief look at current HA options, Clustering, Replication, Mirroring, Log Shipping then explore how these were all combined into new AlwaysOn HA feature for SQL 2012.
Speaker(s):
- Chris Skorlinski
Track and Room: 1 - N/A
Title: Display Line of Business Data in SharePoint
Abstract: The Business Connectivity Services (BCS) offered in SharePoint provides a robust way to integrate and display your Line of Business Data. We will provide a full overview of the feature, show how it can be used to connect to different data sources, and then demonstrate the other advantages of using External Content Types instead of a custom developed report including lookup columns and search. With this session, you will have the information needed to quickly and securely access your Line of Business data in SharePoint.
Speaker(s):
- Mike Oryszak
Track and Room: 7 - N/A
Title: Considering Consulting as a Career?
Abstract: Ever thought to yourself, “I could do a better job at this than the consultant we hired”? Or, “I could make so much more money if I were a consultant”? A career in consulting can be alluring. In this interactive session, we’ll discuss strategies for how to become a consultant, as well as the pros and cons of the lifestyle. We’ll also talk about the different legal and tax-related issues and costs/benefits of being a consultant, as well as details such as how to determine a rate and how to market your services. Join the discussion on these factors and more to help you figure out if you’re cut out to be a consultant.
Speaker(s):
- Rick Heiges
Track and Room: 8 - N/A
Title: Build Your Own Dashboard (BYOD) in HTML5
Abstract: Need to have some dashboard reports that support cross-platform devices? Ever wanted to build your dashboard and see it on the iPad or Android, or Windows 8 Surface? With this session, we will take a look at what it takes to provide simple dashboards using goodness of HTML5. We will look at using client-side JavaScript to provide our data using Web API and JSON.
Speaker(s):
- Matthew Duffield
Track and Room: 8 - N/A
Title: Bad SQL
Abstract: Good Code, Bad Code. It can be the difference between a server running smoothly and an unresponsive piece of junk. This session digs into what makes some SQL code perform faster and scale better. Session is almost all interactive demo.
Speaker(s):
- Geoff Hiten
Track and Room: 1 - N/A
Title: Realizing the Power of Analysis Services
Abstract: Once you’ve loaded your data into a star schema and built an Analysis Services 2008 R2 cube around it, you are ready to harness the power of multi-dimensional analysis. Then, what are your next steps? You need to decide how to create and display reports, to change your cube design based on your choice of reporting outlet, and determine any additional special considerations. This session will answer these questions and explore the different reporting options, such as Reporting Services and PerformancePoint Services, when deriving business intelligence from an Analysis Services cube.
Speaker(s):
- Jessica Moss
Track and Room: 5 - N/A
Title: Exploring your Data with Power View
Abstract: Exploring your data has never been easier with Power View included in SQL Server 2012. Learn how to quickly analyze and discover new trends in your information by using the intuitive, easy to use, and business-friendly tool. This session will not walk through installation of the tool, but will instead describe the different visualizations provided and how to use each one.
Speaker(s):
- Jessica Moss
Track and Room: 6 - N/A
Title: SRS Report Builder for Business Intelligence
Abstract: Learn how easy it is to utilize the free download from Microsoft that allows users to create maps, charts, dashboard objects and reports against any kind of data easily without having to use Visual Studio. See how SQL Report Builder makes creating executive dashboards easy!
Speaker(s):
- David Eichner
Track and Room: 6 - N/A
Title: Moving Day - SQL Migrations with SharePoint
Abstract: Moving day is one of life’s most stressful times. Details drown you, critical items consume time and attention, and there is always someone demanding you get something done now. This is true whether you are moving where you live or your data platform. SQL Server migrations are a core competency for a DBA. This presentation will give you a strong structured process for a successful SQL Server migration using examples focused on SharePoint workloads.
Speaker(s):
- Geoff Hiten
Track and Room: 2 - N/A
Title: Get Hired in 10 minutes
Abstract: Are you looking for a career change? Good News! Technology is back on the move and companies are again hiring. In this personal development session I’ll cover key strategies you can use during the interviews first 10 minutes to increase chances for a new job and new adventure.
Speaker(s):
- Chris Skorlinski
Track and Room: 8 - N/A
Title: SQL Server PDW an Introductory view
Abstract: This session is designed to introduce the audience to Microsoft Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW) and how an MPP Architecture can be useful to them in their current BI Environment.
Speaker(s):
- James Herring
Track and Room: 2 - 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.
Kevin Goode
Twitter: - @goodesql
Contact: http://www.goodesql.com
Kevin Goode is an MCSE, MCSD, and MCDBA. Currently, he is the Senior Data Architect for Inmar Inc. Kevin has over 12 years SQL Server experience starting with 6.5 and 15 years of IT experience. He has worked in many industries including manufacturing, distribution and logistics, financial services, IT outsourcing and has worked for several fortune 500 companies. His specialties include SQL Server development, Performance Tuning, Business Intelligence, and ETL.
Luis Figueroa
Contact: http://blog.extremebi.net
Luis Figueroa is an IT professional focused on delivering business solutions that leverage the Microsoft SQL Server platform. His area of expertise is Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence but he is passionate about all things SQL Server. With 10+ years of experience in the IT field, Luis has delivered data management solutions for companies in the Security, Online Marketing and Healthcare Industries. He is also the chapter leader of the MS BI user group of South Florida.
Geoff Hiten
Twitter: - SQLCraftsman
LinkedIn: Geoff Hiten
Geoff Hiten is a Technical Solutions Professional at Microsoft. Geoff began working with SQL Server in 1992 with version 4.2 and has used every version since. He specializes in highly available SQL systems, performance tuning, and systems migration. Geoff is heavily involved in the Microsoft SQL Server Community and was initially awarded MVP status in 2004. Geoff was appointed in 2011 to fill an interim Director position at the National PASS organization.
Dave Turpin
Contact: http://www.daveturpin.com
Dave is the resident SQL Server (and Netezza) DBA for Quaero, a marketing automation firm and subsidiary of CSG International. He has been working as an information professional for so long that his numerous degrees have no bearing on his work days. He has been working with SQL Server since the glory days of 6.5 circa 1996.
When not DBAing, he can be found cruising Charlotte greenways and bike trails on one wheel.
Jason Howell
Contact: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/bigdatasupport/
Jason Howell has worked for 13 years at Microsoft in Charlotte, NC supporting Hadoop, other NoSQL and Big Data technologies, SQL Server and BI topics. He helps run the monthly Charlotte SQL Server User Group meetings, and has presented at the User Group, SQLSaturdays, and PASS Summits as well.
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.
Paul Waters
Twitter: - @pswaters
LinkedIn: Paul Waters
Paul has over 20 years of experience working in IT-related fields. Over the past 15 years, he has focused on Business Intelligence. Paul was the Technical Editor for the book quot;Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Integration Services Problem-Design-Solutionquot; and contributed to the Wrox book quot;Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services Recipes: for Designing Expert Reports.quot;
Mark Hudson
Mark Hudson is an MCITP with many years of experience in business intelligence and data analysis. He has developed data solutions using numerous platform tools including multiple SQL Server versions. He is a data architect and developer with CapTech (www.captechconsulting.com) and serves as a leader of the Richmond SQL Server User Group (www.richmondsql.org).
Evan Basalik
I spent 10 years doing RD for a major textile manufacturer. I joined Microsoft 5 years ago and is currently a Support Escalation Engineer on the SQL Server team. I specialize in connectivity, database client code, and Reporting Services. In addition, he has been working on SQL Azure since before it was even called SQL Azure. .
William E Pearson III
Twitter: - @Bill_Pearson
LinkedIn: William E Pearson III
Contact: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=02C5CD07-7511-4151-A678-3A4A3451F85E
Bill Pearson created Island Technologies Inc. in 1997, and has developed a large and diverse customer base since. Bill#39;s background as a CPA, Internal Auditor, Management Accountant, and SQL Server MVP (BI) enables him to provide value to clients as a liaison between Accounting / Finance and Information Services. Bill has implemented enterprise business intelligence systems over the years for many Fortune 500 companies and focuses his practice upon the integrated Microsoft Business Intelligence
Kevin Goode
Twitter: - @goodesql
Contact: http://www.goodesql.com
Kevin Goode is an MCSE, MCSD, and MCDBA. Currently, he is the Senior Data Architect for Inmar Inc. Kevin has over 12 years SQL Server experience starting with 6.5 and 15 years of IT experience. He has worked in many industries including manufacturing, distribution and logistics, financial services, IT outsourcing and has worked for several fortune 500 companies. His specialties include SQL Server development, Performance Tuning, Business Intelligence, and ETL.
Javier Guillen
Contact: http://javierguillen.wordpress.com
Javier Guillen is a Senior Business Intelligence developer currently living in Charlotte NC. He has designed and developed BI solutions in Microsoft and SAP environments primarily for a wide variety of organizations. His primary interest is Analysis Services technology – with particular emphasis in MDX and DAX.
Christopher Price
Contact: http://bluewatersql.wordpress.com/
Chris Price is a Sr. BI Consultant with Pragmatic Works based in Tampa, FL. He has a B.S. in MIS and a MBA, both from the Univ. of South Florida. He previously worked as a software architect before being bitten by the BI bug. His current focus is on ETL and Data Integration, Data Quality and MDM, SSAS, SharePoint and Big Data. He regularly speaks at SQLSaturdays, Code Camps and other community events. He has authored multiple whitepapers and books and served as technical editor.
David Botzenhart
Contact: http://www.cardinalsolutions.com/cardinal/home.html
David Botzenhart has over 14 years of experience working in business intelligence and data warehousing. He is currently a principal consultant with Cardinal Solutions where he provides guidance to corporations in improving productivity thru the use of business intelligence. Specializing in data architecture for data warehouses, ETL design, data visualization and creative solutions in data presentation.
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.
Jose L. Rivera
Contact: http://www.jlrivmir.com
Jose L, Business Analytics Manager at Abarca Health and College professor at University of Phoenix, has over 9 years of experience developing Business Intelligence solutions using SQL Server technologies, among others. In addition, he shares his knowledge and perspectives as PRPASS Community Leader, college professor and Co-Leader for the Azure and Global Spanish virtual chapters. He holds the MCTIP in Database Administration, Database Development and Business Intelligence for SQL Server 2008.
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.
Fendy Huang
Contact: http://fendy-huang.blogspot.com/
Fendy Huang (MCTS/MCITP SQL Server 2008 BI) is a senior consultant for Mariner. She specializes in designing and delivering BI solutions in Microsoft environment for many industries.
Fendy holds a Master Degree in Computer Science. Prior to being a BI consultant, she worked as an ASP.NET / C# application developer.
William E Pearson III
Twitter: - @Bill_Pearson
LinkedIn: William E Pearson III
Contact: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=02C5CD07-7511-4151-A678-3A4A3451F85E
Bill Pearson created Island Technologies Inc. in 1997, and has developed a large and diverse customer base since. Bill#39;s background as a CPA, Internal Auditor, Management Accountant, and SQL Server MVP (BI) enables him to provide value to clients as a liaison between Accounting / Finance and Information Services. Bill has implemented enterprise business intelligence systems over the years for many Fortune 500 companies and focuses his practice upon the integrated Microsoft Business Intelligence
Russell Christopher
Contact: http://tableaulove.tumblr.com
Russell Christopher loves data and has scars tattoos to prove it. He works at Tableau Software as a pre-sales solutions architect. Russell’s history includes 14+ years at Microsoft helping people master the Microsoft BI stack.
Rob Volk
Twitter: - sql_r
LinkedIn: Rob Volk
Contact: http://weblogs.sqlteam.com/robv/
Rob Volk is a SQL Server DBA in the Metro Atlanta area since 2001. He also moderates and answers the forums on SQLTeam.com. While an old-time cranky DBA, he no longer considers quot;business intelligencequot; an oxymoron or quot;the cloudquot; as merely atmospheric moisture, and is delightedly dipping his toes into both of these new oceans, and loves to do things in new and and unusual ways.
Katherine Fraser
Twitter: - @sqlsassy
Katherine Fraser has been working in the IT field since 1995, focusing on data modeling and visualization in multiple domains such as financial services, manufacturing, and logistics. In her current position as a BI data architect, she works with a global team to design and build data marts and reports to analyze information. Katherine has a Masters degree in Information Systems and a weird passion for data storage and retrieval.
Joe Dib
Joe Dib manages the Data Solutions Practice for Cardinal Solutions in Charlotte, NC. He spent his career, so far, manipulating data and working with databases. Joe has worked on all phases of the Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Warehousing (DW) lifecycle. He enjoys speaking on DW/BI strategic level as well as covering deep technical solutions. Joe is a SQL Server convert. He worked on SQL Server early on in the career, moved on to other database and BI vendor platforms, then rediscovered SQ
Chris Skorlinski
Chris Skorlinski has been with Microsoft for 17 years. He is a Support Escalation Engineer at the Microsoft Charlotte NC office specializing in performance tuning and troubleshooting Replication. His is a contributor to SQLShare.com training as well as his own BLOGs on Replication Performance at http://blogs.msdn.com/ReplTalk/. #160;
Rick Heiges
Twitter: - heigesr2
LinkedIn: Rick Heiges
Contact: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/rick_heiges/default.aspx
Rick is a Former Data Platfrom MVP and Sr. Consultant for Microsoft where he focuses on working with customers on their data estate. His career includes work as a DBA, University full-time faculty member, Systems Analyst, Project Leader, and Developer. He has found his passion in working with data and the community. Rick served nine years on the PASS Board of Directors and spearheaded the popular 24 Hours of PASS event. He also started his local User Group in 2002. Today, he spends much of his time with his head in the clouds.
Leo Furlong
Contact: www.intellinet.com
Leo Furlong is the Practice Director of Business Intelligence at Intellinet. He specializes in Microsoft BI, specifically as it pertains to the Front End BI tools like Analysis Service, Reporting Services, and the SharePoint BI tools PerformancePoint, Excel Services, PowerPivot, and Power View. He is a recent graduate of the Georgia State Robinson College of Business where he obtained his Master of Business Administration.He is a father of two young boys.
Paul Rizza
Twitter: - @PaulRizzaSQL
LinkedIn: Paul Rizza
Contact: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/paulrizza/
Paul Rizza is a Senior Consultant at Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS), Lead on the MCS SQL Hiring Team, and has over 25 years’ experience consulting, teaching and developing on SQL Server platforms. Paul’s expertise includes ETLs, Dimensional modeling, architecting highly available SQL environments and performance tuning. Paul has an Undergraduate degree from UMBC and a Master’s degree both in Computer Science with a concentration in Database Theory from Johns Hopkins University.
Geoff Hiten
Twitter: - SQLCraftsman
LinkedIn: Geoff Hiten
Geoff Hiten is a Technical Solutions Professional at Microsoft. Geoff began working with SQL Server in 1992 with version 4.2 and has used every version since. He specializes in highly available SQL systems, performance tuning, and systems migration. Geoff is heavily involved in the Microsoft SQL Server Community and was initially awarded MVP status in 2004. Geoff was appointed in 2011 to fill an interim Director position at the National PASS organization.
Chris Skorlinski
Chris Skorlinski has been with Microsoft for 17 years. He is a Support Escalation Engineer at the Microsoft Charlotte NC office specializing in performance tuning and troubleshooting Replication. His is a contributor to SQLShare.com training as well as his own BLOGs on Replication Performance at http://blogs.msdn.com/ReplTalk/. #160;
Wayne Snyder
Twitter: - @sqlwayne
Contact: http://www.msbicentral.com
Wayne Snyder specializes in Business Intelligence solutions and is an international speaker, author, and PASS volunteer. He is a SQL Server MVP and author of the popular Learnkey SQL Server Training series. He is a Distinguished Architect for Mariner (www.mariner-usa.com), who on the weekend sings and plays keyboards for the regional band soundbarrier (www.soundbarrierband.com).
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.
Anthony Sammartino
Twitter: - @SQLAnt
LinkedIn: Anthony Sammartino
Contact: http://www.sqlant.me
Anthony Sammartino is the Vice President of the BI Solutions division for TekPartners. Anthony has been building Business Intelligence solutions as a consultant for many fortune 500 companies for over 13 years. For the last 11 years he has almost exclusively used the Microsoft SQL Server BI stack and focused on the following technologies: DB Engine, SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, PowerPivot, Power View, and SharePoint. Anthony currently holds certifications as an: MCP, MCTS(BI), MCITP (BI), and PMP#174;
Bill Carroll
Bill has worked for 15 years at Microsoft in Charlotte NC. He has spent the majority of his career supporting Microsoft SQL Server. He has recently transitioned to supporting Microsoft Azure HDInsight and Microsoft Azure Machine Learning.
Julie Smith
Twitter: - @juliechix
LinkedIn: Julie Smith
Contact: http://datachix.com
Julie Smith is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and a BI consultant for Innovative Architects in Atlanta, GA. She#39;s implemented increasingly complex Business Intelligence solutions for over a decade at various organizations. She#39;s also worn many other database “hats” in her career – production DBA and database developer–but data integration and BI are her true passions. Julie holds a BA from the University of South Carolina. She and Audrey Hammonds co-created The Datachix.com blog.
Audrey Hammonds
Twitter: - @DataAudrey
LinkedIn: Audrey Hammonds
Contact: http://datachix.com
Audrey Hammonds is a Data Platform Specialist for Microsoft in South Florida. Twenty-one years ago, she volunteered for database training to escape the clutches of COBOL and has never looked back. A firm believer in good fundamentals and solid design, she gets her kicks from making data do nifty things. These days, she gets her kicks from helping customers adopt data services in Azure.
Jesse Kraut
Contact: http://jessekraut.wordpress.com
I went to the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with a computer science degree. I then went on to become a software engineer specializing in Windows forms, C#, SQL Server, and reporting development in SSRS and Crystal Reports. From there I moved into an ETL role using SSIS and began to explore the data warehouse architecture and loading data. Currently I’m a Business Intelligence consultant at Mariner in Charlotte, NC and I specialize in ETL architecture and Reporting.
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)
Matthew Duffield
Contact: http://mattduffield.wordpress.com
Matt Duffield is a solutions architect designing and developing enterprise applications. He specializes in .NET and SQL Server with an emphasis on HTML5, ASP.NET MVC, WPF, Silverlight, and mobile development. He also architects and designs dashboard, business intelligence, data warehouse, and data mining solutions. He currently holds an MCSD.NET certification and was previously awarded Microsoft MVP in Client Application Development. He is the co-author of “Building Rich Enterprise Dashboards”.
Jessica Moss
Twitter: - @jessicammoss
Contact: http://www.jessicammoss.com
Jessica M. Moss is a well-known architect, speaker, author, and Microsoft MVP of SQL Server Business Intelligence. Jessica#39;s expertise includes data warehouse modeling, Integration Services ETL, Analysis Services semantic modeling, Reporting Services report design, and helping customers across industries successfully implement and enhance their BI solutions. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with the SQL community and has co-authored numerous technical books.
James Herring
RIck Heiges is a SQL MVP and Solutions Architect at Scalability Experts and Information Technology and Services Consultant. He also holds the title of Director Emeritus at Professional Association for SQL Server
James Herring is the SQL Server PDW TSP for the Greater Southeast District, Mid-Atlantic, and Federal regions for Microsoft.
Jessica Moss
Twitter: - @jessicammoss
Contact: http://www.jessicammoss.com
Jessica M. Moss is a well-known architect, speaker, author, and Microsoft MVP of SQL Server Business Intelligence. Jessica#39;s expertise includes data warehouse modeling, Integration Services ETL, Analysis Services semantic modeling, Reporting Services report design, and helping customers across industries successfully implement and enhance their BI solutions. She enjoys sharing her knowledge with the SQL community and has co-authored numerous technical books.
Ira Warren
Over 35 years experiences in Software Sevelopemt, IT Management and BI Architecture.
Cathy Miller
I have worked in Microsoft Support for 14 years at the Charlotte, NC site. For most of this time, I have been on the SQL Server Developer Support team, specializing in SSIS.
Audrey Hammonds
Twitter: - @DataAudrey
LinkedIn: Audrey Hammonds
Contact: http://datachix.com
Audrey Hammonds is a Data Platform Specialist for Microsoft in South Florida. Twenty-one years ago, she volunteered for database training to escape the clutches of COBOL and has never looked back. A firm believer in good fundamentals and solid design, she gets her kicks from making data do nifty things. These days, she gets her kicks from helping customers adopt data services in Azure.
Ben Adams
Ben Adams is a Atlanta based SharePoint Consultant for Intellinet’s Portals and Collaboration practice. Ben has been working with SharePoint since mid-2005 with the most experience in SharePoint 2010. Certified in SharePoint 2010 as an MCITP, Ben’s passion is SharePoint infrastructure, build architecture, and performance. Ben’s favorite hobby when not with computers is sitting behind a baby-grand piano.
Rafael Salas
Twitter: - @RafSalas
Contact: http://www.rafael-salas.com
Rafael Salas is a recognized speaker and published author with more than 17 years of experience in business intelligence and information architecture. He is the recipient of multiple industry recognition, including the Microsoft MVP Award and The Data Warehouse Institute Best Practices Award. Rafael is also an active member of the SQL Server technical community and blogs regularly at www.rafael-salas.com.
Paul Wood
Contact: https://pwconsultant.wordpress.com
Paul is a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) specializing in SharePoint 2010 and MOSS 2007 and is a Principal Consultant with Intellinet in Atlanta. Over the last 5 years, Paul has been specializing in SharePoint infrastructure, configuration and solution design, implementing MOSS 2007 and SharePoint 2010 for several clients in the Atlanta area. His 17 years of IT industry experience span local government, finance, retail, telecommunications, and IT consulting.
Mike Oryszak
Contact: http://mikeoryszak.com
Mike Oryszak is a SharePoint Server MVP and Principal Consultant with Intellinet in the Portals and Collaboration practice specializing in SharePoint Architecture and Development. Mike has been living in the Raleigh-Durham, NC area since 1998 and has held a number of development and consulting positions servicing clients from a range of industries including major financial institutions, telecommunications and manufacturing.
Sponsors
The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event: