SQLSaturday #194 - Exeter 2013

Event Date: 03/09/2013 00:00:00

Event Location:

  • Jurys Inn Hotel Exeter
  • Western Way
  • Exeter, United Kingdom

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: Why are we Waiting..

Abstract: An in-depth session examining “Waits” happening in your SQL Servers, using the well-known “Waits Queues” methodology.

With particular focus in the session on understanding and interpreting the information found the (DMV) sys.dm_os_wait_stats, Taking note of which “Waits “with the highest counts or excessive wait times, as well as those which “Waits” can be safely ignored, We can discover those “performance hurdles” and ways to overcome or remove them, restoring your SQL Servers performance levels. By using established methodologies like “Waits Queues”, we can systematically identify and remove performance

Previous Presented @ SQLBits 8 9 in UK @ SQLPASS Summit 2011 (310 Attendees) SQLDay And @ several UK User Groups

Speaker(s):

  • Neil Hambly

Track and Room: Track 2 - N/A


Title: SQL Injection from website to SQL Server

Abstract: SQL Injection is still one of the biggest reasons various websites and applications get hacked. The solution as everyone tells us is simple. Use SQL parameters. But is that enough?

In this session we’ll look at how would an attacker go about using SQL Injection to gain access to your database, see its schema and data, take over the server, upload files and do various other mischief on your domain.

Speaker(s):

  • Mladen Prajdić

Track and Room: Track 2 - N/A


Title: Star Schema database primer

Abstract: A session covering the the core principles of the star schema database model, as required for decision support solutions and as the bedrock for Analysis Services cubes and the new Tabular model.

In this session we cover

-technical comparison of databases -features of the star schema database -where do you get one -how do you best exploit it -next steps

Speaker(s):

  • Eric Lawson

Track and Room: Track 2 - N/A


Title: Welcome to the Licensing Nightmare

Abstract: Are You remember “Sliders”? In my opinion Licensing World is similar to this series. How many time You tried to understand licensing? How many times You heard different opinions about same question? I’m sure, that You know what is CPU, CORE, SOCKET. Are You familiar with Processor / User / Device? And CAL / SAL/ SA too? Are You use SPLA program or just OEM or MOLP? Physical Instance, Virtual Instance, 90 Days, EULA, SPUR, LAR, Multiplexing, 5 Dollars (not 5 Cents)… It’s not all the possibilities, if we are talking about licenses. Let’s talk about it, from the Licensing Point of View

Speaker(s):

  • Tobias Koprowski

Track and Room: Track 4 - N/A


Title: ETL Shootout, SSIS vs Powershell

Abstract: I know what you’re thinking, Powershell is not an ETL tool. And you’re probably right. But I keep running into weird requests that were just easier to fix with Powershell. I’ll show you why some things are not easy in SSIS. I’ll also discuss how you can work around a lot of that instead of switching to Powershell like I did. This session will be around 70% “why is this hard in SSIS and can you work around it?” and 30% “Look how cool Powershell is”

Speaker(s):

  • André Kamman

Track and Room: Track 2 - N/A


Title: XML: The Marmite of SQL Server

Abstract: A basic introduction of SQL Servers XML Capabilities, it will cover access of XML using .value and exist with variations of XPATH that can potentially improve the queries, explaining Typed and Untyped XML and cover the use of Primary and Secondary Indexes with XML and how these may (or may not) affect performance, and considerations to take before using XML at all.

Speaker(s):

  • Phil Quinn

Track and Room: Track 4 - N/A


Title: Cloudbursting - Amazon RDS for SQL Vs SQL Azure

Abstract: We all know about the low startup costs of using cloud based SQL Servers, but what are the (hidden) costs and benefits?

In this session, we will run thought the supported feature sets of each and how they stack up against one another. Does one perform better than the other? Are they better for different work loads?

If the demo gods are with us, will can see they both in action and you can see for yourself!

Speaker(s):

  • Mark Pryce-Maher

Track and Room: Track 4 - N/A


Title: An Introduction to SQL Server Virtualisation

Abstract: Virtualisation is a hot topic at the moment and the chances are your business is probably looking at or already implemented virtualisation to some degree. As a DBA there will be pressure for you to virtualise your SQL Servers too. Many DBAs are reluctant to virtualise their SQL servers usually because of the fear that that performance will suffer. If virtualisation is done properly though SQL Server will run perfectly well on a virtual platform and you may even get some added HA benefits thrown in for free.

Speaker(s):

  • Gethyn Ellis

Track and Room: Track 1 - N/A


Title: Session Details not available

Abstract: Session Details not available

Speaker(s):

  • n/a n/a

Track and Room: Track 3 - N/A


Title: Professional PowerShell

Abstract:

PowerShell has evolved (again). PowerShell v3 released earlier this year comes with:

• new cmdlets, • enhancements to familiar cmdlets, • better help system, • workflow, • PowerShell Web Access • + Lots more This is an opportunity for you to see the important new features first hand.

Speaker(s):

  • James Boother

Track and Room: Track 3 - N/A


Title: SQL Sever, the DBA Compliance

Abstract: Compliance is something that we are all having to deal with and this is only going to increase with heightened privacy concerns and due diligence requirements in business. This session will cover three of the main areas that you are likely to have to deal with; Payment Card Industry - Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS), Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX) and the UK Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). I will look at what these standards are for and how they sometimes conflict.

Information Heavy and Demo Light, this session will help you identify what you need to keep an eye on and I will show a couple of options on how to monitor who is doing what with your data.

Speaker(s):

  • John Martin

Track and Room: Track 4 - N/A


Title: Myth Busters! Busting Common TSQL Myths

Abstract: In this session we will take a look at, and hopefully bust, my list of common myths and misconceptions I see and hear about on a daily basis. We will look at areas such as Indexing / SARGability, joins sub queries, nested views, query plans and a host of other myths. Using lots of a demos and examples attendees will walk away with a better understanding of the best ways to use TSQL and hopefully bust at least one myth or misconception that they have

Speaker(s):

  • David Morrison

Track and Room: Track 3 - N/A


Title: Database Replication - What, How and Why

Abstract: Database replication doesn’t get much attention, especially now that the AlwaysOn features have been released into the wild.

However, replication offers another way to make data available on multiple servers/locations that steps outside of “normal” HA/DR scenarios.

This session will explain what database replication is, what the different parts are that make up the replication architecture and when/why you would use replication.

The content will be valid for all versions of SQL Server from 2005 onward,

Speaker(s):

  • William Durkin

Track and Room: Track 1 - N/A


Title: Natural Born Killers, performance issues to avoid

Abstract: You’ll learn simple tricks to write better code, scripts, and tables. Plus, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of common database development and administration mistakes, and how you can avoid them.

Plus, you’ll learn how to take corrective action when: •The optimizer isn’t using all available processors •The database engine fails to report all the resources a query has used •The optimizer uses the wrong plan •Database tables cause memory issues

Speaker(s):

  • Lord Richard Douglas

Track and Room: Track 1 - N/A


Title: A temporary fix for a short term problem

Abstract: Finding the best way to implement complex logic in TSQL can be more challenging then you’d expect. Often, the developer just makes the query bigger and more complex but this is not always ideal. We’ll look at how and when you should split larger queries into smaller chunks. We’ll explore the implication of larger queries, using temporary tables, table variables, functions and view, derived tables and sub queries and CTEs.

Speaker(s):

  • Ian Meade

Track and Room: Track 3 - N/A


Title: READPAST Furious-Transactions,LockingIsolation

Abstract: Do you really understand SQL Servers’ Concurrency behaviour? Are you sure that Transactions are an ALL or NOTHING operation? Do you believe Read operations cannot start a Transaction? Do you really know if READ UNCOMMITTED is safe for reporting? Is being Optimistic really better than being Pessimistic? Can SQL Server 2012 be the solution to all our problems or our worst nightmare?

I look forward to you joining me in this very revealing and thought provoking session where I will provide answers to all these questions and more and make you wish you had known all of this sooner.

Speaker(s):

  • Mark Broadbent

Track and Room: Track 2 - N/A


Title: Tracking server activity without slowing it down

Abstract: All SQL Server DBAs should know how Service Broker and Event Notifications work so that they can implement this very simple feature to make sure they are aware of events happening on their servers.

Event Notifications is a very light-weight, asynchronous mechanism for identifying events and taking actions. In this session we will create sessions to monitor for and act on DDL changes, file size changes, index and statistics changes, security changes and more. Attendees will gain an understanding of how they can monitor many servers and stay in control.

Speaker(s):

  • Jonathan Allen

Track and Room: Track 1 - N/A


Title: MDX 101

Abstract: Give your queries a multidimensional makeover. In this session we’ll look at the structure and basics of MDX, the MultiDimensional query eXpression language for querying Analysis Services OLAP cubes. We’ll start at the beginning, so you need no previous MDX experience!

Speaker(s):

  • Alex Whittles

Track and Room: Track 3 - N/A


Title: Estimation, Statistics and “Oh My!”

Abstract: At the heart of SQL Server is the cost based optimizer. Stop and think about that a minute, it attempts to give the “best plan” based on the cost of the work undertaken. How does it know the cost of the work before its done the work ? This isn’t a conundrum, it doesn’t. It estimates! How does it estimate ? That is statistics. This will be a deep dive into how the optimizer makes its decisions to give you a plan, the things that can go wrong and how you can have influence over these choices.

Speaker(s):

  • Dave Ballantyne

Track and Room: Track 1 - N/A


Title: Quantifying the cost of Compression

Abstract: A DBA running SQL Server 2008 or above will often need to understand if it is worth trading CPU cycles for I/O by enabling row or page compression. The benefits can be significant, but does the cost in core licensing offset the storage capacity saved? Often, comparing the workload before and after compression isn’t an option. How then can you make an educated guess about the cost of compressing tables and indexes? In this session, we will use Grade of the Steel type workloads to quantify the CPU cost of enabling different types of compression. Using CPU profiling, we will try to quantify the cost of this feature.

Speaker(s):

  • Thomas Kejser

Track and Room: Track 1 - N/A


Title: Thinking Big Understanding PDW

Abstract: Do you design and build Data Warehouses? Are you interested in learning about big data design challenges and how you can avoid them? Would you like to know more about Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW), MPP Architectures and Microsoft’s Big Data Platform? If so then this is the session for you.

We will visit the architectural components of PDW and look at some of the new features available in V2. We will also dive into some of the lessons learned developing systems for PDW in the field.

You will leave this session understanding why you should be thinking about PDW for your data warehouse and how you can accelerate the delivery of your PDW project.

Speaker(s):

  • James Rowland-Jones

Track and Room: Track 4 - N/A


Title: “I’m sure my procedure does what it should!”

Abstract: Or, using unit tests to produce better quality code and do less (re)work!

In this brisk session we will discuss some of the reasons to unit test your procedures as well as which tests are and are not appropriate as unit tests. We will look at how to use the open source tSQLt framework to achieve repeatable unit tests, including Test Driven Development approaches and writing tests for existing stored procedures; in short everything you need to begin writing unit tests for the stored procedures in your databases.

Speaker(s):

  • Dave Green

Track and Room: Track 2 - N/A


Title: Power View and the Cube

Abstract: Now that Power View users can connect to multidimensional BI Semantic Model (cubes) we will have a look at how to get the best out of this interactive data exploration, visualization and presentation for multidimensional models. The session we’ll present

  • An understanding of the Multidimensional Model Objects in Power View
  • How to create a Shared Report Data Source Connection to a Multidimensional Model
  • How to create a Power View Report with a Multidimensional Model Data Source
  • An visual exploration of a Multidimensional Model by using Power View

Speaker(s):

  • Regis Baccaro

Track and Room: Track 3 - N/A


Title: Declarative database development with SSDT

Abstract: SQL Server 2012 introduced SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) Database projects. In this session I shall explore how to develop SQL Server databases using SSDT and demonstrate why I think declarative, offline, database development is something we should all consider.

Speaker(s):

  • Jamie Thomson

Track and Room: Track 4 - N/A


Title: Table Indexing for the .NET Developer

Abstract: In this session we will be looking at the best and worse practices for indexing tables within your SQL Server 2012 databases. We will also be looking into the new indexing features that are available in SQL Server 2012 (and SQL Server 2005-2008) and how you the .NET developer can make the best use of them to get your code running its best.

Speaker(s):

  • Denny Cherry

Track and Room: Track 3 - N/A


Title: Advanced SQL Server 2012 HA and DR Architectures

Abstract: In this session I’ll cover advanced HA and DR architectures for SQL Server 2012 that also enable you to scale-out certain workloads. This will include design patterns and configuration best practices for Availability Groups (AG) and Failover Cluster Instances (FCI) across different sites as well AG replicas between FCIs.

Speaker(s):

  • Christian Bolton

Track and Room: Track 1 - 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.

Alex Whittles

Twitter: - @PurpleFrogSys

LinkedIn: Alex Whittles

Contact: http://www.PurpleFrogSystems.com/blog

Alex is a Data Platform MVP, and is the owner and lead consultant at Purple Frog, a SQL Server Business Intelligence consultancy in the UK. He specializes in Data Warehouse modelling, ETL, Cubes, MDX amp; DAX. He#39;s a chartered engineer amp; has an MSc in Business Intelligence.

He runs the Birmingham (UK) SQL Pass chapter amp; Azure user groups, and is on the SQLBits and SQL Relay committees in the UK.

Alex is a regular speaker at global events including SQLBits, PASS Summit, SQL Relay, SQLSaturdays as well as numerous SQL Pass chapters around Europe

Neil Hambly

Twitter: - Neil_Hambly

LinkedIn: Neil Hambly

Contact: http://dataidol.com/NeilHambly

Neil Hambly is a SQL Server consultant, founder and consultant at Datamovements, a Gold Microsoft Data Analytics Consulting company. Neil has 20+ years in a variety of SQL Server roles and is an MCT. He is a regular presenter (200+ events) at user groups, and PASS events, including PASS Summit and SQLSaturday, and many UK events (SQLBits, SQLRelay). Neil is the leader of PASS London (UK), a Professional Development VC, a Melissa Data MVP, and a SQL Cruise Technical Lead, who loves Guinness, whisky, and dancing.

Phil Quinn

Phil Quinn is a Database Developer working at UCAS currently developing systems producing prospectús for educational establishments. He has been working on SQL Server since version 2000, and has an MCITP Database Developer 2008.

David Morrison

Twitter: - @TSQLNinja

Contact: http://tsqlninja.wordpress.com

David is a senior BI consultant at Coeo. Having worked in some for of database development or another for around 14 years his areas of specialisation are sql server engine internals, tsql and query performance tuning.

David has spoken at numerous conferences including several SQLBits and SQLSaturday events as well as user group meetings. He is a a confident speaker who uses humor and a down to earth approach to make even the most technical subject matters easily attainable and engagin

James Rowland-Jones

Twitter: - https://twitter.com/jrowlandjones

LinkedIn: James Rowland-Jones

James Rowland-Jones (JRJ) is a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft. He is currently part of the SQL Server team working on SQL Server 2019 Big Data Clusters and data virtualization. Prior to joining SQL Server, JRJ worked extensively on Azure SQL Data Warehouse. He helped the team launch Gen 1 of the service and led the product management effort to bring Gen 2 into preview.

Dave Ballantyne

Twitter: - @davebally

Dave has been working in the IT field for over 20 years, the past 15 of which has been specialising within SQLServer environment. Tuning and optimizing SQLServer processes is his particular talent but no newbie either when it comes to database development and design. Dave regularly contributes to online forums and is a regular speaker at UK events such as SQL Bits and user groups. He also is founder of the SQL Lunch UK user group

Mladen Prajdić

Twitter: - @MladenPrajdic

LinkedIn: Mladen Prajdić

Contact: http://weblogs.sqlteam.com/mladenp

Mladen Prajdić is a Data Platform MVP from Slovenia. He’s been programming for 20 years, developing different types of applications in .Net (C#) and SQL Server, ranging from standard line-of-business, image-processing applications to high performace and IoT applications. He’s a regular speaker at various conferences and usergroup meetings, really likes to optimize slow SQL statements, analyze performance, and find unconventional solutions to difficult SQL Server problems. In his free time, he also develops a very popular add-in for SSMS, called the SSMS Tools Pack (www.ssmstoolspack.com).

**Thomas Kejser **

Contact: http://blog.kejser.org/

Thomas Kejser serves as Fusion-io EMEA Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Kesjer brings several years of experience in open source database and systems architecture to the company. From Principal Program Manager at Microsoft, to Senior Program Manager, he founded SQL Customer Advisory Team to aid customers. He also ran Kejser Consulting providing consultation on open datacenter architectures to some of Europe’s top IT organizations, and he is recognized as a global authority on Microsoft SQL Server.

Mark Pryce-Maher

Twitter: - tsqltidy

Contact: http://tsqltidy.blogspot.com

Mark Pryce-Maher is an Azure SQL Data Warehouse Architect at Microsoft with lots of database /azure experience.

Lord Richard Douglas

Twitter: - SQLRich

LinkedIn: Lord Richard Douglas

Contact: http://SQL.RichardDouglas.co.uk

Lord Richard Douglas is a Principal Solutions Engineer at SentryOne, where he specialises in the SQL Server product range. He has worked with SQL Server since version 7.0 in various developer and DBA roles and holds a number of Microsoft certifications. Richard is a keen member of the SQL Server community, having run a PASS Chapter in the UK and having served on the organizing committee for SQLRelay. Richard is on Twitter as @SQLRich.

William Durkin

Twitter: - @sql_williamd

LinkedIn: William Durkin

Contact: http://williamdurkin.com

William Durkin is a DBA, Data Platform MVP, and Data Platform Architect for Data Masterminds (http://datamasterminds.io). He uses his decade of experience with SQL Server to help multinational corporations achieve their data management goals. Born in the UK and now based in Germany, William has worked as a Database Developer and DBA on projects ranging from single server installations, up to environments spanning 5 continents, using a range of high availability solutions. William is a regular speaker at conferences around the globe, organizes the popular event SQLGrillen (http://sqlgrillen.com).

Dave Green

Contact: http://d-a-green.blogspot.co.uk/

Dave has worked with Microsoft SQL Server since version 7. His background includes working as a Database Developer, Systems Integrator, ETL specialist and Development DBA. Dave is an active member of SQL South West User Group and writes a SQL data blog, as well as occasional Simple-Talk articles.

Eric Lawson

Contact: http://www.ericjlawson.co.uk/

I have 25 years experience in the database field, beginning with IBM DB2, specialising in Tandem NonStop SQL and in the last few years branching out onto SQL Server.

My core experience is with business intelligence (BI) solutions amp; strategy, database modelling, design amp; performance tuning, large scale ETL systems infrastructure and data migrations.

n/a n/a

John Martin

John is a SQL Sever developer DBA, working with SQL Server since 2007 in a range of environments ranging from defense to manufacturing retail. All of which have had stringent security requirements for their data systems that include not only regulatory compliance but also availability and recoverability requirements.

Jamie Thomson

Contact: http://sqlblog.com/blogs/jamie_thomson/

Jamie is a freelance SQL Server developer based in the UK. He primarily builds data integration solutions on the SQL Server platform.

Denny Cherry

Twitter: - mrdenny

LinkedIn: Denny Cherry

Contact: https://www.dcac.com

Denny Cherry is the owner and principal consultant for Denny Cherry Associates Consulting and has over a decade of experience working with platforms such as Microsoft Azure, Amazon AWS, Microsoft SQL Server, Hyper-V, vSphere, and Enterprise Storage solutions. Denny’s areas of technical expertise include system architecture, performance tuning, security, replication, and troubleshooting. Denny currently holds several Microsoft Certifications related to SQL Server 2000 through 2019, including being a Microsoft Certified Master, Microsoft MVP and VMware vExpert Award.

Christian Bolton

Twitter: - @christianbolton

LinkedIn: Christian Bolton

Contact: http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/christian

Christian Bolton is the Technical Director for Coeo Ltd, a leading provider of SQL Server managed support and consulting in the UK and Europe. Christian is a Microsoft Certified Architect, Microsoft Certified Master, and MVP for SQL Server, and an experienced technical author. He is particularly interested in SQL Server infrastructure, scalability, and high availability, and is a highly rated speaker at technical conferences worldwide.

James Boother

Contact: http://www.coeo.com

James Boother is Programme Director for Coeo, a Microsoft Certified Master with 15 years experience within the software industry working as a programmer, system architect, head of technology and consultant. James helps Coeo’s clients scope, design, deploy and performance tune their Mission Critical Microsoft SQL Server database platforms. Coeo is a Microsoft Gold Partner specialising in Data Platform and BI solutions.

Ian Meade

LinkedIn: Ian Meade

Contact: http://ianmeadedotdotdot.blogspot.ie/

Gethyn Ellis

Twitter: - gethyn_ellis

LinkedIn: Gethyn Ellis

Contact: http://www.gethtynellis.com

Gethyn is a SQL Server consultant and trainer and has worked with SQL Server for nearly 20 years. He specialises in version mIgration, performance, security, architecture and design including Azure and virtualisation solutions. He is working with private and public sector organisations in the UK, Europe and USA.

Gethyn delivers a range of SQL Server training, including the Microsoft Official Curriculum. He is the author of three training courses and two published books on SQL Server and Azure. You can find his blog at www.gethynellis.com

Regis Baccaro

Twitter: - @regbac

LinkedIn: Regis Baccaro

Contact: http://theblobfarm.wordpress.com

Regis has more than 15 years of experience with SQL Server, SharePoint and .Net as an architect and developer. R#233;gis is a SQL Server MVP since 2014 and a frequent speaker at SQL conferences, a PASS Regional Mentor and the founder of SQLSaturday Denmark community event. He is also a certified industry trainer on the APS/PDW platform. In his freetime he is an avid runner, cook and farmer.

André Kamman

Contact: http://andrekamman.com

André is a freelance SQL Server specialist. In previous roles he’s done a lot of DBA work on 100’s of servers where he discovered his love for Powershell and automating processes in general. Today the better part of his day he’s building and tuning ETL processes. André is a SQL Server MPV, Dutch PASS Chapter Leader and organiser of SQL Rally Amsterdam and SQLSaturday Holland

Tobias Koprowski

Twitter: - @KoprowskiT

LinkedIn: Tobias Koprowski

Contact: http://koprowskit.eu/geek/

Founder of Shadowland Consulting. In January 2015 decided to permanently leave Poland and discover new worlds. Actually settled in Hucknall (The Last home of The Byron Family). Community leader focused on SQL Server, SharePoint, security, collaboration and ITIL, DR, BCM, and SLA. Love licensing stuff.

Microsoft Certified Trainer, freelancer, and consultant. Subject Matter Expert at Microsoft. Member of Microsoft Terminology Community, Friends of RedGate PLUS, PASS, ISSA, ACM and more. Since 1st July 2010 Data Platform MVP. Creator of SQLDAY Conference and Conference CEO 2009-2011. Co-Leader of PASS East Midlands Group. Speaker at group meetings and conferences. STEM Ambassador.

Traveler. Coffee Addicted.

Jonathan Allen

Contact: http://www.simple-talk.com/community/blogs/jonathanallen/default.aspx

Jonathan has been working with SQL Server since 1999. He enjoys performance tuning, development and using SQL Server to provide appropriate business solutions. He is the founder and leader of the PASS SQL South West user group http://www.sqlsouthwest.co.uk , is a moderator at SQL Q + A forum ask.sqlservercentral.com and is on twitter at @fatherjack. He has spoken at SQLBits and SQL in the City, SQLSaturdays and local user groups across the UK and Europe.

Mark Broadbent

Twitter: - retracement

LinkedIn: Mark Broadbent

Contact: http://tenbulls.co.uk

Mark Broadbent is a Microsoft Certified Master in SQL Server, Chapter Leader, Virtual Chapter Leader, SQLSaturday Cambridge and SharePoint Saturday Cambridge founder (the UKs first SQLSaturday) and awarded Microsoft#39;s Community Contributor award in 2011 and the PASS Outstanding Volunteer award in 2012. Mark is a regular speaker at both International and National events and is an expert in HADR solutions, SQL Server migration, and SQL Server Concurrency control.

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