SQLSaturday #241 - Cleveland 2014
Event Date: 02/08/2014 00:00:00
Event Location:
- Hyland Software
- 28500 Clemens Rd.
- Cleveland, Ohio
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: XML Without Xanax: How to Handle XML in SQL Server
Abstract: Do you cringe whenever you have to look at an XML document? Does the very thought of XML data living in your database make you scream? Do you have a panic attack any time you have to parse XML? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this session is for you!
We’ll start with reasons why having XML in SQL Server might be a good thing, then we’ll face our fears and turn tabular data into XML, and finally we’ll confront the true source of our anxiety by parsing XML back into tabular data using xQuery.
If you survive this session, you’ll have faced your fears about XML in SQL Server, you’ll have a solid understanding of creating XML from tabular data, and you’ll know how to use xQuery to parse XML.
Speaker(s):
- Adam Belebczuk
Track and Room: Training 2 - N/A
Title: Statistics and Query Optimization
Abstract: There are any number of tricks and traps around getting the query optimizer to provide you with an optimal execution plan that gets you your data quickly and efficiently. But, at the end of the day, the principal driving factor of the optimizer, and therefore of your queries, are the statistics that define your data. This session teaches you how those statistics are put together and maintained by SQL Server. Different types of maintenance results in different levels of accuracy within statistics so we detail what the structures and information looks like after this maintenance. Your understanding of how the optimizer works with statistics will better enable you to understand why you’re getting the performance and types of execution plans that you are getting. Understanding enables you to write better t-sql statements and deal with performance problems such as bad parameter sniffing.
Speaker(s):
- Grant Fritchey
Track and Room: Training 1 - N/A
Title: Making the Leap from Profiler to Extended Events
Abstract: If you’re like me, you’ve been using SQL Trace and Profiler since you started using SQL Server. They’re like old friends, tried and true. You know how they work, you know what you can capture, you know how to find the data you need. But now you’ve been told that your good friends have been deprecated in SQL Server 2012, and you need to become best friends with Extended Events. What is THAT all about? It’s ok. Really. In this session we’ll look at Profiler and Extended Events side by side to see how easy it is to transition to Extended Events. We’ll step through real world examples using Extended Events to do what you’re used to doing with Trace, and even more. You can find the time learn Extended Events…today.
Speaker(s):
- Erin Stellato
Track and Room: Training 3 - 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 includes a very high performance method (100,000 nodes in less than 4 seconds and 1 Million nodes in less than a minute) for converting Adjacency Lists to Nested Sets that even a beginner can understand. As a finale`, we’ll cover a new “pre-aggregated” Hierarchical table structure that answers most of the questions you’d ask of a Hierarchy. You just have to know that a Tally Table is involved somewhere in this. ;-)
Speaker(s):
- Jeff Moden
Track and Room: Training 6 - N/A
Title: Manageable SSAS Deployment Strategies
Abstract: When it comes to making changes to your production Analysis Services databases, do you simply open the SSAS DB in SQL Server Data Tools (or BIDS) and click through creating the changes? Does this method lead to problems keeping everything in sync and the right changes deployed to the right environment at the right time? Have you, the BI developer, had to fight to get Production access to do your own deployments?
If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, and are in search of a better way, I have the solution! In this demo-heavy session, will look at five steps to more robust, controllable, and flexible Tabular and Multidimensional SSAS deployments.
Speaker(s):
- Kerry Tyler
Track and Room: Training 6 - N/A
Title: Discover, Document, Diagnose Your Servers on Your Coffee Break
Abstract: Documentation is the bane of every DBA’s existence. We all know we should do it but it’s time consuming; by the time you’re finally done it’s probably out of date. Throw in the new servers you just found out about last week and keeping documentation up to date can turn into a full time job. And with everything we have to do in our day, who has time for that?
You need a way to work smarter, not harder, and automate your documentation. It can be done, and in this session you’ll learn how to discover all the SQL Servers on your network, document their configuration from top to bottom (including OS details), and diagnose common problems before they turn into big headaches - all while you’re on a coffee break. You’ll look like a rock star without writing a line of code on your own or having to ask management to sign a check.
Attend this session and walk away with everything you need to generate documentation for your entire SQL Server environment on your first day back at the office
Speaker(s):
- Kendal Van Dyke
Track and Room: Auditorium - N/A
Title: Performance Tuning - Analyzing Execution Plans
Abstract: Did you ever get woken up at night from a call from a user screaming about poor query performance, but didn’t really know how to begin attack the problem? In this session, we will explore the basics of execution plan analysis and how to single out issues that pertain to base table operations. In this presentation, we will identify what indexes are being used by the SQL Optimizer, the different type of index operations that are performed by SQL Server and which operations are generally considered the preferred method of data retrieval. We will discuss how to determine if the indexes used by the Optimizer are optimal, according to best practices, and the exceptions to those cases. Finally, we will cover the relationships between different types of index operations and joins within SQL Server, including how the SQL Optimizer determines which join type it will use, along with the pros and cons of each join operation
Speaker(s):
- Konstantin Melamud
Track and Room: Training 2 - N/A
Title: DANGER: The Art and Science of Presenting
Abstract: Is there a great difference in the brain chemistry of someone fleeing a hungry mountain lion and someone presenting to a group of colleagues in a corporate board room? The answer is: NO. Over the past decade, a lot has been learned about the chemistry of the brain and why humans react the way we do to events in our environment. The concept of EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is a compelling and growing concept that applies this knowledge in a set of learnable, improvable skills for leading human beings. While EQ is often applied to corporate leadership, the parallels to presenting are fantastic. This session will explain the basics of EQ and demonstrate how you can apply it to make your presentations better in the following areas: * Crafting better slide decks * Preparing yourself for presenting * Delivering your content * Dealing with the unexpected Understanding and practicing the concepts of EQ can make your presentations a better experience for everyone in the room–including you.
Speaker(s):
- Mark Vaillancourt
Track and Room: Training 5 - N/A
Title: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Automating Your BI Framework
Abstract: Quite frankly, some aspects of building out a business intelligence solution are tedious. As you cycle through iterations of your star schema, you’ll find that even a simple data type change in the data warehouse requires you to make corresponding changes to staging tables, SSIS packages, and SSAS multidimensional or tabular models that take a considerable amount of time to implement. But there’s a better, faster way!In this session, we’ll explore lessons from a project that required implementation of a framework to easily generate BI objects based on reusable patterns. We’ll walk through the decision points in the framework design, review the implementation steps, and see demonstrations of how easily you can make iterative changes to your BI solution’s design by using reusable design patterns. Whether you simply want to accelerate change management or reproduce objects in bulk on demand, this session will give you practical tips for automating these processes.
Speaker(s):
- Stacia Varga
Track and Room: Auditorium - N/A
Title: Be Friendly to SQL Server with TSQL Best Practices
Abstract: This session will take a look at things that you should regularly know and use when coding TSQL. How can you be really friendly to SQL? The items covered will show you things that will help ensure that your code is readable, efficient and maintainable. We will look at query semantics, datatypes, things to avoid as well as how to be super friendly to the SQL Engine and allow things to work well.
Speaker(s):
- Ben Miller
Track and Room: Auditorium - N/A
Title: Database Design: Size DOES Matter
Abstract: Great database performance starts with great database design. During the database design process it is important to select your datatypes wisely. The wrong choices will often lead to wasted space, increased response times, and less stability. Additionally you run the risk of having your design not scale as well as it should. Leave this session armed with the knowledge you need to help your databases perform at their peak efficiency.
Speaker(s):
- Thomas LaRock
Track and Room: Training 1 - N/A
Title: Code-Less Securing of SQL Server
Abstract: Learn from a Microsoft Certified Master how to secure your SQL Server infrastructure and your Windows installations to enhance resiliency and minimize exposure to attacks—all without touching any of your code!
Speaker(s):
- Argenis Fernandez
Track and Room: Training 1 - N/A
Title: You Inherited a Database, Now What?
Abstract: You have recently inherited the support of a new or existing database, what are the things you should immediately check and start monitoring and what are the things that you should address over the next few weeks. When taking over support of a database or system, you cannot ASSUME anything. At the end of this session you will have a nice checklist of things you should check and be doing on ALL your databases not just the one you inherited. Whether you are a seasoned DBA or just starting out, this session should be informative and something you can relate to.
Speaker(s):
- Tim Radney
Track and Room: Auditorium - N/A
Title: Getting Started with Hekaton (In-Memory OLTP)
Abstract: So you’ve heard of Hekaton (In-Memory OLTP) but you aren’t sure where to start or if it’s for you or not. Maybe you’ve heard or read some information and not sure what’s true or not. There’s a number of misconceptions out there about Hekaton. By the end of this session you’ll have a better understanding of what Hekaton is and how it may be able to help you. We’ll discuss the basics of Hekaton and more as well as walking through some demos to show you how to use Hekaton and what it can do as well as help you get started diving into Hekaton on your own.
Speaker(s):
- Brian Davis
Track and Room: Training 2 - N/A
Title: SQL Server Transaction Log Internals
Abstract: The transaction log plays the most critical role in any SQL Server database. In this talk I will discuss the importance of transaction log and the roles it plays inside the database engine. We’ll look at how logging and recovery works, the checkpoint process, write-ahead logging, and steps you need to take as a DBA to ensure proper management of the transaction log for a SQL Server database.
Speaker(s):
- Tim Chapman
Track and Room: Training 1 - N/A
Title: Wrangling performance with Resource Governor
Abstract: In this introductory session we’ll delve into the basics of the resource governor feature in SQL Server. We’ll look at the types of issues this feature can help resolve. We’ll then delve into various components of the feature, such as a classifier function, workload groups and resource pools. Finally we’ll bring all this together with an example implementation. From there, if time allows, we’ll look at best practices and questions to answer to ensure a successful implementation.
Speaker(s):
- Brandon Leach
Track and Room: Training 6 - N/A
Title: Know Backups and Know Recovery
Abstract: It is easy to schedule full backups to run each night, but is that the right decision for your organization? You say you have a backup strategy, but what is your recovery strategy? Do you have a well-executed recovery plan? In this session I will cover several methods for performing much needed backups and how to recover those backups. Full, Differential, File Group, Transaction logs and recovery the tail end of a the log. He will discuss industry best practices and hopefully cause you to validate and test your current strategy.
Speaker(s):
- Tim Radney
Track and Room: Training 2 - 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: Training 5 - N/A
Title: 45 min to build your first SSRS report
Abstract: Does this sound like you? You were just given access to SSRS and you want to make a report. Or, you’re a DBA and could use a daily report. Either way, I’ve got your back! You will learn everything you need to know to get that first report out the door quickly and how to tweak it once it’s deployed. We’ll even look at the differences between building a report in BIDS (Business Intelligence Development Studio) and Report Builder 3.0. We’ll use SSRS (SQL Server Reporting Services) 2012. The query makes no difference, this time it’s all about the output.
Speaker(s):
- Tamera Clark
Track and Room: Training 5 - N/A
Title: MDX Trek: First Contact
Abstract: Cube space; the final frontier. In this Star Trek themed introduction to MDX, we will discuss the fundamentals of cube structure and vocabulary, including tuples, members, sets, hierarchies, and more. We will introduce and demonstrate the basic syntax of MDX with queries that include navigating hierarchies and even some time-based expressions. This session will give you the tools you need to write simple, yet meaningful, MDX queries in your own environment.
Speaker(s):
- Mark Vaillancourt
Track and Room: Training 5 - N/A
Title: Spatial Data: Cooler Than You’d Think!
Abstract: Spatial data has been around since 2008 but it should fire it’s PR person. It’s too bad that spatial data gets no love, it’s actually something that pretty much all SQL Server shops could use. This session will focus on utilizing these native types to store, analyze, and retrieve spatial data. I will use some real world examples to help get the wheels turning on how you can use it within your organization and show how powerful it can be to see your data visually on a map.
Speaker(s):
- Hope Foley
Track and Room: Training 4 - N/A
Title: SSIS Olympics
Abstract: Did you know that 38 hundredths of a second separated gold and silver in the 4-man bobsledding race at the Vancouver Winter Olympics? What did the right setup mean for the US bobsled team in Vancouver? Everything!!! Choosing the right components and settings can make all the difference in the world. The same holds true for the setup and performance of SSIS. In this session, we will glide through parts of SSIS that, when used correctly, will make your packages gold medal contenders.
Speaker(s):
- Cory Stevenson
Track and Room: Training 6 - N/A
Title: Automate Your ETL Infrastructure with SSIS and PowerShell
Abstract: Much of your ETL process flow consists of packages that are very similar in structure, capturing data from a single source and transferring that to a single destination. Creating the individual packages can be tedious and it’s easy to miss something in the process of generating the same basic package over and again. BI Markup Language makes it easy to build new packages, and PowerShell makes creating the BIML scripts easy. In this session we’ll show you how to use PowerShell to generate dozens of SSIS packages doing similar tasks from a defined set of ETL sources.
Speaker(s):
- Allen White
Track and Room: Auditorium - N/A
Title: SQL Server Bingo – Install, Migration Config
Abstract: Get ready to play SQL Buzzword Bingo with the subject matter being SQL Install, Migration Configuration. Are you preparing to move a database from one SQL Server to another? Whether it’s your first SQL install, a SQL Server Upgrade or changing from physical to virtual, there is a lot to consider. In some areas of the setup, you get only one chance to “get it right.” Come to this session and find out all about the process - and have some fun while you’re at it. First one to hit BINGO! will win a copy of the book SQL Server 2012 - Step by Step.
Speaker(s):
- Mindy Curnutt
Track and Room: Training 2 - N/A
Title: BIML–Step by Step
Abstract: BIML–Business Intelligence Markup Language is your key to faster development of SSIS Packages. This session will guide you through an introduction to BIML. We’ll explore the capabilities of BIML and BIMLScript, available through the free Codeplex BIDSHelper download. We’ll move through basic syntax of plain BIML, and progress to BIMLScript, using LINQ, and Lambda expressions to access enterprise metadata, speeding SSIS development exponentially.
Speaker(s):
- Julie Smith
Track and Room: Training 1 - N/A
Title: A Big Data Primer
Abstract: The term “big data” dominates the headlines in technology news these days, but what is the fuss really all about? What are the implications for traditional data warehousing and reporting? What kind of technology and skill sets do you need to successfully implement to a big data strategy? Come to this session for a gentle, business-focused introduction to big data and leave with some inspiration and practical steps for tackling your first big data project.
Speaker(s):
- Stacia Varga
Track and Room: Training 1 - N/A
Title: Branding Yourself for a Dream Job
Abstract: Everyone wants a dream job that they enjoy going to each week. However finding that job, and getting yourself hired can be hard for most people. Steve Jones will give you practical tips and suggestions in this session that show you how to better market yourself, how to get the attention of employers, and help improve the chances that the job you want will get offered to you. Learn about networking, blogging, and more.
Speaker(s):
- Steve Jones
Track and Room: Training 3 - N/A
Title: The Encryption Primer
Abstract: Learn the options for encryption in SQL Server, covering hashing, symmetric keys, asymmetric keys, and encrypted communications.
Speaker(s):
- Steve Jones
Track and Room: Training 3 - N/A
Title: DBA 911 - Database Corruption
Abstract: Database corruption is simply a fact of a DBA’s life - if you haven’t seen it yet, you will. Success or failure depends on having a solid plan to deal with different types of corruption. In this session, we will discuss usage of related DBCC commands, monitoring for corruption with SQL Agent Alerts and Jobs, and when to restore versus repair. After attending this session, you will be able to check for corruption, identify different types of corruption, and take the appropriate measures for dealing with it.
Speaker(s):
- David Maxwell
Track and Room: Training 4 - N/A
Title: Monitoring and Baselines
Abstract: Covers monitoring OS Perf Counters, Wait Stats, Traces, Blocking, Query Stats, Index Stats, Database Sizes and Table Sizes, all presented in a format of what you should be watching and how it will help you. How to watch them is covered in my blog at SimpleSQLServer.com.
This will give you a great starting point for finding root causes to incidents, trending database growth, and a better way to find the queries in most need of tuning.
Speaker(s):
- Steve Hood
Track and Room: Training 4 - N/A
Title: A Tour of Power BI: Pivot, View, Query, and Map
Abstract: In this session, we’ll show you how you can expose your reportable data in the cloud and use Microsoft’s Power BI in different ways to empower your business users to Self-Service BI. Equal demo time will be given to all 4 of Power BI’s pillars: Power Pivot, Power View, Power Query, and Power Map.
Speaker(s):
- Jeff Mlakar
Track and Room: Training 5 - N/A
Title: Navigating the Options for Data Redundancy
Abstract: SQL Server has so many options for data redundancy, how do you know when you should use replication, or log shipping or AlwaysOn, etc? We will use real world examples where data redundancy is needed and discuss which is the appropriate technology and why. This is more than just a high availability vs disaster recovery discussion. If you have ever been confused or overwhelmed by all of the options, they will be broken down and made clear in this session.
Speaker(s):
- Wendy Pastrick
Track and Room: Training 5 - N/A
Title: In-Memory Columnstore Indexes–Make Your Data Warehouse Fly
Abstract: Columnstore indexes were introduced in SQL Server 2012, along with a new type of query processing “batch mode”. In SQL 2014 they get even better–we can use a Columnstore index as a clustered index and update it. In this session we will explore the basics and beyond of Columnstore indexes and how they can help your warehouse performance.
Speaker(s):
- Joseph D’Antoni
Track and Room: Training 3 - 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 session we will walk through the process of creating a disaster recovery plan for your organization, all of the HA and DR options within SQL Server (even the ones that aren’t in Enterprise Edition), and finally a demonstration of the new Availability Groups feature in SQL Server 2012 and see them in practice
Speaker(s):
- Joseph D’Antoni
Track and Room: Training 3 - N/A
Title: Code Management with SQL Server Data Tools
Abstract: In this session, I will introduce you to SQL Server Data Tools. With SSDT, you can create database projects to act as the system of record for your database schema. You can also utilize SSDT to automate SQL code deployments into multiple environments. And did I mention the tool is free? Your SQL code can finally be treated as a first class code citizen.
Speaker(s):
- Lisa Gardner
Track and Room: Training 4 - N/A
Title: SQL Audit - auditing doesn’t have to be boring
Abstract: Let’s face it, auditing isn’t fun. But if you’re a DBA, you need to know what’s going on in your SQL Server instance. Fortunately, SQL Audit makes it easy. In this session, we’ll cover what you can and can’t audit using SQL Audit, enhancements in 2012, configuring database and server audits, ways to process output, and ideas for how to implement SQL Audit on a larger scale. Auditing doesn’t have to be hard. And with the help of a little custom coding, it can even be fun.
Speaker(s):
- Colleen Morrow
Track and Room: Training 2 - N/A
Title: The Evils of Cursors
Abstract: We have all heard that cursors are evil, but most of the time we are not told why they are evil and how to replace them. The goal of this session is to fix that problem. We will be reviewing a number of types of cursors and explain why they are being used, why are bad and then show better ways to write them. This session will include lots of actual scripts and demos comparing these different examples of cursors and then better ways to rewrite the code to replace the cursor.
Speaker(s):
- Paul Hiles
Track and Room: Training 6 - N/A
Title: Writing Better Queries with T-SQL Window Functions
Abstract: SQL Server 2005 and later versions introduced several T-SQL features that are like power tools in the hands of T-SQL developers. If you aren’t using these features, you’re probably writing code that doesn’t perform as well as it could. This session will teach you how to get great performance, avoid cursor solutions, and create simpler code by using the window functions that have been introduced between 2005 and 2012. You’ll learn how to use the new functions and how to apply them to several design patterns that are commonly found in the real world.
Speaker(s):
- Kathi Kellenberger
Track and Room: Training 3 - N/A
Title: Query Performance Tuning: A 12 Step Program
Abstract: Have you ever had a query handed to you for the first time and you are expected to make it perform better before you are through with your morning cup of coffee? Attend this session where SQL Server MCMs Thomas LaRock and Tim Chapman will share their 12 steps to better query performance tuning.
Speaker(s):
- Thomas LaRock
Track and Room: Auditorium - N/A
Title: SQL Server 2014 New Features
Abstract: There is MUCH more to SQL Server 2014 than just Hekaton and Updatable Column Store Indexes!! This session will be a medium-to-high-level overview of many of the new features and enhancements coming in SQL Server 2014. We will take a look at some of the new functionality via demos as well.
Speaker(s):
- Kevin Boles
Track and Room: Training 4 - N/A
Title: Simplify your infrastructure with Managed Service Accounts
Abstract: We will review what are Managed Service Accounts, and their newer cousin, group Managed Service Accounts (gMSA) and why they are important for SQL Server DBAs. We will then implement a gMSA and explain some of the tips and tricks a DBA should know about in implementing this game changing way to simplify your service account management.
Speaker(s):
- Craig Purnell
Track and Room: Training 6 - 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: Training 4 - 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.
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.
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.
Mark Vaillancourt
Twitter: - @markvsql
LinkedIn: Mark Vaillancourt
Contact: http://markvsql.com
Mark is a Data Solutions Architect for Microsoft, helping organizations design data solutions in Azure. He has been working with Microsoft data technologies since 2007. Before joining Microsoft, he was a Business Intelligence consultant and two-time Microsoft Data Platform MVP. With a background in Theater and Improvised Comedy, Mark makes sure that his presentations are both informative and fun.
Kerry Tyler
Twitter: - AirborneGeek
LinkedIn: Kerry Tyler
Contact: http://airbornegeek.com
Kerry Tyler is a SQL Server, Business Intelligence, and Azure consultant. His initial IT experience was in network engineering and Windows system administration before moving into the data realm. This infrastructure background builds a firm foundation for performance tuning and cloud infrastructure design and implementation. Kerry has full-time DBA experience in SQL Server since version 2000 and business intelligence architecture since SQL Server 2005. In addition to consulting work, he delivers presentations and training on SQL Server administration, business intelligence, and Azure data and infrastructure components.
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.
Mark Vaillancourt
Twitter: - @markvsql
LinkedIn: Mark Vaillancourt
Contact: http://markvsql.com
Mark is a Data Solutions Architect for Microsoft, helping organizations design data solutions in Azure. He has been working with Microsoft data technologies since 2007. Before joining Microsoft, he was a Business Intelligence consultant and two-time Microsoft Data Platform MVP. With a background in Theater and Improvised Comedy, Mark makes sure that his presentations are both informative and fun.
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.
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.
Steve Jones
Twitter: - way0utwest
LinkedIn: Steve Jones
Contact: http://www.voiceofthedba.com/
Steve Jones is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and has been working with SQL Server since version 4.2 on OS/2. After working as a DBA and developer for a variety of companies, Steve co-founded the community website SQLServerCentral.com in 2001. Since 2004, Steve has been the full-time editor of the site, ensuring it continues to be a great resource for SQL Server professionals. Over the last decade, Steve has written hundreds of articles about SQL Server for SQLServerCentral.com, SQL Server Standard magazine, SQL Server Magazine, and Database Journal.
Paul Hiles
Paul has over 20 years of experience in the IT field which includes: programmer, system administrator, technical manger and both an operational and application DBA. He has been working with SQL Server since 2000 starting with version 7.0. He is currently a Data Architect where he specializes in SSIS, SSRS and database design and performance tuning.
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.
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”.
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.
Steve Jones
Twitter: - way0utwest
LinkedIn: Steve Jones
Contact: http://www.voiceofthedba.com/
Steve Jones is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and has been working with SQL Server since version 4.2 on OS/2. After working as a DBA and developer for a variety of companies, Steve co-founded the community website SQLServerCentral.com in 2001. Since 2004, Steve has been the full-time editor of the site, ensuring it continues to be a great resource for SQL Server professionals. Over the last decade, Steve has written hundreds of articles about SQL Server for SQLServerCentral.com, SQL Server Standard magazine, SQL Server Magazine, and Database Journal.
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”.
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”.
Ben Miller
Twitter: - DBAduck
LinkedIn: Ben Miller
Contact: https://dbaduck.com
Ben has been a member of the SQL Server Community since 2000. He loves a challenge and has fixed many SQL Servers and helped hundreds of people get more out of their DBA jobs. He is a Data Platform MVP a SQL Server Certified Master (MCM). He has worked at various companies throughout the USA, as well as at Microsoft for 7 years. He is passionate about SQL Server Infrastructure, High Availability, Automation and Integration using SMO and PowerShell. He teaches DBAs how to use PowerShell to do their job and teaches SQL Server Internals. He is @DBAduck all around the web (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Blog) so let’s catch up.
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.
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.
David Maxwell
Twitter: - https://twitter.com/dmmaxwell
LinkedIn: David Maxwell
Contact: https://dmmaxwell.wordpress.com/
David Maxwell has almost 20 years of experience with SQL Server, with a keen interest in performance tuning, monitoring, and troubleshooting. He has experience in environments as diverse as health care institutions, auto manufacturers, and insurance companies. David has been a frequent presenter at SQLSaturday events around the United States since 2012, as well as a presenter for the DBA Fundamentals Virtual Group, the Performance Virtual Group, 24 Hours of PASS, and the annual PASS Summit. David participates in his local Columbus Ohio PASS Local Group, where he serves on the board of directors as SQLSaturday coordinator.
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.
Mindy Curnutt
Twitter: - @sqlgirl
LinkedIn: Mindy Curnutt
Contact: http://www.mindycurnutt.com
Mindy Curnutt is a 5X Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Business Owner and Entrepreneur. Her specialties include SQL Server hardware, configuration, migrations, scalability, performance tuning. She has been actively involved in the SQL Server Community for over two decades and has become a well known speaker within the SQL and Transportation Management communities. She is a two-time PASS Volunteer of the Month, has presented at 6 SQLPASS Summits, Live360, DevConnections, MVPMix and too many SQLSaturdays to count. She is currently the President of the North Texas SQL Server User Group out of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.
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.
Hope Foley
Twitter: - hope_foley
LinkedIn: Hope Foley
Contact: http://www.hopefoley.com
Hope Foley, a former Data Platform MVP, has worked across many industries as a DBA and Business Intelligence consultant. She joined team at Microsoft and is a Data AI Technology Solutions Professional. She has worked with enterprise customers but now focuses on education. Hope is an active member in the SQL Server and PASS communities speaking at events and organizing the SQLSaturday event in Indianapolis.
Erin Stellato
Twitter: - erinstellato
LinkedIn: Erin Stellato
Contact: http://www.sqlskills.com/blogs/erin
Erin Stellato is a Data Platform MVP and lives outside Cleveland, OH. She has almost 20 years of technology experience and has worked with SQL Server since 2003. Her areas of interest include performance tuning, Query Store, Extended Events, and helping accidental/involuntary DBAs understand how SQL Server works. Erin is an active member of the SQL Server community, has volunteered for PASS at the local and national level, and is a regular speaker at conferences including the PASS Summit, SQLIntersection, and SQLBits. Outside of time with family and friends, she enjoys running, spinning, movies, and all things chocolate.
Tim Radney
Twitter: - @tradney
LinkedIn: Tim Radney
Contact: http://www.timradney.com
Tim is a Data Platform MVP and has a whole collection of Microsoft and other industry certifications. His experience includes HA/DR, virtualization, SSIS, SSRS, and performance tuning, among everything else SQL Server-related. Tim is very active and passionate in the SQL Community. He runs the Columbus GA SQL Users Group, has been a PASS Regional Mentor for a number of years, was named a PASS Outstanding Volunteer in 2012, and is a frequent speaker at user groups, SQLSaturdays and PASS Summits. Tim is one of the top ranked in karma on ask.sqlservercentral.com, answers questions as @tradney on Twitter, and blogs at http://timradney.com and SQLskills blog at http://www.SQLskills.com/blogs/tim.
Cory Stevenson
Twitter: - @CoryGStevenson
LinkedIn: Cory Stevenson
Cory Stevenson, a Business Intelligence Consultant for BlueGranite, Inc., has worked with technology for over 10 years. He has specifically worked with SQL Server 2000 on up; in addition, his interests include SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, DQS, and MDS. Cory is an active member of the Ohio North SQL Server User Group. You can find him on Twitter at @CoryGStevenson.
Kathi Kellenberger
Twitter: - auntkathi
LinkedIn: Kathi Kellenberger
Contact: http://auntkathisql.com
Kathi Kellenberger is the editor of Simple Talk at Redgate and a Data Platform MVP. She has worked with SQL Server for over 20 years and has authored, co-authored, or tech edited over a dozen technical books. Kathi is the co-leader of the PASS Women in Technology Virtual Group and a volunteer at LaunchCode. When Kathi isn’t working, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cycling, singing, and climbing the stairs of tall buildings. Be sure to check out her courses on Pluralsight.
Tim Chapman
Tim Chapman is a Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) and works as a dedicated field engineer (PFE) at Microsoft specializing in performance tuning and high availability. Tim is from Louisville, KY and has over 12 years of database architecture, programming, and administration experience.
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.
Tamera Clark
Twitter: - https://twitter.com/tameraclark
LinkedIn: Tamera Clark
Contact: http://tameraclark.com
Tamera Clark has been involved in the IT industry for greater than ten years, with experiences ranging from systems analysis/engineering to SQL Server and SSRS administration/development. She is an active member of the SQL Server community, participating in the Women in Technology Virtual Chapter, Co-leading the Nashville BI Chapter, assisting the Nashville PASS Chapter and serving as a Regional Mentor. Tamera is also the event chair of SQLSaturday Nashville.
Steve Hood
Contact: http://SimpleSQLServer.com
I have been working with SQL Server since 2000, but never in an environment that threw me deep into the internals of SQL Server until 2010. Now I’m starting to get obsessed with taking what I learned in the last couple of years and throwing that information out there. It should be noted that I’m presenting to specific person in everything I do… the 2008 or earlier version of me. If I knew what I know now 10 years ago, my career would have been very different.
Konstantin Melamud
Twitter: - @kmelamud
Konstantin has over 15 years of SQL Server experience and demonstrates his expertise and commitment to helping SQL Server DBAs succeed through his position as Director of Service Delivery at RDX. In his role, Konstantin is responsible for designing and implementing RDX’s service delivery strategies, including those for SQL Server. Since joining RDX in 2009, Konstantin has proven to be a strong leader and expert in SQL Server database administration, architecture, performance tuning, and business intelligence. He is also a very active member of the SQL Server community and frequently presents at SQLSaturdays and user groups throughout the year. In addition, Konstantin presented during 24 Hours of PASS and at the PASS Summits.
Grant Fritchey
Twitter: - @gfritchey
LinkedIn: Grant Fritchey
Contact: http://scarydba.com
Grant Fritchey is a Data Platform MVP with over 20 years’ experience in IT, including time spent in support and development. He has worked with SQL Server since 6.0 back in 1995. He has also developed in VB, VB.NET, C#, and Java. Grant has written books for Apress and Simple-Talk. Grant presents at conferences and user groups, large and small, all over the world. He joined Redgate Software as a product evangelist in January 2011.
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.
Wendy Pastrick
Twitter: - @wendy_dance
Contact: http://wendyverse.blogspot.com
Wendy Pastrick is from Chicago, IL, and for the past 15 years has served as a Database Administrator supporting both development and production environments. Her many years of involvement with PASS include WIT Virtual Chapter and the Chicago Suburban User Group, serving as Regional Mentor, and as a PASS Board member since 2013. Wendy has organized several highly successful SQLSaturday events in Chicago.
Tim Radney
Twitter: - @tradney
LinkedIn: Tim Radney
Contact: http://www.timradney.com
Tim is a Data Platform MVP and has a whole collection of Microsoft and other industry certifications. His experience includes HA/DR, virtualization, SSIS, SSRS, and performance tuning, among everything else SQL Server-related. Tim is very active and passionate in the SQL Community. He runs the Columbus GA SQL Users Group, has been a PASS Regional Mentor for a number of years, was named a PASS Outstanding Volunteer in 2012, and is a frequent speaker at user groups, SQLSaturdays and PASS Summits. Tim is one of the top ranked in karma on ask.sqlservercentral.com, answers questions as @tradney on Twitter, and blogs at http://timradney.com and SQLskills blog at http://www.SQLskills.com/blogs/tim.
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
Brandon Leach
Twitter: - SQLServerNerd
LinkedIn: Brandon Leach
A Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Brandon manages the DB Operations team for financial company x. With a data estate of several petabytes, he puts a high focus on performance tuning and automation. He is a frequent speaker at events like conferences and user groups.
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.
Argenis Fernandez
Twitter: - DBArgenis
LinkedIn: Argenis Fernandez
Contact: http://blog.purestorage.com/author/argenisfernandez/
Argenis is a Principal Architect at Pure Storage. He works with customers around the world to make sure they don’t have to worry much about their infrastructure for Data. He is a former Data Platform MVP, former VMware vExpert, Microsoft Certified Master, and more recently worked in the Microsoft Azure Data/SQL Server engineering team as a Principal PM in the Tiger team.
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.
Sponsors
The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event: