SQLSaturday #328 - Birmingham 2014

Event Date: 08/23/2014 00:00:00

Event Location:

Thomas Russell Hall
800 Lakeshore Drive
Birmingham, Alabama

This event has completed. All data shown below is from the historical XML public data available.

Sessions
Speakers
Sponsors

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Sessions

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

Title: Zero to Hero with PowerShell and SQL Server in 1 Session

Abstract: There are two kinds of people in the SQL Server world. Those who are using PowerShell, and those that will be. In this session you’ll learn how to become one of the “cool kids” using PowerShell.

We’ll begin with a super fast paced introduction to PowerShell starting with a quick overview of the two environments you can use PowerShell in, command windows and the ISE (Integrated Scripting Environment). Next you’ll learn about cmdlets, variables, functions, and logic flow. But wait, there’s more! After that we’ll learn how to interact with SQL Server using the SQL Provider. For the last dance we limbo, going low level with the the SQL Managment Object library, also known as SMO.

Don’t be left behind, learn how to leverage the power of PowerShell in your SQL Server environment.

Speaker(s):

Robert Cain

Track and Room: Room 327 - PowerShell - N/A

Title: How In-Memory Database Objects Affect Database Design

Abstract: With SQL Server 2014, Microsoft has added a major new feature to help optimize OLTP database implementations by persisting your data primarily in RAM. Of course it isn’t that simple, internally everything that uses this new feature is completely new. While the internals of this feature may be foreign to you, accessing the data that uses the structures very much resembles T-SQL as you already know it. As such, the first important question for the average developer will be how to adapt an existing application to make use of the technology to achieve enhanced performance. In this session, I will start with a normalized database, and adapt the logical and physical database model/implementation in several manners, performance testing the tables and code changes along the way.

Speaker(s):

Louis Davidson

Track and Room: Room 325 - DEV \ DBA - N/A

Title: Profisee Master Data Services and Maestro Demo

Abstract: Attend the lunch demo and see how you can use Master Data Services and Maestro to:

Create the foundation for your own MDM Center of Excellence in six calendar weeks Create a golden record for any subject area in a matter of minutes Reduce or eliminate expensive Master Data Management (MDM) solutions such as Informatica, DataFlux, Oracle, SAP, or IBM, and replace them with a SQL Server and Microsoft technology solution? Leverage your Microsoft licenses, skills and infrastructure to lower license costs and FTE costs, and reduce the complexity of an MDM environment? Understand how to implement workflow and business process solutions around the management of MDM, without having to write complex custom coding for everything? Tackle data quality, consistency and control by empowering business and subject matter experts, without needing heavy IT resources and writing complex code or scripting

Speaker(s):

Gene Webb

Track and Room: Room 307 - BI - N/A

Title: Learn PowerShell or Die! for the DBA

Abstract: Learn PowerShell or Die! That is, learn PowerShell or your career in IT will die. PowerShell is one of those technologies that as a DBA you’ll either love or hate, but believe it or not DBA’s already have the mindset for scripting since you live and work with T-SQL day in and day out. During this session, scripting games winner Mike F Robbins will demonstrate the different methods of retrieving information from your SQL Servers to include a way to simply wrap your existing T-SQL code inside of a PowerShell one-liner, working with SQL Server in PowerShell as if it were a file system, and creating reusable tools via functions in PowerShell that use SMO to retrieve just about any information about your SQL Servers that you could imagine.

Speaker(s):

Mike Robbins

Track and Room: Room 327 - PowerShell - N/A

Title: What’s New in PowerShell Version 5?

Abstract: With PowerShell version 4 being announced at TechEd last year and two preview versions of PowerShell version 5 already being released this year, it shows how committed Microsoft is to PowerShell and that it’s not going away any time soon which is why you can’t afford to ignore PowerShell or put off learning it any longer. During this session, scripting games winner Mike F Robbins will cover the new features that are in the preview version of PowerShell version 5 to include the cmdlets in the OneGet module, the NetworkSwitch module, the PowerShellGet module and much more that you’ll have to come to this session to find out about! This session is based off of a preview version of PowerShell version 5 so everything shown is subject to change.

Speaker(s):

Mike Robbins

Track and Room: Room 327 - PowerShell - N/A

Title: Geekin’ Out on Extended Events -Deconstructing the system_health session to solve performance issues

Abstract: Extended Events are used to gather a wide range of performance information to help troubleshoot performance problems in SQL Server. The system_health session is an Extended Events session that is included by default with SQL Server. This session starts automatically when the SQL Server database engine starts, and runs without any noticeable performance effects. This presentations will take you on an in-depth tour of the data provided in the system_health event session and how to use it to troubleshoot performance issues. Cases studies from real-life examples will be used to demonstrate tips and tricks.

Speaker(s):

Janis Griffin

Track and Room: Room 225 - DBA - N/A

Title: Giving Feedback: How to Effectively Communicate to your Employees

Abstract: As a manager or team leader giving effective feedback is vital to the success of projects. In this session we will discuss soft skills and best practices to give feedback, performance improvement, and even disciplinary actions. Learn how to handle confrontation tactfully.

Speaker(s):

Christine Assaf

Track and Room: Room 227 - Prof Dev \ Misc - 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: Room 325 - DEV \ DBA - N/A

Title: Mastering your Resume Interview: Tips to Get Hired

Abstract: Looking for a job? Learn trade secrets from a Recruiter! Resume blunders and interview tips, this session will focus on ten most important things you can do to get hired.

Speaker(s):

Christine Assaf

Track and Room: Room 227 - Prof Dev \ Misc - N/A

Title: READY FOR PROD

Abstract: As a DBA, my personal least favorite part of the development lifecycle is pushing changes to production. It means adding something unknown (no matter how well tested) to an environment that is considered stable and reliable. Plus there are other things that myself (and I’m sure developers as well) would rather be doing.

In READY FOR PROD (caps for emphasis), we will explore how I believe pushing T-SQL script, SSRS reports, and SSIS packages to production should go, and I encourage those in the audience to participate so we can get an idea of how other environments push code as easily or painfully as possible.

Speaker(s):

Robert Verell

Track and Room: Room 325 - DEV \ DBA - N/A

Title: Women in Technology (WIT) Panel Discussion

Abstract: Why is technology a good career choice for women? At first you may think, for the same reasons it’s a good choice for a man. If that’s the case, then why are women either not entering or not staying in Technology? Join us for a moderated discussion of all the reasons IT jobs work well for women, how to get them involved in tech and how to keep them in tech. Attendees should expect an open, honest dialogue with a panel of women with many years experience in the Technology field. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions, offer solutions, talk about what’s worked for them and hopefully walk away with the ability to offer women support encouragement in regards to a successful career in IT.

Speaker(s):

Women in Technology Panel

Track and Room: Room 227 - Prof Dev \ Misc - N/A

Title: Building an MDM Center of Excellence with MDS and Maestro

Abstract: Learn how to build an MDM Center of Excellence with Best Practices using extensive demo. The session will including building a complete sample customer domain including data quality, merge, match and deduplication, and business workflow.

Speaker(s):

Gene Webb

Track and Room: Room 307 - BI - N/A

Title: Secrets of Enterprise Data Mining

Abstract: If you have a SQL Server license (Standard or higher) then you already have the ability to start data mining. In this new presentation, you will see how to scale up data mining from the free Excel 2013 add-in to production use. Aimed at beginning to intermediate data miners, this presentation will show how mining models move from development to production. We will use SQL Server 2014 tools including SSMS, SSIS, and SSDT.

Speaker(s):

Mark Tabladillo

Track and Room: Room 307 - BI - N/A

Title: Business Rules, Data Governance, and Workflow with MDS and Maestro

Abstract: In this session we will show you how to use business rules and workflow to facilitate data governance and business processes around master data management using the built in MDS tools and Maestro.

Speaker(s):

Gene Webb

Track and Room: Room 307 - BI - N/A

Title: Data Mining Innovation with SQL Server 2014

Abstract: This presentation includes a complex business analytics solution using elements across the Microsoft Business Intelligence technology. This talk will not have all the steps spelled out. Therefore you should prepare – for example, by looking at the SQL Server 2014 Developer Kit – since attendees will be expected to have working knowledge of SQL Server relational database, SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, SSMS and SSDT. At the end of the demonstration, you will be expected to participate in groups to promote one idea which builds on the demo, and everyone will be voting for their favorite groups. Come ready to create and celebrate your peers.

Speaker(s):

Mark Tabladillo

Track and Room: Room 307 - BI - N/A

Title: SQL Server Defaults SUCK!!

Abstract: If you just click next-next-next and think you have a good-to-go SQL Server THINK AGAIN!! :-) There are umpteen things you just GOTTA change right out of the box if you want your potentially very expensive and always precious SQL Server resource to perform and behave optimally. This session will cover a laundry list from High Power Setting to data file growth and many useful items in between.

Speaker(s):

Kevin Boles

Track and Room: Room 311 - Various Topics - N/A

Title: Stupid PowerShell Tricks

Abstract: Let’s face it - I’m no SQL guy, and you’re no .NET developer. But that just means there is a ton we can learn from each other.

Some spend an hour hearing and sharing practical, time-saving PowerShell hacks you can start using today. Start taking your one-liners and turn it into a crisp, clean, reusable PowerShell!

Speaker(s):

Jim Christopher

Track and Room: Room 327 - PowerShell - N/A

Title: Performance Tuning for Mere Mortals Part II

Abstract: This is part two of a two part series, looking at performance tuning (i.e. performance troubleshooting) from the beginning. Part II is about the next steps after taking a look at some of the free performance analysis tools.

This session will go into more detail about how to capture the current transactions with tools like sp_WhoIsActive stored procedure, Wait Stats and Extended Events.

This is a very demo intensive session some basic issues and performance analysis that will be used as a starting point for performance tuning.

Speaker(s):

Mike Lawell

Track and Room: Room 311 - Various Topics - N/A

Title: Tegile IntelliFlash Technology Demo

Abstract: Accelerate, Simplify and Protect with Tegile IntelliFlash Technology. Accelerate: Learn how and where to deploy FLASH to maximize SQL performance. Simplify: Learn how to leverage Clustered Shared Volumes (CSV) technology to reduce the complexity of databases that you manage. Protect: Learn how to leverage Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS) as well as hardware based replication which you can use for “in region” and “out of region” Disaster Recovery strategies, along with SQL Server AlwaysOn®

Speaker(s):

Brett Johnson

Track and Room: Room 327 - PowerShell - N/A

Title: The Real Value of Name-Value Pairs: Using PIVOT and UNPIVOT

Abstract: This session will show in-depth how to use both PIVOT and UNPIVOT. How to use the functionality will be described in detail along with how to use more advanced features like Dynamic PIVOT!

Speaker(s):

Kevin Wilkie

Track and Room: Room 325 - DEV \ DBA - N/A

Title: Know Your Role(s)!

Abstract: Developers and DBAs naturally butt heads with each other over permissions since developers want to be able to fix their code and research issues, but DBAs are the gatekeepers. Robert Verell will discuss Microsoft recommended best practices for setting up users and service account permissions. He will go over common server and database roles and what they actually allow, including roles that should be avoided as potential security loopholes. He will also look into alternatives for elevated database roles, and easier ways of setting up users across an enterprise environment, all as part of how to consolidate your development servers into fewer instances.

Speaker(s):

Robert Verell

Track and Room: Room 325 - DEV \ DBA - N/A

Title: PowerShell Fundamentals for SharePoint 2010/2013

Abstract: This session will go through the fundamental PowerShell cmdlets you need to know to administer SharePoint 2010/2013. The session will then dive into common SharePoint scenarios where you can use PowerShell for automation.

Speaker(s):

Cody Gros

Track and Room: Room 327 - PowerShell - N/A

Title: Sparkhound Top Dog Challenge

Abstract: Do you have what it takes to be Top Dog? If so, come play the “Sparkhound Top Dog” challenge during our SQLSaturday lunch session. Test your Sparkhound knowledge and technical prowess in a fun, interactive session given by Sparkies William Assaf, Cody Gros and John Walker. Besides bragging rights, the winner will walk away with a nice treat.

Speaker(s):

William Assaf

Track and Room: Room 325 - DEV \ DBA - N/A

Title: The Elephant in the Room; A DBA’s Guide to Hadoop

Abstract: The term “Big Data” has risen to popularity in the last few years, and encompasses data platforms outside of the traditional RDBMS (like SQL Server). The purpose of this session is to introduce SQL Server DBA’s to Hadoop, and to promote understanding of how schema-less data can be collected and accessed in coordination with the traditional SQL models. We’ll cover the basic vocabulary of the Hadoop platform, Microsoft’s integration efforts, and demonstrate how to get started with “big data”.

You can download my slides at: http://codegumbo.com/index.php/code-etc/

Please follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/codegumbo

Speaker(s):

Stuart Ainsworth

Track and Room: Room 227 - Prof Dev \ Misc - N/A

Title: SQL Admin Best Practices with DMV’s

Abstract: In this practical and script-focused session, we’ll discuss many best practices regarding SQL Server administration, maintenance, optimizations and monitoring using Dynamic Management Views. DMV’s are essential tools for the SQL administrator, but have a wide range of applications by developers, network engineers and DBAs. We will delve into best practices for server maintenance, index fragmentation, XEvents, wait type analysis and future features. This session will be informative and eye-opening to anyone from a junior DBA on up.

Speaker(s):

William Assaf

Track and Room: Room 225 - DBA - N/A

Title: Windows Server 2012 R2 High Availability for SQL Server

Abstract: With the increasing adoption rate of virtualization, creating SQL Server clusters is now within reach of many more DBAs. What do you need to know about Windows Server 2012 (R2) virtualization and high availability to set up your first cluster? What’s needed for geo-clustering? Come learn from a Windows Server admin and (accidental) DBA who’s been building SQL Server clusters since 2000 (the year and the version!). We’ll discuss initial planning, the process and the maintenance best practices. There will be demos too, so if you want to see a multi-node SQL cluster run on a Lenovo X230 tablet, come see (it’s pretty cool!).

Speaker(s):

Sven Aelterman

Track and Room: Room 225 - DBA - N/A

Title: What’s in the SQL Server 2014 Business Intelligence Suite?

Abstract: The Microsoft SQL Server business intelligence suite contains many tools to help in your data warehousing. Deciding which on to use can be confusing if you’re first learning the toolset. This session will provide an overview of each tool in the business intelligence suite in SQL Server 2014 and explain when you would use each one. Soon, you too can answer the question of what is in the SQL Server 2014 Business Intelligence Suite!

Speaker(s):

Jessica Moss

Track and Room: Room 311 - Various Topics - N/A

Title: Idera SQL Diagnostic Demo

Abstract: This product overview will focus on the features and benefits of idera’s SQL Diagnostic Manager product. The demonstration will show you how SQL Diagnostic Manager can be used to monitor, diagnose and manage your SQL Server environment. The presentation is geared for both DBA or accidental DBA – whether you monitor a handful of instances or hundreds, the overview will show you how you can make better use of your time and life easier when it comes to your SQL Server environment.

This demo will also cover Admin Toolset. Learn how the 25 essential desktop tools in Admin Toolset can help you simplify day-to-day SQL administration tasks

Speaker(s):

Dan Cardno

Track and Room: Room 311 - Various Topics - 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: Room 225 - DBA - 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, which enables exponentially faster development of SSIS packages.

Speaker(s):

Julie Smith

Track and Room: Room 325 - DEV \ DBA - N/A

Title: SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer for SQL Server Demo

Abstract: Janis will demo the SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer for SQL Server.

Speaker(s):

Janis Griffin

Track and Room: Room 225 - DBA - N/A

Title: Indexing Deep Dive

Abstract: Another in TheSQLGuru’s very popular “Deep Dive” series, this time covering indexing. You will learn about the internal structures of heaps, clustered indexes and nonclustered indexes. We will examine included columns and covering indexes, filtered indexes, indexed views, indexing DMVs and finding the right indexes. There are some incredibly helpful graphics as well as some nice samples to help you transition theory to practice.

Speaker(s):

Kevin Boles

Track and Room: Room 311 - Various Topics - 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: Room 311 - Various Topics - N/A

Title: Managing a Technical Team: Lessons Learned

Abstract: I got promoted to management a couple of years ago, and despite what I previously believed, there were no fluffy pillows and bottles of champagne awaiting me. My team liked me, but they didn’t exactly stoop and bow when I entered the room. I’ve spent the last year relearning everything I thought I knew about management, and what it means to be a manager of a technical team. This session is intended for new managers, especially if you’ve come from a database (or other technical) background.

You can download my slides at: http://codegumbo.com/index.php/code-etc/

Please follow me on twitter: https://twitter.com/codegumbo

Speaker(s):

Stuart Ainsworth

Track and Room: Room 227 - Prof Dev \ Misc - N/A

Title: Introduction to PowerShell for DBAs

Abstract: PowerShell is a huge time-saver for Database Administrators that is increasingly becoming a must-have skill. However, for beginners to object-oriented development, the initial learning curve can be steep. This session will jump start your experience with PowerShell and introduce you to the skills many wished they had when getting started. If you have never worked with object-oriented programming languages and want to learn PowerShell, this session will save you a lot of time.

Speaker(s):

Jon Boulineau

Track and Room: Room 327 - PowerShell - N/A

Title: DAX 101

Abstract: In this session, we will look at the new BI query language for PowerPivot and Tabular - DAX. This session will give you an introduction to Data Analysis eXpressions (DAX) and will provide you the necessary understanding to start using in your environment for data analysis. No prior experience with DAX is needed to attend this session.

Speaker(s):

Damu Venkatesan

Track and Room: Room 307 - BI - N/A

Title: Performance Tuning for Mere Mortals Part I

Abstract: In this first part of a two part series, we look at performance tuning from the very beginning. You’re a new DBA, you want to be a DBA, or you’ve been declared an “Accidental DBA” and the phone rings. Someone tells you that they believe SQL Server is having a performance issue, what now? The application is running slowly. Can you help them? Do you even know where to begin to help them? In this session we’ll cover how to handle performance tuning from the very beginning, when the user says “The database is slow.”

Speaker(s):

Ed Watson

Track and Room: Room 311 - Various Topics - N/A

Title: SQL Server Permissions and Security Principals

Abstract: A review of SQL Server permissions starting with the basics and moving into the security implications behinds stored procedures, views, database ownership, application connections, consolidated databases, application roles and more.

Speaker(s):

William Assaf

Track and Room: Room 225 - DBA - N/A

Title: SQL Server Optimization for SharePoint

Abstract: DBAs know that SharePoint just doesn’t play nice with SQL Server. SharePoint administrators know that DBAs just don’t understand SharePoint. This session will show hands-on how to get a SQL Server instance set up more effectively for SharePoint 2013. It’s not black magic and it doesn’t involve undocumented trace flags. Maybe DBAs and SharePoint admins can’t get along, but at least you’ll be able to cooperate after this session.

Speaker(s):

Sven Aelterman

Track and Room: Room 225 - DBA - N/A

Title: How Queries Work

Abstract: If you’ve been writing T-SQL code for a while, but have never delved into what happens after you submit your queries there is a whole world that you are missing. Taking the next step as a T-SQL developer requires understanding the basics of the SQL Server architecture and what it means to use a declarative language. Have you ever wondered why cursors are so slow, why query performance can be unpredictable, or how you can begin to analyze your queries more deeply? In this session we will cover what SQL Server has to do to turn your T-SQL code into the results you expect and how you can use this knowledge to make your code better.

Speaker(s):

Jon Boulineau

Track and Room: Room 227 - Prof Dev \ Misc - N/A

Title: Fundamentals of MDX

Abstract: Cubes and Excel go together like peanut butter and jelly. However, some questions cannot be answered by browsing a cube. Multidimensional Expressions, or MDX, unlock the full potential of your multidimensional data. Learning MDX requires a clear understanding of some fundamental concepts. Change your mental model, and advance past the MDX learning curve.

Speaker(s):

Lance England

Track and Room: Room 307 - BI - 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.

Damu Venkatesan

Twitter: - @vdamu

LinkedIn: Damu Venkatesan

Damu Venkatesan is a Business Intelligence Consultant with over 25 years of IT experience including architecting and implementing BI/DW solutions using Microsoft SQL Server, PDW, SSIS, SSAS, SSRS, and Power BI. He has been speaking at many SQLSaturdays and user groups on data analytics and is actively involved in the Atlanta SQL community for several years. He has successfully delivered several BI/DW solutions and data migrations to various clients. He is also currently serving as President of DAMA Georgia chapter in Atlanta. He is the co-organizer of BI SQLSaturday in Atlanta.

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.

Gene Webb

Twitter: - None

LinkedIn: Gene Webb

Contact: http://None

Gene Webb is a Regional Sales Executive with The Profisee Group based in Alpharetta Georgia. Profisee is the successor to Stratature the company that built Master Data Services (MDS) and sold the product to Microsoft in 2007. Profisee focuses around Master Data Management (MDM) and as a Gold ISV provides solution sets built on MDS and the Microsoft Stack. Gene spent 7 years working at Microsoft as a SQL Server and Developer Tools solution specialist and an ISV Developer Evangelist.

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.

Ed Watson

Twitter: - http://twitter.com/SQLGator

LinkedIn: Ed Watson

Contact: http://sqlgator.com

Ed Watson is a Principal Data Platform Consultant for Improving Enterprises, a full-stack Microsoft consulting firm in Atlanta. Ed is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP since 2014 and like most children, Ed was born at an early age. Today, Ed specializes in the Business Intelligence stack and enjoys specializing in Power BI immensely. He currently lives in Atlanta and is active with the Atlanta MDF and Atlanta BI user groups and is an organizer for SQLSaturday Atlanta, Atlanta BI, and Pensacola.

Christine Assaf

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

LinkedIn: Christine Assaf

Contact: https://www.hrtact.com

Christine Assaf is an experienced HR pro who is passionate about the mental health of employees, leadership, and organizations. She is a leadership development professional with over 15 years experience in human resources and 20 years in business management. She holds a BS in Business Management, received her HRM certification at LSU, and is finishing up her master’s degree at Colorado State University in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. She is a certified DDI Trainer, experienced public speaker, and is dedicated to teaching others about ways to support a culture of “expressiveness” in the workplace that creates connectivity.

Robert Cain

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

LinkedIn: Robert Cain

Contact: http://arcanecode.com

Robert C. Cain (http://arcanecode.com) is a Microsoft MVP, MCTS Certified in BI, and is the owner of Arcane Training and Consulting, LLC. He is also a course author for Plurasight, author for Red Gate’s SImple Talk website, and co-author of 4 books. A popular speaker, Robert has presented at events such as the SQL PASS Summit, TechEd, CodeStock, and numerous SQLSaturdays. Robert has over 25 years experience in the IT industry, working in a variety of fields ranging from manufacturing to telecommunications to nuclear power.

Tim Radney

Twitter: - @tradney

LinkedIn: Tim Radney

Contact: http://www.timradney.com

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.

Gene Webb

Contact: http://profisee.com/

Jim Christopher

Twitter: - twitter.com/beefarino

LinkedIn: Jim Christopher

Contact: http://www.beefycode.com

Jim gained 18 years of professional experience developing complex software projects in highly regulated industries, including education, gaming, and defense. His professional drive is designing software, systems, and user experiences for automation, a theme that has earned him a Microsoft MVP for PowerShell (2011-2016). Jim is a frequent speaker at technical user groups and conferences. He is currently Curriculum Director at Pluralsight.

Lance England

Twitter: - lanceengland

LinkedIn: Lance England

Contact: http://lance-england.com

Lance England is a data professional focused on data, analysis, integration, and automation using SQL Server, Power BI, DAX, SQL Server Analysis Server, BizTalk, PowerShell, C#, and more. He has industry experience in health care, manufacturing, property rental, and non-profit sectors.

Gene Webb

Twitter: - None

LinkedIn: Gene Webb

Contact: http://None

Cody Gros

Twitter: - @codygros

Contact: http://www.sparkhound.com/Pages/Blogs.aspx

Cody Gros joined Sparkhound in 2011 as a SharePoint Solutions Architect. He has been involved in many SharePoint implementations including Intranet Sites, Enterprise Content Management, Extranet Sites, as well as building custom applications on the SharePoint platform. Heavily involved in the SharePoint community, he’s a leader of the Baton Rouge SharePoint User Group (BRSPUG) and speaks at various user groups and SharePoint Saturdays around the region.

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.

Mike Lawell

Twitter: - @sqldiver

LinkedIn: Mike Lawell

Contact: http://sqlserverassociates.com/Blog

Mike Lawell is an 19 year veteran of SQL Server, working with all versions since 6.5. He specializes in performance tuning and high availability as an independent consultant.

He is a Linchpin People Teammate, he also consults with SolidQ, Intellinet and Microsoft Consulting Services.

He is also a certified Scuba instructor with a long bucket list of dive sites.

He resides in Atlanta, GA and you can catch him at many of the SQLSaturdays in the SE region of the United States.

Sven Aelterman

Twitter: - @svenaelterman

LinkedIn: Sven Aelterman

Contact: https://svenaelterman.wordpress.com

Sven Aelterman is the Director of IT for the Sorrell College of Business at Troy University; a role with a global scope. He is also a lecturer in Information Systems and teaches courses in data warehousing and information security. He continues consulting work through Adduxis, where he assists customers with various Microsoft technology implementations. Co-author of The Art of SQL Server FILESTREAM, published by Red Gate; and SQL Server 2017 Administration Inside Out, published by Microsoft Press. Cloud Software Architect at Sorrell Solutions, L.L.C. developing a Microsoft Azure-hosted Electronic Health Record system.

Mike Robbins

Twitter: - @mikefrobbins

LinkedIn: Mike Robbins

Contact: http://mikefrobbins.com/

Mike F Robbins is a Microsoft MVP on Windows PowerShell and a SAPIEN Technologies MVP. He is a co-author of Windows PowerShell TFM 4th Edition and is a contributing author of a chapter in the PowerShell Deep Dives book. Mike has written guest blog articles for the Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog, PowerShell Magazine, and PowerShell.org. He is the winner of the advanced category in the 2013 PowerShell Scripting Games. Mike is also the leader and co-founder of the Mississippi PowerShell User Group. He blogs at mikefrobbins.com and can be found on twitter @mikefrobbins.

Sven Aelterman

Twitter: - @svenaelterman

LinkedIn: Sven Aelterman

Contact: https://svenaelterman.wordpress.com

Kevin Boles

Twitter: - @TheSQLGuru

LinkedIn: Kevin Boles

Robert Verell

Twitter: - @sqlcowbell

LinkedIn: Robert Verell

Contact: http://sqlcowbell.com/wordpress/

Robert Verell is a SQL Server professional working in the Nashville area and has worked in healthcare, insurance, and banking. He found his passion for databases by learning SQL Server Integration Services and writing stored procedures, and eventually became a database administrator. Robert is a chapter lead for the Nashville SQL Server User’s Group, a volunteer for SQLSaturday, and was a finalist in the 2016 PASS Summit Speaker Idol competition.

Mark Tabladillo

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

LinkedIn: Mark Tabladillo

Contact: http://marktab.net

Mark Tabladillo Ph.D. works for Microsoft as a Cloud Solution Architect for the US CTO Customer Success Team. He has a science doctorate from Georgia Tech. Based in Atlanta, GA, Mark provides cloud enterprise solutions for companies in the US for Microsoft’s strategic clients. He is a chapter leader for the PASS Data Science virtual chapter.

Janis Griffin

Twitter: - DoBoutAnything

LinkedIn: Janis Griffin

Janis Griffin has over 30 years of DBA/database experience including design, development and implementation of many critical database applications. Before coming to Quest Software, Janis primarily worked in the Telecom/Network Industry, working with both real-time network routing databases and OLTP business to business applications. Janis also held positions as a Principal Architect and Senior Manager, mentoring other DBAs on best practices in database performance tuning.

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.

Mark Tabladillo

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

LinkedIn: Mark Tabladillo

Contact: http://marktab.net

Women in Technology Panel

Moderated by Rie Irish, Robin Hunt, Jessica Moss and Tracy Hamlin.

Janis Griffin

Twitter: - DoBoutAnything

LinkedIn: Janis Griffin

Stuart Ainsworth

Twitter: - @codegumbo

LinkedIn: Stuart Ainsworth

Contact: http://codegumbo.com

Stuart Ainsworth (MA, MEd) manages a team of Service Reliability Engineers for the Gladiator Enterprise Information Security Services section of Profitstars, a division of Jack Henry and Associates. He’s a former DBA, developer, consultant, and public speaking professor. He’s one of the chapter leaders for AtlantaMDF, and a long-time organizer of SQLSaturday’s. He tweets infrequently (@codegumbo) and blogs even less often at http://codegumbo.com.

Jon Boulineau

Twitter: - @jboulineau

LinkedIn: Jon Boulineau

Contact: http://jonboulineau.me

Jon Boulineau works as a Data Architect and Data Engineer in Nashville, TN.

Mike Robbins

Twitter: - @mikefrobbins

LinkedIn: Mike Robbins

Contact: http://mikefrobbins.com/

William Assaf

Twitter: - william_a_dba

LinkedIn: William Assaf

Contact: http://www.sqltact.com

William Assaf, Data Platform MVP, is a principal consultant in Baton Rouge, LA. Initially a .NET developer, and later into database administration and architecture, William currently works with clients on SQL Server and Azure SQL platform optimization, management, disaster recovery and high availability, and leads a crack multi-city team of consulting SQL DBA’s. William has written for Microsoft SQL certification exams since 2011 and was the lead author of the 2017 and 2019 editions of “SQL Server Administration Inside Out” by Microsoft Press. William is a member of the Baton Rouge User Groups board, a regional mentor for PASS, and past lead of the annual SQLSaturday Baton Rouge Planning Committee, having run one of the largest SQLSaturdays.

Christine Assaf

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

LinkedIn: Christine Assaf

Contact: https://www.hrtact.com

Kevin Wilkie

Twitter: - Oskaruth

LinkedIn: Kevin Wilkie

Contact: http://sherpaofdata.com

Kevin has 15+ years experience with SQL Server and has worked with the product since version 6.5, although he remembers with distaste the early versions of the product. He started working with SQL Server as an “Accidental” DBA, and has moved up through the ranks as a SQL Developer, a BI Associate, and Production DBA at various parts of his career. Currently, he works as a Lead Data Analyst spreading the gospel of how great data can be to anyone and everyone who will listen.

William Assaf

Twitter: - william_a_dba

LinkedIn: William Assaf

Contact: http://www.sqltact.com

William Assaf

Twitter: - william_a_dba

LinkedIn: William Assaf

Contact: http://www.sqltact.com

Stuart Ainsworth

Twitter: - @codegumbo

LinkedIn: Stuart Ainsworth

Contact: http://codegumbo.com

Jon Boulineau

Twitter: - @jboulineau

LinkedIn: Jon Boulineau

Contact: http://jonboulineau.me

Jon Boulineau works as a Data Architect and Data Engineer in Nashville, TN.

Brett Johnson

Contact: http://www.tegile.com/

Brett Johnson is an Account Executive with Tegile.

Robert Verell

Twitter: - @sqlcowbell

LinkedIn: Robert Verell

Contact: http://sqlcowbell.com/wordpress/

Dan Cardno

Contact: http://www.idera.com

Idera Team

Louis Davidson

Twitter: - drsql

LinkedIn: Louis Davidson

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

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

SQLSaturday #328 - Birmingham 2014

Sessions

Title: Zero to Hero with PowerShell and SQL Server in 1 Session

Title: How In-Memory Database Objects Affect Database Design

Title: Profisee Master Data Services and Maestro Demo

Title: Learn PowerShell or Die! for the DBA

Title: What’s New in PowerShell Version 5?

Title: Geekin’ Out on Extended Events -Deconstructing the system_health session to solve performance issues

Title: Giving Feedback: How to Effectively Communicate to your Employees

Title: Tame Your Unruly Data…With Constraints!

Title: Mastering your Resume Interview: Tips to Get Hired

Title: READY FOR PROD

Title: Women in Technology (WIT) Panel Discussion

Title: Building an MDM Center of Excellence with MDS and Maestro

Title: Secrets of Enterprise Data Mining

Title: Business Rules, Data Governance, and Workflow with MDS and Maestro

Title: Data Mining Innovation with SQL Server 2014

Title: SQL Server Defaults SUCK!!

Title: Stupid PowerShell Tricks

Title: Performance Tuning for Mere Mortals Part II

Title: Tegile IntelliFlash Technology Demo

Title: The Real Value of Name-Value Pairs: Using PIVOT and UNPIVOT

Title: Know Your Role(s)!

Title: PowerShell Fundamentals for SharePoint 2010/2013

Title: Sparkhound Top Dog Challenge

Title: The Elephant in the Room; A DBA’s Guide to Hadoop

Title: SQL Admin Best Practices with DMV’s

Title: Windows Server 2012 R2 High Availability for SQL Server

Title: What’s in the SQL Server 2014 Business Intelligence Suite?

Title: Idera SQL Diagnostic Demo

Title: You Inherited a Database, Now What?

Title: BIML–Step by Step

Title: SolarWinds Database Performance Analyzer for SQL Server Demo

Title: Indexing Deep Dive

Title: Know Backups and Know Recovery

Title: Managing a Technical Team: Lessons Learned

Title: Introduction to PowerShell for DBAs

Title: DAX 101

Title: Performance Tuning for Mere Mortals Part I

Title: SQL Server Permissions and Security Principals

Title: SQL Server Optimization for SharePoint

Title: How Queries Work

Title: Fundamentals of MDX

Speakers

Sponsors