SQLSaturday #526 - Rochester 2016

Event Date: 05/14/2016 00:00:00

Event Location:

Rochester Institute of Technology
1 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, New York

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: Getting Started with MDX

Abstract: In this session, led by Microsoft BI Architect, SQL Server MVP AND SSAS Maestro Bill Pearson, we will concentrate largely upon crafting simple MDX expressions and queries whose purposes, for the most part, are to return a set of data. We will overview the structure of a cube, using as a basis the sample Adventure Works cube that is available to anyone installing SQL Server Analysis Services 2008 R2 and above . We will then outline the components of simple MDX syntax, and get started writing basic expressions and queries. We will expose basic member functions, introduce filters (or “slicers”), and begin exploring core MDX functionality, including calculated members, and named sets.

Speaker(s):

William E Pearson III

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - 1435

Title: Should I move my database to the cloud?

Abstract: So you have been running on-prem SQL Server for a while now. Maybe you have taken the step to move it from bare metal to a VM, and have seen some nice benefits. Ready to see a TON more benefits? If you said “YES!”, then this is the session for you as I will go over the many benefits gained by moving your on-prem SQL Server to an Azure VM (IaaS). Then I will really blow your mind by showing you even more benefits by moving to Azure SQL Database (PaaS/DBaaS). And for those of you with a large data warehouse, I also got you covered with Azure SQL Data Warehouse. Along the way I will talk about the many hybrid approaches so you can take a gradual approve to moving to the cloud. If you are interested in cost savings, additional features, ease of use, and ending the days of upgrading hardware, this is the session for you!

Speaker(s):

James Serra

Track and Room: Strategy and Architecture - 1620

Title: SQL Server Automation with PowerShell

Abstract: DBA’s are constantly faced with challenges in maintaining a healthy SQL Server environment. Monitoring our database servers, deploying database code changes and performing database restores are just a few examples of a day in the life of a DBA. As workloads increase, performing these tasks manually introduces more opportunity for human error and time starts to become our bottleneck. The only option if you want to stay above water is to become more efficient at what you do. Enter automation. Enter PowerShell.

Initially released in 2006, PowerShell has grown to become Microsoft’s premier scripting language on the Windows platform. This presentation will begin with a brief overview of the PowerShell language itself, but the primary focus will be on how to interface with SQL Server to help automate your database environment.

Speaker(s):

Chris Sommer

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1445

Title: Rx for Demystifying Index Tuning Decisions

Abstract: Indexes are one of the most troubling and mysterious areas for DBAs and developers. Adding, deleting, or modifying them can yield dramatically positive or negative changes in query performance. The mystery is knowing how indexes need to be adjusted and what outcomes will result. This uncertainty often leads to great reluctance to eliminate indexes that are used sparingly or only because the optimal ones are missing. This leads to index proliferation, which ultimately produces inconsistent and poor query performance. Some believe that the SQL Server Database Tuning Advisor will solve all these issues, but it frequently does not. In fact, it often compounds the proliferation problem significantly. This presentation will enable a DBA to make informed decisions regarding what query and index metrics to monitor, determine how indexes are used, and devise appropriate index strategies to improve query performance through index addition, deletion, or modification.

Speaker(s):

Jeffry Schwartz

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1455

Title: Hacking Expos#233; - Using SSL to Secure SQL Server Connections

Abstract: You know all the ways to protect your database when it is at rest, but what about when someone connects and starts running some queries? What if they connect and don’t do anything? Just how exposed is that data? We will assume the role of a hacker and, by using a simple technique, we will sniff packets on a network to reveal what data is being sent. You may be shocked! We will then secure our database connections with a simple self-signed SSL certificate. Once secured, we will resume the role of the hacker and look inside the packets to see what has changed. *Warning - Do not try these demos at work without proper permissions as actual hacking techniques are used.

Speaker(s):

Chris Bell

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1610

Title: New Paradigm for Performance Tuning in SQL Server 2016

Abstract: SQL Server 2016 is introducing some new tools for analyzing and troubleshooting queries that is going to change the way we do performance tuning. It’s not just new tools, it’s a whole new paradigm.

SQL Server 2016 will introduce the Query Store and the Plan Compare Tool which will help you to quickly analyze and troubleshoot problem queries, diagnose the root-cause of query slow-downs, force execution plans and prevent future plan regressions, and track actual execution plan run-time statistics.

Have you ever had a job run unusually slow at 2 AM? If you are using Query Store, diagnosing the problem is as easy as looking at the execution data and plan for the 2 AM execution.

Does a query run fast with one plan but slow with another? With the plan compare tool, you can compare 2 plans in the same window to identify what is the same and what is different.

Speaker(s):

Robert Davis

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1445

Title: Data Migration Using BIML

Abstract: Many companies scale out their databases horizontally, partitioning data by customer (or some other identifier) into separate databases or instances. Sometimes, it becomes important to move that data from one database to another. SQL Server Integration Services is a fantastic tool for ETL, but creating and maintaining dozens or hundreds of data flows by hand is exhaustingly tedious. Instead of doing it the hard way, use the BI Markup Language (BIML) to automate package development. This talk will show how we can use metadata tables and BIML to auto-create SSIS packages to migrate data from one database to another, handling foreign key constraints along the way.

Speaker(s):

Kevin Feasel

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - 1435

Title: Pragmatic Power BI: Working with Data Sources

Abstract: Power BI (either Desktop or the service) supports a wide (and growing) range of data sources. From the sources with which most IT pros and data analysts are regularly involved (relational and OLAP databases, text and similar files, etc.) to sources that are a little more out of the ordinary for some of us (OData, MS Exchange, Active Directory, and a growing list of others), these reservoirs and suppliers of data grow increasingly more valuable in self-service BI.
In this session, BI Architect, SQL Server MVP and Analysis Services Maestro Bill Pearson focuses upon the first step in working with data sources in Power BI: connecting to, and extracting data from, a diverse range of data sources. Throughout the session, we explore various sources and witness how to employ Power BI with each.

Speaker(s):

William E Pearson III

Track and Room: Analysis Techniques and Visualization - 1620

Title: Learning and Optimizing the SQL Server Plan Cache

Abstract: SQL Server memory management is one of the most important aspects of a writing T-SQL code. And yet many of us don’t know the fundamentals beyond “SQL Server will take care of that”. In this session, we’ll go deep into the internal behavior of the plan cache. We’ll cover four main problem scenarios within the plan cache, what causes them, and how to fix them, including:

Bloating – scenarios that cause SQL Server to needlessly waste space in the plan cache.
Suboptimal plans – scenarios where SQL Server can’t help but choose a bad execution plan, usually self-inflicted.
Parameter sniffing – situations in which SQL Server specifically chooses a bad execution plan do to the type of parameters pass into T-SQL code.
Recompiles – situations where SQL Server is unable to completely process a block of T-SQL code without having to recompile it.

If you don’t know much about SQL Server memory management, especially if you write T-SQL code, then this session is for you! You’ll learn

Speaker(s):

Kevin Kline

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 1620

Title: Relational databases vs Non-relational databases

Abstract: There is a lot of confusion about the place and purpose of the many recent non-relational database solutions (“NoSQL databases”) compared to the relational database solutions that have been around for so many years. In this presentation I will first clarify what exactly these database solutions are, compare them, and discuss the best use cases for each. I’ll discuss topics involving OLTP, scaling, data warehousing, polyglot persistence, and the CAP theorem. We will even touch on a new type of database solution called NewSQL. If you are building a new solution it is important to understand all your options so you take the right path to success.

Speaker(s):

James Serra

Track and Room: Strategy and Architecture - 1620

Title: Version control with GIT for the DBA

Abstract: In 2005, Linus Torvalds developed the version control system (VCS) git. Since then, it has become as platform agnostic and ubiquitous as the internet. In that same note, github, the most popular service for hosting git repositories has become so ubiquitous that Microsoft chose to host the source code for its OSS fork of the .NET framework there instead of its own codeplex.

What does this mean to a DBA? Whether or not you use SSDT, you should be storing your database schema in version control. In addition, your utility scripts certainly belong in VCS.

In my session. We’ll cover:

What is version control? How does a distributed version control system differ from traditional version control like Visual Sourcesafe, TFS, and SVN? How do I setup git for internal use in my company? How do I host public and private repositories on github. How do pull requests work? How do I fork a SVN repo to github?

We will be covering using git from both the command line and Visual Studio.

Speaker(s):

Justin Dearing

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 1445

Title: Statistics Cardinality – How they work to find data efficiently

Abstract: Are your statistics up to date? Yes, it’s that dreaded phrase you hear all the time when it comes to performance tuning your SQL Server. What does it matter? Why should I care about statistics? Aren’t they automatic or something like that? In this session we will go over why statistics matter, how they are generated, how they impact performance, and even how to maintain them. Once we have that all settled, we will take a quick look at how the cardinality estimator uses statistics to determine a ‘good enough’ plan to use. We will close out the session by taking a look at the performance impact from a simple upgrade of your SQL Server to 2014 and using the new cardinality estimator.

Speaker(s):

Chris Bell

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1455

Title: Inside the Black Box - Making Sense of Service Broker

Abstract: SQL Server Service Broker is often seen as a black box. Messages go in, and hopefully they come out on the other side. But when they don’t, DBAs typically don’t know where to look. Trying to figure out what’s wrong quickly turns into a guessing game. It’s not that complicated once you understand how it all works. Service Broker is an asynchronous messaging technology built into SQL Server that allows you to scale out your application, replicate data or perform ETL, all while guaranteeing messages are delivered and processed in the right order. In this session, we’ll discuss the basics of the Service Broker architecture, its components, and deployment options. We will discuss troubleshooting tips and performance best practices to help you deploy a Service Broker solution in your own environment.

Speaker(s):

Colleen Morrow

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1610

Title: Disaster Documents: The role of documentation in disaster recovery

Abstract: I was an employee of a company that had an office in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Prior to that infamous date, I had written several departmental documents that ended up being critical to our recovery. In this presentation, I provide a narrative of what happened in the weeks following 9/11, and how documentation played a role in getting the organization back on its feet.

While other disaster recovery presentations talk about strategies, plans, and techniques, this presentation focuses on the documentation itself. We will discuss the documents we had and how they were used in our recovery. We will also discuss what documents we didn’t have, and how they could have made the process better.

Speaker(s):

Ray Kim

Track and Room: Strategy and Architecture - 1435

Title: Continuous Integration with SSDT and Team Foundation Server

Abstract: SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) is Microsoft developer tools for working with SQL Server databases on premises and in the cloud. It supersedes Management Studio in development functionality. Team Foundation Server (TFS) is the collaboration platform at the core of Microsoft’s application lifecycle management (ALM) solution. TFS gives you the tools you need to effectively manage software development projects throughout the IT lifecycle. In this session, we are going to focus on the interaction between SSDT and TFS. Developing locally and publishing the changes to an on-premises instance of SQL Server. We will look at how we can do continuous integration between development and other environments pushing the schema changes and upgrading the version numbers in a seamless manner upon successful build of the solution. Furthermore we’ll look at how to lift the integration to an even greater level by using Microsoft Release Management thus automating the deployment and testing of your software.

Speaker(s):

Regis Baccaro

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 1445

Title: Advanced BIML - for the advanced ETL developer

Abstract: This is not your regular Agile BIML session. By now you already know that BIML is a great productivity enhancement to SSIS. You also know that you can build metadata driven solution and include C# code in your BIML scripts or snippets. If you don’t know what I’m talking about this session is not for you. If you - on the other hand - want to know how to build a modular BIML framework, do real C# development and include it in your BIML code so that you can pass custom objects around for optimized performance and code reuse then this session is for you. We will see how to build a reusable C# framework that can be obfuscated and deployed to customers without worrying about Intellectual property. I promise you no more than a few slides but a lot of demos and real life experience acquired from major BIML projects. We will also have a look at how to harness integration and unit tests in the setup with a twist of Continuous Integration with Team Foundation Server.

Speaker(s):

Regis Baccaro

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - 1435

Title: Ten Query Tuning Techniques Every SQL Programmer Should Know

Abstract: SELECT statements have a reputation for being very easy to write, but hard to write very well. This session will take you through ten of the most problematic patterns and anti-patterns when writing queries and how to deal with them all. Loaded with live demonstrations and useful techniques, this session will teach you how to take your SQL Server queries mundane to masterful.

Goal 1: Implement a reusable Transact-SQL test harness for reliable query results. Goal 2: Learn ten patterns that kill the performance of SELECT statements and how to avoid them. Goal 3: Discover the high-impact metadata that shows how a SELECT statement behaves … or misbehaves.

Speaker(s):

Kevin Kline

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 1455

Title: Diving Into Query Execution Plans

Abstract: There is no better way to understand how TSQL is executing than through the execution plan. We will go into detail about the more complex parts of execution plans, relating them to other query statistics, and use this information to improve overall query performance. Be sure to bring your safety helmet!

Speaker(s):

Edward Pollack

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1445

Title: Designing SQL Server HA/DR Infrastructure to meet the SLA

Abstract: Once you agreed to an SLA for the databases you manage its time to deliver on this promise This session will show how to select from the many HA/DR features you have in SQL Server to pick the ones that will help you meet the SLA and most important will tell you how you must combine them to be successful. For each one of the solutions we discuss we will define a series of failure modes and then check if the solution actually can fulfill the SLA as promised or if it needs more

Speaker(s):

Thomas Grohser

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1610

Title: Taming the Transaction Log

Abstract: Wonder why the transaction log keep filling up the hard-drive? Wonder why a full backup does not backup the transaction log? Wonder how often to back up the transaction log? Wonder if the transaction log can be backed up in parallel? This interactive session will help to you to find answers to those questions and more.

Speaker(s):

Mike Hays

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1610

Title: SQL Server Storage Engine under the hood

Abstract: How SQL Server performs I/O

How is SQL Server really accessing the data and log files on the disk? What’s done asynchronous and what’s synchronous and what impact does that have on our queries and DML statements. Which impact have features like database mirroring and replication, what’s different when SQL Server is starting up. #160; Which I/O Subsystems (including SSD) are best for which type of data and what’s the impact if you choose a different one. Which files can be placed on the same volume and which should not.

Speaker(s):

Thomas Grohser

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1610

Title: Tackling Technical Blogging

Abstract: Ever thought of writing a technical blog? This session will cover the Ws (who, what, when, where, why, how) of getting a technical blog started. Answer the question of how it can be done for free. Discuss why pay for your own domain name. Explain how to be on the first page of a search engine. Learn how to determine the time commitment. And finally determine topics to write about.

Speaker(s):

Mike Hays

Track and Room: Professional Development - 1455

Title: In-Memory tables with SQL Server 2014 and 2016

Abstract: SQL 2014 and 2016 have the new In-Memory table aka Hekaton. This session will talk about “why in-memory” as well as the options available with new development scenarios around this in-memory table structure with SQL 2014, 2016, and Azure.

Speaker(s):

George Walters

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 1445

Title: 10 Things Administrators of BI Systems Should Know

Abstract: Conversations about SQL Server administration tends to be all about administering OLTP systems. If you administrer BI systems, you can’t apply everything you know about administering OLTP systems to BI systems. BI systems usually end up being administered by OLTP DBAs or by BI developers and architects. Where does one even find a BI Administrator?

Fortunately, I’ve been administering BI systems for several years, and I have learned the hard way the difference between administering OLTP and BI systems. This session will cover the top 10 things that I think an administrator of BI systems need to know.

Speaker(s):

Robert Davis

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - 1435

Title: Peanut Butter Chocolate: Integrating Hadoop with SQL Server

Abstract: So you jumped on the bandwagon and set up a Hadoop cluster…but now what? Your database developers and app developers know how to integrate with and develop against SQL Server, but the Hadoop world is a completely different experience. This talk will help bridge the gap between SQL Server and Hadoop, using tools such as SQL Server Integration Services and Sqoop to migrate data between a Hadoop cluster and a SQL Server instance, as well as PolyBase to integrate the two like never before.

Speaker(s):

Kevin Feasel

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 1620

Title: Dynamic SQL: Writing Efficient Queries on the Fly

Abstract: Dynamic SQL can be a powerful tool that allows you to write fast efficient queries when the specifics may not be known until run-time. It can also be complex, difficult to read and debug, and the source of some of the most confusing TSQL you’ll ever see.

Explore the many uses for dynamic SQL as well as best practices for writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining it, with the bonus of helping to improve the sanity of your coworkers (and your own) in the process!

Speaker(s):

Edward Pollack

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1455

Title: Dealing With Difficult Coworkers

Abstract: John knows everything and goes out of his way to correct you at every turn. Mary is agreeable to a fault and just placates everyone. Mike is full of doom and gloom and whines constantly. Are these your co-workers? Relatives? Frenemies? You? Learn two golden rules to reduce the stress produced by the difficult people in your life.

Speaker(s):

Gigi Bell

Track and Room: Professional Development - 1455

Title: Architecting Availability Groups

Abstract: You are a DBA familiar with some basic Windows clustering and database mirroring concepts, and now you are considering AlwaysOn Availability Groups. This session will cover the pros and cons of four typical configurations of AlwaysOn Availability Groups; stand-alone instances, fail-over cluster instances, multi-subnet, and a hybrid approach that I call disaster-recovery-on-the-cheap. It will also include their exclusive features such as read-only routing and backup off-loading. In addition, you’ll learn how to use the Availability Group Listener correctly and why you should be using Windows Server 2012 R2 or above, along with some of my own personal lessons learned.

Speaker(s):

Derik Hammer

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 1610

Title: Whacha just say? Talking technology to non-technical people

Abstract: Many tech professionals are faced with the challenge of explaining technical concepts to people who don’t understand technology. And only a few are able to do it well. This session provides some strategies and suggestions to go about bridging the technological knowledge gap. With time and practice, a technical person can serve as an effective interpreter of technical concepts. This is an interactive session; audience participation is expected and encouraged!

Speaker(s):

Ray Kim

Track and Room: Professional Development - 1435

Title: Tier 1 Application Migration to Azure!

Abstract: Considering a cloud architecture instead of on-premises? Come and walk through a Tier 1 Application with a heavy SQL on-prem footprint that was migrated to Azure. Considerations such as development changes, architecture, features required, reduced labor required, and people process to get this deployed.

Speaker(s):

George Walters

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 1620

Speakers

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

Regis Baccaro

Twitter: - @regbac

LinkedIn: Regis Baccaro

Contact: http://theblobfarm.wordpress.com

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

Edward Pollack

Twitter: - EdwardPollack

LinkedIn: Edward Pollack

Contact: https://www.sqlshack.com/author/edward-pollack/

Ed Pollack has over 20 years of experience in database and systems administration, which has developed his passion for performance optimization, database design, and making things go faster. He has spoken at many SQLSaturdays, 24 Hours of PASS, and PASS Summit. This led him to organize SQLSaturday Albany, which has become an annual event for New York’s Capital Region. Sharing these experiences with the community is a top priority, and encouraging everyone to take the leap into public speaking and engaging others, a passion. In his free time, Ed enjoys video games, traveling, cooking exceptionally spicy foods, and hanging out with his amazing wife and sons.

Justin Dearing

Twitter: - zippy1981

LinkedIn: Justin Dearing

Contact: http://www.justaprogrammer.net

Justin Dearing has been working in IT in 2002. He started as a night shift AS/400 operator and rose through the ranks at a series of companies. He currently works as a developer in the capital markets industry.

Justin has served in both the development and production side of the house on Windows, Unix and Midrange Platforms. His database experience includes MongoDB, MySQL, Postgres and Microsoft SQL server. These days he programs in C#, PowerShell and PHP.

Thomas Grohser

LinkedIn: Thomas Grohser

Thomas Grohser has spent most of the past 26+ years exploring the deeper inner workings of SQL Server and its features while working for entertainment, pharmaceutical, and financial services industries. His primary focus is to architect, plan, build, and operate reliable, highly available, secure, and scalable infrastructures for SQL Server. Over the years he has managed thousands of SQL Server instances, processing trillions of rows, taking up petabytes of storage. Thomas has been a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for 9 years and has spoken regularly at conferences, SQLSaturdays, and user groups for 12 years.

Robert Davis

Twitter: - @SQLSoldier

LinkedIn: Robert Davis

Contact: http://www.sqlsoldier.com

Robert is a SQL Server Certified Master, MVP, and has spent 17+ years honing his skills in security, performance tuning, SQL development, high availability, and disaster recovery. He served as PM for the SQL Server Certified Master Program at Microsoft Learning, and in various roles at Microsoft specializing in SQL Server administration, development, and architecture. He currently works as a Database Engineer at BlueMountain Capital Management where he spends a vast majority of his time tuning massively parallel queries. Robert feeds his passion for security by acting as co-leader of the PASS Security Virtual Chapter.

George Walters

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

LinkedIn: George Walters

Contact: https://georgewalters.wordpress.com/

Currently a partner technical strategist, George has been solving customer needs and issues. He can translate customer pain into potential solutions.

A seasoned Microsoft SQL and Azure expert, with over 20 years of experience with Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, Oracle, and other relational databases.

Specialties: Partner strategy, PreSales Engineering, Cloud Architecture, Enterprise Scalability, SQL Server performance, Business Intelligence, High Availability, Scale. I volunteer and present relevant topics at SQLSaturday and internal Microsoft events

Edward Pollack

Twitter: - EdwardPollack

LinkedIn: Edward Pollack

Contact: https://www.sqlshack.com/author/edward-pollack/

Kevin Kline

Twitter: - kekline

LinkedIn: Kevin Kline

Contact: http://blogs.sentryone.com/author/kevinkline

Kevin Kline is a database and industry expert serving as Principal Program Manager at SentryOne, the industry leading SQL Server database tools vendor. A Microsoft SQL Server MVP since 2003, he is a founder and former president of PASS. Kevin is an author of many books, blogger, columnist, and popular international speaker. Kevin’s best known book is the best-selling SQL in a Nutshell and contributes monthly to Database Trends Applications magazine. He tweets at @kekline and blogs at http://Blogs.SQLSentry.com/Author/KevinKline.

William E Pearson III

Twitter: - @Bill_Pearson

LinkedIn: William E Pearson III

Contact: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=02C5CD07-7511-4151-A678-3A4A3451F85E

Bill Pearson created Island Technologies Inc. in 1997, and has developed a large and diverse customer base since. Bill#39;s background as a CPA, Internal Auditor, Management Accountant, and SQL Server MVP (BI) enables him to provide value to clients as a liaison between Accounting / Finance and Information Services. Bill has implemented enterprise business intelligence systems over the years for many Fortune 500 companies and focuses his practice upon the integrated Microsoft Business Intelligence

Derik Hammer

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

LinkedIn: Derik Hammer

Contact: http://www.sqlhammer.com

I am currently working as a Database Operations Team Lead with Subway World Headquarters. Server configuration, architecture, disaster recovery, high-availability, performance tuning, and maintenance automation form the bulk of my responsibilities. Almost all of my previous experience has resided firmly in the traditional / production DBA realm. I also spend as much time as I can spare attending SQL Server community functions. Currently chapter leader for FairfieldPASS.

Regis Baccaro

Twitter: - @regbac

LinkedIn: Regis Baccaro

Contact: http://theblobfarm.wordpress.com

James Serra

Twitter: - www.twitter.com/JamesSerra

LinkedIn: James Serra

Contact: http://www.JamesSerra.com

James Serra is a big data and data warehousing solution architect at Microsoft. He is a thought leader in the use and application of Big Data and advanced analytics. Previously, James was an independent consultant working as a Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence architect and developer. He is a prior SQL Server MVP with over 35 years of IT experience. James is a popular blogger (JamesSerra.com) and speaker. He is the author of the book “Reporting with Microsoft SQL Server 2012”.

George Walters

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

LinkedIn: George Walters

Contact: https://georgewalters.wordpress.com/

Currently a partner technical strategist, George has been solving customer needs and issues. He can translate customer pain into potential solutions.

A seasoned Microsoft SQL and Azure expert, with over 20 years of experience with Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, Oracle, and other relational databases.

Ray Kim

Twitter: - PianoRayK

LinkedIn: Ray Kim

Contact: https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/

Ray Kim is an advocate for documentation and technical communication. He is a co-founder of the Albany, NY SQL group (CASSUG), a member of the AlbanyUX user group, and has spoken at numerous SQLSaturdays and at PASS Summit. He has worked various positions in technology, including as a developer, webmaster, analyst, technical writer, and instructor. He holds an MS in technical communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a BS in computer science from Syracuse University.

A musician in his spare time, Ray plays four different instruments. He also enjoys going to ball games and doing CrossFit, and is a two-time SQLServerCentral.com fantasy football champion. He lives in Troy, NY with his wife, Lianne, and their two cats.

Mike Hays

LinkedIn: Mike Hays

Contact: http://www.thesqlreport.com/

Mike has been working with Microsoft SQL Server for the last twenty years. Currently working as a Database Administrator for a diversified energy company, he has also worked in the retail, manufacturing, banking sectors. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Information Science from Cleveland State University. He currently resides in Ohio with his girlfriend Alexia, her two children and their dog Lanna.

James Serra

Twitter: - www.twitter.com/JamesSerra

LinkedIn: James Serra

Contact: http://www.JamesSerra.com

Gigi Bell

Twitter: - @sqlspouse

LinkedIn: Gigi Bell

Known across the country as the SQL Registration Princess, Gigi Bell actually has vast experience in training and development. Being married to a SQL DBA, she knows enough about SQL to be dangerous, but her real passion is helping people learn and achieve their true potential. She has spoken at SQLSaturdays across the country since 2014.

Ray Kim

Twitter: - PianoRayK

LinkedIn: Ray Kim

Contact: https://pianorayk.wordpress.com/

Kevin Feasel

Twitter: - feaselkl

LinkedIn: Kevin Feasel

Contact: http://www.catallaxyservices.com

Kevin Feasel is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and CTO at Envizage, where he specializes in data analytics with T-SQL and R, forcing Spark clusters to do his bidding, fighting with Kafka, and pulling rabbits out of hats on demand. He is the lead contributor to Curated SQL (https://curatedsql.com), president of the Triangle Area SQL Server Users Group (https://www.meetup.com/tripass), and author of PolyBase Revealed (https://www.apress.com/us/book/9781484254608). A resident of Durham, North Carolina, he can be found cycling the trails along the triangle whenever the weather’s nice enough.

Chris Bell

Twitter: - @cbelldba

LinkedIn: Chris Bell

Contact: https://www.wateroxconsulting.com/

Chris Bell offers a unique view of how we live and work with data, both now and as we head into the future. Having braved many roles, lifecycles, and battles in the IT world, he has honed his DBA (Database Administration or Do ‘Bout Anything) skills in Information Systems and development, focusing on SQL Server. Currently, he serves as the lead DBA at The Motley Fool. You can keep up with Chris’ thoughts and technical community activities at WaterOxConsulting.com.

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.

Thomas Grohser

LinkedIn: Thomas Grohser

Mike Hays

LinkedIn: Mike Hays

Contact: http://www.thesqlreport.com/

Chris Sommer

Twitter: - @cjsommer

LinkedIn: Chris Sommer

Contact: http://www.cjsommer.com

Chris started in computing and I.T. in the mid to late 1990’s. After the dust had settled from Y2K, he found himself a bit more focused and working with database servers on the Unix platform. His first exposure to SQL Server was in 2007 and he has been working on that platform ever since. Chris is currently a Senior SQL DBA with a focus on reliability, stability and performance. He truly enjoys the building tools with PowerShell to help his fellow DBA#39;s manage their ever growing environment.

Chris Bell

Twitter: - @cbelldba

LinkedIn: Chris Bell

Contact: https://www.wateroxconsulting.com/

Kevin Kline

Twitter: - kekline

LinkedIn: Kevin Kline

Contact: http://blogs.sentryone.com/author/kevinkline

William E Pearson III

Twitter: - @Bill_Pearson

LinkedIn: William E Pearson III

Contact: https://mvp.support.microsoft.com/profile=02C5CD07-7511-4151-A678-3A4A3451F85E

Kevin Feasel

Twitter: - feaselkl

LinkedIn: Kevin Feasel

Contact: http://www.catallaxyservices.com

Jeffry Schwartz

Contact: http://www.sqlrx.com

Jeffry Schwartz is the Senior Systems Architect for ISI’s SQL Rx team, a group of professional consultants specializing in performance, optimization, tuning, and capacity planning for Windows Server and Microsoft SQL Server systems. Over a 37-year span, he has won numerous awards for the development and delivery of state-of-the-art consulting services, including more than 930 performance and capacity planning studies. Customers include Microsoft, who awarded SQLRx Data Management Solutions Partner of the Year in 2008 for his WinPerf Windows and SQL Server performance analysis software suite.

Robert Davis

Twitter: - @SQLSoldier

LinkedIn: Robert Davis

Contact: http://www.sqlsoldier.com

SQLSaturday #526 - Rochester 2016

Sessions

Title: Getting Started with MDX

Title: Should I move my database to the cloud?

Title: SQL Server Automation with PowerShell

Title: Rx for Demystifying Index Tuning Decisions

Title: Hacking Expos#233; - Using SSL to Secure SQL Server Connections

Title: New Paradigm for Performance Tuning in SQL Server 2016

Title: Data Migration Using BIML

Title: Pragmatic Power BI: Working with Data Sources

Title: Learning and Optimizing the SQL Server Plan Cache

Title: Relational databases vs Non-relational databases

Title: Version control with GIT for the DBA

Title: Statistics Cardinality – How they work to find data efficiently

Title: Inside the Black Box - Making Sense of Service Broker

Title: Disaster Documents: The role of documentation in disaster recovery

Title: Continuous Integration with SSDT and Team Foundation Server

Title: Advanced BIML - for the advanced ETL developer

Title: Ten Query Tuning Techniques Every SQL Programmer Should Know

Title: Diving Into Query Execution Plans

Title: Designing SQL Server HA/DR Infrastructure to meet the SLA

Title: Taming the Transaction Log

Title: SQL Server Storage Engine under the hood

Title: Tackling Technical Blogging

Title: In-Memory tables with SQL Server 2014 and 2016

Title: 10 Things Administrators of BI Systems Should Know

Title: Peanut Butter Chocolate: Integrating Hadoop with SQL Server

Title: Dynamic SQL: Writing Efficient Queries on the Fly

Title: Dealing With Difficult Coworkers

Title: Architecting Availability Groups

Title: Whacha just say? Talking technology to non-technical people

Title: Tier 1 Application Migration to Azure!

Speakers

Sponsors