SQLSaturday #531 - Louisville 2016

Event Date: 08/06/2016 00:00:00

Event Location:

  • Indiana Wesleyan University
  • 1500 Alliant Avenue
  • Louisville, Kentucky

PDF of Schedule

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Sessions

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


Title: The Many Paths of Consulting

Abstract: People often dream of becoming a consultant, but what does that actually mean? Is consulting really the right path for you? Many choices are available when deciding to become a consultant, but these options can be overlooked. Contracting, consulting for an established team, going out on your own, or looking to build a larger business are all great options, depending on your vision and future goals.

This session will help you ask the right questions to better chose and prepare for your path. We then explore the various realities and strategies of each path. Real-life experiences will be shared to help you make the most informed decision on which path is best for you, and how to accelerate your career as a consultant.

Speaker(s):

  • David Klee

Track and Room: Professional Development - 201


Title: Let Me Finish… Isolating Write Operations

Abstract: OLTP databases can be constantly written to and reporting databases are written to at least periodically. In order to ensure consistent results, connections must be isolated from one another while executing, ideally with the lowest possible cost to concurrency. How this isolation is handled is based on the isolation level, whether the classic lock based or the newer optimistic scheme of the in-memory OLTP engine is used, or even if both engines are enlisted in the same transaction. In this session we will look at examples of how SQL Server isolates reading and writing operations from other writing operations to explore how this may affect your application through error messages and performance hits.

Speaker(s):

  • Louis Davidson

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 204


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 - 202


Title: Why “R” you not leveraging the power of “R” in Power BI?!?

Abstract: R is a very powerful statistical programming language that has been gaining a lot of traction in recent years. In early 2015 Microsoft acquired Revolution Analytics, a major provider of software and services for R. Microsoft has since incorporated R in Azure ML, SQL Server 2016, and Power BI.

In this session I will focus on the benefits of using R in Power BI. I will show how to leverage R for data munging (ETL) and I will also show how to leverage R to create custom visualizations. I will focus on the “Wickham stack” which is a group of very popular R packages developed by Hadley Wickham. The “Wickham stack” includes the ggplot2, dplyr, and tidyr packages. I will discuss logical use cases for using R within Power BI as well as some of the pitfalls that you may encounter.

Speaker(s):

  • Ryan Wade

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - 201


Title: Infrastructure for the DBA: An Introduction

Abstract: It doesn’t matter if you are a Junior DBA, an accidental DBA or all the way up to a Senior DBA, the infrastructure your SQL Server environment runs on is important. Many among the DBA community came in as developers or perhaps directly into database administration roles it is equally possible that you have been out of the operations world long enough to have fallen out of the loop with what is happening. This session is intended to provide a full stack infrastructure overview so that you can talk shop with your cohorts in operations to resolve issues and maybe even be proactive. We will discuss, in an introductory fashion, hardware, network, storage, virtualization and operating system layers. Additionally, some suggestions as to where to find more information will be provided.

Speaker(s):

  • Peter Shore

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 206


Title: Introduction to the Power BI Desktop

Abstract: Most of us are overwhelmed with data from all the different applications that we use on a daily basis. Bringing all the data together is often a very time-consuming and sometimes a challenging process. Even further, attempting to analyze and visualize the data poses new challenges that is sometime difficult or impossible to overcome. Now with Power BI this can all be made very simple. Individuals, ranging from novice information workers to advanced IT professionals can quickly and easily transform, analyze and visualize data using a single tool, Power BI Desktop. In this course we will work through four main topics: Shaping Data, Building a Data Model, Visualizing Data and Using the Power BI Server.

Speaker(s):

  • Patrick LeBlanc

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - 203


Title: Is your Flight on Time? – Power BI Dashboard

Abstract: It’s easy to find useful data on the Internet, model the data and construct a BI Dashboard using Power BI Desktop. The application used in this session shows on-time performance of domestic flights. Using government data this is available, you can answer these questions:

  1. Which airlines have the best on-time performance?
  2. Which flights between airports are regularly on-time?
  3. What day of the week or month is best to fly to get there on time?
  4. Which airline has the most cancelations? This session covers how to build, model, and deploy a Power BI Dashboard to PowerBI.com that reads flight data and displays aircraft flights on-time performance. The session also shows how to use Power Query to get data from the web.
    Finally, see the Dashboard in action and also how to use QA, a natural-language search technology. Also, see Quick “Data” Insights, which uses Cortana Analytics in the background to show additional insights and analysis using the existing data model.

Speaker(s):

  • Kenney Snell

Track and Room: Analytics and Visualization - 201


Title: Azure, PowerShell, and SQL Server Virtual Machines

Abstract: While the web portal makes it easy to deploy SQL Server on Azure Virtual Machines, there are a number of benefits to using PowerShell to do the job. This session will introduce Azure PowerShell command-lets and how to create a basic Azure infrastructure to support a SQL Server VM. We’ll include the Azure Resource Manager, how to use ARM VM templates and Custom Script Extension, and how users can modify an existing Azure Gallery template. Desired State Configuration (DSC) will be covered to complete the Azure Powershell automation toolkit, allowing attendees to automate the deployment of dozens or more SQL Server virtual machines. Finally, we will configure Availability Groups and explain their eccentricities in the Azure environment as well as how to make them work effectively.

Speaker(s):

  • Rob Volk

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 202


Title: Getting started with Always Encrypted in SQL Server 2016

Abstract: SQL Server 2016 significantly raises the bar in terms of data security. One of the most exciting features introduced in the newest release of SQL Server is Always Encrypted. This feature ensures that data remains encrypted in its entire lifecycle - at rest as well as in transit. Additionally, the encrypted data can be made completely inaccessible to database administrators. With the assistance of an updated .Net client-side driver, this great new feature ensures that applications can leverage Always Encrypted data without application code changes. In this demo-rich session we will look at how to enable and configure Always Encrypted as well as how applications can be configured to use this amazing new technology.

Speaker(s):

  • Tim Chapman

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 201


Title: Word Up: Text Mining in SQL

Abstract: Would a database by any other name smell as sweet?

Our databases are filled with words. By mining our text for patterns and meanings, we can extract the emotional content, track changes over time, ferret out plagiarism, find common phrases and usage, and even predict future text.

Learn how to dig through your library of language to make your data better.

Speaker(s):

  • Dave Mattingly

Track and Room: Advanced Analysis Techniques - 204


Title: Power BI SharePoint - A Marriage Made in Redmond

Abstract: We will explore the relationship between SharePoint and Excel, how Power BI swooped SharePoint off her feet, and the current Business Intelligence soap opera that stars all three. Using live demos, we will look at data interaction between SharePoint, Excel, Power BI (including the iOS app), and the intriguing new next door neighbor - Microsoft Flow.

Speaker(s):

  • Daniel Glenn

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - 203


Title: Introduction to Azure Machine Learning

Abstract: We will discuss what is Azure Machine Learning, how it works, what it can do, and why would you use it. This session includes demonstration and use case scenarios. The goal of this session it to provide an understand of what Azure ML can do and how it may apply to business use cases.

Speaker(s):

  • Warren Sifre

Track and Room: Advanced Analysis Techniques - 203


Title: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Guide to Configuration Options and Trace Flags

Abstract: Microsoft markets SQL Server as a “self-tuning” RDBMS, yet you’ve heard there are a variety of knobs and switches available to impact performance. Are you curious to know what they are, what they do, and when to use them? In this session you will learn about server and database configuration options and trace flags that can impact performance, alter default behaviors and help your troubleshooting efforts.

Speaker(s):

  • Justin Randall

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 202


Title: Wait Statistics - The Top 5 Waits You Should Know

Abstract: Wait statistics are a great tool for troubleshooting performance problems in SQL Server. However, there are so many different wait types in SQL Server, it can be challenging to determine what to focus on and what can be ignored. Even after discovering that SQL Server is waiting for something, most DBAs don’t know where to look next. In this session, we’ll examine 5 of the most frequently seen wait types in SQL Server and how to troubleshoot each of them. You’ll learn how to determine the root cause of a particular wait type, and how to avoid common mistakes made when troubleshooting with wait statistics.

Speaker(s):

  • David Maxwell

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 205


Title: Exploring SQLPS, the SQL Server Powershell Module

Abstract: A big hurdle for using Powershell and SQL Server together is the SQLPS module. Both old and new users of Powershell don’t completely understand its capabilities. In this session, we’ll talk about the cmdlets you may not know about, tricks to save time using the provider, and even a few gotchas on how the provider works that can save you some time and energy. When we’re finished, you will have a deeper understanding of how you can use SQL Server and Powershell together.

Speaker(s):

  • Michael Fal

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 202


Title: Extended Events - Better than Profiler

Abstract: Extended Events were introduced in SQL Server 2008. With SQL 2014, we have seen a significant upgrade to this feature. Join me for a little adventure into the realm of extended events. We will discuss how to use extended events to aid in performance tuning and in day to day administration. We will also explore some background and the architecture of extended events. This is a fast paced session and will be a lot of fun. Attendees will be able to take back several sample XE sessions to help troubleshoot different issues and get to more intimately know their data/environment.

Speaker(s):

  • Jason Brimhall

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 206


Title: Getting Started with SQL Server Replication

Abstract: SQL Server replication is an excellent way to keep a subset of data synced with another database for reporting, audit, or recovery purposes. In this session we will examine terms, internals, and walk through the setup of transactional and snapshot replication so you can utilize it as a valuable tool in your toolkit. We will also examine some ways to make replication perform better as well. This session is targeted towards database administrators who have little to no experience with replication and developers looking for different ways to duplicate data for reporting or data consumption.

Speaker(s):

  • Robert Verell

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 202


Title: Service Broker: A Conceptual Approach

Abstract: An overview of the concepts and abstractions used by Service Broker. Learn about how Service Broker enables SQL Server to perform asynchronous, distributed and reliable messaging by focusing on the concepts presented.

Speaker(s):

  • James King

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 205


Title: Improving Your PowerPoint Skills

Abstract: PowerPoint can enhance the presentation of any speaker or business professional, but using it effectively in your sessions or presentations can be difficult without practice. In this session, you will learn how to take your PowerPoint skills to the next level, using more advanced transitions, animations, and media forms in your presentations. This will help you engage your audience and communicate visually instead of just verbally, making your presentations more effective. After attending this session, you can feel confident that your PowerPoint skills have improved.

Speaker(s):

  • Evelyn Maxwell

Track and Room: Professional Development - 206


Title: The Lost Science of Set Theory

Abstract: Many database developers today do not have a Computer Science degree and may also have begun their career developing software using procedural programming languages (Java, C#, etc.). As a result, they may not have the background needed to conceptualize solutions in terms of sets of data and therefore may not be able to develop efficient set-based queries. In this session, we will review the basics of set theory and how it applies to database development to enable you to turn cursors, loops, and other procedural programming practices into efficient set-based operations that make the most use of a relational database engine.

Speaker(s):

  • Aaron Cutshall

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 202


Title: SQL Server and PowerShell: Let’s Get Serious

Abstract: Whether you’ve dabbled in PowerShell or wondered what all the fuss is about, make no mistake: PowerShell is something worth learning to make your life as a SQL Server professional easier. Whether you’re a DBA, a SSIS developer, or security professional, In this session you’ll see practical, real world examples of how you can blend SQL Server and PowerShell together, and not just a bunch of regular T-SQL tasks that have been made more complicated.

Speaker(s):

  • Drew Furgiuele

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 204


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 - 204


Title: Stretch Database and Managed Backups: Cloud Services for your SQL Servers

Abstract: Utilizing Azure cloud services does not mean moving all of your data or control away from your on-premises SQL Servers. In this session we will cover the new SQL 2016 Stretch Database and the SQL 2014 Managed Backups to Azure features. We will look at use-cases and limitations of both features to illustrate how these cloud services may fit into your current SQL Server environment.

Speaker(s):

  • Andrew Loree

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 205


Title: Dealing With Difficult Managers

Abstract: We have all encountered difficult managers that leave us stressed out. They can be micro-managers, bullies, too timid, or even just apathetic. In any case, you are currently stuck with this manager, and you need coping strategies! Through case studies and open discussion, we will help you determine if you indeed have a difficult manager. We will identify and categorize behavior patterns of managers so that you can determine the best strategies to deal with him or her. In addition, we will also explore the consequences of these actions, and how they can help you to succeed in furthering your career.

Speaker(s):

  • Gigi Bell

Track and Room: Professional Development - 205


Title: Query Store Primer

Abstract: This session will take a look at the new Query Store feature in SQL Server 2016. Query Store tracks changes in execution plans, allowing you to easily view performance differences and revert to older plans with a few clicks of the mouse. We will take a hands on look at how to use Query Store to troubleshoot problems as well as some of the new DMVs you can use to find issues as they arise.

Speaker(s):

  • Tracy Boggiano

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 203


Title: The PROCESS of Queries

Abstract: This session is an introduction into the PROCESS of queries. This includes how queries are Parsed, Resolved, Optimized, Compiled and Executed. We will see how this effects Batches, Transactions, and Errors. We will also briefly discuss the differences between Heaps, Clustered Indexes, and Non-Clustered Indexes. Finally we introduce Execution Plans and Statistics. The session is led by an expert Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) who regularly teaches the SQL Server certification courses.

Speaker(s):

  • John Deardurff

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 204


Title: Top 5 Tips to Keep Always On Always Humming and Users Happy

Abstract: Have you ever wondered what it takes to keep an Always On availability group running and the users and administrators who depend on it happy? Let my experience maintaining several production Always On Availability Groups provide you some battle-tested information and hopefully save you some sleepless nights. From security tips to maintenance advice, come hear about some less than obvious tips that will keep users happy and the DBA’s phone quiet.

Speaker(s):

  • Matt Gordon

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 205


Title: Digging Out From Corruption

Abstract: A “Disaster” doesn’t need to be on a massive scale to cause widespread destruction in your enterprise. Simple things like failing hardware, strange storage bugs, a forgotten WHERE clause, or an angry employee can either cause devastation or be just a nuisance to the properly-prepared DBA. This session is a survey of recovery techniques that should be in every DBA’s toolbox.

Speaker(s):

  • Eddie Wuerch

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 206


Title: Real world In-Memory OLTP

Abstract: What is the optimal way to migrate existing data to In-Memory?

How does Garbage Collection work, what types of memory-optimized objects does it work with, and how can I make sure it’s operational?

What are the pros/cons of different ways of handling hot/cold data with In-Memory OLTP?

What causes ALTER TABLE to be fully logged and serially executed?

All of these questions and more are answered as we discuss real-world usage of In-Memory OLTP

Speaker(s):

  • Ned Otter

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 201


Title: Backup Strategies are for Losers…of Data!

Abstract: Defining and documenting a backup strategy in today’s data platform is simply not enough to prevent a major catastrophe. For that, a company needs to define a recovery strategy that encompasses their backup solution with an appropriate, tested recovery plan. This session outlines the various backup strategies and how to implement them in a recovery scenario to minimize data loss. This session will discuss various case studies of backup strategy implementations that neglected a strong recovery strategy and resulted in catastrophe for the company.

Speaker(s):

  • Ed Watson

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 206


Title: Women in Technology: Identifying, Understanding and Combating Gender Bias

Abstract: Gender Bias is something we’re all guilty of. It’s typically unconscious and often stems from long held misperceptions about women job responsibilities. We’ll learn about the origins of some of these biases and how to identify gender bias when we see it. We’ll discuss some strategies for how both men and women can combat this at work in our every day lives. This session is about developing positive solutions to a problem that often goes undiscussed.

Speaker(s):

  • Rie Irish

Track and Room: Professional Development - 206


Title: Learning R Using Fantasy Football Data

Abstract: R – it’s included in SQL Server 2016. What the heck can I do with it? Why do I need to know yet another software language? How can I use it to figure out important things – like who do I draft over who in my fantasy football league?

We’ll go over the basics of R and rStudio, plus items such as:

  • Installing and managing packages
  • Accessing data in various formats
  • Basic data visualization functions

Speaker(s):

  • Kevin Wilkie

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - 205


Title: Baselines and Performance Monitoring with PAL

Abstract: How are your servers running? What is going on in your SQL Server? How are you trending? When will you need the next server? Do you need to throw more hardware at SQL or more query tuning? (Or both?) In this session – we will share some free tools, techniques and approaches you can take right now with resources you already have to answer these questions and more.

Speaker(s):

  • Mike Walsh

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - 203


Title: What’s new in Reporting Services 2016

Abstract: With the upcoming release of SQL Server 2016, Microsoft has blown the dust off the tried and true SSRS and injected some much needed life. SSRS 2016 introduces a shiny new portal with a new Dashboard/Mobile report types. In this session, we’ll take a look at what has changed in SSRS 2016 and how to get up and running using the new Dashboard/Mobile reports. Through demos we’ll walk through everything you need to create your first Mobile ready SSRS 2016 Dashboard!

Speaker(s):

  • Chris Albrektson

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - 201


Title: Scalable Application Design with Service Broker

Abstract: How your business applications interact directly with the corporate database can dramatically affect how successful you are. One of the biggest issues is performance with large databases. By designing the application to use asynchronous messaging for non-critical updates, you can focus performance concerns where the timeliness is critical. SQL Server Service Broker handles the asynchronous requests quickly and efficiently and minimizes conflicts with your critical updates. This session walks you through the steps to get Service Broker running and providing a consistent delivery of your business data.

Speaker(s):

  • Allen White

Track and Room: Application Database Development - 204


Title: I’m It – Survival Techniques for the Lone DBA

Abstract: Are you the only database person at your company? Are you both the DBA and the Developer? Being the only data professional in an environment can seem overwhelming, daunting, and darn near impossible sometimes. However, it can also be extremely rewarding and empowering. This session will cover how you can keep your sanity, get stuff done, and still love your job. We’ll cover how I have survived and thrived being a Lone DBA for 15 years and how you can too. When you finish this session, you’ll know what you can do to make your job easier, where to find help, and how to still be able to advance and enrich your career.

Speaker(s):

  • Monica Rathbun

Track and Room: Professional Development - 203


Speakers

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

Tracy Boggiano

Twitter: - TracyBoggiano

LinkedIn: Tracy Boggiano

Contact: http://databasesuperhero.com

Tracy Boggiano is a Senior Database Administrator for DocuSIgn. She has spent over 20 years in IT, using SQL Server since 1999, and is currently certified as an MCSE Data Platform. Tracy has worked on SQL Server since 6.5. She has spoken at local user groups and numerous SQLSaturdays. She is currently a co-leader of a TriPASS Local Group in Raleigh, NC.

Tracy also tinkered with databases in middle school to keep her sports card collection organized. She blogs at databasesuperhero.com.

Her passion outside of SQL Server is volunteering with foster children as their advocate in court through volunteerforgal.org and being a mental health advocate as part of the PAIMI NC Advisory Council.

Warren Sifre

Twitter: - WAS_SQL

LinkedIn: Warren Sifre

Contact: http://www.broadstrokeconsulting.com/blog/, http://www.allegient.com

Warren Sifre has been in the IT community since 1998 and has worked in a variety of industries deploying solutions utilizing MS SQL Server in one capacity or another. In 2003, he decided to make SQL Server his mastery and has since developed skills in most defined disciplines of MS SQL. Currently he is a Principal Consultant and Technology Leader with Moser Consulting. He is responsible for BI Solution Architecture and the mentorship of team members. He has been a SQLSaturday Speaker since 2012, Azure Global Bootcamp, and many user groups in 2015 alone. He has a passion for knowledge transfer and solutions architecture, with a keen interested in Info Security.

Eddie Wuerch

Twitter: - @EddieW

LinkedIn: Eddie Wuerch

Contact: http://www.indydba.com

Eddie Wuerch has 20 years of experience as a SQL Server specialist in a much-longer IT career. A Microsoft Certified Master, Eddie spends his days in the Salesforce Marketing Cloud, focusing on performance, scale, and uptime for the massive SQL Server backend. These SQL Servers churn billions of transactions daily against trillions of rows of data in a 24x7 continuously-available online system accessed by millions worldwide every day.

David Klee

Twitter: - kleegeek

LinkedIn: David Klee

Contact: http://davidklee.net

David Klee is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and VMware vExpert with a lifelong passion for technology. David spends his days focusing on the convergence of data and infrastructure as the Founder of Heraflux Technologies. His areas of expertise include cloud, virtualization, performance, and business continuity. David speaks at a number of national and regional technology related events, including PASS Summit, VMware VMworld, SQLBits, SQLSaturday events, and many SQL Server User Groups.

Justin Randall

Twitter: - jh_randall

LinkedIn: Justin Randall

Contact: http://blogs.sqlsentry.com/justinrandall

Justin Randall is a Senior Consultant at SQL Sentry, LLC. He has over 30 years of data management experience in a variety of roles from Enterprise Data Modeler to DBA, supporting development in DB2, Sybase, and SQL Server. Justin frequently speaks at SQL Server User Group meetings and SQLSaturdays, and has presented at several SQLintersection conferences. His current professional interests are SQL Server performance monitoring and tuning, and career development.

Kenney Snell

Twitter: - NA

LinkedIn: Kenney Snell

Contact: http://NA

• 39 years of work experience in designing, developing and implementing software • IOUG World Conference Speaker (Data Guard Broker, Rolling Upgrades) • Oracle OpenWorld Speaker, “Achieving the Holy Grail of Rolling Database Upgrades” • Currently working as an Senior Database Administrator (DBA) in Microsoft SQL Server Business Intelligence (MSBI) group building BI solutions for UPS customers

Michael Fal

Twitter: - @Mike_Fal

LinkedIn: Michael Fal

Contact: http://mikefal.net

Mike is a specialist in data management technologies. As a community advocate, public speaker, and blogger, Mike is a practicing thought leader for data and automation. He is passionate about DevOps and data, building platforms to optimize, protect, and use data efficiently.

Since 1999, Mike has been working in the database field, focusing primarily on SQL Server and specializes in automating data solutions to improve the reliability and efficiency of his environments. He has been caught playing trombone in public on more than one occasion.

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.

Andrew Loree

Twitter: - @LowOnDiskSpace

LinkedIn: Andrew Loree

Contact: http://www.andyloree.com

Andrew Loree has over nineteen years of database experience with roles in architecture, design, development, and implementation of enterprise-scale SQL Server data solutions, supporting industries from legal e-discovery to manufacturing. Areas of expertise since SQL Server 2000 include data migration and ETL/ELT solutions, disaster recovery planning, high availability service design, licensing and virtualization. Andrew holds fourteen Microsoft certifications, has both a Bachelor and Masters of Science in Computer Science from Wright State University and is a Columbus (Ohio) PASS board member.

Matt Gordon

Twitter: - sqlatspeed

LinkedIn: Matt Gordon

Contact: http://www.sqlatspeed.com

Matt is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and has worked with SQL Server since 2000. He is the leader of the Lexington, KY PASS local group and a frequent domestic and international community speaker. He’s an IDERA ACE alumnus and 2020 Friend of Redgate. His original data professional role was as a database developer, which quickly evolved into query tuning work that further evolved into being a full-fledged DBA in the healthcare realm. He has supported several critical systems utilizing SQL Server and managed dozens of 24/7/365 SQL Server implementations. He currently utilizes that real world experience as a data platform consultant helping clients design solutions that meet their ever-changing business needs.

Chris Albrektson

Twitter: - @ChrisAlbrektson

Contact: https://chrisalbrektson.wordpress.com/

Chris Albrektson is an experienced Business Intelligence consultant and trainer for Pragmatic Works in Jacksonville, Florida. Chris is an experienced speaker and has presented at many SQLSaturdays and Code Camps across the United States. He’s also an active member of the Jacksonville SQL Server User Group (JSSUG), is a regular blogger on WordPress and has been a technical editor of a few Business Intelligence related books.

Dave Mattingly

Twitter: - @dave_mattingly

LinkedIn: Dave Mattingly

Contact: http://www.davemattingly.net

Dave Mattingly has spent thirty years of designing, developing, databasing, documenting, and directing a variety of projects in many industries. In the past, he’s worked on space travel, fraud prevention, data accuracy, and virtual reality for industries such as games, ecology, health, religion, and money. He also writes, publishes, orates, teaches, and preaches.

James King

Twitter: - @manyhatsdba

I#39;ve been working with SQL Server as both a developer and an administrator for the past 5 years in a healthcare setting.

Mike Walsh

Twitter: - mike_walsh

LinkedIn: Mike Walsh

Contact: https://www.straightpathsql.com

Mike Walsh is an experienced SQL Server professional and has worked with SQL Server since version 6.5. He has been in the role of DBA, developer, and performance tuner, but always leans on his DBA and tuning experience. He has been awarded the SQL Server (now Data Platform) designation 6 times since 2011 and is a current MVP. He runs a SQL Server consultancy focused on DBA services and cloud enablement. He has spoken several times at PASS and regional events. In his spare time, he runs a small farm with his family in rural New Hampshire and is a call Firefighter in his small town.

Rie Irish

Twitter: - IrishSQL

LinkedIn: Rie Irish

Rie lives with her family just north of Atlanta, Georgia. She worked as a SQL Server DBA, manager director for over 20 years. She’s worked in many industries including the non-profit sector, education, big pharma, and e-commerce. She was awarded the MVP in the Data Platform 3 times beginning in 2017 and gave that up to accept her role as a Senior Program Manager with Microsoft in 2019. She is very involved with the Atlanta MDF User Group, SQLSaturday Atlanta and is co-leader of the PASS Women in Tech virtual group.

David Klee

Twitter: - kleegeek

LinkedIn: David Klee

Contact: http://davidklee.net

David Klee is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and VMware vExpert with a lifelong passion for technology. David spends his days focusing on the convergence of data and infrastructure as the Founder of Heraflux Technologies. His areas of expertise include cloud, virtualization, performance, and business continuity. David speaks at a number of national and regional technology related events, including PASS Summit, VMware VMworld, SQLBits, SQLSaturday events, and many SQL Server User Groups.

Daniel Glenn

Twitter: - DanielGlenn

LinkedIn: Daniel Glenn

Contact: https://DanielGlenn.com

Daniel is a Microsoft MVP with 15 years’ experience building technology solutions, intranets and extranets. As Practice Leader for the Nashville-based InfoWorks Inc., Daniel helps organizations of all sizes solve complex data challenges by implementing Office 365 and SharePoint without the need of customization and costly investments.

Daniel is passionate about giving back and building the Microsoft technical community. Daniel holds leadership roles in various local user groups, serves as an organizer for Microsoft 365 Nashville, and is a co-host for the popular podcast 365 Message Center Show on https://MessageCenter.Show. You can follow Daniel online at https://DanielGlenn.com and @DanielGlenn on Twitter.

Monica Rathbun

Twitter: - SQLEspresso

LinkedIn: Monica Rathbun

Contact: http://www.sqlespresso.com

Monica Rathbun lives in Virginia, is a Microsoft MVP for Data Platform and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert. She has nearly two decades of experience working with a wide variety of database platforms with a focus on SQL Server and the Microsoft Data Platform. She is a frequent speaker at IT industry conferences on topics including performance tuning and configuration management. She is the Leader of the Hampton Roads SQL Server User Group and a Mid‐Atlantic PASS Regional Mentor. She is passionate about SQL Server and the SQL Server community, doing anything she can to give back. Monica can always be found on Twitter (@sqlespresso) handing out helpful tips. You can find Monica blogging at sqlespresso.com

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.

Aaron Cutshall

Twitter: - sqlrv

LinkedIn: Aaron Cutshall

Contact: http://sqlrv.com

Aaron N. Cutshall is an Enterprise Data Architect with 20 years of experience in analysis, design and development for applications and databases in manufacturing and warehousing plus over 15 years in the Healthcare Informatics field. His primary focus is in designing and developing solutions for extremely large data sets that perform quite well in SQL Server. He is active in the SQL Server community and speaks at SQLSaturday sessions across the country.

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.

Drew Furgiuele

Twitter: - pittfurg

LinkedIn: Drew Furgiuele

Contact: http://www.port1433.com

Drew Furgiuele is a senior DBA that lives in Dublin, Ohio who is passionate about SQL Server and PowerShell. He’s been working with SQL Server since 2002. When he’s not accidentally dropping tables in production, he likes writing automation scripts, blogging about SQL Server Replication, wiring electronics, playing board games, and spending time with his dog. He’s also not embarrassed by his Spotify playlists.

Jason Brimhall

Twitter: - sqlrnnr

LinkedIn: Jason Brimhall

Contact: http://jasonbrimhall.info

Jason Brimhall has more than 20 years of experience and has worked with SQL Server 6.5 through SQL Server 2019. He has experience in performance tuning, high transaction environments, and large environments. He is currently a consultant specializing in performance tuning, server analysis, and problem resolution. Jason is a Microsoft Certified Master (MCM) and a Data Platform MVP.

John Deardurff

Twitter: - SQLMCT

LinkedIn: John Deardurff

Contact: https://www.sqlmct.com

John has been a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) for over 20 years teaching Azure, SQL Server, Exchange Server, and Windows Server networking courses. He is currently a SQL Premier Field Engineer for Microsoft. He is an MCT Regional Lead for the Eastern United States and a former Data Platform MVP.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Patrick LeBlanc

Twitter: - patrickdba

LinkedIn: Patrick LeBlanc

Contact: http://patrickdleblanc.com

Patrick LeBlanc is a currently a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft and a contributing partner to Guy in a Cube. Along with his 15+ years’ experience in IT he holds a Masters of Science degree from Louisiana State University. He is the author and co-author of five SQL Server books. Prior to joining Microsoft he was awarded Microsoft MVP award for his contributions to the community. Patrick is a regular speaker at many SQL Server Conferences and Community events.

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.

Ryan Wade

Twitter: - MrDataGeek

LinkedIn: Ryan Wade

Ryan is an experienced data analytics professional. His education and work experience enables him to understand things from a technical, analytical, and business viewpoint. He has the ability to present complex data in an intuitive way using sound analytical and visualization methods.

He has an advanced analytical and technical skill-set which includes Power BI, T-SQL, R, Python, Azure Machine Learning Services, Azure Databricks, SQL Server Machine Learning Services, Advanced Modern Excel, SSIS, SSAS Tabular.

He is a data analytics enthusiast that has spoken at a variety of database and data science conferences about various topics dealing with data analytics.

Patrick LeBlanc

Twitter: - patrickdba

LinkedIn: Patrick LeBlanc

Contact: http://patrickdleblanc.com

Patrick LeBlanc is a currently a Principal Program Manager at Microsoft and a contributing partner to Guy in a Cube. Along with his 15+ years’ experience in IT he holds a Masters of Science degree from Louisiana State University. He is the author and co-author of five SQL Server books. Prior to joining Microsoft he was awarded Microsoft MVP award for his contributions to the community. Patrick is a regular speaker at many SQL Server Conferences and Community events.

Ned Otter

Twitter: - @NedOtter

LinkedIn: Ned Otter

Contact: http://www.nedotter.com

DBA with vast experience administering Microsoft SQL Server since version 4.21 to the present.

Certifications:
MCSE SQL Server 2012 Data Platform MCTS SQL Server 2008 Overall computer experience: 25 years SQL Server experience: 23 years

Currently obsessed with In-Memory technology.

Please see LinkedIn profile for more details.

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.

Michael Fal

Twitter: - @Mike_Fal

LinkedIn: Michael Fal

Contact: http://mikefal.net

Mike is a specialist in data management technologies. As a community advocate, public speaker, and blogger, Mike is a practicing thought leader for data and automation. He is passionate about DevOps and data, building platforms to optimize, protect, and use data efficiently.

Since 1999, Mike has been working in the database field, focusing primarily on SQL Server and specializes in automating data solutions to improve the reliability and efficiency of his environments. He has been caught playing trombone in public on more than one occasion.

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.

Evelyn Maxwell

Twitter: - @GeoCache_11

Contact: http://geocache11blog.wordpress.com

Evelyn Maxwell is a 10th grade student at Gahanna Lincoln Highschool, and an attendee and presenter at local SQLSaturdays. Since 4th grade, (age 10) Evelyn has been working with presentation software and has given multiple school presentations was well as three SQLSaturday presentation, and a webinar for WIT. She currently has 0 years of IT experience.

Peter Shore

Twitter: - pshore73

LinkedIn: Peter Shore

Peter Shore is a seasoned IT professional with over 25 years of experience. He took the accidentally intentional DBA plunge in 2013 and has discovered that he loves to find the stories the data has to tell. Peter is comfortable working with both physical and virtual servers, where he tries to apply best practices to attain performance improvements. He is also adept at bridging the gap between technical and business language in order to bring technology solutions to business needs.

Sponsors

The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event:

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