SQLSaturday #615 - Baltimore 2017

Event Date: 05/06/2017 00:00:00

Event Location:

Loyola University
8890 McGaw Road
Columbia, Maryland

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: Public Preview of SQL Server on Linux

Abstract: Abstract:

There was a lot of excitement at the Connect() developer conference in November 2016. Two major announcements were made at the conference.

First, visual studio code now runs on Windows, Linux and Mac. Second, SQL Server v.Next is coming to Linux. This means a developer can

develop code against SQL Server in a Window less environment. If you are really passionate about Linux, join the hundreds downloading and

testing this preview release.

Coverage:

1 - Core code deployed for multiple environments.

2 - Installs on Red Hat and Ubuntu flavors of linux.

3 - Generate ssh key.

4 - Deploy standard Red Hat image.

5 - Install core engine and tools on linux.

6 - Connect to engine via sqlcmd.

7 - Open firewall for external access.

8 - Create database on Linux via SSMS in windows.

9 - Load data into table via bcp.

10 - Supports docker (container) images.

11 - Current limitations.

12 - Future road map.

Speaker(s):

John Miner

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Design - Room 330

Title: Database Project Makes Deployment Consistent

Abstract: The deployment process is frustrating; an object is missing, an object is deployed in the wrong order or an incorrect version. Deploying to multiple environments like Dev, QA, UAT and Prod is a challenge whither on premise or in the cloud. Source controlling database objects is paramount. Team development is required. Database code will only be deployed when changed. Proper security deployment will be repeatable per environment. Together, let us discover how using Database Project will help us with consistent releases. Deployments can cause you trouble but we will share a reliable deployment and version control process. Let’s see how Database Project can help us accomplish this goal.

Speaker(s):

Thomas Norman

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Design - Room 330

Title: Whip Away Stress at Home Work to Create a Better You

Abstract: If you are a working professional there is a chance that stress has interrupted your life and you’ve forgotten about you and/or your family. How do you create a healthy balance between the two so that you are happy and everyone else is to? In the session, you will learn how to properly manage time, erase stress, advance at work, address common marriage and family Issues, and ultimately create a better you.

Speaker(s):

Karlyn LeBlanc

Track and Room: Professional Development - Pro - Room 304

Title: Digging Deeper: BI Methodologies and Best Practices

Abstract: In this session attendees will learn how to make decisions around which technologies to use when delivering BI solutions including some exciting new BI features in SQL 2016. We will explore the starting point of the project with data sources, step through the ETL decision making process and on to picking the medium for best delivery of content, while learning some best practices along the way.

Speaker(s):

Chris Seferlis

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - BI 3 - Room 359

Title: The Business Intelligence Side of SQL Server

Abstract: This session focuses on Microsoft’s BI capabilities within SQL Server and its abilities to make advanced easy to use, accessible, insightful, and actionable decisions, all while helping clients increase organizational performance. Through several releases, Microsoft dramatically enhanced the Microsoft BI platform. During this session Plus Consulting, one of Microsoft’s top global BI partners, will explore the improvements to SQL Server self-service reporting and talk about creating blended value from your BI platform. We’ll show you why the combination of Microsoft Office, PowerBI and SQL Server are an excellent solution for creating self-service dashboards, scorecards, KPIs, pivots, data exploration and discovery.

Speaker(s):

Sayed Saeed

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - BI 1 - Room 363

Title: Microsoft and Big Data - An Overview of the Power Tools and more!

Abstract: Come see Microsoft’s Power tools demonstrated for advanced analytics and hear about Microsoft’s embrace of Open Source and the Hadoop platform. We’ll also present on Microsoft’s tools for handling Big Data, such as the Parallel Data Warehouse and HDInsights. Along the way, we will introduce Microsoft Azure and show how the Azure Cloud can help developer’s get access to resources quickly and easily.

Speaker(s):

David Patrick

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - BI 1 - Room 363

Title: Crash Course on Better SQL Development

Abstract: SQL Development is a broad subject with many roads to choose from. Often times SQL Developers feel overwhelmed and unsure which areas they need to focus on. The purpose of this session is to give a high-level overview and present paths for further study and growth. Subjects reviewed in this session will include coding patterns, error handling, and execution plans. Demonstrations of free tools will also help developers find ways of simplifying their daily tasks. Attendees will leave this session empowered with knowledge and directions for further growth.

Speaker(s):

Vladimir Oselsky

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Dev - Room 360

Title: Tune Like a Guru!

Abstract: In this Pre-Con event we will cover a wide array of topics that form the backbone of my SQL Server performance analysis and tuning work. As a long-time relational engine consultant I have repeatedly found that the majority of clients I work with get amazing improvements by simply putting to use a fairly small collection of knowledge and tools. We will cover many topics, including:

Server, virtualization and database configuration
Optimization processes
Statistics
Indexing
Understanding query plans
Improving design
Improving code
Profiler use and analysis
Temp object usage
Waits and IO stall analysis
ORM Badness

We will look at all of these things and more from a variety of angles, while also covering many of the tips, tricks, tools, etc. I have collected in my almost 45,000 man hours of working with SQL Server. I promise you will come away with lots of immediately-applicable information which you can take back to work and Tune Like A Guru!

Speaker(s):

Kevin Boles

Track and Room: Other - SQL Internals - Room 260

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: Application Database Development - Dev - Room 360

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 - Design - Room 330

Title: Efficient table design

Abstract: The importance of proper table design cannot be underestimated. Misconceptions could lead into serious problems not only in terms of database performance, but also it can effect disk space management and interactivity of user interface as well. In this session the audience will have a sensible walk-through of database and table design in detail, encompassing a number of key areas of focus ranging from Data Types to FILESTREAM implementation. Discuss most common a table design mistakes. Find out efficiency of one type over another, IDENTITY vs. SEQUENCE vs. GUID to support PK uniqueness, pros and cons of using composite Primary Key and SPARSE column, and more.

Speaker(s):

Alex Grinberg

Track and Room: Strategy and Architecture - Design - Room 330

Title: Power BI: From the Desktop to the Enterprise

Abstract: Wow, Power BI is making a tidal wave in the BI industry. New features are being released regularly, blog posts are flying across twitter. How can you keep up? In this full day session I will explain and demonstrate how to implement a full enterprise Power BI solution. This will include preparing your organizations network for Power BI, deciding if you need to build an SSAS Semantic Model or will the Power BI desktop work as an alternative. In addition, there will be a few hand-on labs that will help each attendee get started working with both the Power BI Desktop and the Power BI Service. Bring your laptop, grab a cup of coffee and get ready to learn. See the high-level agenda below:

Preparing Your Organization for Power BI, To Data Warehouse or Not, Introduction to the Power BI Desktop, Introduction to the Power BI Service, Connecting to and Refreshing Data, Power BI meets Cortana, Near real-time Dashboards

Speaker(s):

Patrick LeBlanc

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - BI - Room 259

Title: Drinking From the Firehose: a Guide to Keeping Up with Technology

Abstract: Keeping up with technology can feel like a treadmill; you keep running but never get anywhere. We’ll take a look at ways to keep up with technology without pulling your hair out. We’ll balance cost versus benefit for the different types of learning. We will also talk about learning goals.

Speaker(s):

Eugene Meidinger

Track and Room: Professional Development - Pro - Room 304

Title: Azure Analysis Services - An introduction

Abstract: We will take a look at an introduction and overview of Azure Analysis Services - Microsoft ‘s cloud-based analytical engine and Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering. We will discuss Azure Analysis Services features and capabilities, use cases, provisioning and deployment, managing and monitoring, tools, and report creation. Although Azure Analysis Service is in Public Preview at the time of this session submission, we will incorporate the latest publicly available information.

Speaker(s):

Timothy McAliley

Track and Room: Cloud Application Development Deployment - BI 3 - Room 359

Title: Big Data 101

Abstract: If you are new kid in the world of Big Data? Let’s look at some of the topics of Big Data. We will learn about foundations of big data and social physics, What is the importance of data quality and data privacy. We will have a quick look at personal sensors and human behavior This module will explore the various sources of data, how to leverage personal sensors to predict behavior, and introduce you to the key features of ‘Funf’

We will explore the basics of data dynamics and data interrogation, and the importance of interdisciplinary research and testing on yourself, to assist in analyzing a data set.

What are the fundamentals and structure of peer networks? We will also talk about HDInsight and take a look at Microsoft’s items in play.

Speaker(s):

Paresh Motiwala

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - BI 3 - Room 359

Title: Excel with DAX

Abstract: DAX is the new formula language (builds upon Excel’s) supporting PowerPivot and Analysis Services Tabular mode. If you know Excel, you already know the basics of DAX (without even knowing it). PowerBI also uses DAX for all the formula expressions. We’ll cover the basics of DAX, and go over some time intelligence functions.

Speaker(s):

Azhagappan Arunachalam

Track and Room: Application Database Development - BI 1 - Room 363

Title: The ABC’s of Server Baselines

Abstract: The numbers on the monitor go up and then they go down. Which numbers are the most important? How do I know if the change I made is helping my environment? This sessions reviews some of the important areas to understand before you start making changes to your environment and how to measure them.

Speaker(s):

Carlos L Chacon

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Design - Room 330

Title: Using Powershell to Document SQL Server

Abstract: Most DBAs use multiple native and third party tools to fully document SQL Server instances yet still dont get all the objects. Even using Visual Studio and Database Projects, not all objects are exported because they live at the server level, above the database. Using Powershell, we will script out an organized set of files that can be checked into any Source Control system and or used for Disaster Recovery purposes. Objects exported include: SQL Agent Jobs/Alerts/Schedules, NT Service Credentials, SSIS-MSDB, SSIS-Catalog, SSAS Cubes, SSRS Reports, Logins, Server Configs, Linked Servers, DB Mail Operators/Accounts, Server Triggers and much more

Speaker(s):

George Walkey

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - DBA - Room 362

Title: “Full Text indexing!” or…“What is that service I never turn on?”

Abstract: If you’ve ever wondered what that other service is in your configuration manager then this is the class for you. Full text indexing allows you to write queries to scan large text fields without having to do a complete table scan every time.

We’ll talk about installing, setting up, maintaining, and using full text indexes to their fullest!

Speaker(s):

Eric Blinn

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - BI 2 - Room 361

Title: The Ins and Outs of SQL Indexes

Abstract: This course will focus on the fundamentals of strategic SQL Server index design and creation. Terms that will be covered and clarified: clustered index, non-clustered index, uniqueness, covering index, fill-factor, scan, seek, key lookup, and fragmentation. This is a beginning level course for those who have always found indexes confusing and somewhat elusive. Lots of valuable information will be provided in a short amount of time.

Speaker(s):

Mindy Curnutt

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Dev - Room 360

Title: New Features in SSIS 2016

Abstract: This session will present detailed examples of the newest features added or enhanced in SSIS 2016.
Including but not limited to: True template based package design Incremental package deployment Non-Admin logging access Error Handling by Column name (prior versions only gave that cryptic lineage ID number) SSISDB AlwaysOn Availability Group support and many more…

The session will include a limited number of slides followed but demo examples of each new feature which will also be provided for download so attendees while have access to them for reference after the event.

Speaker(s):

Paul Rizza

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - BI 2 - Room 361

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: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - SQL Guru - Room 210

Title: Introduction to SQL Server Microsoft Mobile Reporting

Abstract: This is a must attend session for every data professional. Join me as I provide an overview of Microsoft Mobile Reporting, Microsofts newly acquired on-premises mobile BI solution. Mobile Reporting is optimized for SQL Server and designed to enable rapid development and publishing of business intelligence in a way that delivers premium user experience on any device. In this session I will provide an overview of Mobile Reporting, discuss its key features, provide an architectural overview and finally demonstrate how to author and publish dashboards.

Speaker(s):

Patrick LeBlanc

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - SQL Guru - Room 210

Title: Monitoring Availability Groups

Abstract: So you have successfully configured Availability Groups, now what? In this session we will look beyond setup and look at how to monitor your Availability Groups. We will discuss what metrics to look at, what they mean, and what you need to alert on. You will walk away from this session with tools you need to monitor your environment and know how to respond to alerts. This session is for anyone that uses, or plans to use Availability Groups. You should come in with a basic understanding of Availability Groups to get the most out of this session.

Speaker(s):

Tracy Boggiano

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - DBA - Room 362

Title: User Group

Abstract: We will be talking about our local BBIG (Baltimore Business Intelligence) User Group. Where and When we meet. What we are talking about and what topics you want to hear.

Speaker(s):

Ravi Kumar

Track and Room: Professional Development - Design - Room 330

Title: Tech Writing for Techies: A Primer

Abstract: Documentation is one of the most critical, yet most blatantly ignored and disrespected tasks when it comes to technology. Businesses and technical professionals ignore documentation at their own risk. This session discusses what tech writing and documentation is about and why it’s critical for business. It also explores possible reasons for why it’s ignored, how documentation can be improved, and how “non-writers” can contribute to the process.

Speaker(s):

Ray Kim

Track and Room: Professional Development - Pro - Room 304

Title: SQL Server 2016: Data Masking and Encryption

Abstract: Learn about data masking and encryption, the pros and cons of each, as well as when to use which.

Speaker(s):

Sean Werick

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Dev - Room 360

Title: Why candidates fail the job interview in the first minute

Abstract: In the last two decades Thomas always had more open positions than I could fill, not because of lack of applicants, I must have interviewed close to 300 people for DBA, database developer, data architect, data modeling and other data related positions. Come to this highly interactive session to learn why 99% of the candidates failed the simplest questions and disqualified them self.

Thomas will share what he misses in resumes and how to respond to questions better.

Speaker(s):

Thomas Grohser

Track and Room: Professional Development - Pro - Room 304

Title: SSAS 2016 Tabular - Diving into the new features

Abstract: Taking a looking at all the new features of SSAS 2016 Tabular, how to use them effectively and avoid pitfalls. Features include Bi-Directional Cross Filtering, Parallel Partition Processing, Calculated Tables, etc.

Speaker(s):

Brian Beswick

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - BI 2 - Room 361

Abstract: In this session Thomas will explore and explain the different options that exist in SQL Server to temporary store data and show you when to use which and why not the others. This will cover #, ##, @, Non-Durable Memory Optimized and regular user tables. He will also present alternatives like common table expressions.

Speaker(s):

Thomas Grohser

Track and Room: Application Database Development - SQL Guru - Room 210

Title: On the Doorsteps - Women in Technology

Abstract: Women make up over half of the workforce, and yet there are still discrepancies in pay and in the number of women in certain industries. Technology is one of the industries where women are drastically underrepresented. What factors in industry and society have contributed to these outcomes?

In this session, we will discuss the effects of trends in industry such as college graduation of women in technology fields, and women currently in tech or in positions of leadership. And, even important to us, how the contributions of women in PASS affect our community. This will be an open discussion with input from the audience encouraged.

Speaker(s):

Michelle Haarhues

Track and Room: Professional Development - Pro - Room 304

Title: SSIS Incremental Loading: The Tortoise and The Hare

Abstract: Extracting, transforming and loading data has become a major component to satisfying business requirements and needs. Depending on the size of the data you are working with, the way you design your SSIS packages can have an impact on performance and run times. In this session, we will cover a variety of incremental design approaches centered around large data sets using SSIS. We will look at the pros and cons of each ETL strategy and generate specific use cases to decide which strategy yields optimal results.

Speaker(s):

Jeremy Frye

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - BI 3 - Room 359

Title: Interrogating your data sources with Biml

Abstract: You’ve decided to start using Biml to make your integration services packages. Congratulations!

Now, you’re looking at data sources other than SQL Server. How do you automate package development for these flat files, Excel Files, and other databases? In this session, I’ll share some of the techniques I’ve used to deal with these second-class sources. I’ll be walking you through C# code. Don’t worry, I’m not a real programmer, so the code isn’t the most complex, but it does solve the need.

Speaker(s):

Shannon Lowder

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - BI 2 - Room 361

Title: Data Visualization: How to truly tell a great story!

Abstract: We have more information available to us today than ever before. So much so that we run the risk of not being able to tell concise stories. There’s a lot more to creating that story than just getting the correct information. Come learn not just the do’s and don’ts, but the whys…

Speaker(s):

Jonathan Stewart

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - BI 1 - Room 363

Title: Deeper Into Azure Machine Learning

Abstract: Azure Machine Learning enables far more than supervised 2-class classifications and continuous value predictions. Azure ML clusters unsupervised data. Azure ML analyzes free form text for entity recognition, sentiment analysis, or topic detection. Azure ML even provides Jupyter Notebooks with fully functional R and Python environments. This sessions demonstrates some of these capabilities to help you solve some of your business problem.

Speaker(s):

Mark Hudson

Track and Room: Advanced Analysis Techniques - BI 3 - Room 359

Title: An (Advanced) Introduction to Power BI

Abstract: When people talk about Power BI, it can be all sizzle and no steak. Instead, we are going to take a slightly deeper dive into the inner workings of PowerBI. We will cover the different components of the Power BI ecosystem: PowerQuery, DAX, Power BI visuals, Data gateways, and the Power BI service. Instead of just showing off pretty graphs, we will focus on a more fundamental understanding of these tools.

Speaker(s):

Eugene Meidinger

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - BI 1 - Room 363

Title: Introduction to Azure Streaming Analytics

Abstract: This session will cover what is Streaming Analytics and the various use cases. We will demonstrate the creation of a Streaming Analytics process which will output the data to a dashboard for review. The intention is to provide insights in how this technology can potentially be leveraged by the SQL community.

Speaker(s):

Warren Sifre

Track and Room: Cloud Application Development Deployment - BI 2 - Room 361

Title: APPLY Yourself

Abstract: Microsoft introduced the APPLY operator in SQL Server 2005. This under-used, non-standard operator can help us solve a number of common (and not-so-common) problems with elegant code which performs well. We will look several problem spaces in which the APPLY operator shines, such as joining to table-valued functions, getting the top N child records for each parent record, string splitting, and word matching. With the use of these examples, we will gain a deeper understanding of when to use the APPLY operator.

Speaker(s):

Kevin Feasel

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Dev - Room 360

Speakers

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

Shannon Lowder

Twitter: - @shannonlowder

LinkedIn: Shannon Lowder

Contact: http://shannonlowder.com

For over 15 years Shannon Lowder has been spotting patterns and learning ways to work smarter instead of harder. He started with development and moved into database administration. Using TSQL, Database Jobs and PowerShell, he automated himself out of contracts quickly. As Business Intelligence became a greater demand, he moved into SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS development. Early on, he tried using PowerShell and .Net to automate BI Development. Later those efforts turned to Biml. After founding a startup six years ago, he finds himself a data platform consultant, designing and guiding other professionals to build highly automated enterprise solutions. Today, he is a Biml Hero candidate and is awaiting the final approval for the award.

Jonathan Stewart

Twitter: - sqllocks

LinkedIn: Jonathan Stewart

Contact: https://sqllocks.net/

Jonathan Stewart is a Business Intelligence consultant specializing in data visualization, data warehousing, and data management technologies. An advocate for educating others, he is a public speaker, teacher and blogger, continually teaching people about the Microsoft BI Stack. Since 2000, he has been working in the database field with industry leaders in healthcare, manufacturing, financial, insurance and federal, state and local governments.

Jonathan is very active in the community. He has presented on SQL Server, SSIS, Reporting Services, Power BI and Business Intelligence at numerous SQLSaturday events, local user groups, and conferences throughout the United States and around the world. He participates in webcasts, podcasts, and on

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.

Mark Hudson

Twitter: - HMarkHudson

Mark Hudson is an MCITP with many years of experience in business intelligence and data analysis. He has developed data solutions using numerous platform tools including multiple SQL Server versions. He is a data architect and developer with CapTech (www.captechconsulting.com) and served as a leader of the Richmond SQL Server User Group (www.richmondsql.org).

John Miner

Twitter: - https://twitter.com/JohnMiner3

LinkedIn: John Miner

Contact: https://www.mssqltips.com/sqlserverauthor/154/john-miner/

John Miner is currently a Data Architect at BlueMetal advising corporations on how to solve their business needs with data platform solutions.

He has over twenty five years of data processing experience, and his architecture expertise encompasses all phases of the software project life cycle, including design, development, implementation, and maintenance of systems.

He has an undergraduate and graduate degrees in Computer Science from the University of Rhode Island. Other credentials include an up to date MCSE certificate and currently taking the Data Science program from EDX.

Before joining BlueMetal, John won the Data Platform MVP award in 2014 and 2015 for his outstanding contributions to the SQL Server community.

Jeremy Frye

Twitter: - SQLBInstein

LinkedIn: Jeremy Frye

Contact: https://jeremyfrye.net

Jeremy Frye is the manager of the Business Intelligence and data warehousing team at RDX. He is a Business Intelligence architect and developer with a background in database administration as well. Jeremy has over 9 years of experience in SQL Server. He has spoken on BI topics at many SQLSaturday’s throughout the country, webinars, and local and remote SQL user groups. In his spare time, Jeremy often spends time trying to bridge the gap between keyboard strokes and workout reps.

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.

Azhagappan Arunachalam

Az Arunachalam has been working with SQL server since v4.21/SQLNT. He started his career with troubleshooting at chip level, worked as a network engineer managing Novell NetWare networks, graduated into managing Windows NT, moved onto development, administered databases, and is currently working as a database architect. He#39;s excited about all the cloud offerings that Microsoft and others have made possible, and in sharing his findings with aspiring data enthusiasts.

Paresh Motiwala

Twitter: - pareshmotiwala

LinkedIn: Paresh Motiwala

Contact: https://pareshmotiwala.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=2amp;action=editamp;message=6amp;postpost=v2

Paresh Motiwala a Azure/Big Data enthusiast, Manager of Database Platform teams has led several large SQL implementations, migrations and upgrades. He has managed multi terabyte OLTP databases. He has also been a Sr. SQL DBA and a Solutions Architect in Fortune 100 companies. He helps/organizes and speaks at many SQLSaturdays, Azure Bootcamp, Azure Datafests and User Groups(Boston BI UG, NESQL, PASS PD VG and PASS DBA VG).

He is certified in Big Data Analytics, FinTech, PMP, Public Speaking, Business Communications. He is a avid singer, cook, open networker, and stand-up comedian. He teaches public speaking, debating, interviewing and group discussion skills and mentors children around the globe via www.circlesofgrowth.com

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.

Eric Blinn

Twitter: - @SQL2TheSequel

LinkedIn: Eric Blinn

Contact: https://ericblinn.com/

Eric has been a SQL Server DBA in the legal, software, transportation, and insurance industries for over 10 years. Currently he is the Sr Data Architect for Squire Patton Boggs, a leading provider of legal services with 47 offices in 20 countries.

Eric is a 2018-2019 Idera Ace and has co-authored 2 Idera Whitepapers.

He has been a presenter at PASS Summit, SQLSaturdays, the in.sight transportation conference, and the Ohio North SQL Server User’s Group.

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.

Alex Grinberg

LinkedIn: Alex Grinberg

I have more than 20 years of IT experience. My primary focus is with the latest Microsoft technologies including .NET (VB and C#), SSRS and SSIS. I provide services in tuning, optimization, analysis and development for the creation of new applications, converting legacy technologies (SQL Server, VB.NET and C# ) and site training. I have worked for CSC, VerticalNet, IDP, LSAC , and TMNAS (to name a few) and I am currently employed with Cox Automotive. I am Apress author book “XML and JSON Recipes for SQL Server”, also wrote number of articles for Simple-Talk and SQLServerCentral.com

Thomas Norman

Twitter: - ArmorDba

LinkedIn: Thomas Norman

Contact: https://armordba.com/

Tom Norman is a Database Architect at KPA with a strong fervor to protect data. He works daily to review and improve data protection methodologies while reviewing governing laws affecting finance, healthcare, and personal data. His areas of expertise include encryption, auditing, data identification, and database object deployment. He is the current leader of the PASS Virtualization Group and Vice President of the TRIPASS user group. You can read his blog at https://armordba.com/ and reach him on twitter at @armordba. Tom speaks at a number of SQLSaturday events and SQL Server user groups.

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.

Thomas Grohser

LinkedIn: Thomas Grohser

Mindy Curnutt

Twitter: - @sqlgirl

LinkedIn: Mindy Curnutt

Contact: http://www.mindycurnutt.com

Mindy Curnutt is a 5X Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Business Owner and Entrepreneur. Her specialties include SQL Server hardware, configuration, migrations, scalability, performance tuning. She has been actively involved in the SQL Server Community for over two decades and has become a well known speaker within the SQL and Transportation Management communities. She is a two-time PASS Volunteer of the Month, has presented at 6 SQLPASS Summits, Live360, DevConnections, MVPMix and too many SQLSaturdays to count. She is currently the President of the North Texas SQL Server User Group out of Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.

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.

Mindy Curnutt

Twitter: - @sqlgirl

LinkedIn: Mindy Curnutt

Contact: http://www.mindycurnutt.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.

Patrick LeBlanc

Twitter: - patrickdba

LinkedIn: Patrick LeBlanc

Contact: http://patrickdleblanc.com

David Patrick

Twitter: - DavidEPatrick

LinkedIn: David Patrick

Contact: http://www.madsharepoint.com

Dave has been developing database applications for over 25 years. An MCT since 2001, he has taught many classes from Intro to Visual Interdev to Advanced SharePoint Development. Dave runs two user groups, the Maryland and Pennsylvania Microsoft Developers User Group, www.mapamdug.com, and MAD SharePoint, www.madsharepoint.com. Dave does SharePoint training and development for DSA, Inc., a DoD contractor that does great work for the Army over at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Dave is also an MVP.

Vladimir Oselsky

Twitter: - @VladyOselsky

LinkedIn: Vladimir Oselsky

Vladimir Oselsky (Vlady) is an IT Professional with over 15 years of experience in various IT Jobs. Born and raised in Siberia, moved to United States in late 90s. Passion for computer and programming started with DOS games and learning Borland Paschal in 8th grade as a hobby. IT career consisted of everything from hardware and software support to server administration. Current focus on SQL Server Database Development and .NET programming

Ravi Kumar

Twitter: - @sqlravi

I have over 12 years of experience working with SQL Server and Business Intelligence Technology. My current focus is cloud technologies: Power BI, Azure Analysis Services, Azure SQL Data Warehouse, Azure Data Factory. As a PFE at Microsoft, I regularly deliver 2 - 4 day training workshops.

Sean Werick

LinkedIn: Sean Werick

Contact: http://www.seanwerick.com

I have been in the data industry for 15 years, specializing in Microsoft business intelligence for the last decade. I have architected, developed and integrated end to end solutions for customers in various sectors including finance, government, health care and retail. I am extremely passionate about data and the endless possibilities for companies utilizing it in the best ways. I enjoy data science and business intelligence because the possibilities and magnitudes of impact are immeasurable.

Brian Carrig

Twitter: - @briancarrig

Brian Carrig is a Microsoft Certified Master of SQL Server and is currently a Senior Program Manager on the SQL Server Tiger Team at Microsoft focusing primarily on persistent memory technology and replication. In a previous life, Brian spent some time as an academic and holds a PhD in Computer Science. He is a native of Dublin, Ireland but now lives with his wife and two daughters in Redmond, Washington. If he is not talking about, thinking about or working with technology you will usually find him watching Chelsea FC.

Carlos L Chacon

Twitter: - @CarlosLChacon

LinkedIn: Carlos L Chacon

Contact: http://sqldatapartners.com/blog

Carlos Chacon is the managing partner of SQL Data Partners LLC and co-host of the popular SQL Data Partners Podcast. While getting his start as a typical accidental DBA, Carlos has sat on Microsoft exam review panels, served as regional mentor and chapter leader. He enjoys traveling and has been to four continents, speaks Spanish and can eat his weight in raspberries (not yet proven). He and his family live in Richmond, Virginia.

Paul Rizza

Twitter: - @PaulRizzaSQL

LinkedIn: Paul Rizza

Contact: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/paulrizza/

Paul Rizza is a Senior Consultant at Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS), Lead on the MCS SQL Hiring Team, and has over 25 years’ experience consulting, teaching and developing on SQL Server platforms. Paul’s expertise includes ETLs, Dimensional modeling, architecting highly available SQL environments and performance tuning. Paul has an Undergraduate degree from UMBC and a Master’s degree both in Computer Science with a concentration in Database Theory from Johns Hopkins University.

Kevin Boles

Twitter: - @TheSQLGuru

LinkedIn: Kevin Boles

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.

Sayed Saeed

LinkedIn: Sayed Saeed

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

Sayed Saeed is the Business Intelligence Practice Director at Plus Consulting. He is highly proficient in developing targeted BI solutions for clients and offers solid knowledge and experience in BI products that help organizations better leverage information to effectively manage business. He is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert in Business Intelligence as well as Oracle Certified Professional.

Eugene Meidinger

Twitter: - @sqlgene

Contact: http://www.sqlgene.com

Eugene Meidinger works as a BI consultant and full time Pluralsight author. He currently focuses on content on Power BI and related products. He also leads the Pittsburgh Power BI User Group. He is certified in querying and administering SQL Server.

Timothy McAliley

Twitter: - sysframeworks

LinkedIn: Timothy McAliley

I am currently a Microsoft Cloud Solutions Architect in the Washington, DC area. Previously, I was a Microsoft Technology Solutions Professional (TSP), a Microsoft Account Technology Strategist and a SQL Server Premier Field Engineer. Prior to Microsoft, I was a Technical Trainer and DBA in the Enterprise Security Group at Symantec . I have been in IT for over 20 years. My particular interests are IT operations, IT auditing, IT audit frameworks, IT service management (ITSM), ITIL, information security, project management, and database/application tier high availability solutions. I also co-run the Northern Virginia SQL Server User Group ( @novasl) and also co-run the Azure Datafest events.

Shannon Lowder

Twitter: - @shannonlowder

LinkedIn: Shannon Lowder

Contact: http://shannonlowder.com

Brian Beswick

LinkedIn: Brian Beswick

Contact: http://brianbeswick.com/

Brian is a Managing Consultant at Allegient. He has many years of experience in database architecture and development across multiple versions of SQL Server. He’s an accomplished Database Architect with a specialty in Business Intelligence. He’s particularly strong at understanding and designing solutions for complex requirements.

Slava Murygin

Twitter: - SlavaSQL

LinkedIn: Slava Murygin

Contact: http://slavasql.blogspot.com/

Started working with SQL Server 7.0 as DBA and Developer. Since then went through all SQL Server versions, migrations and multiple companies of different sizes and industries. Currently working as a contractor with all aspects of SQL Server, including, but not limited to: troubleshooting performance, designing/developing: databases, systems, processes, data warehouses, cubes, reports, ETLs; Refactoring old code; Migrating data from other systems to SQL Server; Securing the data on enterprise level.

George Walkey

Twitter: - sqlbytehd

Contact: http://insyncva.com

SQL Server DBA, Developer, IT Manager, Business Owner from the Richmond, VA USA Area Interested in pushing the limits of both hardware software and my own brain

Eugene Meidinger

Twitter: - @sqlgene

Contact: http://www.sqlgene.com

Paul Rizza

Twitter: - @PaulRizzaSQL

LinkedIn: Paul Rizza

Contact: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/paulrizza/

Karlyn LeBlanc

Karlyn LeBlanc is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She currently resides in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Karlyn obtained her Bachelors degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and her Masters from Tulane University in New Orleans. Her career began as licensed master social worker where she spent twelve years counseling patients, supervising master level social workers, and facilitating support groups. In addition, she’s a bestselling author of two books and motivational speaker.

Chris Seferlis

Twitter: - bizdataviz

LinkedIn: Chris Seferlis

Contact: http://blog.bizdataviz.com

Chris Seferlis is a Sr Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. He has 20+ years’ experience working in IT and solving technical challenges from a business perspective. Chris is a former CIO with an MBA from UMass, bringing a mix of business acumen and practical technology solutions, primarily focusing on Data and AI within the Microsoft Data Platform, including MCSA and MCT designations.

Alex Grinberg

LinkedIn: Alex Grinberg

Michelle Haarhues

Twitter: - @mhaarhues

Contact: https://witsociety.wordpress.com/

Michelle is a database administrator and has been working with SQL Server for over 15 years. She started as a SQL Server developer and is currently a Database Administrator for Denver Health. In many of her positions over the years, she was the lone SQL DBA\Developer so she loves talking about SQL Server to anyone who will listen.

Kevin Boles

Twitter: - @TheSQLGuru

LinkedIn: Kevin Boles

Ray Kim

Twitter: - PianoRayK

LinkedIn: Ray Kim

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

SQLSaturday #615 - Baltimore 2017

Sessions

Title: Public Preview of SQL Server on Linux

Title: Database Project Makes Deployment Consistent

Title: Whip Away Stress at Home Work to Create a Better You

Title: Digging Deeper: BI Methodologies and Best Practices

Title: The Business Intelligence Side of SQL Server

Title: Microsoft and Big Data - An Overview of the Power Tools and more!

Title: Crash Course on Better SQL Development

Title: Tune Like a Guru!

Title: Statistics Cardinality – How They Work to Find Data Efficiently

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

Title: Efficient table design

Title: Power BI: From the Desktop to the Enterprise

Title: Drinking From the Firehose: a Guide to Keeping Up with Technology

Title: Azure Analysis Services - An introduction

Title: Big Data 101

Title: Excel with DAX

Title: The ABC’s of Server Baselines

Title: Using Powershell to Document SQL Server

Title: “Full Text indexing!” or…“What is that service I never turn on?”

Title: The Ins and Outs of SQL Indexes

Title: New Features in SSIS 2016

Title: SQL Server Defaults SUCK!!

Title: Introduction to SQL Server Microsoft Mobile Reporting

Title: Monitoring Availability Groups

Title: User Group

Title: Tech Writing for Techies: A Primer

Title: SQL Server 2016: Data Masking and Encryption

Title: Why candidates fail the job interview in the first minute

Title: SSAS 2016 Tabular - Diving into the new features

Title: # vs @ - it’s not about Social Media it’s about temporary tables and data

Title: On the Doorsteps - Women in Technology

Title: SSIS Incremental Loading: The Tortoise and The Hare

Title: Interrogating your data sources with Biml

Title: Data Visualization: How to truly tell a great story!

Title: Deeper Into Azure Machine Learning

Title: An (Advanced) Introduction to Power BI

Title: Introduction to Azure Streaming Analytics

Title: APPLY Yourself

Speakers

Sponsors