SQLSaturday #820 - Jacksonville 2019

Event Date: 05/04/2019 00:00:00

Event Location:

  • The University of North Florida Campus
  • 1 UNF Drive
  • Jacksonville, Florida

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: Your BI Workloads and How They Change in the Cloud (Azure)

Abstract: Your organization has made a conscious choice that everything should move to the cloud! You own the current BI workloads for your business and you are not sure what that means?

If so, this session is for you where we explore in depth the workloads around ETL/ELT, Data Management, Analysis Services to support BI for your users. We’ll also talk data security, governance managing your data outside of your 4 walls.

With plenty of ground to cover and an expected level of participation from the audience, this will be a fast paced session with insights into how you can retain aspects of what you have while pursuing the greater opportunities delivering BI on the Cloud affords you.

Attendees will understand what workloads are similar as they move to the cloud Attendees will develop an appreciation for the benefits the cloud can offer to their BI deployment Attendees should have the confidence to map out their own plans for making the most of the workloads they’ll change when they move.

Speaker(s):

  • Trey Johnson

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - Gamorr 4-1705


Title: Creating Reports and Dashboards with Power BI

Abstract: This session looks at both Power BI Desktop and Power BI.com to compare the advantages and capabilities of both platforms for creating and distributing data analysis within your organization. It will also touch a little on why you might choose Power BI over Power Pivot and why you might not. It will also look at how to create drill down detail screens to expose the details behind your visualizations. Finally, we will touch on how to publish your Power BI results for others in your organization to share. A basic understanding of database structures and referential integrity is an advantage to gain the most from this session, but as will be shown, not always necessary depending on the source of the data to be analyzed.

Speaker(s):

  • Michael Antonovich

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - Coruscant 51-1205


Title: How to perform a health check

Abstract: Are you uncertain about the health and capacity of your SQL Server? Are you taking over a new server and need to get a better understanding of the health of the server? Are you uncertain if your servers are following industry best practices?

In this session we will start by discussing the importance of performing a Health Check. We will then show how to run the popular Blitz script by Brent Ozar. After that we will review the other key areas to check like the VM configuration, Windows Configuration, SQL Configuration, Security configuration, and Database configuration. Finally, we’ll show how to save the results for capacity and trending analysis

At the end of the session you will be able to: (1) Perform a Health Check on a server; (2) List the key areas for improvement; (3) Save the results for capacity and trending analysis.

Speaker(s):

  • Carl Roepe

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Jakku 4-1703


Title: Database Design Fundamentals

Abstract: Data should be easy to work with in SQL Server if the database has been organized as close as possible to the standards of normalization that have been proven for many years, but are often thought of as old-fashioned. Many common T-SQL programming “difficulties” are the result of struggling against these standards and can be avoided by understanding the requirements, applying normalization, as well as a healthy dose of simple common sense. In this session I will give an overview of how to design a relational database, allowing you to work with the data structures instead of against them. This will let you use SQL naturally, enabling the query engine internals to optimize your output needs without you needing to spend a lot of time thinking about it. This will mean less time trying to figure out why SUBSTRING(column,3,1) = ‘A’ is killing your performance, and more time for solving the next customer problem.

Speaker(s):

  • Louis Davidson

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Hoth 4-1706


Title: An Analysis Services Primer

Abstract: So you have heard about Cubes and (analysis) Models but maybe have never gotten fully “into” them? Or maybe, you have built Cubes and Models but just feel the results did not match with your expectations?

Analysis Services is a broadening platform with offerings On-Premises, in the Cloud, On Azure and everywhere in between.

With more than 20 years experience on Analysis Services, the speaker will help you make the most of your NEXT efforts at Analysis Services by delivering an example heavy session leaving no doubt about the types of solutions you can achieve with Analysis Services!

Learning Objective 1: Attendees will learn the fundamentals of WHY they should leverage Analysis Services

Learning Objective 2: Attendees will be provided guidance on how to start simply with Cubes/Models that can be grown as needs develop

Learning Objective 3: Attendees should expect to be able to identify more easily the most relevant data for a Cube/Model

Speaker(s):

  • Trey Johnson

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - Kashyyyk 51-1102


Title: Climbing the SQL Server Index B-Tree

Abstract: You’ll find a lot of Word of Mouth (WOM) advice out there about SQL Server performance, especially when it comes to indexes. Some of the things you have probably heard are:

  • keep clustered index width small
  • unique indexes perform better
  • keep non-clustered index width small
  • compressed indexes have fewer logical reads
  • add one index for each column

But how do you know if this advice is good or bad? Did you know that there is a way to look under the hood at the actual index pages to see how the data is stored, and how it’s stored differently when data is compressed? Using this information, you can prove or disprove the WOM advice. Attend this demo-heavy session to learn how the SQL Server optimizer uses indexes. It’s all about performance, and the right indexes will give your application a big performance advantage.

Speaker(s):

  • Mike Byrd

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Jakku 4-1703


Title: Relational Design Critique

Abstract: The process of designing a relational database is not overly complex, and may be done by almost anyone on the development team. The process requires one to take the time to understand the requirements, when they exist, and apply a straightforward set of transforms to produce table structures that meets the needs. The tough part is that the process requires time and experience, neither of which anyone has enough of. In this session, to help the attendee differentiate right-enough designs from overly simple or overly complex designs, we will look at a variety of database snippets, each inspired from a real life design. We will discuss the pros and cons of the approach taken, and consider possible remediations to learn from a failure that was made by someone else.

Speaker(s):

  • Louis Davidson

Track and Room: Strategy and Architecture - Hoth 4-1706


Title: Accessibility Concerns of Reporting Style with Power BI

Abstract: Reports are no longer just black and white columns and rows of numbers. Reports combine tables with charts, KPIs and more. There is a lot to be concerned about when designing reports to provide information to your audience. Today, your company can face lawsuits if your reports are not accessible to all users. You must consider the way you display your data, the amount of data displayed, the use of color and maybe even the use of animation. Creating attractive reports is not just about making them pretty. It is about grabbing your audience’s attention. It is making sure you don’t inadvertently introduce accessibility problems that limit who can receive your message, your data. This session while looking at some reporting best practices will also give you information to steer you clear of accessibility concerns to insure access to your results by all consumers of your report. (Note: Accessibility is governed through the guidelines of the American Disabilities Act)

Speaker(s):

  • Michael Antonovich

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - Bespin 4-1704


Title: Azure-d Availability: Scaling SQL Server to the Cloud

Abstract: Has your manager come to you and said “I expect the SQL Server machines to have zero downtime?” Have you been told to make your environment “Always On” without any guidance (or budget) as to how to do that or what that means? This session will walk you through the high availability options in on-premises SQL Server, the high availability options in Azure SQL Database, and how those can be combined to enable you to achieve the ambitious goals of your management. Beyond the academic knowledge, we’ll discuss real world case studies covering exactly how your on-premises environments and Azure services can work together to keep your phone quiet at night.

Speaker(s):

  • Matt Gordon

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Gamorr 4-1705


Title: Yes! Making Performance Tuning Easier with Query Store

Abstract: In our day-to-day struggles with performance issues we use built-in and third-party tools to discover and analyze what went wrong with a particular query or stored procedure and then we try to fix them. However, sometimes we wish that there would be a way to keep a good historical baseline for comparison. Microsoft introduced query store in SQL Server 2016 to help with these challenges and answers some of the obvious performance questions. In this session, we will demonstrate how to use query store to characterize your workload and more easily find and fix some of the problem you may have with your unruly queries and gigantic store procedures.

Speaker(s):

  • Ahmad Drshen

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Sullust 51-1104


Title: Successfully Virtualizing SQL Server on vSphere - Straight from the Source

Abstract: Over the years, virtualization has matured from the exotic black magic realm to become a mainstream standard IT practice. quot;Virtualize Firstquot; is now a well-accepted default practice in most enterprises and any deviation is now considered an anomaly. In spite of this trend, many IT administrators and architects still have some reservations about virtualizing SQL Server workloads. They consider SQL too quot;criticalquot; to be virtualized; they wonder and worry about scale about performance; they are looking for guidance and reassurance. If this is where you (or your clients) are today, be sure to attend this session. You will gain valuable insights from what others have done to successfully undertake similar tasks in their environments. We will talk about configuration pitfalls to avoid and also review the configuration and current performance data for some of the most demanding applications in customers environments. Got an SQL virtualization or performance question? Bring i

Speaker(s):

  • Deji Akomolafe

Track and Room: Strategy and Architecture - Coruscant 51-1205


Title: Five Availability Group Issues That May Ruin Your Day

Abstract: AlwaysOn Availability Groups have become the most common High Availability technology used with SQL Server. It provides protection at the database group level, and it stores a separate copy of each database on each node, eliminating storage from being a single point of failure.

While Availability Groups help to achieve required High Availability, they may also introduce issues in the system. In this session, Dmitri will discuss several less known problems associated with them. You will learn how Availability Groups may impact transaction log truncation and contribute to the blocking in the system, how readable secondaries may increase CPU and I/O load on primaries among a few other things. Dmitri will also discuss how to properly setup monitoring for Availability Group infrastructure in your environment.

Speaker(s):

  • Dmitri Korotkevitch

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Sullust 51-1104


Title: Classification With Naive Bayes

Abstract: The Naïve Bayes series of algorithms are some of the simplest classification algorithms, but they tend to offer reasonably good results very quickly for a number of problems, including Natural Language Processing problems such as spam classification, as well as more classical feature-driven classification. In this talk, we will look at the math behind Naïve Bayes classification, solving problems by hand before looking at a package in R which solves the problem for us. By the end of this talk, you should be able to apply Naïve Bayes to existing problems. No experience with statistics is required, although there will be a small amount of math.

Speaker(s):

  • Kevin Feasel

Track and Room: Advanced Analysis Techniques - Kashyyyk 51-1102


Title: The Force of Management Data Warehouse

Abstract: DBA’s, Did you know that SQL Server has a built-in way of collecting system and performance information on your SQL servers in one central location? Leave the Darkside and take this journey to see how the Management Data Warehouse (MDW) is created, Data Collectors are setup, and looking at the included reports to answer your questions like What are my most expensive queries (CPU, IO, or duration)? What is my SQL Server waiting on? Which are the fastest growing databases? Knowledge is power of the force where the MDW can help with proactive query tuning, historical query analysis, performance baselining, database growth forecasting, and storage planning.

Speaker(s):

  • Steven Wheeler

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Scarif 51-1103


Title: What Is Clogging Your Database Performance?

Abstract: A concise and systematic approaches rather than guessing to analyze SQL Server performance will be presented. Through measuring the response time and wait time at the query level, the performance bottleneck is pinpointed and tuned. The presentation will look at the basic of gathering the stats from SQL Server DMVs.

Speaker(s):

  • Eddy Djaja

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Fondor 51-1209


Title: Performance Tuning Magic

Abstract: When your server becomes unresponsive, the performance goes down the drain and the CPUs are at 100%. You asks yourself: I wish I knew what and how to do it. – How to configure your Sql Server for maximum performance – Big databases issues and solutions – Indexes or Statistics updates, what and where: Rebuild or Reorg – Sql code tricks to increase code performance – What to do when in maximum performance pain

Speaker(s):

  • Valentin Iamandi

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Hoth 4-1706


Title: DevOps, Continuous Integration Automated Testing: Rule them all

Abstract: Do you want to make your deployments risk free? Do you want to deliver business values to your customers faster? Do you want to increase the efficiency of your Team? Are your application and database deployment separate processes? Do you encounter issues while deploying your database changes? Do you want to automate your testing process? Is your database slowing you down?

If the answer to any of the above questions is a Yes, then this presentation is for YOU. Come join me in this 60 min session to understand the problems with traditional database development, why organizations are moving towards achieving Continuous Integration and Database DevOps, the problems it tries to solve and learn about the toolsets which will assist you in this journey towards painless database deployments.

Speaker(s):

  • Samir Behara

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Yavin 4-1702


Title: Be Part of the Solution with Automation

Abstract: DevOps automation can be intriguing to learn and overwhelming to implement. This session will take a real life use case of a multi-tier and complex environments, with various stake holders to a successful conclusion. Unlike a session on concepts, this session surrounds itself with a real-life situation and how automation was used with DevOps practices to build a solution. The session will demonstrate the reasons to automate, along with the steps required to make it possible, offering insight into concepts that are often too vague to employ. The attendee will see multi-platform and cloud tool demonstrations on how to take the DevOps methodology and continuous delivery to actuality in their own projects, no matter if small or large.

Speaker(s):

  • Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Yavin 4-1702


Title: Women in Technology Panel: Skip the Corporate Ladder and Still Win in a Tech Career

Abstract: Many of us have attended career advancement or women in technology panels where they only tell you how to become part of the C-level, (CTO, CIO, CDO or even CEO). Although these sessions may focus on valuable skills, they often require the individual to move away from technical work to advance.
What does it say about the world of tech if the only way up is to give up the part of tech you love the most? This panel session is for the women, (and men) who want to know how to make the most of the career they have and get ahead in technology without having to give up the technology they love.
The panel will be led by Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman, who’s made a career from deeply technical positions and rose to the top of the Oracle world as a Multi-platform Database Administrator/Developer, recently becoming a part of Microsoft as a Data Platform Architect. She will be joined by a group of panelists in various stages of their career to share their experiences, insight and advice.

Speaker(s):

  • Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman

Track and Room: Professional Development - Bespin 4-1704


Title: Azure Data Factory + SSIS: Migrating your ETLs to the Cloud.

Abstract: Thinking about migrating your data warehouse to the cloud? What about all those SSIS packages executing ETLs against your on-prem data sources? In this presentation we will discuss how to successfully “lift and shift” your ETL workloads to the Azure cloud. You will l learn how to configure and deploy an Integration Runtime, deploy and execute SSIS packages in an Azure Data Factory pipeline, and how to monitor and troubleshoot your ETL executions in the cloud. Attendees will walk-away with an understanding of the features, capabilities and limitations of Azure Data Factory and the Integration Runtime and a strategy to leverage your existing SSIS package development efforts to the cloud.

Speaker(s):

  • Jose Chinchilla

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - Gamorr 4-1705


Title: An Introduction to Power BI for Data Science With Python

Abstract: This session provides an introduction to the use of Power BI for Data Science. It covers the use of Power BI as part of the Data Science process; including EDA (Exploratory Data Analysis), Data Visualization along with its integration with Python, Scikit-Learn and SQL Server Machine Learning Services.

This is an introductory session designed for those with basic Power BI skills; as well as, minimal or no Python and/or Data Science experience. This is an applied session focusing on the utilization of the tools, technologies and machine learning libraries; such as Pandas, Numpy, Scipy, etc. The demos are centered around Power BI and its integration with Python, ML engine and Data Science processes.

Speaker(s):

  • Adriano da Silva

Track and Room: Analytics and Visualization - Kashyyyk 51-1102


Title: T-SQL Dynamic Duo: Window Functions and Common Table Expressions (CTE)

Abstract: Life and movies have great dynamic duos: Hans Solo and Chewy, Bogey and Bacall, Batman and Robin, Red Wine and Dark Chocolate (my personal favorite) to name a few; now let me introduce you to another Dynamic Duo: Window Functions and CTEs. Don’t confuse Window functions with the Windows operating system; Window functions are ANSI standard T-SQL functions used in writing queries. Common Table Expressions (CTE) specifies a temporary named result set and are leveraged as a way to filter Window functions. Window functions supercharge your code to show detail and aggregate level data in the same SELECT statement without grouping, easily creates running totals, computes percentages, de-dups data and more. We’ll see how using the Offset functions enables you to include different values without using a self-join. There’s much to see and learn in this demo packed session, I hope you’ll join me for another adventure!

Speaker(s):

  • Susan Schneider

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - Sullust 51-1104


Title: Why would I care about PowerApps and Flow?

Abstract: Why is PowerApps a big deal? What are some good practical uses for it? Is it really easy to use? Is it a tool I would want to use? What about Flow? What are some good practical uses for it? Should I care about it? Attend this session and see Belinda use PowerApps and Flow with Microsoft Office and Power BI. Here is your opportunity to see some very real and very practical uses of these two amazing products. This session will leave you excited by how the opportunities, that these two products can provide, will improve your business life.

  1. See some PowerApps in action using Microsoft Office that might blow your mind.
  2. See some PowerApps and Flow in use with Power BI that changes the Power BI game.
  3. See Flow used in interesting ways.

Speaker(s):

  • Belinda Allen

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - Bespin 4-1704


Title: CozyRoc: Dynamic Data Flows in SSIS Without Programming

Abstract: This session is an introduction to the unique functionality offered by COZYROC to create integration packages that dynamically map columns at runtime. The standard SSIS Data Flow Task can only use static metadata which is defined when the package is initially designed. The mapping of columns is configured and remains unchanged until the package is re-opened and design changes are made, thus costing maintenance time and effort. Data Flow Task Plus extends the capabilities of the standard Microsoft Data Flow task in that it allows you to set up dynamic data flows, thus eliminating maintenance time and effort. Changes to tables and columns are automatically incorporated at run time without the need to change and redeploy the package. Columns and fields are mapped automatically at run time. Furthermore, the initial design time and effort may be greatly reduced when dealing with huge amounts of data in a large number of files and/or databases.

Speaker(s):

  • Diane Schuster

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - Coruscant 51-1205


Title: DAX 101 and 102

Abstract: In this breakout session, you’ll learn the basics of the DAX language, Power BI’s modeling language. Belinda will introduce you to the concept of calculated columns, measures, and basic data modeling, with some practical examples. This introduction will cover basic calculations and an overview of scalar and table functions. This session has practical examples of business analytics and users. To the Developer, DAX feels like a programming language; to the user, DAX feels like Excel formulas.

  1. Define DAX and understand where it fits and why it is important
  2. Perform and Review some basic DAX commands
  3. Differentiate modeling with DAX versus the Power BI Query Editor
  4. Build a Date Table to allow for the use of Time Intelligence DAX calculations
  5. Overview of CALCULATE in DAX functions.

Speaker(s):

  • Belinda Allen

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - Coruscant 51-1205


Title: Azure IoT: An interactive demo

Abstract: The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the most talked about emerging technologies nowadays. But what is it and how can it help by business? Most importantly, how do I get started? In this presentation, we will do an interactive demo with a Raspberry PI and a Microsoft Sphere MCU along with several sensors and components to capture and analyze data from a connected device in Azure IoT Hub and IoT Central. Learn how to connect, monitor and manage connected devices using Azure IoT Hub. We will also discuss how Azure IoT Edge can simplify secure deployment of complex event processing, ML, and AI functionality to connected devices to reduce the latency of decision making.

Speaker(s):

  • Jose Chinchilla

Track and Room: Analytics and Visualization - Gamorr 4-1705


Title: Data Storytelling with Power BI

Abstract: Power BI has many features that are appealing but clearly the storytelling capabilities are what set it apart from other BI tools. Features like bookmarks, tooltip report pages, and drillthrough filters are just a few examples of how you can make dull reports a real interactive experience.

Speaker(s):

  • Devin Knight

Track and Room: Information Delivery - Bespin 4-1704


Title: A Primer on SQL Server Clustered Index Architecture

Abstract: How often when creating a new table you just made the Clustered Index using an Integer column with Identity properties. Seems like that is all I have done for last many years. But, in the last two years I’ve really dove into indexes and finally with this presentation looked at what really makes a good Clustered Index with benchmarks and varying scenarios. In some scenarios a well-defined clustered index may out perform a covering non-clustered index. Results are very interesting and may surprise you.

Speaker(s):

  • Mike Byrd

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Jakku 4-1703


Title: How to load a fact table really, really fast

Abstract: We will discuss various techniques for loading many rows into tables in a data warehouse at once. We will explore the different statagies, and quanitify each one in terms of rows/minute.

Speaker(s):

  • John Blackburn

Track and Room: BI Information Delivery - Bespin 4-1704


Title: Is my SQL Server having Memory Pressure?

Abstract: As we all know, SQL Server loves memory and will use as much as it can get. However, when there is memory pressure we need to use our DBA skills to identify what is causing the pressure. During this session we will explore how SQL Server uses memory and how to properly configure memory settings. We will discuss the use of DMVs and other tools to help us find what is consuming the most memory and some potential solutions.

Speaker(s):

  • Dave Bland

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Fondor 51-1209


Title: Using Analytics to Optimize your Resume for Applicant Tracking System

Abstract: Ever wonder why your resume ends up in a black hole when you submit it online? You know what your resume looks like, but do you ever wonder how a computer sees your resume? Let us show you how to use analytics to make your resume stand out not only to HR, but also to the computer. Guaranteed to be a light bulb moment for your career search efforts! Beneficial for all levels including those transitioning fields, trying to enter the industry or trying to make a career move.

Speaker(s):

  • Brandi Kiehl

Track and Room: Professional Development - Jedha 51-1101


Title: Data DevOps: Top 5 Blockers to Success

Abstract: Implementing DevOps for data isn’t easy. The tools, technologies, and practices are still evolving, and organizations often struggle to make the transition to more agile ways of delivering data-centric solutions. During this session, we’ll discuss the top 5 issues that impact successfully moving to a Data DevOps approach, including challenges with people, processes, and technology. Since one size does not fit all, we will also cover multiple potential solutions to these blockers.

Speaker(s):

  • John Welch

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Yavin 4-1702


Title: Extended Events: What are they and How do I use them

Abstract: Extended Events are an essential part of properly monitoring and every DBA should know what they are and how to use them. This session will cover the basics of Extended events as well as an introduction to the system_health session. This session will give someone who has never used Extended events before the skills to start using them!

Speaker(s):

  • Dave Bland

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Jakku 4-1703


Title: Power BI Governance 101

Abstract: Deploying an enterprise business intelligence solution is no small task but one of the most important factors to consider in order to have a successful roll-out of a self-service analytics tool like Power BI is governance. In this session, we’ll discuss why governance is so important for a successful Power BI deployment, what are the components of Power BI that require governance, and how to govern your Power BI environment. By the end of this session, the audience should have a clearer understanding of governance in the context of Power BI.

Speaker(s):

  • Dustin Ryan

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - Coruscant 51-1205


Title: Look, over there, your permissions are showing!

Abstract: You just walked into that fancy new gig, and you’re getting your first cup of coffee. Your boss walks up and asks, “Who has access to that prod server?”, do you know how to get the answers in the next hour? More importantly, do you know what these permissions mean, what an attacker could do with these permissions? In this session we’ll start from scratch assuming that you have no experience with an audit with this question in mind. We’ll work back from here to develop a strategy of how to harden your server.

Speaker(s):

  • Travis Page

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Yavin 4-1702


Title: Migrate Your Database with Distributed AGs

Abstract: You find yourself needing to migrate to new hardware or new operating system. If you’re running SQL Server 2016+, you’re in luck! Distributed Availability Groups (AGs) may just be the solution you want.

In this session I will explain the purpose and usages of Distributed AGs, create a Distributed AG and the associated AGs, and perform a mock data center migration.

NOTE: This session expects that attendees are already familiar with Availability Groups.

Speaker(s):

  • Elizabeth Noble

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Jakku 4-1703


Title: Machine Learning: Using R and SQL together

Abstract: Is “R” worth the time to learn? What tools will enable me to start? What can I do with “R” if I learn it? How much “R” do I have to know before I can use it? This session will begin to answer these questions. Almost exclusively demo, we will walk through the use of several visualization techniques to understand and shape data for the purpose of applying Machine Learning Models to make predictions. Focused on “Binary classification” we will use two predictive algorithms: rxFastLinear and a Gradient Boosting Machine to model Florida Traffic accidents. MS Visual Studio is the tool of choice utilizing Microsoft’s R client.

Speaker(s):

  • Steve Schneider

Track and Room: Advanced Analysis Techniques - Scarif 51-1103


Title: Introduction to PowerApps

Abstract: In this session, you’ll learn how to create your first application using PowerApps. PowerApps is part of the Power Platform from Microsoft and provides a business-friendly way of creating applications quickly that can integrate with the Microsoft Power BI and Flow platforms for visualizing and moving data.This technology is one of the hottest new offerings from Microsoft and included in your Office 365 subscription.

Speaker(s):

  • Devin Knight

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Bespin 4-1704


Title: Learn Power BI Report Server Enterprise Architecture, Tools to publish reports and Best Practice

Abstract: To improve the performance, sustainability, security and scalability of enterprise-grade Power BI implementations with constant velocity, we need to adhere best practices In this session Vishal will go over Power BI Ecosystem with Example, PBI RS evolution from its inception Architecture of Enterprise Power BI Report Server and usage through various tool available to publish -SSDT SSRS, Power BI Desktop(Optimized Version), Report Builder and mobile report builder and various Best Practices for PBI Report Server.

Speaker(s):

  • Vishal Pawar

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - Coruscant 51-1205


Title: Automating the Data-Centric Deployment Pipeline

Abstract: Continuous integration, delivery, and deployment are common elements of modern DevOps practices. However, it’s rare to see these practices put into place for data-centric applications, like databases, ETL, data warehouses, or reports. In this session, we’ll cover why these approaches are beneficial for the data organization and the pieces you need to have in place to be successful. We’ll also cover some of the prime trouble spots that organizations run into, as well as some tools that can help jump start your efforts.

Speaker(s):

  • John Welch

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Kashyyyk 51-1102


Title: R For the SQL Server Developer

Abstract: R is the premiere language for data analysis. If the world of data science sounds fun and exciting, now is the time to get into R. We will walk through the core constructs of R, learn how to retrieve data from flat files and databases, and get a peek at the power behind R. This session will also give resources on where to go in order to become more familiar with statistics, R the language, and the R package ecosystem.

Speaker(s):

  • Kevin Feasel

Track and Room: Analytics and Visualization - Scarif 51-1103


Title: How to make a SQLSaturday Presentation

Abstract: Nearly everyone one who attends a SQLSaturday has something to share, which others can learn from. This session covers how to take your knowledge and ideas and turn them into a presentation. Most of the focus will be on content generation and organization of your idea into a presentation and demonstrations, to allow you to present.

Speaker(s):

  • Shawn Meyers

Track and Room: Professional Development - Jedha 51-1101


Title: Top 5 Tips to Keep Always On AGs 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 - Fondor 51-1209


Title: Azure Data Storage Options

Abstract: In this session we will investigate the various data storage options that are presented for developers in the Microsoft Azure Cloud. We will look at the various storage options for both strongly and loosely bound schema. Topics will include blob and table storage, Azure Search, CosmosDb, Azure Sql Database, and Azure Data Lake Analytics. We will also cover data movement options and security before doing a deeper dive into Azure Sql Database.

Speaker(s):

  • Jonathon Moorman

Track and Room: Cloud Application Development Deployment - Jedha 51-1101


Title: In-Place vs Side-by-Side SQL Upgrades; Clearing the Confusion

Abstract: Most of us are aware that when it comes to upgrading our SQL Servers, we have a couple different options when it comes to the methodology. Do we perform an In-Place upgrade or a Side-by-Side? Both options come with a myriad of pros and cons, and there’s usually a “best” solution for every environment. This session will attempt to examine exactly which scenarios lend themselves best to each technique, and we’ll provide a logical way of thinking about this critical step and how to accomplish this with the least stress.

Speaker(s):

  • Troy Gallant

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Hoth 4-1706


Title: GDPR - The Buck Stops Here

Abstract: The General Data Protection Regulations went into effect in the EU in 2014, giving the rest of the world till May 2018 to become compliant. Comprehending the intricate facets of this complex law of EU personal data, what it covers and the demands to change how many of us have managed our data is the center of this talk. Encryption and masking is only a very small part of the DBA and developer’s role in being compliant and saving the business from huge fines that could make or break a company.

Speaker(s):

  • Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman

Track and Room: Information Delivery - Yavin 4-1702


Title: PowerShell Core - Fundamental on How-To Persist Data in a SQL Server Container

Abstract: This session will give you the necesary knowledge on how to work with container(s) disk data. As a Database Developer and Admininstrator, it’s important to protect that information stored on our Database Servers. I’ll be showing how easy it is to start build a solution and how to make data persist in a container using Docker CLI only as a starting point.

Speaker(s):

  • Maximo Trinidad

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Kashyyyk 51-1102


Title: Using Dbatools To Automate Database Migrations

Abstract: Migrations can be time consuming and painful. They must be completed with zero down time, and you need to remember databases, logins, agent jobs, linked servers, oh and those random credentials that no one has the password for anymore. If you have faced this situation or are facing migrating from 2008 to 2017 Instances this process can be made easier by using the PowerShell module Dbatools. This session will overview how to get Dbatools, overview of the cmdlets, and demonstrations of migrating from a 2008 instance to 2017. Basic knowledge of PowerShell is encouraged, but not required for this session.

Speaker(s):

  • Joshua Corrick

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Gamorr 4-1705


Title: Making Your Queries Dynamic in the Power Query Editor for Power BI

Abstract: Often times in data analytics, we have datasets that are changing. In order to fully leverage this changing of data, we need to make our queries that we are reporting on dynamic.

This session, we will be utilizing the inherit “M” programming language that inside of the Power Query Editor as well as using Parameters to make our queries dynamically work with our datasets!

Speaker(s):

  • Nicholas Lee

Track and Room: Analytics and Visualization - Jedha 51-1101


Title: Top 10 lessons learned from the Death Star you can employ to save your database from failure

Abstract: You built an awesome database but all of a sudden it explodes in a ball of fire like the Death Star. In this session, we will use lessons learned from the dark side to ensure you database does not suffer the same fate. Performance is not the only criteria for a successful database, we will look at many of the rest. This session will have many Star Wars based themes and will be a place to geek about it.

Speaker(s):

  • Shawn Meyers

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Jedha 51-1101


Title: Introduction to DAX

Abstract: Data Analysis Expressions were specifically designed by Microsoft to be easy to learn and powerful, with just the basics of DAX you can significantly improve the analytical value of your data model. In this introductory to DAX session, you will learn the basics of using the DAX language to create calculated columns and calculated measures. In addition to the basics, this session will introduce you to creating aggregates, conditional functions, and time intelligence calculations.

Speaker(s):

  • Mitchell Pearson

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - Scarif 51-1103


Title: Encryption: Not just for the NSA anymore

Abstract: Are you interested in data encryption? Do you store sensitive data in SQL Server databases? Does GDPR affect your company? If you answered yes to any of these questions then this session is for you. In this session we will introduce and implement 4 methods of encryption available in SQL Server –Backup encryption, Transparent Data Encryption, AlwaysEncrypted, and connection encryption.

Speaker(s):

  • Eric Blinn

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Fondor 51-1209


Title: SSIS: Loading Dimension Tables

Abstract: In this session we will look at what options are available to developers within SSIS to load and maintain our Dimension tables within the Data Warehouse. As well we will explore alternate design patterns that could improve performance

Speaker(s):

  • Manuel Quintana

Track and Room: BI Platform Architecture, Development Administration - Scarif 51-1103


Title: Temporal Tables: Creation, Use, and Optimizing

Abstract: With SQL 2016, Microsoft introduced Temporal tables. In this session we will learn what a Temporal table is, and discuss uses in current environments. We will learn how to create the tables, query the data from the tables for different scenarios, and optimize them for query performance allowing simplicity for the consumers of the data.

Speaker(s):

  • Dale Sullenberger

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Hoth 4-1706


Title: I have Indexes, but do I have the Right Indexes?

Abstract: SQL Server indexes come in multiple types: clustered, non-clustered, full text and column store. In this session, you’ll get an understanding of what these types are and when each is an appropriate solution. We will explain and demonstrate each type, and you’ll leave this class with a repeatable indexing methodology you can use to improve your database performance.

Speaker(s):

  • Eric Blinn

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Fondor 51-1209


Title: Lead, Lag, CTEs and other tricks

Abstract: Simplify your complex queries with cross apply, lead/lag and other great new stuff. No more dynamic SQL!

Speaker(s):

  • Victor Ivantsov

Track and Room: Application Database Development - Sullust 51-1104


Title: Temporal Tables - Managing Large Data Sets and Their Effects on Performance

Abstract: So, you installed SQL 2016 (or newer) and implemented Temporal Tables for some of your data. Everything is running well, but now what? In this session we will look at the effects of adding various indexes to both the main and the history table and discuss what that might mean to the front end performance. We will go into data management scenarios, for when you do not want to keep all the data in that table forever.

Speaker(s):

  • Dale Sullenberger

Track and Room: Enterprise Database Administration Deployment - Sullust 51-1104


Speakers

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

John Blackburn

Hello!

My Name is John Blackburn and I am a Software Engineer with The Suddath Companies, Inc. in Jacksonville, FL.

I attended the University of North Florida in Jacksonville and hold a bachelors degree in physics and a Masters in Mathematics. I have solved a range of problems ranging from automation of business Processes, to data warehousing, and analysis. I currently work as a full stack developer with expertise in SQL Server and Data Analytics. I love solving problems and optimizing processes.

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.

Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman

Twitter: - DBAKevlar

LinkedIn: Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman

Contact: http://dbakevlar.com

Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman is a member of the Oak Table Network and an Idera ACE and Oracle ACE Director alumnus. She is a Data Platform Architect in Power BI with AI in the EdTech group at Microsoft. Kellyn is known for her extensive work with multi-database platforms, DevOps, cloud migrations, virtualization, visualizations, scripting, environment optimization tuning, automation, and architecture design.

Kellyn has spoken at numerous technical conferences for Oracle, Big Data, DevOps, testing, and SQL Server. Her blog (http://dbakevlar.com) and social media activity under her handle, DBAKevlar, is well respected for her insight and content.

Diane Schuster

LinkedIn: Diane Schuster

Diane has worked with COZYROC since 2012. She has attended numerous SQLSaturdays to shine the light on the time-saving and capability-extending components and tasks that COZYROC offers in it’s SSIS+ library. Without even having a background in databases or SQL Server, Diane successfully configures packages in live demonstrations that use COZYROC components and tasks. She believes that, if the toolkit is this easy to use for a novice, then just imagine what a SQL Server expert can do with it!

In Diane’s data networking days, Diane performed a variety of development-related and customer-facing roles for IBM, Lucent Technologies, North Carolina State University and Connectware.

Brandi Kiehl

Twitter: - BrandiKiehl

LinkedIn: Brandi Kiehl

Co-Organizer of the Women in Information Technology of Jacksonville, PyJax, IT Pro/Florida IT Server Group, IT Pro Camp, Tech Coast Conference, Women and Minorities in IT Conference, Bsides of Jacksonville, and Career Network Outreach. Co-Owner of Stardust Techologies and Career Network Outreach. A certified Project Manager and experienced IT professional with over 10 years of data science, analysis, and management experience. Enjoys teaching and helping people to find new or transition careers, with mock interviews, elevator speeches, clean up or create more professional social media profiles, change their way of thinking about job searching, reinvent their resumes, and how to network.

Devin Knight

Twitter: - @knight_devin

LinkedIn: Devin Knight

Contact: http://devinknightsql.com

Devin Knight a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and the Training Director at Pragmatic Works. He is an author of seven SQL Server and Business Intelligence books and speaks at conferences like PASS Summit, PASS Business Analytics Conference, SQLSaturdays and Code Camps. He is also a contributing member to several PASS Virtual Chapters. Making his home in Jacksonville, FL, Devin is the Vice President of the local Power BI User Group and SQL Server User Group (JSSUG).

Steve Schneider

LinkedIn: Steve Schneider

Contact: http://sqlinsight.net/blog/

Speaker Bio: Steve Schneider is a Business Intelligence developer for the City of Jacksonville (Florida), and has been embedded in SQL for over 20 years. He is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator. Along with his passion for SQL, he spends his time running half marathons and sailing. His current focus of interest is performance tuning, security, and cube building. He tries to maintain a constant sense of gratitude to God for the wonderful things he has been enabled to do.

Samir Behara

Twitter: - samirbehara

LinkedIn: Samir Behara

Contact: https://dotnetvibes.com/

Samir Behara is a Solution Architect with EBSCO Industries and builds software solutions using cutting edge technologies. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP with over 13 years of IT experience working on large-scale enterprise applications involving complex business functions, web integration, and data management in various domains like Insurance, Manufacturing and Publishing.

Samir is a frequent speaker at conferences such as PASS Summit, IT/Dec Connections, CodeStock, SQLSaturdays and CodeCamps. He is the Co-Chapter Lead of the Steel City SQL Server UserGroup, Birmingham, AL. He is the author of www.dotnetvibes.com

Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman

Twitter: - DBAKevlar

LinkedIn: Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman

Contact: http://dbakevlar.com

Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman is a member of the Oak Table Network and an Idera ACE and Oracle ACE Director alumnus. She is a Data Platform Architect in Power BI with AI in the EdTech group at Microsoft. Kellyn is known for her extensive work with multi-database platforms, DevOps, cloud migrations, virtualization, visualizations, scripting, environment optimization tuning, automation, and architecture design.

Kellyn has spoken at numerous technical conferences for Oracle, Big Data, DevOps, testing, and SQL Server. Her blog (http://dbakevlar.com) and social media activity under her handle, DBAKevlar, is well respected for her insight and content.

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.

Shawn Meyers

Twitter: - 1dizzygoose

LinkedIn: Shawn Meyers

Shawn Meyers is a Field CTO working at Tintri. Shawn has worked in IT for 25+ years and specifically with SQL Server for 20+ years, beginning with version 6.5. A frequent speaker at many events including PASS Summit, VMworld, VMUGs, Virtual Chapter sessions, and many SQLSaturday events. Current focus is on improving DBAs lives with better infrastructure.

Dustin Ryan

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

LinkedIn: Dustin Ryan

Contact: https://sqldusty.com

Dustin Ryan is a Data Platform Solution Architect at Microsoft. Dustin has worked in the business intelligence and data warehousing field since 2008, has spoken at community events such as SQLSaturday, SQL Rally, and PASS Summit, and has a wide range of experience using the Microsoft business intelligence stack of products across multiple industries. Prior to his time at Microsoft, Dustin worked as a business intelligence consultant for a Microsoft partner. Dustin resides outside Jacksonville, Florida with his wife, three children, two cats, two dogs and enjoys spending time with his family and serving at his local church. You can learn more about him at http://SQLDusty.com.

Dave Bland

Twitter: - @SQLDave29

LinkedIn: Dave Bland

Contact: https://www.davebland.com

Over 20 years of SQL Server experience that includes being a DBA, BI development and Application development using VB.NET. Dave currently is the Manager of the DBA team at Stericycle. Dave is a Friend of Red-Gate for 2019. He is a frequent presenter at SQLSaturday events and user groups around the country. Has been teaching SQL Server since version 2000 and is the SQL Server instructor at Harper College in Palatine, IL. Current certifications include: • Microsoft Certified Trainer • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, BI Development and Maintenance • MCSA: SQL Server 2008 • MCSA: SQL Server 2016 • MCSE: SQL Server 2016 - BI • MCDBA: SQL Server 2000 • MCSD • MCSE: Data Management and Analytics

Eddy Djaja

Twitter: - ewdjaja

Contact: http://dbaworld.blogspot.com/

I have worked as a SQL DBA since 1997. I have managed SQL Server starting from version 6.5 to the latest version. Throughout my career I also worked as Oracle DBA, database architect, lead DBA and managing DBA team.

Elizabeth Noble

Twitter: - SQLZelda

LinkedIn: Elizabeth Noble

Elizabeth Noble is a Director of Database Development in the metro Atlanta area. When she was introduced to her first database over 10 years ago, it was love at first sight. Her passion is to help others improve the quality and speed of deploying database changes through automation. When she is not trying to automate all of the things, she can be found spending time with her dogs, playing disc golf, or taking a walk at the gym.

Jonathon Moorman

LinkedIn: Jonathon Moorman

Jon has developed using Sql Server since version 6.0! Easily distracted by shiny objects, he has always been on the bleeding edge of sql development. When not presenting, Jon might be found backpacking, hiking, camping, canoeing, or simply resting at home with a good scifi book.

Dave Bland

Twitter: - @SQLDave29

LinkedIn: Dave Bland

Contact: https://www.davebland.com

Over 20 years of SQL Server experience that includes being a DBA, BI development and Application development using VB.NET. Dave currently is the Manager of the DBA team at Stericycle. Dave is a Friend of Red-Gate for 2019. He is a frequent presenter at SQLSaturday events and user groups around the country. Has been teaching SQL Server since version 2000 and is the SQL Server instructor at Harper College in Palatine, IL. Current certifications include: • Microsoft Certified Trainer • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, BI Development and Maintenance • MCSA: SQL Server 2008 • MCSA: SQL Server 2016 • MCSE: SQL Server 2016 - BI • MCDBA: SQL Server 2000 • MCSD • MCSE: Data Management and Analytics

Shawn Meyers

Twitter: - 1dizzygoose

LinkedIn: Shawn Meyers

Shawn Meyers is a Field CTO working at Tintri. Shawn has worked in IT for 25+ years and specifically with SQL Server for 20+ years, beginning with version 6.5. A frequent speaker at many events including PASS Summit, VMworld, VMUGs, Virtual Chapter sessions, and many SQLSaturday events. Current focus is on improving DBAs lives with better infrastructure.

Dave Bland

Twitter: - @SQLDave29

LinkedIn: Dave Bland

Contact: https://www.davebland.com

Over 20 years of SQL Server experience that includes being a DBA, BI development and Application development using VB.NET. Dave currently is the Manager of the DBA team at Stericycle. Dave is a Friend of Red-Gate for 2019. He is a frequent presenter at SQLSaturday events and user groups around the country. Has been teaching SQL Server since version 2000 and is the SQL Server instructor at Harper College in Palatine, IL. Current certifications include: • Microsoft Certified Trainer • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, BI Development and Maintenance • MCSA: SQL Server 2008 • MCSA: SQL Server 2016 • MCSE: SQL Server 2016 - BI • MCDBA: SQL Server 2000 • MCSD • MCSE: Data Management and Analytics

Dave Bland

Twitter: - @SQLDave29

LinkedIn: Dave Bland

Contact: https://www.davebland.com

Over 20 years of SQL Server experience that includes being a DBA, BI development and Application development using VB.NET. Dave currently is the Manager of the DBA team at Stericycle. Dave is a Friend of Red-Gate for 2019. He is a frequent presenter at SQLSaturday events and user groups around the country. Has been teaching SQL Server since version 2000 and is the SQL Server instructor at Harper College in Palatine, IL. Current certifications include: • Microsoft Certified Trainer • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance • MCTS: SQL Server 2008, BI Development and Maintenance • MCSA: SQL Server 2008 • MCSA: SQL Server 2016 • MCSE: SQL Server 2016 - BI • MCDBA: SQL Server 2000 • MCSD • MCSE: Data Management and Analytics

Maximo Trinidad

Twitter: - maxtrinidad

LinkedIn: Maximo Trinidad

Contact: http://www.maxtblog.com

Maximo Trinidad (Florida Aka – Mr. PowerShell), currently work as a SAPIEN Technologies Evangelist and specialing in scripting automation on SQL Server Microsoft Cloud Technologies. Also a Microsoft MVP (PowerShell) since 2009 and active speaker since 2007 participating at SQLSaturday, IT Pro .NET Code Camps events.

Belinda Allen

Twitter: - MsBelindaAllen

LinkedIn: Belinda Allen

Contact: http://www.BIBelinda.com

Belinda Allen is a (Power BI) Data Platform Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP). Belinda has just completed her second book, Building Dashboards with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 - Second Edition. Belinda is also an inaugural member of the Board of Advisors for PBIUG (Power BI User Group.)
Belinda is also well known for her blog, www.BelindaTheGPcsi.com. On her blog, she shares really useful information about the product quickly and succinctly. With followers from all over the globe, she can share knowledge and achieve her mission: “To improve the lives and business success of my followers.”

John Welch

Twitter: - @john_welch

LinkedIn: John Welch

Contact: http://agilebi.com/jwelch

John Welch joined SentryOne in spring 2018 as VP of Engineering with the acquisition by SentryOne of the software division of Pragmatic Works. John leads the development of a suite of products that make developing, managing, and documenting data solutions easier. John has been successfully delivering IT solutions to business problems since 1994, and has been focused on business intelligence and data warehousing technologies since 2001. He is a Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP), and a frequent presenter on SQL Server and data topics. He also contributes to several open source projects and community initiatives targeted toward making data professionals work more productive.

Troy Gallant

Contact: http://www.troygallant.com

Troy has been a SQL Server professional for over 18 years, filling various roles as analyst, developer, and for the last decade, DBA. As a regular speaker at SQLSaturdays up and down the east coast, he’s taught on a multitude of topics from disaster recovery to performance tuning to professional development. Currently residing in Jacksonville once again, he just got back from two years as Sr. DBA for the EDW of a major international insurance company in New York City.

John Welch

Twitter: - @john_welch

LinkedIn: John Welch

Contact: http://agilebi.com/jwelch

John Welch joined SentryOne in spring 2018 as VP of Engineering with the acquisition by SentryOne of the software division of Pragmatic Works. John leads the development of a suite of products that make developing, managing, and documenting data solutions easier. John has been successfully delivering IT solutions to business problems since 1994, and has been focused on business intelligence and data warehousing technologies since 2001. He is a Microsoft Most Valued Professional (MVP), and a frequent presenter on SQL Server and data topics. He also contributes to several open source projects and community initiatives targeted toward making data professionals work more productive.

Belinda Allen

Twitter: - MsBelindaAllen

LinkedIn: Belinda Allen

Contact: http://www.BIBelinda.com

Belinda Allen is a (Power BI) Data Platform Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP). Belinda has just completed her second book, Building Dashboards with Microsoft Dynamics GP 2016 - Second Edition. Belinda is also an inaugural member of the Board of Advisors for PBIUG (Power BI User Group.)
Belinda is also well known for her blog, www.BelindaTheGPcsi.com. On her blog, she shares really useful information about the product quickly and succinctly. With followers from all over the globe, she can share knowledge and achieve her mission: “To improve the lives and business success of my followers.”

Devin Knight

Twitter: - @knight_devin

LinkedIn: Devin Knight

Contact: http://devinknightsql.com

Devin Knight a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and the Training Director at Pragmatic Works. He is an author of seven SQL Server and Business Intelligence books and speaks at conferences like PASS Summit, PASS Business Analytics Conference, SQLSaturdays and Code Camps. He is also a contributing member to several PASS Virtual Chapters. Making his home in Jacksonville, FL, Devin is the Vice President of the local Power BI User Group and SQL Server User Group (JSSUG).

Dale Sullenberger

LinkedIn: Dale Sullenberger

Dale lives in Valrico, FL with his wife Connie and son Nathan, three dogs and two cats.

While there is some prior user level database experience, Dale has been working with SQL Server in some manner since 1997, and has been in a DBA role for 13 years.

Vishal Pawar

Twitter: - Vishal_BI

LinkedIn: Vishal Pawar

Contact: http://bimentalist.com/

Vishal Pawar is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT), founder of the Global Power BI User Group and co-leader of the PASS Business Analytics Virtual Group. He is a Principal BI Architect in Green House Data, with decades of experience in BI solution architecture and best practices. He has published more than 1000 articles since 2011 in SQL and BI. Vishal teaches a free Power BI course through Udemy, which has more than 65K students from the glob. Vishal is an exceptional technology community of leaders worldwide who actively share their high quality, real-world expertise with the technical communities.

Nicholas Lee

Twitter: - @backtoSQL

LinkedIn: Nicholas Lee

Nick Lee is a Business Intelligence Consultant and Trainer for the Pragmatic Works’ training team. He comes from a customer service background and has an ample amount of experience in presenting and interacting with large organizations. His focus at Pragmatic Works is creating Power BI content and delivering Power BI classes to our customers.

Mike Byrd

Twitter: - ByrdNest_TX

LinkedIn: Mike Byrd

Contact: http://logicalread.solarwinds.com/?s=byrd, www.TSQLMentoring.com and SQLServerCentral.com

Former rocket scientist and USAF Fighter Pilot – now a SQL Server geek (24 years)! Past opportunities include free-lance technical writer for PC Magazine, Senior Software Manager for government sponsored munitions effectiveness committee, and insurance company CTO. Currently senior database engineer consultant for several Austin companies.

Presenter at many SQLSaturdays over last 6 years in United States, Europe, and Australia.

Specialize in SQL Server performance tuning; database (OLTP OLAP) architecture; trouble-shooting; teaching TSQL (Basic through Advanced).

Video presentations (for local SQL Server user groups or SQLSaturdays) can be found at http://usergroup.tv/videos/category/speaker/mike-byrd

Carl Roepe

LinkedIn: Carl Roepe

Carl Roepe is a senior DBA with Perimeterdba.com. He has 12 certifications from SQL 2008 thru 2014. He has 25+ years as staff, director, president and CEO of multiple companies managing data on an enterprise level. His extensive experience with massive data sets, high volume banking and CPA firms, he has a unique approach in configuring and building data ecosystems for speed, reliability, security and precision. In addition to his administrative and database skills, his skill sets included TSQL, C#, PowerShell, SharePoint, SSAS, SSRS and PowerBI. Carl can be reached at carl@perimeterdba.com.

Valentin Iamandi

Contact: http://logicalreads.wordpress.com/

Valentin brings more than 10 years of database experience in tuning, architecture, backup, large data transaction, and more. He has a solid background in database analysis and development and his skills cover SQL Server and Oracle as well as a slew of different operating systems. Valentin fluently speaks English, French, and Romanian. Valentin has a passion for performance and optimization and shares his experience on the topic in his blog http://logicalreads.wordpress.com/

Victor Ivantsov

Twitter: - @victorivantsov

Senior SQL Server developer with 20+ years of experience. I have enjoyed many SQLSaturday as participant, now is my time to contribute

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.

Manuel Quintana

Twitter: - @SQLRican

LinkedIn: Manuel Quintana

Contact: https://sqlrican.wordpress.com/

Greetings. I have been an employee with Pragmatic Works for the past 4 years. I have supported our software products and now have joined our training team. Teaching topics such as Power BI, T-SQL, SSIS and the other main items for the microsoft BI stack. Business Intelligence is a passion of mine and I always love learning new things. My strongest areas of knowledge lay in SSIS as well as Power BI.

Ahmad Drshen

Twitter: - #adrshen

LinkedIn: Ahmad Drshen

Contact: https://adrshen.wordpress.com/

Over 15 years of Information Technology experience with the last 12 years focused on mastering the Microsoft SQL Server platform including Power BI and data Science algorithms. My diverse background of hands-on experience has resulted in a strong foundation of SQL Server knowledge, a mastery of the art of architect, managing and maintain very large scale of databases (2TB+ transnational). My background of administrating financial, healthcare, mortgage, and retails data makes me very unique database administer to work with.

My overall experience and exposure to the IT infrastructure like virtualization, SAN planning and monitoring and understanding of advance networking concepts really compliments my dba skillset.

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Michael Antonovich

Twitter: - @SharePointMikeA

LinkedIn: Michael Antonovich

Contact: http://sharepointmike.wordpress.com

Michael Antonovich is the assistant director of Web and Technology Services in the Communications Division for Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, FL, where he manages the Internet and intranet infrastructure. He has published seven books, ranging from an Apple II User Guide to Office and SharePoint 2010 User’s Guide. His blog has focused mainly on PowerPivot and Power BI, but for the last year Mike has taken a break to pursue some other activities. He hopes to restart his blog later this year focusing more on style and presentation. Mike has used SQL Server since 1998 and, for the past 7 years, has been promoting SSAS, PowerPivot, and Power BI for the masses.

Mitchell Pearson

Twitter: - @MitchellSQL

Contact: http://www.mitchellpearson.com

Mitchell is an experienced Business Intelligence Consultant and Trainer at Pragmatic Works and is currently the content training manager leading content development and delivery of training courses. Mitchell is experienced developing BI solutions using the full Microsoft BI Stack (SSRS, SSIS, and SSAS) as well as Microsoft Power BI. He is also very active in the community speaking at SQLSaturday events, local user groups, and online virtual events. Mitchell also blogs at mitchellpearson.com.

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.

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.

Travis Page

LinkedIn: Travis Page

Most recently a Senior Database Administrator with Jackson Hewitt, Travis is on the leadership team of the Pinellas SQL User group and an active member of PASS. Passionate about all things related to technology, he maintains a CISSP certification.

Trey Johnson

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

LinkedIn: Trey Johnson

Contact: https://www.zapbi.com/blog/

A veteran of the SQL Server Business Intelligence community, Trey Johnson has been a senior board member of PASS, a global speaker and author and was an influencer for several years on Microsoft’s Business Intelligence Partner Advisory Council. Today, Johnson is the Chief Evangelist, a senior leader and technologist with ZAP, focused on bringing immense value from ZAP’s Data Hub and the Microsoft SQL Server, Analysis Services and Azure platform.

Johnson enjoys communicating about his experiences over 25 years with the intersection of analytics, SQL and BI.

Dale Sullenberger

LinkedIn: Dale Sullenberger

Dale lives in Valrico, FL with his wife Connie and son Nathan, three dogs and two cats.

While there is some prior user level database experience, Dale has been working with SQL Server in some manner since 1997, and has been in a DBA role for 13 years.

Mike Byrd

Twitter: - ByrdNest_TX

LinkedIn: Mike Byrd

Contact: http://logicalread.solarwinds.com/?s=byrd, www.TSQLMentoring.com and SQLServerCentral.com

Former rocket scientist and USAF Fighter Pilot – now a SQL Server geek (24 years)! Past opportunities include free-lance technical writer for PC Magazine, Senior Software Manager for government sponsored munitions effectiveness committee, and insurance company CTO. Currently senior database engineer consultant for several Austin companies.

Presenter at many SQLSaturdays over last 6 years in United States, Europe, and Australia.

Specialize in SQL Server performance tuning; database (OLTP OLAP) architecture; trouble-shooting; teaching TSQL (Basic through Advanced).

Video presentations (for local SQL Server user groups or SQLSaturdays) can be found at http://usergroup.tv/videos/category/speaker/mike-byrd

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.

Michael Antonovich

Twitter: - @SharePointMikeA

LinkedIn: Michael Antonovich

Contact: http://sharepointmike.wordpress.com

Michael Antonovich is the assistant director of Web and Technology Services in the Communications Division for Orange County Public Schools in Orlando, FL, where he manages the Internet and intranet infrastructure. He has published seven books, ranging from an Apple II User Guide to Office and SharePoint 2010 User’s Guide. His blog has focused mainly on PowerPivot and Power BI, but for the last year Mike has taken a break to pursue some other activities. He hopes to restart his blog later this year focusing more on style and presentation. Mike has used SQL Server since 1998 and, for the past 7 years, has been promoting SSAS, PowerPivot, and Power BI for the masses.

Steven Wheeler

Twitter: - swheelerSQL

LinkedIn: Steven Wheeler

Steven Wheeler is a Senior Database Administrator at Enterprise Integration, supporting internal and customer database environments. He has worked with different versions of SQL server going back over the past 10 years to SQL Server 2000. Steven has completed the MCSA SQL Server 2012/2014 and 2016 certifications. His IT experiences go back over 20 years to include Electronics repair, Microwave line-of-sight communications networking, LAN Administration, Server/Desktop support, and application support.

Trey Johnson

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

LinkedIn: Trey Johnson

Contact: https://www.zapbi.com/blog/

A veteran of the SQL Server Business Intelligence community, Trey Johnson has been a senior board member of PASS, a global speaker and author and was an influencer for several years on Microsoft’s Business Intelligence Partner Advisory Council. Today, Johnson is the Chief Evangelist, a senior leader and technologist with ZAP, focused on bringing immense value from ZAP’s Data Hub and the Microsoft SQL Server, Analysis Services and Azure platform.

Johnson enjoys communicating about his experiences over 25 years with the intersection of analytics, SQL and BI.

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.

Adriano da Silva

Twitter: - AdasilvaTek

LinkedIn: Adriano da Silva

Adriano da Silva is a Lead Power BI Trainer at Intellinsight LLC and a Principal Consultant at Bright International Corporation a consulting company focused in addressing complex business problems with innovative, effective and robust Solutions in the BI, AI, Big Data, Machine Learning Power BI. He is has years of experience in partnering with businesses leaders to advise and implement technical and process oriented solutions. He is engaged in knowledge sharing initiatives by presenting on conferences, user groups and authoring articles. He is also a lead organizer at the South Florida Power BI (SFPBI) and the Microsoft Data and AI South Florida user groups..

Joshua Corrick

Twitter: - @joshcorr

LinkedIn: Joshua Corrick

Contact: http://corrick.io/blog

Joshua is a Systems Engineer at the University of North Florida, and has been in this role for 2.5 years. Josh has many different hats on his team, but tends to be given the DBA responsibilities. He is also a passionate advocate for PowerShell and automation of any fashion. He is a husband and father of two boys. They have lived in Jacksonville FL since 2014.

Dmitri Korotkevitch

Twitter: - aboutsqlserver

LinkedIn: Dmitri Korotkevitch

Contact: http://aboutsqlserver.com

Dmitri Korotkevitch is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Microsoft Certified Master, author of Pro SQL Server Internals and other books with years of experience working with SQL Server as an Application and Database Developer, Database Administrator, and Database Architect.

Dmitri specializes in the design, development, and performance tuning of complex OLTP systems that handle thousands of transactions per second around the clock. He blogs at: http://aboutsqlserver.com.

Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman

Twitter: - DBAKevlar

LinkedIn: Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman

Contact: http://dbakevlar.com

Kellyn Pot’Vin-Gorman is a member of the Oak Table Network and an Idera ACE and Oracle ACE Director alumnus. She is a Data Platform Architect in Power BI with AI in the EdTech group at Microsoft. Kellyn is known for her extensive work with multi-database platforms, DevOps, cloud migrations, virtualization, visualizations, scripting, environment optimization tuning, automation, and architecture design.

Kellyn has spoken at numerous technical conferences for Oracle, Big Data, DevOps, testing, and SQL Server. Her blog (http://dbakevlar.com) and social media activity under her handle, DBAKevlar, is well respected for her insight and content.

Jose Chinchilla

Twitter: - SQLJoe

LinkedIn: Jose Chinchilla

Contact: http://www.sqljoe.com

Jose Chinchilla is an experienced data analytics professional with multiple certifications including Microsoft Certified Database Administration (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Data Management and Analytics (MCSE), and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). Jose specializes in Data Warehouse and Data Lake Architecture and Development as the Data Analytics Practice Lead at AgileThought, a full-service custom software and analytics consulting firm based in Tampa, FL. Jose is a book author (SQL 2012 Bible, Professional SQL Server 2012 Administration, Exam Ref 70-767 Implementing a SQL Data Warehouse 2016) and leads the Tampa Bay BI Data Analytics PASS Chapter in Tampa, FL.

Jose Chinchilla

Twitter: - SQLJoe

LinkedIn: Jose Chinchilla

Contact: http://www.sqljoe.com

Jose Chinchilla is an experienced data analytics professional with multiple certifications including Microsoft Certified Database Administration (MCSE), Microsoft Certified Data Management and Analytics (MCSE), and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT). Jose specializes in Data Warehouse and Data Lake Architecture and Development as the Data Analytics Practice Lead at AgileThought, a full-service custom software and analytics consulting firm based in Tampa, FL. Jose is a book author (SQL 2012 Bible, Professional SQL Server 2012 Administration, Exam Ref 70-767 Implementing a SQL Data Warehouse 2016) and leads the Tampa Bay BI Data Analytics PASS Chapter in Tampa, FL.

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.

Susan Schneider

LinkedIn: Susan Schneider

Contact: http://susansblog.sqlinsight.net/

Susan Schneider is a certified Microsoft Professional with a concentration in Database Fundamentals. She is a Data Engineer for MoneySolvers , a Tax Defense Network company, in Jacksonville, Florida. Her passion is data, with a focus on T-SQL, Power BI and SSRS. She started her own technical journey ten years ago at a SQLSaturday event; and she wants to give back to the technical community that helped and encouraged her along the way. She has spoken at various SQLSaturday and IT Pro Camp gatherings, and enjoys meeting people new to technology. When she’s not working, learning, or blogging; she enjoys traveling and sailing with her husband, Steve. You can find her on LinkedIn or follow her blog. Happy Learning!

Deji Akomolafe

Twitter: - @dejify

Contact: http://blogs.vmware.com/apps

Deji Akomolafe (a member of the Office of the CTO Ambassador Program and Staff Solutions Architect within VMware#39;s Global Field and Partners Readiness Group) specializes in the virtualization of Microsoft Business Critical Applications on VMware#39;s vSphere platform. Deji is a regular speaker at VMworld, Partners Exchange Conference, VMUG, SQLSaturday and EMCWorld, presenting technical subject matters related to Microsoft Applications virtualization and providing technical guidance to help clients enhance their expertise and ability to optimally virtualize and operate their critical applications.

Sponsors

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