Event Location:
Fakulteta za racunalnistvo in informatiko
Vecna pot 113
Ljubljana, , Slovenia
Abstract:
Everyone is talking about advanced analytics or data science these days and many companies are interested in taking their first steps in these new fields of data analytics. But how do you get started with new techniques like machine learning? What kind of new hardware or software do you need to buy to get started and how do you get your IT department to implement and support those choices? Before you decide on designing an advanced analytics solution on-premises, why not give it a go on a platform that only charges money for the time you are actually using it? Azure Machine learning is a cloud service that enables you to easily build, deploy and share analytics solutions with all the flexibility of the cloud. The perfect platform to start with advanced analytics without having to invest a lot of money! In this session we are going to take a close look at AzureML, from how you can build your first machine learning model, to connecting AzureML to your on-premises SQL Server database!
Speaker(s): Enrico van de Laar,
Abstract:
With ever increasing complexity in data platform and application solutions, it is becoming ever more important to take people out of the loop when it comes to system provisioning. Infrastructure as code is the way forward with Azure Resource Manager Templares, Google Deployment Manager, or AWS Cloud Formation. This is where Terraform from Hashicorp can step in, one solution that has a provider model that will interact with Azure, AWS, Google, and others. Meaning that you only need to learn one syntax. Add that to the automation potential and now we have something that can really help get us down the road to infratructure as code. This session will take an introductory look at how infrastructure can be defined as code and be shipped to standardise the deployment process and minimise the chance of mistakes creeping in when deployed by different memebers of Development or Operations.
Speaker(s): John Martin,
Abstract:
DML operations mean lot of work for the database engine of Microsoft SQL Server. Understanding the details of a DML transaction may give you great benefits when planning workloads for INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE operations. Come and learn the differences of space allocation/deallocation between Clustered Indexes and Heaps in this demo oriented session. It will answer these questions: What is the difference of data page allocation for heaps and clustered indexes? What is the amount of transaction log when you update data in a heap and/or in a clustered index? What are the differences when data are delete from a heap and clustered index? Can ETL processes be improved by usage of the right strategy for INSERTS and DELETES? What performance drawbacks will Page Splits and Forwarded Records have for my application design?
Speaker(s): Uwe Ricken,
Abstract:
So you've built a Power BI report with all the shinies? Good! After some usage, users have reacted that it's a bit sluggish in usage, and they're not keen on using it anymore. Starting off with the new Performance Analyzer Pane, we'll demonstrate how you can pinpoint bottlenecks in your report, and take actions on these insights. With the myriad of root causes that are out there, an elimination approach might suit us very well. Some of the main causes will be explained, and we'll get you going on how you can fix it for yourselves. Be it DAX-measures, modelling issues, or an overload of visuals. Every report can be tuned to handle like a dream, and you can do it too!
Speaker(s): Benni De Jagere,
Abstract:
This session aims to explore all the features offered by the language T-SQL for aggregating and calculating data. There's much more of the clause GROUP BY. With grouping and ranking functions you can calculate in your query grandtotal, running totals, find islands in intervals, select the last-not-null value, etc. Windows functions apply directly on a set of rows defined by the OVER clause ("a window"). Windows function do not perform aggregation on group level and do not hide row details. So they allow mixing detail and total elements in the same query. The session is mainly based on a copious array of demos, to make explicit every concept introduced taking into account the impact on performances for every solution.
Speaker(s): Andrea Martorana Tusa,
Abstract:
How is Excel changing, to keep up with the people's expectations of a modern BI tool? Exciting times of endless possibilities and fast shifting demands of modern BI are proving to be a big challenge for products with nowhere near as long of a history as the one that Excel has. But if history taught us anything, it's that Excel will persevere and transform to fulfill all the user's needs. This is a story of how Excel went from a single piece of data (a cell) focused application to a Rows (records), Columns and Tables focused application in a span of ten years with an explosion of possibilities in the last two. We will breeze past the early staples like Power Query and Power Pivot to submerge ourselves into the world of New data types in Excel and finish on a high note of Dynamic Arrays in Excel showing how incredibly agile (considering the long tail it's got (history)) Excel is with a transformation of its core to open up the world of incredible possibilities.
Speaker(s): Gašper Kamenšek,
Abstract:
The “new database on the block” Snowflake, the data warehouse built for the cloud is now available on Azure with a strategic alliance with Microsoft. What makes the new platform worth over 4B and having the status of the fastest-growing SaaS solution in the analytics market? In the presentation, we will build a sample data warehouse, ingest the data using Azure Data Factory and look at the unique capabilities of the database comparing to the cloud alternatives (Azure SQL Datawarehouse, Google BigQuery, Amazon Redshift). The presentation will be based on the practical examples of use cases in the region and what I have learned regarding the new platform in the last 2 years. Lots of hands-on examples and integrations with Azure stack like Data Factory, Power BI and Azure Databricks.
Speaker(s): Grega Jerkič,
Abstract:
SQL Server 2017 started with query processing improvements called Adaptive Query Processing. Now, in SQL Server 2019, there are additional improvements; all of them are packed in a feature with a very promising name - Intelligent Query Processing. The intention of these improvements is to fix plans for poor performing queries due to wrong cardinality estimations and other sub-optimal plan decisions, and hereby enhance query performance with no code changes. This session will cover briefly all 2019 features: Batch Mode on Rowstore, Batch and Row Mode Memory Grant Feedback, Scalar UDF Inlining, Table Variable Deferred Compilation, and Approximate Query Processing. If time permits, you’ll see also Batch Mode Adaptive Join and Interleaved Execution. After the session, you’ll understand how much improvements you should expect in your workloads, but also which of these features, and under which circumstances, can cause significant performance regression and how to overcome those issues.
Speaker(s): Miloš Radivojević,
Abstract:
Presented by Redgate DevOps is transforming software development, with many organizations and individuals adopting lean development practices, implementing Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Deployment (CD), and performing on-demand deployments to their production environments. However, the database is largely ignored and seen as a bottleneck for a DevOps software development process. We will discuss the challenges of database development and deployment and examine why many developers find the database to be an impediment. We examine the risks of sensitive data in the development process and how you can ensure that data security concerns do not get in the way of the need for speed and agility. We’ll look at how you can adopt a Compliant Database DevOps approach that removes the database bottleneck while ensuring compliance with regulations governing the use of data within your organization such as GDPR, HIPPA or SOX. We’ll discuss the techniques used to include the data
Speaker(s): Steve Jones,
Abstract:
We've all experienced weird situations in IT - things break without any real apparent reason. Sometimes, error messages can be helpful, but mostly they are cryptic and lead to no real explanations/solutions. In this session, I will show a few ways to approach problem solving in a practical and concise manner. Using real-world scenarios that I have run into in the past I will explain how I approached each issue. Sometimes by finding simple solutions, but sometimes having to be creative and employ methods that may not be so intuitive. You will leave the session with a better understanding on how to approach solving any technical issues you experience at work.
Speaker(s): William Durkin,
Abstract:
As the value of data is being recognized across the world, the ability to communicate data to your audience effectively is becoming a sought after skill for professionals. Thankfully, effective data visualization is not only a skill for artists and designers, anyone can improve their data presentation by choosing the right visuals and following best practices. In this session, we will discuss how different types of visuals are perceived and which charts are best suited to each category. We’ll cover a basic introduction into colour theory, how to use colour effectively in reports, and how to create Power BI themes for your enterprise. Finally, you will learn an introduction to the design approach and how it helps us to tell a good data story.
Speaker(s): Prathy Kamasani,
Abstract:
In this session, you will see Query Store in action and learn from many real-world examples, the author experienced in the last three years in the complex SQL Server production environment with heavy workloads. Plan forcing is a very powerful feature, but a bit controversial. This session will demystify it; you’ll see what Query Store exactly does when an execution plan is forced when it is respected, when and why isn’t, and the most important – when you have to force a plan in the production system, and when forcing can bring additional troubles. We’ll also cover in detail the automatic tuning. You will understand benefits and potential issues you can have with this feature and how to leverage it with no or minimal risk.
Speaker(s): Miloš Radivojević,
Abstract:
Azure DataBricks brings a PaaS offering of Apache Spark, which allows for blazing fast data processing, interactive querying and hosting of ML models all in one place! Most of the buzz is around Data Science AI - what about the humble data engineer who wants to harness the in-memory processing power within their ETL pipelines? This session focuses on Azure DataBricks as your data ingestion, transformation and curation tool of choice. We will: • Introduce the DataBricks service why we use Python • Discuss the hosting compute options available • Demonstrate a sample data processing task • Compare against alternative approaches using SSIS, U-SQL and HDInsight • Demonstrate pipeline management orchestration • Review the wider architectures and extension patterns • Compare and contrast to new Azure Data Factory Data Flows The session is aimed at Data Engineers seeking to put the Azure DataBricks technology in the right context and learn how to use the service.
Speaker(s): Simon Whiteley,
Abstract:
Any SQL programmer with some experience knows that loops are bad and that you should work with all data at once in set-based statements. However, you may have experienced situations where this strategy did not work out well and you ran into problems like out-growing the transaction log or blocking other users. You can solve this by operating on the data in chunks. Implementing chunking is not that difficult, but there are still pitfalls you can run into. In this session, I will discuss in what situations you may want to use chunking. I will give some best practices for how to implement chunking for good performance and I will highlight some things you need keep in mind, for instance, recovering from interruptions. I will also look at how you can use chunking for error handling: You want process many rows and you want the good rows to succeed even if some rows yield errors – something you cannot do in a single set-based statement.
Speaker(s): Erland Sommarskog,
Abstract:
Containers are an increasingly popular way for deployment and application management. Regardless whether we have monolith applications or we make applications as a collection of micro-services, containers provide extreme portability and the possibility of running the same applications in different environments (on local machines, servers, cloud...) without any code or configuration changes. Docker is the leading container technology and Microsoft did a lot to enable it to run on Windows and Azure. Where do the ASP.NET Core applications fit into that picture? After the introduction to containers and Docker, we'll go through the basics of working with Docker from ASP.NET Core developer perspective.
Speaker(s): Miroslav Popovic,
Abstract:
In this session, we will follow a Premium capacity admin on his day to day activities on managing his capacities, from refreshes, slow queries and a busy capacity. Furthermore we will look at some common DAX and Model performance scenario's. we will use the profiling tools and improve performance by going through concrete examples.
Speaker(s): Kasper de Jonge,
Abstract:
Join this vibrant round table debate of community experts discussing various aspects of IoT. Topics to be covered contain best practices, approaches, processes, challenges, ethics and much more. If you are about to start your own IoT journey or if you feel that IoT is changing the world then don't miss this special kind of session ...
Speaker(s): Constantin Klein,
Abstract:
Monitoring SQL Server can become a very expensive business. Sure, the market offers countless paid solutions, but what if you have a large server estate and your budget is tight? In this session we will combine multiple open source tools (InfluxDB, Telegraf , Grafana, DbaTools and many more) to collect important performance metrics, analyze the data they collect, set up alert for the critical events, troubleshoot issues and plan for the future. Join me and you will see how monitoring is not a business for billionaires.
Speaker(s): Gianluca Sartori,
Abstract:
Using managed Azure services such as Cosmos DB can help reduce costs by leveraging Microsoft's expertise in globally distributed cloud-scale data storage and retrieval. In this presentation we will demonstrate a scenario which is relevant to organizations that need a scalable and elastic architecture for online order processing or more specifically e-commerce and retail point-of-sale transactions such as orders, payments and bills. This scenario takes an event sourcing approach, using a functional programming model implemented via Azure Cosmos DB change feed processor and additional Azure Services. This approach enables high availability and resiliency, geo-replication, and fast performance.
Speaker(s): Aleksandar Talev,
Abstract:
Azure is cheaper, Azure is faster, Azure is more secure. Azure... everywhere is Azure. Data is everywhere. Even if not today, certainly in the future (yes, believe me) you will face a case: how to move my data from on-premise Data Warehouse to Azure. This session will reveal the ideas of how to do that, how to recognise if you are ready, what the best practices are and other important things we should be aware of. I will describe potential issues and give you hints on how to avoid them. Finally, I will present one tool that can help you in preparation and also we will see what speed we can achieve during a migration.
Speaker(s): Kamil Nowinski,
Abstract:
An Azure Data Studio recent release introduced SQL Notebooks as a capability. While you might have read about notebooks being used for Data Science, this session is primarily for DBAs. We will cover installing Azure Data Studio. What a SQL Notebooks is. Numerous use cases for you to use SQL Notebooks in your daily workload such as creating a Notebook for Glenn Berry's Diagnostic queries. and some gifs ;-)
Speaker(s): Rob Sewell,
Abstract:
How do you setup and build a complete Microsoft BI solution with only Azure Services? Lessons learned from a project with eleven different source systems in the one end and 12.000 users in seven countries in the other end. Extracting, transforming and loading with the help from Functions, Data Factory, Data Lake Store, Polybase, SQL Data Warehouse, SQL Database, Automation Runbooks, Analysis Services and Power BI Embedded. A look into the overall architecture and the different components and how they work together.
Speaker(s): Just Blindbaek,
Abstract:
If you flirt with SSAS Tabular or you are forced by circumstances to start you journey as SSAS Tabular developer. If you work with Power BI and want to understand the engine better. Or if you just want to understand basics of SSAS Tabular technology and its traps. Join me for a short ride around SSAS Tabular galaxy. We will look into basic concepts, architecture and development process of SSAS Tabular.
Speaker(s): Roman Lansky,
Abstract:
In this session we will look at a couple of approaches to create a datalake on a budget. The samples will use Python, Spark and some Databricks. It will all be done in Azure, but we will discuss how you could set this up on-prem as well. You get to decide how far you want to go, from cost-effective to penny pinching. Don't worry if you've never used any of these technologies, I will start at the beginning.
Speaker(s): André Kamman,
Abstract:
Containers have quietly been taking over the world of infrastructure, especially amongst developers and CI/CD practitioners. However, in the database space, container adoption has been lower. SQL Server 2017 introduced the concept of deploying databases into Docker containers. In this session, you will learn the fundamentals of creating containers, learning about Kubernetes for management, and how to further your learning in this new and emerging space.
Speaker(s): Joseph D'Antoni,
Abstract:
MS SQL 2019 is here. Maybe you're still using old versions of the engine and not sure why you should upgrade to the new version? Let's explore together some of the new features and enhancements that Microsoft team has brought to us in their inventive kitchen. Accompanied with multiple examples, this session will show you many interesting topics.
Speaker(s): Damir Matesic,
Abstract:
According to Gartner, more than 80% of companies use sensitive data in dev and test. Hackers view non-production environments as a tempting target since they often have less rigorous security controls. In this session, you’ll learn about the challenges that we, as technology professionals, face in our software development and administrative work. Learn compliant DevOps strategies for reducing your attack surface area by ensuring you know where sensitive data is located and avoid copying that data to non-production environments.
Speaker(s): Steve Jones,
Abstract:
The ISO/IEC SQL standard has many strong querying features that were not implemented in SQL Server. This session covers some of those features and demonstrates the workarounds that we use that do work in T-SQL. The session primarily focuses on two areas of missing features—NULL-related features and features related to data analysis like window functions and row pattern recognition.
Speaker(s): Itzik Ben-Gan,
Abstract:
We have all now had a play around with Docker and Containers or at least heard about them. This demo heavy session will walk through some of the challenges around managing container environments and how Kubernetes orchestration can help alleviate some of the pain points. We will be talking about what Kubernetes is and how it works and through the use of demos we will: - Highlight some of the issues with getting setup, - Deploying/Updating containers in Kubernetes - Persisting data - How to avoid making the same mistakes as I have
Speaker(s): Chris Taylor,
Abstract:
Microsoft Cognitive Services (formerly Project Oxford) are a set of APIs, SDKs and services. They are available to developers to make their applications smarter, more engaging and easier to find. Cognitive services extend Microsoft's AI platform. How can you use these API's if you don't want to send your data to an Azure Data Center? Not every data set should leave your company. That's why Microsoft now offers the whole thing as a docker image, which you can run on your own hardware. As a company, you regain control over your data.
Speaker(s): Alexander Klein,
This is a list of speakers from the XML Guidebook records. The details and URLs were valid at the time of the event.
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jarrinuk2000
Contact: http://www.chrisjarrintaylor.co.uk
Chris (@SQLGeordie) is a Principal Consultant working at Jarrin Consultancy providing SQL Server and Microsoft Azure consultancy to clients worldwide in a variety of industries ranging from Financial to Healthcare. He has been working with SQL Server since 2001 and during that time has become extremely strong in all areas of SQL Server but specialises in Security, System Optimisation and SQL Server Internals.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/way0utwest
Contact: http://www.voiceofthedba.com/
Steve Jones is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and has been working with SQL Server since version 4.2 on OS/2. After working as a DBA and developer for a variety of companies, Steve co-founded the community website SQLServerCentral.com in 2001. Since 2004, Steve has been the full-time editor of the site, ensuring it continues to be a great resource for SQL Server professionals. Over the last decade, Steve has written hundreds of articles about SQL Server for SQLServerCentral.com, SQL Server Standard magazine, SQL Server Magazine, and Database Journal.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregajerkic/
Grega Jerkič is an international senior data developer, consultant and mentor with a focus on the implementation of complex analytical systems. He has done multiple trainings for Microsoft and IBM in Europe and the Middle East, and he is a co-author of a book for Microsoft on the data warehouse - Training Kit (Exam 70-463) Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012. For the last 9 years, he is also an owner of the company In516ht where the team is implementing different analytical solutions for large clients in the Adriatic region and abroad.
Kasper de Jonge is a Program Manager on the SQL Server Analysis Services team, based out of Redmond, WA. With more than 5 years of experience as a developer and consultant on data warehousing solutions using all products from the Microsoft BI stack, Kasper has worked on everything from corporate intranets using SharePoint and Analysis Services to near real-time reporting in the cloud. He has presented at many technical conferences, including PASS Summit and SQLSaturday. You can read Kasper’s blog at http://www.powerpivotblog.nl.
LinkedIn: http://at.linkedin.com/pub/milos-radivojevic/1b/7bb/290/de
Contact: https://milossql.wordpress.com/
Miloš Radivojević is a database consultant located in Vienna, Austria. He is Data Platform MVP and specializes in SQL Server for application developers and performance and query tuning. Currently, he works as a principal database consultant in bwin GVC (the largest regulated online gaming company in the world). He is co-founder of the SQL Pass Austria and speaks regularly at local and international database conferences. He is also co-author of the books SQL Server 2016 Developer's Guide, SQL Server 2017 Developer's Guide and Mastering SQL Server 2017.
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/prathy
Contact: http://prathy.com/
Prathy Kamasani is a Microsoft Valuable Professional working as an independent MSBI contractor based in London. She specialises in Power BI, SSIS, SSAS and SSRS. Prathy organisers London Power BI user group and co-organizes the London PASS Local Group. She is a regular speaker at events like SQLSaturday and local user groups.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennidejagere/
Contact: https://bennidejagere.com
Benni De Jagere is a Senior Data Insights Consultant at Realdolmen, with a strong focus on the Microsoft (BI) Stack. On a daily basis he turns (large amounts) of coffee into insights for customers, and references witty British comedy way too often. Overly enthusiastic about anything data related, he’s trying hard to keep up with all things new and shiny. Rumour has it that he's also involved with a ragtag band of data enthusiasts, enjoying themselves whilst organising cool community things. They go by the name of .. dataMinds!
Andrea Martorana Tusa is a Business Intelligence Team Manager at Würth Phoenix, the IT and consulting company of the Würth-Group. He is awarded as MVP in the Data Platform category Former BI Specialist at Widex, a Danish manufacturing company, and BI Developer in the IT department of an Italian banking group. 20+ years of experience working with data. He is focused on the entire BI stack: database development, data warehousing, data analysis, reporting, etc. Andrea is a usual speaker at many events: SQLSaturdays, conferences in Europe and PASS Summit, and for PASS Virtual Groups. Andrea is an author for sqlshack.com, sqlservercentral.com, and UGISS (User Group Italiano SQL Server).
LinkedIn: http://it.linkedin.com/pub/gianluca-sartori/23/50b/a12
Contact: http://spaghettidba.com
Gianluca Sartori is a Data Platform MVP, independent consultant and performance tuning specialist. He has been working in the software industry since 1999 and has been working with SQL Server ever since. He also works as a SQL Server trainer and in his spare time he writes technical articles and participates the SQL Server forums. Gianluca enjoys presenting SQL Server topics at conferences in Europe and in Italy in particular. He is currently working as lead DBA at a famous Formula 1 team.
LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/johnqmartin/
Contact: https://www.mssqltips.com/sqlserverauthor/291/john-martin/
John Martin is a Data Platform Engineer working in the financial sector, as well as Vice President Marketing for the PASS organization and currently a Microsoft Data Platform MVP. Previously John has worked as a product manager for SentryOne and a Premier Field Engineer with Microsoft UK. John has over a decade of experience working with SQL Server and the Microsoft Data Platform. Working as a DBA, developer and consultant for Microsoft, he has been lucky enough to see how best, and how not, to use SQL Server and the Data Platform effectively.
LinkedIn: http://at.linkedin.com/pub/milos-radivojevic/1b/7bb/290/de
Contact: https://milossql.wordpress.com/
Miloš Radivojević is a database consultant located in Vienna, Austria. He is Data Platform MVP and specializes in SQL Server for application developers and performance and query tuning. Currently, he works as a principal database consultant in bwin GVC (the largest regulated online gaming company in the world). He is co-founder of the SQL Pass Austria and speaks regularly at local and international database conferences. He is also co-author of the books SQL Server 2016 Developer's Guide, SQL Server 2017 Developer's Guide and Mastering SQL Server 2017.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanlansky/
Contact: http://joyfulcraftsmen.com/blog/
Roman Lansky is MSBI consultant with over a decade of experience with SQL Server, SSAS, SSIS and data warehouse design and architecture. He likes to understand how thinks works and is passionate in performance tuning. He is author of the SSAS Tabular performance blogs and works in MSBI consultation focused company - Joyful Craftsmen.
LinkedIn: http://lnkd.in/bbSFidq
Contact: https://sqlperformance.com/author/itzikbengan
Itzik Ben-Gan is a mentor and Co-Founder of SolidQ. A Data Platform Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) since 1999, Itzik has delivered numerous training events around the world focused on T-SQL querying, query tuning, and programming. Itzik is the author of several books including T-SQL Fundamentals, T-SQL Querying, and T-SQL Window Functions. Itzik’s speaking activities include PASS Summit, SQLBits, and various user groups around the world. Itzik is the author of SolidQ’s Advanced T-SQL Querying, Programming and Tuning, and T-SQL Fundamentals courses, along with being a primary resource within the company for their T-SQL related activities.
LinkedIn: http://nl.linkedin.com/pub/enrico-van-de-laar/33/882/756/
Contact: https://www.enricovandelaar.com
Enrico has been working with data in all kinds of formats and sizes for over 15 years. He is a Data Advanced Analytics Consultant for Dataheroes where he helps organisations take their first steps in the world of Advanced Analytics. Enrico is a Data Platform MVP since 2014 and a frequent speaker on various data related events all over the world. He authored the book “Pro SQL Server Wait Statistics” and blogs about technologies like Microsoft SQL Server and Azure Machine Learning on his blog at www.enricovandelaar.com
Contact: http://www.sommarskog.se
Erland Sommarskog is an independent consultant based in Stockholm, working with SQL Server since 1991. He was first awarded SQL Server MVP in 2001, and has been re-awarded every year since. His focus is on systems development with the SQL Server Database Engine and his passion is to help people to write better SQL Server applications.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmatesic/
Contact: https://blog.matesic.info/
For many years Damir is a passionate programmer and a Microsoft SQL Server developer (ver. 2000+). He is a certificated Microsoft professional on various technologies. In 2020 Microsoft awarded him with Data Platform MVP. Damir leads the Croatian SQL Server User Group (PASS) and he introduced and organizes SQL Saturday events in Croatia. Founder and organizer of Data Community Weekender. He is working as Senior Database Developer @Span.eu. Damir speaks on various community events and conferences like SQLSaturday, Advanced technology days and user groups. When free he blogs about SQL @ https://blog.matesic.info.
Contact: http://andrekamman.com
André Kamman is a DBA and SQL Server Solutions Architect for CloudDBA. He has done a lot of DBA work on 1000’s of servers where he discovered his love for Powershell, architecting SQL Server solutions, building and tuning ETL processes (with BIML). He also likes to work with MPP platforms APS and AzureDW. André is a Data Platform MVP, Dutch PASS Chapter Leader and organiser of SQL Saturday Holland.
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/simon-whiteley/32/994/aa8
Contact: http://blogs.adatis.co.uk/blogs/simonwhiteley/
Simon Whiteley is the Director of Engineering for Advancing Analytics Ltd and a Microsoft Data Platform MVP. Simon is a seasoned solution architect and technical lead with well over a decade of Microsoft Analytics experience. A deep techie with a focus on emerging cloud technologies and applying "big data" thinking to traditional analytics problems, Simon also has a passion for bringing it back to the high level and making sense of the bigger picture. When not tinkering with tech, Simon is a death-dodging London cyclist, a sampler of craft beers, an avid chef, and a generally nerdy person.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=5113407
Contact: http://blog.justb.dk
Independent BI consultant with extensive experience in all phases of BI development on Microsoft SQL Server, Azure and Power BI. Founder and coordinator of Microsoft Business Intelligence Professionals Denmark (MsBIP.dk) and Power BI UG Denmark (PowerBI.dk). Is a Microsoft Certified Trainer at Orange Man.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/wdurkin
Contact: http://williamdurkin.com
William Durkin is a DBA, Data Platform MVP, and Data Platform Architect for Data Masterminds (http://datamasterminds.io). He uses his decade of experience with SQL Server to help multinational corporations achieve their data management goals. Born in the UK and now based in Germany, William has worked as a Database Developer and DBA on projects ranging from single server installations, up to environments spanning 5 continents, using a range of high availability solutions. William is a regular speaker at conferences around the globe, organizes the popular event SQLGrillen (http://sqlgrillen.com).
Contact: http://kostjaklein.wordpress.com
Constantin is working at Syntax Systems GmbH Co. KG. He mainly deals with the design and development of solutions based on Microsoft products and technologies. Since 2010 he was each year designated Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for the Microsoft Data Platform. In addition he is member of the board of Just Community e.V. (http://www.justcommunity.de) and PASS Deutschland e.V. (http://www.sqlpass.de). He also leads the .NET User Group Frankfurt/Germany (http://dnug-frankfurt.de). Find his blog at: http://kostjaklein.wordpress.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miroslavpopovic/
Contact: https://miroslavpopovic.com
Miroslav is senior software architect for .NET and JavaScript, employed as Technical Lead at Seavus. He uses .NET from version 1.0. From Windows Forms, through WPF and Silverlight, all the way to ASP.NET Core. Currently, he is focused on ASP.NET Core, client-side JavaScript development and software craftsmanship. During his career, he worked on a lot of small and big projects, including a couple of local startups. He was one of the members of the development team for the Kicks platform and one of the moderators for https://javascriptkicks.com and https://dotnetkicks.com. Besides that, he is an active community member, conference speaker and one of the leaders of "BLbit Banja Luka" user group.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-klein-13a04b3a
Alexander Klein is a senior Business Intelligence consultant with more than 15 years of experience. He focuses on Business Intelligence and Data Warehouse projects with Microsoft technologies like SQL Server, Power BI, Azure ML or Cortana Intelligence. Since 2008, he has been a self-employed consultant in large and medium-sized projects in all sectors across Europe. He has been visiting SQL Saturdays and other Data Conference all over Europe since 2013. Speaker at national and international events since 2017.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=3997984amp;trk=hb_tab_pro_top
Contact: http://joeydantoni.com
Joseph D'Antoni is a Senior Consultant and Microsoft Data Platform MVP with over 20 years of experience working in both Fortune 500 and smaller firms. He is a Principal Consultant for Denny Cherry Associates and lives in Malvern, PA. He is a frequent speaker at major tech events like Microsoft Ignite, PASS Summit, and Enterprise Data World. He blogs about all topics technology at joeydantoni.com. He believes that no single platform is the answer to all technology problems. Joseph holds a BS in Computer Information Systems from Louisiana Tech University and an MBA from North Carolina State University, and is the co-author of the Microsoft book "Introducing SQL Server 2016”.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gasperkamensek
Contact: http://excelunplugged.com
Microsoft MVP for Excel since 2016 Lead Author @ ExcelUnplugged.com (voted one of the top 40 blogs for Excel Worldwide) Speaker @ 50+ conferences Trainer with 900+ courses Trainer with 5000+ attendees
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=270775013amp;trk=tab_pro
Contact: http://www.sqlmaster.de
Uwe Ricken is working with IT systems since the 90’s. The primary passion for developments with Microsoft SQL Server expanded in 2007 with his engagement as a DBA for Deutsche Bank AG in Frankfurt am Main. After 6 years of operational experiences as a DBA and over 14 years as a developer of complex database models he achieved the “Microsoft Certified Master – SQL Server 2008” certification which “was” the highest technical certification. In the same year he earned his first award as a Data Platform MVP for his support to the Microsoft SQL Server community in Germany and Europe. Uwe Ricken is a speaker on many international conferences and events and preferred topics are “Database Internals”, “Indexing” and “Development”.
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/way0utwest
Contact: http://www.voiceofthedba.com/
Steve Jones is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP and has been working with SQL Server since version 4.2 on OS/2. After working as a DBA and developer for a variety of companies, Steve co-founded the community website SQLServerCentral.com in 2001. Since 2004, Steve has been the full-time editor of the site, ensuring it continues to be a great resource for SQL Server professionals. Over the last decade, Steve has written hundreds of articles about SQL Server for SQLServerCentral.com, SQL Server Standard magazine, SQL Server Magazine, and Database Journal.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandar-talev-95159187
Contact: https://Www.sqlpass.org.mk
Aleksandar Talev is Chief Development Officer in Semos - Microsoft Gold Partner. He is professionally oriented to development of IT projects based on Microsoft technologies, primary SQL Server, Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Azure. He has been working with SQL Server 6.5 since 1996. As a Microsoft trainer he is holding a Microsoft Curriculum courses focused on SQL Server as well as Power BI. As one of the founders of SQL Server User Group (PASS) Macedonia his free time he is engaged in developing the SQL Server community in Macedonia. He is a regular speaker on Microsoft conferences as well as local and global community events. In 2005 Microsoft awarded him with SQL Server MVP award.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kamilnowinski/
Contact: https://sqlplayer.net
Blogger, speaker, #sqlfamily member. Microsoft Data Platform MVP. Data passionate, Data engineer and Architect. Over 13 years of programming and experience with SQL Server databases, he worked both as developer and administrator big databases designing systems from the scratch. Passionate about tuning database engines, code transparency and maximising performance database engine. Currently, he is expanding new horizons as a contractor in the UK market, making troubleshooting, prototyping BI and Big Data solutions, enhancing existing processes among Microsoft stuff environments, popularizing the DevOps approach and efficient solutions in the cloud. An originator of the "Ask SQL Family" podcast and founder of SQLPlayer blog.
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/robsewellsqldba
Contact: http://sqldbawithabeard.com
Rob was once a production SQL Server DBA, but is now generally found automating the Data Platform and providing training for clients. He has a passion for PowerShell, Data, and DevOps. He is an MVP, an officer for the DevOps PowerShell VG, and has spoken and volunteered at many PowerShell and Data events. He is a member of the committee that organises Data In Devon and the European PowerShell Conference. He is a proud supporter of the Data and PowerShell communities. He relishes sharing and learning and can be found doing both via Twitter @sqldbawithbeard and his blog sqldbawithabeard.com. He spends most of his time looking at a screen and loves to solve problems.
The following is a list of sponsors that helped fund the event.