With speakers from all over the world with backgrounds in various technologies, our selection of session are vetted carefully for originality and relevance to bring the highest quality event possible to you, our audience.

What can you expect from this event?

  • Learn from some of the most experienced speakers and professionals in the world
  •  
  • Get a chance to ask questions during our live Q&A session


To keep on top of the changes in technology and the industry, attending classes, conferences, and webcasts has become a necessity. SSWUG.org puts together two conferences a year to help you get all that information in one place - allowing you to stay sharp and still have time to do your work. (Thanks, boss!)

Sessions


All times are Eastern Time Printable Schedule || Times, presenters and sessions are subject to change.

10:00 AM
-to-
11:00 AM

Track:
 Room 1
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Welcome, and GDPR and What It May Mean To You


Stephen  Wynkoop

 

Working with data platforms is a complex mix of regulation, trust, functionality, and security. In this talk, I'll go through key things that are rapidly changing, what it means to your current-day systems and solutions and what it could mean going forward, all with an emphasis on the core of it all, data. 

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11:00 AM
-to-
12:00 PM

Track:
 Room 1
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New features in ASP.NET Core 2.1


Joydip  Kanjilal

 

Entity Framework is an ORM from Microsoft that can work in the managed environment and helps you tie together the data in your database with the objects in your application, by abstracting the object model of an application from its relational or logical model. Microsoft's .NET Core is a new cross-platform, open source, lean and modular .NET stack from Microsoft that can support many different platforms, i.e., Windows, Mac and Linux. EF Core is the version of Entity Framework that can run on .NET Core. EF Core 2.1 includes many few features / enhancements. These include the following:  

Lazy loading
Parameters in entity constructors
Value conversions
LINQ GroupBy translation
Data Seeding
Query types
Include for derived types
System.Transactions support  

This session presents a discussion on .NET Core, EF Core and its benefits and then presents a discussion on the new features in EF Core 2.1.   

11:00 AM
-to-
12:00 PM

Track:
 Room 2
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From SQL to R – Leverage Your T-SQL Knowledge to Learn R


Markus  Ehrenmüller-Jensen

 

You are already familiar with T-SQL and are eager to learn R but do not know where to start? Start from what you already know: T-SQL. Both languages have many things in common on some levels, but are very different on others. You will learn how to begin your first steps in the new language and how to perform the most common tasks, typical for R: statistics, machine learning & data visualization.

This session will kick you off to the new language by using analogies from T-SQL. You will learn how to write your first R-scripts, make usage of packages and will leave this session with a basic understanding of typical use-cases of R and how to integrate that into your existing environment with SQL Server.

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11:00 AM
-to-
12:00 PM

Track:
 Room 3
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The Humanized Internet


Monique Jeanne  Morrow

 

[Postponed]

The attendees will understand the impact of technology on their individual lives specific to issues of privacy and ethics in technology.

The Humanized Internet is focused on democratizing communications inclusively. We are in the midst of an algorithmic shaping society where the polarities between centralization and decentralization exist with implications of a trust deficit in the very institutions we have learned to trust.

Foundational is our identity sets that which we may have on line; off-line and that which is associated to a notion of digital sovereignty. When people do not have an identity and/or the identity personae are seized, the potential for abuse is great, think human trafficking as an example.

Blockchain, AI, Cybersecurity and Privacy are core technologies that provide tools for the individual to retain and maintain his/her identity sets. However, there are other societal factors that impact the Humanized Internet, for example, overall inclusion in the form of multi-generational teams; turning so called disabilities into “coolabilities” and understanding that the Future of Work will require all of us to pose questions as to the overall ethics and governance of what we are developing and for what purpose.

12:00 PM
-to-
1:00 PM

Track:
 Room 1
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Digital Transformation using Gamification and Artificial Intelligence


Nicolas  Babin

 

Digital transformation or how companies need to change from selling boxes to selling solutions. All companies’ departments need to be involved in a mindset change. From HR to Finance, from Sales to Marketing, from customer support to administration. Combining the transformation with the help of gamification will ensure engagement, success and fun for all. People do not like changes so if you make it fun, you will get better response and a much more productive activity.  

Finally, adding AI to new processes would ensure that mundane jobs can turn into interesting tasks as long as employers invest in employee development. The talk will cover all these subjects in more details but also in looking at the big picture.

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12:00 PM
-to-
1:00 PM

Track:
 Room 2
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Tips and Tactics for a Better Salary


Laura  Rose

 

This presentation is specifically for individuals who are ready for a better salary.

As a large corporate business manager and now as a business coach, I have received many questions regarding how to best negotiate for a higher salary.

Whether you are having a salary discussion during an interview for a new job OR in you are negotiating for a raise in your current position, there are several things you can do to put yourself in the winning position.

Today’s presentation is focused on 10 tips you can do today, to successfully negotiate a salary bump.  These tips are general enough for most industries but are specifically useful in the IT and Software industry.

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12:00 PM
-to-
1:00 PM

Track:
 Room 3
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Introduction to Graph Processing with SQL Server 2017


Markus  Ehrenmüller-Jensen

 

Hierarchies and graphs are the bread and butter of most business applications and you find them almost everywhere:
* Product Categories
* Sales Territories
* Bill of Material
* Networks
Even when there is a big need from a business perspective, the solutions in relational databases are mostly sort of awkward. The most flexible hierarchies are usually modeled as self-referenced tables. If you want to successfully query such self-referenced hierarchies, you will need either loops or recursive Common Table Expressions. SQL Server 2017 comes now with a different approach: Graph Database. 
Join this session for a journey through best practices to transform your hierarchies into useful information. We will have fun playing around with a sample database based on G. R. R. Martin’s famous “Game of Thrones”.

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1:00 PM
-to-
2:00 PM

Track:
 Room 1
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Whatcha Doin'? Passive Security for Hostile Environments


Bob  Pusateri

 

Ideal database security settings usually exist in books, but rarely in reality. Is your CIO a member of the sysadmin role because they demanded it? Or maybe some users have rights for purely political reasons? Just because you can't enforce security through typical means doesn't mean you're powerless. Attend this session to learn about the features SQL Server provides that will allow you to keep track of what your users are up to at all times and sleep a little easier. Through various scenarios and demos, see how technologies such as event notifications, auditing, and extended events can help ensure nothing happens on your system without you knowing about it. Even in optimally secured environments these techniques can still come in handy. The best security is often that which cannot be seen.

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1:00 PM
-to-
2:00 PM

Track:
 Room 2
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Handling DevOPs challenges


Joydip  Kanjilal

 

DevOps is a paradigm shift – a new collaborative culture that companies can take advantage of to reduce costs and increase productivity. In other words, DevOps is a cultural, process, and an organizational shift and embracing this change will need a strong leadership in any organization. This session takes a look at what DevOps culture is all about, why it is useful and then presents a discussion on the challenges faced in DevOps and the strategies on handling such challenges effectively.
 

1:00 PM
-to-
2:00 PM

Track:
 Room 3
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The Evolution of Tech Communities


Louis  Cadier

 

PURPOSE: A guide through the history of tech communities from dial up BBS up to today’s social networks and looking forward to future communication methods

METHODS: Internet research, library research and vetting the collected info using on-line communities

RESULTS: An engaging story of how computer networking gave birth to tech communities 

CONCLUSION: A projection of how new technologies will facilitate new communities 

2:00 PM
-to-
3:00 PM

Track:
 Room 1
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Containers in Azure


Andrew  Pruski

 

As containers are becoming more and more prevalent, this session provides an introduction to the different options of running containers in Azure. 

I'll cover the following different technologies in Azure:
 
  • The Azure Container Registry
  • Azure Container Instances
  • Azure Container Services
 
This session is aimed at SQL Server DBAs, Developers, and Sysadmins who have some experience with Docker and want to know the different options that are available in Azure.
 
Each topic will be backed up with demos showing how simple it is to get up and running with these technologies.

2:00 PM
-to-
3:00 PM

Track:
 Room 2
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Virtual SQL Servers, Actual Performance


David  Klee

 

[Postponed]

Virtualizing your business-critical SQL Servers should not imply that they will run slower than if they were physical, either on-prem or in the cloud. When properly architected and managed, virtual SQL Servers should be equally as fast as their physical counterparts, if not faster. However, if not properly constructed, silent and seemingly random performance killers can strike and significantly hurt your database performance.
 
This session is packed with many tips and tricks gained from years of experience for getting the most performance from your virtual SQL Servers. The major roadblocks to performance will be discussed and the knowledge gained will help you work with your infrastructure engineers so you can optimize the system stack for performance. Tools, techniques, and processes will be demonstrated to help you measure and validate the system performance of the key components underneath your data.

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3:00 PM
-to-
4:00 PM

Track:
 Room 1
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Monster VMs (Database Virtualization) with VMware: Doing IT Right


Michael  Corey

 

VMware vSphere 6.5 has made a lot of changes to enhance the performance of Monster virtual machines (VMs). Databases by their very nature are the classic Monster VMs. If Monster VMs are not virtualized properly, they will never perform well and can negatively impact the performance of other VMs on the hosts. In this presentation, we will teach you how to properly virtualize Monster VMs/databases with vSphere 6.5. We will discuss why you should virtualize and take a look at some installation issues as well as how to architect for performance in terms of vSphere 6.5 specifics, including the storage layer, the processor, memory considerations, and the network layer. Topics will also include NUMA, memory reservations, and how to avoid common mistakes. These lessons will help you optimize any workload you are virtualizing.

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3:00 PM
-to-
4:00 PM

Track:
 Room 2
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New features in EF Core 2.1


Joydip  Kanjilal

 

Entity Framework is an ORM from Microsoft that can work in the managed environment and helps you tie together the data in your database with the objects in your application, by abstracting the object model of an application from its relational or logical model. Microsoft's .NET Core is a new cross-platform, open source, lean and modular .NET stack from Microsoft that can support many different platforms, i.e., Windows, Mac and Linux. EF Core is the version of Entity Framework that can run on .NET Core. EF Core 2.1 includes many few features / enhancements. These include the following:

Lazy loading
Parameters in entity constructors
Value conversions
LINQ GroupBy translation
Data Seeding
Query types
Include for derived types
System.Transactions support

This session presents a discussion on .NET Core, EF Core and its benefits and then presents a discussion on the new features in EF Core 2.1.

4:00 PM
-to-
5:00 PM

Track:
 Room 1
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How to Realize the Value of Metadata


Matthew  Turner

 

Metadata has the potential to impact nearly every part of your enterprise. From helping you connect data across business processes to holding the key to your most valuable assets, this underdog data is finally getting the attention it deserves.  

But most organizations have only begun to focus on this valuable data and, according to a study from Dataversity, a quarter have no metadata strategy at all.  

What might be holding organizations back is that metadata is notoriously sneaky data to manage, and it is even more difficult to put into action using traditional relational database technology.  

This webinar will look at the critical importance of metadata and highlight mission critical metadata apps that have taken a new approach to delivering on the value of metadata.  

Organizations including commercial entities, intelligence agencies, and some of your favorite entertainment companies have used this approach and made good on the promise of metadata.  

This webinar will cover how you too can make metadata the hero in your organization.

4:00 PM
-to-
5:00 PM

Track:
 Room 2
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Transformations in PowerBI using Graphical Interface and Power Query Formula Language


Adrian  Chodkowski

 

For most business users and developers, Power BI is a great tool for data visualization with efficient tabular engine under the hood. For even more people, this software is a crucial part for every implementation of Data Warehouse and Analysis Services. However, that's not all! Power BI gives us great opportunity to process data and build our own ETL flows without external components such as Integration Services or Data Factory. During the session I will present what kind of transformations can be done in Power BI using the graphical interface and Power Query Formula Language.

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Sponsors

KEYNOTE Sponsors



SQL Server MVP Stephen Wynkoop founded SSWUG.ORG in 1999 as one of the first cross-platform sites to cover enterprise technologies. Since then, the site has gone from being a part-time hobby to a reputable content provider with thousands of articles and video-based training sessions.

SSWUG.org is the one of the largest community-driven sites that focuses on enterprise technology, as more than 570,000 members regularly visit our site for answers to their IT-related questions and to access the information they need to grow as professionals.

SSWUG.org has a lot to offer: articles, classes, videos, and so much more. We consider ourselves a good education resources, and we’re always looking for new speakers, writers, and others to contribute to the already incredible content we have.

PREMIER Sponsors



Un savoir faire rare entre le technologie, le marketing et le management
Un influenceur sur les reseaux sociaux - score de Klout à 68 et score SSI à 83

A rare combination of technology, marketing - gamification and management
A social media influencer - Klout score of 68 and SSI score of 83


Twenty-two years have passed since the founding of the company . We started modestly, but now we have clients in 14 countries around the world. We specialize in outsourcing specialists and entire IT teams. We have created Connectis_cloud - a database of IT specialists and a system of managing cooperation with them. We also deliver finished products in the Managed Service model. We work closely with the client in week or two-week sprints.


Heraflux Technologies is a consultancy focused on providing strategic services centered on the combination of and interaction between database and on-premises or cloud infrastructure technologies. Started in September 2013, Heraflux has focused on helping medium to large enterprise IT-centric organizations improve the efficiency of their Microsoft SQL Server databases by performance and efficiency tuning the databases and optimizing the infrastructure platforms that these systems run on.
 
Over the life of the company, a recurrent theme in the nature of the services provided emerged. Make it faster, reduce costs, improve the availability, and make it simpler. As part of the service offerings, Heraflux developed a methodology and framework for reviewing both on-premises physical and virtualized datacenter architectures, public cloud-hosted platforms, and the data-centric applications for areas of optimization. The methodology reviews all layers of the infrastructure and databases for how the data and applications are consuming the allocated resources and develops a consumption baseline for each of the items collected. Heraflux specializes on correlating the data collected between the different layers of the environment and developing a set of recommendations designed to reduce costs (largely from SQL Server and other software license optimization techniques), improve performance, and make the various platforms more efficient. The ongoing nature of the services helps organizations baseline, manage, and forecast spend, plus measure system pattern changes after performing items such as software upgrades or infrastructure adjustments.


Even though Laura excelled in the corporate environment, she aspired toward something more.  Laura now uses her time management, work life balance and personal development skills as a business and life coach.  Laura helps people blend their goals and dreams into their everyday lives. Laura uses creative strategies to help her clients realize what really matters to them. Combining inspired action with practical, tangible techniques, she leads clients toward more autonomy, freedom and balance.   


LicenseFortress® was developed in 2016 by VLSS's Founder & Chief Architect, Dean Bolton. VLSS has spent over 13 years specializing in Oracle and VMware technologies. LicenseFortress® was born after VLSS was approached by VMware about a predicament that many of their customers were facing when trying to license Oracle on VMware. Oracle's aggressive auditing tactics shed light on the dire situation that most companies face when using Oracle's products, especially in a cloud environment. While some companies have been deterred from using Oracle, we believe it is a powerful tool for your business when deployed correctly. That's where LicenseFortress helps you take control of your license investment while removing the threat of being out of compliance.


Markus Ehrenmüller-Jensen works as a project leader, trainer & consultant for data warehousing, ETL, and business intelligence since 1994. He is an educated software-engineer, graduated business educator and professor for databases and project engineering at HTL Leonding (technical college) and certified as MCSE Data Platform and MCSE Business Intelligence. Markus speaks regularly on international conferences (eg. PASS Summit, SQLBits, BASTA, SQL Saturdays, SQL Days, SQL Nexus, ...) and writes articles for well-known journals. Since 2014 he is responsible for Runtastic’s data warehouse to drive forward data-driven decisions for employees and customers. In 2013 he co-founded SQL PASS Austria and organizes SQL Saturdays in Vienna since 2014. For his technical leadership in the community he was awarded as a Microsoft Data Platform MVP in 2017.

TECHNICAL Sponsors



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