Los Angeles Data Platform

Interview with Randolph West RSVP here: https://ladataplatform2105.eventbrite.com/

Abstract: If you've ever wondered what that other service is in your configuration manager then this is the class for you. Full text indexing allows you to write queries to scan large text fields without having to do a complete table scan every time. We'll talk about installing, setting up, maintaining, and using full text indexes to their fullest! About Eric Eric Blinn is a Sr Data Architect, Squire Patton Boggs. He 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.

Abstract: Python in SQL Server 2017 and 2019 SQL Server 2017 and 2019 have arrived, bringing with them a host of exciting new features. Of particular interest to BI practitioners and data scientists is the integration of the Python programming language into the SQL ecosystem. This integration opens up a number of possibilities for in-database analytics and intelligent database applications, so let's get started! In this introductory session we'll briefly introduce the Python language and then look at how to install and administer Machine Learning Services. We'll start to demonstrate the power of Python by showing you how to create and run simple scripts from within T-SQL. We'll then discuss some of the powerful open source packages that are available to aid your data analyses. Finally, we'll go through some examples of how to use Python to integrate data analytical methods in real-world situations, and wow your customers with the power of analytics! About Chris Chris Hyde is a Owner and Principal Consultant, Hydrate Consulting LLC. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He works as an independent SQL Server BI and DBA consultant, and is the leader of the Albuquerque PASS local user group. He is also part of the Friends of Redgate program and was a member of the Idera ACE class of 2018. He loves loud music and cricket, but usually not at the same time.

Abstract: Back to the Future is the greatest time travel movie ever. I'll show you how temporal tables work, in both SQL Server and Azure SQL Database, without needing a DeLorean. We cover point in time analysis, reconstructing state at any time in the past, recovering from accidental data loss, calculating trends, and my personal favorite: auditing. There's even a bit of In-Memory OLTP. This is a demo-heavy session. About Randolph Randolph West, founder of Born SQL, is an independent IT consultant, speaker, Calgary PASS user group leader, Microsoft Data Platform MVP, and lead author of “SQL Server 2019 Administration Inside Out”. Randolph specializes in SQL Server performance tuning, disaster recovery, and migrations from really old versions, with an emphasis on implementing best practices. Randolph has presented at PASS Summit, SQLBits, SQL Saturdays, and user groups. You can also find Randolph acting and directing on screen or the stage, or annoying people on Twitter. Do not trust Randolph around chocolate.

Abstract Data preparation is a lengthy and complicated process in a modern data warehouse solution. Microsoft recently released Azure Data Factory Power Query, which greatly eases this process with no-code data preparation. In this session, I will take you through how to use Azure Data Factory Power Query to prep data in a modern data warehouse. By the end of the session, you will be able to understand Azure Data Factory Power Query and its usage in a modern data warehouse solution. Speaker Bio Thimantha Vidanagamage is a Microsoft Certified Data Analyst - Azure Data Scientist - Azure AI Engineer Associate with experience in Microsoft Business Intelligence. He is passionate about technologies such as Microsoft Power BI, Azure Analysis Services, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Lake Gen2 and Azure Machine Learning. Currently, he is an Associate Microsoft Business Intelligence Consultant for Fortude (Pvt) Ltd. which is the only Microsoft Gold Partner for Data Analytics and Data Platform in Sri Lanka.

Abstract: The Analytics service in Azure DevOps Services provides all-over insights to your DevOps data: work item tracking, CI/CD pipelines, testing process, etc. Built on top of columnstore indexes, the Analytics service has to deal with 100s of millions of records and daily growth in 10s of millions, only a few minutes delay from operation store, sub-second query performance for in-product experiences as well as 3rd party extensions, Power BI integration and ad-hoc queries. Working on it, I've learned a lot of DOs and DON'Ts about columnstore indexes. The session covers how to: * partition columnstore indexes in a multitenant environment * maintain columnstore indexes in case of updates and/or purge to keep segment elimination possible * evolve database schema without downtimes and maintenance windows * design to benefit from predicate and aggregation pushdown * deal with edge case like ad-hoc queries for raw data and paging * choose between CCI and NCCI based on usage patterns About Konstantin: Konstantin is an industry expert who loves optimizing the performance at least in 10x. More data - more fun. Konstantin is a Principal Software Engineer at Azure DevOps Services, where he works on moving the Analytics for software engineering to a completely new level. Konstantin was born and had been working in Ukraine for a long time, passionately sharing his knowledge with Ukrainian and other European data communities. Before joining Microsoft in 2012, he was a Data Platform MVP for many years.

PolyBase is Microsoft’s great new replacement to linked servers. With the current version in SQL Server 2019, one can connect to multiple data sources such as Teradata, Apache, Hadoop, Oracle, and many many more. We will review best practices for setting up PolyBase and its Scale-Out groups as well as showing how it interacts in an Always On Availability Group. When Scaling-Out (up!), PolyBase is able to work harder and deliver more data. What happens when one of its node disappears? We will have a live demo demonstrating how to manage the Scale-Out group when bad things happen. In addition, the DMVs for managing PolyBase will be reviewed, and finally, there will be results of the impact of using multiple nodes in the Scale-Out group on the PolyBase queries! Prerequisites: Basic database administration skills/knowledge of HA concepts About Michael Michael Wall has been an IT professional going back to when he had his own software store and worked with his customers with their “dose” problems. Originally hired by a small consulting firm to write web pages, he was thrust into the SysAdmin world when their lead consultant changed the passwords of all of the servers at a major pulp and paper company’s systems to 100%s$%t and walked out the door. He was sent down with a copy of UNIX for Dummies and 50 cents for the bus ride back. Fast forward a few years, he was asked if he wanted to be a DBA after successfully managing a fifty server Y2K upgrade. Since then, he’s never looked back and has survived a number of data and system challenges.

Abstract: Azure Synapse Workspace provides the ability to use both Apache Spark and Databricks. Which one should you use? The answer of course is “It Depends”. In this session we are going to review what the use cases are which would determine why you would select one tool over another. Here we will examine the costs, the kind of data being analyzed, how much data is processed, variability of data loads, and other variables which determine which solution should be implemented. This session will also review when a Spark based processing tool should be used and when you are better off another tool such as SQL on-demand or an Extract, Load and Transform (ELT) process. The demos will show how to implement each solution in the Azure Synapse Workspace and how each can be used to process data. About Ginger Ginger Grant is a Principal Consultant in Advanced Analytics. She manages the consultancy Desert Isle Group and shares what she has learned while working with data technology to people around the world. As a Microsoft MVP in Data Platform, Microsoft Certified Trainer and an instructor on DataCamp, she focuses on guiding clients to create solutions using the entire Microsoft Data Stack, which includes SQL Server, Power BI, and Azure Data Cloud components. When not working, she protypes the latest pre-release data technologies, maintains her blog http://www.desertislesql.com, and spends time on twitter @desertislesql.

Abstract Automating the configuration of SQL Server instances and being able to check the configuration for standard configuration is an important role for any DBA when you have lots of instances. But how can we automate the configuration easily? How can we check to make sure the proper configuration is in place and hasn’t changed? In this session, we will look at how to configure your SQL Server Instances using PowerShell and the dbatools module. Then we will look at how to use dbachecks to confirm the configuration of our instances and how to check for changes in the future of the configuration. Attendees will see how easy it is to use PowerShell via dbatools to configure their SQL Server instances. Attendees will see how easy it is to use PowerShell via dbachecks and PowerBI to see if their servers are configured properly. Attendees will be given a set of scripts that take back to use to configure and test the configuration of their SQL Server instances. Speaker Bio Tracy is the Database Superhero for DocuSign. Tracy does things in the Microsoft Data Platform Community and is Microsoft Data Platform MVP. Tracy has volunteered through the NC Guardian ad Litem program since 2003 being the voice for abused and neglected foster children in the court system. This is her passion outside of SQL Server and her favorite, most important job. When Tracy isn't volunteering in the Microsoft Data Platform community, she likes to be making a difference somewhere. Slide deck and code https://tracyboggiano.com/presentations/

Abstract Dynamic Management views and functions allow you to easily see exactly what is happening inside your SQL Server instances and databases with a high level of detail. You can discover your top wait types, most CPU intensive stored procedures, find missing indexes, and identify unused indexes, to name just a few examples. This session presents, demonstrates, and explains a complete set of diagnostic DMV queries that you can easily use to detect and diagnose configuration and performance issues in your SQL Server instances and databases. This session goes into exhaustive detail on how to interpret the results of each of the diagnostic queries, including relevant background information on how to properly configure your hardware, storage subsystem, operating system, SQL Server instance, and databases in order to avoid performance and scalability issues. Prerequisites: Some experience with SQL Server 2005 and later About Speaker Glenn works as a Principal Consultant for Dr. DMV, LLC in Elizabeth, CO. He was a Data Platform MVP from 2007-2017, and he has a whole collection of Microsoft certifications, including MCITP, MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD, and MCTS, which proves that he likes to take tests. His expertise includes DMVs, high availability, hardware selection, performance tuning, and Azure SQL Database. He is also an Adjunct Faculty member at University College - University of Denver, where has been teaching since 2000. He has completed the Master Teacher Program at Denver University - University College. He is heavily involved in the SQL Server community, and is a frequent speaker at user groups, SQL Saturdays, and the PASS Community Summit.

Abstract Infrastructure DBA in the Cloud, "I Have Control Issues" About Speaker Kellyn Gorman, Principal Data Engineer, SME for Oracle on Azure.

Abstract: The Microsoft Power Platform has become an innovative bridge between data interaction, visualization and analytics. The possibilities have become almost endless for businesses to engage with their data in amazing ways. In this session, I will show you an application using Power Apps and location services to track latitude and longitude coordinates on Bing maps. Attendees will learn how to configure and use the application on a mobile device. I will also show two approaches using AI within the application by using Azure SQL Database, Cognitive Services and Power Automate. An end-user will be able to leverage Bing Search for location-aware web searches while an administrator will be able to leverage the Azure SQL Database and Power Automate to send alerts based on predefined metrics. About Jeremy Jeremy Frye is a Sr. Manager of Data Analytics at Navisite. He has over 12 years of experience in database design, development, business intelligence, data analytics, and management across on-premises and cloud technologies. He is a frequent speaker the Microsoft community and a 3 time Microsoft PASS Summit speaker.

Abstract: This session will take a look at the new Query Store feature in SQL Server 2016. Query Store tracks changes in execution plans, allowing you to easily view performance differences and revert to older plans with a few clicks of the mouse. We will take a hands-on look at how to use Query Store to troubleshoot problems as well as some of the new DMVs you can use to find issues as they arise. And see what is new in SQL Server 2017. About Tracy: Tracy Boggiano is the Database Superhero for ChannelAdvisor. She has spent over 20 years in IT and has used SQL Server since 1999. Tracy covers all aspects of administration and deals heavily with performance tuning and high availability and disaster recovery. Tracy has volunteered through the NC Guardian ad Litem program since 2003 advocating for abused and neglected foster children in court.

Abstract: Tintri has recently released its much-anticipated “SQL Integrated Storage” as part of its Intelligent Infrastructure product lineup. This session will go over this offering in detailed demos and show this how this Industry-first solution benefits DBAs and infrastructure admins. This will be an interactive session and questions are encouraged. About Rob and Shawn: Rob Girard, Principal Technical Marketing Engineer @ Tintri Shawn Meyers, Field CTO @ Tintri Both Rob & Shawn have presented many times together & separately at various VMworlds, SQL PASS Summits, SQL Saturdays and other industry events. Both have a strong 20+ year Infrastructure & Virtualization background supporting SQL Server and other Enterprise IT.

Abstract: Whether you set up and operate data processing systems or write programs that use them, modern databases like SQL Server have facilities to work with Machine Learning constructs. You’ve been hearing a lot about ML, AI, and Deep Learning. But how does it work and what are the differences? What is the magic happening behind the scenes that is allowing for all these new advanced models to be created? And how is SQL related? In this session, Anna Hoffman – a Data & Applied Scientist on the SQL Engineering team – will explain the basic mechanics of ML, AI, and Deep Learning, with some examples from the SQL Server Platform (Azure SQL Database, SQL Server 2019). At the end, you will be able to differentiate between the three, and you’ll get resources to learn more and try the examples on your own. About Anna: Anna is a Data and Applied Scientist on the Azure Data (SQL) product team at Microsoft. In her time at Microsoft, Anna has worked in Microsoft Consulting Services, AI Engineering, and now SQL Engineering. She spends most of her time working on Azure SQL and participating in the community to democratize intelligence over all your data, from ground to cloud. You can follow her on Twitter at @AnalyticAnna. https://www.linkedin.com/in/amthomas46/ https://twitter.com/AnalyticAnna

Interview with Randolph West RSVP here: https://ladataplatform2105.eventbrite.com/

http://ladataplatform.eventbrite.com https://www.meetup.com/los-angeles-data-platform/

Abstract: Have you ever developed slowly running queries and wondered how to make your own SQL Server queries go faster? In this session, you will learn some T-SQL performance tuning tips that can be used on Monday back at the office. You will learn how to identify top offender queries, be able to benchmark queries. Finally we will cover coding patterns that are developer friendly but are not SQL Server database engine friendly and show you how to rewrite them so they can run faster. Prerequisites: Experience building T-SQL Queries and the curiosity to learn how to tune your own queries. About John John Sterrett is a MCSE: Data Platform, Principal Consultant, and the Founder of Procure SQL LLC. John has experience presenting at community events, including Microsoft Ignite, PASS Member Summit, SQLRally, 24 Hours of PASS, SQL Saturdays, PASS Chapters, and Virtual Chapter meetings. John is a leader of the Austin SQL Server User Group and is the founder of the HADR Virtual Chapter. John's community activities can be found at https://johnsterrett.com/community/

Abstract Creating a blog worth reading is no easy task. It’s a fine balance between consistency, topic choice, readability and SEO magic. Join marketing expert Blythe Morrow as we discuss how to build content for technical audiences that generates reads that connects you deeper into the SQL Server Community. Learn what it takes to eliminate confusion for your readers and connect people in a way that solves their problems. We'll also have a cameo or two from SQL celebrity bloggers who can lend advice and tips. Why I Want to Present This Session: I've been working with businesses in the Microsoft Data Platform for almost 10 years now, and I know how valuable SQL Server consultants are to the companies who need them. I'm here to connect the dots - between consulting, SQL Server and lead generation. Speaker Bio Blythe works with a team of people who love Data Platforms and technology marketing. She started 10 years ago as the Community Manager for PASS and now spends her days helping companies that build products and services on the Microsoft Data Platform. She offers advice to CMOs and CEOs on how to competitively position their companies, create and manage their brands, enter the digital arena and maximize marketing and sales investments. Slide deck and code TBD

Abstract: When you're looking at a query plan to see if there's opportunity for improvement, what are the things you look for within the operators you see? In this session, Rob will explore some of the signs that there's some tuning to be done, and what kinds of things can be done to address them. About Speaker Rob is a data consultant in Australia. His company is LobsterPot Solutions. He's an MCM for life, MVP for now, and MCT for as long as he keeps meeting the required conditions.

Abstract A walkthrough on how to extract the inner elements of a Power BI refresh to help better understand what happens each time you refresh a dataset. This may help you optimise your Power BI refreshes. Speaker Bio An accomplished database and business intelligence (BI) professional with a deep knowledge of the Microsoft BI stack along with extensive knowledge of data warehouse (DW) methodologies and enterprise data modeling. Session Materials https://dax.tips/category/power-bi-refresh/

Abstract: Many DBAs and Developers work with SQL Server but don’t fully understand how it really works behind the scenes. Join Deepthi on her dive into the internals of SQL Server to explain why knowing what goes on under the covers will help you make better decisions quickly when solving performance problems in SQL Server. This session will cover ACID properties, key components of the Cache in SQL Server, Relational Engine, Storage engine and the Transaction manager. You will learn how SQL Server manages Plan cache and Buffer pool and how SQL Server optimizer choose the plans. We will also cover what happens under the covers during read and write operations within SQL Server. This session also has Demos showing how components of SQL Engine works for queries. Deepthi will show you how the SQL engine thinks – enabling you to think like it! About Deepthi: Deepthi is a Database administrator with 7 years of experience. She completed her Masters in Computer Technology at Eastern Illinois University and she is a Microsoft certified solution expert (MCSE). You can find her blog at dbanuggets.com and follow her on twitter: @dbanuggets

Abstract: Lift and shift is an utopia many IT professionals have about moving on-prem resources to the cloud. The truth is we must understand how the cloud works so we adjust, design accordingly and deliver to expectations. As SQL DBAs we have options. We can choose between IaaS or PaaS, between SQL in a VM or SQL DB, NoSQL options, Azure Data Warehouse some more. In this session we will dive into these options and understand some key points on the platform through some demos. You will learn: Basic elements of Azure cloud ecosystem VM disks specifics for SQL 2016/2017 Azure SQL Database and Elastic pools Azure Data Warehouse and Cosmos DB About Armando: Armando Lacerda has over 30 years in the information processing field as a developer and system integrator; 20 years working with SQL Server since version 6; cross platform experience with Oracle and IBM SQL/DS and DB2; Microsoft Certified Trainer for over 20 years. Azure system architect.

Abstract As DBAs we are in charge of the safety and security of our databases. Backup and ability to restore in a timely fashion is one of the most important responsibility. There are many tools available in the market in addition to Microsoft's own Maintenance Plan builder and Ola Hallengren's awesome scripts. But, is this where it should end for a mortal DBA? Possibly yes; if you are new to the whole DBA game, or if you think you are a DBA this is far from the truth. In this session we will cover some of my own experiments, with supporting data, to minimize your downtime for backups and restores. The other major responsibility for us is to maintain performance of the databases and their integrity. We'll also some of the best practices to help you cut down the maintenance window and give max downtime for your discerning customer. Speaker Bio Data Platform Manager Paresh Motiwala PMP; an Azure enthusiast, a Data Platform Manager (Boston)has led several large SQL implementations, migrations and upgrades. He was recently selected as a "Speaker Idol" finalist for the PASS Summit 2018. He has managed multi terabyte OLTP databases. He loves learning and talking about Big Data. He has also been a Senior SQL DBA and a Solutions Architect in Fortune 100 companies. He also helps organizing / and speaks at many SQL Saturdays, Azure Bootcamp and User Groups. He is a certified in Big Data Analytics and FinTech(MIT) Project manager, Public Speaker, an avid singer, cook, open networker, and stand-up comedian. He teaches public speaking, debating, interviewing and group discussion skills. He also mentors DBAs in Boston area; and children around the globe via www.circlesofgrowth.com

Abstract Bad data comes in many forms: duplicate rows, wrong data type, invalid values, and orphaned or missing foreign keys. Time is wasted cleansing, reviewing, and correcting data, not to mention the potential hazards bad data can cause. This introductory presentation will explain the data types and constraints available in SQL Server, and how they can replace or augment business rules that would otherwise be written in the application or procedure code. Performance benefits provided by constraints will be demonstrated. We will examine the various system views and procedures that describe constraints and how to use them to document your databases. You will be able to apply this knowledge to your database environments and see significant improvements in data quality, performance, and reliability. Speaker Bio Rob Volk is a SQL Server DBA in the Metro Atlanta area since 2001. He also moderates and answers the forums on SQLTeam.com. While a cranky old-time DBA, he no longer considers "business intelligence" an oxymoron or "the cloud" as merely atmospheric moisture, and loves to do things in new and unusual ways. Slide deck and code TBD