Each year, Microsoft hosts a series of Focus Groups at PASS Summit. These are a chance for you to meet with several different Product teams to either provide feedback on something they built or learn where the roadmap is taking many different aspects of the data product, from security, to migrations to tools.
Wednesday, November 6th
10:00AM-11:00AM Synapse - Analytics for Modern Datawarehouse in the Cloud with Jenny Jiang & Omid Afnan
11:15AM-12:15PM The future of multi-dimensional models with Richard Tkachuk
12:30PM-1:30PM Existing Security capabilities/features with Mirek Sztanjo, Rohit Nayak, Andreas Wolter
1:45PM-2:45PM Notebooks in Azure Data Studio with Vicky Harp
3:00PM-4:00PM Modern Development with Azure SQL (EventHub/Kafka Integration, Change Feed, etc) with Davide Mauri
4:15PM-5:15PM Data sharing with SQL Data Warehouse! with Kevin Ngo
Thursday, November 7th
10:00AM-11:00AM Data Modeling in Power BI with Carly Landers & Erika Sam
11:15AM-12:15PM Doing near-real-time interact analytics on Big Data using Azure Data Explorer with Avner Aharoni
12:30PM-1:30PM Demo for SQL Assessment API with Ebru Ersan
3:00PM-4:00PM How to make query plans easier for users to understand with Vicky Harp, Pam Lahoud, Pedro Lopes
4:15PM-5:15PM Report Creation in Power BI with Carly Landers; Erika Sam
Friday, November 8th
9:00AM-10:00AM Collaboration in Azure Data Studio with Vicky Harp
10:15AM-11:15AM SQL Migrations to Azure – what’s working well and what’s not with Shreya Verma and Davide Mauri
11:30AM-12:30PM Multi-cloud concept testing and scenario reviews with James Roland-Jones
12:45PM-1:45PM Security: Planned features/Security Roadmap with Mirek Sztanjo, Rohit Nayak, Andreas Wolter
2:00PM-3:00PM The Future of Microsoft Cloud Migration Tools and Services with Charles Christian and Sreraman Narasimhan
Friday, October 25, 2019
Friday, October 4, 2019
Modernizing your Database with Azure SQL
Join
the Microsoft Product Team
in this full day deep dive into Modernizing your Database with #AzureSQL November 5th at PASS Summit Seattle with
Sanjay Mishri Mladen Andzic, Dimitri Furman, Rie Irish, Davide Mauri, Rohit
Nayak, Denzil Ribeiro, Shreya Verma
Azure
SQL provides the most comprehensive set of capabilities on a cloud relational
database. SQL in a virtual machine, Azure SQL Database, Managed Instance,
Elastic Pools, Azure SQL Hyperscale, Azure SQL DB Serverless – Azure SQL family
of services provide you a variety of choices to build and run your SQL
environment in the most cost-effective, secured and performant manner.
•
Understanding the choices and when to pick which service for best fit
•
Understanding the Security, Networking, Business Continuity, Disaster Recovery
capabilities
•
Managing the database, instance, elastic pools for best cost effectiveness,
performance and scale
•
Understanding and troubleshooting common problems
•
Design and develop for resiliency and performance, and building applications
for business critical and enterprise workloads
•
Application patterns and best practices to achieve the best out of Azure SQL
environment
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
She's not hard to look at...
Last week, a colleague of
mine sent me an email with a YouTube link. It was a webinar she'd attended earlier in the day on Machine Learning. She wanted me to watch a 30 second segment of the video
and let her know if she was just being sensitive. That women even have to worry about this is a blog for a different day.
Read his
comment below & decide for yourself.
Speaker: There is, what's her name. She's been
in Machine Learning with Microsoft for a long time.
What's her name? I love her. Oh, Olivia Klose. She's got an accent.
She's not hard to look at. She does a lot of demos on
Machine Learning specific to Microsoft."
Then he moved right along into
the topic at hand, as if nothing had happened.
I don't know this speaker, I have no ax to
grind. His comment was at best, careless, and at worst a form of
benevolent sexism.
Benevolent sexism is a set
of interrelated attitudes toward women that are sexist in terms of viewing
women in restricted roles but that are subjectively positive in feeling &
tone.
Whatever it was, the feelings it evoked were immediate. They were not at all sensitive. I was as angry as my colleague. HOW DARE HE? Then I reminded myself that I shouldn't be that surprised. Comments like this are something many women in IT
deal with frequently. We're professional, damn good at our job, but then
some guy in a meeting thinks it's appropriate to comment on our looks... as if
that mattered at all. Taking away from the importance of our actual
accomplishments and reducing us a "pretty face". It's something
that really can knock the wind out of our sails. While I know it sounds
complimentary, it isn't. We're there to teach or work, it isn't a beauty
pageant.
Here's the upside. Here’s where I realize
we’re making progress. Where I’m
reminded there are some amazing Women in Tech allies out there, who want to do
the right thing. A lot of men emailed,
DM’d or tweeted their own little “Not cool, man!” thoughts. They’d noticed it
being said and were upset on her behalf.
I reached out
to the moderator of the session. I
included the email I’d been sent, the link to the video and outlined the
insensitive comment. I explained, much
like I did in the paragraph above why exactly this was so bothersome. He reacted as well as I could have
hoped. He immediately pulled the video
down. He’ll be modifying it to exclude
the comments. He asked how I’d like to
handle it. He emailed HQ to explain what
happened and the actions he wanted to take.
He suggested in addition to this blog, that we turn this into a joint
session to teach men in tech the damage that can be caused by comments like
those made by the speaker. Like me, he wanted to turn this into something
positive, into what elementary teachers refer to as “teachable moments”. The best I can hope for is a world where a
professional woman can be described by the quality of her work and not by how
easy she is to look at. Slowly but surely, it's getting better. For now, I’ll
accept this as a step in the right direction.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
I'm speaking at MS Ignite!!
The tech world is changing fast—and that means the role of
the tech professional is more vital than ever before. Microsoft Ignite is the
place to meet the experts, get your questions answered, and connect with the
tech community. I’ll be there, presenting Let Her Finish: Supporting Women's Voices in IT, and I hope
you’ll add it to your schedule and attend.
Here’s more you can expect from Microsoft Ignite:
- Go in depth with over 40
pre-day sessions to choose from, including Microsoft Azure, SharePoint,
Dynamics 365, Windows, and much more
- Learn about the future
of tech in Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s keynote
- Meet up with colleagues,
view sessions, and discuss what you’re learning in the Hang Out
- Gain insights from
industry leaders with Women in Business and Tech programming
I hope to see you in Orlando September 25-29!
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Highlighting Women in the SQL Community - July 2017
Find a mentor. Be a mentor.
Build a strong network of women.
Make friendships with other women working in your field.
As most of you know, I think it's my calling to highlight & support women in technology, specifically speakers and leaders in the SQL Community. Each month, our Virtual Group presents a technical session by a female speaker or a session specific to a female gender related topic, presented by a man or woman. Part of these sessions involves a list of what women are doing. That's what this blog psot does. A highlight of what women in the SQL Community are doing in just the second half of July 2017
Why
Did My Clever Index Change Backfire?
Kendra
Little
19 Jul 2017 16:00 GMT
SQL
Server is full of advanced techniques to build powerful indexes: indexed views,
filtered...
Writing User Stories and Slicing Epics for DW/BI Teams
Lynn Winterboer
19 Jul 2017 14:00 GMT
Agile
is all the rage in software development, and many data warehousing and business
intelligence...
DevOps and
the Agile DBA
Kellyn Pot'Vin-Gorman
19 Jul 2017 17:00 GMT
DevOps
came out of the Agile movement and the idea that operations needed to be part
of the...
Help me,
Query Store. You're My Only Hope
Erin Stellato
19 Jul 2017 19:00 GMT
The
Query Store feature in SQL Server is marketed as a flight recorder for your
database.
PowerShell ❤️
SQL Server: Modern Database Administration
Chrissy LeMaire
19 Jul 2017 21:00 GMT
Join
dbatools teammates Chrissy LeMaire and Constantine Kokkinos for a fun,
fast-paced session that...
Implementing
Advanced Analytics with SQL Server 2017 and Python
Ginger
Grant
20 Jul 2017 00:00 GMT
Looking
to find out what is coming next with SQL Server? Thinking about learning a new
analytical...
Tools and
Tips: From Accidental to Efficient Data Warehouse Developer
Cathrine
Wilhelmsen
20 Jul 2017 06:00 GMT
You
have probably heard about the Accidental DBA, but what about the Accidental
Data Warehouse...
SQL Server
Data Compression
Kathi
Kellenberger
20 Jul 2017 08:00 GMT
When
I first heard about data compression back when it was introduced with SQL
Server 2008
On
Transactions and Atomic Operations
Gail
Shaw
20 Jul 2017 11:00 GMT
"If
there’s one thing that we, as SQL developers don’t do, it’s use transactions as
often as we...
Women in Technology
Upcoming Webinars
Upcoming Webinars
uHe’s
Assertive. She’s Aggressive (Unconscious Bias in the Workplace)
uAndrea Mascher
uSept 21, 2017
u
uCreating and
Maintaining Successful Open Source Projects
uChrissy LeMaire
uOct 4, 2017
Women in Technology
Today’s Session
uMelissa Coates
uTales from Building
a SQL Server Data Warehouse in Azure
uIn this
session, we share our experiences and lessons learned from a recent migration
to Azure for a SQL Server data warehousing environment. We begin with sharing
our reasoning for IaaS vs. PaaS, our carefully-selected naming conventions, and
how we structured development, test, and production within subscriptions and
resource groups. We cover the what, why, and how for decisions around storage,
encryption, and backups. Finally, the session wraps up with a brief discussion
of the use of Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates and PowerShell, as well as
techniques for monitoring the environment in Azure.
uMelissa Coates is a Business Intelligence Architect with SentryOne. Based in
Charlotte, North Carolina, she specializes in delivering Analytics, Data
Warehousing, and Business Intelligence solutions using on-premises, cloud, and
hybrid technologies. Formerly a CPA, Melissa is ridiculously proud to be an IT
geek and downright giddy to be a Microsoft Data Platform MVP. When Melissa
steps away from the keyboard, you can probably find her hanging out with her
border collie, paddle boarding, or playing in the garden. Melissa
blogs at sqlchick.com.
Friday, July 7, 2017
SQL Saturday Atlanta is almost here
Well, it's that time of year again. No, not summer time, where people take vacations with their family, spend lazy Saturdays at the lake or sitting on their patio with a beer. It's that time of year when the idea of free time goes out the window. We've been hard at work planning SQL Saturday Atlanta. We've moved to a new month (July instead of May) and a new venue (Lawrenceville instead of Alpharetta). These changes have meant almost everything else changes too: hotel, pre con dinner locations, speaker party location, after party location, struggling with room layout, where to put the sponsors, etc.
The new venue is lovely, spacious & filled with light in the common areas. Gwinnett Technical College has been a joy to work with. Luckily, we've been able to get almost everything on the first floor. We have multiple rooms that seat 90 people and most seat 50+. We're going to need it too. As of today, we have 709 attendees registered. But as expected there are some last minute details to work out. Things like having a custodian on staff so we don't run out of toilet paper in the men's room. Making sure we have a tech support person there to show us how this crazy AV equipment works. Do we have WiFi for everyone? Can the ready room be locked overnight or do I have to move all our things to a different place & bring it back bright & early on Saturday?
And let's not forget budgeting. The new place is expensive. I know a lot of SQL Saturdays get venues for little to nothing. That isn't how it works here in Atlanta. Not for 500+ people. So we do this delicate balancing act of paying over $8,000 for a building that will hold us all, feed 500+ people a decent lunch in a very short window of time, host a speaker dinner & an after party all while making sure sponsors get their monies worth.
The best part is my team. SQL Saturday Atlanta has done it again. They've surpassed my expectations when it came to presenting ideas and executing on it. They're pictured here, hard at work.
The search for a new venue was a treacherous one. We looked everywhere.
The new venue is lovely, spacious & filled with light in the common areas. Gwinnett Technical College has been a joy to work with. Luckily, we've been able to get almost everything on the first floor. We have multiple rooms that seat 90 people and most seat 50+. We're going to need it too. As of today, we have 709 attendees registered. But as expected there are some last minute details to work out. Things like having a custodian on staff so we don't run out of toilet paper in the men's room. Making sure we have a tech support person there to show us how this crazy AV equipment works. Do we have WiFi for everyone? Can the ready room be locked overnight or do I have to move all our things to a different place & bring it back bright & early on Saturday?
And let's not forget budgeting. The new place is expensive. I know a lot of SQL Saturdays get venues for little to nothing. That isn't how it works here in Atlanta. Not for 500+ people. So we do this delicate balancing act of paying over $8,000 for a building that will hold us all, feed 500+ people a decent lunch in a very short window of time, host a speaker dinner & an after party all while making sure sponsors get their monies worth.
I find it helps to know your limitations.
The best part is my team. SQL Saturday Atlanta has done it again. They've surpassed my expectations when it came to presenting ideas and executing on it. They're pictured here, hard at work.
Our attitude for this upcoming quest? Keep calm.
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
On Being Awarded my Microsoft MVP on the Data Platform
The email came on Saturday, April 1st. It was already a crazy day, with my daughter competing in regionals, several hours away that evening. Things were a bit of a whirlwind that morning getting her to dress rehearsal in full hair & makeup, costume ready to go and packing bags for our over night stay. I'm having a very late, very rushed lunch with my boyfriend as 3 MVP calendar invites show up in my inbox. There's been some mistake, I think. It is April Fool's Day after all. I wasn't awarded an MVP with this latest round. Was I?
Time to check the Social & Promotional folders on my Gmail. And there it is
Time to check the Social & Promotional folders on my Gmail. And there it is
Congratulations 2017 Microsoft MVP!
I'm actually at a loss for words for a couple of minutes. I place my phone, face down on the table and quietly say "I've been awarded the MVP. I can think of so many other people that are more deserving." To be considered among such company is incredibly humbling. I'm immediately aware of the responsibility now upon my shoulders.
So what is an MVP & how did I become one?
According to Microsoft, this award is given to exceptional community leaders who share their remarkable passion, real-world knowledge and technical expertise with other through a demonstration of exemplary commitment. I suppose I do that. I'm very active with my local user group and I organize SQL Saturday Atlanta (register or submit NOW!). I speak at SQL Saturdays all across the US every year. I'm an Idera ACE for 2017 where they encourage me to blog, answer questions in their forums, host #SQLChat and present webinars for them. I'm co-leader of the PASS Women in Technology Virtual Chapter and host 15+ webinars a year where women speak on technical topics and highlight women technical speakers weekly as they're speaking at different events, presenting webinars or Pre Cons. I mentor other women to GET OUT THERE and speak.
Know someone else that should be?
Do you know someone that does all of this and probably more? If so, I encourage you to NOMINATE that person to be a Microsoft MVP as well. It applies for women in business and the same holds true for being an MVP. Once you make it through the door, it's your responsibility to drag someone along with you. I've already nominated someone that I felt was truly deserving of the award.
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