Abstract: A demonstration of SQL Server T-SQL script that will build a calendar table, also known as a Date dimension, and demonstrate ways to easily query it to perform what would otherwise be complex date expressions. This session will be a live demo of three articles, complete with downloadable T-SQL:

• SQL Server Calendar Table
• SQL Server Calendar Table: Tips and Tricks
• SQL Server Calendar Table: Fiscal Years

About Jim: Jim is a Microsoft-based database developer specializing in Business Intelligence, ETL, and Dashboard solutions using Microsoft SQL Server, SSIS, SSRS, and Access. Jim has worked as a developer, staff manager, production support manager, and internal and external consultant.

Abstract: Keeping data safe from theft is one of the primary roles of the DBA and the developers who create applications using SQL Server. In this session we will talk about the basics of how encryption works and match some of the available techniques to real-world problems. Hash, salt, asymmetric cryptography, reversible encryption, dictionary attack – what does it all mean?

About Merrill: Merrill recently joined BlueGranite as a Senior Consultant for the Microsoft Data Platform. Previously he consulted on both analytics and database administration topics for RBA Consulting in the Twin Cities, and was a full time DBA starting in 2005.

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.

About Glenn: Glenn is a Principal Consultant with SQLskills. He has worked as a SQL Server professional for many years in a variety of roles, most recently as Database Architect for Avalara in Parker, CO.

Glenn has been a SQL Server MVP since 2007, and has a whole collection of Microsoft certifications, including MCITP, MCDBA, MCSE, MCSD, MCAD, and MCTS, which proves he likes to take tests. His expertise includes DMVs, high availability, hardware selection and configuration, and performance tuning. 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 University College.

Glenn is heavily involved in the SQL Server community, and is a frequent speaker at user groups, SQL Saturdays, and the PASS Community Summit. He is the author of the book SQL Server Hardware, and he wrote chapters for SQL Server MVP Deep Dives and SQL Server MVP Deep Dives Volume 2 books.

Glenn's personal blog is at http://sqlserverperformance.wordpress.com/, his SQLskills blog is at http://www.SQLskills.com/blogs/glenn, and he can be reached by email at glenn@SQLskills.com, and on Twitter as GlennAlanBerry.

Anyone can talk about something for 15 minutes! Walk-ups will be entered into a drawing for a $20 Amazon Gift Card.

Paul Timmerman	Azure Storage Snapshots
Riley Major	User-Defined Functions
Riley Major	Tally Tables
Eric Zierdt	Extracting Web Data with Office
Eric Zierdt	Making Extended Events more Useful
WALK-UPS	WIN $20!

Which experts, you ask? Well you of course! Every member of our user group is an expert in something. Join us on the 16th for a round-room discussion on a wide range of topics. Feel free to bring not only your expertise, but some problems/challenges you are currently facing in your organization. This is your user group. Leverage its power to help you solve any issue!

Abstract: A 'how I did it' of converting from a full-time employee to an independent contractor with my own business for the last dozen years.

In Scope

Benefits and Risks

When to declare 'Freedom!!!'

Legal and Insurance

Money, and how to convert W2 Hourly to 1099 Hourly to W2 Salary

Marketing

Out of Scope

How to get a job. There are plenty of those articles out there.

Any technical skills that would help you get a job. You're on your own there.

How to price your services.

About Jim: Jim is a Microsoft-based database developer specializing in Business Intelligence, ETL, and Dashboard solutions using Microsoft SQL Server, SSIS, SSRS, and Access. Jim has worked as a developer, staff manager, production support manager, and internal and external consultant.

Abstract: Polybase has been added to SQL Server 2016. While new to SQL Server, it has been a part of Microsoft's APS appliance (a.k.a. Parallel Data Warehouse) for a couple of years. Polybase allows users with TSQL skills to interact with data from Hadoop, Azure Blob Storage, and SQL Server. During the session we will cover the basics of setup and focus on design principals and usage of Polybase for cross platform queries, data load, and data extraction from nontraditional sources.

About Steve: Steve Hughes is a Principal Consultant Lead at Pragmatic Works. He is currently responsible for guiding the Principal Consultant team and working with other areas in the organization to build out our data and analytics offerings. His area of expertise is in data and business intelligence architecture on the Microsoft SQL Server platform. He was also the data architect for a SaaS company which delivered a transportation management solution for fleets across the United States. Steve has co-authored three books and delivered many presentations on SQL Server and data architecture over the past six years. He also provides insights from the field on his blog.

Abstract: In SQL Server 2016 Microsoft has include native handling of JSON. What does that mean? What is JSON? Why do I care? Will there be knives and hockey masks? Come to this session and you will learn what JSON is, where and how it is used and why as a DBA you need to know this.

About Jim: Jim Dorame has been working with SQL Server for over 20 years. Over those years he's learned a great deal from the SQL community. He's been giving back to the community in the hopes that he may help someone in their career. Jim's always looking for something to learn and luckily Microsoft keeps adding to SQL Server.

Abstract: There have been three new releases of SQL Server since the introduction of Extended Events in SQL Server 2008, and DBAs and developers alike *still* prefer Profiler. Friends, it's time to move on. If you've tried Extended Events and struggled, or if you've been thinking about it but just aren't sure where to begin, then come to this session. Using your existing knowledge and experience, we bridge the gap between Profiler and Extended Events through a series of demos, starting with the Profiler UI you know and love, and ending with an understanding of how to leverage functionality in the Extended Events UI for data analysis. By the end of this session, you'll know how to use Extended Events in place of Profiler to continue the tasks you've been doing for years--and more. Whether you attend kicking and screaming, with resignation because you've finally given up, or with boundless enthusiasm for Extended Events, you'll learn practical techniques you can put to use immediately.

About Erin: Erin Stellato is a SQL Server MVP and lives in Cleveland, OH. She has over 13 years of technology experience and has worked with SQL Server since 2003. Her areas of interest include statistics, performance tuning, Extended Events, and helping accidental/involuntary DBAs figure out how SQL Server works. Erin is an active member of the SQL Server community, is on the board of the Ohio North SQL Server User Group, and is a regular speaker at conferences like SQLintersection and the PASS Summit. Outside of time with family and friends, she enjoys running, spinning, movies, and all things chocolate.

Abstract: For years it seemed that the only message SQL Server professionals were hearing was "to the Cloud.... you must get to the Cloud!". However, if you work in a highly regulated industry, or one simply averse to change, this likely was not an option for you. The good news is, Microsoft heard your feedback and has been busy incorporating Cloud connectivity, compatibility, and functionality into the box product.

Come spend the hour with me and you'll learn how to leverage the power of the Cloud with your on-premises SQL Server install. We'll cover backup and restore options with Windows Azure Storage, using Windows Azure VMs for high availability, how to store your data files in Windows Azure Storage, and more. We'll start with SQL Server 2012 and work our way up to the most recently released bits for SQL Server 2016. You can have the best of both worlds with a SQL Server Hybrid Cloud strategy!

About Paul: Paul Timmerman is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and the Lead SQL Server DBA at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Paul has fifteen years of experience in database administration and is currently the Chapter Leader of the Minnesota SQL Server User Group, PASSMN. Paul is an active member of the PASS community and routinely speaks at user group meetings and SQL Saturday conferences.

Abstract: Microsoft recently announced the SQL Data Warehouse Platform as a Service (PaaS) feature for Microsoft Azure. This platform provides an on-demand Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) platform for build data warehouses that can handle from 10s of TBs of data up to PBs. This session will provide an overview of SQL Data Warehouse with a discussion on the value that Massively Parallel Processing (MPP) brings to your data warehouse and why the cloud may be the best platform for your solution. In this session, we'll also dig into the capabilities of SQL Data Warehouse and compare those to other offerings.

• Scale from terabytes to petabytes
• Save on costs through on-demand scale
• Take advantage of architecture designed for scalable performance
• Gain a cloud integrated data warehouse solution

About Jason: Jason Strate is a data platform architect and administrator. He has been working with Microsoft SQL Server for more fifteen years. His experiences include designing and implementing transactional and data warehousing solutions on Microsoft Data Platform technologies, including SQL Server and Parallel Data Warehouse. A recipient of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional award for Data Platform (formerly SQL Server) since 2009, he also has achieved the Microsoft Certified Master for SQL Server certification.

Abstract: When Chief Brody first sees the shark in Jaws, he carefully backs away from the stern of the Orca and quietly, but certainly, tells Quint, "You're gonna need a bigger boat." That one line, combined with a terrific delivery by Roy Sheider, packs a great deal of contextual information into six words.

Making efficient use of space to convey meaning is a vital part of good Data Visualization.

In this session, we will discuss the fundamentals of human visual perception, including the important distinction between Pre-Attentive and Attentive Processing. We will use examples from feature films like Jaws, Alien, and Sneakers to show important aspects of visual analysis around Color, Form, Position, and Motion. We will then put these concepts into practice via demos in Excel and Power BI. By the end of this session, you will have a solid understanding of the importance of data visualization and how to use it to enable better decisions.

About Mark: Mark Vaillancourt is a SQL Server MVP and a Business Intelligence Consultant for Tail Wind Technologies, a Microsoft partner based in Minnetonka, MN. He has been working with SQL Server since 2007 and holds the MCITP – Business Intelligence Developer 2008 certification. With a background in Theater and Improvised Comedy, Mark makes sure that his presentations are both informative and fun.