SQL Saturday Houston 2018

We are back this year!  Not only are we sponsoring SQL Saturday Houston, we are also speaking!  All three of us are presenting!  Go here to see the full schedule.

What is SQL Saturday?

SQL Saturday is a free training event for Microsoft Data Platform professionals and those wanting to learn about SQL Server, Business Intelligence, and Analytics.  SQL Saturday Houston will be held on June 23, 2018 at San Jacinto College – South Campus, 13735 Beamer Road, Houston, Texas  77089.  Check-in and breakfast starts at 7:30am.  The first sessions begin at 8:30 am.  There are sessions for beginners, intermediate, and advanced levels.  Topics covered at this SQL Saturday are:

• Powershell
• Application & Database Development
• BI Platform Architecture, Development & Administration
• Cloud Application Development & Deployment
• Enterprise Database Administration & Deployment
• Professional Development
• Strategy & Architecture

Remember, this is a FREE event, but only a few spots remain!  Don’t wait, click here to register!

Where will we be?

We will each be at the Procure SQL booth with smiling faces, fun giveaways, and answers to your SQL Server questions!  Please stop by and say hello.  If not at the booth, you can find us attending a session or giving one of our own!

Angela will start out the day at 9:45 am in room 117.  She will be presenting her professional development session “Becoming the MVP: Soft Skills for the Hard Market.”  In this interactive, round-table discussion, Angela explores how soft skills are important at all levels of a person’s career.  The importance of soft skills in the job market, specific skills, and how to hone them will be top priority.  She has been known to give away prizes, so make sure to say hello!

Jay comes in next at 11:00 am in room 149.  Jay’s presentation is “Linux for SQL Server” and is a high-level overview of the differences and similarities between Linux and Windows for those who haven’t been exposed or may need a refresher.  Don’t be mistaken, even though this session is a high-level overview, it is fantastic for beginners!  Jay will introduce the Linux version of Windows commands used on a daily basis for administering SQL Server. Next, he will explore updating Linux, updating SQL Server, moving files between Windows and Linux, and backing up and restoring databases from one system to another. He will round out the session by taking a look at default file locations for SQL Server and what can be moved and how to accomplish that.

John is waking up the afternoon crowd at 1:30 in room 113.  He is presenting “Automate the Pain Away with Query Store and Automatic Tuning” which is an intermediate level presentation which explains how execution plans get invalidated and why data skew could be the root cause of seeing different execution plans for the same query. He will further explore options for forcing a query to use a particular execution plan. Finally, he will discuss how this complex problem can be identified and resolved simply using new features in SQL Server 2016 and SQL Server 2017 called Query Store and Automatic Tuning.  You won’t want to miss out on that!

What happens after the sessions are done?

Stick around after the last sessions because at 5:00 we all gather together for final remarks and sponsor raffles!  We will be giving away a new Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition!  To enter, just drop your raffle ticket in the bucket at our booth. 

But wait, there’s more!

The fun doesn’t stop here.  We leave from the event to an after party which is being held at Main Event, 1125 Magnolia Ave., Webster, Texas 77598.  Party starts at 6!  The after parties are a great way to unwind, network,  and chat up the speakers and new SQL friends you made during the sessions!