Tag Archives: SQL Saturday

SQL Saturday 70 Columbia SC Post Event Wrap-Up

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I had a good trip to Columbia, SC on March 19.  At the event I presented on the topic “Enterprise Data Mining for SQL Server Professionals”, whose slides and demos are now online.  Based on the free dataset called Contoso Retail, the technology included:

  • SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)
  • DMX (Data Mining Extensions)
  • XMLA (XML for Analysis)
  • BIDS (Business Intelligence Development Studio)
  • SSIS (SQL Server Integration Services)
  • PowerShell version 2.0 (the version with exception handling)
  • and of course, SQL Server Data Mining

The links for the slides and the demos are at the end of this post.

Also, it was good to continue to develop friendships among the regular SQL Server speakers and vendors. Having these events helps bring SQL Server related technology to regional if not local communities.  Many speakers at this conference speak at other regional and national technical conferences.

Brian Kelley was the lead organizer for the event.  The event started again with a nice speaker dinner at a Greek restaurant.  Those attending had the chance to introduce themselves.  The main value I get at these dinners is meeting others passionate for technology and learning their stories.   Nothing mimics an actual event, and not all stories get captured on the Internet.  I go to these events to meet people, and for others to meet me too.

Continue reading “SQL Saturday 70 Columbia SC Post Event Wrap-Up” »

Speaking at SQL Saturday 70 Columbia SC

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PASS (Professional Association of SQL Server) is a user-led, not-for-profit organization, founded in 1999. I joined a few years ago, and though I have never been to the main conference (called PASS Summit), I have spoken several times at the smaller SQL Saturday conferences. I will be speaking this month on March 19, 2011 at SQL Saturday 70 in Columbia, SC. The conference is free.

My topic:

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SQL Saturday 48 Columbia SC — Post Event Wrapup

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I was among the presenters at October 2, 2010 SQL Saturday in Columbia SC. This post has a recap of the event, and toward the end I have my slides from the event.

The speaker dinner was a gift to speakers at the Grecian Gardens restaurant in West Columbia. Most people ordered Italian dishes off the menu, but I had a beef Greek dish which was good. About 25 people were there, and of the group immediately around me, many are on Twitter:

The point being that if you want be a speaker at a Microsoft conference, it helps to be using Twitter (or at least just get an account). During dinner we talked again about BI (Business Intelligence) and what does “self-service BI” mean to people.

MarkTab: Self-Service BI Means Excel

Excel has been around for decades, and I would argue is the primary self-service business intelligence tool. Continue reading “SQL Saturday 48 Columbia SC — Post Event Wrapup” »

SQL Saturday 46 Raleigh NC — Post-Event Wrapup

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I have decided to start putting post-event notes as blog postings. These postings provide the context and flavor for the meetings where I present. Also, I will put in some technical points which may not make it into my slide decks or other blog postings.

SQL Saturday 46

“SQL Saturday” is the branded series of basically free conferences on the SQL Server technology. Attendees may have to pay something, like a lunch fee, but overall the conference is free. The events are sponsored locally, typically by a local SQL Server user group, in this case Tripass. Vendors provide a LOT of giveaways, and for this event included:

  • Books
  • Online Training
  • $100 gift cards (several)
  • iPad
  • XBox 360 Limited Edition (the quiet one)
  • Digital Camera

Add to this list the free t-shirt and the usual table giveaways which vendors will give at larger conferences. I would not just come for the freebies, since it seems a few people win, and as it happens, some people win multiple things. Though, to win most of these prizes, you had to stay until after the last session, for the main giveaway session. I have been to a number of SQL Saturdays, and plan to continue.

Pre-Event

The speakers and volunteer staff were invited to a dinner the night before Continue reading “SQL Saturday 46 Raleigh NC — Post-Event Wrapup” »

SQL Saturday Raleigh NC — September 18

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I have been added to the schedule for SQL Saturday 46 in Raleigh NC on September 18. I found out early on September 24, and tweeted the news. Already, the mention of “Raleigh” earned me a new Tweet follower: Destination Raleigh.

I also was retweeted by some SAS bloggers too because I mentioned #SAS (even more new followers). I have been a SAS user since 1991, and have been a presenter at many local, regional and national SAS conferences since 1998. Some readers know I also consult with Solid Quality Mentors, but you may not know that the first consulting job they offered me in 2008 was advising a financial client on using SAS.

Raleigh is about as close to SAS headquarters as you can get — Cary, NC is just a few miles away, and forms part of the rich technology fabric of that landscape. SAS and Microsoft have been formal technology partners for many years, and to my best knowledge, the Microsoft OS family continues to be the primary deployment for the SAS System. In hopes of attracting more of the relevant audience, here is the message I posted to SUG-L, the SAS Usenet newsgroup for the Research Triangle area:

Hello SAS Users

I am posting to SUG-L to let you know about an upcoming free event (lunch cost is a nominal $10) where I will be speaking on SQL Server Data Mining. You would need to preregister to attend.

The event is called SQL Saturday, it will be in Raleigh on Saturday September 18, and here is the event webpage for registration:

http://sqlsaturday.com/46/eventhome.aspx

The sessions will focus on both the data warehousing and business intelligence features in SQL Server. Many SAS users already use SQL Server as a data source. You may benefit from this event because it brings together many SQL Server experts. Vendors come and give away good prizes (I do not know what the prizes will be, but Nashville included a couple of iPads ,along with software, tshirts, books).

Some on this list know me – like Joy Smith (who just announced the upcoming meeting) and Mal Foley – who should both remember me from SESUG and national SAS events. I have been a SAS user since 1991, consultant since 1998, and have presented on topics like SAS Macro and SAS/AF. As a SAS user, I started using SQL Server in the 1990s, and in 1999, I was specifically tasked by a client to do a comparative performance study between SAS and SQL Server. In the past few years I have been developing expertise in SQL Server Data Mining, and have developed a resource website and blog at http://marktab.net

SQL Server Data Mining comes already licensed with SQL Server Standard and Enterprise editions. During my presentation I will be showing how to apply this technology (2008 R2) with Excel 2010 and the free PowerPivot add-in. If you want my basic article on data mining see http://www.solidq.com/sqj/Documents/SQJ%20001%20pag.%2040-45.pdf

Finally, I have some flexibility within my allotted presentation to include prepared answers to any specific questions or applications you may have about SQL Server Data Mining, especially as it pertains to interacting with SAS. In submitting my proposal for Raleigh, I was hoping that some SAS users would come, and I would enjoy talking about how to combine these technologies. If you have any questions about combining these technologies, or already are doing it, I would like to hear from you, whether on or off list. Feel free to contact me directly through my website at marktab.net

Link to this post!

SQL Saturday Nashville August 21

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I will be presenting on Data Mining at an 11 AM Session in Nashville on August 21. This link will take you to the event website. A number of the presenters are experienced Microsoft experts, and I believe you will benefit from the range and depth of topics at this event. Like this blog, this event is FREE (which is my recommended price for events which build community).

Here are some details (quoted from the event website):

Are you ready for some FREE SQL Server training?

SQLSaturday #51 in Nashville, Tennessee, is the training event for SQL Server professionals and those wanting to learn about SQL Server. Admittance to this event is free! That’s right; free! All costs are covered by donations and sponsorships.

Please register soon since seating is limited, and let your friends and colleages know about the event.

When and Where?

SQLSaturday #51 will be held on August 21st, 2010, at Nashville State Community College (120 White Bridge Road, Nashville, Tennessee, 37209). Event check-in will be at 7:30 with the sessions beginning at 8:00. Sessions will wrap up between 5:00 and 5:30.

Coffee and doughnuts for breakfast will be provided. There’s an optional catered lunch available, too. Plus there will be numerous opportunities to win swag such as shirts, software, posters, and the like!

Schedule

We have four tracks – Database Administration, Database Development, Business Intelligence, and Professional Development. Visit the Schedule page.

Who is presenting?

Many of the local, regional, and even national SQL Server experts (including Microsoft MVP’s) will be here sharing their knowledge and experiences.

Will there be an after party?

Follow Twitter #sqlsat51 for updates on after actvities. People are already talking about a specific restaurant, and after that, #sqlkaraoke. MarkTab is a known #sqlkaraoke participant.

Link to this post!