The SQL Saturday Chicago 2019 team is very happy to announce this year's pre-conference sessions! We received many submissions this year, and are pleased to offer the following: Managing and Architecting Azure Data Platform by Joey D'Antoni An Introduction to Data Science With Python for Data Professionals by Chris …

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I was very fortunate to attend my first SQLBits last year, and wow was it an amazing time! Not just because it was in London either (though that was great too!) but because it is a tremendously well-organized conference with some incredible sessions and opportunities to network. This year I not only get to return, but …

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2018 is almost over, and it's been an incredibly busy year for me. I've done more speaking and community activities this year than ever before, and had something big going on almost every month! In this, my final post of 2018, I thought I'd take a look back at some of the highlights. January I started off the year with …

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When designing presentations or writing blog posts, I try to use good looking images whenever possible. When mentioning Microsoft technologies, quality copies of logos or icons are really nice to have, though not always easy to find. Image searches often provide results, but the legality of using images found via that …

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Azure Data Studio (formerly Microsoft SQL Operations Studio) is Microsoft's new "cross-platform, lightweight tool for modern database development and operations." It is not a replacement for SQL Server Management Studio (not yet anyway), but I can see it becoming one over time. It is under constant …

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Another PASS Summit has come and gone, and as always I feel extremely fortunate to have been able to attend and speak! Thank you to everyone who attended my sessions, and an extra-special thank you to those of you who took the time to fill out session evaluations. Speakers are always looking to improve their craft, …

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I was going through some papers the other day and came across my undergraduate transcript, something I haven't laid eyes on in probably a decade. Reading through it was a humbling trip down memory lane. In the 12 years since I've graduated, I clearly remember (more like mis-remember) doing better in some courses than I …

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I'm very happy to be travelling to the Boston area in a few weeks! I will be speaking at the New England SQL User Group, which meets in Burlington, Massachusetts, on Wednesday December 12, 2018. I will be delivering my session Locks, Blocks, and Snapshots: Maximizing Database Concurrency. This takes a look at SQL …

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With the holiday season upon us, it's important to remember that it is always better to give than to receive. This year, the Azure Cosmos DB team is doing just that, and giving us a ton – in the form of the Cosmos DB 30 day trial. But this isn't just a single 30 day trial, it's renewable unlimited times! Now you can …

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While browsing Reddit last night, I came across "Farewell etaoin shrdlu", a 30 minute documentary showing the last day the New York Times used hot metal typesetting to print their paper, which was July 2, 1978. I've long been fascinated by Linotype machines, which cast molded lead "slugs" for a line …

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