Colorado Springs SQL Server Users Group

Published - Monday, May 13, 2013

Next Meeting: Wednesday, May 15th @ 5:30pm

101 Session: "SQL Tips and Tricks: BackupSet" by Mike Fal

Abstract: Managing backups is a fundamental part of being a DBA. The great thing about SQL Server is that so much information is baked right into the product. This short presentation will dive into the specifics of the BackupSet table in MSDB and how we can leverage that information as part of our day to day jobs.

Bio: Mike Fal is a musician turned SQL Server DBA, with 10+ years of experience as a database administrator. He has worked for several different industries, including healthcare, software development, marketing, and manufacturing and has experience supporting databases from 1 GB to 4 TB in size. Mike received his a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1996 and has been caught playing trombone in public on more than one occasion.

Main Session: "Predictive Modeling with SQL Server Data Mining" by Carlos Bossy

Abstract: This session will show you how to solve a real-world data mining problem by demonstrating the entire development life cycle of a predictive model. Attendees will learn the essentials required to harness the power of a the data mining algorithms in SQL Server to develop and optimize a production ready predictive model. Carlos will also show how to iterate through the process to improve the model’s effectiveness. Finally, you will see show how to make the most of a predictive model by deploying it and utilizing in your applications and reports.

Bio: Carlos Bossy (MCTS, MCP SQL Server 2008 BI, CBIP) is a Consultant with 25 years experience in software and database development. As the Principal of his company Carlos focuses on developing Business Intelligence solutions including modeling data warehouses, predictive analytics, integration and reporting. He has worked with SQL Server for 12 years and is very enthusiastic about its powerful features. Carlos has developed warehouses and BI solutions for a variety of industries and state agencies.

Date Published - Thursday, March 28, 2013

Next Meeting: April 17th at 5:30pm

Main Session: "DAX – Get Context" by Reeves Smith"

Abstract: Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) is the language of PowerPivot and the BISM Tabular Model. Understand the basics of the DAX language and get introduced to evaluation context. The demo will walk through various examples the DAX query language and demo row and filter context.

Intermediate Level

Bio: Reeves Smith is a SQL Server consultant specializing in data warehouse projects. He has been working with SQL Server for over 17 years beginning with SQL Server 6.5. During that time he has had the opportunity to work on various development and data warehouse projects within industries like the DoD, telecommunication, entertainment, oil and gas, manufacturing, travel, and banking. He is a SQL Server MCM, MCSE, MCITP and MCDBA.

Meeting Location:

Hyatt Place - Garden of the Gods

503 West Garden of the Gods Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Map/Directions

Date Published - Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Next Meeting: Wednesday, March 20th at 5:30pm

Main Session: "When ETL Goes Bad: Handling Errors and Amomalies in SSIS" by Tim Mitchell

Even in the most reliable ETL system, it's eventually going to happen: A package will fail, an output row count won't match what is expected, a data anomaly will force a forensic search of the package infrastructure...

In this session, we'll talk about some of the things that can go wrong during package execution - and some of the defenses that can be built into SSIS to help head off those errors (or at least make the errors easier to troubleshoot). From error handlers to package restartability, and from logging methods to row count validation and remediation, we'll cover various ways to keep your ETL flowing when problems arise.

Bio: Tim Mitchell is a business intelligence consultant, database developer, speaker, and trainer. He has been working with SQL Server for a decade, working primarily in business intelligence, ETL/SSIS, database development, and reporting. He has earned a number of industry certifications and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Texas A&M at Commerce, and has been a Microsoft SQL Server MVP since 2010. Tim is a business intelligence consultant for Artis Consulting in the Dallas, Texas area.

As an active member of the community, Tim has spoken at national, regional, and local venues including the SQL PASS summit, SQL Connections, SQL Saturday events, and various user groups and PASS virtual chapters. He is a board member and speaker at the North Texas SQL Server User Group in Dallas, serves as the co-chair of the PASS BI Virtual Chapter, and is an active volunteer for PASS. Tim is an author and forum contributor onSQLServerCentral.com and has published dozens of SQL Server training videos on SQLShare.com.

Tim is a contributing author on the charity book project MVP Deep Dives 2, and is coauthor of the book SSIS Design Patterns.

You can visit his website and blog at TimMitchell.net or follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/Tim_Mitchell.

Meeting Location:

Hyatt Place - Garden of the Gods

503 West Garden of the Gods Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Map/Directions

Date Published - - Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Main Session: "Dimension Modeling Design Patterns: Beyond Basics" by Jason Horner

Abstract: This session will provide a deeper dive into the art of dimensional modeling. We will look at the different types of fact tables and dimension tables, how and when to use them. We will also some approaches to creating rich hierarchies that make reporting a snap. This session promises to be very interactive and engaging, bring your toughest Dimensional Modeling quandaries.

Session Level: Intermediate

Bio: Jason Horner has been working with SQL Server for over 10 years. He is currently focused on a large scale Spatial Data Warehouse project. He holds MCITP Certifications in both Database Administration and Database Development.

101 Session: SQL Server 2012 Licensing

Abstract: As SQL Server Professionals, other people assume that we know all about its licensing. This session will cover the 2012 licensing model and the conversions from 2008 software assurance agreements. We’ll discuss the breakeven points of different scenarios using an Excel workbook. At the end of this presentation we are all going to have it memorized using a Memory Palace technique.

Presented by: Bill Hoenig

Application Developer Lead, Systems Integration

Ent Federal Credit Union

Meeting Location:

Hyatt Place - Garden of the Gods

503 West Garden of the Gods Road

Colorado Springs, CO 80909

Map/Directions

Presented by: Bill Hoenig

Application Developer Lead, Systems Integration

Ent Federal Credit Union

Date Published - Sunday, January 06, 2013

Next Meeting: January 16th at 5:30 pm

Main Session: "Lean and Mean: Running SQL Server on Windows Server Core" by Argenis Fernandez

Abstract:

Do you consider the Windows GUI to be a waste of resources? Starting with SQL Server 2012, you can run on top of Windows Server Core 2008 R2 or 2012. In this session we will discuss installation and management of SQL Server on Windows Server Core, along with lots of tips and tricks.

Bio:

Argenis Fernandez is a Senior Consultant for Microsoft Consulting Services, US West Region, based in Redmond, WA. He has worked with SQL Server for over 14 years and enjoys large SQL Server farms, high-end OLTP databases, managing Windows environments, performance troubleshooting, high availability, disaster recovery, following best practices, and PowerShell scripting. Argenis is also a Microsoft Certified Master on SQL Server 2008, an avid Twitter user (you can follow him at @DBArgenis), and occasional blogger on SQL Server topics at http://www.sqlblog.com/blogs/argenis_fernandez/.