SQL Relay is returning for its 8th year, and is heading your way in October 2017!

SQL Relay will be in Reading on Monday 9th October, featuring top quality Microsoft Data Platform content from Microsoft, and nationally and internationally renowned speakers.

We will have four tracks; three primary tracks providing in depth tips and tricks for your SQL Server and Azure environment, there is also a morning and afternoon in-depth workshop, spaces are limited on these so make sure you register your place below.

With over 1000 registrations on the last Relay, reserve your place quickly

Agenda: The planned agenda is shown at the bottom of this page, please note that this is still subject to change.

The day will comprise of a series of 55 minute technical presentations, at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. You can switch tracks at will throughout the day, to select the sessions that are most relevant to you.

The workshop track is pre-book only, and will take the whole morning or afternoon.

Parking: There is limited parking available, on a first come first served basis. We recommend public transport where possible. 

Shuttle-Bus: There is a free shuttle bus serivice directly from Reading Station.

Full travel details here

Address: Building 3, Microsoft, Thames Valley Park, Reading, RG6 1WP

Registration: Places are on a first come first served basis. On the day, doors will be open from 8:30am with sessions starting at 9.

Competitions: We will provide you with a ticket that also contains competition entry vouchers, which you can put in sponsors' bowls during the day to win some great prizes! Please make sure you cut these out prior to getting to the venue or there will be a big queue for the scissors!

Food: We'll be providing a light lunch, plus tea & coffee at a couple of breaks. We will be catering for vegetarian food, according to your food preferences during registration.

Dress Code: Casual

First Time at These Events? Everyone has a 'first event', including the speakers and organisers of this event. We're lucky to be a part of the UK SQL Server community, one of the most friendly and welcoming tech communities out there. Whether you're in a group or on your own, you'll be made to feel welcome and will learn lots about new and existing technology, as well as a chance to meet your peers and SQL heroes. And if you have any queries, please get in touch here and we'll help you out.

Are all the events the same? No, but there is a consistent theme. A number of speakers will present at multiple events, but the sessions and content will change throughout the tour according to speaker availability and the technical content required at each venue.

Can I register for multiple events? Absolutely, yes. With multiple tracks of content you can't see every session on a single day, so why not join us at multiple venues to make sure you get a full dose of SQL Server awesomeness.

Visas: We welcome all attendees, international and local. However we are unable to provide or support visas for foreign attendees.

Other Questions? Contact us at contact@SQLRelay.co.uk and we'll get back to you as soon as we can

Other Events:

• SQL Relay 2017 - Reading - 9th Oct 2017
  
• SQL Relay 2017 - Nottingham - 10th Oct 2017
  
• SQL Relay 2017 - Leeds - 11th Oct 2017
  
• SQL Relay 2017 - Birmingham - 12th Oct 2017
  
• SQL Relay 2017 - Bristol - 13th Oct 2017
  

Morning Workshop - The Modern Data Warehouse Bootcamp - by Adatis

The world of BI & Data Analytics has changed dramatically over the past year. The one-box MS BI Stack solution is no longer the only option for providing data analytics, now that Azure’s analysis capabilities are here we have too many choices around how to achieve this! This fast-paced, demo-heavy workshop will take you through a reference architecture for the modern analytics platform, introducing each component technology and demonstrating how they all fit together. We’ll be running through the following modules:

• Cloud Architectures 101 - Why you might need a modern architecture
• Intro to Data Lake Store - Where to store your data
• Intro to Data Factory - How to move data in Azure
• Intro to Data Lake Analytics - How to batch process flat files
• Intro to Streaming Analytics - How to process event data at speed
• Intro to SQL Data Warehouse - How to batch process relational data & tie the other components together
• Intro to Logic Apps – How to orchestrate your analytics platform
• Intro to PowerBI – How to present your data to users

You'll leave this session with a better understanding of why this architecture works, the benefits over traditional approaches and a first-step on the ladder to learning each technology.

Agenda: The following is the provisional agenda, please note that this is still subject to change.

8:30   Doors Open

9:00 - 9:30   Keynote

9:35 - 10:30    Session 1

1. Containers and Clones: Provision many giant SQL Servers in seconds on a tiny HDD - Alex Yates & Andrew Pruski
2. Power BI, my review - Mary Fealty
3. Padawan Hour - SQL Server For Absolute Beginners - Andre Melancia
4. Workshop: The Modern Data Warehouse Bootcamp by Adatis

10:30 - 10:45   Break

10:45 - 11:40   Session 2

1. New Features in SQL 2017 - Nisha John
2. Green is good, Red is bad - Turning your Checklists into Pester Tests - Rob Sewell
3. Using M for data access in Analysis Services Tabular 2017 - Chris Webb
4. Workshop: Continued...

11:45 - 12:40   Session 3

1. Maximising SQL Performance - Unleash the I/O - Neil Hambly
2. Query Plans Deep Dive - David Morrison
3. To SQL or not to SQL, that is the ques-tion! - Andrew Fryer
4. Workshop: Continued...

12:40 - 13:40  Lunch

13:40 - 14:35   Session 4

1. Investigate TempDB like Sherlock Holmes - Richard Douglas
   
2. Beginning Data Science-From Novice to Professional - Dr. Subramani Paramasivam
   
3. Azure Data Lake - The Services. The SQL. The Sharp - Paul Andrew
   
4. Workshop: Everyone needs a little science in their data by Microsoft

14:40 - 15:35   Session 5

1. An Introduction to Machine Learning - Alex Whittles
2. Database in the Cloud for Early Adopters - Tobiasz Koprowski
3. How Profisee Ensures Data Quality and Drives BI Value for Your Business - Dave Lawrence
   
4. Workshop: Continued...

15:35 - 15:50   Break

15:50 - 16:45   Session 6

1. Modern Data Warehousing - A template for Lambda BI in Azure - Terry McCann & Simon Whiteley
2. Jump-start your journey to SQL Server on Linux - John Martin
   
3. Continuous Delivery on the Azure Data Platform - Gavin Campbell
   
4. Workshop: Continued...

16:45 - 17:00   Prizes

 * Subject to change