Here is a list of the technical presentations I’ve given at regional and international events. If you would like me to present one of them at your event, you can contact me here.
Managing SQL Server on AWS Relational Database Service (RDS) (download)
Relational Database Service (RDS) for SQL Server is the cloud-hosted “fully managed SQL Server as a Service” option from Amazon Web Services (AWS). There are many benefits to the service, including:
- scalable hardware with support for infrastructure-as-code (Terraform)
- geo-replicated high availability
- monitoring & email/SMS notification
- management tasks (server configuration, patching & backups)
| Year | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Richmond SQL Server Users Group | Richmond, VA |
Using SQL containers with Azure Data Studio (download)
SQL Server containers are gaining popularity as a way of enhancing and standardizing development environments for Windows & Linux hosts. One of the challenges to creating a customized (ie fully configured) SQL image is the need to make configuration changes to the host, the container, and the SQL Server image (inside the container). In this session, we will use Azure Data Studio notebooks (for both PowerShell & SQL) to manage Windows containers and document & deploy a customized SQL Server image.
| Year | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Triad SQL Users Group | online |
Automated SQL Server Installation and Configuration using PowerShell (download)
Using the SQL setup wizard and management studio (SSMS) to install and configure a new SQL server is a time-intensive process. PowerShell scripts can greatly reduce the time required to complete the process. They can also ensure build standardization throughout your SQL environment. In this session, we will look at PowerShell scripting, including the basic syntax and commandlets needed to automate the installation and post-install configuration of SQL Server.
| Year | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | SQLSaturday 846 SQLSaturday 839 |
Richmond, Virginia Virginia Beach, Virginia |
Session Info |
| 2018 | SQLSaturday 721 | Raleigh, North Carolina | Session Info |
| 2017 | SQLSaturday 693 SQLSaturday 610 Hampton Roads SQL Server User Group |
Washington, D.C. Richmond, Virginia Virginia Beach, Virginia |
Session Info Session Info Meeting Info |
| 2016 | SQLSaturday 574 NOVASQL |
Washington, D.C. Reston, Virginia |
Session Info Meeting Info |
| 2015 | SQLSaturday 470 Lynchburg SQL Server User Group SQLSaturday 445 SQLSaturday 395 SQLSaturday 381 Hampton Roads SQL Server User Group |
Washington, D.C. Lynchburg, Virginia Raleigh, North Carolina Baltimore, Maryland Richmond, Virginia Virginia Beach, Virginia |
Session Info Meeting Info Session Info Session Info Session Info Meeting Info |
| 2014 | Richmond SQL Server Users Group | Richmond, Virginia | Meeting Info |
SQL Restore: Optimizing your data recovery (download)
When disaster strikes, everyone’s immediate question becomes: How long until the system is back online? Whether it’s a single database or the whole SQL environment, time is essential… As everyone waits for the restore to complete. How long will the restoration process take? Can it run faster? In this session, we’ll answer these questions by looking at the Disaster Recovery process and the options available for performance tuning database restores.
| Year | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | SQLSaturday 846 SQLSaturday 863 |
Richmond, Virginia Raleigh, North Carolina |
Session Info Session Info |
| 2018 | SQLSaturday 814 SQLSaturday 806 NOVASQL Hampton Roads SQL Server User Group SQLSaturday 705 PASSDC |
Washington, D.C. Charlotte, North Carolina Reston, Virginia Virginia Beach Richmond, Virginia Washington, D.C. |
Session Info Session Info Meeting Info Meeting Info Session Info Meeting Info |
| 2017 | Queensland SQL Server User Group Richmond SQL Server Users Group |
Brisbane, Queensland Richmond, Virginia |
Meeting Info Meeting Info |
Integrating On-Prem Data with Azure Apps (download)
Azure applications (PowerBI, Power Apps, AI & Machine Learning, etc) can greatly enhance business processes. Most organizations, however, have already invested in on-premises infrastructure for storing their data (database & file servers). The problem therefore is: How can you use on-prem data sources with cloud-based (Azure) applications?
In this session we will look at using an Azure On-Premises Data Gateway to integrate local (on-prem) data sources with Azure-based applications.
| Year | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | PASSDC | Washington DC | Meeting Info |
SQL Backups: Choosing the right solution for your environment
Backing up databases is (arguably) the most important maintenance task for any database administrator. But the question is: Which solution should you choose for creating and managing your backups? In this session we’ll discuss the options available and demonstrate 2 of the solutions in action (Ola Hallengren’s DatabaseBackup and Minionware’s Minion Backup).
| Year | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Hampton Roads SQL Server User Group SQLSaturday 592 SQLSaturday 486 |
Virginia Beach, Virginia Raleigh, North Carolina Richmond, Virginia |
Meeting Info Session Info Session Info |