SQLSaturday Baton Rouge #628 2017

Come join around 500+ attendees and speakers learning and networking at the LSU College of Business – Business Education Complex on Nicholson Drive Extension in Baton Rouge on Saturday July 29th 2017 8AM till 5PM. There will be plenty of MVPs and other experts in the areas of SQL Server, Business Intelligence, Microsoft Data Platform, .Net, SharePoint, System Administration and more. The schedule is located here.

My session is on What is new in Analysis Services? I will try to cover some of the neat things I see that are helpful as well as try to encourage you to watch blogs because SQL Server is starting to be released more frequently, like every year.

Steve Jones from SQLServerCentral.Com and RedGate will be there with sessions Branding Yourself for a Dream Job and Bringing DevOps to the Database.

Stay till the end and see if you can win a prize from all the wonderful Sponsors and please Thank them.

Remember this event is FREE!!!

SQLSaturday Pensacola and Houston

I have the honor of being selected to speak in Pensacola and Houston this month. Pensacola has been a great place for SQLSaturday and it is no different than Houston. Both have active PASS community volunteers that love to host a learning event for free.

Both events have conference level 60 minute sessions by MVPs, MCMs and other prefessionals. AND IT IS FREE!!! Well, sometimes they charge for lunch.

 

Here is the schedule for Pensacola this weekend Jun 3rd, 2017 - http://www.sqlsaturday.com/617/Sessions/Schedule.aspx

What is Power BI?

Do you want to know what all the fuss (or excitement) is about concerning PowerBI? Then, this session is for you. We will walk through the process and marketing of what now is Power BI. Reports will be developed and displayed as well as the history of development of Power BI and what to look out for in this ever changing application. You will also learn that this tool is not replacing the Data Warehouse and Architect positions. Actually, it will produce more work for us (DBAs, Architects, etc.) It is another reporting option Microsoft that is positioning itself in the changing world of Business Intelligence

And here is Houston’s on Jun 17th - http://www.sqlsaturday.com/651/Sessions/Schedule.aspx

Business Analytics in SQL Server 2016

Ever wonder what’s going on with Microsoft Business Intelligence features? Is everything going to the Cloud, or can I still rely on my own servers to design systems? Well, this session is for you. We are going to spend hours on looking at the new features of SQL Server 2016 that will help you create on premise solutions for you company or clients that complement the solutions you have already built. SQL Server 2016 not only gives you new tools like R integration and Mobile Reporting, but enhances Analysis Services and Reporting Services you have been using for years

You will leave with a comforting feeling that Microsoft is not leaving you behind if you do not or cannot go to the Cloud. Perhaps we shall see the thunder of BI love to what we know best and to succeed in the future

See ya soon!!!

SQLSaturday #423 Baton Rouge

This is I believe the 7th SQLSaturday in Baton Rouge. Please come out this Saturday at the LSU Business Center to enjoy free training, prizes and networking with over 500 IT professionals.

 

Here is the schedule.

SQLSaturday #308 Houston, TX Saturday May 10th

This will be the second SQLSaturday in Houston I have spoken at and I am excited about talking Execution Plans and Multidimensional Analysis Services. These are 2 topics I deal with on a daily basis, so it is great I get to help others understand these technologies.

I also get to talk with John Sterret, Alan Kinsel and Nancy Hide Wilson who are #SQLFamily. Their hard work on spreading the knowledge of SQL Server is a pleasure to watch.

There are many great speakers coming to Houston because the MS TechED event is the following week in Houston. So, MVPs, MCMs and veteran speakers will be at San Jacinto College – South Campus this Saturday to help all us learn to love SQL Server.

Hope to see you there!!!

SQLSaturday #305 Business Analytics Edition Dallas–RECAP

So, I am flying home thinking about the event Saturday and many things are running through my head. No, not work on Monday. First, I would like to say that Hadoop is not going to replace SQL Server nor Business Intelligence. Second, a new thing is coming but it is only going to compliment what we already do. And last, Dallas did an excellent job of spreading the learning over 4 tracks with lots to choose from – Visualization, Deployment, Big Data and Analytics. You always had something good to choice from.

The Dimensional Modeling 101 session I presented was great. Lots of sharing of individual experience with creating dimensions and facts. Most of the time was spent on talking about surrogate keys and performance. When I first started doing dimensional modeling, I had the idea that all data came from one transactional system with foreign keys on all tables. The real world proves different. That is what happens after you use some technology for awhile. There was much talk about making mistakes with dimensional modeling and learning from success and failure. There were mostly good comments and 4-5 conversations after the session, during lunch and between other sessions. I look forward to reviewing the critical comments to improve my session abstracts, session content and presentation.

The first session I attended was Intro to Hadoop. The MSBIC group from Dallas was able to get HortonWorks’ speakers which help with explaining a lot about how Big Data works. It is obvious this is a good thing for high output manufacturing systems, logging systems or internet data. Future versions will expand the current features. You could hear many questions about how it all works because you want to wrap your head around the inner workings. The visual display of the Hadoop stack helped tremendously. There is definitely a programming background needed before diving into this new technology. You can download a free sandbox from HortonWorks.

After my session (9:45), I went to a session on pig. It was very hard to follow, so afterwards I went to the speaker room to discuss with others. There, I meet back up with Meagan from Kansas City and Kristen, the leader of the Oklahoma City SQL Server user group. This conversation continued from where we left off from the Friday night speaker social. There is a lot of excitement within the SQL Server community no matter where you are.

The lunch session involved a Microsoft Technical Architect (David Brown) from Dallas that shared his experience with clients in the BI stack. He had great examples that had people laughing and relating to his project management. One comment he made that has stuck in my head is that the problems presented with BI – Self-service, Master Data, Security, Performance, etc. – was “Maybe these problems are good to have for IT.” I think I understand.

The afternoon included a HDInsight session. The cloud is here and you can use it. Next was statistics with R and Mahout which was more about how excited the speaker was rather than demos (that worked). Lastly, was a Slalom consultant talking about Time Intelligence in PowerPivot. He did a good job of listing the functions, but more time should have been spent on simple examples rather than showing everything. The crowd started to ask to many questions that he had to back up and explain.

Finally, I wanted to mention something that happened during the last PASS Summit 2013 in Charlotte that triggered me  to come to this SQLSaturday. Karla was talking with me about the Business Analytics conference coming up and I said something about how this was not SQL Server. Her comments made me think back 6-7 years ago when BI started to gain exposure at the Summit and I and others where saying “This is not SQL Server.” Now, I am in the BI stack and love it. I still love DBA work, but I expanded my skills by learning SSIS and SSAS. In Baton Rouge, you need a variety of skills to be employed in the SQL Server realm. You can not just be an expert in SSIS and expect to be employed.

Now might be the time to learn some more skills – Big Data.

SQLSaturday #305 Dallas Business Analytics Edition

I am excited about being selected to speak and attend the May 3rd SQLSaturday BA Edition in Dallas, TX. There are a number of sessions I want to attend including Eric Mezell’s An Introduction to Hadoop, Andy Egger’s Applied Predictive Analytics, David Browne on Enterprise Business Intelligence (for lunch) and Garrett Edmonson – Measuring Data Warehouse Performance. The full schedule is here - http://www.sqlsaturday.com/305/schedule.aspx.

I hope to create some time to visit with old friends in the Dallas area like Brian Smith (MS) and Tim Costello. I hope this is a precursor for Dallas to host a PASS Business Analytics week long conference in the future. California was a little to far to travel this year even though I should have went.

I am presenting one of my first BI presentations I have ever given – Dimensional Modeling 101. When I move over to Business Intelligence, I had a strong background in Data Normalization. Transitioning to a Dimension Model was quite difficult and I wish I had someone to explain like Warren Thornthwaite did at a pass PASS Summit before I started. He did a great job using PASS registration data to great a simple Data Mart and Analysis Services cube while previewing in Excel. That hooked me.

Thanks to all the sponsors for helping make this a free event for all attendees.

Call for Speakers – SQLSaturday #324 Baton Rouge

Baton Rouge is now on its 6th SQLSaturday and the event grows year after year. It all started with Patrick LeBlanc back in 2009 with #17 http://sqlsaturday.com/17/eventhome.aspx and with help from local User Groups (William Assaf – Sparkhound), it has expanded its topics and attendees. This event is also called Baton Rouge Tech Fest because there are more than just SQL Server related topics. Last year, we had a CIO/Manager track, Windows Phone, SharePoint and .Net.

So, this is a Call for Speakers to the next SQLSaturday August 2dn 2014 in Baton Rouge at the Business Center on LSU’s campus. Most speakers get at least one session, so do not be shy about submitting. If you need help, practice by giving a Lighting Round at the local User Group (SQL and .Net) meeting the 2nd Wednesday of every month. There is even a Java user group meeting at the same time.

Pictures from previous SQLSaturdays in Baton Rouge

   

Jan PASS Data Architecture VC presents Ike Ellis on Tips & Tricks

Please join the PASS Data Architecture virtual chapter on Thursday Jan 30th at noon central for SQL Server Tips and Tricks presented in 5 minute lectures.

DataArch.SQLPass.org

Next Meeting

Thu, Jan 30 2014 12:00 (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)

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RSVP: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2529334496189827586

This is a SQL presentation for the YouTube generation.  Perfect for half-attentively listening in on your lunch break.  It's really twenty separate five minute lectures.  We'll cover tips and tricks on a range of topics, including data visualization, performance, architecture, and ETL processes.

About Ike Ellis:
Ike Ellis is a 17-year veteran with SQL Server.  He's written millions of lines of code, designed many databases, and troubleshot hundreds of performance problems (some of which he wasn't even the cause of.)  He's a SQL Server MVP, TechEd speaker, RedGate speaker, user group chairperson, and makes a mean guacamole.  Right now, he's neck-deep in several business intelligence projects.  He's designed dashboards, written ETL frameworks, created reports, and all that goes with it.  He doesn't know everything, but he loves to share and teach the things he does know.   Come join him at the SQL Pass Book Readers Virtual Chapter

PASS BI/DW Virtual Chapter–Analysis Services Attributes and Hierarchies

Please join the PASS BI/DW VC today January 15th at 7PM Central for a presentation on Attributes and Hierarchies in Analysis Services 2012. This is a presentation I have shown at 2 SQLSaturdays and the Baton Rouge SQL Server User Group as well as 24 Hours of PASS.

http://bi.sqlpass.org/

Next Meeting

Wed, Jan 15 2014 7PM Central

Thu, Jan 16 2014 12:00 (GMT+10:00) Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

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Attributes & Hierarchies in Analysis Services 2012

RSVP: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3419604662485554177

ATTRIBUTES & HIERARCHIES IN ANALYSIS SERVICES 2012

The session explains Attributes and Hierarchies in Analysis Services 2012 Semantic Model. They are used to slice (filter) and dice (group) measures and dimensions used to view analytical data. The slicing and dicing of data involves fields, columns, or whatever you want to labeled them. But, in SQL Server Semantic model these are called Attributes and Hierarchies. The configuration of these slicers and dicers are important in SQL Server Analysis Services. This session will demonstrate the difference between an attribute and columns in a hierarchy in the dimension as well as the configuration of these for best performance and viewing.

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Thomas LeBlanc (MCSA BI 2008, MCITP 2005/2008 DBA & MCDBA 2000) is a Data Warehouse Architect in Baton Rouge, LA. He has been in the IT field since 1989 starting as a COBOL programmer, graduating to dBase, FoxPro, Visual FoxPro, upgrading to Visual Basic versions 3-6 and even some .Net(C#). Designing and developing normalized database has become his passion. Dimensional Modeling is now his future. Full-time DBA work started in 2001 for Thomas while working at a Paper Mill. DBA related work involved supporting 600+ GB databases with replication to a Data Warehouse and DB Mirroring to a disaster recovery site. Performance tuning and reviewing database design and code are an everyday occurrence. Using the Microsoft BI stack for analytical reporting has sharpened his skills with SSIS, SSAS, SSRS and PerformancePoint.

Jan 8th – Baton Rouge SQL Server User Group - Azure

Please join us tonight, Wednesday Jan 8th starting at 5:45PM with networking and food. The information below is from the BRSSUG Website: http://www.brssug.org/

January '14 Baton Rouge User Groups Meeting - Azure!

Topic: Microsoft Azure!

This is an all user groups on deck meeting! SQL, .net, SharePoint, IT Pro, La-WIT are all invited!

Date: Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Location: The Louisiana Technology Park - http://www.brssug.org/where

Sponsored By: Microsoft 

Agenda:

5:45 - 6:15 pm: Networking and Refreshments

6:15 - 6:30 pm: Announcements

6:30 - 8:00 pm: Microsoft!

Main Topic: Microsoft Azure Info for ALL User Groups

Main Topic Speakers: Ryan Roussel, Microsoft and Bobby Lee, Microsoft

Main Topic Summary:

Azure is an exciting platform and between IAAS, PAAS, big data, storage, media, mobile services, etc. the possibilities in Azure truly seem limitless.  This user group session will focus on an introduction to Azure with a focus on the agenda topics below.  The session will include lots of live Azure demonstrations and answering questions from the group.  

Every person in attendance will have free access to Azure so they can do everything demoed at the user group meeting on their own after the session!

Agenda:
· Review Azure IAAS (Infrastructure As A Service) – Windows and Linux
    o http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/solutions/infrastructure/
· Review Azure PAAS (Platform As A Service) and Azure for the web 

    o http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/solutions/web/
    o How do developers leverage Azure for .Net, JAVA, Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, etc.
· Review Azure Mobile Services – Azure development for mobile apps on iOS, Android, Windows Phone
    o http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/develop/mobile/
· Azure storage options review Azure storage (tables, blob, queue)
    o http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/services/storage/
    o Developer perspective, when to look at Azure Storage, IAAS database (SQL or Oracle) for SQL Database (Azure PAAS database)
· Free Azure access, review options:
    o MSDN users have free Azure access of $150-$200 free Azure capacity per month. Activate today no credit card needed: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/member-offers/msdn-benefits/

    o Free Azure access for Non-MSDN users, NO credit card needed: http://www.windowsazure.com/en-us/pricing/free-trial/

Data Architecture VC hosts Nigel Sammy: TSQL Tips and Tricks

Please join the Data Architecture Virtual Chapter as they host SQL Server MVP Nigel Sammy his take for T-SQL Tips and Tricks for developers and DBAs.

Thu, Dec 19 2013 12:00 (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)

Nigel Sammy - T-SQL: Tips and Tricks

RSVP: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5187602867480253442

Queries are running longer than expected? Your database server isn't performing as well as it should? There are many reason that this could be happening and one of them is the T-SQL being executed on the system. T-SQL offers various ways to get the information that you need but sometimes the option you choose might return the data that you want but may not be the best query structure or logic to use.
This session will share insight on how basic query structure and logic works so you can avoid wasting too much time on trial and error when writing queries. It will also show you some tips and tricks to avoid some bad T-SQL coding habits and help you write better queries. This session is for Developers and Database Administrators.

Presenter Bio:
Nigel is a Microsoft SQL Server MVP with over a decade of technical experience and over eight years database and SQL Server experience. He's progressed through several roles in his career including Lecturer, Developer, Analyst, Database Administrator/Developer, Project Manager, Architect, Team Lead and Manager. He's the founder and current chapter leader of the Trinidad and Tobago SQL Server User Group (TTSSUG) and is also the chapter leader of the PASS Azure Virtual Chapter.

PASS Data Architecture VC presents Steve Simon–Challenges to Designing Financial Warehouses

Please join the Data Arch VC with Steve Simon this Thursday Nov 14th at noon central for a great look at Steve’s experience while implementing a financial data warehouse.

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3299406050712061698

Next Meeting

Thu, Nov 14 2013 12:00 (GMT-06:00) Central Time (US & Canada)

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Challenges to designing financial warehouses

Summary:

In today’s rapidly changing financial world, designing robust and durable data warehouses can be a challenge that does not always stand the test of time. In this presentation, we shall look at some of the challenges and design issues that were encountered whilst designing two custom warehouses and the steps that were required to cope with ongoing requirement changes, indecision from management, and shrinking budgets; all of which affected the progress of moving these projects from the design board to a profitable production stage.

About Steve:

Steve Simon is a SQL Server MVP and a senior BI Development Engineer with Atrion Networking. He has been involved with database design and analysis for over 25 years. Steve has presented papers at eight PASS Summits and one at PASS Europe 2009 and 2010. He has just recently presented a Master Data Services presentation at the PASS Amsterdam Rally.  Steve has also presented 5 papers at the Information Builders' (IBI) International Summits. He is a PASS regional mentor & chair of the Oracle/SQL Server VC.

Summit 2013 Review!!! plus SQLSaturday #237 Charlotte BI Edition

The week is over and I waiting for my flight home. I did not to get to as many sessions as past summits, but that was replaced with speaking opportunities consisting of 1 half-day session, a 75 minute regular session and speaking at the Charlotte BI SQLSaturday.

Tuesday was a busy day with the Volunteers meeting at 8AM followed by the Virtual Chapter meeting at 9AM. Good discussions were had at both, especially in the second meeting when I transitioned out as Data Architecture VC chair (to my friend Robert) and enter as a Virtual Chapter mentor. I was able to meet the leaders of the Azure(Nigel), Russian(Andrey), App Dev(Gabriel) and Fundamentals(Mark) VCs. It was good to put a face with a name. The Virtual Chapters are growing fast and have a lot to offer.

I spent the late morning and afternoon in a BIML workshop presented by Varigence and Linchpin People. Scott from Varigence did a great job showing the Mist interface with biml/biml script. This tool seems to be a great choice for people with large SSIS implementations. You do need some object oriented knowledge to work with the script, but it is worth it. I hope to just implement the BIML to create a template for connections and variables we use at work for most SSIS packages.

The evening was hanging out with Robert from Baton Rouge for the Welcome Reception and Quiz Bowl. That is always entertaining and we talked to some First Timers at Summit and were able to help with explaining the next three days to them. Part of the evening was of course spent rehearsing the session demos. I even bumped into John Sterret during lunch.

Wednesday morning I arrived at 6:30AM to help start the day at the Community Zone which was a hug, huge hit for the whole conference. Thanks Karla!!! I spent the morning in the Speaker Ready Room cleaning up the Slicing and Dicing presentations and talking with speakers I have not seen in awhile. I meet Paul Turley and watch a cool demo he had for dashboards through his Windows Surface. Lunch was sitting at the Baton Rouge and North Arkansas chapter table and chatting with some new friends. Talk turned to not normalizing data and I had to leave I did see Carlos Bossy talking about Predictive Analytics and the always great presenter Peter Meyers for Data Mining. Peter added some interface programming in .Net which was pretty cool along with 4 other demos.

Thursday was all about the 1/2 day session I was presenting on Attributes and Hierarchies in Analysis Services Multi-Dimensional edition. The presentation was being filmed and I forgot about that, so I am sure there are some comments I am going to regret if I watch it. The session went well, but the room was not half-full. One a good note, most people came back after the break and stayed to the end. I received many complements and look forward to the comments from the evaluations. Thursday evening was the Community Appreciation party at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and was packed. The facilities were great and probably heaven for some NASCAR fans.

Friday morning I presented at 8AM on Transition from T-SQL to MDX and the room was packed. I received more compliments for this session than the previous. Afterwards, I bumped into Patrick LeBlanc who has moved from Baton Rouge to Atlanta. I spent time in the community zone and attended the ETL table for Birds of a Feather lunch. Todd McDermid (SSIS MVP for about 5+ years) stopped by and shared his experience which was appreciated. The afternoon was sessions from Brian Mitchell – Clustered-Column Stored Indexes for 2014, MS Program managers showing PowerView integration with Multidimensional Analysis Services and Paul White talking about Parallel Execution Plans.

One interesting point about the talks on Friday is 2014 clustered column indexes restricts the tables to not allow constraints, including a primary key.  Brian’s explanation was good and I understand why (because of the structure of a column store index), but it does not sound like a good idea to me. The PowerView on Multidimensional was good, but it only works with SharePoint integration.

Friday night for the Speaker’s dinner for SQLSaturday BI Edition in Charlotte, NC. I did the 60 minute presentation for Attributes and Hierarchies on Saturday. This event was well run (thanks to a large good of MSBI professionals in the CBIG group) and some speakers that were also speaking at the Summit. Here are some links to photos - http://slavasql.blogspot.com/2013/10/sql-saturday-237-charlotte-nc.html and http://www.flickr.com/photos/purnellphotography/sets/72157636740830425/

  

My PASS Summit Schedule this Week

Well, it is here folks. The PASS Summit 2013. If you have never been to a PASS Summit, please look in to attending one year. There is more SQL Server Learning than you could fit in a month. You just need to break it down into digestible chunks.

Monday was a travel day, thank Delta and the Sheraton Downtown.

Tuesday, I am starting the day at 8AM for a PASS volunteer meeting, then continuing with the Virtual Chapter meeting at 9AM. I rotated out as chair of the Data Architecture VC and now I am a Virtual Chapter Mentor. The day continues with a late arrival to the BIML workshop. We could really use the automation from this script language for SSIS.

Wednesday morning, I will be volunteering at 6:30AM for the PASS Community center. Please come by and visit sometime during the Summit to meet the people who help put PASS events on. Then, on to learn some BI and Business Analytics with BI Power and Data Mining sessions

If you are not here, please follow sessions and announcements on PASS TV. You can actually watch some of the Spotlight sessions LIVE!!!

My first session is Thursday – Slicing and Dicing: Attributes and Hierarchies

Hopefully, I will be able to give a blog about each day and the sessions attended.

Baton Rouge SQLSaturday and Tech Day 2013

This will be the fifth SQLSaturday and Tech Day in Baton Rouge, LA on Saturday August 3rd, 2013.

I found a collection of SQLSaturday, SQLRally and PASS Summit shirts with various stickers collected over the last 5 or 6 years.

It is going to be hot this weekend in Baton Rouge, so why not join us in the Business Complex at Louisiana State University for some AC, Networking, visit with Sponsors and excellent sessions.

Thomas

T-SQL Tuesday #41 – Presenting and Loving It

Some Tuesday mornings I have bacon with eggs and an English muffin. Not today though. I am blogging about Why I Love Presenting for T-SQL Tuesday #41 hosted by Bob Pusateri. I will attempt to answer all his questions.

What was the first time you gave a presentation in front of a group and really enjoyed it?

It was probably when I worked at IEM and became a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) in SQL Server 2000. We (me) started to do Lunch & Learns at the office where everybody brought their lunch to a conference room and listened to a presentation. We were about to upgrade to SQL Server 2000 from 7.0 and I was asked to show the .Net developers (I was a developer back then slowly becoming the Accidental DBA) what was new in SQL Server 2000. There was so much to talk about, that it took about 2 months giving a Lunch & Learn every 2 weeks to cover everything significant to developers. One thing I learned by presenting was that SQL Server 2000 included Cascade Update and Delete in foreign key constraints. I had just finished a month project coding this in triggers for a 7.0 database with 100+ tables.

Was it something that was required of you in school?

Yes, presenting at a speech class at LSU was a requirement, but I did not take it as serious as I do today. It was just school, right?

Something you did in the workplace?

Yes, see answer to first question. I also continued Lunch and Learns when I started working for Amedisys following IEM. They actually provide the lunch for the group. We were upgrading to SQL Server 2005 at this time. This eventually led to presenting at the local Baton Rouge SQL Server User group started by Patrick LeBlanc about the Performance Dashboard.

Were you inspired by other SQL community members and thought “I think I can do that too”?

After attending the second PASS Summit, this is what I started saying to myself. I noticed that some presenters were really excited (Grant Fritchey and Paul Neilsen) about a topic and I thought I could do the same. It was not as easy as I fantasized, but it was worth the time and energy.

Whatever your story is, I’d love to hear it.

From there, I presented at the local user group and started submitting to the Summit. I was not accepted the first 2 or 3 years, but after presenting at about 5-6 SQLSaturday events, I was accepted by SQLRally in 2011, then the Summit in 2011 and 2012. The Virtual Chapters of PASS really help as well and I started to volunteer to help run a VC.

By far the greatest benefit realized from presenting is learning the technology. There is countless hours I sit and read and practice the material over and over. This repetitiveness ingrains the mind with the ideas and practices of the technology. It then carries over into the day-to-day motions of being a DBA. The companies I have worked for get an experience expert.

Baton Rouge SQL Server User Group

Wednesday March 13th 2013, I have the pleasure in presenting to the local SQL Server User group in Baton Rouge, LA. The topic will be Attributes and Hierarchies in Analysis Services 2012. The flow will be from requirements gathering thru implementation in the Semantic Model.

My employer, Turner Industries, LLC, will be sponsoring the evening which includes the .Net User and Windows Phone groups in Baton Rouge. We all meet on the same night and have networking/dinner together with a lightening round for all groups. Please come join us at Louisiana Technology Park on Florida Blvd. The park is an business incubator for technology companies in Baton Rouge and Louisiana.

March '13 SQL Server User Group Meeting

Topic: Attributes and Hierarchies in Analysis Services 2012

Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Location: The Louisiana Technology Park

Sponsored By: TBA

Agenda:

5:45 - 6:15 pm: Networking and Refreshments

6:15 - 6:30 pm: Lightning Round Topic

6:30 - 8:00 pm: Main Topic

8:00 - until: Open Forum for questions and giveaways

Main Topic: Attributes and Hierarchies in Analysis Services 2012

Main Topic Speaker: Thomas LeBlanc, Turner Industries

Summary: The session explains Attributes and Hierarchies in Analysis Services 2012 Semantic Model. They are used to slice (filter) and dice (group) measures and dimensions used to view analytical data. The slicing and dicing of data involves fields, columns, or whatever you want to labeled them. But, in SQL Server Semantic model these are called Attributes and Hierarchies. The configuration of these slicers and dicers are important in SQL Server Analysis Services. This session will demonstrate the difference between an attribute and columns in a hierarchy in the dimension as well as the configuration of these for best performance and viewing.

Summary: Thomas LeBlanc (MCITP DBA/BI) is a Sr. SQL Server DBA @ Turner Industries & the PASS Data Architecture Virtual Chapter Chair. His specialties include normalization, performance tuning, database design, ETL-SSIS, SSAS cubes and T-SQL code. DBA work includes monitoring many SQL Server instances at Turner for performance and uptime then spends the other half of his time gathering requirements, designing, coding and presenting Data Marts using SSIS, SSAS Cubes, Excel & PerformancePoint while migrating some cubes to 2012 Tabular Model for PowerView.

PASS Summit 2012–My Schedule

Using SSIS 2012 for Data Warehouse ETL

I have been fortunate to be selected this year to speak at the PASS Summit 2012 in Seattle. This presentation will go mainly over 3 new features: The Change Data Capture and DQS controls as well as deploying SSIS projects/packages to the SSISDB catalog. Throughout the presentation, there will be usage of 10-20 more new features all depending on the demo and questions. 75% of this presentation is demos, so come along for the ride. I love presentations that show how to use SQL Server.

Pre-conference Session – Monday

After arriving on Sunday afternoon, I will go to Rod Colledge’s session on BI Dashboards with Dashboard Designer and PerformancePoint. This will satisfy the first goal of the conference; to take back what I learn and create 2 sets of dashboards for a project at work.

Monday night, I am going to the networking dinner Steve Jones and Andy Warren are hosting. I did this last year and it was a great way to sit with 4-6 SQL Server geeks and enjoy a dinner and conversation.

Community Involvement – Tuesday

Tuesday morning, I will be attending 2 round table discussions with Virtual Chapter leaders and SQLSaturday leaders/volunteers. I am the chair of the Data Architecture VC and have helped with the past 3 SQLSaturday’s in Baton Rouge and spoke at the first 3.

House of Bricks is hosting a SQL Server on VMware boot camp which I have decided to attend to help understand the configurations for the VMs we run at Turner Industries in Baton Rouge.

Tuesday night I am going to float between the Welcome Reception, SQLServerCentral.com/Redgate casino night and a speaker reception.

Main Conference – Wednesday

I am going to start out the morning at the Community Area booth which has been expanded this year in size. It will be great to say hi to Karla and other PASS workers and sign people up for Virtual Chapters and PASS.

The first session I am attending is Sean Boon’s Building Compelling Power View reports Lunch will be sitting at the Virtual Chapter tables talking Data Architecture.  The afternoon starts with Stacia Misner’s SSAS Storage followed by my SSIS 2012 presentation and ends with SQL Server and SharePoint: best Frienenies which should be a fun session.

Wednesday evening will be talking with vendors at their reception for attendees which was a hit last year.

Thursday Sessions

The morning starts again at the Community area early in the morning. The first session (10:15) is Carlos Bossy talking Data Modeling Best Practices for Enterprise Tabular Models which should help me with Data Mart designs for PowerView reports which is another goal for work. During Lunch, I will be Live Blogging and Tweeting from the Woman In Technology Luncheon which should be fun.

The afternoon starts with Running Reporting Services in SharePoint Integration Mode which Turner just had a consultant (SparkHound) install with SQL Server 2012 and SharePoint 2010. I really wanted to see Deeper Tabular Models with Wayne Snyder (who is a cool dude), but I think the SSRS is more valuable for work. I can always watch the recorded session when I get the DVDs.

The afternoon ends with Dive into the Query Optimizer and Monitoring Analysis Services which are both part of my daily checklist at work. Thursday evening, Microsoft is sponsoring a trip to Seattle’s Music Experience museum for 2-3 hours. The last couple of years it was at a GameWorks, which was pretty cool. I am expecting a good networking evening this night.

Friday Sessions and Homebound

I am leaving around 3:30PM Friday to spending time with family and friends on Saturday, so I will only be at 2 sessions plus lunch. I am getting married in January, so I need to get back to Baton Rouge, plus we (LSU) plays Miss St. at home that Saturday.

The first session (8AM) will be Power(view)ful Tabular semantic Model Development with Mark Davis, then Tim Mitchell learning me on ETL Gone Bad: Handling Errors and Data Anomalies in SSIS. These are 2 great speakers and consultants.

Lunch will have me sitting at a Birds of a Feather table on Data Warehouse Modeling and SSIS ETL.

WOW!!! That is a lot

That seems like a big schedule, but I am not evening doing everything that is available. The first year I attend PASS (07 in Denver), we spent time at the Microsoft First-Aid room working with replication developers on a problem in SQL Server 2005. The following year, I spent time in the Virtual Lab learning SQL Server 2008 new features. There is also visiting with vendors and collecting swag. The exhibition hall is sold out. Then, there are lightening talks which help speakers get a start with presenting as well as Microsoft Chalk Talks. There are pre-conference sessions on Monday and Tuesday.

The PASS Summit is full of stuff to do during the day and at night. I know a lot of people like #SQLKaraoke and Photo walks plus a #SQLRun on Tuesday morning. It is fun watching the SQL Kilt day and Thursday is wear your SQLSaturday shirt day.

Lastly, meeting and saying hi to friends like John Sterret (That is the back of his head above), Scott Shaw, Carlos Bossy, Patrick LeBlanc, Devin Knight, Erin Welker, Grant Fritchey, Thomas LaRock, Louis Davidson, Sean and Jen McCown, Wesley Brown, Kevin Boles and the list goes on and on. The SQL Community is the best group of technology geeks that love to share the #SQLLove.

Hope to see you there, and please come say hi and introduce yourself to me.

God Bless

Below is a picture from the first SQLSaturday in New York, and little did I know I was with Thoams LaRock, Adam Jorgenson, Grant Fritchey, Andy Leonard and Robert ?

SQL Saturday #150 & TechDay in Baton Rouge–Sharepoint

This year’s SQLSaturday in Baton Rouge includes a Sharepoint track with 2 local speakers(Cody Gros & Eric Trivette), MCM Tom Resing and Bill Waters. Sharepoint sessions are great for those in the BI field using Microsoft BI stack managing PerformancePoint and PowerView/SSRS integration or SQL Server DBAs having a Sharepoint SQL instance.

 

8:20AM - Mapping Mashups with SharePoint Designer

Mapping Mashups with SharePoint Designer including an Overview of Current Map Service Providers, an Introduction to Customizing the Data View Web Part, and a Demonstration of Dynamic Mapping from List Data

Session Level: Intermediate

Tom Resing

Tom is a Microsoft Certified Master in SharePoint. He is passionate about online collaboration technologies and loves being active in the SharePoint Community. Tom has been blogging about SharePoint for the last 5 years after certifying on the 2007 platform. Tom has enjoyed 15 years in the internet industry developing products and web site functionality in Perl, C++, Java, VB.Net and C#. With SharePoint, Tom prefers an Out of the Box approach to deployment.

Contact URL: http://tomresing.com

 

9:35AM - SQL Server Best Practices for SharePoint 2010

Are you a SharePoint administrator and now have to maintain all your SharePoint databases? This session will provide you with the information you need to maintain your SharePoint databases including: - Backup/Recovery of databases - Determining your recovery model -Building maintenance plans - SQL Aliases

Session Level: Intermediate

Cody Gros

Cody Gros has been in the IT field for over 7 years working with SharePoint and Windows Server Technology. He is well versed in SharePoint 2010/2007 and is experienced in applying PowerShell scripting to SharePoint and Active Directory automation solutions.

Contact URL: http://blog.codygros.com

 

10:50AM - SharePoint Development for ASP.NET Developers

Getting started in the world of SharePoint development? Have ASP.NET development experience? In this session, you will learn how SharePoint 2010 is built off the ASP.NET platform. We will also bridge the gap between both platforms by covering the basics of the SharePoint platform and set you on the path to developing your own SharePoint solutions.

Session Level: Beginner

Eric Trivette

Eric Trivette, MCPD, has been working with Microsoft ASP.NET since December 2006. Eric began SharePoint development with SharePoint 2010 and works with Antares Technology Solutions as a consultant where he designs and implements custom solutions in SharePoint 2010 and all versions of ASP.NET.

 

1:10PM - Integrate with Business Connectivity Services

Business Connectivity Services with Microsoft SQL Server including an Overview of the Business Connectivity Services, an Introduction to Configuring BCS, and Demonstrations of using External Lists and External Data Columns.

Session Level: Advanced

Tom Resing

Tom is a Microsoft Certified Master in SharePoint. He is passionate about online collaboration technologies and loves being active in the SharePoint Community. Tom has been blogging about SharePoint for the last 5 years after certifying on the 2007 platform. Tom has enjoyed 15 years in the internet industry developing products and web site functionality in Perl, C++, Java, VB.Net and C#. With SharePoint, Tom prefers an Out of the Box approach to deployment.

Contact URL: http://tomresing.com

 

2:25PM - Adding Metro Style Navigation to a SharePoint Site

This is a walk through of how to create a Metro Sytle Navigation to a SharePoint Site, potentially including exposing high level Core Metrics in tiles to bubble that key information to users.

Session Level: Intermediate

Bill Watters 

I am a Nerd who loves soccer, hanging with my family and sharing what I learn. I have been in IT for over 15 years and focused on Portal Solutions for the last 10. I am currently highly focused on BI Integration with SharePoint and making data more accessable to users.

Contact URL: http://wattersbill72.wordpress.com

SQL Saturday #150 and TechDay Baton Rouge–BI 1 track

The SQL Saturday/TechDay in Baton Rouge will be the forth annual this year. The Business Intelligence sessions occupy 2 tracks this year. This blog will be about the speakers from first track.

The full schedule can be found here.

 

8:20AM - Introduction to SSIS with a Real-World Example

SSIS is a powerful and east to use data Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) tool SSIS providing a rich set of components to perform the most common ETL tasks with “drag-and-drop” ease. Packages can be constructed with rigorous error and exception handling as well as verbose logging allowing deployment of robust ETL processes.. This session will demonstrate a process for loading a comma-delimited data file into a staging table for further processing then validating the data and moving specific data into host tables using a a thorough example of a non-trivial ETL project with “real” data. The intended audience includes beginning SSIS developers, DBAs, and anyone with a desire to experience the magic of data management with this remarkable tool.

Session Level: Beginner

Ron Johnson

A 20 year veteran of the IT industry with over 10 years experience as a software engineer Ron is a seasoned SQL Server performance optimization professional.Ron is currently supporting various clients as a consulting DBA specializing in PTO,Replication,HA/DR,and Security with Xtivia, Inc. a full-service IT company with offices in Dallas,TX, Colorado Springs,CO,and Edison,NJ.Ron earned a M.Sc. in Computer Science and a B.Sc. in Physics.Ron has 10 years of experience as an adjunct faculty member.

Contact URL: http://rjssqlservernotes.wordpress.com/

 

9:35AM Using SSIS 2012 for ETL in a Data Warehouse

This session will go through some old and new features of Integration Service 2012 to help with loading data into a Data Warehouse/Mart. The GUI has been improved visually during design and execution. The storage of packages has been update with Integration Service Catalogs. The Change Data Capture task helps with incremental updates. Logging has been improved for debugging. A demostration of creating your own Slowly Changing Dimension with current Tasks will be shown with some design hints.

Session Level: Advanced

Thomas LeBlanc 

Thomas is a Senior DBA at Turner Industries in Baton Rouge, LA. Worked in the IT field for 21 years experience w/ COBOL dBase, FoxPro, Visual FoxPro, VB 3 thru 6 and .Net(C#). Designing and developing normalized database has become his passion. Full-time DBA work started about 9 years ago. He has been blessed with speaking at SQLRally at SQLPass in 2011. Thomas’ free time is spent helping other & improving his relationship with family & God. TheSmilingDBA.Blogspot.com

Contact URL: http://thesmilingdba.blogspot.com

 

10:50AM BI in the Cloud

In this session we will take a look at some strategies for building Business Intelligence solutions on the Windows Azure platform. We’ll see methods for transferring on-premises data to the cloud, report deployment to Windows Azure Reporting Services and options for performing ad-hoc analysis. We’ll look at some of the challenges faced when moving BI into the cloud, such as high-performance ETL, schema management and transient fault handling.

Session Level: Beginner

David Liebman

I’m a developer specializing in .Net, SQL, and SSRS development for over five years of the eighteen years I have spent in the IT Industry. I have experience working for some big companies in Financial, Healthcare, and Insurance. I have written some custom reporting solutions and web applications for Large Companies in the Tampa Bay area using .Net, SSRS, and SQL. I’m currently a Sr. Developer at AgileThought that is leader in software development and system integration services in Tampa FL.

Contact URL: http://www.bisqldave.com

 

1:10PM - Moving to a data warehouse

This presentation will walk through the key concepts and decisions necessary for moving from a transactional system to an analytical system based on a data warehouse. Concepts and demonstrations will be based on the process implemented at the LSU Highway Safety Research Group as the case study. The discussion will be based on a more business approach while also presenting technical details.

Session Level: Beginner

Cory Hutchinson 

Cory Hutchinson currently serves as the Associate Director for the Highway Safety Research Group (HSRG) at Louisiana State University and the Coordinator of the Louisiana Traffic Records Coordinator Committee (LA TRCC). Cory oversees all IT related projects within HSRG including business analytics, web site design, data quality analysis, electronic crash data collection, data reporting, disaster recovery, graphical information systems, business intelligence, and crash data integration.

Contact URL: http://hsrg.lsu.edu

 

2:25pm - SSIS for ETL in the Enterprise Environment

Design walkthrough of an ETL solution developed using the Microsoft SSIS system for an enterprise level Data Warehouse. Managing the ETL process migration from a single data warehousing SQL Server to a multi-server environment can often be a complex task. This session will walk you through the design of a ETL system that has been created for such a scenario. The design takes into consideration several of the shortcomings inherent in the SSIS system and provides a structure for coordinated loading and processing of data from extraction to presentation.

Session Level: Intermediate

Paul Kennedy

Paul Kennedy is the Data Warehouse Manager for Pool Corporation out of Covington Louisiana. Developing aspects of BI solution at Pool Corporation for the past seven years and with additional companies for an additional three years, Paul has developed and maintains the current ETL, Data Warehouse, and BI systems for the company. Experienced with working the intergration of Microsoft SQL products such as SSIS, SSDE, SSRS, and SSAS with various transactional systems and E-Commerce Websites