Migrating High IO SQL Server Workloads to Azure for the Win

Background:
In the modern era of cloud computing, businesses are continuously moving towards robust and scalable cloud solutions. Microsoft's Azure, with its IaaS offering, provides an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to transition their on-premises high IO SQL Server instances to the cloud without compromising performance or require refactoring.

Objective:
This presentation aims to provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the methodologies, strategies, and best practices involved in migrating high IO SQL Server databases to Azure using Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).

Key Points:
1. Introduction to Azure IaaS: Understand the core components of Azure IaaS and how it differs from other Azure offerings.

2. Benefits of Migration: Discussion on the advantages of migrating to Azure, such as scalability, high availability, disaster recovery, and cost efficiency, especially for SQL Server databases with high IO demands.

3. Sizing Assessment: Essential steps and tools to evaluate the current SQL Server infrastructure, identify potential license savings and understanding of resource usage.

4. Performance Optimization: Dive deep into Azure's performance-enhancing features such as premium storage, optimized virtual machine sizes, and Azure Blob storage configurations that cater to high IO operations.

5. Migration Strategies: Overview of various migration methods, from the lift-and-shift approach to more hybrid solutions, tailored to different organizational needs and complexities.

7. Post-migration Best Practices: Tips for monitoring, managing, and optimizing the performance of the SQL Server instance on Azure IaaS.


Conclusion:
By the end of the presentation, attendees will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to effectively plan and execute a migration of high IO SQL Server databases to Azure using IaaS, ensuring correct sizing, high performance, and cost-efficiency.

Turning ADHD into "Awesome Dynamic Highly Dependable"

ADHD is rampant in IT, but not many talk about how to be successful with a highly distracted mindset. This session will discuss the data behind ADHD, tips, tools and tricks to being successful with an ADHD mind and how to embrace your ADHD super power.

The How "Not to Make Work Suck" Session

We spend over 2200 hours per year at our place of employment and 85% of us hate our jobs. Many of us grew up hearing that work shouldn't be fun, but many of us live with this every day, leading to lesser quality of life and mental health.
This session builds on experience, research and framework, presenting how to:
1. Identify paths to success in the technical careers and more satisfying employment.
2. Important tips/tricks for the interview process we rarely hear about.
3. How to build out your own role once hired, (or how to use your strengths to best serve both the company and you.)
4. How to show value, even if your manager doesn't know what you actually do.
5. How/where to find mentors, sponsors and supporters.
6. How to make waves and change work culture.
7. How to know when to say goodbye and to strategically move to a better opportunity.

Along with tips, tricks and data, this session will include significant resources to help you make work suck less and help you be more satisfied with your choice in employment.

Surviving Tech Industry Dysfunction

The technical industry attracts a unique mindset and skill set. The most skilled of these folks often succeed where they may be less attracted to traditional industries. There’s an inside joke in the Neurodiversity community that “IT is inundated with ADHD” and there is data that shows technical fields do have a larger percentage of neurodiverse individuals than traditional careers. This also corresponds to Information Technology having a larger percentage of dynamic thinkers, driven by curiosity and a need for clear expectations and accountability to help them be the best they can be. The challenge is, technology is part of a business and as such, includes more traditional departments and coworkers, like Finance, Human Resources, Sales, that may result in the infusion of more traditional expectations to seep into IT.
With these expectations, the worst of the corporate world can come back to haunt those in tech who are most successful without the boundaries that limit their technical creativity, professional capabilities, and emotional health. From micro-management, lacking understanding of technology, onerous administrative tasks, and toxic coworkers. Curses, mixed with blessings, left over from the pandemic, economic downturns, and layoffs, have left us all wondering how to live our best life and still have the best career in tech.
This session will discuss some of the biggest challenges in tech today, options to overcome so we all can live an emotionally healthier life with today’s technical industry.

The Azure IaaS DBA, aka "I have Control Issues"

Infrastructure as a Service, (IaaS) is what most think they have to go to when they’ve failed at the cloud migration game of PaaS and SaaS. For a significant percentage, it’s the key to doing the cloud their way. When you have a database quantified as “the whale in the pond”, that unique, proprietary environment or have demanding SLAs, RPOs, RTOs, DR and other acronyms that can’t be met by a PaaS or SaaS service, knowing the ins and outs of IaaS can be the key to success.

As much as IaaS covers, there are some vital areas of importance for the data professional. This session aims to take you through what those are when migrating relational databases to the cloud.

Kellyn Gorman specializes in Infrastructure as a Service with Oracle on Azure at Microsoft and will share what she’s learned in her last two years engaging in migrations of clustered and even engineered systems onto Azure cloud successfully. She’ll deep dive into the infrastructure, discuss options only a few know about, limitations, and opportunities that make IaaS a great place to be if you’ve been hesitant to move to the cloud before. She’ll share tips and tricks around important factors to consider when migrating data to the cloud and how to simulate a more PaaS like solution when IaaS is the way you need to go.

Running High IO SQL Server Workloads in the Cloud

We all have that one or two "whales in the pond" that we need to migrate to the cloud and know they can't go Azure SQL or even Managed Instance. What options are there to run these IO intensive SQL workloads in the cloud? This session will cover the ins and outs, including options for reaching high IO, no matter the workload.

Removing Technical Debt From Your Relational Database

This session is database platform agnostic, but describes how to build a project to identify, address and modernize a database with technical debt built into it- no matter if it's in SQL code, design or sprawl.
We will discuss what changes have the biggest short term and long term impact, how to gain the backing of stake holders and how, as a technical resource, to sell change that makes your job easier.

Migrating Oracle Workloads to Azure

How to migrate Oracle to Azure quickly, effectively and successfully from a DBA and business perspective.
80% of businesses have both Oracle and SQL Server databases with a need to migrate to the cloud. We'll cover why lift and shift is often the choice for Oracle over migration to PostgreSQL, MySQL or Azure SQL. This session will demonstrate how to build out a robust cloud architecture, deployment, automation and what to address to ensure success when moving Oracle to Azure IaaS using both Oracle and Azure products.

GDPR- The Buck Stops Here

The General Data Protection Regulations went into effect in the EU in 2014, giving the rest of the world till May, 2018 to become compliant. Comprehending the intricate facets of this complex law of EU personal data, what it covers and the demands to change how many of us have managed our data is the center of this talk. Encryption and masking is only a very small part of the DBA and developer's role in being compliant and saving the business from huge fines that could make or break a company.

Essential Linux Skills for the DBA

Are you a DBA without a server administrator and need to know everything about Linux? Are you managing linux and want to know more? This is it!
Unlike many other DBAs, the SQL Server DBA is finding themselves managing databases running on Linux without the server support or knowledge of a local Linux Administrator.
This extended session will provide the attendee with a full immersion into the Linux world. You'll learn the history behind Linux, how to design an enterprise level Linux environment to support a SQL Server database and what tools, scripting and monitoring have served other database platforms running on Linux since it's inception. The session will provide an electronic handout that will serve as excellent reference material even after Summit is over, providing continued value to the DBA, the Architect and even the Database Developer.

Dinosaurs and Machine Learning

Over 70% of machine learning and AI are sourced from relational databases, (i.e. dinosaurs). This provides a lot of insight in the value of relational systems to the newest technologies, including AI in tomorrow's technical landscape. This session covers requirements around security and encryption, along with accessibility and speed of data access needed for AI and Machine Learning.

Database and Application Management Dashboards in Power BI

There are a large set of tools out there to monitor databases, but often they fall short depending on what unique environment variations we DBAs are required to manage. This session will teach fundamental Power BI skills for DBAs to build out their own reports, log analytics and dashboards to monitor and manage their own environments with Power BI!

Crushing the IT Gender Bias- One Line of Code at a Time

In this enlightening talk, join Kellyn Gorman on a remarkable journey through her 25-year odyssey in the tech industry, a landscape traditionally dominated by men. As a pioneering woman in tech in the Oracle industry, Kellyn has not only shattered gender barriers but has also faced the unique challenge of serving alongside her husband many times at the same company, same role and even on the same board of directors. This talk delves into the profound experiences, insights, and strategies she has acquired over the years while serving as a catalyst for change in this ever-evolving industry.

Kellyn will unravel the complexities of gender bias in technology and share her personal encounters with it. Through engaging anecdotes and real-world examples, she will demonstrate how resilience, determination, and strategic thinking have been pivotal in navigating these obstacles. Her compelling narrative will empower women and underrepresented individuals in tech to break through the glass ceiling, inspiring them to carve their own path in this dynamic field.

Additionally, Kellyn will provide valuable insights on how to strategically harness challenges as opportunities for growth and advancement in the tech world. She will explore the importance of collaboration, allyship, and fostering a supportive ecosystem that champions diversity and inclusion. Drawing from her unique perspective of working alongside her husband, Tim will showcase the transformative power of teamwork and synergy, offering practical advice on how to turn co-working into a strength rather than a hindrance.

Ultimately, this talk serves as a testament to the resilience of women in technology and a blueprint for thriving in an industry where diversity is not just a goal but a necessity. By the end of the session, attendees will be equipped with actionable strategies, informed perspectives, and the motivation to embark on their own transformative journeys in the tech world.

Adapting and Thriving: Navigating the Intersections of AI, Machine Learning, and Economic Challenges

In an era marked by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), coupled with significant economic challenges, the role and relevance of technical specialists are under scrutiny. This keynote delves deep into the transforming landscape of technological innovation and economic volatility, guiding specialists on how to not just survive but thrive amidst these shifts.

We will begin by understanding the current scope of AI and ML, highlighting areas where automation has taken precedence and mapping out domains where human expertise still holds a competitive edge. Drawing upon real-world examples, we will debunk the myths of machines entirely replacing technical specialists and shine a light on the symbiotic relationship between human intellect and machine efficiency.

Addressing the elephant in the room, the economic downturn, we will explore strategies that technical specialists can adopt to prove their irreplaceability. By integrating AI and ML into their workflows, enhancing soft skills, and pivoting towards interdisciplinary expertise, specialists can redefine their roles in the industry.

Attendees will leave equipped with:
1. A realistic view of AI's impact on technical specialties.
2. Practical strategies for integrating AI tools into their work.
3. The confidence to evolve, upskill, and navigate a dynamic job market.

In this age, it isn’t just about adapting but leveraging the right mix of human innovation and technology to ensure success. Join us for a thought-provoking session that charts a promising path for technical specialists in an increasingly automated world.

Migrating RDBMS Dinosaurs to the Cloud

Relational databases are often identified as dinosaurs- something to be left behind for modern data platforms like noSQL databases, Snowflake, Dynamo, CosmosDB, etc. In this keynote, Kellyn will discuss her revelations while migrating these older relational systems, (specifically Oracle and SQL Server) and the reality of the world's data ecosystems. Find out why older relational systems are essential to the future of the data landscape.

The relational dinosaurs are everywhere! Discover why so many cloud vendors are talking about new technology, but putting so much into migrating the dinosaurs to their platform or cloud!