I am honored to be part of the fantastic group of speakers in the Data Platform & Business Intelligence track at IT/Dev Connections this year. IT/Dev Connections is happening September 15 though 17th (with Pre-Cons on the 14th) in Las Vegas, Nevada at the ARIA Resort & Casino. The abstracts for my two presentations are below.
Overcoming Chartaphobia: Moving Your Organization Toward Interesting and Enlightening Data Visualization
Do your organization’s reports consist mostly of giant tables of data? Perhaps you’ve gotten as far as adding KPI indicators to the tables. Although tables of data presented as reports are commonly found in many organizations, they might be doing you and your users a disservice. You should optimize your data visualization just as you optimize your databases. Reports are a user interface that must be purposefully designed to help users achieve their goal of making informed decisions. In this session we’ll review some data visualization best practices and apply those concepts to the use of Microsoft reporting tools such as Excel, Power View, and SQL Server Reporting Services. You’ll leave with guidance on how to take boring, unreadable tables of data and turn them into useful and visually appealing reports.
Who Needs SSAS When You’ve Got SQL?
For SQL and .NET developers, SQL Server Analysis Services might seem foreign or unnecessary; however, it can offer many advantages for reporting and data exploration. In this session we’ll cover useful features of SSAS and discuss conditions under which it’s beneficial. Next, we’ll compare the two types of SSAS databases (multidimensional and tabular) and cover how to decide which type is right for your solution. Then we’ll explore common ways to retrieve data and browse your SSAS database, such as Excel, reporting tools like SSRS, and custom .NET applications.
Join Me at IT/Dev Connections
If you haven’t registered to attend, it’s not too late! And I have a discount code for you: Use discount code SPKRSOC15 to get $400 off.
In addition to my sessions, I’m excited about several others that are great topics and great speakers.
- Stacia Misner: Anatomy of a DAX Query Plan
- Josh Fennessy: ELT with Pig: Managing Data Transformations in “Load First” Environments
- Jen Underwood: Delivering Actionable Analytics for Mobile Devices
- Thomas LeBlanc: Excel Tips & Tricks for Displaying a Multidimensional Cube
- John Sterrett: Table Partitioning: The Secret Weapon for Your Big Data Problems
- Argenis Fernandez: Hacking Into SQL Server Instances for Fun and Profit
- David Klee: Handle With Care: Virtual SQL Server
- Jes Borland: Moving From Profiler to Extended Events
- Mike Fal: The Scalable SQL Server Enterprise
I hope to see you there!