idpa-quadcities

Event link at our Meetup page.

• 5:30 Networking
• 6:00 Meeting

Performance Tuning SQL Server for the Cloud

When your SQL database is in a cloud service, you’re paying for performance. How can you maximize performance while minimizing costs? Join me in this session to learn about SQL Server’s performance options that can be used to reduce CPU usage and storage, which will reduce costs and make your database faster! I’ll show you how to use features such as rowstore and columnstore indexes, in-memory OLTP, and read scale-out to minimize query run times and optimize resource use. DMVs, Query Store, and intelligent query processing will be covered so you know how to look for expensive queries and let the database engine make your queries faster automatically. You’ll be ready to get the most performance for the least amount of money from SQL in the cloud.

Jes Chapman

Jes Chapman is a Data & AI Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. With a dynamic background spanning software engineering to product management, and enriched by years as a SQL consultant and field engineer for SQL Server, Jes brings a wealth of expertise from the heart of Microsoft. A former five-time Microsoft Data Platform MVP, she’s contributed to technical books and taught from stages worldwide with her passion for teaching. When not immersed in the cloud, you’ll find Jes conquering trails, hiking through nature’s wonders, or experimenting in the kitchen.

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Event link at our Meetup page.

• 5:30 Networking
• 6:00 Meeting

Modern SQL Server Features That Make Life Better

Being aware of new features for database developers and administrators requires a keen understanding of modern SQL Server features that can enhance performance, scalability, and efficiency.

This presentation delves into some of the latest advancements within SQL Server, including SQL Server 2022, offering database administrators and Developers insights into key features and functionalities that can revolutionize their approach to data management and performance.

Developers and Administrators will be introduced to the power of intelligent query processing, Query Store, and how these are deeply integrated into SQL Server 2022 to make troubleshooting queries and improving performance easier than ever. For example, we’ll learn how memory grant feedback and DOP Feedback work in SQL Server 2022 to enhance performance.

Developers will be excited about modern features such as verbose truncation warnings, updates in T-SQL that allow you to write less code, and how temporal tables can help answer the problem of how to trend data over time and fix data after a disastrous, unintended change to a table.

Lee Markum

Lee is a SQL Server Database Administrator who got his start with SQL Server back in 2009. Back in the day, he earned an MCTS certification on SQL Server 2008. That was followed up in 2020 with the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals and DP-900 Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals certifications. He has officially been a DBA since 2014. Lee has worked for small companies under 100 people to large enterprises of thousands of employees and used databases of all sizes.

He has presented at SQL Server Meetups, New Stars of Data, SQL Saturdays, was an online speaker for the RedGate PASS Data Community Summit 2022, and spoke at Saint Louis DevUp in 2024 and 2025.

Lee blogs at LeeMarkum.com and he loves finding and experimenting with new features in SQL Server. High availability and disaster recovery as well as performance monitoring and troubleshooting are of special interest to Lee.

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Event link at our Meetup page.

• 5:30 Networking
• 6:00 Meeting

Optimized Locking: Improving SQL Server Transaction Concurrency

Some aspects of the SQL Server engine have not seen much change for a long time – locking is one such component. Until now. Optimized locking is here and it affects not just the locking mechanisms but the way concurrency is handled.

This session is designed to help us understand how optimized locking works. First we will cover the foundation on which it was built, the version store. Then we’ll dig deep into the two components of optimized locking: Transaction ID (TID) and lock after qualification (LAQ). Finally, we’ll review some best practices when enabled.

By the end of this session, you should have a clear understanding of how it works and why we want to take advantage of this new functionality.

Deborah Melkin

Deborah Melkin has been working as a database professional with SQL Server for over 20 years. She spends her days helping coworkers with all aspects of database design, queries, performance, documentation, and deployment. In 2016, she began her blog, Deb the DBA. Soon after that, she began speaking at SQL Saturdays and user groups. Deborah is a board member of the New England SQL Server User group (NESQL) and a member of the Azure Data Community Advisory Council. She was named “One To Watch” as part of the #Redgate100 and won Speaker Idol at PASS Summit 2019. Deborah is also a Microsoft MVP for the Data Platform.

In her spare time, Deborah can usually be found doing something musical or doing something geeky with her husband, Andy, and dog, Sebastian.

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Event link at our Meetup page.

• 5:30 Networking
• 6:00 Meeting

Getting Started with Vector Searches in SQL Server 2025
Deborah Melkin – Lightning Talk

Mitigating Your Data Bloat with Partitioning & Data Virtualization
Andy Yun – Presentation

Are you managing a VLDB where cold data must be retained, but it’s dragging down maintenance, backups, and query performance? What if you could shrink your database footprint while still letting users query that data exactly as they always have?

In this session, we’ll start by reviewing the classic approach using partitioning and filegroup strategies. Then we’ll dive deep into a modern, more flexible solution: Data Virtualization. You’ll learn how external tables/CETAS can enable seamless access to archived data stored in object storage, with zero changes to your users’ T-SQL code. This isn’t just about saving space — it’s about redefining what “archiving” can mean in today’s SQL Server environments.

You’ll leave with practical techniques — both classic and modern — for reducing database bloat, improving manageability, lowering storage needs, and preserving fast, transparent access to historical data.

Deborah Melkin

Deborah Melkin has been working as a database professional with SQL Server for over 20 years. She spends her days helping coworkers with all aspects of database design, queries, performance, documentation, and deployment. In 2016, she began her blog, Deb the DBA. Soon after that, she began speaking at SQL Saturdays and user groups. Deborah is a board member of the New England SQL Server User group (NESQL) and a member of the Azure Data Community Advisory Council. She was named “One To Watch” as part of the #Redgate100 and won Speaker Idol at PASS Summit 2019. Deborah is also a Microsoft MVP for the Data Platform.

In her spare time, Deborah can usually be found doing something musical or doing something geeky with her husband, Andy, and dog, Sebastian.

Andy Yun

Andy Yun is a Field Solutions Architect at Pure Storage, who has been with SQL Server for over 20 years as both a Database Developer and Administrator. He focuses on performance tuning, with expertise in T-SQL, storage engine internals, and monitoring. Andy strongly believes in passing knowledge onto others, regularly speaking at conferences and user groups, and mentoring industry colleagues. Andy is a former Microsoft MVP, co-founder of the Chicago SQL Association, and former co-leader of the Chicago Suburban User Group and Chicago SQL Saturday Organizing Committee.

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Event link at our Meetup page.

• 5:30 Networking
• 6:00 Meeting

Performance Tuning SQL Server for the Cloud

When your SQL database is in a cloud service, you’re paying for performance. How can you maximize performance while minimizing costs? Join me in this session to learn about SQL Server’s performance options that can be used to reduce CPU usage and storage, which will reduce costs and make your database faster! I’ll show you how to use features such as rowstore and columnstore indexes, in-memory OLTP, and read scale-out to minimize query run times and optimize resource use. DMVs, Query Store, and intelligent query processing will be covered so you know how to look for expensive queries and let the database engine make your queries faster automatically. You’ll be ready to get the most performance for the least amount of money from SQL in the cloud.

Jes Chapman

Jes Chapman is a Data & AI Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. With a dynamic background spanning software engineering to product management, and enriched by years as a SQL consultant and field engineer for SQL Server, Jes brings a wealth of expertise from the heart of Microsoft. A former five-time Microsoft Data Platform MVP, she’s contributed to technical books and taught from stages worldwide with her passion for teaching. When not immersed in the cloud, you’ll find Jes conquering trails, hiking through nature’s wonders, or experimenting in the kitchen.

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Event link at our Meetup page.

• 5:30 Networking
• 6:00 Meeting

Migrating your SQL Server DBA skills to PostreSQL

During a recent job search I noticed an increase in the number of postings that called for not only SQL Server skills, but also PostgreSQL skills as well. This session is designed to help the SQL Server DBA start the transition to also being a PostgreSQL DBA. During this session, we will cover some of the core areas of responsibility for a DBA. There are a few tools similar to SSMS that we will do a high-level overview of. We will go over the options for backing up the database and server, process management, how to capture execution plans and discuss the basic security model for a PostgreSQL database and server.

David Bland

Over 25 years of SQL Server experience that includes being a DBA, BI development and Application development using VB.NET. Dave is currently the Manager of Database Engineering at Lexia. Prior to that he was the Manager of the DBA team at Stericycle. Dave was a Friend of Red-Gate for 2019 and 2020. He is a frequent presenter at SQL Saturday events and user groups around the country. Has been teaching SQL Server since version 2000 and is the SQL Server instructor at Harper College in Palatine, IL.

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Event link at our Meetup page.

• 5:30 Networking
• 6:00 Meeting

Migrating your SQL Server DBA skills to PostreSQL

During a recent job search I noticed an increase in the number of postings that called for not only SQL Server skills, but also PostgreSQL skills as well. This session is designed to help the SQL Server DBA start the transition to also being a PostgreSQL DBA. During this session, we will cover some of the core areas of responsibility for a DBA. There are a few tools similar to SSMS that we will do a high-level overview of. We will go over the options for backing up the database and server, process management, how to capture execution plans and discuss the basic security model for a PostgreSQL database and server.

David Bland

Over 25 years of SQL Server experience that includes being a DBA, BI development and Application development using VB.NET. Dave is currently the Manager of Database Engineering at Lexia. Prior to that he was the Manager of the DBA team at Stericycle. Dave was a Friend of Red-Gate for 2019 and 2020. He is a frequent presenter at SQL Saturday events and user groups around the country. Has been teaching SQL Server since version 2000 and is the SQL Server instructor at Harper College in Palatine, IL.

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Event link at our Meetup page.

• 5:30 Networking
• 6:00 Meeting

SQL Server Health Checks – A How-to Guide

The database servers underneath critical applications are quite complex, but you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to learn how to keep it running efficiently. This highly technical session will help you lead an investigation into the performance of the database server and application databases. The SQL Server database environment will be examined in depth, including reasons to upgrade and how to save on SQL Server licensing costs. A rigorous health check from all the layers of SQL Server, including instance configuration, parallelization settings, and non-default performance and scalability improvements, will be introduced. Database-specific details designed to detect how your organization uses the database and options to improve its performance will also be discussed in detail. Valuable scripts, tips, and architecture concepts will be addressed so that you can perform a thorough analysis on your SQL Server environment.

David Klee

David Klee is a Microsoft MVP and VMware vExpert with a passion for the convergence of data, cloud, and infrastructure. David spends his days handling performance and HA/DR architecture of mission-critical SQL Servers as the Founder of Heraflux Technologies. His areas of expertise are virtualization and performance, datacenter architecture, and risk mitigation through high availability and disaster recovery. You can read his blog at davidklee.net, and reach him on Twitter at @kleegeek.

David speaks at a number of national and regional technology related events, including the PASS Summit, VMworld, IT/Dev Connections, SQL Saturday events, SQL Cruise, PASS virtual chapter webinars, and many SQL Server User Groups.

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Event link at our Meetup page.

• 5:30 Networking
• 6:00 Meeting

Security Compliance and Auditing for SQL Server and the Azure Data Platform (Part 2 of 2)

As security and privacy requirements increase, DBAs are being tasked with providing detailed information about the architecture and activity on their databases, both for governance and compliance. However, the regulations are many and complex, and they are often written generically so they can be applied to many different industries. How do you interpret the regulations? What do you actually need for proof? And how do you get that information out of SQL Server and Azure?

In this session, we’ll explore some of the most common cybersecurity frameworks for regulations and cyber insurance, and we’ll break them down to understand how to architect your data platform for compliance. We’ll also look at how to use the tools available from Microsoft to get the proof you need. By the end of the day, you’ll have a plan for compliance that you can start implementing.

Ed Leighton-Dick

Ed Leighton-Dick is a Microsoft MVP, SQL Server performance and architecture specialist, and Founder/Principal Consultant of Kingfisher Technologies. He is a frequent volunteer with PASS, including roles as regional mentor, chapter leader of I-380 PASS SQL Server User Group, and organizer of SQLSaturday Iowa City. He can often be found teaching sessions at local, regional, and national events, including user groups, SQLSaturday, and PASS Summit. 

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