Abstract: SQL Server 2017 has been out for a little while already, but we could all use a quick refresher on what was new, right? We will cover a few of the high points and then jump into how SQL Server can be used in Azure PasS services – Single, Pools and the newly released Managed Instance. Come join this interactive session and learn more about SQL on-prem and in Azure!

About Dan: Matt is a Data Platform Technical Specialist at Microsoft. He has been using Microsoft tools for over 10 years. He is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate and has held positions as a Developer, DBA and Architect with several Fortune 500 companies before joining Microsoft. He now works with customers across the North Central Region to implement data platform solutions that will provide business value. Matt is passionate about helping businesses turn data into insights and realizing the value of their data. He has helped numerous customers realize value from on-prem and cloud solutions dealing with structured and unstructured data using the Microsoft Data Platform and Azure.

Abstract: So, you have heard the buzz and your development team wants to use Cosmos DB. But what does that mean to you? As your company's data architect or DBA, you are ultimately responsible for things like data security, query performance, scale, costs, and availability. Your management wants you to handle all data assets. This will be an opportunity to be introduced to Cosmos DB and understand some of the areas that matter most to a DBA in an enterprise. Not only will we cover enterprise topics, but we will create a Cosmos DB using the SQL API and demo some of the capabilities. The world of data is still changing, this is one area to understand as the technology marches on. What you will learn:

• Basics of Cosmos DB, the what, where and how
• Enterprise considerations for the data pro when using Cosmos DB
• How to create a Cosmos DB and get more hands on experience with the technology

About Steve: Steve is a Principal Consultant Lead at Pragmatic Works. He is currently responsible for guiding the Principal Consultant team and working with other areas in the organization to build out our data, analytics, and cloud offerings. Steve developed the Consumption Based Architecture and enjoys working with businesses to modernize their data and analytics solutions. He also provides insights from the field on his blog.

Abstract: How organizations are dealing with growing DB costs.

About Dan: Dan is the Microsoft Advisory Practice Lead, North America. Enterprise IT Leader and Consultant leveraging experience and industry knowledge in technology to provide confidence and clarity to IT leaders. Over 15 years in senior IT Roles, such as CIO, IT Director, and Consultant – Dan’s diversity has uniquely prepared him to comprehend both SMB and Enterprise technological and IT Business challenges and opportunities.

Abstract: This session will provide an overview of Power BI tools including the Desktop, Service, and Mobile application. We will use Power BI to pull some information about SQL Server databases such as the count, sizes, last backup, recovery model, and file information. We will explore some of the recent capabilities that were added to Power BI Desktop like drill through and bookmarks. The example will be provided after the meeting so that you can review the code, try it out, and enhance the reports on your own.

About Dan: Dan is the Sr. Data Warehouse Architect at Constellation, Inc., a Microsoft Data Platform MVP, speaker, author, technical editor, and community leader. He has been developing with Microsoft technologies for over 20 years, and over 13 years with Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence. He has been working with SQL Server since version 6.5 and now using 2017! Dan has videos on YouTube and Vimeo, is blogger, and tweets. Dan is the group leader for the PASS Business Analytics Virtual Group.

Abstract: The new European privacy law (General Data Protection Regulation or GDRP) is due to take effect on May 25, 2018. The GDPR is taking privacy law to a new level and will require changes for many companies and applications. We will cover a high level overview of GDPR and potential impacts on application and database design and controls.

About Brian: Brian Glas is the Director of Strategic Services at nVisium. He spends the majority of his time working with the Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM), building security programs and related processes, and working on Architecture Reviews/Threat Modeling.