SQLSaturday #102 Review

On November 11th we hosted SQLSaturday #102 in Trinidad and Tobago. Putting this event together was not simple but I believe that was because of the fact that it was the first time we were hosting it in the Caribbean and also it was the first time that I was planning an all-day event. Besides the issues the event was in my eyes an overall success!

We had a total of 86 people registered but on the day of the event we had 68 attendees from 35 different organisations. The attendees included Database Administrators, System Administrators, Software Developers, Analysts, Consultants, Team Leads, Managers and Company Owners.

We had a total of six (6) presentations:

1.      Microsoft Data Mining Fundamentals by Hasani Holder – This session demonstrated how easy it is to use SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) and Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) to build and analyse models using existing data.

2.      Performance for SMB Developers by Joe Chang – This session explained how to improve performance in small and medium business environments.

3.      Database Integrity by Jason Deyalsingh – This session gave a basic overview of how databases are made up, how corruption can occur, the different types of database corruption and the built-in tools SQL server has for dealing with these issues.

4.      What's new in SQL Server 2012 by Nigel Sammy – This session was a sneak peek at some of the new exciting features in SQL Server 2012.

5.      Zero to BI in 10 Minutes by Rushabh Mehta – This session explained the story of self-service Business Intelligence.

6.      Journey into Business Intelligence by Rushabh Mehta – This session explained what Business Intelligence (BI) is and highlighted various technologies that play a role in building a BI solution.

               

We started and ended on time thanks to great time management by the presenters and moderators but unfortunately some people were not able to stay until the end due to other engagements. During and between the presentations we gave out prizes such as SQL Server Books, SQL Server CTP 3 CDs, T-Shirts and other SQL Server items. At the end of the day we presented a gift to each international speaker and also gave away a Red Gate ‘SQL Monitor’ License to one of the attendees.

Some of the comments that we got from the attendees are as follow:

“The SQL Saturday event was well-planned and very well-executed. All five presenters seemed highly knowledgeable and had absolutely no difficulty conveying information to the audience. The refreshments, lunch and facilities were excellent and the attention to time was particularly good. I benefitted greatly from this event and would highly recommend another like it to my colleagues.”

Ryan Shripat – Director, Mindbase Consulting and  Development Lead at Teleios Systems Limited

“I was pleased to see the large number of DB professionals and enthusiasts turning up for a full day of SQL Server knowledge sharing. Every single presentation was incredible. There was not a single bored face or uninterested look to be found in the room, as both international and local presenters delivered relevant material on fascinating topics like business intelligence, performance and the future of SQL Server.

I had a fun time presenting myself. The audience seemed to be attentive and inquisitive throughout the duration of my presentation. I'm extremely thankful to have been allowed to speak and I hope the attendants found some value in my contribution. It would be remiss of me if I didn't acknowledge the hard work of Nigel and the other TTSSUG committee members, who made this event such a success. I have to say thanks to them for the efforts they put into organizing SQL Saturday 102 and for letting me be a part of such a fun and informative day.”

Jason Deyalsingh – Web Architect at CLICO         

“Attending your event made me realize I only know this stuff by tertiary, my previous two IT jobs were not in any way hands on. It was just administration jobs (paper work) and getting a technical IT job is hard in Trinidad because everyone wants someone who already has the hands on knowledge and not someone to train from scratch. I looked at some of your audience and presenters and I would like to be able to reach that level where I can relate to different platforms in the IT industry. Overall I think your event was a success, someone from Illuminat said he was surprised to see so many people because normally at those events there aren't a lot people who shows up to those events.”

Felisha Hosein – IT Manager at PizzaBoys Group of Companies  

Based on the attendance, the presentations and feedback I would say that we had a great first SQLSaturday event in Trinidad and Tobago. Special thanks to Rushabh Mehta and Joe Chang for taking the time as well as spending their own money to come Trinidad to speak at the event. Thanks to all the local speakers as well for taking the time to create great presentations just to share their knowledge with the community. I am sure the community appreciated and enjoyed all the presentations! Special thanks to all the sponsors for the assistance that they provided to us for this event. Last but not least, thanks to all the people who took the time to attend the event. Without the presenters, sponsors and attendees we would have not had a successful event and for that we at TTSSUG are very grateful.

PS: I must say a huge thank you to the PASS team: Karla Landrum (Blog | Twitter) and Michelle Nalliah. Without their guidance and assistance we would not have had the event!