SQL Saturday
This conference had multiple tracks and sessions on SQL (Structured Query Language) related topics. It was one of many SQL Saturday events held around the world. The network in the SQL community is vast and supportive.
I enjoyed learning about Power Query and Power BI which are both Microsoft products. This Youtube video is a nice introduction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T97FQTIP6LA I went home and downloaded Power Query right away. Since I’m more familiar with Qlik and Tableau, it was very interesting for me to learn about the functionality of Power Query and Power BI. I didn’t know that these were add-ons to Excel that can really make your data analysis soar. The sessions were led by Reeves Smith (reevessmith.wordpress.com) and Joseph D’Antoni (twitter @jdanton)
I also found the “Branding Yourself for Your Dream Job” session by Steve Jones (twitter @Way0utWest) to be very interesting and inspiring view of the subject. He encouraged people to blog and publish their works.
Career Tenants: 1) Be good at your job; 2) Be Personable 3) Stand Out.
How to stand out? Network, Profiles, Volunteer, Research, Be a Leader, Blog, Publish, Speak.
This conference was held at the Microsoft Offices in Chevy Chase, MD.
