For over ten years, I have been volunteering and speaking at SQL Saturdays, which are free, one-day training events for professionals who use the Microsoft data platform.

These events are organized by local communities and Microsoft MVPs around the world and offer a variety of technical sessions on topics such as SQL Server, Azure SQL Database (including postgreSQL, MySQL, Etc), Business intelligence with Power BI, Analytics with Azure Databricks and Fabric, and more.

Most also have a Women in Technology presentation, as well as other career-oriented topics. The value is in networking with other data professionals, who have a helping mindset.

SQL Saturdays are a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in the data platform world, and they cater to all levels of expertise, from beginners to advanced users.

Where did I present?

Albany, NY!

I had the great opportunity to return to SQL Saturday Albany in August, and to present. The organizers as always are terrific, and the event took place on the UAlbany campus.

Syracuse, NY!

I had the great pleasure of presenting at the first ever SQL Saturday Syracuse in September, at the beautiful Onondega Country Central Library! Analyse Adams was our host and organizer, and the event was well-run and well-received in the central-western NY region!

Boston, MA! or Burlington, MA!

In October, the SQL Saturday Boston event was the most attended as percentage of registrants in history! The Cloud Workshop for the SQL Professional by Bob Ward was well-received on Friday before the main event.

As always, this was well run by the organizers and volunteers!

Virtual Events

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Future Data Driven virtual summit in September, which connected hundreds of people around the world in a multi-track conference! This is a great option for people to connect and learn without needing to travel.

I recommend folks check in on meetup, or on eventbrite, or even facebook for what local events are happening, and how you can get involved, or at least get connected for learning!