Network, learn, ask a question, meet other folk, get fed - these are all things that happen at user group events. These events are a really great opportunity to socialise in an informal learning experience - if you want your own exposure then come and do a 1 - 5 minute nugget in front of your peers.
Remember to tell your friends and the people you work with; make sure you register as soon as you can.
5.30pm – 6:00pm Registration and networking
Meet and greet.
6:00pm – 6:30pm Round Table discussion and Nuggets - ALL
Take stock and get the latest news in the SQL Server field. This is also a great opportunity to ask any burning questions you have, may be a problem at work.
It's also a great opportunity to share your knowledge and gain exposure in the industry by giving a short 1 - 6 minute "nugget" demo/tip.
6:30pm - 7:30pm Dave Ballantyne - Cursors are evil, and shouldn't be used
That’s frequent advice given on forums when asking about performance problems. Its correct advice, but how do you go about removing cursors and what do you replace them with? That’s the tricky part! By deconstructing a cursor based routine, Dave will demonstrate a number of TSQL techniques and how they can be applied to generate a new routine with significantly less overhead.
Dave Ballantyne
Dave is a freelance SQLServer database developer/designer and has been working in the IT field for over 20 years. Tuning and optimizing SQLServer processes is his particular talent. Dave regularly contributes to online forums and is a regular speaker at UK events such as SQL Bits and user groups. He also is founder of the Kent .NET/SqlServer user group.
7:30pm – 8:00pm BREAK: Light refreshments
More time to network and ask questions...
8:00pm – 9:00pm James Boother -Powershell
James will demonstrate what Powershell is, what it can do and why you should use it.
9:00pm - Close and down the pub