SQL Relay June 2013 Review

SQL Relay is by far the best conference I have attended for quite some time!

SQL Relay is an annual community run series of SQL Server training events across the UK. The aim is to enhance the existing SQL Server community in the UK by bringing world class training to your region. Each SQL Relay spans 2 weeks, running 1-day conferences in a number of regions throughout the UK. With speakers from Microsoft, global IT companies and a host of MVPs, and covering topics from DBA, business intelligence and development. Each event is run by the local SQL Server user group leaders.

SQL Relay 2013 Norwich was run by Mark Pryce-Maher of Norfolk SQL Community at the Kings Centre on Thursday 20th June. I estimate that between thirty and forty people attended and much to my surprise there was only a handful of the regular Norwich tech crowd.

So what made if by far the best conference I have attended for quite some time? Quite simply it was the quality of the speakers and their ability to engage with, entertain and inform the audience effortlessly.

I was fascinated by the new in memory table feature of SQL Server described by Anthony Saxby of Microsoft and Tobiasz Koprowski’s talk about disaster recovery was hysterical, while also being extremely useful. Even the sponsor presentations like Gavin McLaughlin’s SQL Server and Solid State Storage was interesting and useful.

I’m already looking forward to the next one, which will hopefully be held in November.

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