To Go or Not To Go: The SQL Server Conference Scene

As we approach the season of technical conferences, I find myself writing a proposal for my management outlining the benefits of attending them. Specifically, those that I believe to be the top two annual SQL Server technical conferences - SQL PASS Summit (PASS) and SQL IT/DevConnections (DevConnections). It’s also my goal to be in a position to attend one of these two conferences each year. To accomplish this task, I decided to showcase their benefits. This included: the variety of sessions/training offered, caliber of presenters, availability to vendors, non-session experiences, community/networking opportunities, and of course costs.

Sessions/Training:
SQL PASS Summit is designed specifically for SQL Server. It covers all things relating to SQL Server from administration, to performance tuning, to data warehousing, to SharePoint integration and beyond. The sessions are offered for experience levels ranging from novice to highly advanced/technical.

SQL IT/DevConnections is focused on development and programming across multiple technologies. The broad nature of this conference allows the training sessions include Windows management, .NET development, and of course SQL Server. Again, the sessions offered range from novice to highly advanced, however this is an expectation of basic programming and development knowledge.

Presenters:
These conferences each draw between 100 and 200 sessions. With such a high number of sessions it allows the presenters to draw from a variety of experiences and backgrounds. Past events have included Microsoft employees, technical authors, and the community’s top evangelists.

Vendors:
While the vendors the both events have a high volume of overlap, it is important to note the benefits of having them. By allowing the opportunity to see new products and features, as well as get one-on-one time with the company’s that we rely on, it also offers the ability ensure that the best products are being leveraged in-house.

Non-Session Experience:
Beyond the basic presentation session, there is still value of attending these conferences. These non-session experiences have included a discounted book store (many books of which have been written by the conference speakers), a computer lab to go through feature-specific lessons, discussion tables with subject matter experts, and even an on-site testing center to take certification exams.

Community/Networking:
Both conferences will offer the ability to network with peers in one environment that you will not likely find anywhere else. With DBA’s from around the world and community organizers and leaders within the community all in one location, these relationships can be the foundation used to bounce ideas off of, lean on for advice, as well as offer opportunities to get directly involved on both a local and national scale.

Costs:

SQL Pass Summit 2014      Location: Seattle, WA      Conference Date: November 4-7, 2014 Conference Cost:      Main conference: (if paid by June 27)      Optional: 1x Pre-conference workshop      Optional: Online copy of all conference presentations Travel (estimates):      Airfare:      Hotel: (4 nights at $150/night)      Meals: (4 days at $25/day - breakfast and lunch provided)  Total Estimated Cost: (with one pre-conference workshop)

$1,595 $495 $145 $500 $600 $100 $3,435

SQL IT/DEV Connections 2014      Location: Las Vegas, NV      Conference Date: September 15-19, 2014 Conference Cost:      Main conference:      Optional: Pre/post workshops Travel (estimates):      Airfare:      Hotel: (5 nights at $200/night)      Food: (4 days at $25/day - breakfast and lunch provided) Total Estimated Cost: (with 1 pre or post conference workshop)

$1,695 $399 $600 $1000 $100 $3,794

Conclusion:
You certainly can't go wrong with attending either of these conferences. They are both going to offer opportunities beyond what you can get by reading a book or attending an online class. I hope that this shows the bigger picture of what these conferences have to offer and encourages everyone to participate in them.