We are in the final stages of selecting the speakers for the SQLRally May 11th through the 13th in sunny Orlando Florida. The program selection is a little different than what we have done with the Summit. The committee narrowed the number of selections and is putting the rest up to a public vote. This is your opportunity to voice your opinion on what you would like to hear at this inaugural event! I’ve been fortunate enough to have two of my sessions put up for a vote. If you follow my blog you know I have a passion for moving bits of data around as fast as possible. Both my sessions focus on storage. As much as I would love to have your votes to see my sessions at SQLRally, I would like it even more if you voted on what YOU want to learn about the most. Having served on the program committee for Summit last year I know just how hard it can be choosing what I think people would like to learn about. having the opportunity to make your choice known directly is just awesome. I am very excited to see PASS expand and have training events that cover the gambit. Starting with local user groups and SQL Saturdays now growing with SQLRally and finishing it off with the Summit, there is something for every budget.

With that said, here are my abstracts so you can get a better idea of what I’m speaking on. GO VOTE!

Title:
Solid State Storage Deep Dive
Speaker:
Wesley Brown
Category:
Storage
Level:
100

Abstract:
If you have ever wanted to know how SSD’s and Flash memory works this talk is for you. We will cover the fundamentals of Flash in detail. I will also highlight some of the specific vendor implementations and what makes a particular SSD enterprise-ready vs. consumer grade. We will also cover SQL Server usage patterns what is a good fit for SSD’s and when it may be better to go with hard disks. Solid State Storage isn’t a cure-all for every situation, this presentation will give you the tools you need to make the right choice for your SQL Server environment.

Session Goals

• Understand the fundamental building block of Flash memory.
• Get a clear explanation of what makes some SSD’s robust enough for enterprise use.
• Learn where SSD will and won’t make a real difference in your SQL Server environment.

Title:
Understanding Storage Systems and SQL Server
Speaker:
Wesley Brown
Category:
Storage
Level:
100

Abstract:
The most important part of your SQL Server is also the slowest, Storage. This talk will take you through the fundamentals of your server’s Disk I/O System. From how hard drives work, through RAID configurations, and how to configure the file system. This session should give you a solid foundation over storage systems and help you understand why they are slow and how to overcome some of their limitations.

Session Goals

• Understand the physical characteristics of IO hardware.
• Understand the fundamentals of RAID.
• Understand how to configure the file system.