Blog

We have closed the book on one of our favorite events of the year, SQL Saturday #539. We offer a big thanks to our local (605) SQL Server User Group for making this event possible! This is an event that makes us extremely excited to be part of our local technology community as it provides a unique opportunity to share and connect with our fellow professionals. Great speakers, sponsors, and many volunteers all came together to share their knowledge and expertise in data.

Data is an area of technology that is expanding at a rapid pace, and we believe the growth of our community will be driven largely by data professionals. SQL Saturday gives anyone interested in data the opportunity to expand their skills. This exposure within our data community can serve to inspire and motivate further research and professional development well beyond this one-day event.

SQL Saturday is not just for Data Engineers, however. This year’s schedule ranged from using dynamic SQL to performance tuning and advanced analytics to data security as well as newer SQL Server features such as in-memory tables. With such a wide range of topics that span every skill level, everyone from beginner to advanced was able to find sessions that will help them and the Sioux Falls technology community grow. Omnitech’s list of attendees ranged in background from seasoned data engineers with MCSE in Data to software engineers, recent graduates, summer interns and even a Project Manager. As one of our software engineers eloquently put it: “we continuously work with data and interact with the databases/servers that Data Engineers put in place, and simply understanding the magic within the box can give strong insights on better ways to interact with these systems.”

The success of this free community event is dependent on the volunteers, speakers, and sponsors. SQL Saturday this year was blessed with more local speakers, great volunteers and a variety of sponsors who feel passionately about spreading knowledge. One of the new sponsors this year was a local university (Dakota State University) which has strong programs in data. This level of passion and participation shows how our technology community is stepping up to foster the opportunity for professional development right here at home in Sioux Falls. This is a good sign for our future.

We look forward to the upcoming monthly 605 SQL Server User Group meetings that will build up to our next annual SQL Saturday. We look forward to next year’s event!