Data Platform User Group (Cosmos DB, Spark)

Join fellow IT Professionals for an evening of knowledge sharing and networking in an open, friendly environment.

Sponsored by DataShed (https://www.thedatashed.co.uk)

17:30 – 18:00 – Networking (drinks)
18:00 – 19:00 – Jes Borland | Choose the Right Cosmos DB API and Consistency Model
19:00 – 19:20 – Break (pizza / top up)
19:20 – 20:20 – DataShed | The straw(s) that broke the camel’s back – From SQL Server to Databricks (and sometimes, back again).
20:20 – 20:30 – Off t’pub.

Jes Borland | Choose the Right Cosmos DB API and Consistency Model
Cosmos DB is Azure's globally distributed, multi-model database service. It offers several APIs, multiple consistency models, automatic indexing, and guaranteed performance. This revolutionary NoSQL database system is changing how developers store and work with their data. But which API and model is right for your application? In this session, you'll learn what types of data each API can store, what benefits each consistency model provides, and use cases for each.

Jes Borland is a Software Engineer with Microsoft who has experience with wide range of SQL Server features from version 2005 through 2019, and is on the cutting edge with Azure technologies. Since graduating from Fox Valley Technical College with an IT-Programmer/Analyst degree, Jes has worked as an SSRS developer, DBA, and consultant. Before joining Microsoft, Jes was a six-time Data Platform MVP, recognized for her community work. Jes tackles every project and problem with tenacity and her enthusiasm is unmatched in the SQL Server community. In her free time Jes never stops moving, counting fitness, coffee, cooking, and travel as essentials to life.

DataShed | The straw(s) that broke the camel’s back – From SQL Server to Databricks (and sometimes, back again).

When building our data processing platform, our first port of call was to rely on the area where we had most expertise: SQL Server. However, as the platform extended past the initial designs, certain frustrations and pains made us reconsider our choice. Andy and Ed share their journey from SQL Server to Databricks; why they chose to move, and why SQL Server is still a key tool at the Shed. There’s no such thing as a Golden Hammer.