PASS Summit 2009: Increase Your SQL Server Value—Immediately

Premier Microsoft SQL Server Conference Addressing Community Focus on Cost-Cutting and ROI

CHICAGO, IL—March 24, 2009 – Guided by the results of a recent membership survey, the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) is gearing up for a 10th anniversary conference that helps attendees cut IT costs in a difficult economy, stretch their Microsoft SQL Server investments, and squeeze the most value from their educational opportunities.

The annual PASS Summit conference—the single largest gathering of SQL Server professionals in the world—returns to the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle, WA, November 2-5, 2009.

The association recently conducted a comprehensive survey, asking members what they want out of PASS Summit 2009, and is using the results to build a conference program that meets those needs through deep technical sessions, access to Microsoft’s SQL Server developers and top community leaders, and rich networking opportunities.

The survey showed that:

79% of respondents are interested in ways to cut costs using SQL Server
73% are interested in learning how to increase ROI using SQL Server
72% are interested in cutting costs through SQL Server consolidation

“In today’s economy, you just can’t waste resources—including your database servers—and PASS Summit is the best place to learn how to maximize your investment in SQL Server,” says Bill Graziano, PASS Vice President, Marketing. “In addition to our 14 full-day pre- and post-conference seminars, which cover SQL Server in amazing detail, we’ve increased the number of technical sessions to 168 to give our attendees even more high-quality education. And our extensive survey of members’ needs and interests will be driving the content for these sessions.”

Virtually all respondents are interested in sessions about SQL Server 2008, with 92% interested in SQL Server 2005 sessions as well. And results show that members want sessions that cover best practices, share tips and tricks, and provide script examples that they can use in their organizations. (For complete survey results, see 2009 Summit Content Survey Results.)

Based on this member feedback, PASS Summit 2009 will feature strategies and skills that can help improve SQL Server ROI, including virtualization technologies, performance tuning and scaling, better hardware utilization, simplified management, effective BI solutions, and more.

PASS Summit 2009 will also showcase:

Two comprehensive business intelligence (BI) tracks
Best practices sessions by the Microsoft SQL CAT team
Direct access to more than 200 Microsoft engineers, experts, and Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) in the “Ask the Experts” Lounge and at the CSS First Aid Station
Opportunities to connect, share, and learn with thousands of MVPs, peers, and industry experts
Top SQL Server tools and services, giving attendees access to hands-on demos and information that would otherwise take days or weeks of research to collect.

Full conference details, including how PASS Summit helps meet members’ top training goals, are available at the new PASS Summit Unite 2009 site.

New PASS Summit 2009 Dates
Based on survey feedback, PASS also adjusted its conference agenda this year, scheduling both pre- and post-conference seminars instead of leading with 2 days of pre-conference seminars.

“The schedule change gives our attendees more flexibility in their travel schedule,” Graziano explains. “They can attend all the breakout sessions without traveling on a weekend, which should make life easier for our East Coast attendees. And they can still register for our popular full-day technical seminars, held Monday and Friday.”

Key dates are:

Pre-Conference Seminars: Monday, November 2
Welcome Reception: Monday, November 2
PASS Summit Sessions: Tuesday, November 3 - Thursday, November 5
Post-Conference Seminars: Friday, November 6

Call for Speakers: Abstracts Due April 10!
Last week, PASS Summit 2009 opened its Call for Speakers, which closes at midnight on April 10. PASS Summit speakers can share their expertise and experience with the community, enhance their professional reputation, and receive a free PASS Summit 2009 conference registration.

PASS has used its membership survey results to create speaker submission guidance, content tracks, and descriptions of the types of sessions the association wants to see for PASS Summit 2009. PASS Summit 2009 will now feature five content tracks, including two BI tracks:

Enterprise Database Administration and Deployment
Database and Application Development
NEW! BI Architecture, Development and Administration
NEW! BI Client Reporting and Delivery
Professional Development

Program Committee members will rely heavily on member feedback as they evaluate session abstracts.

To submit an abstract or review speaker resources—including links to comprehensive track descriptions, guidance on completing speaker abstracts, sample abstracts and bios, results of the PASS member survey, and tips on becoming a better speaker—see the PASS Summit 2009 Speakers page.

Registration: Early-Bird and Group Discounts
Attendees who register for PASS Summit 2009 by May 1 can take advantage of the early-bird rate of $1,195. Organizations that register a group of 5 or more by May 1 pay only $995 per person. Register today!

About the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS)
Co-founded by Microsoft Corporation and CA, Inc., the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) is an independent, not-for-profit association dedicated to supporting, educating, and promoting the Microsoft SQL Server community. From local user groups and special interest groups (SIGs) to Webcasts and the annual PASS Summit—the largest gathering of SQL Server professionals in the world—PASS enables knowledge sharing, in-depth learning, access to the Microsoft SQL Server team, and the ability to influence the direction of SQL Server technologies. The PASS mission is to empower the global SQL Server community to collaborate, learn, grow, and be inspired through knowledge sharing and peer-based learning. For more information about PASS and the benefits of becoming a member, visit the PASS Web site.

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Media Contact:
Kathy Blomstrom
970.630.3404