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Data Conferences – Worth Every Dollar
Some of the best career enhancers you can buy.
Kevin Hill
October 31, 2025
Why I Go to Conferences
I go for two big reasons:
Learning from the best. The folks teaching at PASS Summit or SQLBits aren’t reading from slides. They’re the ones writing the scripts, blog posts, and tools we all use such as the First Responder Kit, Ola Hallengren’s maintenance solution, and countless others. You get to learn how the creators think.
Community. I’ve built friendships at these events that turned into collaboration, mentorship, and yes, a few “help me right now” text messages at midnight. You can’t get that on YouTube.
A few favorite memories:
Watching Brent Ozar and Pinal Dave tag team with Pinal asking questions the audience should be asking.
That time Kalen Delaney saw ‘Kevin3NF’ on my badge and said “I know you!” (We had never met offline)
Late-night lounge war story sessions with strangers who became friends over adult beverages.
Game night at PASS Summit
This year, I’ll be at PASS Data Community Summit in Seattle and next year SQLBits in Wales). If you’re attending, come say hi! I’ll be the over-caffeinated guy in a mountain-bike shirt talking about index maintenance.
A sample of conferences, most certainly not all inclusive of every event:
Conference | Date (Next Event) | Location / Format | Comments |
Nov 17-21, 2025 | Seattle, WA + Virtual | The big one. 3–4 days of deep sessions, networking, and the full “SQL family” experience. | |
Apr 22–25, 2026 | Newport, Wales (In-person) | Massive event with great technical depth and community feel. Costumes optional but encouraged. | |
Ongoing, local weekends | Global / Regional | Free or low-cost one-day community events. Great for networking and first-time speakers. Some have pre-conference sessions for a fee. | |
Data Platform Summit (DPS) | Typically August (virtual) | Online (India-based) | Strong international participation, 24-hour live content, and Microsoft MVPs galore. Unknown if this is still active. |
Dec 9–12, 2025 | US | A Microsoft-heavy event that covers SQL Server, Azure, and Power Platform together. | |
Local User Groups | Monthly | Everywhere | Don’t underestimate your local SQL or Data Platform meetup — that’s where many speakers get their start. |
Annual | Global / Regional | Similar to SQL Saturdays |
If You’re on the Fence
Here’s how to make a conference worth it:
Plan ahead. Pick sessions that fill your knowledge gaps, not just what sounds cool.
Talk to people. Even if you’re introverted, one hallway conversation might change your career.
Bring something back. Document 3–5 takeaways to justify the trip (and remind your boss why it’s valuable).
If travel isn’t in the cards, start small: attend a local Data Saturday or User Group meeting. The ROI is incredible.
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First timers: Don’t try to do everything at the big conferences. Trying to go to a session in every slot plus the after hours, sponsor meals, etc. Will wear you down and possibly make you sick. I’ve seen it many times. Take at least one spot per day for the “hallway track”...fine the local community zone and make some friends.
Link Party
Microsoft: SQL Server 2022 Intelligent Query Processing Enhancements — The engine keeps getting smarter. Great overview of adaptive memory and DOP feedback improvements.
dbatools.io — If you’re not already using this open-source PowerShell module, you’re missing out on hundreds of reliable DBA automations.
Redgate State of the Database Landscape 2025 Report — Insightful trends on data growth, cloud adoption, and DevOps across the SQL ecosystem.
Kendra Little’s YouTube Channel — Great practical videos on query tuning and execution plans for working DBAs.
Please share with your manager to convince them to send you to one of these amazing events!
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