Here are the things you must/should probably know about PASS Summit 2017, as told by me.

Update: And here is a list of things I recommend you do in Seattle with your free time, should you have any.

First Timers

Read this blog , of course.

, of course. Check out the PASS Buddy Program .

. And their advice about travel .

. Get on Twitter and meet people. Check out the #PASSSummit tag. I’m @MidnightDBA on Twitter…start there, and see some of the folks I follow/that follow me.

and meet people. Check out the #PASSSummit tag. I’m @MidnightDBA on Twitter…start there, and see some of the folks I follow/that follow me. See Denny Cherry’s first timer orientation.

Schedule at a glance, prioritized

Here’s the PASS Schedule at a Glance. Mine is prioritized, though!

Monday:

Precons happen Monday and Tuesday! There are a lot of good ones, but I especially recommend Allan Hirt, and Itzik Ben-Gan – two of the best speakers in the industry. (No offense, other presenters!)

happen Monday and Tuesday! There are a lot of good ones, but I especially recommend Allan Hirt, and Itzik Ben-Gan – two of the best speakers in the industry. (No offense, other presenters!) Donuts! If you’re in town Monday evening, hit up the MidnightDBA Donut Meetup, 5-7pm, sponsored by MinionWare.

Tuesday:

More precons . It’s basically a toss-up between all of these….if you’re going to a precon today, pick one that suits your needs!

. It’s basically a toss-up between all of these….if you’re going to a precon today, pick one that suits your needs! PASS Women in Technology Happy Hour & Networking Event is 4-6pm. We wrote a book! Come meet us! Network!

is 4-6pm. We wrote a book! Come meet us! Network! First-Timers’ Orientation Meeting is 4:45pm

is 4:45pm The Welcome Reception is a costume party! 6pm.

is a costume party! 6pm. SQL Karaoke happens tonight, starting at 9:30pm. Big fun, but get your tickets early!

Wednesday:

There’s a a 6am #SQLRun before the conference day starts. See my PASS Summit #SQLRun 2017 blog for details. The run is about 3 miles, fast or slow, from the conference center down to the waterfront and back.

before the conference day starts. See my PASS Summit #SQLRun 2017 blog for details. The run is about 3 miles, fast or slow, from the conference center down to the waterfront and back. Keynote comes first.

comes first. The PASS Community Zone is open all week, check it out.

is open all week, check it out. So is the Exhibit Hall ; that’s where we’ll be, and it’s where to get all the conference swag!

; that’s where we’ll be, and it’s where to get all the conference swag! The Birds of a Feather lunch is today, 11:30-1:30. Go talk to experts in your area of interest.

is today, 11:30-1:30. Go talk to experts in your area of interest. The Exhibitor Reception happens 6-8pm; go and get some food and prizes.

happens 6-8pm; go and get some food and prizes. There will be a number of community events afterward.

Thursday:

Very likely #SQLRun again.

Keynote 2, with Rimma Nehme This is the one you definitely should not miss, as Nehme is an outstanding speaker.

This is the one you definitely should not miss, as Nehme is an outstanding speaker. The Women in Technology Luncheon – same lunch, better content than the dining room (which has none).

– same lunch, better content than the dining room (which has none). PASS Summit 2017 Games Night!! 7-10:30pm in the convention center, board games and nerds. I love this event.

Friday:

Very likely #SQLRun again.

The Birds of a Feather lunch is apparently every day. Today it goes from noon-2pm.

Sessions we recommend

This list of sessions will keep growing as the conference gets closer. Submit your recommendations in the comments, or ask my opinion on a session!

The most popular speakers’ sessions may fill up; I’ll mark these with an asterisk (*). Note: I won’t post days and times, as these can change. Check out the Guidebook mobile app to help keep track of schedules and changes.

Support track:

Monster Text Manipulation: Regular Expressions for the DBA by Sean McCown, of course. This is an EXCELLENT session!

by Sean McCown, of course. This is an EXCELLENT session! Linux for the SQL Server DBA—Getting Started with a New OS by Joey D’Antoni, if you want to get into SQL/Linux.

by Joey D’Antoni, if you want to get into SQL/Linux. Understanding and Handling Database Corruption by David Maxwell. Excellent topic.

by David Maxwell. Excellent topic. Three Steps to Lasting Encryption by Ed Leighton-Dick…great topic.

by Ed Leighton-Dick…great topic. Using Powershell to Manage Your Azure Databases by Grant Fritchey.

Perform/Build tracks:

*Tuning In-Memory Indexes by Kalen Delaney. Great topic, top of the industry speaker.

by Kalen Delaney. Great topic, top of the industry speaker. * T-SQL Tips and Tricks by Itzik Ben-Gan.

by Itzik Ben-Gan. * Anything by Bob Ward is likely to be both good, and popular.

by Bob Ward is likely to be both good, and popular. Why Did My Clever Index Change Backfire? , by Kendra Little.

, by Kendra Little. Linux Clustering for the SQL Server DBA by Allan Hirt, if SQL on Linux is an interest to you.

by Allan Hirt, if SQL on Linux is an interest to you. *”But It Worked in Development!” – 3 Hard Performance Problems by Brent Ozar is a 400 level session.

by Brent Ozar is a 400 level session. Adaptive Query Plans? What’s Up With That? by Gail Shaw, a 400 level session.

Evolve and Innovate tracks:

Women’s Voices from the Data Platform by Rie Irish and panel, including me!

by Rie Irish and panel, including me! Mental Health in Tech by Dr. Jennifer Akullian sounds fascinating!

by Dr. Jennifer Akullian sounds fascinating! Pitch Perfect – Presenting Ideas That Win Executive Support by Kevin Kline. Great speaker, and this is relevant to my interests.

Design track:

Data Modeling and Design for New Features in SQL Server and Cosmos DB by Karen Lopez looks quite interesting.

by Karen Lopez looks quite interesting. Storage for the DBA by Denny Cherry.

Analyze track: