Updated: Free Online Training! The Baker’s Dozen - 13 Part Live Webcast series on SQL Server 2012: Starting March 23rd – June 15th

Microsoft SQL Server MVP, Kevin Goff is hosting this 13 part SQL Server 2012 live online webcast series starting Friday, March 23rd at 9am (Pacific).  Join Kevin every Friday for this fantastic, free online training series on all things SQL Server 2012.  Bookmark and check this blog post often as new courses and registration links become available!

Register Today ---spots are filling up fast!

These are getting recorded!!! I have created a blog post that I will post all the recordings here is the post:

https://blogs.technet.com/b/jweston/archive/2012/03/28/sql-2012-free-training-one-blog-post-13-webcast-recordings-mvp-kevin-goff.aspx

3/23/2012 9:00:00 AM (Pacific)   - The Baker’s Dozen: What’s New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 1 of 13)—Using the New Column Store Index

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9801772

Have you ever purchased or upgraded to a product because of one major, killer function? The new column store index in Microsoft SQL Server 2012 might be the one feature that convinces managers of SQL Server data warehouses to upgrade. Based on the VertiPaq technology that’s already found in Microsoft PowerPivot, the new column store index can increase the performance of data warehousing queries by a factor of 10 or more. That’s beyond significant! In this webcast, I show scenarios where you can create column store indexes and view the statistics and performance of queries with (and without) them.

3/30/2012 9:00:00 AM (Pacific) - The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 2 of 13): New Transact-SQL Enhancements

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9802712

Each new version of Microsoft SQL Server contains a number of language enhancements for retrieval, summarizing, and management of data. SQL Server 2005 had new features for PIVOT, RANK, recursive queries, and more. SQL Server 2008 had GROUPING SETS, MERGE, and more. Transact-SQL in SQL Server 2012 offers several new features to help application developers and database administrators, with capabilities such as sequence objects (a database-level identity), new window functions for analytic queries (such as LAG, LEAD, Percent Rank, Cumulative Distance, and a new way to calculate MEDIANS), new ways of paging through result sets (with new OFFSET and FETCH keywords), and more. In this webcast, Kevin Goff goes through a series of code samples to illustrate scenarios where these new language features can be used.

4/6/2012 9:00:00 AM (Pacific) - The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 3 of 13): New FileTable Enhancement

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9802713

In Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Microsoft released the new FileStream feature and the new HierarchyID data type. Some people wanted to use this to build (among other things) hierarchical document management features in SQL Server. But, Microsoft has added a new feature in SQL Server 2012 to make this process much easier. The new FileTable feature is a mechanism that lets you map a folder or file system structure to a special database table, where SQL Server maintains a relationship dynamically. In this webcast, Kevin Goff builds a simple but meaningful example from beginning to end. The end result will be standard DML statements against the FileTable, which will automatically affect the contents of the basic document management example.

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4/13/2012 9:00:00 AM (Pacific) The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 4 of 13): New Capabilities in SQL Server 2012 Integration Services

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9803882

 

4/20/2012 9:00:00 AM (Pacific) The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 5 of 13): New Capabilities in SQL Server 2012 Integration Services (continued)

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9803883

4/27/2012 9:00:00 AM (Pacific) The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 6 of 13): An Overview of the New Business Intelligence Semantic Model and Microsoft’s view for Business Intelligence

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9803884

5/4/2012 9:00:00 AM (Pacific) - The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 7 of 13)—What's New in the Tabular Model

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9805226    or   https://bit.ly/H16Dbm

Abstract:

Although Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services has tremendous capabilities for building analytic (OLAP) databases, the learning curve can intimidate developers. The new tabular model in Analysis Services provides developers with some of the same general features as the regular multidimensional capabilities of OLAP, but in a somewhat simplified user interface. In this webcast, we create an analytic database by using the tabular model in Microsoft Visual Studio (SQL Server Data Tools), pointing to a relational database as the source. Because there's still a learning curve with the tabular model, we split this up into two parts. This webcast focuses on the basics of the tabular model (because it's new to many people), and in the second part, we look at some of the more detailed features. If you need a "first look" at what the tabular model offers, this webcast is for you.

5/11/2012 9:00:00 AM (Pacific) The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 8 of 13)—What's New in the Tabular Model (continued)

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9805227    or   https://bit.ly/H4CGV6

Abstract:

This webcast picks up where the previous part left off: we look at the different specific features in the tabular model, such as key performance indicators (KPIs), roles, partitions, and calculations. We also look at scenarios in which the tabular model works well compared to the traditional OLAP model, scenarios in which the models differ, and ways that we can scale the tabular model (which by default is an in-memory data model) for more enterprise-level applications (by using DirectQuery mode). After this webcast, you should have a better understanding of the tabular model and how it differs from the traditional OLAP, multidimensional model.

 

Date: Friday, May 18, 2012 9:00 AM-10:00AM (Pacific)

Title: TechNet Webcast: The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 9 of 13)—What's New in PowerPivot 2.0

Registration URL:

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9805737 or https://bit.ly/IkTOLc

Abstract:

PowerPivot is a very unique tool. It is only two years old, but its capabilities have been leveraged in multiple areas of Microsoft SQL Server, including the columnstore feature in SQL Server 2012 and the self-service business intelligence (BI) features in SQL Server 2008 R2.
Sometimes tools are so special that their learning curve has multiple layers: to learn what the tool provides, to learn the specific options, and (equally important) to understand how the tool fits into a larger picture. In this first of two segments about PowerPivot, we look at its basic capabilities: how to use Microsoft Excel 2010 and PowerPivot to access a relational database and create the equivalent of an analytic database "under the hood" of Excel.
PowerPivot 2.0 offers many enhancements over PowerPivot 1.0, such as better date handling, hierarchies, perspectives, and a data diagram tool—some of the same features in the tabular model. In the second segment, we look at publishing the PowerPivot content to Microsoft SharePoint, and we see what capabilities we have in SharePoint.

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Date: Friday, May 25, 2012 9:00 AM-10:00AM (Pacific)

Title: TechNet Webcast: The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 10 of 13)—What's New in PowerPivot 2.0 (continued)

Registration URL:

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9805738 or https://bit.ly/I58Rdo

Abstract:

In the previous segment about PowerPivot, we created PowerPivot content in Microsoft Excel from a relational database and essentially constructed an analytic database inside Excel. In this follow-up segment, we look at the necessary integration between Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft SQL Server Analysis Services (PowerPivot) so that we can publish PowerPivot content to a SharePoint PowerPivot document gallery.
In addition to the integration points, we also look at PowerPivot data refreshes in SharePoint to manage the process when the underlying relational database changes. Finally, we take a very quick sneak peek at another capability after publishing PowerPivot content to Excel: accessing the underlying analytic PowerPivot database by using the newest reporting add-in, Power View (which is covered in part 13).

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Date: Friday, June 1, 2012 9:00 AM-10:00AM (Pacific)

Title: TechNet Webcast: The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 11of 13)— What's New in DAX 2.0

Registration URL:

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9805846 or https://bit.ly/J55BJc

Abstract:

While the user interface capabilities in PowerPivot 2.0 offer tremendous capabilities for creating "self-service" and "departmental" business intelligence solutions, no database tool is complete without a programming language to help "stretch the field."
PowerPivot's programming language is DAX (Data Analysis Expressions), a formula-based language used to define custom calculations that would either be difficult or impossible to otherwise calculate in PowerPivot. Many analytic requirements call for calculations such as a 12-month/52-week moving average, market sales as a percentage of region sales, sales for the same time period a year ago, product sales ranking within a category, and trend calculations involving seasonality. The DAX language can handle all of these and much more.
DAX 2.0 is a significant upgrade over DAX 1.0 (from the original version of PowerPivot), with many new native functions to make developers' lives easier. This example-based webcast shows six analytic scenarios in which we can leverage DAX—with the objective of showing how DAX can help us extend the data in a PowerPivot application.

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Date: Friday, June 8, 2012 9:00 AM-10:00AM (Pacific)

Title: TechNet Webcast: The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 12 of 13)— What's New in SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services Integration with SharePoint 2010

Registration URL:

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9805847 or https://bit.ly/I57Na5

Abstract:

Some people have observed that the core reporting services designer tool in Microsoft SQL Server Data Tools (formerly BIDS) remains largely the same as SQL Server 2008 R2. Although that is true, remember that the core SQL Server Reporting Services report designer received a number of substantial enhancements in both SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2. However, that doesn't mean that SQL Server Reporting Services in general didn’t receive attention in SQL Server 2012, because it certainly did!
Microsoft implemented a number of enhancements to SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services, primarily in the areas of Microsoft SharePoint integration. This webcast covers the enhancements over two weeks. This specific webcast covers the new integration between SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services and SharePoint 2010. (SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services is now configured as a true SharePoint service application!)
The webcast also covers a new SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services feature in SharePoint, Data Alerts. Data Alerts is a self-service, data-driven notification feature to alert users about changes to key report data, such as a large order being placed or key sales metrics rising above/falling below a certain level. We look at multiple examples of designing data alerts and then executing them. The following week, the webcast covers "part 2" of the new SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services features in SharePoint: the new SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services data visualization add-in called Power View.

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Date: Friday, June 15, 2012 9:00 AM-10:00AM (Pacific)

Title: TechNet Webcast: The Baker's Dozen: What's New in SQL Server 2012 (Part 13 of 13)— Power View: The New SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services Add-in for SharePoint 2010

Registration URL:

https://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9805848 or https://bit.ly/JAngwj

Abstract:

In the final webcast of this 13-part series about the new features in Microsoft SQL Server 2012, we look at the new SQL Server 2012 Reporting Services add-in for Microsoft SharePoint 2010: Power View.
Power View is an ad-hoc data visualization tool that lets SharePoint users easily create attractive-looking matrices and charts against either deployed PowerPivot data models or deployed SQL Server Analysis Services tabular models. Some of Power View’s interesting features include navigating through multiple views of a report (storyboard-style), visual slicers with image capabilities, cross-filtering, and other interactive features made possible through the Microsoft Silverlight application that helps to "power" Power View.
In this webcast, we look at some "meaningful eye candy"—some examples where Power View can be used for creating self-service, dashboard-style charts. The webcast also compares Power View to some of the other reporting/charting tools in the business intelligence stack (such as the Report Designer in SQL Server Data Tools, Report Builder, and even the reporting tool in PerformancePoint Services).
If your job is to create reports (or train others to create reports) in SharePoint against some of the newer data models in SQL Server 2012, this webcast is for you!