The first Coeo Data Summit took place in June, themed around all things Data Platform Modernisation. This exclusive half-day event covered the latest developments within the Microsoft Azure Data Platform and offered attendees the opportunity to discuss the practical implications of a move to the cloud with their technical peers and the Coeo team. We also found time to have some fun along the way.
Our group of data professionals - who represented a broad range of industries - got to share their experiences, assess their organisations' data maturity in an interactive workshop and get some key points for thought from three technical presentations:
Migrating your on-premises databases to Azure SQL Database
Principal Consultant Matthew Robertshaw gave an overview of the Azure SQL Database family today, the differences of working with single databases, Elastic Pools or Managed Instances, and the pricing models to choose to ensure significant savings. This session also covered the methodology Coeo use to ensure successful data migration and a review and demo of Microsoft's four migration tools: Data Migration Assistant, Data Migration Service, SQL Server Migration Assistant and Database Experimentation Assistant.
Into the World of Azure Data Platform
Support Practice Manager Emma Zambonini & Data Platform Specialist Jake Hedges work with hybrid and Azure based data platforms every day and were ideally placed to discuss the ways the data industry is changing. As organisations change the way they work with their data and data services in the cloud continue to evolve, the job of the data professional also has to transform.
This session covered both the practical challenges and the opportunities of managing operational data and analytical data in the cloud, including the differences of capacity planning for on-premises vs Azure PaaS deployments and an overview of Azure Analysis Services and the business benefits of analytics in the cloud.
Microsoft Azure Database
Finally we were joined by Robin Lester, Cloud Architect from Microsoft, who took a deep dive into Azure SQL Database today, including the latest improvements, SQL Database with Machine Learning Services and Hyperscale for both single databases and managed instances.
Increasingly organisations face the challenges of managing Very Large Databases (VLDB); this session outlined the ways Azure SQL Database Hyperscale can assist with this, adapting on-demand to your workload's needs. There was also an in-depth exploration of Azure SQL ML Services - machine learning in-database for faster time to insight, better security and compliance, streamlined deployment and better collaboration and sharing.
Feedback from the event has been really positive, so we plan to run a second Data Summit within the next six months - if you'd like to attend, look out for the invitation from your Coeo Account Manager.