22-25 April 2026 
SQLBits 2024
What You've Been Missing in SSMS
Get tips and tricks and a sneak peak at the future for SSMS.
"SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) has been around for over 18 years; it can legally vote and consume alcohol in the UK. And yet every time we talk about SSMS in a tools-related presentation, someone says we should have an entire session just for SSMS.
Well here you go.
In this session we'll share as many tips and tricks as we can in the time available. We thought we knew a lot about SSMS after being power users for many years, but after a couple years as a PM learning from our engineers and interacting with A LOT of customers, we've realized how much we were missing. This session will be fast-paced. There will be a partial demo script that we might follow, and we expect to learn a thing or two from attendees. We'll save time at the end for a preview of what's coming in SSMS vNext...and hopefully that includes a demo!"
Well here you go.
In this session we'll share as many tips and tricks as we can in the time available. We thought we knew a lot about SSMS after being power users for many years, but after a couple years as a PM learning from our engineers and interacting with A LOT of customers, we've realized how much we were missing. This session will be fast-paced. There will be a partial demo script that we might follow, and we expect to learn a thing or two from attendees. We'll save time at the end for a preview of what's coming in SSMS vNext...and hopefully that includes a demo!"
Speakers
Erin Stellato's previous sessions
Stabilizing Performance with Query Store
This session will demonstrate how to use plan forcing (manual and automatic) and Query Store Hints to stabilize query performance without changing code.
What You've Been Missing in SSMS
Get tips and tricks and a sneak peak at the future for SSMS.
Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization in SQL 2022 ... As Cool as it Sounds?
We'll provide a balance perspective of the benefits and limitations of the new Parameter Sensitive Plan Optimization feature in SQL 2022 to help you decide if it's right for your environment.
Query Store Best Practices
Want to use Query Store and not sure how to make sure everything is "correct"? Tried Query Store and had issues? In this session we'll cover what you MUST know to successfully use Query Store in a production environment.
The SQL Leadership Panel
Bring all your questions about the strategy and future of Microsoft SQL to the leadership team of Microsoft in a panel hosted by Bob Ward, Principal Architect at Microsoft
From Your Couch to the Cloud: When and Why to Choose the Azure Portal
In this session you'll learn how to get the most out of the Azure Portal and how to maximize its unique capabilities for Azure SQL administration.
Azure Data Studio and the Surprises Inside
If you're not sure whether you're leverating Azure Data Studio to it's full capability, then attend to this session to discover the bits you might be missing.
Erin & Monica’s Favorite SQL Stuff
Two consultants, two different companies, two data professionals passionate about performance tuning. Do we like the same things? Do we have the same approach to problems? Topics will include: Trace Flags, DMVs, DBCC commands, Community Scripts and Intelligent Query Processing Features. We will talk about the features and solutions we agree on, and discuss where we disagree.
Options for Proactively Managing Statistics in SQL Server
I often recommend that folks proactively manage statistics, but I always seem to run out of time to talk about HOW to do that...this session will cover exactly that.
Why You Need Query Store
I can spend an entire day talking about Query Store and all it can do, but in 20 minutes I can convince you that it should be a feature you start using today.
Stop Tuning Queries and Start Tuning Your Workload
This session will discuss how to look at your workload holistically using a variety of methods, so that you can target and address patterns in your code and query plans, rather than troubleshooting one query at a time.
Why You Need Query Store
If you have heard about Query Store but don't know what it can offer, or why you really need it, this session will answer those questions and demonstrate the value of this feature that continues to evolve.
Plan Stability with Automatic Tuning in SQL Server and Azure
Automatic Plan Correction is a feature you can use whether you're a pro at performance tuning or just starting with SQL Server. Come to this session to learn how to spend less time fighting fires with this new feature.
Extending your use of Extended Events
If you've been using Extended Events the same way you used to use Trace, you might be wondering if there's more to it. There is! In this session we will explore what else you can do with XE besides capture long-running queries.
Kicking & Screaming: Replacing Profiler with Extended Events
Extended Events was released with SQL Server 2008, and almost 10 years later, many data professionals are still clinging to Profiler. It's time to move forward, and in this session I'll show you how.
Drew Skwiers-Koballa
drewsk.tech
Drew Skwiers-Koballa's previous sessions
What You've Been Missing in SSMS
Get tips and tricks and a sneak peak at the future for SSMS.
What's new in SQL Tools
Learn what's new in tools from the Microsoft SQL product group
What's New in SQL Tools for Developers
Learn the latest updates to the tooling features for developers in SQL Server in this demo-heavy session covering SQL Projects, Azure Data Studio, SqlPackage, VSCode, the new Microsoft.Data.SqlClient driver, and more!