Anna Hoffman

Principal Group Product Manager, Microsoft

Sessions for 2026

Architecting Intelligence: What Powers SQL Copilots

SQL Copilots are reshaping how data professionals work—accelerating query development, improving user's efficiency, and enabling interaction with complex data. This session dives into the shared backend for copilots in SSMS, MSSQL in VS Code, and Fabric SQL, exploring architecture, top use cases, and showcasing real-world demos to help you maximize Copilot impact for your SQL database.

Batteries included: SQL DevOps with SQL projects

The evolution of SQL projects continues with expanded IDE support and deeper integration in the Fabric platform. Using the latest in VS Code and SSMS, we’ll walk through keeping our database in source control, integrating changes made in another database, and evaluating deployment plans. Finally, we'll automate CI/CD processes with REST APIs for SQL database in Fabric and the SqlPackage CLI.

SQL vs. Fabric? Why Not Both! A Practical and Entertaining Guide for All

Do you have to be experts like Bob Ward and Anna Hoffman to use SQL? What about Fabric? Why not both? Come join our experts from Microsoft in this entertaining and educational session where the worlds of SQL and Fabric come to together in way you never knew existed

SQL database in Fabric Scenarios and Solutions

SQL database in Fabric is simple, autonomous, and optimized for AI - but what does that mean for you and your organization? In this session, discover how customers are using Fabric databases today, and how they can help you build innovative solutions in the age of AI, faster and easier than ever.

SQL database in Fabric: The unified database for AI apps and analytics

Discover how SQL database in Fabric brings transactional and analytical workloads together in one cloud-native database. In this session, learn what's new from the product team, see demos and customer stories/scenarios, and take a look at the roadmap.

SSMS 22 Unlocked: Features You’ve Been Waiting For

SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) saw more updates in the last two years than a developer makes before release day. Missed them? Don't worry! We’ll showcase SSMS 22 from the installer to AI features and everything in between. Expect a whirlwind tour with demos including the new connection dialog, SQL Projects enhancements, the Query Hint tool, and editor and results grid improvements.

What's new in Mirroring SQL to Fabric: The Fast Track to Modern Data Integration & Analytics

As organizations navigate the era of generative AI, advanced analytics, and rapid digital transformation, the ability to extract timely business insights is more critical than ever. This session deep dives into SQL Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric that enables organizations with near real-time data replication from source SQL databases to OneLake, all without building intricate ETL processes.

Previous Sessions

Microsoft Database Innovations: SQL Server, Azure SQL, open-source and beyond

For over 30 years, Microsoft has been leading the charge with innovations in the database spaced based on YOUR feedback and requirements. In this session, learn about the more recent innovations and customers, and how we're aiming to build the best operational database on the planet, anywhere you are. Database services covered include SQL Server, Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB, and Azure Arc.

AMA with the Microsoft Engineering team hosted by Bob Ward

Come get your questions answered live on stage by members of the Microsoft engineering team. This will be a fun and interactive session hosted by Bob Ward. We will take questions live from the audience plus those who are connected virtually.

SQL Server to Azure SQL: Performance and Availability

Translate your existing SQL Server performance and availability skills and apply them to Azure SQL.

Azure SQL: What to use when

Learn what to use when for various flavors of Azure SQL

SQL Server ML End-to-End

Learn how Machine Learning Services in SQL Server is a powerful end-to-end ML platform for customers, on both Windows and Linux. Come learn about the unique value proposition of doing your entire machine learning pipeline in-database – right from data pre-processing, feature engineering, and model training to deploying ML models and scripts to production in secure and compliant environment without moving data out.

Leveraging Prebuilt AI Models in SQL Server 2019

In this session, you'll learn about the various prebuilt AI/ML models that are available for your consumption through Microsoft's Cognitive Services. Additionally, you'll see examples of how these prebuilt services can be leveraged with SQL Server 2019.