22-25 April 2026

Haider Raza

Haider has over 25 years of experience pre-dominantly in data. He has designed and implemented multiple greenfield business intelligence applications, data lake and data warehouses. He has worked across industries, across geographies and across customer segments. He is currently working with Microsoft and participate actively in various forums and events talking on topics such as Data strategy, Data Governance, Data Architecture, Data modernisation and Open source database technologies

Sessions for 2026

Real World Modernization of Complex SQL Workloads with Azure SQL - Part 1
 

The first part of this two-part session will deliver an in-depth introduction to Azure SQL as it relates to broader real-world modernization scenarios. We will start with a concise overview of Azure SQL, underscoring various Azure SQL service features and the rationale behind customers' selection of specific Microsoft SQL services for their workloads. Attendees will also acquire valuable perspectives regarding the factors that drive organizations to transition to Azure, including considerations of cost and performance. The first part of our session will finish with an overview of migration tools, including practical demonstrations, emphasizing how to identify the optimal solution for database migrations. The second part of the session, after a brief break, will cover individual customer case studies, illustrating how various workloads were efficiently modernized and migrated to Azure SQL.

Real World Modernization of Complex SQL Workloads with Azure SQL - Part 2
 

Following on from the first part of this session and the initial overview of Azure SQL’s features and migration tools, this second part of our session dives into real customer modernization projects in greater detail. We’ll explore how various organizations successfully migrated critical workloads to Azure SQL, including the motivations that drove their decisions and the practical steps they took to ensure a smooth transition to Azure. By examining these concrete real-world examples, you’ll discover the tangible benefits these organizations are now experiencing, such as improved performance, scalability, and cost efficiency. Additionally, you’ll gain actionable insights and best practices that can help guide your own cloud modernization efforts, making your journey to Azure SQL both effective and rewarding.

Previous Sessions