Kellyn Gorman

This session focuses on efficient, responsible use of AI in the modern workplace, highlighting where AI adds measurable value and where it doesn’t. You’ll learn how to think critically about AI features, how to avoid over-automation, and how to use AI to amplify expertise rather than dilute it. Grant, Ben and Kellyn will also address common fears around job displacement and explain why AI succeeds best in the real world when paired with human judgment, context, and accountability. This session is designed for engineers, DBAs, and technical leaders who want clarity vs. hype on how AI fits into real environments today.

Hear real production horror stories from Ben Miller, Kellyn Gorman, Rob Volk, and Eric Peterson. Learn to identify red flags and build a good defensive strategy. You may not experience the same incident, but one day, you will recognize the moment.

Migrating from SQL Server to PostgreSQL is more than a database change, but a fundamental shift in how DBAs think, design, and operate. PostgreSQL brings flexibility and performance, but assumptions from SQL Server do not always carry over cleanly. In this session, Kellyn walks through what actually works, what breaks, and what usually surprises teams during real-world migrations. You will learn where DBAs struggle most, from schema design and indexing to transaction behavior and procedural code, and how to reduce risk using phased migrations, validation strategies, and performance baselining.

A practical look at building modern CI/CD pipelines for hybrid and cloud environments using DevOps best practices and AI. This session covers automation, GitOps, Infrastructure as Code, and progressive delivery, while showing how to integrate AI to improve efficiency and decision-making without sacrificing security, governance, or compliance. Learn how to streamline delivery, reduce risk, and keep control of AI-powered workflows from code to production.

The database is no longer the security boundary. Data now flows into analytics platforms, AI systems, data lakes, and SaaS applications—often with little visibility or control. In this session, DBAs and Microsoft data professionals will learn how to protect data beyond the database using lineage, governance, and policy-driven security. You will explore how to track data movement, apply classification and sensitivity labels, and enforce access controls across distributed data environments without slowing innovation. Walk away with practical strategies and tools for protecting your data ecosystem when the database is no longer where the risk lives.