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Tag: Speaking

Speaking about Microsoft Fabric at MsBIP Denmark

On Monday, April 15th, 2024, I will be speaking alongside Scott Sewell at Microsoft BI Professionals Denmark (MsBIP) πŸ₯³

Speaker card showing Scott Sewell and Cathrine Wilhelmsen.

Scott will be talking about the topics closest to his heart: Dynamics 365 and Dataverse, and their integration into Microsoft Fabric. I’m actually really excited that I get to attend his talk, because one of my clients are getting close to migrating from Synapse, Synapse Link for Dataverse and Power BI into Fabric! 🀩

And I will be talking about the topics closest to my heart: Data Factory in Fabric πŸ₯° Read more about our topics below.

My awesome coworkers in Evidi Denmark are hosting the meeting in the AI Innovation House in Vejle. We’ll be hanging out in Quantum, a really cool 360Β° room! 🀯 I’m excited to hang out with my team during the day, and meeting the community during the evening. This is going to be a great day!

You can find all the information on the MsBIP page for Meeting #82. I hope you were able to sign up and that I get to meet you there!

Speaking about Microsoft Fabric at AdaCon 2023

On Tuesday, October 10th, 2023, I will be speaking at AdaCon 2023 πŸ₯³

The amazing Patricia Aas started the Ada Lovelace Day mini-conference in 2019. Back then, there were a few large Women In Tech groups and events in Norway, but they mainly celebrated women in management and leadership positions in tech-focused companies. Patricia wanted to celebrate Women doing Tech, and created the mini-conference to give coders, developers, engineers and everyone else working hands-on with tech an arena to share their knowledge. This year, the event has been rebranded to AdaCon and expanded to celebrate all groups that are underrepresented in tech πŸ‘πŸ»

I will be presenting a session called Website Analytics in My Pocket using Microsoft Fabric. This is a brand new session, and I’m super excited to finally be able to play around with Power BI! πŸ€“

Speaker card showing Cathrine Wilhelmsen and the other speakers at AdaCon 2023.

You can find the schedule and full agenda on the AdaCon website. This is going to be an important and inspiring day full of learning, so I hope to see you there! πŸ’™

Participating in the Microsoft Fabric AMA (Ask Me Anything) hosted by MDPUG Norway

On Wednesday, June 21st, 2023, I will be participating in the Microsoft Fabric AMA (Ask Me Anything) hosted by Microsoft Data Platform User Group Norway.

Speaker card showing Cathrine Wilhelmsen and the other MVPs participating in the Microsoft Fabric AMA.

Microsoft Fabric was launched in public preview in May. It was called the greatest invention since SQL Server and promises to simplify analytics for everyone. Microsoft used Build, one of its flagship events, to launch Microsoft Fabric to much fanfare - and surrounded by lots of hype. But is the hype real?

Register for the event on Meetup πŸ€“

Microsoft Fabric AMA (Ask Me Anything) with ALL the Norwegian MVPs!

For the first time ever, all the Microsoft Data Platform MVPs from Norway will be on stage together. I’m so excited! 🀩 We have all kinds of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives and opinions, and this is your chance to ask all your difficult questions. Or all your basic questions, there are no “dumb” questions!

You’re also welcome to join us for a little summer gathering after the event. We’ll enjoy something cold to drink, chat, network, and have fun! Hope to see you there πŸ₯³

Speaking at Data Platform WIT/DEI Mental Health and Wellness Day 2023

On Friday, May 5th, 2023, I will be speaking at the Data Platform WIT/DEI Mental Health and Wellness Day. This is a free, virtual, all-day event for anyone working in technology. Topics range from dealing with stress, burnout, depression or chronic pain, to working in tech as a queer or neurodiverse person.

I will be presenting a session called Stressed, Depressed, or Burned Out? The Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore. This is a deeply personal session based on my own experiences from the past decade, and it’s one of the few sessions I can’t and don’t want to rehearse. It won’t be an hour of incoherent rambling (don’t worry! πŸ˜‰) but it will be fairly raw and unfiltered.

Speaker card showing Cathrine Wilhelmsen presenting at Data Platform WIT/DEI Mental Health and Wellness Day 2023.

You can find the schedule and full agenda on the Data Platform Women in Tech website.

Training Day at SQLBits 2022: Data Integration using Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Analytics

Are you new to Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Analytics? Maybe you’re an expert SSIS developer wondering how to take that first step into Azure? Do you feel a little overwhelmed by all the possible ways you can move and transform data these days? Join me at the ExCeL London on Tuesday, March 8th, 2022! I will be delivering a training day at SQLBits 2022 called Beginner’s Guide to Data Integration using Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Analytics πŸ₯³

Person announcing the Beginner’s Guide to Data Integration using Azure Data Factory or Azure Synapse Analytics training day at SQLBits 2022.

My goal is to help kickstart your journey as an Azure Data Engineer, and for all of us to have a great and safe day of learning and networking. SQLBits are taking covid safety seriously by requiring proof of vaccination / tests, wearing masks, and ensuring proper spacing between seats. I will be there in-person and hope you will be able to join us too!

(Oh, and if you want to get the most out of your week at SQLBits? Check out Paul Andrew’s training day on Wednesday called Azure Data Integration Pipelines - Advanced Design and Delivery πŸ€“)

Speaking (in Norwegian!) at MVP Dagen 2021

On Wednesday, November 17th, 2021, I will be speaking at MVP Dagen 2021! This is a free event where attendees can learn tips and tricks and get updates about Microsoft technologies from Norwegian MVPs.

There are several reasons why this is a very special event to me. It will be my first in-person event since February 2020, and I’m really looking forward to seeing and hanging out with fellow speakers and attendees again! It covers a wide variety of topics so I get to learn about cool things outside my regular data bubble. And… I will be delivering a session in Norwegian… about PowerPoint… Whaaat!? 🀯😁

Speaker card showing Cathrine Wilhelmsen presenting at MVP Dagen 2021..

I will be presenting a brand new session called Bli en PowerPoint (Slide Master)-mester pΓ₯ 1-2-3! (It roughly translates to something like Becoming a PowerPoint (Slide Master) Master in 3 Simple Steps!) It’s a 40-minute mostly demo-based session on how to make PowerPoint work for you instead of against you.

Why am I presenting a session on PowerPoint, though? Excellent question! Johan Ludvig BrattΓ₯s (@intoleranse) had already submitted a great session called Azure Synapse + Power BI + Purview = True that I want to attend, and I reeeaaally didn’t want to compete with him for a speaking slot. Since attendees will have wildly different backgrounds and expertises, I decided to submit a session on a topic that most are familiar with. So! I chose something I feel like a know a thing or two about: creating slide decks with minimal effort.

Keynote at Data Saturday Oslo 2021

On Saturday,Β September 4th, 2021, I will deliver the keynote at Data Saturday Oslo 2021: “I can’t keep up!” - Turning Discomfort into Personal Growth in a Fast-Paced World. My feelings can be summarized in this series of emojis: πŸ˜±πŸ€©πŸ€―πŸ€“πŸ₯³ I’m freaking out, absolutely honored, can’t really believe this is real, super excited, and very much looking forward to it!

Data Saturday Oslo 2021 viking ship logo.

Speaking at Global Azure Norway 2021

On Friday, April 16th, 2021, I will be speaking at Global Azure Norway! Global Azure is a virtual 3-day event where communities from around the world organize live streams that are open for everyone to join. All the live streams add up to one global event with more than 500 speakers and sessions, so you should be able to find something interesting πŸ€“

I will be presenting my session called Pipeline and Data Flows: Introduction to Data Integration in Azure Synapse Analytics. Do you want to learn about something else? You can find all the worldwide sessions on the Global Azure website, or the local sessions on the Global Azure Norway website.

Speaker card showing Cathrine Wilhelmsen presenting at Global Azure Norway.

Speaking at Data Toboggan 2021

On Saturday, January 30th, 2021, I will be speaking at the first Data Toboggan event! This is a free event focusing on Azure Synapse Analytics. There are 14 sessions scheduled in 12 hours, covering topics such as data integration, machine learning, data warehousing, data governance, and more. Join us πŸ€“

I will be presenting a session called Pipelines and Data Flows: Introduction to Data Integration in Azure Synapse Analytics.

Data Toboggan logo showing a toboggan (sled) going down a hill.

Biml in Belgium at SQL Server Days 2015

Cathrine Wilhelmsen speaking at SQL Server Days 2015.

Last week I visited Belgium for the first time to attend and speak at my first SQL Server Days 2015. It was a truly great event, and I would like to say a huge thank you to the organizers and volunteers for making it a wonderful couple of days for speakers and attendees!

The venue was spectacular, but unfortunately none of my pictures do it justice. Take a look at the great pictures on the SQL Server Days Facebook page instead. I loved the huge open area in the middle where everyone could meet during breaks, and I was so happy there was unlimited coffee and chocolate! 🀩 The rooms were all unique and fun to present in. One room looked like a library, another like a bar, and I presented in the room that was decorated like a train station - with trains in it!

Volunteering and Speaking at SQLBits XIV

SQLBits XIV Superhero Edition Logo.

SQLBits XIV Superhero Edition was my first SQLBits experience, and it was a truly amazing week! I want to start with a massive thank you to the organizers: Darren Green, Simon Sabin, James Rowland-Jones, Chris Testa-O’Neill, Allan Mitchell, Jonathan Allen and Annette Allen. You did one heck of a job to make this the best conference in the universe! πŸ‘πŸ» I also want to say thank you to all the sponsors, volunteers and speakers who made this a great event. And to all the attendees, I hope you had a blast and that I’ll see you again next year!

SQLKonferenz 2015

Cathrine Wilhelmsen’s name badge from SQLKonferenz 2015.

I spent the past couple of days in Darmstadt, Germany for SQLKonferenz 2015 (Deutsche SQL Server Konferenz 2015). This was the first time I spoke at a conference (not a SQLSaturday), and it was an absolutely amazing experience. I want to thank PASS Deutschland for doing a fantastic job to make this a great event!

The one thing I would like to have changed is that I should have learned German before going to Darmstadt πŸ˜… The quality of speakers, sessions and topics covered was very impressive, and there were many sessions in German that I wanted to see. But I can’t complain at all, I got to see some great sessions and have learned new things that I look forward to trying.

Business Intelligence presentation for The Code Pub Oslo

Cathrine speaking at The Code Pub Oslo.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking at The Code Pub Oslo, a meetup for women who are interested in IT. It’s a great concept where they get together, learn about new technology, and spend the rest of the evening working on projects. It was their one-year anniversary and in just one year they have grown from 5 to over 130 members.

My presentation was an introduction to Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing, as well as how you can benefit from getting involved in a community like PASS. I like working on presentations because I learn so much from it. It was a bit of a challenge trying to sum up Business Intelligence because there is so much happening and things are changing rapidly. (And I only focused on the Microsoft world!) It was a bit of an eye-opener when I pulled out a book I bought less than two years ago and I realized it was already outdated. So many exciting things have happened in just a couple of years, things like Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning, all the Power BI tools, cloud services and real-time Big Data.

My focus was on what Business Intelligence is, why it’s important, and all the different things you can work with if you pursue a career in Business Intelligence. I explained what Data Warehousing is, and how it is evolving from the traditional to the modern Data Warehouse. I finished my presentation by telling my story of how I’ve gone from being the shy girl who didn’t know anyone to being part of the SQL community, and how life-changing it has been for me.

I hope it was interesting for the attendees, and I hope I’ve inspired some of them to get involved in their own communities. Thank you to Netlight for hosting The Code Pub and for giving me the opportunity to present!

Volunteering at SQLSaturday #337 Oregon

Cathrine’s SQLSaturday #337 Oregon volunteer name badge.

SQLSaturday #337 Oregon was a great event, and I’m so happy I could be there and help out as a volunteer! Arnie, Paul, Vern, Sopheap, Rob, Theresa and everyone else who spent time working on this event, thank you so much. There were 52 volunteers helping out at this event. 52! That’s amazing. I hope you had a great time and I look forward to seeing you again next year!

Isn’t this one of the coolest name badges you’ve seen? Staff, speakers and volunteers all had name badges like this. Each group had a different color with their own pictures and text on it. The QR code takes you to a website where you can get in touch with the person. They were laminated and the same on both sides, so you didn’t have to worry about it flipping over. You didn’t have to worry about people not seeing it either, because it was large and very visible. I may have to borrow a few ideas from this name badge for our next SQLSaturday πŸ€“

Great Event - SQLSaturday #341 Porto

I was honored to be selected as a speaker for SQLSaturday #341 in Porto, Portugal this weekend, and I had such a great time that I hope to come back next year for SQLSaturday Lisbon or SQLSaturday Porto.

First of all I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who organized and volunteered at this event. You guys did an amazing job and I hope you finally got some sleep after working around the clock for a week! Niko, Paulo, Ivan, Rui, AndrΓ©, Pedro, Vitor, Quilson and Nuno - thank you. I also want to thank Ines for being our photographer, she was running around everywhere all day taking pictures and filming. I can’t wait to see the result! πŸ˜ƒ

Group photo of all the SQLSaturday #341 Porto Speakers and Organizers.
SQLSaturday #341 Porto Speakers and Organizers

This was a very special and memorable weekend for me. It was my first trip to Portugal and the first time I was selected as a speaker for a SQLSaturday other than my own event. It was a very different experience being there as a speaker compared to being an attendee, volunteer or organizer. As an attendee and volunteer I want to learn as much as possible and help out where needed, as an organizer I’m in the middle of a crazy whirlwind trying to remember everything I need to do, and as a speaker I have one main goal: that the attendees in my session will learn something they can start using in their projects right away.