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Prizegiving - our last prizegiving of the day will be run in the atrium - please gather there after the last session - plenty of lego still to be won!
You might have noticed our cute cartoon characters around the venue whilst you've been on site this week; you can take one of these home with you too. Just head to the help desk to reserve yours.
Beanbags available - head to the help desk to get yours. £40, and Redgate, Microsoft, AWS and SQLBits flavours all available.
New session drop for Saturday! Make sure to check them out and add them to your agenda.
Ola Hallengren's rescheduled session will now run in 1C at 15:10.
The following are the room changes for Friday
SQL vs. Fabric? Why Not Both! A Practical and Entertaining Guide for All Friday 12:20 - Room 1A
Choose the Right Azure Virtual Machines to Improve SQL Query Throughput Friday 12:20 - Room 1C
Real World Modernization of Complex SQL Workloads with Azure SQL - Part 1 Friday 14:10 - Room 1A
Speaker Hacks for Nervous Nerds (From a Nerd Who Talks a Lot) Friday 14:10 - Room 2C
7 Simple Strategies to Combat Imposter Syndrome Friday 14:40 - Room 2C
Real World Modernization of Complex SQL Workloads with Azure SQL - Part 2 Friday 15:10 - Room 1A
Hyperscale - the SQL Database for All Workloads Friday 15:10 - Room 2C
Architecting Intelligence: What Powers SQL Copilots Friday 16:30 - Living Lounge
Watch Brent Tune a Query in SQL Server 2025 Friday 16:30 - Room 1A
The AWS Beer Tasting will start straight after prize giving tonight (which starts straight after the last session).
Find out more https://sqlbits.com/attend/the-agenda-2026/thursday#The_Pub_Quiz
Party wristbands are now available to pick up from the help desk - you will need one to get in - you can also bring a guest. Come see us and pick yours up!
The Microsoft AMA with the senior leadership team is now beginning in the Expo 2 space at the back of the expo hall, underneath the streaming screens.
Android users - an update to the app has been pushed and it should now be working. If you're still having issues, please uninstall and reinstall. Thank you.
We are aware of problems with the streaming - we're looking into it and trying to get it resolved as quickly as possible.
We've been doing analysis of the popularity of sessions and have identified we need to move some sessions to different rooms.
The following are the changes for Thursday. Please continue to add sessions to your agenda for Friday and Saturday so we can maximise capacities for those days
Training Day sessions
First Steps in DAX Optimization - Now in 4A
Performance Tuning: How Query Store Saves Your Server - Now in 3A
AWS Workshops
Accelerate SQL Server Modernization to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL with Agentic AI - in 4B
Building Multi-Region Distributed Databases - 4B
Amazon RDS for SQL Server hands on workshop - 4B
General Sessions
9am - Inside SQL Server Part 1 - Now in auditorium
9am - Azure SQL MI Unleashed: Inside the Next‑Gen GP & What’s Coming Next - Now in 2B
10am - Inside SQL Server Part 2 - Now in auditorium
10am - Automating SQL Server Management with GitHub Actions and PowerShell Now in 2B
10am - 20 Years of the Cloud: What Changed, What Didn’t, and What’s Next - Now in 1A
10am - Free high performance migration to Fabric - Now in 1C
3:10 - Tech's Secret Sauce: The Power of Neurodiversity - Now in 1A
3:10 - Whats new in Mirroring SQL to Fabric - Now in 2C
16:30 - Using AI for Performance Tuning in SQL 2025 - Now in Auditorium
16:30 - Using AI for Performance Tuning in SQL 2025 - Now in 2A
Anyone getting the train west via Bristol - there has been a fire so all trains have been cancelled. We are putting a coach on directly to Bristol Train Station, leaving at 6.30 which you can hop on as an alternative means to continuing your onward journey. In the meantime, why not stay and enjoy a drink on our sponsors - drinks are now on stands in the expo hall.
SQLBits always represents a good opportunity to come away with some super swag and prizes – so what are we giving away this year?
Join us on Tuesday night for a new networking event to kick off the week.
SQLBits’ charity of 2026 is Code Club, a fantastic organisation dedicated to helping young people learn to code and get creative with technology.
Something new is landing in the Community Hub this year at SQLBits. Throughout the week, we’re introducing daily “Find Your People” tables; a simple, welcoming space to sit down, connect, and have real conversations with others who share your interests, challenges, or experiences.
Celtic Collection is offering SQLBits attendees the chance to book dining at one of their mouthwateringly good restaurants, before or after SQLBits.
SQLBits will be running three shuttle bus routes to and from the ICC from Newport train station, Ty Magor and Coldra Court/Ty Newport.
Who remembers this; the epic keynote from Microsoft, the last time SQLBits were at the ICC Wales, and the conference theme was Dungeons and Dragons.
Ever wondered what the scene is like on SQLBits build day!? Wonder no longer in this interesting time lapse from build 2024 at Farnborough ICC.
Hello - where is everyone travelling from to SQLBits this year!?
Experience what SQLBits is like at the ICC Wales in our recap from 2023 - the Dungeons and Dragons edition.🐉Take a look into the best bits, our personal highlights, and of course some awesome sessions and speakers!🎤
The AWS workshops are here, and this year, it’s a pick & mix experience. Perfect if you want to dive into AWS without committing to a full day.
One of the defining characteristics of SQLBits is the fact we theme our conference every year.
Good news – the menu for SQLBits 2026 at ICC Wales is now confirmed, and there’s plenty to keep everyone fueled through four days of learning, networking, and late-night conversations.
Delegates can expect four outstanding days of world-class sessions, relaxed networking and a completely unique expo.
If you’re hungry for a deep dive into Microsoft Fabric, SQLBits 2024 delivered. These sessions went beyond the high-level overviews and got into the details that make all the difference when you’re working hands-on with Fabric. Here are three you won’t want to miss ?
