SQL Saturday is finally coming to Scotland with a session scheduled for Edinburgh in June  2013.

Pretty damn exciting if you’re into the whole SQL Server scene, and considering I live in Edinburgh you bet I’ll be there (which might sway your decision not to go). Last year I missed SQL Saturday in Dublin because I couldn’t sort out travel arrangements in time, which was such a disappointment considering everyone else on my team ended up going.

Loads of exciting sessions this year by some real SQL Server celebrity, I already have my eyes on a few that I will definitely be attending, including:

• Crouching SQL Hidden GUI: by Mark Broadbent, which walks through SQL Server high availability (AlwaysOn) implementation on a Windows Server 2012 OS.
• Layered Partitioning – manage very large data sets: by David Hansen, introducing the concept of layered partitioning and the impact on management of large data sets.
• SQL Server 2012 Memory Management: by Neil Hambly, a dive into the changes to the memory manager(s) in SQL Server 2012.
• Thinking Big & Understanding PDW: by James Rowland-Jones, Intermediate level session that walks-through SQL Server’s Parallel Data Warehouse (PDW), not a topic I have personally experienced first hand.

Although that being said, there is a distinct lack of SQL Server BI sessions scheduled this year, which is surprising given that SQL Server 2012 made revolutionary leaps forward in terms of it’s Business Intelligence roadmap, with the release of the Tabular Model, BISM, PowerView and the main-stream introduction of PowerPivot and self-service BI. I really hope some speakers sign-up for a few BI sessions (Chris Webb if you are reading this am looking your way! :))

Other known names in the SQL Server and BI industry, like Jen Stirrup, are also planning on making their way up north to Edinburgh for this SQL Saturday.

You can also keep an eye on the #SQLSatEdinburgh twitter hashtag for the latest news and updates.