In the last few years, the database world has changed so much, it’s as if we’re now surrounded by new trends and technologies. Whether it’s NoSQL, Big Data, BI and Analytics, Machine Learning/AI or the move to the Cloud, sometimes it seems as if the world of the on-premise RDBMS has withered away.

But it hasn’t. In fact, as incredibly fast as the new stuff is coming out, demand for conventional skills hasn’t diminished one bit, and the complexities in the OLTP arena are growing in their own right. Truth is, you can’t ignore what’s new, and you can’t turn your back on the foundational technologies. Somehow, you’ve got to find an equilibrium and build your skill set to encompass new and old, together.

The question is how. If you’d like some answers, come to this panel discussion. Everyone on the panel has a background in conventional database technologies, and each panel member has branched out into an area of next-gen database tech or the sophisticated new capabilities of on-premises relational database products.

Moderated by Andrew Brust (SQL Server Live! co-chair, and an industry journalist and analyst focused on Big Data, Analytics, IoT and AI), the panel features Ginger Grant (a specialist in BI, with expertise in PolyBase and Azure Data Lake Analytics); Thomas LaRock (SQL Server Live! co-chair, and hardcore SQL Server IT pro); Lenni Lobel (our resident NoSQL/Cosmos DB expert); Karen Lopez (highly-focused on Azure SQL Database); and Jen Stirrup (a veteran machine learning and data visualization expert).