The 3-day event filled with knowledge and networking opportunities
November 12-14, 2015
Ameristar Casino & Resort
One Ameristar Blvd
St. Charles, MO 63301 (Map)
Levels
Topics
Level 100 Sessions
"JavaScript" is Not a Dirty Word
If you’re an ASP.NET Web or Client Side developer, the name “JavaScript” may induce feelings of dread or even terror. It’s weird. It’s not type-safe. It’s kind of flaky. It’s hard to debug. Heck, it’s ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: James Bender
Topics: JavaScript
3 Simple Things for Increased Productivity
You want to be more productive, but in the world of cellphones, instant messaging, social networks and cube life, it can be tough. In this session, you'll learn how to get more than 15 minutes of actu ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Michael Eaton
Topics: Software Career
A crash course in responsive design
With the increasing variety of web enabled devices entering the market, the next generation of the web will need to be more flexible than ever before. In this session we will explore how Responsive De ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Ed Charbeneau
Topics: User Experience
A Swift Introduction to Swift
Swift is an exciting new language introduced by Apple during WWDC 2014. Taking cues from modern languages such as Rust and F#, Swift is a refreshing replacement for the aging Objective-C language. App ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Brent Schooley
Topics: Development Practices
Advanced Visual Studio for Beginners
Visual Studio 2015 in all its varients is a powerful tool that most developers use only a fraction of. In this talk we will explore all the little features that distinguishes Visual Studio as the indu ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Bryan Roberts
Topics: Visual Studio
Agile Transitions From The Trenches
There's been a lot of talk recently about Agile software development. As people try to make the transition, they generally find themselves stumbling and maybe even giving up on Agile altogether. In th ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Lee Brandt
Topics: Agile Development Practices
An introduction to Azure hosting for the ASP.NET developer
This session targets developers and teams considering the move to Azure for their applications and wanting to get a complete walkthrough of setting up a new project targeting Azure, figuring out how b ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Kevin Grossnicklaus
Topics: Azure & Cloud
Arduino Programming with Visual Studio 2015
The Arduino family of microcontrollers is a big player in the Maker movement. These simple, cheap, open-source microcontroller boards enable the rapid prototyping of projects. They will probably get e ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Matthew Heironimus
Topics: IoT Visual Studio
Arduino, Pi, Edison - What's the difference?
There are so many boards you can buy to build "Internet of Things" devices: Arduino, Netduino, Raspberry Pi, Electric Imp, Intel Edison, etc. - and the list is growing all the time! In this session we ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jesse Phelps
Automate Your Workflow, Enhance Your Workflow, Maintain Your Sanity with Gulp
Have you ever joined a project already in development? Maybe you've taken over a project from another developer. It's a fact; the majority of projects these days have multiple developers working in un ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Brandon Krueger
Topics: Development Practices DevOps
Be a Data Liberator with Power BI
Do you want to be the hero that liberates your team's data with first class visualizations in less than an hour? This session will show you how to do it. Power BI is a full offering that allows you to ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Steve Howard
Topics: Azure & Cloud Database/SQL
Build Awesome Mobile Apps With Visual Studio, HTML5 and the Ionic Framework
We all know how important it is to have a native mobile app for your business these days. In the past, shipping an app on multiple mobile platforms either required separate codebases, kludgy write-onc ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Mike Hamilton
Topics: Cross-Platform HTML5 Visual Studio
Career Development - State of the St. Louis IT Market
What the current local conditions are of the St. Louis IT Market and guidelines for directing your career to the level you are seeking. ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: John Maglione
Topics: Software Career
Carpe Diem
Seize the day in everything that you do. This course talks about embracing what comes naturally to each of us and using it to create and grown your daily success. This course will talk to how attitu ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Katherine White
Topics: Software Career
Chef on Azure - Let’s Get Cooking
Infrastructure as code is becoming increasingly popular across the industry. Automating configuration management creates a repeatable and testable process for infrastructure deployment, allows for sel ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Alexandra Rosenbaum
Topics: Azure & Cloud DevOps
Clean Code
Inspired by Steve McConnell’s “Code Complete”, Uncle Bob’s “Clean Code” and Andrew Hunt’s “The Pragmatic Programmer”, this session reviews best practices for writing code in a style that’s easy to cre ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Steve Green
Topics: Development Practices
Coder Careers: Leaders, Managers and Guides
Being a developer (or analyst or tester) is a very different role than managing fellow developers (or analysts or testers). In this session we will explore: 1. Do you really want to be a manager? ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Melissa Green
Topics: Software Career
Continuous Delivery & Operational Visibility
Leverage the capabilities of the cloud to enable Continuous Delivery. Continuous delivery, however, is more than just the rapid development, testing, and deployment of application features. It also i ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: R. Michael Querimit
Topics: Azure & Cloud DevOps Visual Studio
Data Governance - Whose responsibility is it?
Data fueled applications are everywhere in the organization. New projects are acquiring data from outside the organization at an exponential rate. Business partnerships are being formed and data is ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: David Harper
Topics: Database/SQL
Database Projects in Visual Studio
Simplify coordination of changes across multiple teams, environments, applications, and projects. While storing all iterations of changes in a version control system. I will be talking about the featu ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Ronnie Hicks
Topics: Database/SQL Visual Studio
Deconstructing the Scaled Agile Framework
With so many process frameworks and methodologies out there, it’s hard to know where to begin. And just when everyone seems to be warming up to agile, here comes SCALED agile. But how is SAFe really d ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Angela Dugan
Topics: Agile Architecture Practices
Design Pattern Abuse
There is a right and wrong way to use design patterns. In my experience, this has been a surprisingly controversial topic. Don't believe me? Come with your experiences and opinions. I'll bring mine an ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Patrick Delancy
Topics: Architecture Practices
Developing for the Microsoft Band
Extend the experience of your application to your users' wrists via a new dimension of interaction. Create a personalized, data-rich, custom experience and enhanced scenarios that will engage your use ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Scott Spradlin
Topics: IoT
DevOps on the Microsoft Stack
Understand the FULL story on how Microsoft can help with DevOps regardless of what technology or architecture your customers are using in this demo-heavy session. You’ll be sure to see a mix of open s ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Randy Pagels
Discover PowerShell DSC
PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) is a PowerShell extension that enables you to automate configuration management. With DSC, you describe how you want a machine setup, deploy that configura ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Josh Gillespie
Topics: Development Practices
Distributed Agile
We live and work in a global and distributed environment. It is no longer the norm to have everyone in one location for software development projects. Whether people are working from home, or the othe ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jonathan Mills
Electronics 101 for IoT Developers
Making the leap in to IoT development used to be riddled with obstacles, ranging from choices of programming languages to cost and features of development boards to the pain of getting these devices a ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Adam Barney
Topics: IoT
Entity Framework for Non-Sadists
Goal: Writing concise, readable, and efficient Entity Framework queries Summary: With Entity Framework being the Microsoft recommended method for data access, it’s imperative that developers learn ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Nathan Gomez
Topics: Entity Framework
Everybody Into The Pool! Node.js For .Net Developers
It seems like Node.js is showing up everywhere these days. It’s a hot topic at user groups, Microsoft supports it in Azure, heck, even people at your day job are talking about it! Why not get your toe ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Matthew Soucoup
Topics: JavaScript
From Introvert to International Speaker in Two Years or Less
Why do people speak at conferences? And how do they get started in the first place? Rest assured, the barriers to entry are surprisingly low and the benefits are immense. Get into major conferences, ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Cory House
Topics: Software Career
Game On! Level: Tell me a Story. Intro to Unity and Visual Studio Scripting
Ever wanted to build video games but was at a loss on where to start? Well, now a days it is easier than it ever has been to build video games and deploy them to multiple platforms using a Free IDE ca ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jeffrey St. Germain
Topics: Development Practices
Gender Imbalance in the Science and Tech World
It's no secret that the science and technology world today is dominated by men. Fortunately, over the past few years there has been an uprising of awareness and progress in efforts to balance the fiel ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Haz Parakrama
Topics: Software Career
Getting Started with 3D Printing
The future is here! Right? 3D printing seems like something straight out of a science fiction movie, but is it everything we've dreamt it could be? In short, no. Not yet. Jumping in to 3D printin ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Adam Barney
Getting Started with Ember.js 2.0
Ember.js is an exciting client-side application framework that makes it very easy to get a lot accomplished with very little code. Once you understand the basics of how Ember.js handles basic web appl ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Brent Schooley
Topics: Architecture Practices Development Practices JavaScript
Getting your Web Projects Production Ready with Gulp
With modern web applications, there is a lot of give in take. Less and Sass make for simpler development, but I have to compile them for use. Splitting out my .js files makes my code more readable and ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jonathan Mills
Topics: ASP.NET JavaScript
Git your .NET On!
People generally don't think of version control systems as cool. That was before Git came along. Git is a distributed version control system that gives developer a level of power and flexibility that ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: James Bender
Topics: DevOps
Go Mobile with Xamarin and C#
Considering nearly two-thirds of American adults now own smartphones, it’s no wonder mobile development is becoming increasingly popular. With Xamarin, you can quickly become a native application deve ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Krystin Stutesman
Topics: C#/Language Mobile
Hands On with the Internet of Things
Get hands on with Microsoft Open Source and IoT initiatives. In this session, we will play with Raspberry PI, Arduino, and Sensors to create a real time feedback loop that takes data from the Amerista ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Brian Blanchard
Topics: IoT
How TFS 2015 is Going to Rock Your Agile world!
If you’ve been using Team Foundation Server for a while, you know it can do everything short of making you a latte as you walk into your morning scrum. TFS has come a long way in the last 10 years, an ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Angela Dugan
How to Climb the AngularJS Learning Curve
AngularJS is one of the most popular JavaScript Frameworks. It checks all the boxes that one would want in a framework: “2-way binding”, “MVC”, “Declarative html” and “Easy DOM Manipulation”. Lately ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Brian Yuan
Topics: JavaScript MVC
How to Succeed in OSS Without Really Trying
Let's not kid ourselves - OSS is fun to create but that's really just the beginning. In order to have a truly successful OSS project, it requires discipline, sometimes years so. I've been lucky enough ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jimmy Bogard
Topics: Software Career
Implementing Continuous Integration in .NET for cheapskates
Using Continuous Integration in your project is a great way to significantly reduce integration problems, identify and resolve issues quickly, and develop cohesive software more rapidly. In this sess ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Matthew Henroid
Topics: DevOps
Into the next dimension: The future of Big data, AI & Augmented reality
You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of data; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of the imagination. In this talk we will learn ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Ed Charbeneau
Intro to Calabash and Xamarin Test Cloud
With 18,000 different Android devices and various flavors of the Android OS installed on said devices, ensuring quality via testing on Android is extremely difficult. Enter Xamarin Test Cloud. In t ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Ben Bishop
Topics: Cross-Platform
Introduction to Amazon AWS
Amazon AWS is the other main player in cloud computing. They have many of the same offerings as Azure, but also some that are different. We'll take a look at the basics such as SQS, S3, EC2, SNS, and ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Brian Korzynski
Topics: Azure & Cloud
Introduction to Dev-Ops: 2+2=5
As professionals in the software development industry, we're asked to deliver value more quickly to our business overlords. We have suffered through terminology changes of how to act: Agile, ALM, and ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Chris Kadel
Introduction to DocumentDB
DocumentDB is the document database offering on the Azure platform. We'll take a look at what is, how you can use it, how much it costs, and how it compares to other cloud-based document database offe ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Brian Korzynski
Topics: Azure & Cloud Database/SQL
IoT: Raspberry Pi 2 + Windows 10 = Limitless Possibilities
With the release of Windows 10 a whole new world has been unleashed as it relates to the Internet of Things. In this session we will explore device construction and programming using Visual Studio 20 ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Mitchel Sellers
Topics: IoT
Lessons Learned from Working Remotely: No Pants Required
Stuck in a cube and want to convince your boss to let you work remotely? Already working remotely and struggling to be productive? What are some things you can do to make life easier as a lone(ly) dev ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Michael Eaton
Topics: Software Career
Level Up with PowerShell
Time is a valuable and precious resource, and it seems there are never enough hours in a day. Come learn how PowerShell can empower you to be a more effective developer. We'll look at how PowerShell c ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Brent Stewart
Leveraging Dynamics CRM in the Digital Customer Era
IDC predicts that by 2016, 65% of organizations' infrastructure investments will target systems of engagement and insight rather than maintaining existing systems of record. As we move into this new ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Sheila Shahpari
Own Your Own Career – Advice from a Veteran Consultant
I have witnessed or committed many mistakes during my decades of consulting. I will pack into this presentation as much advice as I can about managing your career and your customer as you traverse the ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: David Giard
Topics: Software Career
Rapid Mobile Prototyping with Xamarin.Forms
Prototypes are extremely useful, but can be expensive and time consuming to create - especially if you are asked to create them for multiple platforms. In this session, you will be introduced to wiref ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Krystin Stutesman
Topics: Cross-Platform Mobile
Reclaiming Agile Development: Don't let the cat die...
Regardless of how you feel about felines, dead cats stink. What also stinks is what is happening to agile development practices. What started as a movement to increase quality and usefulness of code w ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Paul Holway
Topics: Agile Development Practices
ReSharper: Discover the Secrets
Whether you’re new to ReSharper or have been using it for years, there are a host of lesser-known features that can save you loads of time. ReSharper is used by a growing number of developers to speed ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Ondrej Balas
Topics: Development Practices Visual Studio
Scenarios for Taking Advantage of Cloud Computing
You’ve heard of the cloud but you are unclear how it is relevant to you and how to use it for your business. In this session, I will cover a number of scenarios in which cloud computing can help a bus ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: David Giard
Topics: Architecture Practices Azure & Cloud
Share your passions with others using podcasts
Sure some podcasts such as the awesome Dot Net Rocks show have been around for 10+ years, but that does not mean you have to just sit back and be a consumer, become a producer! In this session, you ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Kevin Harvell
Topics: Software Career
Sincerely, Allan: Tales of a Woman in Tech
As a 15+ year veteran of the startup world, including over 5 years designing and managing online game properties for EA, SOE, Disney, THQ and others, I've had an interesting perspective on life, the u ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Heather Wilde
Topics: Software Career
Smaller Not Taller: Defeating the Mobile Application Architecture giant
Making the right decisions for a mobile project can be a very involved process of trial and error before you find a good fit. Wouldn't it be nice if you had a map? In this session we will compare fram ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Heather Downing
Topics: Cross-Platform Mobile
Soft Skills - the new required skill to succeed
Technical skills are not the only skills required to be successful in this industry. Creating software is a social activity. Understanding and adapting to the environment and culture is vital in your ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jenissa Moore
Topics: Software Career
Soft Skills in a Professional Environment
This course will cover what soft skills actually are and how they help to build a person professionally and technically. It will cover important soft skills that will best influence and assist in the ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Katherine White
Topics: Software Career
SQL Server Q&A with Dan and Kathi
Do you have SQL Server questions but don't know whom to ask? Bring your questions to this SQL Server Q&A open forum. Microsoft Data Platform MVPs Kathi Kellenberger and Dan Guzman will on hand to an ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Dan Guzman
Topics: Database/SQL
Start Up and Git Done: Using Visual Studio Online
Want to change the world? Make a lot of money? Preferably both? For a limited time only, I'm offering a few lucky individuals the opportunity to invest in my exciting new startup! The official details ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jeff McKenzie
Topics: Visual Studio
Stop Killing Requirements!
As many organizations have moved away from waterfall into more agile-based processes requirements (both business and functional) tend to get shoved to the curb. In this session we will explore how bus ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Melissa Green
Topics: Agile
Team Foundation Server Building Extravaganza 2015
Things like continuous integration and automated build are pretty ubiquitous in the industry today. Microsoft has changed the build system significantly in TFS 2015 and in this talk, we intend to tak ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Chris Kadel
Topics: DevOps
The .NET Execution Environment (DNX) and its Ecosystem
Microsoft is investing heavily in the Open Web and cross-platform development. This investment has led to the creation of the .NET Execution Environment (DNX) and a host of new tools to support it. ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Darren Hale
Topics: Cross-Platform
The API Economy
Who would have thought that API's would be such a popular new "face" of organizations? For some companies, these API's are a new way to attract customers. For others, API's offer a completely new reve ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jeff Fattic
Topics: Azure & Cloud DevOps Web Services
The Business Side of Starting Your Business
Starting a business is a dream for many professionals, and IT pros are no exception. The draw of independence, growth, and profit potential are all appealing to the right kind of individual. Indeed be ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jeff Strauss
Topics: Software Career
Tools and Techniques for Efficiently Running a Software Company or Managing a Software Team
Managing a software team or company can be tricky and one of the things we often get asked about is how we do this efficiently. During this session ArchitectNow President Kevin Grossnicklaus will di ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Kevin Grossnicklaus
Topics: DevOps
Trends in the World of Data
Are you curious what the proverbial Jones family is up to? This session is designed to look at some of the data industry "mega trends" that are not only disrupting how we view data, but how we store ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: David Harper
Topics: Azure & Cloud Database/SQL Security
User Experience at Every Level
"User Experience is included at every level of business. This can be seen in the culture of a company. Through the content, products and services that the employees create, the company engages with it ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Christina Aldan
Topics: User Experience
What Should I Learn Next? Owning the Tech Adoption Curve
Today, more than ever, we’re overwhelmed with a seemingly endless list of technologies to consider. Frameworks, libraries, and even languages come and go at such a furious pace that no individual can ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Cory House
Topics: Development Practices Software Career
What's new in C# 6.0 and Visual Studio 2015
With a new Visual Studio, a new iteration of the C# language is also released. Both are refinements of their prior versions, but it is always nice to know what are the new things that Microsoft have p ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Muljadi Budiman
Topics: C#/Language Visual Studio
Why A Ten-Billion-Dollar Snapchat Is Good News For You: Knowing and Getting Your Market Value
Don't we love to talk about the latest twenty-something overnight Internet billionaires, and their apps worth so much on paper, in stock, for cash, or even in trade for countless strands of bright, sh ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Jeff McKenzie
Topics: Software Career
Why and How of Code Review
Is code review needed? Why should we do code review? How can code review be facilitated? What are the things that should be looked at during a code review? A lot of people have heard of code review, b ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Muljadi Budiman
Why did my Website/Web Service do that?
In this session we will use API Manager and App Insights (Low cost monitoring solutions in the cloud) to pinpoint performance issues in a production application. Find that slow service or controller q ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Brian Blanchard
Topics: Azure & Cloud Web Services
Why React?
Are you building apps with jQuery, Angular, Backbone, Knockout, or Ember today? Well come hang out with the new kid on the block! React offers a variety of novel ideas that will completely change the ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Cory House
Topics: JavaScript
XAML: So easy, a web developer can do it
You're a web developer with years of experience creating amazing web applications, but you've just been assigned to a *gasp* WPF project! Because you're an expert developer, you're expected to love th ... more
Level: Beginner
Speaker: Michael Eaton