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Discover why our attendees come away calling SQLBits 'the best conference in the world'

Reasons to Attend

SQLBits is one of the world’s leading conferences for data practitioners, running from the 22-25 April at the ICC Wales in 2026.

Delegates can expect four outstanding days of world-class sessions, relaxed networking and a completely unique expo. With deep technical content covering everything from deep SQL Server content to AI to Fabric, it provides exceptional learning and professional growth opportunities. You can discover the exciting 2026 topics here.

Sessions are delivered by some of the world’s foremost experts, equipping attendees with the answers they need to tackle their real-life challenges. There’s also ample opportunities to catch up with friends in the industry and add new connections at this event many attendees refer to as the highlight of their year.

SQLBits has sessions on how SQL Server is designed, tuned, and run in real production environments - covering performance, architecture, cloud, and hybrid scenarios you can apply immediately.

SQLBits has sessions on using Microsoft Fabric across real-world data platforms - from lakehouses and warehouses to pipelines, governance, analytics, and AI workloads.

SQLBits has sessions on building and scaling Power BI solutions — including semantic models, performance, advanced visuals, and delivering analytics that stand up in the real world.

SQLBits has sessions on using Python in modern data workflows, for engineering, analytics, automation, and data science in real-world environments.

The hottest topic around, just how can you bring AI to your role? We have sessions on applying AI to analytics, automating processes, improving data quality, and leveraging AI for smarter decision-making - all with practical examples you can take straight back to your work.

Discover creative impactful solutions that solve real world problems, from speakers who've been there and got the t-shirt. These sessions will have you fired up to get back to your desk and put learnings into practice.

Ready to blow your mind? Dive into the guts of query engines, transaction logs, storage layers, indexing strategies, and parallel processing. Explore execution plans, cache behaviour, bottlenecks, and optimisation tricks at a level that will challenge everything you thought you knew.

How can you get the best from yourself and your team? How do you help others understand your strengths, style, and ways of working? How can you become more visible in the workplace without burning out? SQLBits has sessions on all this and more.

Data Engineers DBAs Analysts Data Leaders Consultants Data Scientists

But don’t just take our word for it…

As always, the #sqlbits event in the UK was an amazing success. So much content, so much interaction, and so much fun. I'd like to say a special thanks to the @SQLBits staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly throughout the week for us.

What an incredible event! I spent the entire week connecting with people who speak the same language as I do! I can't even begin to describe the sessions I've been to, there is so much to say, and so much I've learned. The speaker's quality is really world-class! I will be hoping to come back next year!

#SQLBits has elevated the meaning of my perception of a community conference to a totally new level. Thank you for your hard work and creativity. Hope to be here next year.

All good things come to an end, and #sqlbits2023 is no exception. What a great week of learning, community and fun, all brought to you by the incomparable SQLBits team. We're already looking forward to next year! #sqlbits

SQLBits is, without doubt, one of the highlights of my year! And 2023 was the best one I’ve attended. I had an absolute blast in Wales, reconnecting with friends, making new friends, dancing, singing, drinking, gaming, and learning. And that’s just what happened in one session

#sqlbits2023 delivered, once again, possibly THE BEST #PowerBI and Data conference out there! And this picture shows the forces behind the success, so many volunteers and helpers from the community. Back at home this morning, but my mind is still in the Bits zone.

I'm so happy I got the opportunity to present three sessions at #sqlbits2023 ! It was also a great opportunity to meet some fabulous people. Thanks to all the organisers, helpers and sponsors, Speakers and Attendees for creating such a wonderful event! #ADF #Azure #conference

Thank you for everything SQLBits #sqlbits #sqlbits2023 it was an amazing experience and loved every single second!

Had an absolute blast at my first ever SQLBits! Thank you to the organizers and volunteers who made it happen. Huge shout out to everyone I got to meet and reconnect with from other conferences! Love this #datacommunity we are building together.

The biggest thing I took away from the event is how all those in orange plus the organizers are all with one vision - make the event the best it can be for all who attend, delegates, speakers, sponsors, and all who walk through the entrance. Great work all

SQLBits 2024 reaffirmed its status as the premier conference for SQL Server professionals in Europe. With its rich history, unwavering commitment to the community, and a diverse array of high-quality sessions, SQLBits exceeded my expectations.

Thank you to the #SQLBits team and all the volunteers for an outstanding conference. This was my first time attending, and I will be back many more times.

Thanks again to all the organizers, volunteers, sponsors, speakers, attendees, and anyone else that needs to be mentioned for a fantastic #SQLBits! I was so excited to be a part of it this year and I can't wait to return!

Had an great time at #sqlbits last week. Learned loads, saw lots of old friends, and made some new ones. Had some great feedback on my session, and it was awesome to get the orange short on once again! See you all next year!

Amazing few days and so good to meet people! Thanks to everyone that makes this awesome conference the best! #DataCommunity

So many things are amazing about #SQLBits. For me it is the sharing of ideas, community and helping new people join the community.

Wearing an orange shirt and walking into the venue felt like coming home. You are all amazing people, thank you for a fantastic week and see you at the next #SQLBits ?

Back home from #sqlbits and I have to say it that it was one of the best ever - I had an amazing time. Thanks to the organisers, helpers, speakers, sponsors and attendees!

I loved how every night there was an activity that everyone was welcome to join in. No need to know in advance to get a ticket to a vendor sponsored event with limited availability. The game night was so much fun!

I loved everything about it. The knowledgeable speakers, the overheard tech conversations you don't hear anywhere else, the friendly sponsors, the food, the quiz, the party.....fab few days.

I attended for the second year & loved feeling the warmth & inclusion from start to finish. I made friends, had so much fun learning, running & dancing. The support from the community in sharing their knowledge & passion is something that I think is unique to our community.

As a first time attendee and virtual attendee - I was really impressed on multiple levels. SQLBits will def be on my request list to my company next year to attend!

It was amazingly well organized, and I really hope I may return next year! I truly had a blast being here, while learning tons, meeting lots of people and last but not least, speaking here.

“I had a blast at my first #SQLBits” doesn’t even begin to cover it!! Thanks to all the organizers, sponsors, speakers, volunteers, and attendees who made SQLBits 2024 an unforgettable experience for me and many others! See you next year!

Great venue. The speakers were amazing and I can catch up with the sessions I was unable to see due to clashes but one of the best things was an opportunity to spend time with and talk to other people who are driven by data in one form or another.

It was so incredible and magical - huge bow to organizers, speakers and attendees - the best show on earth is #sqlbits

We had the best time at SQLBits last week! The speakers were GREAT, the networking opportunities were fantastic, and the overall atmosphere was just incredible. Can't wait for next year's event already!

Thank you SQLBits for the best community experience I've ever had in my life. Greetings to all old and new friends from #sqlfamily!

It was an action packed 3 days. Great sessions, but also many opportunities to meet fellow data professionals and make new connections. Shout out to the community that make this event possible. The event is so well organised. It was really inspiring to hear the stories from people who presented about how the community has helped them to develop their careers.

From the moment I arrived, I was surrounded by people who were just like me – friendly, caring, and knowledgeable individuals who share a passion for all things data. I would highly recommend SQLBits to anyone who wants to connect with like-minded individuals and stay on the cutting edge of data trends and technologies.

Alongside sessions were the opportunities for after-hours gaming, socialising, excellent foot and even a 5k run – what more could you ask for? This event was hugely beneficial for us as a company as the learning taken from these sessions will have immediate advantages for our clients and future projects.

This year’s SQLBits conference has left a really positive impression with us and we took away loads of good insights and tips to share with our wider Data Engineering group. A very engaging and well-run event - we’re looking forward to next year’s already!

I had never been to a conference quite like this one before. The venue and atmosphere were truly amazing, and I was able to attend some incredibly insightful sessions that provided me with a deeper understanding of the tools I use every day.

One of the best conferences I have been to, because 1. Great content 2. They don't take things too serious. The parties, the costumes, everything was a lot of fun. 3. The people. A lot of people I knew, some new, but great stuff.

I would never have thought of what could be fun and also incredibly challenging to be at a conference. Really fun to hear the smartest people in their disciplines share with you both the latest new things and give advice. I immediately jumped into trying all the new things I learned. Highly recommend this great conference for data scientists and enthusiasts.

A long week with early morning and late evenings, but the amount of fun, learning, catching up with colleagues that are now friends is priceless. Hope to see you all next year!!

Meet SQLBits’ sponsors of 2026, providing innovative, reliable solutions for every aspect of the data professional’s role.

We share knowledge, ideas, and news about all things data platform and the next SQLBits.

Free childcare available at SQLBits 2026

21 January 2026

SQLBits is proud to offer free childcare on-site at the ICC for our 2026 conference, provided by Jumping Stars, a professional mobile crèche service.

Fancy an upgrade?

08 January 2026

We have just released a very small number of luxury upgrades at Celtic Manor resort and Ty Newport, available to anyone booking their hotel for SQLBits at the same time as their SQLBits pass.

Presenting the SQLBits theme of 2026…

17 December 2025

One of the defining characteristics of SQLBits is the fact we theme our conference every year, and our 2026 theme is Cartoon!