David McMahon

Dave McMahon worked his way into IT after 11 years in the RAF and 4 years working in shops. Working his way through VBA, to VB6 and SQL 7.0, he got involved in .NET from the pre-release days and through all subsequent versions. His main skills now lie in the area of SQL Server and SharePoint.

He works as Software Systems Architect for Ridgian, a Microsoft Gold Partner located in Birmingham specialising in SharePoint, BI and Custom Web Solutions.

Dave is co-founder of The Next Generation User Group (NxtGenUG) and has spoken on many subjects in the last 5 years at User Groups, Microsoft Launch events and at TechEd Europe. He was awarded the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Award for SharePoint Server in 2009.

Sessions Submitted

A Quantum of Computing

Want to hear a session like no other? Different, Challenging? Then read on ...

If you thought a "Quantum Computer" was a figment of some Sci-Fi Channel Script Writer, think again! The thoery and concepts of what goes to make a Quantum Computer are very real! It may seem to have little relevance today, but Quantum Computing is gathering interest and momentum as real production Quantum Devices get installed in the City of London to help secure sensitive information, and as a stream of technological breakthroughs bring these elusive super-computers ever nearer!

In this mind-blowing session Dave will cover the the reasons why scientists are looking to build Quantum Computers, the basic concepts behind the idea of a Quantum Computer, why Quantum Computing is fundamentally different from the computing of today, the challenges in getting meaningful results out of one, give examples of the the potentially unbeliveable power of these types of devices and show why technologies like SSL may have met their match the day the first Quantum Computer hits the shop ...

See reviews of this session at http://www.nxtgenug.net/ViewEvent.aspx?EventID=334 and http://www.nxtgenug.net/ViewEvent.aspx?EventID=366

Building a Silverlight BI and Mapping Dashboard

Bringing together a bunch of the latest technologies to make a website come alive is an exciting process and this is exactly what Ridgian did with one of their clients who wanted a BI solution integrated with mapping technology. They blended a mix of SharePoint/Silverlight/Bing Maps/PRISM Framework/Analysis Services/Reporting Services/Performance Point Server together to produce a stunning set of visuals for the users to work with.

This solution is now a flagship system for the client who themselves plan to 'sell' their services through it and to expand it into all areas of their organisation. In addition it is now teh subject of a Microsoft Video (see below) so if you want to see how Dave and his team put together this great application, come along. In this session Dave will discuss the how using the Silverlight PRISM framework, his team integrated multiple data sources and third party components to create dynamic, intuitive and informative dashboards hosted on the Sharepoint platform.

See the Microsoft Case Study and Video at http://mediadl.microsoft.com/mediadl/www/c/casestudies/Files/4000007980/CherwellDistrictCouncilvideo.wmv

Developing SharePoint 2010 with Visual Studio 2010

"Best demo of the power of SharePoint I've ever seen." - so says Richie Costall, NxtGenUG Co-Founder and Sceptic-In-Chief of SharePoint!

Developers were generally at the back of the queue when they handed out the productivity tools for SharePoint 2007. Not so with SharePoint 2010, it's a very different game now. Visual Studio 2010 comes with a bunch of tools to help you develop on the SharePoint platform. In addition the Community have been quick to add to these.

In this demo intensive session, Dave will not just show you the tools available, but demonstrate the power of SharePoint as a platform for web development and how to use Visual Studio 2010 to put together the building blocks of a SharePoint 2010 site to any level of styling and branding you care to want.

See http://www.nxtgenug.net/ViewEvent.aspx?EventID=344 for reviews of this session.

How to create Data Driven Silverlight Apps with No Code

How would you like to build Silverlight Applications which are data driven without writing any code, just draw them, press a few buttons, and hey presto you have your Silverlight Dashboard in minutes few? Well this you can do - with Visio Services in SharePoint 2010.

Visio? That's a very un-cool app? SharePoint? That's for document management right?

Wrong on both accounts, cast aside your preconceptions, and come and see a lightening tour around one of the coolest yet least known and most powerful features of SharePoint 2010. And I mean cool. And powerful. Anybody can build a Data-bound Silverlight Dashboard in minutes, even Dave, and he will talk you though why, how and the whens of doing it. See you there!