Drupal is great, but have you noticed that performance suffers when you make it do everything? Would you like to know how Drupal can work in conjunction with NoSQL databases like MongoDB? Would you like to push some of the work of the application onto the client?

Let’s look at two case studies of live applications that skirt around performance problems by augmenting Drupal. Learn how to turbocharge your data by denormalizing it and pick up some front end optimization tricks.

In this session you will:

• Learn how to use MongoDB alongside Drupal.
• Learn how to leverage client side code for snappier applications.
• Learn how to take advantage of database API as an alternative to Views.
• DO’s and DON’TS: Learn from our mistakes and successes.

About the Speakers

Andrew Elster graduated from Oregon State University with an EE degree. After years of C development, he migrated to the world of web development. Currently, he architects and implements large custom applications for Astonish Design. He loves Drupal, but can be caught frequently moonlighting with NodeJS.

Sam Heuck was born in Montana, and grew up on a ranch in Wyoming. Being a rancher's son taught him to work hard, think of creative solutions to problems, and get the job done no matter what. Software design and information technology seem to be breeding grounds for unexpected obstacles, and thanks to the ranch, knowing how to improvise is a skill he learned well.
Sam earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Technology from Montana State University and continues to pursue music composition, performance, and audio engineering. His passion for software design is fueled by opportunities to solve real world business headaches for frustrated technology users. Sam loves writing customized software that optimizes efficiency and enhances the user's experience.

Brandon Smith has always had a passion for understanding how things work. A University of Texas graduate with dual degrees in Biology and Psychology, Brandon first began his career in genetics research and brings a unique perspective to to the table with his background in science. He has a strong programming background across a variety of languages and platforms, and wears many hats as a result. His specializations include building back-end services for integrating third-party APIs into Drupal and other forms of cross-platform communication.