Welcome

Passionately curious about Data, Databases and Systems Complexity. Data is ubiquitous, the database universe is dichotomous (structured and unstructured), expanding and complex. Find my Database Research at SQLToolkit.co.uk . Microsoft Data Platform MVP

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing" Einstein



Sunday, 19 August 2018

Storyboard Books and 3D Printing

My printed PhD storyboard books have arrived. If you're curious what's inside, you can see the storyboard here . 

Also you can what the video


Together with my 3D printed Data models my brother made, they tell the story of 7 years of work. An amazing reminder of the time, the PhD graduation and the receipt of a research award the, AOUG Will Swann Award for Innovation and Knowledge Development. I am proud to have studied with The Open University. 



Monday, 13 August 2018

Microsoft Faculty Summit Research Commitment

The Microsoft 2018 Faculty Summit entitled: Systems | Fueling Future Disruptions left you thinking about the many possible research avenues that are underway and what research problems there are that need to be addressed. I found the conference inspiring and full of new ideas that fueled my research curiosity.

It is great to see the investment in research to tackle industry challenges. 






















The summit discussed many technologies and the promise of AI.






















AI has many use cases that will enhance society but it is important to think about the need for an ethical framework.

It will be possible to watch the sessions on-demand at MicrosoftFacultySummit.com in a couple of weeks.

Saturday, 4 August 2018

MSBizAppsSummit Viewing




I am pleased to see the Microsoft Business Applications Summit has posted the sessions of the conference to view on-demand. These cover Dynamics 365, Power BI, PowerApps, Microsoft Flow and Excel.  The sessions cover the opening keynote, product visions and roadmaps and the intelligent edge, intelligent cloud and mixed reality, so plenty of viewing to catch up on if you missed out on the conference.

Thursday, 2 August 2018

Understanding Complexity with Systems

I have today been watching the many butterflies flapping their wings around a Buddleia bush. The butterfly bush with its abundant deep violet-purple flowers attracts the butterflies, which surround the bush. I always wonder if this activity will cause a transformation round the globe with the much discussed 'butterfly effect'. The classic quote 'the notion that a butterfly stirring the air today in Peking can transform storm systems next month in New York [...] tiny differences in input could quickly become overwhelming differing in output' Glick (1987) . This is known as Chaos,  the term coined by Lorenz for a system with unpredictable outcomes.  The problem is that it is difficult to know the exact starting point of a situation accurately enough to put it into a mathematical formula. Thus each step in the process in the system moves further away from where you thought it should go. The errors or uncertainty multiply and can cause turbulent features. 

The natural world is unpredictable and has many patterns of behaviour. To understand any system well enough it is necessary to understand the inputs and outputs. To understand database systems there is much complexity that needs to be considered. This graph shows some of the theoretical components.
























To apply this understanding and advance a system using artificial  intelligence (AI) you need to fully understand the system under investigation. For data and database systems people gain that experience and learning over many years. The art is to document the inputs and outputs and identify the best practices which have worked and those that have not. Also to create a method to connect the continuously evolving and changing best practice. Only then can you identify the opportunities within the system to improve management and create a state where AI is embedded within a helpful tool that could improve efficiency and performance.

My research examined the complexity of managing database systems and as such has the building blocks to begin to build an autonomous AI system to help manage database systems. Below shows the components that are interconnected in the the management of database systems.




Complexity is always changing and migrating with the passage of time and the trend will be from order to disorder, thus creating an autonomous system to help prevent that could be beneficial.The aim would be to create a self organizing system based on feedback from a persons behaviour, decisions, documentation, operational configuration, meetings and actions. 

Wednesday, 1 August 2018

Power BI World Tour





















The Power BI World Tour is a two-day event that will cover technical content designed for the Power BI Analyst, Developer/IT Admin, and new professional, by local industry experts. The dates are:

Melbourne, AUS August 21-22
Charlotte, NC August 28-29
Seattle, WA October 29-30
Montreal, CAN November 14-15
Sydney, AUS August 28-29
Copenhagen, DEN September 11-12
Dubai, UAE November 13-14
Dallas, TX November 28-29