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



Tuesday 30 March 2021

Data Skills Framework

The ODI have created a useful methodology for looking at data skills. It classifies the data landscape skills into technical skills, and other skills such as service design, data innovation and change leadership which are important for organisations to succeed.  I would recommend looking at the resource page as data literacy is most important to address and this framework helps look holistically at data skilling. 



Thursday 25 March 2021

Data Toboggan - Slide Preparation Inaugeral event today!

Join Data Toboggan -Slide Preparation for our first Azure Synapse MeetUp on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

For this edition, Andy Cutler (@MrAndyCutler) will be presenting "Building a Data Warehouse Dimensional Model using Azure Synapse Analytics SQL Serverless" for your enjoyment.

A summary of his talk is below

"In this session we'll be looking at using Azure Synapse Analytics SQL Serverless to create a Data Warehouse using the Dimensional Modelling technique. All data will be stored in an Azure Data Lake Gen2 account with processing and serving performed by the SQL Serverless engine."

Sign up here

Tuesday 16 March 2021

Data Virtual Conference Extravaganza

The whole last year has certainly been one we will all remember as the year everything changed. Not defeated by the pandemic many new virtual conferences have sprung to life to help with continuous improvement and learning.


Data Toboggan

A specialise conference on Azure Synapse. The slope that enables predictive analytics. It runs 3 conferences a year which are 12 hour long events.


New Stars of Data

The launchpad for new speakers in the Microsoft Data Platform space

New Stars of Data is an event to help find and promote new speakers in the Microsoft Data Platform arena. It is run by Ben Weissman and William Durkin. Speakers submit their presentation ideas and are assigned to a seasoned speaker, who will mentor the newcomer in all aspects around delivering a presentation.



A Virtual Popup Microsoft Data Conference. #DataWeekender is a new online conference that first ran on Saturday 2nd May 2020. Our original intention was to put on an online data platform conference for the community to fill that void left by the canceling of the in-person events due to Covid-19.



A virtual MS Data Platform conference focusing on SQL Server internals.


The fastest conference for the Microsoft Data Platform Community. Lightning talks only. Organized by the @datagrillen guys @sql_williamd and @bweissman

Monday 15 March 2021

Geeks on Screens with Coffee

Episode 67 - Rushing through the snow
I had the pleasure of chatting with Mark Pryce Maher on Geeks on Screens with Coffee on Thursday 11th March 2021 at 6:15pm (GMT) .

I joined the call with my SQLBits Speakeasy mug which came from the Manchester Central event, 27 February to 2 March 2019 and we talked about many things including the creation of Data Toboggan, Data Relay and Music. The video is here.

Monday 8 March 2021

International Women's Day 2021

It’s international women’s day (IWD) again on 8th March. Time to celebrate accelerating gender parity. It important to celebrate women’s achievements and call out inequality.  Making things more visible is important.

Celebrate women in tech and innovation . I am pleased to be a part of the Million Women in STEM project.  A list of the biggest, most diverse, global, women in stem campaign & community. Their aim is to spotlight women in STEM, to provide visible role models though their campaign, community, and outreach to inspire the next generation of girls.


This year’s IWD theme is #ChooseTo Challenge

A challenged world is an alert world and from challenge comes change.
So let's all choose to challenge.

How will you help forge a gender equal world?
Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality.

I am pleased to be a part of the Inclusion and Diversity team at Coeo with a day of celebration. Read our blog



Wednesday 3 March 2021

Microsoft Ignite March 2021

An amazing keynote as ever. Not so many data announcements this time but that is not to say it wasn’t exciting. Satya Nadella mentioned these 5 key attributes to drive innovation forward utilizing cloud technologies for tech intensity. 

1. Ubiquitous And Decentralized Computing

With the radical change in computing architecture and systems from cloud to edge it will result in exponential growth in compute capacity. This transforms interactions between people places and things. With physical and digital worlds converging there is a need for more sovereignty and decentralized control

2. Sovereign data and ambient intelligence

In this world, data will be more private, more sovereign. Data governance and providence will take on new importance. There will be new methods of federated machine learning to drive the next generation of personalized and yet privacy-preserving services

3. Empowered Creators And Communities Everywhere

There needs to be more skills, tools and platforms and collaboration across communities to enable creation.  It may be building a virtual world, formulas in spreadsheets or low code tools to build application.  The democratization of creation will accelerate and drive new innovation

4. Expanded Economic Opportunity For The Global Workforce

There needs to be flexible working to enable productivity for inclusive collaboration, learning and wellbeing with continuous feedback.

5. Trust By Design

There needs to be ethical principles govern the design, development and deployment of AI. The technology needs to be secure by design and build technology with the design intent to protect the fundamental rights of all people

Microsoft Mesh

Microsoft Mesh, a new mixed-reality platform powered by Azure that allows people in different physical locations to join collaborative and shared holographic experiences on many kinds of devices. It makes me think science fiction just became reality.  This is a major shift in maturity and the art of the possible for connecting from anywhere.


Data announcements 

Harness the power of data with Azure Data and AI

New enhancements for Azure Cosmos DB, Azure Purview, and Azure Synapse.

Azure Percept

With Azure Percept, Microsoft adds new ways for customers to bring AI to the edge

Azure Synapse Pathway

Announcing Azure Synapse Pathway: Turbocharge your data warehouse migration

Then for Power BI Some very big news. PowerBI Premium Per User (PPU) pricing is announced.

The #MSIgnite Book of News covers all the announcements. 

Tuesday 2 March 2021

Data Toboggan - Slide Preparation

We have been working behind the scenes and are so excited to launch Data Toboggan - Slide Preparation our usergroup arm.

We're working on some great content, but as this is our first one we wanted to test the water, so our first evening session will be just 1 hour (speaker* permitting - overruns are not uncommon in our line of fun), and we hope you'll join us at the top of what we're hoping will be a great run :-)

Later editions will vary in length and start time. Hey, we're new at this and don't know what works yet. It'll be top class, though. Promise.

We are cloud born and welcome local, national and international speakers and attendees.

The first Azure Synapse virtual meetup is Thursday March 25, 2021 5:00 PM GMT http://bit.ly/DT-SPMeetup

Data Toboggan-Cool Runnings

Don't forget our next main 12 hour summer edition conference is on 12 June 2021.

Call For Speakers is Open. Submit now http://bit.ly/DT-CRCFP Register Now http://bit.ly/DT-CRRegister

We hope you have been enjoying the session videos from the January 2021 Data Toboggan event http://bit.ly/DataTobYouTube