ODI Data Ethics Canvas

The ODI have created a useful tool for anyone who collects, shares or uses data. This aims to help identify management ethical issues at the start of a data project. The Open Data Institute defines data ethics as:

'A branch of ethics that evaluates data practices with the potential to adversely impact on people and society – in data collection, sharing and use'

They say data ethics relates to good practice around how data is collected, used and shared. It is especially relevant when data activities have the potential to impact people and society, directly or indirectly.

The Data Ethics Canvas is a part of a wider data toolkit.

Asilomar AI Principles

Data Ethics has been brought to the fore by AI algorithms showing bias. There are various insightful articles which discuss data ethics. The Asilomar Conference on Beneficial AI organized by the Future of Life Institute was held January 5-8 2017 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in California. The conference aimed to address and formulate principles of beneficial AI. With more than 100 thought leaders and researches in economics, law, ethics and philosophy at the conference, it resulted in the creation of a set of guidelines for AI research. There are 23 Asilomar AI Principles of which many are related to ethics and values.

This is a significant enhancement on the Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" which were shared in his 1942 short story "Runaround". The Three Laws he listed were:

• A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
• A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
• A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

In 2016 Satya Nadella did share a vision for more relevant AI rules.

• AI must be designed to assist humanity.
• AI must be transparent. 
• AI must maximize efficiencies without destroying the dignity of people. 
• AI must be designed for intelligent privacy. 
• AI must have algorithmic accountability. 
• AI must guard against bias. 

From this it has led to data ethics becoming its own branch of ethics.

Happy New Year 2020

Christmas BINGO

Here is something to keep you amused whilst reading those technical articles over Christmas.

How many articles do you have to read to say BINGO?

T: @victoria_holt

SQLBits 2020

SQLBits 2020 is between 31st March – 4th April at the ExCel Centre, London. This year it is 5 days. Registration is open.

The agenda is:

Tuesday 31st March: Full day training (track registration mandatory)

Wednesday 1st April: Full day training (track registration mandatory)

Thursday 2nd April: Multiple 50 minute sessions (choose agenda on the day)

Friday 3rd April: Multiple 50 minute sessions (choose agenda on the day)

Saturday 4th April: FREE - Multiple 50 minute sessions (choose agenda on the day)

The training days have been announced. 

Tuesday 31 March 2020

A Day Full of Azure Data Factory with Cathrine Wilhelmsen

Mastering Index Tuning with Brent Ozar

Demystifying Design Principles and Building Impactful Report with Reid Havens

SQL Server Performance Tuning Real-World Scenarios with Pinal Dave

Performance Troubleshooting using Waits and Latches with Paul Randal

SQL Server Cloud Fundamentals with Allan Hirt

A to Z Azure Cosmos DB with Hasan Savran

Migrating & Running SQL Server on Azure VMs with Niko Neugebauer

Kubernetes: From Bare Metal to SQL Server Big Data Clusters with Chris Adkin and Buck Woody

Building a Modern Data Warehouse in Azure with Simon D'Morias

Getting started with Azure Machine Learning with Nico Jacobs and Aniek Sies

Further your Power BI development skills with Ásgeir Gunnarsson and Bent Nissen Pedersen

Wednesday 1 April 2020

Advanced T-SQL Querying and Query Tuning with Itzik Ben-Gan

Migrating a Legacy SQL Database to Azure with Ike Ellis

Open Hack: From ingestion to consumption with Stijn Wynants, Steve Verschaeve and Rick Meijvogel

Improve performance with DAX and Power BI with Alberto Ferrari

Succeed with DevOps as a DBA with Grant Fritchey

Performance Tuning with Query Store in SQL Server and Azure with Erin Stellato

Machine Learning In Production: Azure, Docker, Kubernetes with Terry McCann

SQL Server data security from the bottom up with Stuart Moore

From Zero to Azure Data Factory with Andy Leonard

Enterprise analytics with SQL Server and in Azure with Tomaz Kastrun

Statistics4Performance: Internals, Analysis, Problem Solving with Kimberly L. Tripp

Azure HDInsight Learning Path

Microsoft Learn enables you to gain hands on learning for different products. Azure HDInsight is one of those such courses. The course entitled  Building Open Source Software (OSS) Analytical Solutions with Azure HDInsight has various modules:

• Introduction to the Open source Analytics Offering
• Choose the correct HDInsight Configuration to build open source analytical solutions
• Creating and configuring a HDInsight cluster
• Perform Zero ETL analytics with HDInsight Interactive Query

There is such a wealth of information on the site that is worth exploring including learning paths, certification and docs. It is great to be able to learn at your own pace.

The Tree of Learning is now fully grown

As part of the last 50 years of life changing education the Tree of Learning is now fully grown and installed in the Betty Boothroyd Library on Walton Hall Campus in Milton Keynes. It reflects on the last 50 years of life-changing education. As an alumni I supported this great cause to help provide potential students the opportunity to access higher education by supporting the 50th Anniversary Scholarships Fund. The Fund aims to offer free University education to 50 carers. Each donor could choose to be recognized and have a shield personalized with their name and a year that is significant to their OU journey.  Over 7200 people donated and choose to have a shield like myself. The Tree is 22-foot (6.7m). The Tree is organised with the earliest dates, the 1970s at the bottom moving through the decades to the most recent years at the top of the Tree.