Would you like me to review your data platform architecture?

Hi, I'm Paul and I've been designing and delivering Microsoft data platform solutions for around 15 years now. I've seen it all. The good, the bad and the ugly (for the Clint Eastwood fans). During my career I've worked with customers big and small, national and international, covering almost every industry vertical. I've also been … Continue reading Would you like me to review your data platform architecture?

Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 16 – Dead or Alive?

Is the Data Mesh dead or have we been using it without realising? The Gartner Hype Cycle for Data Management 2022 curve (shown below) is now a well-known picture in certain circles of the data community. It seems the trolls love to point out the relatively low position that Data Mesh has on this curve … Continue reading Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 16 – Dead or Alive?

Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 15 – Frequently Asked Questions

Addressing Hype, Problems Faced & Common Misconceptions As I continue my day job supporting customers in their journey towards a true data mesh architecture, I've started to see a series of common questions. Or a set of common problems that I get asked. Frequently asked questions (FAQ's) if you like 🙂 For clarity, I am … Continue reading Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 15 – Frequently Asked Questions

Can Azure Data Analytics unlock better business decisions?

My MSIgnite UK Spotlight Session 2022 Abstract The drive to stay ahead of the competition is greater than ever. With this comes a new wave of demand for data, in a resilient, reliable, and easily accessible form. In this session we’ll address the growing requirement for this capability head on, aligning our understanding on what … Continue reading Can Azure Data Analytics unlock better business decisions?

Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 14 – Anti Patterns

Meeting with Zhamak at Big Data London On 21st Sept 2022 I attended the first day of the Big Data London (BDL) conference held at the London Olympia. My main reason for travelling to the conference was simple, to see and speak with Zhamak Dehghani. In short, objective achieved, including clearing the air from those … Continue reading Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 14 – Anti Patterns

Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 13 – How To Organise Data Domains In Practice

Should Data Domains Be More Than a Simple Structure? Spoiler alert... Yes... Based on my experience. Read all blog posts in the Data Mesh vs Azure series via this link. Context Defining an organisation hierarchy is always hard, even more so for large enterprises with massive amounts of interlock between business functions. In the context … Continue reading Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 13 – How To Organise Data Domains In Practice

Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 12 – Where to Start?

Creating a Data Mesh - First Steps and Delivery Roadmap Read all blog posts in the Data Mesh vs Azure series via this link. Background A common question I get asked a lot when creating a data mesh architecture is where to start? The consultant in me defaults the answer to 'it depends', of course … Continue reading Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 12 – Where to Start?

Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 11 – Let’s Recap

Kasper On BI Podcast Interview Context A few weeks ago I had with pleasure of speaking with Microsoft's Kasper de Jonge (@Kjonge) as part of an interview for his own podcast 'Kasper on BI'. We started out with the following talking points, but generally let the conversation flow given our collective experience in the industry. … Continue reading Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 11 – Let’s Recap

Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 10 – What is NOT a Data Product?

Defining What Isn't a Data Product - Data Pretenders rather than data products Background In part 8 of this blog series I explored the definition of a data mesh data product. Following several comments and feedback it now seems like a good idea to also address what is not a data product. As the saying … Continue reading Building a Data Mesh Architecture in Azure – Part 10 – What is NOT a Data Product?

The Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform

My Thoughts Following MSBuild 2022 The MSBuild conference was excellent. The effort Microsoft put into making the experience work across time zones, in different languages and hybrid (in person/online) so very evident. My hat off to the organisers! The Data Annoucements During the keynote at MSBuild we were introduced to the Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform. … Continue reading The Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform