"tap tap tap". Your attention please, we're going to orchestrate our ETL/ELT process! Yes, it's time to unleash your inner Herbert von Karajan and make sure your BI orchestra performs at its best. Why? Well, unless you enjoy waking up every night to start your Extract-Transform-Load (ETL) process and manually running each process to do … Continue reading DP-700 training: Orchestration
Category: Architecture
Ignite announced SQL Server 2025 and Fabric SQL GA
I'm guessing you've seen posts, blogs and social media activity in the last year on both Fabric SQL databases and rumours around SQL Server 2025. Today, Microsoft announced that both of these are Generally Available (GA). This means it's now fully supported by Microsoft. You can read all about this, and more, in the Ignite … Continue reading Ignite announced SQL Server 2025 and Fabric SQL GA
DP-700 training: implement database projects
Some of you might recognise database projects from either Synapse Analytics or SQL Server. Yay for the latter ;). A long story, very short, database projects are a way to develop and deploy your databases using a CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Development) approach. For each database, the code you've written is saved in a specific project … Continue reading DP-700 training: implement database projects
SQL Server 2025: time-bound Extended Events explained
In a previous blog post, I discussed my initial impressions of SQL Server and the key features that are relevant to my work in Business Intelligence. This time, I want to focus on a specific and improved feature of SQL Server, namely extended events. What are they? To provide some context, let's begin by defining … Continue reading SQL Server 2025: time-bound Extended Events explained
Mastering Real-Time Analytics with Microsoft Fabric
When Microsoft Fabric was introduced in May 2023, one of its major promoted components was the Real-time Analytics part. We (that is, my coworkers and I from Axians) focused mainly on the batch processing of data. With the introduction of the DP-700 exam, I started to focus more on the real-time part of Microsoft Fabric. … Continue reading Mastering Real-Time Analytics with Microsoft Fabric
Streamline Fabric Monitoring and Administration Using FUAM
Let me set the scene quickly for you. You're working for an organisation where Fabric is in the process of being adopted or it's already fully in use. Regardless of the number of capacities, workspaces, etc, you're interested in what's going on in your Fabric environment. You have questions like "Who is using the reports?", … Continue reading Streamline Fabric Monitoring and Administration Using FUAM
DP-700 training: Implement mirroring
If you come from an SQL Server background, mirroring will be familiar to you. It may be good or bad, but hopefully not at a nightmare level. Whatever your association with database mirroring, it is also available within Microsoft Fabric. What is mirroring If you're not coming from a SQL Server background, or any data … Continue reading DP-700 training: Implement mirroring
Loadtesting SQL, the sequel
Some time ago, I wrote a number of blogposts comparing the different Azure SQL options to give you some idea about performance, differences between tiers and differences between the Stock Keeping Units (SKU's). This was done by creating data in the database itself and review the metrics. This works fine and gave a good overview … Continue reading Loadtesting SQL, the sequel
DP-700 Training: Choose an appropriate data store
The best place to store your data is in a SQL Server database that no living being can ever access. The end. No, I'm kidding, of course. But there's an atom of truth in this joke. Because for years we, in the structured data industry, have always been convinced that a database is the best … Continue reading DP-700 Training: Choose an appropriate data store
DP-700 training: Create and configure deployment pipelines
In one of the earlier blogs, the topic revolved around everything Git. Git is a version control system where you can leverage CI/CD. I love Git, even though it has a habit of biting me severely in the parts I use to sit on. If you're not well versed in Git or have no option … Continue reading DP-700 training: Create and configure deployment pipelines









