Category: Personal development

Microsoft Fabric Community Conference: announcements and experiences

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Microsoft Fabric Community Conference (FabCon) in Vienna. Four days of learning, networking, meeting new people, speaking, announcements, Power Hour, volunteering and charity. I'll cover all these aspects in this post. The updates part won't cover all of them, as there are many. I'll pick my favourites … Continue reading Microsoft Fabric Community Conference: announcements and experiences →

Why in-person events matter: insights from the community

When 2020 happened, a lot of things came to a standstill. Working at the office, going to a bar or a movie, and attending in-person events. Before we knew it, everything went online. Work from home became the standard, services like Netflix and movies at home boomed, and data events were available through Teams or … Continue reading Why in-person events matter: insights from the community →

Speaking experiences at Data Céilí

This month marked a new experience for me, as I spoke at the Data Céilí event in Dublin. I had never been in Dublin before, nor in Ireland. As the weather turned warm and sunny in the Netherlands, I looked forward to lush green hills, glorious views, and amazing people. Rain Well, that idea quickly … Continue reading Speaking experiences at Data Céilí →

T-SQL Tuesday #187: How do you solve problems

This month's invitation is from Joe Fleming, who invites the blogging community to write about how we troubleshoot problems. Every issue has layers. So whenever a problem surfaces, my first assumption is that it's part of something else. This may sound a little vague, so let me elaborate. Whenever code throws an error, and it's … Continue reading T-SQL Tuesday #187: How do you solve problems →

Transforming Team Dynamics with the Leader’s Toolkit

First impressions When I got the package in the mail and opened it, I noticed it was similar to the Pip Decks box I reviewed earlier. The box has the same size and a similar design. The same goes when you open the box. Similar-sized cards and a more or less comparable structure. They feel … Continue reading Transforming Team Dynamics with the Leader’s Toolkit →

Is Microsoft SSMS Copilot the Future of Database Management?

Today, May 19th, 2025, is the keynote day of Microsoft Build, where Microsoft announces its big new tech innovations. You won't be surprised; there's a lot of Copilot in the announcements. You can't get around it if you have any toolset in the cloud; there will be AI waiting for you to help you. Bad … Continue reading Is Microsoft SSMS Copilot the Future of Database Management? →

Speaking experiences at Seaql Saturday

Picture of a sunset over sea

April 12th marked the first edition of Seaql Saturday in the Netherlands, the inaugural event situated in the southern part of the country. The event focused on SQL Server only; as advertised, it was a Fabric-free event. This blog post will discuss my experiences and why you should attend the next edition. Before the event … Continue reading Speaking experiences at Seaql Saturday →

T-SQL Tuesday #184: Mentoring

This months invitation is from Deborah Melkin, she invites us to write about mentoring experiences and being a mentor. How it all started My first real mentoring experience was when I signed up for New stars of Data. If you don't know this conference, you should. It's aimed at new speakers who haven't gone beyond … Continue reading T-SQL Tuesday #184: Mentoring →

Speaking experiences at Fabric February and Data Saturday Denmark

Last week, I had the pleasure to help and speak at Fabric February in Oslo, directly followed by Data Saturday Denmark. This post will guide your through my experiences in these events. At the end, I'll touch on some mental health things. Fabric February If you're unfamiliar with Fabric February, the core of the conference … Continue reading Speaking experiences at Fabric February and Data Saturday Denmark →

2024 in review, 2025 in preview

Hi! 2024 is (almost) over and we're heading into the preview of 2025. Let's see how we get through this trial period of the new year. Let's start with looking back on the year that's behind us all. What a year it’s been! 2024 had a lot going for it, also enough things to, as … Continue reading 2024 in review, 2025 in preview →