Alexander Arvidsson

We like to think we're rational. But our brains are pattern-seeking, story-telling machines - and that makes us predictable. Every piece of information passes through filters: how it was measured, described, visualized, and interpreted. Each layer loses fidelity. Each layer is exploitable. This session explores that gap, from manipulated axes and cherry-picked data to misleading comparisons and false causation. We'll see how these tricks combine in fake news, where outrage replaces analysis, and how AI is making deception faster, cheaper, and harder to spot. But this isn't just a catalogue of tricks. The final part is about fighting back. I will share practical tools for spotting red flags, questioning charts, and building the habit of thinking before reacting. Because data literacy isn't a skill you learn once. It's a discipline you practice every time you encounter a number, a chart, or a claim.

Microsoft Fabric's "fixed pricing" is just the start - optimizing capacity units across workloads is key. This session covers CU concepts, workload efficiency, and the bigger picture beyond technology costs.

Data is everywhere, but how do you turn insights into action? In this full-day PreCon, we will focus on both creating reports that matter, as well as explore how to use them to truly drive decisions.

Most businesses today either has or wants a data warehouse, and it is expected that the business will be able to benefit greatly from this data warehouse as soon as it is in operation. It will deliver spectacular insights into all aspects of the business, enabling vast savings and improvements in all areas of the business. Does this promise sound familiar? This is exactly what a good data warehouse can provide. But why is it that so many data warehouse projects run wildly over budget, fall equally short of delivering the expected results, or simply - fail? There are many reasons why data warehouse projects fail, but my in my experience, three factors are key to the outcome of a data warehouse project. These factors are process insight, the ability to adequately model said processes in a data model, and business intelligence governance. This session will give you insight into each of these factors, explore where the gap between technology, processes and people need to bridged, and give you a number of questions that your data warehouse project team MUST be able to answer.

Data is everywhere, but how do you turn insights into action? In this full-day PreCon, we will focus on both creating reports that matter, as well as explore how to use them to truly drive decisions. We will start by understanding your audience: who they are, what decisions they need to make, and how to design reports that not only resonate with them but also ensure they give your audience the information they need to make decisions. Next, we will look at how to create impactful reports, structure dashboards, use DAX for dynamic titles, and apply effective data visualization to help your audience understand the insights. We will then explore how to sell your insights through storytelling techniques and the psychology of communication. It's not just about the data; it's about how you present it to make it matter to your audience - to truly drive decisions. Good presentation and delivery skills are the difference between a report that looks nice - or a report that can change the world. Finally, we will cover how to make sure your reports continue to drive action over time, assisting users in interpreting and acting on data for lasting impact. Structure of the Workshop: 1) Getting started: Understanding the audience - Who is your end user? (Using the storytelling canvas) - What decisions need to be made? - Common pitfalls when getting to know your end user. 2) Make it shine: Creating reports that matter - Structuring reports. - Effective data visualization. - DAX for dynamic titles, labels & interactivity. 3) Selling it: Communicating insights effectively - Storytelling techniques - The psychology behind effective communication. - How to build a strong narrative in a report. - Presentation & delivery skills (this is where you and your report shine!). 4) Make it stick: Ensuring long-term impact - Helping users interpret and act on data. - How to stay relevant over time. By the end of this PreCon, you’ll have the tools and techniques to not only design powerful Power BI reports but also turn them into actionable insights that drive decisions. It’s not just about the visuals, it’s about how to use data to tell a story that sticks and makes a real impact on your business.

SQL and SQL Server have been the bedrock of analytics for decades. With the advent of the cloud in general, lakehouse architectures in particular, Spark and Python has had a meteoric rise in popularity due to its flexibility and capability of tackling the parallism problem in a way that has been the Achilles heel of classic SQL Server. Spark is one of the fundamental workloads in Microsoft Fabric and offers a (potentially) low cost/high performance solution on demand for complex workloads. But how does it differ from SQL Server? Can you just convert SQL code to Python and spin up your Spark cluster? Short answer: maybe, but you really shouldn't. Let me show you a better way! In this session, we will look at fundamental differences in how code is executed and how the underlying architectures differ, explore differences and similarities between Python and SQL, and dive into PySQL and when and why there might be a reason (or not!) to use PySQL over Python. You will walk away from this session with a good understanding of how Spark differs from SQL Server, what antipatterns might be an issue, and how to make the most of your shiny Spark solution!

This session will give you insight into three driving factors, explore where the gap between technology, processes and people need to bridged, and give you a number of questions that your data warehouse project team MUST be able to answer.

DAX is an exceptional language, enabling anyone able to extract insights out of almost any data. But DAX is considered difficult and complex, requiring the user to understand concepts like row, filter and evaluation context.

A friend once explained her experience with a "data driven company" like this: "we collect millions of points of data every day, we clean it, we analyze it, we make it actionable - and then we implement whatever is the mood of the day". Power BI is one of the most powerful tools for data professionals and business…

Why is it that cloud projects often end up way more expensive than they should? The answer might surprise you: a lack of governance. It is easy to get stuck on the technical aspects of a cloud project and hence try to find equally technical ways of saving money. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and seldom is that clearer than in an environment where you pay for every second of compute consumed. Making a query run faster, optimizing a pipeline, or storing a bit less in a data lake, can decrease your overall consumption costs, but there might be even bigger savings lurking just out of view. The solution for saving the big bucks is spelled "governance". Most people see governance as something tedious, boring and ultimately futile, as users will inevitably find a way around the governance limitations and romp all over the environment. But if we look at governance as a tool for enablement, a way to make work easier for the end user and the administrator alike, as an opportunity optimize spend - then the whole dynamic shifts. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could combine useful guardrails, increased productivity AND optimized cloud spend? Let me show you how! This session will look at unexpected drivers of cost, discuss ways to surface (and mitigate) some of them, and try to convince you why governance is really the best way to save money in the long run. You might even be able to take some of the learnings from this session and apply it to your on-prem environment as well!

We'd like to record an episode of Knee-Deep in Tech live at DataMinds Connect! The episode is a 45 minute and recorded in front of a live audience. The audience will get to be part of the episode in several ways, and the hosts will take questions that will be discussed in the episode.

The unofficial scapegoats of the the IT world has always been "the network" or "the database". The traditional way of doing things on-prem has unfortunately added to this divide - either you're a networking specialist or a DBA, and very rarely will the same person do both jobs.

DAX is an exceptional language, enabling anyone able to extract insights out of almost any data. But DAX is considered difficult and complex, requiring the user to understand concepts like row, filter and evaluation context.

You've been handed a report that could best be described as "visually suboptimal" or simply - "terrible". You would like nothing more than to spend the hours it deserves in a bid to make it much more clear, concise and useable, but the simple fact of the matter is that nobody wants to pay you for spending those hours. But - sometimes closing your eyes, groaning inwardly, and passing the report up the chain just isn't an option either. Something needs to be done, but it needs to be done quickly in order to make the report at least useable while not costing a fortune. This session will walk through every step how to turn a really bad report into something decent, discuss how to prioritize content and why accessibility is not only useful but vital for good report design. This session will not only show you what can be done but also explain why it not only may be done, but also why it really should.

No data in the world will make any difference unless you can make it matter. In this full-day workshop, you will learn the skills to take your ability to communicate to a whole new level - using Power BI as the tool of choice.

Roche's Maxim of Data Transformation states that "data should be transformed as far upstream as possible, and as far downstream as necessary". Simple, powerful, and beautiful - but what does it really MEAN? Come find out through example.

Why is it that cloud projects often end up way more expensive than they should? The answer might surprise you: a lack of governance. Come learn how to turn governance from limitation to enablement.

We're recording an episode of Knee-Deep in Tech live at DataMinds Connect, and we want you to be a part of it! The episode is roughly 45 minutes, recorded in front of a live audience. The audience will get to be part of the episode in several ways, and the hosts will take questions that will be discussed in the episode.

Asking questions is easy. Anyone can do it, and, in fact, it is done every day. Asking good questions is harder. It takes some thinking about the problem before the question comes to mind, but it can be done. Asking really good questions is very, very hard. It's so hard that the really good questions are rare. Why is that? It might be because we're asking the wrong questions. We think that the technical community tends to jump straight to trying to solve the problem as stated instead of considering if the problem identified is even the actual problem in the first place! By taking a step back and considering the bigger picture instead of focusing solely on the stated problem, we can not only find other solutions, but we might even find better questions to ask. In essence: look further. Ask better questions. As a journalist, Linda used to be all about open ended questions in order to let the subject frame the problem. As a solutions architect, Alexander was all about trying to avoid the detailed technical solutions to a people problem. Together we found better ways to find the answers that mattered. We want to help you figure out how to ask better questions - and subsequently how to become a better problem solver. We will discuss why words matter, when you should not always listen to what is said, and how your choice of questions will always give you the answers you deserve.

A customer requested a solution for subscribing to data changes from their on-prem SQL Server in Azure - in near real time. Azure Data Factory is a fantastic data engineering solution, but it is not the first choice for real time data transfer due to cost.

A customer requested a solution for subscribing to data changes from their on-prem SQL Server in Azure - in near real time. Azure Data Factory is a fantastic data engineering solution, but it is not the first choice for real time data transfer due to cost. Synapse Link for SQL Server might have been part of the solution - if the SQL Server version was 2022. Unfortunately, neither of these tools can handle subscriptions to events out of the box - we needed to come up with something else. We settled on the open source project Debezium. Debezium uses SQL Server change data capture (or similar mechanisms in other supported databases) to send the changed rows to a Kafka stream - a stream that Azure Event Hub can accept. With the data in Azure Event Hub it can be used anywhere, all while completely decoupled from the data source. Do you want to sink the data into Parquet or Delta Lake through Azure Stream Analytics? You can. Do you want to send the data to an Azure Function? You can do that too - and so much more. Azure Event Hub is the gateway to all the fun services in Azure! In this session I will walk you through how the solution works, what parts are involved, show you how to set everything up and point out some pitfalls. Come learn how to build your own real time data change capture into Azure!

Getting changes from SQL Server to Event Hub can be tedious. I'll show you how to set up Debezium to automate SQL Server change data capture into Event Hub and explain why this matters for your serverless architecture!

FULLY BOOKED, NO MORE SPACES AVAILABLE. PRACTICAL INFORMATION: This session has a 12 person capacity limit as it is highly interactive, and will not work the way it’s intended with a larger audience. It is required to reserve in advance for this session only. Reservations will not be taken, and places will be served in a first come, first served basis. This means places are prioritized for those that have completed the payment process for their ticket(s). As of August 31st 2022, this session is fully booked and does not accept any additional registrations. Come October 10th, we'll only allow folks that have been confirmed into the session room. ________________________________________________ A friend once explained her experience with a "data driven company" like this: "we collect millions of points of data every day, we clean it, we analyse it, we make it actionable - and then we implement whatever is the mood of the day". Power BI is one of the most powerful tools for data professionals and business users alike. It makes it possible to create amazing reports providing deep insight into just about any data. This insights this tool unlocks can drive decisions at every level - but do they? Why is it then, that in this age of "data-driven decisionmaking", that so many decisions are still based on "gut feeling"? One of the reasons is that we still like to think that data will drive decisions on its own. The challenge is using Power BI to efficiently communicating said insight. Efficiently communicating data means not only being able to clearly and concisely visualizing it, but also being able to explain why the data matters to your audience - in a way that is engaging, interesting and relevant. This, in turn, require knowledge of how to write a compelling story that is engaging and relatable for your audience, as well as presentation skills to help bridge the gap between data and people. By making the data and the story matter to the audience we can align feelings and hard data, essentially influencencing decisions and improving business outcomes. In this full-day workshop, you will learn the skills to take your ability to communicate using Power BI to a whole new level. We will start with an overview of the fundamentals of visual communication in order to make the foundation of our data storytelling as clear, concise and understandable as can be. We will then discuss how to craft a relevant and relatable story to build on top of our data. We will learn how, through a clear message with a clear structure, to apply classic storytelling techniques as suspense, surprise and conflict to a technical narrative. Finally we will explore how to improve your presentation skills to enable you to bridge the gap between the data and people to really drive your point home. Come join me to level up your Power BI communication skills!

In this age of information it is imperative to be able to be able to clearly, simply and accurately explain and communicate sometimes complex data. Right at the intersection of journalism and statistics lies visual communication - the art of using data, charts and maps to convey information. This has been called "the truthful art" as it is an extremely powerful tool that must be wielded with the utmost care. Just like any other tools, however, it can be used for sinister purposes. This session is all about exploring ways that data can be misrepresented to further a goal - while still seem perfectly reasonable. It is intended as an eye opener for anyone interested in the how and why of data deception. We will walk through five stories and explore where the trickery is hidden, discuss a more honest way of communicate the information as well as look at ways to spot potential foul play with data.

In this age of information it is imperative to be able to be able to clearly, simply and accurately explain and communicate sometimes complex data. Right at the intersection of journalism and statistics lies visual communication - the art of using data, charts and maps to convey information. This has been called "the truthful art" as it is an extremely powerful tool that must be wielded with the utmost care. Just like any other tools, however, it can be used for sinister purposes. This session is all about exploring ways that data can be misrepresented to further a goal - while still seem perfectly reasonable. It is intended as an eye opener for anyone interested in the how and why of data deception. We will walk through five stories and explore where the trickery is hidden, discuss a more honest way of communicate the information as well as look at ways to spot potential foul play with data.

In this age of information it is imperative to be able to be able to clearly, simply and accurately explain and communicate sometimes complex data. Right at the intersection of journalism and statistics lies visual communication - the art of using data, charts and maps to convey information. This has been called "the truthful art" as it is an extremely powerful tool that must be wielded with the utmost care. Just like any other tools, however, it can be used for sinister purposes. This session is all about exploring ways that data can be misrepresented to further a goal - while still seem perfectly reasonable. It is intended as an eye opener for anyone interested in the how and why of data deception. We will walk through five stories and explore where the trickery is hidden, discuss a more honest way of communicate the information as well as look at ways to spot potential foul play with data.

Technical presentations - deep knowledge, good content and a slick slide deck should do it, right? What if I add in storytelling elements to tie the whole thing together? Those are indeed the ingredients needed for a good presentation, but there is something more. Something that very few technical presenters consider. Something ephemeral, something hard to grasp. That something is the glue that binds a great presentation together. I'm talking about emotional investment, and in essence - how to conduct your audience like an orchestra. By choosing the story and how that story is delivered, we can influence the emotional state of our audience. By engaging multiple senses and attaching emotions to a story, we can make the entire presentation much more memorable. This session is a bit of an emotional roller coaster as I show you how to create both highs and lows by choosing what story I tell and how I tell it. Come spend an hour learning skills you didn't think were part of the technical presenter's toolbox - but turned out to be essential to make your point stick.

Self-service BI is coming, and as an infrastructure professional it's time to either get with the program or get run over. The infrastructure control that the IT department spent years consolidating is starting to unravel, and left to its own devices, self-service BI will spell as much technical doom as business boom. But what IS "self-service BI", what can it provide and why would the infrastructure people care? This session outlines how the notion of self-service BI really impacts the technical infrastructure, explains the risks of a governance disaster, and tells the story of how a Power BI implementation skirted disaster and turned into a success - all done in three different voices and from two different viewpoints.