By migrating the customer from Azure Data Lake Storage Gen1 to Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2, 3Cloud, formerly Pragmatic Works, helped them see a 40% savings in storage per month, totaling over $28,000 monthly.
Business Intelligence
Microsoft’s Power BI a Leader in BI Solutions in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant Report
We’re excited to share that, once again, Microsoft is a leader of Analytics and Business Intelligence (ABI) platforms in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant – this is the 13th straight year that Microsoft has been recognized. In this Magic Quadrant report the analytics and BI platforms available on the market are compared based on their features, usability, and capabilities; and Power BI was a top leader.
My Interview with Donald Farmer at PASS Summit 2019
If you have been in the BI industry as long as I have, then you know of Donald Farmer. He happens to be one of my heroes as a leader in the business intelligence and analytics field for the past two decades.
On-premise vs Cloud Modern Data Warehouse – Which is Right for You?
Many people ask the question, which is right for my company, on-premise or cloud modern data warehouse? In a recent webinar, David Hay, teaches you what you should look at to make the best decision for your organization between cloud vs on-premise modern data warehouse, as well as what the implementation process entails to stay within time and budget.
Data Governance with Power BI Premium
Data Governance – a hot topic on everyone’s minds. As I’m working on a BI project in the financial district in New York, it has me thinking about data governance and how it’s something we struggle with in the BI world.
Data Architecture for Azure BI Programs
If I recall correctly, I completed the first version of this data architecture diagram in 2012 when we used terms like “road map” and “blueprint” Back then, along with different terms, we were also using traditional SSIS, SSAS-MultiD and SSRS tools. Now we live in the world of cloud everything, although we are still driving from SRC-to-DST (source to destination). I’m up for whatever terminology you want to use, but can we agree that we are surely on a different highway? For my classical BI Blueprint, click here, but to see an Azure road map for BI, please take a look below.
Disclaimer: I create a different diagram for every engagement, so think of this as a suggestion, not a mold.
ETL with Power BI Dataflows
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Power BI. In case you don’t know, Power BI is a business analytics solution from Microsoft that lets you visualize your data and share insights across your organization or embed them in your app or website. You can connect to hundreds of data sources and bring your data to life with live dashboards and reports.
Transitioning from Traditional to Azure Data Architectures
Summary of the Matter: If you only read one thing, please read this: transitioning to Azure is absolutely “doable”, but do not let anyone sell you “lift and shift”. Azure data architecture is a new way of thinking. Decide to think differently.
First Determine Added Value: Below are snippets from a slide deck I shared during Pragmatic Work’s 2018 Azure Data Week. (You can still sign up for the minimal cost of $29 and watch all 40 recorded sessions, just click here.) However, before we begin, let’s have a little chat. Why in the world would anyone take on an Azure migration if their on-prem SQL database(s) and SSIS packages are humming along with optimum efficiency? The first five reasons given below are my personal favorites.
- Cost (scale up, scale down)
- Event Based File Ingestion
- File based history (SCD2 equivalent but in your Azure Data Lake)
- Support for Near Real Time Requirements
- Support for Unstructured Data
- Large Data Volumes
- Offset Limited Local IT Resources
- Data Science Capabilities
- Development Time to Production
- Support for large audiences
- Mobile
- Collaboration
Each of the reasons given above are a minimum one hour working session on their own, but I’m sharing my thoughts in brief in an effort to help you to get started compiling our own list. Please also look at the following diagram (Figure 1) and note two things: a.) the coinciding “traditional” components and b.) the value add boxed in red.
BI Platform Architecture, Development and Administration
What do you know about consumption-based architecture? This refined approach to data analytics has been implemented with some of our clients to help them meet their organizational needs. In a recent webinar, BI Platform Architecture, Development and Admin, Michael French shows how to utilize this architecture for your business.
Microsoft Leads the Pack with Power BI in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant of BI and Analytics Solutions
We’re excited to share a special report released called the Magic Quadrant by Gartner, which does an analysis of BI platforms and shows how different competitors stack up against each other. We’re excited to say that one of the leaders when it comes to BI and analytics tools is Microsoft, and the primary push to the top comes from Power BI!