Figuring Out Fabric: Learn Fabric in 30 minutes.
Each week, Eugene Meidinger interviews experts and everyday users about their experiences with Fabric, including both successes and frustrations. Every episode runs about 30 minutes and centers on a single topic, making it easy to listen during a commute or workout. Listeners can skip any subject that does not interest them. The show aims to respect listeners' time and intelligence by avoiding long, unstructured conversations.
Episodes
Ep. 30 - Telling Stories with Data
Santhana Lakshmi Ponnurasan and I worked together at Truviz a few years back, but this is our first real conversation since she became a two-time competitor in the Power BI DataViz World Championship and a recent Microsoft MVP. We talk about building reports people actually use versus passion projects, and why she crosses things off a requirements list instead of checking them off. Lakshmi walks t
Ep 29. AI, Data Privacy, and the Bubble
Kellyn Gorman is back for a reappraisal, this time on AI. We get into how you're the product, not the customer: what "help improve our models" actually means, plus real stories of companies dumping loan PII and entire product roadmaps into free ChatGPT. Kellyn walks through her research on the AI bubble and what your data is actually worth. We close on Fabric's data protection
Ep. 28 Getting the Badge vs. Actually Learning Fabric
In this episode Aleksi Partanen about certifications, learning Fabric, and community. We talk about the Fabric certs and how much value they do or do not provide. We talk about community and motivations for being involved and cultivating communities.YouTube: Aleksi Partanen – Master Microsoft FabricFabric Forge: skool.com/fabricforgeCertiAce: certiace.comSubreddit mentioned in the episode: r/Micro
Ep. 27 Fabric Pipelines vs. Dataflows vs. Notebooks
Fatima Jallow, a data consultant based in Stockholm, helps us understand data movement in Fabric and when to use pipelines and dataflows. We talk about how pipelines specialize in orchestration. She shares with us her journey from executive assistant to data architect. Finally she talks about some challenges building a metadata-driven pipeline in Fabric from scratch.ResourcesFeedlyFatima Jallow on
Ep 26. - Balancing keeping up with old and new tech
Simon Sabin talks about how SQL Bits picks sessions when the data world keeps splintering into more tools. We talk about the tension between Fabric and the older stack people still use at work, and why session selection has to cover both. We also talk about why discernment is the skill you need with AI, since the model is an "automated idiot" and you have to catch when it's wrong. P
Ep. 25 - Python Notebooks
Sandeep Pawar talks about Python notebooks in Microsoft Fabric and why Power BI developers should learn them. We talk about semantic link as the entry point for Power BI developers into Python, and how notebooks open up solutions for orchestration, monitoring, and administration that are hard to do any other way. We also talk about PySpark, and why understanding Spark internals matters just as muc
Ep. 24 Fabric Community
In this episode, Shannon Lindsay from the Microsoft Community team joins me to talk about, well, community! We talk about her trajectory from non-profit space, to Power BI developer, to Microsoft employee. We go over how social media is fragmented and the joy of finding your friends.Dunbar's numberUnderstand translytical task flowsData WitchesMicrosoft Fabric Community
Ep. 23. Dealing with Fabric Overwhelm
In this episode, Shabnam Watson talks about dealing with Fabric overwhelm and how her bureaucratic experiences with Azure and Synapse motivated her to learn Fabric. She talks about how it's important to focus on finding a way that works with the tool instead of finding the "best" way. In general, the best lesson is to find ways to tie your new learning. We also touch on the DP-600/D
Ep. 22 Making Fabric Feel Like Home
In this episode, Microsoft MVP Prathy K talks about her journey into Microsoft Fabric from her MSBI background. She explains how Fabric felt like "coming home" since she could map SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS concepts to new tools. We discuss how medallion architecture is really just rebranded data warehousing layers and why Fabric can feel overwhelming if you haven't kept up with the big d
Ep. 21 - Reverse interview, should you switch to Microsoft Fabric?
In this episode, Microsoft MVP Angela Henry asks me questions about Microsoft Fabric. We compare the current Fabric development timeline to the old Power BI development timeline. I talk about when Fabric makes the most sense, in my personal opinion. It was a surprise this episode to hear about SSRS.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_crabSVG images in Power BI (2018)Fabric Roadmap
Ep. 20 - Power BI Accessibility
In this episode, Juliana Smith talks about accessibility in Power BI. She talks about starting out as a data scientist and moving to Power BI. We talk about how impairments can be temporary or varied and how accessibility helps everyone. We discuss simple, low-effort changes like font sizes, labels, and color contrast.Megean Longoria on accessibilityInclusive Design ToolkitAccessibility Insights f
Ep. 19 - Getting into Microsoft Fabric
In this episode, Heidi Hastings joins to discuss the practical realities of adopting Microsoft Fabric. We cover her early exposure to Fabric through the MVP preview, the challenges of understanding and implementing it across real-world projects, and the often-overlooked learning curve for newcomers. Heidi shares insights into common misconceptions driven by marketing materials, gaps in documentati
Ep. 18 - SQL DB on Fabric
In this episode, Sukhwant Kaur the PM for SQL DBs in Fabric, talks about the new feature. She talks about how management is much easier, which is great for experimentation. SQL DBs are very popular for metadata pipelines and similar. It’s exciting as a way to enable writeback and curated data storage for Power BI. We also talked about AI features and workload management.LinksVector support for in
Ep. 17 - Fabric Notebooks
In this episode, we talk with Emilie Rønning about notebooks. We talk about how notebooks can be used for data engineering and when to get started with them. One of the nice things about notebooks is that you can easily debug individual steps instead of having to search a whole script for an error. We also discuss when to learn notebooks. Near the end we talk about how exporting notebooks risks ex
Ep. 16 - Administering Fabric
In this episode, Elayne Jones talks about being an expert reference for the IT Center of Excellence and about administering Fabric. We talk about the types of things that can be administered and some of the challenges.Deploy Power BI from OneDriveMatthew Roche: problem domain and solution domainPublish to web turned off by default now1,000 item limit in Fabric workspaces
Ep. 15 - Fabric or Databricks
In this episode, Meagan Longoria talks about Databricks and helps us compare it to Fabric. The general conclusions is Databricks is still the mature tool, but Fabric is making improvements. In reality, there is space for a hybrid approach and if you have to start somewhere with Fabric, it likely makes sense to start with Power BI and work your way back, where this value. We also talk about how the
Ep. 14 Changing Data Culture
In this episode, Ewa Hutmacher talks about driving change and changing cultures in a organization. I think it’s fair to say that adjusting to Fabric and centralizing your data is a big organizational change. It was new to me to hear there are ways to track and monitor organizational change.Crucial ConversationsMedallion architectureRussian nail factoryPerverse incentivesWho Moved My Cheese?“We nee
Ep 13. Power BI, Your First Job, and the PL-300
In this episode, Evelyn talks about getting certified in the Tableau and Power BI. We talk a little a bit about how each is different. For her, BI was an ideal career because it was in the middle of her two passions: art and IT. We also discuss getting her first job and studying for the PL-300.Ggplot2Kind and Wicked learning environments (regarding delayed feedback)Column profiler
Ep. 12 - Power BI, Data Viz, and Solving the Right Problem
T. from Data Rocks talks about how data viz is a tiny subset of information design. The key is to focus less on just charts, but more about how the data is communicated and received. We talk about how what the user does with it separates a pile of charts from a successful design flow. I found this conversation helpful to understand it means to be good at data viz.LinksStop SolutioneeringFinancial
Ep. 11 - Data Science, Career Paths, Learning Fabric
In this episode, Steph Locke covers a wild career from data science consultant to startup owner to Microsoft manager. We talk about what’s required to work in data science. We also talk about the interaction of large language models and coding. Finally, we talk about adjusting to Power BI and Fabric.LinksStatistical t-testStatistical r-correlationBase rate fallacyROC (statistical test)Roc (mythica
Ep. 10: Fabric and Instructional Design
In this episode with Ellen Burns-Johnson, we talk about when we worked on a cloud game for Azure Synapse, ADF, Power BI. A big lesson learned from that is a big challenge today for Fabric is getting different teams and personas to communicate with each other; it's not just about the technology. Ellen's first impression is "it seems like Microsoft is trying to 'product away&apos
Ep. 9 - Fabric in Government
In this Episode Els Van Vessem talks about the challenges of implementing Fabric in the government. In it they talk about doing proof of concepts with Fabric and the limitations when your data is confidential, protected and on-premises. Data sovereignty often means sticking to a hybrid approach. We also discuss the challenges of similarly named products with slight differences.LinksVeteran's
Ep 8. CI/CD in Fabric
Apologies for the audio; I stupidly forgot to double check my mic this episode.In this episode, Erin Dempster gives us an outside view of fabric focused on CI/CD. We talk about both deployment pipelines and devops pipelines and how she uses both tools in concert. This episode is interesting because it touches on the challenges of integrating a variety of data sources for an insurance company and u
Ep. 7 - Semantic Link and Semantic Link Labs
In this episode, Stephanie Bruno talks about semantic link and semantic link labs, which allow you to better manage your Power BI resources with Fabric notebooks. Semantic allows you to query and work directly with your semantic model. Semantic Link Labs allows you to automate running the best practices analyzer against your model. I've heard nothing but great things about it.LinksSemantic Li
Ep 6. Scouting out Fabric
In this episode, Krystina Mishra talks about being an accidental Fabric admin. She talks about the challenges of being part of a centralized IT team that operational and business teams. She talks about the challenges of how everything with Dynamics 365 is slightly different than every other data source and how everything is convoluted with Synapse. She also talks about how there are nuanced differ
Ep. 5 - Realtime Intelligence
In this Episode, Frank Geisler explains Realtime Intelligence in Microsoft Fabric. We learn how RTI is its own thing in Fabric and is not directly backed by Parquet like a Lakehouse is. We also dig into the distinction between real-time analytics and real-time intelligence. The latter is not just reporting but being able to trigger activity based on it.LinksFabric Realtime IntelligenceKQL language
Ep 4. Fabric Lakehouse versus Warehouse
In this episode, Ginger Grant talks about the differences between warehouse and lakehouses in Fabric. We talk about how Warehouses make more sense if you are doing a lot of ad-hoc querying. In most other cases, Lakehouse will be easier and fewer steps.LinksLakehouse versus Warehouse decision guideDelta lake vacuumPolaris engine behind Fabric WarehouseLakehouse versus Warehouse (Advancing Analytics
Ep 3. Extracting Data from Legacy Systems
In this episode, Kellyn Gorman talks about the challenges of getting data out of legacy systems (i.e. relational data bases) into Fabric. She explains that whoever hosts the data wins. She talks about often content talks about the golden path or focuses on the marketing content, but it's much rarer to see content that deals with the difficult edge cases.We talk about how despite being Softwar
Ep. 2 Medallion Architecture with Cathrine Wilhelmsen
Cathrine explains how there isn't a single solution for architecting your data lake with Microsoft Fabric. We walk through all the different moving pieces of getting started with Fabric and lakehouses. Catherine touches on some different ways of implementing medallion in Fabric. She also makes the point Medallion is not the same as Dev / QA / Prod. Lastly, we talk about source control and bra
Ep 1. Data Movement with Kristyna Ferris
In this Episode, I interview Kristyna Ferris about the different types of data Movement in Microsoft Fabric. Specifically, we talk about gen 2 dataflows, data pipelines, and Spark notebooks. We see how you start simple and work your way up. Kristyna shares the "faucets first" approach at P3 adaptive.LinksYak shavingRapid developmentDatatypes in Fabric Data WarehouseVARCAHR(MAX) previewMi
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