Blog

I will be hosting Track 3 at #DataWeekender #3 on 2024-05-15

• community

• dataweekender, conferences

• 2021-05-14
• 1 minute to read

I am hosting track 3 at #DataWeekender 3! Find out about the amazing community talks on my track and register for this free online Microsoft Data Platform conference.

Exploring the SQL Bits Replay online social platform

• community

• sqlbits, conferences

• 2021-05-13
• 2 minutes to read

I have been exploring the SQL Bits Replay online platform, trialling Q&A sessions featuring the best content from the SQL Bits 2020 virtual conference.

T-SQL Tuesday #138 Reacting to changes in Technology

• community

• tsql2sday

• 2021-05-11
• 2 minutes to read

A quick personal reflection on responding to technology changes and maintaining continuous learning, shared while celebrating a family birthday in West Wales.

Learning to Hugo Part 5: Hosting on an Azure Static Webapp

• hugo

• getting started, static webapp

• 2021-05-10
• 8 minutes to read

This is the fifth post in a series about the things I have learnt setting up my blog using Hugo, covering how to host your site using Azure Static Web Apps.

Learning to Hugo Part 4: Shortcodes and Archetypes

• hugo

• getting started, shortcodes, archetypes

• 2021-05-05
• 5 minutes to read

The fourth post in my Learning to Hugo series, covering how to use shortcodes and archetypes to create repeatable, consistent content across your Hugo blog.

Learning to Hugo Part 3: Front Matter

• hugo

• getting started, front matter

• 2021-05-04
• 2 minutes to read

How to use front matter to adjust my content.

Learning to Hugo Part 2: Structure and Content Organisation

• hugo

• getting started

• 2021-05-02
• 10 minutes to read

This is the second post in a series about the things I have learnt about Hugo, covering the fundamentals of directory structure and content organisation in detail.

Learning to Hugo Part 1: Setting up Hugo for the first time

• hugo

• getting started

• 2021-05-01
• 6 minutes to read

This is the first post in a series about the things I have learnt about setting up my blog using Hugo, covering installation, theme choice and writing your first post.

Learning to Hugo for the very first time through exploration

• hugo

• getting started

• 2021-05-01
• 4 minutes to read

Here is my write-up after setting up Hugo and exploring it for the first time, having migrated away from WordPress. I am really enjoying the experience and Hugo's speed.

Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals (DP-900)

• certifications

• badge, microsoft certified professional

• 2021-04-27
• 1 minute to read

Information on passing the DP-900 exam and earning the Microsoft Certified Azure Data Fundamentals certification, covering core data concepts and Azure data services.

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals Exam (AZ-900)

• certifications

• badge, microsoft certified professional

• 2021-04-24
• 2 minutes to read

Information on passing the AZ-900 exam and earning the Microsoft Certified Azure Fundamentals certification, covering cloud computing concepts and core Azure services.

How to enable bluetooth devices from macOS lock screen

• mac

• bluetooth

• 2021-04-21
• 3 minutes to read

I have had issues using bluetooth devices from the lock screen from boot, I investigated why this happens, here is what I found.

T-SQL Tuesday #137: Using Jupyter Notebooks Every Day

• community

• tsql2sday

• 2021-04-13
• 4 minutes to read

Getting started with Jupyter Notebooks in Azure Data Studio for SQL professionals. Learn practical uses for documentation, troubleshooting, and runbooks.

My experience of a Redgate product research session

• community

• friend of redgate, forg, redgate

• 2021-03-31
• 6 minutes to read

My experiences from attending a product research session with Redgate, exploring potential features planned for Data Catalog and sharing user feedback on the tooling.

Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-900)

• certifications

• badge, microsoft certified professional

• 2021-03-23
• 1 minute to read

Information on passing the AI-900 exam and earning the Microsoft Certified Azure AI Fundamentals certification, covering machine learning and AI services on Azure.

Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals (PL-900)

• certifications

• badge, microsoft certified professional

• 2021-03-16
• 1 minute to read

Information on passing the PL-900 exam and earning the Microsoft Certified Power Platform Fundamentals certification, covering Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI.

When registration goes wrong for an online proctored exam

• learn

• exam

• 2021-03-12
• 4 minutes to read

My online proctored exam registration did not go to plan. Here are the lessons I learnt about arriving early and being fully prepared for the check-in process.

What to expect from an online proctored Microsoft exam

• certifications

• exam

• 2021-03-11
• 6 minutes to read

A summary of my experiences taking multiple online proctored Microsoft certification exams, covering the check-in process, environment requirements and what to expect.

T-SQL Tuesday #136 Blog About Your Favorite Data Type

• community

• tsql2sday

• 2021-03-09
• 4 minutes to read

SQL Server data type best practices: avoid common mistakes with VARCHAR, INT, and implicit conversions. Plus, discover the fun world of hexspeak magic numbers.

Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate

• certifications

• badge, microsoft certified professional

• 2021-03-06
• 1 minute to read

Information on passing the PL-300 exam and earning the Microsoft Certified Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification, covering Power BI analysis and visualisation.