Microsoft’s Next Evolution

05/25/23 • 42 min

From OLAP to Vertipaq to Power BI, Microsoft has a rich history of innovation and evolution in business intelligence. As data becomes an ever-increasing priority for organizations around the globe, Microsoft is now focused on the future with the launch of Microsoft Fabric, a unified SaaS solution which integrates all your data in one place. Fabric makes data management easier and more accessible for every user who works with data.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Amir and his team first pitched the idea of what is now Microsoft OLAP Services
What happens when you think about the unevenness of data as a design principle
Why you should demo products with things, people have opinions about

Some questions we ask:

How did the transition from OLAP to Vertipaq happen?
When is the next great thing coming from Microsoft?
What is Microsoft Fabric, and what will it do for the world of data?

Guest bio

Amir Netz, CTO of Microsoft's Intelligence Platform, including Power BI, Synapse, and more, joins Patrick LeBlanc on this week's episode of Insights Tomorrow. Amir is one of the leading world experts in business intelligence and analytics, holding over 80 patents. He is also the chief architect of Microsoft's BI offerings, including Power BI, Azure Synapse, Azure Data Factory, and more.

Resources:

View Amir Netz on LinkedIn

View Patrick LeBlanc on LinkedIn

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Amir and his team first pitched the idea of what is now Microsoft OLAP Services
What happens when you think about the unevenness of data as a design principle
Why you should demo products with things, people have opinions about

Some questions we ask:

How did the transition from OLAP to Vertipaq happen?
When is the next great thing coming from Microsoft?
What is Microsoft Fabric, and what will it do for the world of data?

Guest bio

Resources:

View Amir Netz on LinkedIn

View Patrick LeBlanc on LinkedIn

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

The Blooming of AI Spring

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is a term that's synonymous with the world of data. From data inputs that have driven the growth of AI, to the modern applications that can be applied to data models to accelerate time to insights, AI is at the forefront of innovation. But, that hasn't always been the case. Today we're in the midst of a renewed "AI Spring" where we're seeing a resurgence in development and new possibilities we never thought imaginable.

In this episode you’ll learn:

The power of investors when it comes to the future of AI
When the first discussions of artificial intelligence started
The history behind the “AI Winters.”

Some questions we ask:

What do you think the future of AI is?
How does data mining play a part in the creation of current AI?
Is AI actually intelligent, or does it just have a lot of information?

Guest bio

Buck Woody is an Applied Data Scientist on the Azure Data Services team at Microsoft and uses data and technology to solve business and science problems. With over 39 years of professional and practical experience in computer technology, he is also a popular speaker at conferences around the world; the author of over 700 articles and nine books on databases and machine learning, and sits on various Data Science Boards at two US Universities and specializes in advanced data analysis techniques.

Resources:

View Buck Woody on LinkedIn

View Patrick LeBlanc on LinkedIn

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

What Happened to Data Marts?

Accessing data faster, more easily, and in a format of their choice is an increasing priority for business users. In the new Microsoft Fabric unified ecosystem, data warehousing, data lakehouses, and data marts coexist to enable users to choose how they analyze and work with data at scale. Priya Sathy shares insights into the future of data marts, the role data warehouses play, and what you can expect from Microsoft Fabric in the coming years.

In this episode you’ll learn:

What we can expect the future of Data Marts to look like
The flexibility Microsoft Fabric provides when working with your data
What we can expect in the next few years from Microsoft Fabric

Some questions we ask:

What is Microsoft fabric?
What is your vision for the data warehouse at Microsoft?
What new skills are required when working with Microsoft Fabric?

Guest bio:

Priya Sathy brings over 25 years of experience in the data and analytics space. She heads up Microsoft's Azure Synapse SQL and Synapse Data Warehouse in Microsoft Fabric. Her team focuses on building capabilities that meet the needs and complexities of large-scale analytics in enterprises. Before this, Priya was running Enterprise BI in Power BI.

Resources:

View Priya Sathy on LinkedIn

View Patrick LeBlanc on LinkedIn

Discover and follow other Microsoft podcasts at microsoft.com/podcasts

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.