Bob Ward is a Principal Architect for the Microsoft Azure Data team, which owns the development for Microsoft SQL Edge to Cloud. Bob has worked for Microsoft for 31-plus years on every version of SQL Server shipped, from OS/2 1.1 to SQL Server 2025, including Azure SQL. Bob is a well-known speaker on SQL Server, Azure SQL, AI, and Microsoft Fabric, often presenting talks on new releases, internals, and specialized topics at events such as SQLBits, Microsoft Build, Microsoft Ignite, PASS Summit, DevIntersection, and VS Live. You can also learn Azure SQL from him on the popular series https://aka.ms/azuresql4beginners. You can follow him on X at @bobwardms or linkedin.com/in/bobwardms. Bob is the author of the books Pro SQL Server on Linux, SQL Server 2019 Revealed, Azure SQL Revealed with a 2nd edition, and SQL Server 2022 Revealed available from Apress Media.

Topics of Discussion:

[1:38] Bob reflects on nearly 30 years at Microsoft, growing alongside SQL Server since 1993. [4:16] Transitioning from engineering to advocacy: why Bob now focuses on helping developers unlock the power of SQL Server. [6:12] Debunking myths about SQL Server — yes, it’s cloud-ready, developer-friendly, and supports containers and Linux. [10:15] Key tools and features for developers using SQL: containers, Bicep templates, SQLCMD, and DevOps pipelines. [16:23] SQL projects and source control: how modern database DevOps practices improve reliability and testing. [19:32] Common challenges in database development: fear of breaking production, limited test data, and cultural silos.

[22:55] Bob’s perspective on responsible database change management and the importance of a good rollback plan. [26:02] The evolution of developer tooling in SQL Server, and how Microsoft is making the CLI and APIs first-class citizens. [30:47] Advice for new developers: SQL isn’t going anywhere, and it’s easier than ever to get started. [34:00] Resources and community support: Bob highlights docs, GitHub samples, training courses, and his book.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

Bob Ward: SQL Server - Episode 321

Bob Ward LinkedIn

Bob Ward MBob Ward — Microsoft | LinkedInicrosoft

Azure SQL Revealed: The Next-Generation Cloud Database with AI and Microsoft Fabric

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Michael is an ASP.NET and C# programmer who has extensive knowledge in process improvement, AI and Large Language Models, and student information systems. He is also the founder of the following websites, BlazorData.net, AIStoryBuilders.com, and BlazorHelpWebsite.com — fantastic resources that help empower developers. Michael resides in Los Angeles, California, with his son Zachary and wife, Valerie.

Topics of Discussion:

[2:09] Michael shares his background, starting with his first applications created for his uncle’s company using Access 2.0.

[3:08] Michael mentions his new project, Personal Data Warehouse, which is an open-source, free tool for managing data.

[5:20] He explains the inspiration behind the Personal Data Warehouse, focusing on the importance of data for making human decisions.

[7:48] Michael’s finding: the reason we collect data is so that a human being can use that data to make decisions.

[9:42] The three phases of data: collection, transformation, and reporting, and the significance of the transformation phase, where data is processed to make it useful for decision-making.

[12:45] Data warehousing techniques and tools, and the use of Parquet files.

[13:14] Michael talks about the use of SQL Server Reporting Services for generating reports, which can be accessed through the application. He encourages developers to explore the Personal Data Warehouse and its open-source code on GitHub.

[22:33] Scenarios and use cases for Personal Data Warehouse.

[32:09] AI and Language Models in Data Management.

[36:17] The need to be responsible with AI and not use it to harm people.

[37:07] Michael shares his experience with various AI tools, including CoPilot, OpenAI, and Google Notebooks.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo

Ep 286 with Michael Washington

[email protected]

AI Snake Oil

AIStoryBuilders

Blazor — Blogs

Blazor Help Website

BlazorData-Net / PersonalDataWarehouse

GitHub Copilot

Google NotebooksLM

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As the Vice President of Strategy at Xebia Microsoft Services, Rocky leads the vision and direction of the company’s software development solutions and services. He brings extensive expertise in framework design and implementation, distributed systems architecture, and cloud and container technologies, helping clients achieve their business goals and deliver value to their customers.

He is also the creator of CSLA .NET, an open-source development framework that enables developers to build scalable, maintainable, and secure object-oriented applications. As an accomplished author, he has written multiple books on the subject and frequently shares his insights at major conferences worldwide. He is honored to be a member of the Microsoft Regional Director and MVP programs and serves as co-chair of Visual Studio Live! as well as chair of the Cloud & Containers Live conferences. His passion lies in advancing the software industry and empowering developers to create better software.

Topics of Discussion:

[3:30] Rockford shares his first job experience at an independent software vendor (ISV) building software to dispatch and manage the delivery of ready-mix concrete trucks.

[8:30] The evolution of software and its connection to real-world processes.

[9:53] The impact of technology advancements, such as miniaturization and material science, on modern software applications.

[12:40] The influence of AI on software architecture and decision making.

[19:15] Rockford about the importance of open-source libraries and personal projects in software development.

[21:35] How does one become aware of what’s available these days?

[23:14] Rockford suggests using RSS readers, curated feeds, and platforms like Feedly and Mastodon to stay informed about industry developments.

[27:06] The upside to blogging and microblogging.

[28:25] Importance of sharing knowledge and expertise.

[29:19] Expertise through teaching and sharing.

[32:19] Impact of Large Language Models (LLMs) on Coding.

[38:22] Infrastructure challenges with AI.

[40:21] Legacy software modernization.

[40:52] Career advice for leaders and recognizing it as its own career path.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo

Azure & DevOps Podcast: Rocky Lhotka: CSLA - Episode 210

CSLA.NET

Rockford on LinkedIn

Rockford Lhotka

Rockford’s Blog

Feedly

Morning Dew — Alvin Ashcroft

Drive by Daniel Pink 

Visual Studio Live!

Tunisia DevDays

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Scott is the Vice President of Product for Azure Developer Experience. He builds all the .NET tools for Azure.

Topics of Discussion:

[1:49] Scott’s Microsoft journey and .NET evolution.

[3:39] AI's transformative impact on software development.

[6:08] Using ChatGPT and Deep Research.

[8:41] Software Engineering Agent (Padawan).

[11:20] Model Context Protocol (MCP).

[11:51] GitHub workflow for agent-driven development.

[15:53] Handling repetitive or non-fun development tasks.

[19:41] How AI will bring back the tech for us.

[21:15] Azure Spring Apps and modernization tools.

[23:39] The Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) Agent, which helps monitor and manage cloud applications, reducing pager hits and automating common tasks.

[29:02] Reducing developer toil so there’s more time to do what they want to do.

[31:22] The future organizational philosophy shift that may happen, while Scott reminds us that for the time being, you are still the operator and still in control.

[33:37] The development of prompt libraries in tools like Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio to help developers create detailed prompts.

[38:18] Scott emphasizes the importance of continuous feedback from developers to improve AI tools and make them more effective.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo

Scott Hunter: Microsoft’s Azure & .NET Strategy- Episode 211

Scott Hunter: .NET8 - Episode 272

[email protected]

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Scott has spent over 25 years in the IT field, working in disciplines such as systems architecture, software development, team growth, and entrepreneurship. He was a Microsoft MVP for 12 years in ASP.NET and IIS. He’s co-authored two books (IIS 7 and IIS 8 Professional), is a Pluralsight author, and has spoken at various conferences, code camps, and user groups. He's now shifted into the AI space, building AI solutions and supporting others in their AI journey. Scott co-founded a new startup, Kitchen Copilot, using all the new GenAI tech to help people cook more at home and eat healthier.

Topics of Discussion:

[1:34] Scott’s career journey and how Kitchen Copilot originated.

[7:27] More about Kitchen Copilot’s features.

[9:35] How Kitchen helps with meal planning and recipe discovery for all levels of at-home chefs.

[13:17] The technical process of importing recipes.

[15:58] Using Microsoft Document intelligence to read handwriting and take screenshots of cookbook recipes.

[17:13] Deployed pieces of the application.

[20:43] E-mail import and queuing system.

[23:32] Choice of LLM models including Groq.

[29:37] Automated testing approach for LLM-based applications.

[31:36] Hosting details.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo

Flowise

Attention is all you need

Kitchen Copilot

Make

Perplexity

Claude

Groq

About Groq

Scott on LinkedIn

Kitchen Copilot AI Generator

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David Lykken, a 51-year veteran of the mortgage industry, is the Founder, President & Chief Transformational Officer of Transformational Mortgage Solutions (TMS). With decades of expertise, Lykken and his team of industry veterans are revolutionizing the way mortgage professionals conduct business through consulting, executive coaching, and strategic communications.  

Recognized as a leading voice in the mortgage sector, he has been a frequent guest on FOX Business News, as well as making appearances on CNBC & CBS Evening News, where he shares invaluable insights on market trends and industry developments.  

Mr. Lykken is also the host of the widely acclaimed weekly Lykken on Lending podcast, heard every Monday at 1 PM ET. Additionally, he leads the Lykken On Leadership podcast, where he provides leadership strategies tailored to the mortgage and housing industries.

Beyond his work in podcasting, Mr. Lykken extends his reach into television, hosting two TV shows: Your Home Business and Your Home Coast to Coast, both airing on Your Home TV. His multifaceted career reflects a deep commitment to educating and empowering professionals in an ever-evolving industry.

Topics of Discussion:

[4:50] David’s early career challenges with dyslexia.

[5:55] Learning about virtual assistants.

[7:38] Current AI Tools and Usage, including large language models, Blockchain, and private GPT.

[9:57] Twin protocol and AI avatars.

[13:02] AI in Recruiting and Communication, introducing ELO GPT tool for automated outbound calling and personalized recruitment strategies.

[19:27] AI Mistakes and Challenges, discussing the importance of training AI tools and avoiding generic, potentially inaccurate content.

[24:10] Evolution of business assistance, comparing current AI tools to previous technological shifts like typewriters and word processors.

[26:52] The continued importance of human relationships in business, emphasizing that AI cannot fully replace human empathy and connection.

[31:10] The future of AI, predicting increased productivity and scalability for businesses through AI technologies.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo

David Lykken LinkedIn

Transformational Mortgage Solutions

Lykken on Lending

YHBTV with David Lykken

Your Home Coast to Coast TV

The Coming Wave: AI, Power, and Our Future, by Mustafa Suleyman and Michael Bhaskar

Twin Protocol (AI) tool

ELO GPT

ElevenLabs

Perplexity

Vibe Coding

Opus Clip

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Jeff is the co-creator of Scrum and a leading expert on how the Scrum framework has evolved to meet the needs of today’s business. The framework he developed in 1993 and formalized in 1995 with Ken Schwaber has since been adopted by the vast majority of software development companies around the world. However, Jeff realized that the benefits of Scrum are not limited to software and product development. He has adapted this successful strategy for several other industries, including finance, healthcare, higher education, and telecom.

As the CEO of Scrum Inc. Jeff sets the vision for success with Scrum. He continues to share best practices with organizations around the globe and has written extensively on Scrum rules and methods. With a deep understanding of business process — gleaned from years as CTO/CEO of eleven different software companies — Jeff is able to describe the high-level organizational benefits of Scrum and what it takes to create hyperproductive teams.

Topics of Discussion:

[:35] Introduction of Jeff Sutherland, co-creator of Scrum.

[3:47] Jeff Sutherland’s background: His experience at West Point and lessons in making work visible.

[5:19] Fighter pilot experiences that influenced the operational side of Scrum.

[6:02] Transition to the Air Force Academy and work in AI at Stanford.

[7:38] Learning complex adaptive systems and the origin of Agile from complex systems theory.

[8:30] How complex systems theory impacts Scrum and Agile teams today.

[9:25] Jeff’s first experiences applying Scrum in the banking industry.

[11:25] The development of Scrum and the 2001 Agile Manifesto.

[12:57] Making work visible and organizing teams, from West Point to Toyota to the Agile Manifesto.

[13:23] Fast forward to 2024: Issues in Scrum and Agile practices, including sprint lengths and backlog grooming.

[14:34] Jeff’s new book: First Principles in Scrum and its relation to Scrum technology stacks.

[16:23] Building autonomous systems: Lessons from radiation physics, AI, and complex adaptive systems.

[19:16] The influence of autonomous robots on the creation of Scrum.

[21:14] Discussion of Scrum and AI, leading to “Extreme Agile.”

[22:47] Predictions for the future of Scrum and Agile: Teams becoming 30 to 100 times faster by 2030.

[23:37] Example of AI in action: Developing a system to handle expense reports using Scrum principles.

[29:37] Challenges with AI-generated code and the need for strong software architecture knowledge.

[33:24] The importance of following Scrum “by the book” to achieve hyperproductivity.

[35:30] Jeff’s closing advice on adapting to extreme agile to stay competitive by 2030.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo

“How the Agile Manifesto Came To Be”

Become a beta tester for Jeff Sutherland's AI software project for expense reports: [email protected]

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Adrienne Braganza Tacke is an accomplished author and software engineer with a passion for educating others about software development. Choosing a path distinct from the expected trajectory of nursing, she pursued a degree in management information systems at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Over the course of nearly eight years in the field, she has contributed her expertise across multiple industries, including healthcare and higher education. Currently, she serves as a software development engineer at DebtTrader, where she embraces the challenge of modernizing fintech workflows traditionally dependent on spreadsheets.

Beyond her professional work, Adrienne is an international speaker, instructor, and dedicated advocate for STEM education. Her first book, Coding for Kids: Python, has consistently ranked among the top-selling children's programming books on Amazon. She frequently visits schools to inspire students with insights into software engineering and the transformative power of coding. When she’s not engaging with young aspiring developers, she speaks at tech conferences throughout the U.S. and Europe. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@AdrienneTacke) to stay updated on her latest endeavors.

Topics of Discussion:

[3:20] Adrienne’s journey and the happy accidents and formative moments that led her to working in this field.

[5:46] What does a developer advocate do?

[7:04] Adrienne started teaching in 2017, when tech influencers were starting to become more popular.

[9:02] There is no one-size-fits-all about the code review process, and what it looks like will be different for every team.

[11:19] The price of ineffective communication.

[15:30] The power of fixing things during development and before the code review.

[19:10] Adrienne gives a few real-life examples of time wasters in code reviews.

[22:08] More about Adrienne’s book, Looks Good to Me: Constructive Code Reviews, and how it can help streamline and save time. 

[23:44] Like Adrienne’s chapter title, if you can automate it — do it.

[26:51] There are still errors that won’t be caught by static analysis.

[30:46] Some tips to remember when using AI, like making sure your titles are descriptive.

[36:17] Maybe an “auto-polite” button is coming soon? We wish.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo

Looks Good to Me: Constructive Code Reviews

CodeRabbit

OFFER: First listener to use the code gets a free copy of the book: "braganza-FBEE"Instructions: 1. Go to book link (https://www.manning.com/books/looks-good-to-me) 2. Follow purchase process 3. Apply coupon (braganza-FBEE) at checkout

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April is a senior developer advocate and DevOps practice lead for GitHub, specializing in application transformation and DevOps ways of working. Her focus is working on Microsoft Azure to take customers on a journey from legacy technology to serverless and containers, where code comes first, while enabling them to take full advantage of DevOps. April was previously a cloud consultant and solution architect for various partners in the UK and brings her years of experience in helping customers plan their journey. She also serves as a Hashicorp Ambassador, dedicating much of her time to working with infrastructure as code (IaC). She enjoys making Azure and its features more accessible. Her technical expertise includes PowerShell, Golang, and occasionally TypeScript and C#. In her free time, April enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, and scuba diving. Additionally, she is a triathlete who competes in Ironman and Half Ironman events.

Topics of Discussion:

[1:57] April’s career journey — from U.S. data center outages and 72-hour shifts to discovering cloud and automation after relocating to the U.K. [3:53] How an early Azure migration in 2013 ignited her passion for infrastructure as code and DevOps.

[5:33] GitHub’s evolution into a full end-to-end enterprise platform, with a major focus on security, scalability, and developer productivity. [6:51] Code Spaces: VS Code in the cloud with 60 hours free per user — solving compute and environment parity issues across teams. [10:00] GitHub’s internal use of Code Spaces: every GitHub employee (aka “Hubber”) uses it to work on the github.com codebase. [12:29] Code Spaces’ advantages in lab and hackathon settings, including speed, security, and reliability. [13:55] Breakdown of GitHub Copilot’s flavors: chat, inline suggestions, edits, pull request reviews, and agentic AI. [17:12] Real-world uses of Copilot Edits: generating documentation, writing tests, and making cohesive multi-file changes. [20:00] GitHub’s goal of enabling the “10x developer,” not just in speed but in quality, consistency, and creativity.

[25:00] How AI tooling is changing how we think about architecture, code reuse, and shrinking monoliths into modular libraries. [30:00] Prompting strategies: how different cultures and languages impact the way developers interact with AI tools. [32:47] GitHub Workspaces: start from requirements, generate a plan, and get a head start on writing and converting code. [35:00] April’s belief that AI-driven development is already here, and edits are one of the best ways to experience that transformation now.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo

.Net Aspire and Data API builder with the Community

April on GitHub

April on LinkedIn

April on X

Universe 2024: GitHub Embraces Developer Choice with Multi-Model Copilot, New App Tool GitHub Spark, and AI-Native Developer Experience

CoPilot Workspace

GitHub Spark

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Jerry Nixon is a Principal Program Manager on the SQL Server team focused on the Data API builder. He’s also a fanatic for #CSharp, #StarTrek, and Etymology. He also serves as a professor at Colorado Christian University.

Topics of Discussion:

[3:34] Why Jerry describes his life as a pearl necklace.

[5:15] Jerry recommends the book Never Eat Alone and the importance of community.

[6:01] How engineers and parenting are aligned.

[7:02] Jerry reflects on Microsoft’s history of evangelism, the rise of “opinionated” frameworks, and how .NET Aspire revives a form of proven prescriptive guidance. [9:35] Prescriptive guidance.

[12:03] The inevitable evolution of .NET Aspire and how it simplifies container-based development by handling orchestration behind the scenes.

[16:56] Paying more attention and awareness to the developer community.

[18:30] How GraphQL fits into the Data API Builder experience, giving developers flexibility without needing to write complex backends.

[21:40] Jerry talks about community feedback on Data API Builder and how real-world use cases help prioritize features and fix gaps in tooling.

[31:02] Jerry’s perspective on building container-based solutions.

[32:15] Data API Builder’s community involvement and upcoming features.

[36:15] Docker Desktop.

[38:58] The architectural concept of Data API Builder.

[44:42] C# coding conventions at Microsoft and the friendly battles over things like naming, underscores, and formatting styles across internal teams.

Mentioned in this Episode:

Clear Measure Way

Architect Forum

Software Engineer Forum

Programming with Palermo — New Video Podcast! Email us at [email protected].

Clear Measure, Inc. (Sponsor)

.NET DevOps for Azure: A Developer’s Guide to DevOps Architecture the Right Way, by Jeffrey Palermo

.Net Aspire and Data API builder with the Community

Jerry on LinkedIn

Jerry Nixon Github

Colorado Christian University

Data API builder for Azure Databases samples

Common C# code conventions

What is Data API Builder?

Quickstart: Use Data API builder with SQL

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