Raw Data with Rob Collie

On today's episode, Alice Drummond, co-founder of DiscoverEI gives the inside scoop on transitioning from environmental engineering to Microsoft Power Platform MVP. She shares her story of building a consultancy firm from the ground(water) up while increasing her own skill set. She and Rob wax poetic on the struggles of taking the plunge into the small business owners' realm and neither sugarcoats the challenges faced.

During the course of the conversation, a common thread emerges on the people who advocate for the firm and seek to move to the Power Platform. Early adopters want revolution while the early majority want evolution. The bottom line, most companies are just getting started.

This episode isn't just about starting a business, though, we get to hear the real, human side of the story. Alice highlights the best parts of the learning process: teaching, sharing knowledge and empowering others.

As always, if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform to help others find us. Then, click subscribe for new episodes delivered straight to your inbox!

Also in this episode:

Fortran

Daniel Marsh-Patrick

Denali

Crossing the Chasm: Book

Upright: Season 1

When its winner takes all, it's the unexpected choice that provides the most impressive results. Who made the bold moves? Three Power BI DAX experts duke it out in a game of "Choose it or Lose it" with 8 cutthroat rounds of DAX Draft!

Your competitors:

• Rob Collie – the founder of P3 Adaptive. He wrote the book on DAX.
• Ed Hansberry – a 13-time Microsoft MVP with an extensive track record of creating innovative DAX solutions both in the community forums and for his clients. An avid chess player who is always two moves ahead.
• Leigh Ann Thibadoux - an incredibly skilled DAX P3 Adaptive expert who fuses her specialization in Finance and Accounting skills with her passion for process automation to rapidly create innovative DAX solutions.
• Bill Sundwall – P3 Adaptive Expert and today's guest referee, Bill has a passion for expanding the data community via education and mentoring.

The Challenge: DAX DRAFT

Our host Rob Collie invented the game, chose his competition, and made up the rules... but can he win? The competition will be tough. Most importantly, will Rob's OG DAX outmaneuver modern refined DAX?

The Rules are simple, eight rounds with a total of 24 functions taken off of the list with the remaining functions available to everyone. The remaining, undrafted functions at the end of the exercise are open for use by all. Once the draft has occurred, the question is: can you survive without the functions drafted by the competition? To keep our players honest, guest referee Bill Sundwall will if an actual workaround exists. Bill's ruling will be final.

Can Rob Collie's Street DAX scrape by? Will 13-time Microsoft MVP Ed Hansberry's mental compilation of functions and chess moves prevail? Or can scrappy P3 Adaptive newcomer Leigh Ann Thibadoux blindside both?

Listen now to find out!

Think you have what it takes to take down the DAX Draft winner? Let us know on social media and be sure to check out our career page for current openings!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform.

In this episode, Brian Knight, founder of Pragmatic Works, describes his accidental entrance into the field of technology. From a chance job offer to being "that guy" who hit the server rebuild button, you won't want to miss this data origin story. Only someone like Brian could get such a great start by nuking a database and turning it into a DBA career where he would become both a prolific community member and content creator.

While reminiscing with Tom about SQL and the glory days of being a DBA, Brian admits that his focus has recently shifted to Power Apps. When asked why he shares that the lure of building in a couple of days what in the past would have taken several years was just too strong.

It isn't just about the past, though, as the crew gets into a lively discussion on AI and its future impact on the arts. No spoilers here but it may just be that AI can be a beneficial part of creative society, not by replacing people as artists but by augmenting the existing skillset of current and future artists in a similar way the Power Platform enhanced skills of people in tech to create the Citizen Developers we all know and love.

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform to help others find us.

Also on this episode:

SQL Server Central

Tom's blog: Operations Manager and SQL Server

Septic Companions and Breaded Capacitors, w/ Chris Rae

GitHub Copilot

Open AI

Two QB Rob Blog

Cat in the Hat: Calculatus Eliminatus

Today, Nicole Janeway Bills, community organizer for Data Strategy Professionals, stops by with the inner scoop on data training, cryptocurrency, tokens, scandal, fraud, and the trauma of moving. At the time of recording, Nicole was an employee of FTX. During the podcast, she shared tales of last-minute relocations and the expense of attaining career goals right as an unraveling began. As a full-stack engineer with an exceptional data background, Nicole was able to find the bright side of her incomplete move by utilizing the extra time she discovered to further assist others with their certifications.

Among the topics discussed in this episode, Rob and Nicole delve into the perceptions of data people, developers, and engineers. They determine that, historically, having the data gene anecdotally meant you weren't on the leadership team. Some data professionals were even told to stop talking about data and spreadsheets to move up. Fortunately, times have changed, and a seismic shift has been made to encourage data proficiency for all levels of an organization.

Additionally, just for fun, Nicole shares a subtle meeting tip: Forget Rob's Scotty Principle on looking busy/important, go with the lunch principle. Eat during the meeting to show that you are working very hard the rest of the day! If that doesn't work, go with the field principle. Roll up your sleeves for the same effect!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to click the link below and subscribe for weekly episodes delivered directly to your inbox. Have a data day!

Also on this episode:

FTX Bankruptcy

Yoda Chong and the Treehouse of Wonder, w/ Donald Farmer

Medium – Stay Curious

OG I Can Has Cheezburger Meme

Coach Mike Tomlin interview

Crypto-Fantasy Leftists are an Exclusive Tribe, w/ Davis Mattek

Speechless

Samuel L Jackson: Hostage Scoop

Software Hall of Fame: Raw Data by P3

The Software Hall of Fame Website

P3 Adaptive Training

P3 Adaptive Careers

Pulp Fiction: Jules Winnfield

Rob Collie Episode of Data Engineering podcast

War Pigs Jonah Hill

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

On today's episode, we sit down with 11-time Microsoft MVP Belinda Allen as she shares her accidental data origin story. As the co-author of two books and a prolific Power Platform blogger, Belinda has a unique perspective on business intrigue, data discoveries, and reporting solutions. With her penchant for pivot tables, she is a classic example of a citizen developer, and she generously shares her knowledge with the communities at large through her writing, public speaking, and training. In fact, for several years she was a top contender in the Excel Shootout series, and while underappreciated, her sentiment analysis provided food for thought and innovative inspiration for businesses across the size spectrum and helped convert many people to the Power Platform.

Today, she joins Rob in a fascinating recollection of the birth of the Power Platform. From the genius evolution of Power BI through the first incarnation of Power Pivot through the initial attempt at Power BI in SharePoint, they followed Siren's call of DAX and Power Query to navigate the ever-changing waters of data analytics. Together they recount the challenges of mastering the self-serve data revolution while sharing their appreciation for Power BI.

Also on this episode:

Data Explorer

Power Pivot

Distinct Count

What happened to Microsoft's Convergence conference?

Mariana Gomez: Power Platform

Flic buttons

Seth Goden's blog

Chris Wagner

Canvas Apps

Microsoft's Sentiment Analysis

Today, we reunite two old friends with a penchant for writing books for people adjacent to tech as we welcome Miguel Escobar to the show. If you use Power Query or Power BI, you might have heard of Miguel. He is the co-author of several books on Power Query, Power BI, Power Pivot, and DAX. He is also part of the expert trifecta that created Skill Wave training and he is now an integral part of Microsoft working to make Power Query better for all users. He and Rob reminisce about book deals, DAX, training, and writing in a voice for the people, instead of for the tech giants. But, most importantly, you get the inside scoop on the data-cleaning drudgery that was Excel and analytics before the DAX and Power Query data revolution.

Miguel and Rob trade entertaining stories of how Excel gives people a competitive edge in the job market but somehow remains a fundamentally underappreciated skill during the educational years. After all, it's not just about the tool, what matters is what people do with it, how they use it, and how it has changed the trajectory of their careers. After hearing a few of these stories, you're going to want to send a tweet to Tom to encourage him to finally admit that Power Query deserves a spot in the Software Hall of Fame.

This episode isn't all about Power Query, though as we also learn a little about the eclectic taste in music our hosts share as well as some interesting tidbits regarding songwriting and the musical process. Miguel opens up about his passion for music and composition as he shares some personal insight into the process of collaborating and creating music in the digital world. If you listen closely, you can even hear some of his work spliced into this podcast in a musical first for us. Of course, you can hear Miguel's song: Someday, Somehow (feat. Chris Cron) in its entirety across multiple musical platforms. Be sure to give it a listen and share it with a friend.

As always, if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform to help others find us.

Also in this episode:

Good Will Hunting – I don't understand the piano

Jerry was a race car driver

Miguel Escobar: Geo Flow using Panama's Census Data

DAX formulas for power pivot: A Simple Guide to the Excel Revolution

Major Key / Minor Key culturally different

Box Office Mojo

Mr. Excel

M is for (Data) Monkey

Bell Biv DeVoe

Johnny Cash: Hurt

Blues Traveler: Hook

Rocksmith

Guitar Pro

Power Query online

Software Hall of Fame Podcast

Power Query Saves Christmas w/ Gus Miranda

On today's episode, we sit down with P3 Adaptive's own Justin Mannhardt to get the inside scoop on delivering results and backing into data infrastructure, aka the origin story of P3 Adaptive's Solutions Architect Team and the impact it can have on an analytics project. Justin explains the expanded focus to fulfill analytics needs through a more holistic approach to drive adoption and deliver results. With his own experience, he explains how results must sometimes come first as a proof of concept but once results are verified, more support is often needed to ensure a smooth functioning process. Rob often refers to this as the faucet first analogy, and it has the power to convince the exec team that analytics can be fruitful for businesses of all sizes.

We don't just talk shop, though, we also learn how Justin discovered his affinity for data after an educational background in music. And, for fun, you get to hear Justin's P3 Adaptive Diabolical Assessment story and how he increased his data skills and learned Power BI because he wanted to work for P3 Adaptive. He gets brutally honest about his interview and shares how he exited the process the first time only to come back and ace the process to become one of P3's finest solution architects!

Additionally, you can hear about the recent P3 Adaptive employee retreat in Miami where many of our team met face to face for the first time and, to sound a little cheesy, it was a lot like coming home. Family pranks and tacos by the pool makes a great feel-good story as we come into the holiday season.

Finally, if you enjoyed hearing Justin's story, be sure to catch him next week presenting at the PASS Data Community Summit. Justin will be on site with the P3 Adaptive team sharing his knowledge and presenting a session on snapshotting your CRM data with Azure Synapse. Be sure to catch him live or on the hybrid video feed. If you are in Seattle, stop by the booth and tell him Mullet Man sent you. He'll know what you mean!

Also on this episode:

Why was Ronald McDonald cancelled?

Faucets v Plumbing blog

Bugs Bunny left turn at Albuquerque

Mel Brooks - Space Balls

Did Cortez burn his ships in the harbor?

P3 Adaptive Advanced DAX training

Chumbawamba

This is Pop Abba episode

Def Leppard – Pyromania

Rob P3 Fantasy Football gloat video

Meatloaf – Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

Today's guest, Gustavo Miranda, started his career in a research adjacent Program Evaluation position using Power Pivot Slicers in a non-Power Pivot table before he was introduced and lured by the power of the Power Platform. He shares his story of how reducing friction and creating automation introduced even non-data people to the concept that data quality matters. Most importantly, though, today you will learn the underdog story of how Power Query saved Christmas during the Kronos Hack of 2021. Get the inside scoop from crisis meeting to crisis meeting until the moment when Gus stood up to save the day. While Gus did the heavy lifting, a task force soon formed to collectively finish the project. While other multi-million-dollar companies were paralyzed, shocked, and attempting to ad-hoc calculate payroll and vacations, often incorrectly, Gus's task force used Power Query to create an effective solution in time to prevent employees from missing Christmas with their families. Even Tom must agree that tales like this really show the power of Power Query's ETL abilities.

Also in today's episode, we learn the origin story of slicers in Excel, how Rob and Amir were behind their creation by seducing the Excel team, trading resources, and creating the opportunity for Microsoft to back into needing a separate application to maximize the impact of those slicers. That application? Power BI desktop. In an exciting tale of what could have been, we also hear the story of the Power BI canvas in Excel that was never meant to be as well as the lessons learned: never try to add truly new capabilities to Excel or you end up with Power View. As our friend Scott Esti used to say there are two kinds of people in the world, people who hate Power View and those who haven't used it!

All this and more on today's episode! Be sure to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform to help new listeners find us.

Also on this episode:

Nash Equilibrium / Prisoner's Delimma

The truth behind recycling

Program evaluation

He may only need his eyes checked ...

Calculation Groups in Power BI

Microsoft's Power View

Gilligan's Island theme song

Zeno's paradox

Gus's P3 Blog - Using Power Query to Transform and Combine Online Statscan Data

Matt Masson - Deep Dive Into the Power From the Language

Active v Inactive Relationships

Kronos hack disrupts payroll

Live action How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Live action Cat in the Hat

Abyss - Bomb at the bottom of the sea (Don't look Tom!)

Rumble in the Jungle George Foreman - Muhammad Ali

Guns and Roses – It's so easy

Blown Away – Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones Montage

Sankey (Diagram)

Fight Club - Corn Flower Blue

G Rated Fight Club

Today we welcome to the show Scott Louvau, twice retired from Microsoft and now focused on his Relentless Optimizer blog, he is our second twice retired from Microsoft guest. If his last name sounds familiar, it should be. Several weeks back, his partner, Darinee Louvau was our guest. Her absolute enthusiasm caused us to seek out the other half of the equation and invite Scott to share his take on life at and after Microsoft as well as his data origin story. How exactly did Scott go from a small vineyard in North California to being twice retired from Microsoft and what set him on the technological path?

Like Darinee, games were Scott's gateway drug to technology. While growing up in a home with software programming parents, Scott was exposed to how programs work and most importantly, granted access to tinker with the hardware side as well. Frustration with slow gameplay or loading freezes led to the educational process as Scott learned to free up resources, jettison drives, and optimize the remaining parts to make the gameplay better, faster, and longer. In a time when there was no internet full of resources available, debugging issues was both more challenging and more intense. Back in the day, if you wanted to play, you had to make it work on the system you had.

Scott used these hard-earned skills between high school and college as he started working as an internal software developer before switching to a programming track at college, falling in love, and joining the dream team at Microsoft. He found joy in automation both for Microsoft's clients and for his team, going on to reduce frustration in debugging while increasing optimization in the process. It isn't all programming and coding today though, as we also delve into Starbucks Cold Brew Refill Hacks and using AI to dominate game levels. Stuck on a level of Kingdom Rush? You can find a solution for that and more, in this episode.

As always, if you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform to help others find us. And, be sure to subscribe below for new episodes delivered directly to your inbox.

Also on this episode:

Tinkering is a way of life w/ Darinee Louvau

Apple IIGS

Luggable Computer

Power Builder

Paper Games of Kids in the 90s

Terminator gets squashed

STUXNET: The Virus that Almost Started WW3

Visual Studio

Visual Slick Editor

Inverted word index

A most generous mentor w/ Microsofts' Dany Hoter

Ballmer's Peak

Google eats RAM cookies

Scott's Relentless Optimizer Blog

Try xForm

Kingdom Rush

Kingdom Rush AI

Boom Beach

World of Warcraft Subscription Fees

Vanguard ownership/profits

On today's episode P3 Adaptive Principal Consultant extraordinaire, Narayana Windenberger sits down for a chat on data, travel, and the ethics of the financial markets. Nar is a 5-year veteran of P3 with an unforgettable name and a penchant for being a digital nomad. Whether he is working from the Midwest, Germany, or enjoying hang gliding in San Diego, Nar puts the remote in remote work and regardless of his location, still creates epic analytic masterpieces. Nar also has the distinction of being the author of a P3 Adaptive blog that shook the Power BI world to its core in 2020 and earned him the title of Power BI Super Villain. His blog on the DAX function invented to optimize other DAX made such an impact that a disclaimer had to be placed to temper the responses.

It isn't all fun and games, though, Nar, Rob, and Tom also delve into the inner workings of financial markets and hedge funds and attempt to differentiate between the evils of a hedge fund and the potential benevolence of a hedge fund manager. When are losses a gain and gains a loss? Listen to today's episode to find out!

Don't forget to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform to help new listeners find our show.

Also on this episode:

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego

Tandem hang gliding

Why do Hawks Circle

Myth Busters: Bubble Trouble

P3 Blog: Distinct count in PowerPivot V2 is Much Faster

Ray Dalio: Principles

Former Facebook Executive

Eminem I'm Still Standing

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Far Side comic: Wolves/Neighbors

P3 Blog: OPTIMIZEDAX

Good Will Hunting

The Software Hall of Fame, w/ Microsoft's Conor Cunningham

What is Data May Never Die, w/ Scree

Chess online