Microsoft Data Platform Group Birmingham
@msdatagroupbrum.bsky.social
Meetings 1st Thursday every month, in-person AND virtual!๐
#Azure #PowerBI #SQLServer #ML #Synapse #DAX #Fabric ๐ https://www.meetup.com/microsoftdataplatformbirmingham/
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Microsoft Data Platform Group - Birmingham | Meetup
Birmingham Microsoft Data Platform Group - Bringing the West Midlands Microsoft Data Platform Community together.***What?***Free training sessions covering Microsoft Power BI, Azure Synapse, SQL Serve...
www.meetup.com
๐SAVE THE DATE!๐๏ธ
The rest of this year's #MSDataGroupBrum user group sessions will be taking place on...
โ๏ธThu, Sep 4, 2025
๐Thu, Oct 2, 2025 - @fabfestconf.bsky.social!๐ฅณ
๐Thu, Nov 6, 2025
โ๏ธThu, Dec 4, 2025
www.meetup.com/microsoftdat...
The rest of this year's #MSDataGroupBrum user group sessions will be taking place on...
โ๏ธThu, Sep 4, 2025
๐Thu, Oct 2, 2025 - @fabfestconf.bsky.social!๐ฅณ
๐Thu, Nov 6, 2025
โ๏ธThu, Dec 4, 2025
www.meetup.com/microsoftdat...
No user group this month, but we won't leave you empty-handed! ๐
To fill the gap, our sponsor, Purple Frog, is hosting a free webinar on Agentic AI (22 Jan, 12โ1pm GMT).
If AI is on your 2026 roadmap, this is one you donโt want to miss.
Register ๐
To fill the gap, our sponsor, Purple Frog, is hosting a free webinar on Agentic AI (22 Jan, 12โ1pm GMT).
If AI is on your 2026 roadmap, this is one you donโt want to miss.
Register ๐
How businesses can use Agentic AI to work smarter
A practical introduction to Agentic AI. Learn through real-world use cases, a live demo, and an open Q&A session at the end.
Agentic-AI-for-SMEs.eventbrite.co.uk
January 14, 2026 at 1:00 PM
No user group this month, but we won't leave you empty-handed! ๐
To fill the gap, our sponsor, Purple Frog, is hosting a free webinar on Agentic AI (22 Jan, 12โ1pm GMT).
If AI is on your 2026 roadmap, this is one you donโt want to miss.
Register ๐
To fill the gap, our sponsor, Purple Frog, is hosting a free webinar on Agentic AI (22 Jan, 12โ1pm GMT).
If AI is on your 2026 roadmap, this is one you donโt want to miss.
Register ๐
Happy New Year to our amazing data community! ๐๐
Thank you for making 2025 a year full of collaboration.
Hereโs to another year of connecting, sharing knowledge, and exploring everything the Microsoft Data Platform has to offerโจ๐
Thank you for making 2025 a year full of collaboration.
Hereโs to another year of connecting, sharing knowledge, and exploring everything the Microsoft Data Platform has to offerโจ๐
January 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Happy New Year to our amazing data community! ๐๐
Thank you for making 2025 a year full of collaboration.
Hereโs to another year of connecting, sharing knowledge, and exploring everything the Microsoft Data Platform has to offerโจ๐
Thank you for making 2025 a year full of collaboration.
Hereโs to another year of connecting, sharing knowledge, and exploring everything the Microsoft Data Platform has to offerโจ๐
Just a reminder, we wonโt be running a January meetup as weโre giving everyone a little extra time to settle into 2026.๐
But donโt worryโฆ Weโll be back in February with more great sessions, speakers, and learning opportunities!
Keep an eye on our Meetup page: www.meetup.com/microsoftdat...
But donโt worryโฆ Weโll be back in February with more great sessions, speakers, and learning opportunities!
Keep an eye on our Meetup page: www.meetup.com/microsoftdat...
December 27, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Just a reminder, we wonโt be running a January meetup as weโre giving everyone a little extra time to settle into 2026.๐
But donโt worryโฆ Weโll be back in February with more great sessions, speakers, and learning opportunities!
Keep an eye on our Meetup page: www.meetup.com/microsoftdat...
But donโt worryโฆ Weโll be back in February with more great sessions, speakers, and learning opportunities!
Keep an eye on our Meetup page: www.meetup.com/microsoftdat...
Merry Christmas to our wonderful data community! โ๏ธ๐
We hope your holidays are SELECTively joyful, JOINed with friends and family, and completely UNTHROTTLED!๐
Thank you for being part of an amazing year!
We hope your holidays are SELECTively joyful, JOINed with friends and family, and completely UNTHROTTLED!๐
Thank you for being part of an amazing year!
December 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Merry Christmas to our wonderful data community! โ๏ธ๐
We hope your holidays are SELECTively joyful, JOINed with friends and family, and completely UNTHROTTLED!๐
Thank you for being part of an amazing year!
We hope your holidays are SELECTively joyful, JOINed with friends and family, and completely UNTHROTTLED!๐
Thank you for being part of an amazing year!
Day 24 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐โค๏ธ
A huge thank you to everyone who joined our first-ever Data Advent Calendar!
Your guesses and enthusiasm made it magical.
Wishing you all a warm, restful festive season.
See you in the New Year! ๐โจ
A huge thank you to everyone who joined our first-ever Data Advent Calendar!
Your guesses and enthusiasm made it magical.
Wishing you all a warm, restful festive season.
See you in the New Year! ๐โจ
December 24, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Day 24 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐โค๏ธ
A huge thank you to everyone who joined our first-ever Data Advent Calendar!
Your guesses and enthusiasm made it magical.
Wishing you all a warm, restful festive season.
See you in the New Year! ๐โจ
A huge thank you to everyone who joined our first-ever Data Advent Calendar!
Your guesses and enthusiasm made it magical.
Wishing you all a warm, restful festive season.
See you in the New Year! ๐โจ
Day 23 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Visualisation challenge:
You want to show Santaโs global route.
โ Which visual do you choose?
๐ Map / ๐ Bar / ๐งฎ Table / ๐ฆ Card
Visualisation challenge:
You want to show Santaโs global route.
โ Which visual do you choose?
๐ Map / ๐ Bar / ๐งฎ Table / ๐ฆ Card
December 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Day 23 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Visualisation challenge:
You want to show Santaโs global route.
โ Which visual do you choose?
๐ Map / ๐ Bar / ๐งฎ Table / ๐ฆ Card
Visualisation challenge:
You want to show Santaโs global route.
โ Which visual do you choose?
๐ Map / ๐ Bar / ๐งฎ Table / ๐ฆ Card
Day 22 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
DAX:
SUMX(
FILTER(FactGifts, FactGifts[Month] = "December"),
FactGifts[Count]
)
โ What does this calculate?
DAX:
SUMX(
FILTER(FactGifts, FactGifts[Month] = "December"),
FactGifts[Count]
)
โ What does this calculate?
December 22, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Day 22 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
DAX:
SUMX(
FILTER(FactGifts, FactGifts[Month] = "December"),
FactGifts[Count]
)
โ What does this calculate?
DAX:
SUMX(
FILTER(FactGifts, FactGifts[Month] = "December"),
FactGifts[Count]
)
โ What does this calculate?
Day 21 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Fabric throttling issue?
โ Whatโs one metric youโd check in the Capacity Metrics App?
Fabric throttling issue?
โ Whatโs one metric youโd check in the Capacity Metrics App?
December 21, 2025 at 4:01 PM
Day 21 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Fabric throttling issue?
โ Whatโs one metric youโd check in the Capacity Metrics App?
Fabric throttling issue?
โ Whatโs one metric youโd check in the Capacity Metrics App?
Day 20 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
IDENTITY(int, 1, 1)
โ What does IDENTITY define?
IDENTITY(int, 1, 1)
โ What does IDENTITY define?
December 20, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Day 20 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
IDENTITY(int, 1, 1)
โ What does IDENTITY define?
IDENTITY(int, 1, 1)
โ What does IDENTITY define?
Day 19 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Power BI modelling moment:
You find 2 active relationships between the same tables.
โ How does Power BI handle that?
Power BI modelling moment:
You find 2 active relationships between the same tables.
โ How does Power BI handle that?
December 19, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Day 19 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Power BI modelling moment:
You find 2 active relationships between the same tables.
โ How does Power BI handle that?
Power BI modelling moment:
You find 2 active relationships between the same tables.
โ How does Power BI handle that?
Day 18 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Visual challenge:
Large number of categories
โ Which chart best reduces clutter?
Treemap / Pie / Column / Cards
Visual challenge:
Large number of categories
โ Which chart best reduces clutter?
Treemap / Pie / Column / Cards
December 18, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Day 18 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Visual challenge:
Large number of categories
โ Which chart best reduces clutter?
Treemap / Pie / Column / Cards
Visual challenge:
Large number of categories
โ Which chart best reduces clutter?
Treemap / Pie / Column / Cards
Day 17 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
SELECT DISTINCT TOP 3 ElfName
FROM Elves
ORDER BY YearsExperience DESC;
โ What does this query return?
SELECT DISTINCT TOP 3 ElfName
FROM Elves
ORDER BY YearsExperience DESC;
โ What does this query return?
December 17, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Day 17 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
SELECT DISTINCT TOP 3 ElfName
FROM Elves
ORDER BY YearsExperience DESC;
โ What does this query return?
SELECT DISTINCT TOP 3 ElfName
FROM Elves
ORDER BY YearsExperience DESC;
โ What does this query return?
Day 16 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
DAX simplification challenge:
IF([NaughtyPoints] > 7, TRUE(), FALSE())
โ Whatโs a cleaner version?
DAX simplification challenge:
IF([NaughtyPoints] > 7, TRUE(), FALSE())
โ Whatโs a cleaner version?
December 16, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Day 16 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
DAX simplification challenge:
IF([NaughtyPoints] > 7, TRUE(), FALSE())
โ Whatโs a cleaner version?
DAX simplification challenge:
IF([NaughtyPoints] > 7, TRUE(), FALSE())
โ Whatโs a cleaner version?
Day 15 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Modelling puzzle:
โ What distinguishes a snowflake schema from a star schema?
Modelling puzzle:
โ What distinguishes a snowflake schema from a star schema?
December 15, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Day 15 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Modelling puzzle:
โ What distinguishes a snowflake schema from a star schema?
Modelling puzzle:
โ What distinguishes a snowflake schema from a star schema?
Day 13 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
SELECT DATEPART(WEEKDAY, '2025-12-25');
โ Which weekday number is Christmas this year?
SELECT DATEPART(WEEKDAY, '2025-12-25');
โ Which weekday number is Christmas this year?
December 13, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Day 13 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
SELECT DATEPART(WEEKDAY, '2025-12-25');
โ Which weekday number is Christmas this year?
SELECT DATEPART(WEEKDAY, '2025-12-25');
โ Which weekday number is Christmas this year?
Day 12 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Comparing two teamsโฆ
โ Which chart is the worst choice?
Pie / Bar / Table / Line
Comparing two teamsโฆ
โ Which chart is the worst choice?
Pie / Bar / Table / Line
December 12, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Day 12 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Comparing two teamsโฆ
โ Which chart is the worst choice?
Pie / Bar / Table / Line
Comparing two teamsโฆ
โ Which chart is the worst choice?
Pie / Bar / Table / Line
Day 11 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
DAX teaser:
AVERAGEX(VALUES(DimChild[ChildID]), FactGifts[Count])
โ What does VALUES() return?
DAX teaser:
AVERAGEX(VALUES(DimChild[ChildID]), FactGifts[Count])
โ What does VALUES() return?
December 11, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Day 11 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
DAX teaser:
AVERAGEX(VALUES(DimChild[ChildID]), FactGifts[Count])
โ What does VALUES() return?
DAX teaser:
AVERAGEX(VALUES(DimChild[ChildID]), FactGifts[Count])
โ What does VALUES() return?
Day 10 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Naming challenge:
๐ DimReindeer
๐ Reindeer_Dimension
โ Which one fits better naming conventions?
Naming challenge:
๐ DimReindeer
๐ Reindeer_Dimension
โ Which one fits better naming conventions?
December 10, 2025 at 11:01 AM
Day 10 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Naming challenge:
๐ DimReindeer
๐ Reindeer_Dimension
โ Which one fits better naming conventions?
Naming challenge:
๐ DimReindeer
๐ Reindeer_Dimension
โ Which one fits better naming conventions?
Day 9 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
SQL time:
SELECT REPLACE('ho-ho-ho','-','');
โ Whatโs the output?
SQL time:
SELECT REPLACE('ho-ho-ho','-','');
โ Whatโs the output?
December 9, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Day 9 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
SQL time:
SELECT REPLACE('ho-ho-ho','-','');
โ Whatโs the output?
SQL time:
SELECT REPLACE('ho-ho-ho','-','');
โ Whatโs the output?
Day 8 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
You have fact tables at different granularitiesโ Which modelling design pattern could help?
You have fact tables at different granularitiesโ Which modelling design pattern could help?
December 8, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Day 8 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
You have fact tables at different granularitiesโ Which modelling design pattern could help?
You have fact tables at different granularitiesโ Which modelling design pattern could help?
Day 7 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Your totals disappear in Power BI when using a slicerโฆ
โ Which function restores them?
A) REMOVEFILTERS
B) SUMX
C) HASONEVALUE
Your totals disappear in Power BI when using a slicerโฆ
โ Which function restores them?
A) REMOVEFILTERS
B) SUMX
C) HASONEVALUE
December 7, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Day 7 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Your totals disappear in Power BI when using a slicerโฆ
โ Which function restores them?
A) REMOVEFILTERS
B) SUMX
C) HASONEVALUE
Your totals disappear in Power BI when using a slicerโฆ
โ Which function restores them?
A) REMOVEFILTERS
B) SUMX
C) HASONEVALUE
Day 6 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM Elves
WHERE HatColour IN ('Red','Green','Green');
โ How many times is โGreenโ evaluated?
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM Elves
WHERE HatColour IN ('Red','Green','Green');
โ How many times is โGreenโ evaluated?
December 6, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Day 6 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM Elves
WHERE HatColour IN ('Red','Green','Green');
โ How many times is โGreenโ evaluated?
SELECT COUNT(*)
FROM Elves
WHERE HatColour IN ('Red','Green','Green');
โ How many times is โGreenโ evaluated?
Day 5 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Visualisation poll:
Dataset = toy production over 12 months
โ Which visual would you use?
Line / Bar / Area / Scatter?
Visualisation poll:
Dataset = toy production over 12 months
โ Which visual would you use?
Line / Bar / Area / Scatter?
December 5, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Day 5 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
Visualisation poll:
Dataset = toy production over 12 months
โ Which visual would you use?
Line / Bar / Area / Scatter?
Visualisation poll:
Dataset = toy production over 12 months
โ Which visual would you use?
Line / Bar / Area / Scatter?
A tree-mendous thank you to Qays Aldaoud for todayโs brilliant session on Fabricโs Capacity Management and Throttling Policies! What a perfect way to end a year filled with growth, learning, and community cheer! ๐๐ก
December 4, 2025 at 5:00 PM
A tree-mendous thank you to Qays Aldaoud for todayโs brilliant session on Fabricโs Capacity Management and Throttling Policies! What a perfect way to end a year filled with growth, learning, and community cheer! ๐๐ก
Day 4 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
DAX challenge of the day:
Total Gifts :=
CALCULATE(SUM(FactGifts[Count]), ALL(DimChild))
โ What does ALL() remove here?
DAX challenge of the day:
Total Gifts :=
CALCULATE(SUM(FactGifts[Count]), ALL(DimChild))
โ What does ALL() remove here?
December 4, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Day 4 of our Daily Data Puzzle Advent Calendar! ๐
DAX challenge of the day:
Total Gifts :=
CALCULATE(SUM(FactGifts[Count]), ALL(DimChild))
โ What does ALL() remove here?
DAX challenge of the day:
Total Gifts :=
CALCULATE(SUM(FactGifts[Count]), ALL(DimChild))
โ What does ALL() remove here?