Here is my checklist of Azure infrastructure handy materials that I use for AZ101 students as homework or additional class learning. I was asked for this by one of my students and I thought I'd share it here.
Azure AZ101 Checklist of Materials

Here is my checklist of Azure infrastructure handy materials that I use for AZ101 students as homework or additional class learning. I was asked for this by one of my students and I thought I'd share it here.
From the business intelligence perspective, it is incredibly useful to compare AWS RDS and Microsoft Azure SQL Database. As a freelance industry analyst who has worked with GigaOm, I'm pleased to see the GigaOM Transactional Field Test derived from the industry-standard TPC Benchmark™ E (TPC-E) report which compares Amazon Web Services Relational Database Service (AWS RDS) and Microsoft Azure SQL Database.
Today, Microsoft launched Immersive Reader, aimed at increasing the opportunities for developers to embed inclusivity in their apps. I love reading, and I love the idea that reading will be brought to people who might otherwise struggle with text reading and comprehension. You can learn more over at the Azure Cognitive Services website. If you … Continue reading Immersive Reader is now LIVE! New addition to Azure Cognitive Services family
Nearly three years ago, I complained bitterly about the demise of Windows Datamarket, which aimed to provide free, stock datasets for any and every purpose. I was a huge fan of the date dimension and the geography dimension, since they really helped me to get started with data warehousing. So I'm glad to say that … Continue reading #MSBuild Azure Open Datasets
Customers want their data good, fast, cheap and easy. A tall order, right? One of the biggest challenges that I see with data warehousing in the cloud is that customers are concerned with cost. I was interested to see the Gigaom report on the topic of Data Warehousing in the cloud, which contained a number … Continue reading Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence in the Cloud with #Azure: How do we get good, fast, cheap and easy?
I am writing some SQL to form the basis of views to pull data from a Microsoft SQL Server source into Azure SQL Database, and then the data would go to Power BI. The data was all presented in string format initially (not my data, not my monkeys, not my circus), and I wanted to … Continue reading Error converting data type varchar to numeric where ISNUMERIC finds only numbers
I'm keen to learn practical aspects of Azure and cloud computing, so I can really understand their value for small businesses who rely on cloud computing. I don't feel comfortable advocating for something I don't really understand, or haven't tried myself. So I set up my Data Relish website using Azure and WordPress, and integrated … Continue reading Moving WordPress websites between Azure Subscriptions
I got to the end of the free WordPress account for my small business account and I wanted to analyse my CRM and sales data better. I wanted to dial up my sales and marketing, and, of course, use data to understand my audience better. With the free WordPress edition, I could not do some … Continue reading Connecting #Azure WordPress, #HubSpot data for analyzing data in #PowerBI for a small business #CRM
Have you seen the custom modules for AzureML yet? One neat custom module that I've been using is the Create Scatterplot module, which uses ggplot2 and R in order to create a scatterplot. It's possible to do this in AzureML already but it takes a few extra steps, and it is good to be able … Continue reading Custom Modules for #AzureML
I’ll be speaking at Live! 360 Orlando, December 2-7. Surrounded by your fellow industry professionals, Live! 360 provides you with immediately usable training and education that will keep you relevant in the workforce. SPECIAL OFFER: As a speaker, I can extend $500 savings on the 5-day package. Register here: http://bit.ly/OSPK88Reg Workshop: Moving from BI to AI: … Continue reading Want to learn how to skill up from #BusinessIntelligence to #ArtificialIntelligence? Join me at #Live360 in Florida
Azure SQL Database is introducing two new features to cost-effectively migrate workloads to the cloud. SQL Database Hyperscale for single databases, available in preview, is a highly scalable service tier that adapts on demand to workload needs. It auto-scales up to 100 TB per database to significantly expand potential for app growth. What does this mean? … Continue reading Microsoft Ignite interview with Kevin Farlee on Azure SQL Database Hyperscale
This blog post title was initially titled 'Why I disregarded PowerApps but now I radically changed my mind'. I changed my mind and I now think that PowerApps is a very powerful tool and basically it does a lot of the app form functions that Access does but way better. I get it now and … Continue reading Why I changed my mind about #PowerApps and became a fan… and why you should, too