Craig Porteous
Data Platform MVP | Associate Head of Engineering @ Advancing Analytics| DATA:Scotland event founder | He/Him.
Glasgow, United Kingdom
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I'm a lifelong learner with a passion for creative problem-solving. I share my expertise and insights with the data community through talks, video content, and bringing people together with the DATA:Scotland event.
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Mastering Data Governance with Unity Catalog: Beyond Databricks
As the modern data ecosystem evolves, managing data governance, security, and collaboration is more critical—and more complex—than ever. Unity Catalog, the backbone to Databricks' data platform, offers a unified solution to address these challenges, providing a centralised approach to managing metadata, permissions, and data lineage in Databricks and beyond.
In this session, we’ll fully unbox Unity Catalog, starting with its foundational features and the benefits it brings to your data governance strategy. But the story doesn’t stop there—Unity Catalog’s potential extends beyond Databricks with a completely open source version now available. We’ll explore how you can integrate and leverage its capabilities across your broader data ecosystem, enabling consistent governance practices no matter where your data resides.
Whether you’re a data architect seeking streamlined governance frameworks or a data engineer looking to optimize workflows, this session will provide a broad understanding and actionable insights to get you started with Unity Catalog.
From Rivalry to Partnership: Leveraging Fabric and Databricks in Tandem
Fabric is Microsoft's unified data platform and with it brings many questions of which platform to choose, where does Databricks excel, What makes Fabric the right choice? Is one really better than the other?
It doesn't have to be a binary choice. Rather than thinking about which route to take, You can enrich your Databricks Data Lakehouse with Microsoft Fabric. Take advantage of Fabric's key features such as lightning fast Direct Lake connectivity from your Delta Lake to Power BI to complement your Databricks powerhouse.
In this session we will explore the synergistic relationship between Azure Databricks and Microsoft Fabric. Together these platforms can deliver performance and value in data analytics. We'll explore architecture patterns to enhance and augment your existing Databricks Lakehouse allowing you to fully harness key features in Fabric all built upon the same robust storage medium of Delta Lake.
We will also explore how the close integration of these platforms can lead to improved analytics capabilities, and ultimately, better business insights.
Whether you are an analytics engineer looking to get the most out of your data, or a business leader seeking to drive data-driven decision making, this session will provide valuable insights into maximizing the potential of your data platform by bringing Azure Databricks and Microsoft Fabric together.
Fabric Automation: Unlocking the power of the API
Microsoft Fabric is designed to be simple and easy to use but creating your Fabric items manually is no fun (and prone to human error). Automation is the future and the Fabric APIs are your tools.
It's easy to see from the regular updates on the Fabric blog that Microsoft have been investing heavily in the API capabilities across Fabric. So what's all the fuss about and how can you take advantage of all of these background developments? Unlock the power of automation with Fabric's extensive array of API endpoints.
In this session we'll explore the full suite of API capabilities in Fabric, how to get started using them, and run through a real world scenario using the API. We'll have you provisioning architectures and managing your estate in no time.
Building a Federated Data Mesh Architecture with Microsoft Fabric
Microsoft Fabric is a comprehensive Software-as-a-Service data platform built on Data Lakehouse architecture principles. What’s less apparent, but equally powerful, is how it incorporates the governance framework of a Data Mesh architecture but isn't Data Mesh dead?
In this session, we’ll dive into how Microsoft Fabric serves as the technological foundation for implementing both a traditional Data Mesh and a Federated Data Mesh. Beyond the technology, we’ll explore the critical role of people and processes in shaping a successful implementation.
You’ll learn about the core components of each approach, the challenges they address, and how to navigate the trade-offs between centralised and federated governance. Whether you’re considering a Data Mesh for scalability, autonomy, or better domain ownership, this session will provide you the tools you need and the understanding to architect a successful data ecosystem.
Zero to Lakehouse in Microsoft Fabric
Fabric is Microsoft's unified software as a service data platform built around the Data Lakehouse architecture but do you create a Lakehouse, or a Warehouse, or both? How does it all fit together and how can you get the most out of it?
In this session I'll explain what all the components of Microsoft Fabric are, a few architecture patterns you can follow to get what you need, and demonstrate how you can bring them together to build a full data Lakehouse platform without ever touching an Azure resource. You will leave this session with a good understanding of Fabric, it's capabilities, and how you can use it.
Implementing a medallion architecture in Fabric
This session explores the Medallion Architecture with Fabric Lakehouses, creating a dynamic and powerful framework for modern data-driven enterprises.
The Medallion Architecture introduces a holistic approach to data orchestration, blending best practices from data lakes, data warehouses, and data pipelines. When combined with the Lakehouse paradigm, it unlocks a world of possibilities for organisations to ingest, process, and analyse data at scale while maintaining data quality, governance, and security.
Fabric and Databricks: Better together?
Fabric is Microsoft's new unified data platform and with it brings many questions of which platform to choose, where does Databricks excel, What makes Fabric the right choice?
But it doesn't have to be a binary choice. Rather than thinking about which route to take, You can enrich your Databricks Data Lakehouse with Microsoft Fabric, taking advantage of Fabric's key features such as lightning fast Direct Lake connectivity from your Delta Lake to Power BI.
In this session we will deep dive into the synergistic relationship between Azure Databricks and Microsoft Fabric. Together these platforms can deliver performance and value in data analytics. We'll explore architecture patterns to enhance and augment your existing Databricks Lakehouse allowing you to fully harness key features in Fabric all built upon the same robust storage of Delta Lake.
We will also explore how the close integration of these platforms can lead to improved analytics capabilities, and ultimately, better business insights. Whether you are an analytics engineer looking to get the most out of your data, or a business leader seeking to drive data-driven decision making, this session will provide valuable insights into maximizing the potential of your data platform by bringing Azure Databricks and Microsoft Fabric together
Designing for a Data Mesh in Microsoft Fabric
With Fabric, Microsoft have built a complete Software as a Service Data platform following Data Lakehouse architecture principles. Then they've wrapped it in the governance of a Data Mesh architecture. What do you need to bring the two together or is it just a pipe dream?
In this session I'll talk about how Fabric provides the technological platform for implementing a Data Mesh and then explore the people and the process aspects that define the core of implementing a successful data mesh approach.
Data sharing without the USB sticks - an intro to Fabric External Data Sharing
Sharing any data is fraught with risk - who has access, what are we actually sharing, how long have we been sharing that!!?? Oh and...leaving that USB stick on the train!
Thankfully there are better ways to share and collaborate on your data, at scale and securely that don't involve a USB stick.
In this session we'll explore how to do this in Microsoft Fabric using OneLake external data sharing. We'll explore its benefits, drawbacks, and alternatives such as Delta Sharing using Databricks. I'll share potential blockers to making use of these amazing technologies and touch on ways to extend these where security is the absolute priority.
Why the Lakehouse?
Everyone's talking about data Lakehouses but what is a Lakehouse other than a nice place to go fishing? Why do you need to know about the lakehouse architecture, whats the benefits and is it all just hype?
In this session I'll cover what the Data Lakehouse architecture is, where it fits against existing architectures like a data warehouse, and why you should build one. We'll also cover the underlying technology options to arm you with all of the information you need to plan your next data platform.
SQL Konferenz 2025 Sessionize Event
Fabric February 2025 Sessionize Event
European Microsoft Fabric Community Conference Sessionize Event
Data Céilí 2024 Sessionize Event
SQLBits 2024 - General Sessions Sessionize Event
Fabric February 2024 Sessionize Event
Data Relay 2023 Sessionize Event
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Data Saturday Edinburgh Sessionize Event
Data Saturday Denmark - 2023 Sessionize Event
SQLBits 2023 - General Sessions Sessionize Event
dataMinds Connect 2022 Sessionize Event
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DataGrillen 2022 Sessionize Event
SQLBits 2022 Sessionize Event
PASS Data Community Summit 2021 Sessionize Event
South Coast Summit 2021 Sessionize Event
Data Saturday Oslo - Virtual Sessionize Event
Data.Toboggan - Cool Runnings Sessionize Event
DataMinutes #1 Sessionize Event
DATA:Scotland's Scottish Summer Sessionize Event
#DataWeekender #TheSQL Sessionize Event
Birmingham Data Platform - JUNE ONLINE EVENT - SSRS, PowerApps and PowerBI
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Swedish Power BI User Group May meetup
Power BI Under Source Control
Data Community Weekender Europe Sessionize Event
Guildford - Surrey Data Platform Group
3 ways to bring Power BI under Source Control
Scottish Summit Sessionize Event
dataMinds Connect 2019 Sessionize Event
DATA:Scotland 2019 Sessionize Event
DataGrillen 2019 Sessionize Event
Data in Devon 2019 Sessionize Event
SQLBits 2019
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PowerShell Southampton
The PowerShell Standards Agency – Write better code for Everybody
SQL Relay 2018
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SQL Relay 2018
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Austin PowerShell User Group
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Cardiff MSFT Stack User Group
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SQLGrillen 2018 Sessionize Event
Craig Porteous
Data Platform MVP | Associate Head of Engineering @ Advancing Analytics| DATA:Scotland event founder | He/Him.
Glasgow, United Kingdom
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