In today’s digital era, data is the fuel that propels businesses toward their goals. At the heart of the digital transformation journey lies data – an invaluable resource that fuels innovation, efficiency, and informed decision-making. As organizations leverage advanced analytics and insights, they gain a competitive edge, gaining deeper insights into customers, operations, and markets.
In this blog, we’ll guide you through the 4 must-attend sessions at this year’s dataMinds Connect (9 and 10 October 2023)– the biggest yearly Belgian conference for Microsoft Data & AI Platform fanatics. These sessions will help you harness the power of data, drive innovation, and navigate the ever-evolving landscape of data empowerment.
But before we dive into the recommendations, let’s walk the road together towards unlocking the true potential of data and find out which pitstops you need to make along the way.
The road towards unlocking the true potential of data
The need for a strong data foundation
To unlock the true potential of data, organizations require a robust and scalable foundation. This foundation encompasses not only technical solutions but also collaborative structures that bridge the gap between IT and operational staff. Transitioning from traditional data warehouses to modern data platforms has become increasingly common, as it provides a solid footing for scalability and supports data-oriented organizations with trained personnel and streamlined data processes.
Data at the heart of business values
In LACO’s approach, we always place business values at the center of the data journey. Recognizing that the data platform and organization exist to support the business and its data strategy, we integrate data and analytics into the core of the business. Data visualization plays a pivotal role in extracting value from data by offering clear representations of past events and insights into the “why” behind those events. By identifying trends and exploring future possibilities, organizations can even hypothesize about future outcomes.
The challenges of organizational change
Creating a data-driven culture necessitates organizational change. We identify 3 primary challenges in transitioning from traditional descriptive analytics to modern Business Intelligence (BI) and advanced analytics:
- Breaking down data silos
- Ensuring data availability with the right quality
- Facilitating the practical use of data to add value
Change management plays a central role in this transformative journey. Data should serve as a value enabler, not just by automating internal processes and providing insights but also by offering new internal services.
Getting there with Microsoft
A vision for data empowerment
To support this digital transformation, we recognize the need for a robust and scalable modern data platform foundation. Microsoft embodies this vision as a technological powerhouse, continually evolving to empower businesses to realize this transformation.
Leveraging Microsoft’s solutions
Within this evolving landscape, Azure Synapse and Azure Databricks still stand as reliable solutions. With the current evolutions of Microsoft Fabric and its ability to provide agility in controlling and manipulating data resources with different technologies, goes beyond being a mere digital infrastructure. It empowers businesses to independently process, analyze, and transport data across the cloud and edge, putting the power of data in the hands of those who need it. This evolution fosters collaboration and accelerates decision-making.
Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI
As part of this transformative journey, Microsoft’s partnership with OpenAI on Azure is a cornerstone of our vision. It signifies Microsoft’s commitment to democratizing cutting-edge AI capabilities, making them readily accessible to businesses of all sizes. OpenAI on Azure opens the door to unparalleled insights and automation, enabling businesses to solve complex challenges, optimize processes, and enhance customer experiences while prioritizing data privacy and security.
Ensuring data governance and compliance
To ensure this transformative journey remains secure, compliant, and governed effectively, Microsoft Purview takes center stage. It provides a comprehensive data governance and cataloging solution, empowering users to maintain control over their data assets while adhering to data regulations. Trust and compliance are woven into every aspect of the self-service data ecosystem.
dataMinds Connect 2023: your journey to data empowerment
At dataMinds Connect this year, we embark on a journey through the evolving landscape of data empowerment and self-service innovation. Microsoft, a driving force in this transformation, leads the way with its dynamic trio of technologies: Microsoft Fabric, OpenAI on Azure, and Microsoft Purview. These game-changing solutions redefine how organizations harness their data, all while ensuring that data governance remains at the core of this evolution.
4 exceptional sessions not to be missed!
Session 1 – Accelerate your Data Lakehouse
Date & time: Tuesday 9 October, 15:00 – 16:30
Speaker: Michiel Van Nijverseel
Dive into the world of Data Lakehouses and learn how Databricks Delta Lake is revolutionizing modern data platforms. Discover cost-efficiency advantages and overcome performance challenges in cloud-based data lake storage. Uncover the secrets of working with tables in the Delta format. Did you know that OneLake is built on the foundation of Databricks Delta Lake?
Session 2 – Diving into the depths of OneLake
Date & time: Tuesday 9 October, 11:00 – 12:00
Speakers: Aoife Turley & Frederic Van Kelecom
Explore the essence of Microsoft Fabric’s OneLake, a powerful tool for unified dataset collaboration. Understand its functionalities and mechanics to leverage its capabilities fully.
Session 3 – Lessons learned: Governance and adoption for Power BI
Date & time: Tuesday 9 October, 14:15 – 15:15
Speakers: Paulien van Eijk & Teske van Maaren
Maintaining control and compliance in your self-service data ecosystem is crucial. Gain valuable insights on data governance and adoption for Power BI in this session.
Session 4 – Breaking the language barrier in Power BI
Date & time: Tuesday 9 October, 16:45 – 17:45
Speaker: LACO’s very own Daan Lambrechts
Discover a solution to the challenges of multilingual dashboards in the world of data analytics. Meet Daan, our own superhero who has devised a framework to streamline the process of creating multilingual dashboards in Microsoft Power BI . Explore the functionality and how it addresses the diverse language landscape.
These sessions are your key to unlocking the full potential of Microsoft’s vision in the data-centric world. We do hope you’ve booked your tickets for dataMinds Connect 2023, because the entire event is sold out. If you do have tickets, pass by our booth and be part of the data transformation revolution.
Bram Wauters
Microsoft Practice Lead at LACO
