Welcome to this data community blog all about Azure Synapse Analytics created by Andy Cutler covering Dedicated SQL Pools, Serverless SQL Pools, Pipelines, and Power BI . Click here to find out more.
Latest Blog
- What Does A “Conformed Dimension” Actually Do?
Every so often the “star schema is dead! dimensional modelling is dead!” discussion rolls around again, and we end up…
Keep updated with new blogs and videos.
Blog Categories
Latest Videos
For all blogs, see the RECENT BLOGS section or jump into curated content directly below.
General Synapse
Serverless SQL Pools
- Getting Started with Serverless SQL Pools
- Serverless SQL Pools Learning Resources
- Serverless SQL Best Practices
- Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Serverless SQL Pools
Conference & User Groups
DP-500 Enterprise Data Analyst
Hints and Tips
- Using CETAS in Serverless SQL Pools to write results to Azure Data Lake Gen2
- How Serverless SQL Pools deals with different file schemas
- Using Temporary Tables within Serverless SQL Pools
- Azure Storage Folder Filtering using the Filepath Function
- 10 Billion Rows: Parquet File Size and Distribution When using CETAS
RECENT BLOGS
- What Does A “Conformed Dimension” Actually Do?
Every so often the “star schema is dead! dimensional modelling is dead!” discussion rolls around again, and we end up… - Azure Synapse Serverless SQL Pools Cheat Sheet
Here’s an Azure Synapse Serverless SQL Pools Cheat Sheet I created to help anyone reference any objects or syntax they… - Why Cloud Data Platforms?
Always ask “why.” I really couldn’t think of a better blog title, I usually do technical stuff and the title… - Understanding ResultSet Caching in Dedicated SQL Pools with Power BI
Welcome to this new blog series in which I’ll be diving into both Power BI and Azure Synapse Analytics features… - Mastering DP-500 Exam: Upcoming Changes on February 6th
Some of the skills measured for the DP-500 Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate certification are changing on February 6th 2023… - Partition Pruning with Delta Tables in Azure Synapse Analytics
A question that is often asked about Azure Synapse Analytics is how it handles Delta tables that are partitioned. Delta… - Synapse Link for Dataverse: Video Series
I’ve been diving into Synapse Link for Dataverse recently for a project and created a series of videos going through… - Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse: Understanding Advanced Configuration Settings
In the first part of this blog series we looked at how to configure Synapse Link for Dataverse with Dynamics… - Azure Synapse Analytics in 2022: Retrospective
Retrospective Another year has rolled by (where does the time go…) and another year in the life of Azure Synapse…
LOGICAL DATA WAREHOUSE SERIES
- Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Synapse Serverless SQL: Part 1 of 4 – Setting Up and Querying Source Data
- Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Synapse Serverless SQL: Part 2 of 4 – Creating a Dimensional Model
- Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Synapse Serverless SQL: Part 3 of 4 – Incremental Fact Loading and Slowly Changing Dimensions
- Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Synapse Serverless SQL: Part 4 of 4 – Connecting Power BI to the Dimensional Model
BLOG ARCHIVE
- What Does A “Conformed Dimension” Actually Do?Every so often the “star schema is dead! dimensional modelling is dead!” discussion rolls around again, and we end up…
- Azure Synapse Serverless SQL Pools Cheat SheetHere’s an Azure Synapse Serverless SQL Pools Cheat Sheet I created to help anyone reference any objects or syntax they…
- Why Cloud Data Platforms?Always ask “why.” I really couldn’t think of a better blog title, I usually do technical stuff and the title…
- Understanding ResultSet Caching in Dedicated SQL Pools with Power BIWelcome to this new blog series in which I’ll be diving into both Power BI and Azure Synapse Analytics features…
- Mastering DP-500 Exam: Upcoming Changes on February 6thSome of the skills measured for the DP-500 Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate certification are changing on February 6th 2023…
- Partition Pruning with Delta Tables in Azure Synapse AnalyticsA question that is often asked about Azure Synapse Analytics is how it handles Delta tables that are partitioned. Delta…
- Synapse Link for Dataverse: Video SeriesI’ve been diving into Synapse Link for Dataverse recently for a project and created a series of videos going through…
- Azure Analysis Services Migration to Power BI Premium
Around November 2022, Microsoft announced a new feature within Power BI which allows you to migrate Tabular models from Azure… - Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse: Understanding Advanced Configuration SettingsIn the first part of this blog series we looked at how to configure Synapse Link for Dataverse with Dynamics…
- Azure Synapse Analytics in 2022: RetrospectiveRetrospective Another year has rolled by (where does the time go…) and another year in the life of Azure Synapse…
- Azure Synapse Analytics at SQLBit 2023
The General Session agenda for SQLBits 2023 is now available here and covers the agenda on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.… - Mastering DP-500 Exam: Configuring Synapse Analytics Source Control with Azure DevOps
This blog forms part of the DP-500 blog series on this site here and also from Data Mozart’s blog here.… - Databricks Data Engineer Associate Certification Overview
I’ve been looking at taking the Databricks Data Engineer Associate Certification (the Databricks page for the certification is here) as… - Azure Synapse Link for Dataverse: Getting Started with Dynamics 365 Sales and Synapse Analytics
Part of the Azure Synapse Analytics suite of services is Synapse Link. This enables synchronization of data from sources including… - Connecting Power BI to Azure SQL Database using Private Endpoints
This was originally posted on my Datahai company blog in November 2021. This blog has now been updated as of… - Mastering DP-500 Exam: Querying JSON Data in Serverless SQL Pools
This blog forms part of the DP-500 blog series on this site here and also from Data Mozart’s blog here.… - Dedicated SQL Pools DMVs: Show Name of Synapse Studio Script Being Executed
I’m currently in the process of building a Query and Workload Analyser Power BI report which queries several DMVs (Dynamic… - User Permissions in Serverless SQL Pools: External Tables vs Views
In a recent Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools QnA session, the Serverless SQL Pools team stated that using External Tables… - Up and Running: How to make your Azure Synapse Analytics Proof of Concept a Success (Data Relay Session)
Firstly, I’d like to say a huge thank you to the Data Relay team, the helpers, the sponsors, the attendees,… - Elastic Queries with Azure SQL Database and Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools
Recently I have been exploring an option to use an Azure SQL Database for a small footprint Data Warehouse and… - Use Azure Log Analytics to analyse Azure Data Lake Gen2 activity from Serverless SQL Pools
This blog is marked as intermediate knowledge as an understanding of Serverless SQL Pools is preferable, but not essential. Refer to Getting Started… - Use Azure Storage Logs to analyse Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools Activity
This blog is marked as intermediate knowledge as an understanding of Serverless SQL Pools is preferable, but not essential. Refer… - PASS Summit Recording Available: Creating a Logical Data Warehouse using Azure Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools
My PASS Data Community Summit 2021 recording is now available, please click here for the recording. I’ve re-watched the session… - How does Serverless SQL Pools deal with different file schemas? Part 3 – Delta
Welcome to the 3rd and final part in this blog series in which we’re looking at how Azure Synapse Analytics… - How does Serverless SQL Pools deal with different file schemas? Part 2 – Parquet
Welcome to part 2 in this blog series in which we’re looking at what happens when schema changes are made… - Lake Databases And The Importance of Data Types
I encountered an issue with Azure Synapse Analytics Lake Databases and I’d like to share the problem and the solution.… - Mastering DP-500 Exam: Using the Data Map in Microsoft Purview
Part of the upcoming Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate exam, the DP-500, is to understand how to identify data sources… - Mastering DP-500 Exam: Integrating Microsoft Purview with Power BI
Part of the upcoming Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate exam, the DP-500, is to understand how Microsoft Purview integrates with… - Mastering DP-500 Exam: Querying Partitioned Sources in Azure Storage
This blog forms part of the Mastering DP-500 exam series. A list of available blogs is here and is in… - Mastering DP-500 Exam: Using Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools to query Azure Storage
This blog forms part of the Mastering DP-500 exam series. A list of available blogs is here and is in… - Mastering DP-500 Exam: Blog Resources
I am collaborating with Data Mozart on blogging around the upcoming Microsoft Certified: Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate certification. Please… - New Certification: Microsoft Certified Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate
Microsoft has created a new certification, the Microsoft Certified Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate (link here). There is a single… - How does Serverless SQL Pools deal with different file schemas? Part 1 – CSV
Serverless SQL Pools offers a straight-forward method of querying data including CSV, JSON, and Parquet format stored in Azure Storage.… - Integrating Power BI & Azure Synapse Analytics – Power BI UK User Group
Here is the link to the slides for the Power BI UK User Group session on Thursday 17th March, 2022… - SQLBits 2022 – The Dream Team: Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools and Pipelines
I presented a 20 minute session at SQLBits 2022 in which I talked about how useful Synapse Pipelines can be… - Trigger The Process – Using CETAS in Serverless SQL Pools to Generate Pre-Calculated Datasets – Part 2 of 2
In part one we looked at a process in which a pre-aggregated dataset can be created by Azure Synapse Analytics… - Using CETAS in Serverless SQL Pools to Generate Pre-Calculated Datasets – Part 1 of 2
Dedicated SQL Pools have a feature called Materialized Views which can generate a pre-calculated/processed dataset ready for consumption and is… - DataMinutes #2 Session Companion for Turbocharging Power BI using Synapse Analytics
The slides for the DataMinutes #2 session Turbocharging Power BI using Synapse Analytics is available here to download. GitHub Code… - SQLBits Session – The Dream Team: Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools and Pipelines
SQLBits is back this year and is running from Tuesday 8th to Sunday 12th March at the ExCel in London.… - DataMinutes #2 Conference – Azure Synapse Analytics Sessions
The next DataMinutes conference (#2) is taking place on Friday 21st January. What’s different about DataMinutes is that it is… - Power BI Hybrid Tables with Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools
In this video we’re talking a look at the new Power BI Hybrid Tables feature which combines Import, Incremental Refresh,… - View Generation in Serverless SQL Pools
One of the objects that can be created within a Serverless SQL Pools database is a View. A View, along… - Testing Error Handling in Serverless SQL Pools
A recent feature to be released for Serverless SQL Pools is error handling when processing external data (please see the… - Data Toboggan Azure Synapse Analytics Event – Call For Speakers
Data Toboggan is a community-driven conference focused on Azure Synapse Analytics, Microsoft’s flagship data warehousing, big data, and analytics service.… - PASS Data Community Summit Companion Resources
PASS Data Community Summit 2021 Slides Please click here for a PDF copy of the slides. Polaris (Serverless SQL Pools… - Creating a Lake Database using the Database Designer
Synapse Analytics allows the creation of External Tables and Views within a Serverless SQL Pools database and also a Spark… - Azure Synapse Analytics in the Azure Architecture Centre
Microsoft provide an Azure Architecture Centre which contains resources to understand which Azure services are appropriate in certain scenarios and… - Using Access Control Lists To Manage Fine-Grain Data Lake Permissions
When data is stored in Azure Data Lake Gen2, we can use Azure Active Directory and Access Control Lists (ACLs)… - Integrating Azure Purview with Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools
Azure Purview is a Microsoft Data Governance service which enables an organisation to map their data infrastructure including data lineage… - Using Temporary Tables within Serverless SQL Pools
Temporary (temp) tables have been a feature of Microsoft SQL Server (and other database systems) for many years. Temp tables… - External Tables vs Views…Which to Use and Why?
Serverless SQL Pools do not contain data (unlike Dedicated SQL Pools) but rather allow you to cast structure over data… - Azure Storage Folder Filtering using the Filepath Function
Serverless SQL Pools includes 2 SQL functions, filepath and filename, that can be used to return the folder path/name and… - 10 Billion Rows: Parquet File Size and Distribution When using CETAS
When using Serverless SQL Pools to write data to Azure Storage/Data Lake Gen2 using the CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE AS SELECT… - Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Synapse Serverless SQL: Part 4 of 4 – Connecting Power BI to the Dimensional Model
Welcome to Part 4 in the Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Synapse Serverless SQL Pools series. We are now… - Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Synapse Serverless SQL: Part 3 of 4 – Incremental Fact Loading and Slowly Changing Dimensions
Welcome to part 3 of the Logical Data Warehouse with Serverless SQL Pools series. In this part we’ll be covering… - Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Synapse Serverless SQL: Part 2 of 4 – Creating a Dimensional Model
Welcome to part 2 of this 4 part blog series on creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Azure Synapse Analytics… - Creating a Logical Data Warehouse with Synapse Serverless SQL: Part 1 of 4 – Setting Up and Querying Source Data
Welcome to part one of a four part blog series where we’ll be looking at one of the main scenarios… - Azure Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools Learning Resources
Welcome to this collection of links to resources focussed on Azure Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Pools. It includes official Microsoft… - Azure Synapse Analytics Serverless SQL Best Practices
Microsoft have a best practices document available here which highlights certain actions that can be taken to optimise use of… - Getting Started with Azure Synapse Analytics SQL Serverless
The new Azure Synapse Analytics SQL Serverless service enables querying file-based data stored in an Azure Data Lake Gen2 storage… - Harnessing Azure Synapse Analytics SQL Serverless in Power BI Dataflows
Power BI Dataflows are a Power BI Service component that allow the creation of centralised, cleansed, transformed and certified tabular… - Serverless SQL Pools Managed Private EndpointSteps Created new Synapse Workspace and selected Managed VNet option Opened Synapse Studio and clicked Manage > Manage Private Endpoints…