

What we’re about
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 Server, and other Microsoft data related topics, presented by passionate users, MVPs, and you if you have something useful to share!
A virtual meeting is held on the first Thursday of every month @ 1 pm GMT/BST. It's a free-to-attend, informal gathering of like-minded people, with 1-2 speakers presenting an hour-long session including tips, techniques, and information on old, new, and upcoming technology.
The event is kindly sponsored by Purple Frog Systems and Power BI Sentinel
Where?
Anywhere!
All of our meetings are currently held virtually on Microsoft Teams.
We are looking to return to in-person, if you have access to a suitable venue in the centre of Birmingham please let us know!
When?
The first Thursday of every month @ 1pm GMT/BST.
(Note we are not holding a session in January).
Join our group to keep up-to-date with the latest meeting announcements!
Please take a moment to review our Code of Conduct, if you have any issues, please get in touch with any of the leadership team.
[Microsoft Data Platform Group Birmingham Code of Conduct (purplefrogsystems.com)](https://www.purplefrogsystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Microsoft-Data-Platform-Group-Birmingham-Code-of-Conduct-v1.pdf)
Sponsors
See allUpcoming events (2)
See all- Microsoft Fabrics Notebook Deep DiveLink visible for attendees
Microsoft Data Platform Group Birmingham
Thursday 7th at 13:00 BST
Speaker: Kay Sauter (MVP)
About: Kay has been working with SQL Server since 2013. His expertise covers SQL Server, Azure, Data Visualization, and Power BI. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP.
Kay blogs on kayondata.com and is actively involved in various community projects like Data TGIF, databash.live, data-conference.ch, and Data Platform Data Platform DEI Virtual Group.
He is based in Zurich, Switzerland and in his free time, together with his wife, he loves to travel to discover new cultures and perspectives.
Session Title: Microsoft Fabrics Notebook Deep Dive
Description:
Many developers, including myself, advocate for a code-first approach to development, an approach that can offer significant advantages to no-code/low code development in numerous scenarios. If you're unfamiliar with this concept, don’t worry; I’ll start with a quick introduction to explain why it matters.From there, we’ll dive deeper into the capabilities of notebooks in Microsoft Fabric. A notebook is far more than just a code file; It is a powerful development tool that enables efficient problem-solving, streamlines workflows, and enhances maintainability. I’ll demonstrate lesser-known tricks to make your development process smoother and your maintenance efforts more intuitive.
And if you or your crew is new to pySpark, don't worry: I'll give you an insight on how to get on board for this in a relatively short time.
Agenda:
12.45 - 13:00 : Speaker Setup and Join
13:00 - 13:05 : Open Lobby to guests and Introductions
13:05 - 14:00 : Microsoft Fabrics Notebook Deep Dive with Kay Sauter.
Venue: Wherever you have access to a computer or smart device!
This session will be online only!Other Details:
*** Please note registration on MeetUp is required to gain access to the Teams link!***
Please contact us on Twitter or via email if you are having any issues joining, and we'll do everything we can to help.
Event Organiser Contact Details:
If you need any further details or have any requests for this or future Data Platform Group events, please get in touch.
Email: meetup@purplefrogsystems.com
Twitter: @MSDataGroupBrum
Sponsors:
- FabFest 2025Millennium Point, Birmingham
FabFest is back for 2025!!!!
Join us in person in Birmingham on October 2nd 2025
Fabfest is still FREE to attend but ticket are required so please register here: FabFest 2025 Tickets, Thu, Oct 2, 2025 at 10:00 AM | Eventbrite
After great feedback from last year's event we've decided to keep the momentum going.
It will take place at Millennium Point in Birmingham on October 2nd.
- 1 day
- 7+ sessions
- AI clinic for all AL and ML questions
- Fabric clinic for 1-on-1 problem solving and questions
- Non-stop learning
A full day’s learning and networking, and some free refreshment thrown in to boot.
Join us and delve into the world of Microsoft Fabric and AI, featuring seven dynamic sessions. Attendees will start with an introduction plus the latest news from Fabric and AI, then progress to more advanced, practical sessions designed to provide a comprehensive understanding and hands-on experience.
Agenda: This is still TBC but will include industry experts, Microsoft MVPs and a roundup of all the news from FabCon Europe.
Please let us know if you have registered and can no longer attend as this frees up space for another attendee.
Sponsors:
Purple Frog Systems
Power BI Sentinel
RP Analytics