About us
The Power BI & Fabric Manchester User Group is a free to attend event that has been going for almost 10 years and our members to meets every month in Manchester on a Thursday evening.
We host a variety of events including talks from expert speakers and hands-on introduction to Fabric & Power BI. We are a thriving Fabric & Power BI community including end users & industry experts all who use Fabric Power BI – and enjoy using it.
Follow us on Twitter, @PBIMCR.
Follow our Linked-In page and watch past videos here
PBIMCR code of conduct:
The Fabric & Power BI User Manchester Group is committed to fostering a respectful, friendly, and professional environment for all members, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, physical appearance, disability, age, race, or religion.
We have a zero-tolerance policy for any behavior that degrades individuals based on these attributes, as well as any form of harassment or discrimination. It is essential for all members to understand and adhere to these standards, and we encourage everyone to contribute to a safe and welcoming atmosphere.
At our in-person events, we expect attendees to:
- Be friendly and welcoming.
- Listen with purpose and create space for diverse communication preferences.
- To show courtesy and respect to our speakers (i.e. Phones on silent, No getting up mid-talk to get drinks)
- Consider how you can make someone’s experience better.
- Be patient and understanding of varying communication styles.
- Acknowledge that not everyone may be using their native language, which can lead to misinterpretations.
- Communicate thoughtfully, aiming for clarity and productivity.
- Respect differing opinions and seek to understand rather than criticize.
- Make a conscious effort to include those who may differ from you.
- Assume good intent in others' statements and questions.
- Focus on continuous learning by improving your knowledge and engaging with others.
In summary, we ask that all members treat each other with respect, kindness, and empathy. Use inclusive language, communicate thoughtfully, avoid destructive comments, accept constructive criticism gracefully, and create space for others. If you need assistance, please reach out to the organisers.
Upcoming events
4
PBIMCR presents ' A Murder Mystery Built on Microsoft Fabric'
Matillion, Matillion, Two New Bailey, Stanley Street, Salford, M3 5GS,, Salford, GBJoin us for August's PBIMCR meet-up
When: Thursday 27th of August 2026
Time: arrive for 530pm with talks starting from 6pm start prompt
Location: Matillion, Two New Bailey, Stanley Street, Salford, England, M3 5GS
Complimentary drinks & pizza provided by our hosts Slalom & sponsors Robert WaltersTalk 1:
Ghost in the Aether: A Murder Mystery Built on Microsoft Fabric
Ghost in the Aether is an interactive murder mystery built entirely on Microsoft Fabric, showcasing how batch and real-time data, Direct Lake semantic modelling, Power BI and AI can be combined into a single solution. Through a live investigation, attendees will explore reports, analyse streaming clues, interact with a grounded Data Agent, and vote on the culprit before uncovering the end-to-end Fabric architecture behind the experience. The session demonstrates how the same patterns can be applied to real-world scenarios such as IoT, operational monitoring and support analytics.Our speakers:
David Mitchell is a Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft specialising in Microsoft Fabric, Power BI and Azure data platforms. With over 20 years' experience in data and analytics, he helps organisations design and deliver modern analytics solutions, and enjoys sharing practical insights from real customer projects with the wider community.Adrian Critchley is a Sr. Technical Support Engineer at Microsoft with a background in data analytics and business intelligence. Prior to joining Microsoft, he worked as a Power BI Consultant, helping organisations design and deliver data-driven solutions. Today, he specialises in supporting organisations to solve complex technical challenges and get the most from their Fabric data platform.
Talk 2: Centralise or Federate - How to Scale your Lakehouse by Craig Porteous
As organisations modernise their data platforms, one key question always surfaces: How do we scale this to serve the business?Should you maintain a central Data Lakehouse for consistency and control, or federate it to empower teams and scale with agility?
In this session, I’ll explore the trade-offs between centralised and federated Lakehouse architectures, how to decide what fits your organisation, and why the best solutions often blend both approaches. You’ll learn how governance, data ownership, training, and tooling choices can make or break your strategy. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of the benefits of federation, and a practical roadmap for balancing autonomy with standardisation in a real-world Data Lakehouse.
Topics Covered: Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Analysis Services, Azure AI, OneLake, Real-Time Data
1st time attendees what to expect:
Engaging tech talks/demos/presentations and an opportunity to network in a friendly community environment with complimentary drinks and pizza served.63 attendees
PBIMCR presents Leon Gordon & Vito Schittone
Canopius Manchester HQ, 100 Barbirolli Square Manchester M2 3AB, Manchester, GBJoin us for September's PBIMCR meet-up
When: Thursday 24th of September 2026
Time: arrive for 5:30pm with talks starting from 6pm start prompt
Address: Canopius Group - 100 Barbirolli Square Manchester M2 3AB
Complimentary drinks & pizza provided by our hosts Canopius Group & sponsors Robert WaltersLeon Gordon
Session Title
# Who's Really in Control? Monitoring & Governing Microsoft Fabric the Smart Way
Microsoft Fabric is powerful, but without the right monitoring and governance in place, it can quickly become a black box of ballooning costs, failed refreshes, and unclear ownership.
In this interactive session, we’ll break down:
The real-world governance challenges teams face in Microsoft Fabric
What Microsoft offers out-of-the-box and where it falls short
How to monitor your data estate, refreshes, and usage in a meaningful way.Proven strategies to track, forecast costs, audit, and optimise your Fabric environment.
We’ll also showcase how you can enable data teams to:
- Score their governance maturity
- Monitor all of your capacities, refresh and workspace activity in real-time
- Get AI-powered recommendations to improve platform performance
- Make informed decisions across cost, access, and riskWhether you’re a CTO, BI lead, platform owner, or Power BI pro, this session will equip you with practical tools and a smarter mindset to take full control of your Fabric environment.
Bonus: Live demo of governance scoring and AI-powered Fabric optimisation monitoring in action.
Vito Schittone
Title:
Advancing Your Career in Data
Vito’s session is built on his experience, learning, and skills developed over more than a decade in the industry.
He has 12 years of experience across five sectors, and within two years of graduating, while working as a Medical Laboratory Assistant, he was already leading national analytics. He drove adoption of a previously under‑used tool and delivered analytics valued in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. Over the following ten years, he progressed from Information Management Officer to Chief Technology Officer (CTO), leading SaaS development for commercial use. During this period, he automated over 7,500 working hours in under a week and built multiple enterprise‑level solutions.Vito holds 12+ recognised Microsoft certifications with an average score of 850/1000, including Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE): Data Management and Analytics as well as Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect. He describes himself as a Power BI and Fabric specialist, and is the founder of Data Driven Innovations (DDI), which has grown to around 1.5k members after just three sessions.
He uses a practical, experience‑driven approach and summarises the session with his own quote:“The advantage of learning from someone who talks the talk and walks the walk is that real‑world experience collapses the learning curve, revealing in minutes what others take years to try, and often fail, to explain.” — Vito Schittone
Topics Covered: Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Azure Analysis Services, Azure AI, OneLake, Real-Time Data
1st time attendees what to expect:
Engaging tech talks/demos/presentations and an opportunity to network in a friendly community environment with complimentary drinks and pizza served.9 attendees
PBIMCR at FabCon Barcelona
CCIB - Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona, Plaça de Willy Brandt, 11-14, 08019, Barcelona, ESOur Lead Co-Org Alex and our sponsors Robert Walters (Barcelona team) will be hosting a networking drinks & food event near the Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (CCIB).
Venue, Timings etc TBC
6 attendees
PBIMCR presents at Data Decoded MCR Conference
Manchester Central Convention Complex, Windmill Street, Manchester M2 3GX, GBCalling all Power BI & Fabric Data enthusiasts
We've been invited back to run a special User Group event at Data Decoded 2026 conference at Manchester Central
- Enjoy thought-provoking PBI & Fabric talks and demos from industry experts and peers.
Date and Location:
📅 Date: 13th of October 2025
🕠 Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
📍 Venue: Manchester Central Convention Complex, Petersfield, M2 3GXWe are in the Data Governance, Risk & Compliance Theatre
October's PBIMCR x DataDecoded event will feature 2 talks
Speakers TBC
https://datadecoded.com/
**To attend, you must sign up for free Data Decoded tickets and register on Meetup to join the community.**
Enjoy pizza, drinks, and plenty of networking with data community afterwards at Data Decoded afterparty
17 attendees
Past events
132
