Azerbaijan Data & AI Community

# Data & AI Day Baku 2026

Thursday, 8 October 2026 · 09:00–18:00 · Baku
Venue to be announced shortly
Six speakers. One day. Power BI, financial modelling in Excel, AI engineering and Microsoft certification.
Every session is delivered by professionals who work with these technologies and disciplines in practice every day.
Four international speakers are travelling to Baku for the event, joining two Azerbaijani experts. Between them, the speakers hold Microsoft MVP and MCT credentials, work within Microsoft and lead or contribute to BI, analytics, data and technology teams across Europe and Australia.
Bringing this combination of expertise together in one room would normally require travelling to a major European technology conference.
This is not a product launch and not a sales event. The focus is practical knowledge, real-world experience and techniques that participants can apply in their own work immediately.

## WHO THIS IS FOR

This event is designed for professionals who already work with Power BI, data, analytics, Excel, AI or related technologies and want to strengthen their practical skills.
Typical attendees include:

• Power BI developers and report authors
• Data analysts
• Data engineers
• Data scientists
• AI and software engineers
• Finance and operations professionals
• BI and analytics professionals
• Technical leads and managers responsible for data strategy

### Prerequisites

You should already be comfortable with at least one of the following:

• DAX
• Power Query
• SQL
• Python

A basic understanding of data modelling is also recommended.
This is an intermediate to advanced event. Complete beginners may find some sessions challenging.

### Language

All sessions will be delivered in English.

# PROGRAMME

### 09:00 | Registration, Badge Collection and Welcome Coffee

Attendee registration, badge collection and an opportunity to meet speakers and fellow participants before the sessions begin.

### 09:30 | Opening and Housekeeping

Azerbaijan Data & AI Meetup Group
Welcome, introduction to the event, agenda overview and practical information for the day.

### 09:45 | Power BI in Practice: Tips and Tricks That Actually Save Time

Ana Leticia Sampaio
MCT, Head of BI at Consenso · Brazil & Portugal
Practical Power BI techniques focused on making development faster, cleaner and easier to maintain.
Topics include:

• Modelling shortcuts that help prevent rework
• DAX patterns worth memorising
• Common Power BI anti-patterns worth unlearning
• Field parameters in everyday reporting
• Calculation groups
• Designing reports that other developers can understand and maintain

### 10:45 | Coffee Break and Networking

### 11:15 | Semantic Models, Power Query and Dataflows: Getting It Right

Chris Webb
Principal Program Manager, Microsoft · England
Many Power BI performance problems originate before a visual is ever created.
This session explores the semantic model and data preparation layer, including:

• Diagnosing slow refreshes methodically instead of relying on trial and error
• Query folding and why it matters
• Power Query performance considerations
• When to use dataflows and when another approach may be more appropriate
• The practical trade-offs between Import, DirectQuery and Direct Lake
• Building semantic models that remain manageable as solutions grow

### 12:15 | Financial Modelling in Excel

Shahla Abdulla
Finance Director | ERP & Financial Systems Integrator | Founder of WeFinix · Azerbaijan
Building financial models that stand up to professional scrutiny requires more than knowing Excel formulas.
The session will explore:

• Model structure
• Assumptions
• Financial modelling discipline
• Maintainability
• Transparency
• Practices that distinguish a professional model from one that only its original author understands

### 13:15 | Lunch and Networking

A full catered lunch and extended networking opportunity with speakers and attendees.

### 14:15 | Inventory Analysis in Power BI

Ilgar Zarbaliyev
Microsoft MVP, MCT, Senior Manager at SumProduct · Azerbaijan & Australia
A practical Power BI session focused on inventory analytics.
The session follows inventory data from the data model through to the calculations and visuals needed to answer the questions that operations and finance teams regularly ask.
Topics include:

• Designing an inventory-focused data model
• Creating practical inventory measures
• Identifying key inventory indicators
• Analysing stock movement and inventory behaviour
• Designing visuals that support operational and financial decision-making
• Turning raw inventory data into actionable business insight

### 15:00 | AI Engineering: From Prototype to Production

Farida Aliyeva
Data Scientist · England
Creating an AI prototype can be relatively straightforward. Building something an organisation can depend on is significantly harder.
This session looks at the engineering and operational challenges involved in moving AI solutions into production.
Topics include:

• Retrieval Augmented Generation
• Where RAG solutions can fail
• Evaluating non-deterministic AI systems
• Monitoring AI applications
• Cost management
• Latency considerations
• Reliability
• Operational requirements for production AI systems

### 16:00 | Coffee Break and Networking

### 16:30 | Cracking the Code: Mastering Microsoft AI Certifications Without Losing Your Mind

Alexandra Zakharova
Senior Partner Solution Architect, Microsoft · France
Microsoft's growing AI certification portfolio can make it difficult to decide where to begin and how to prepare efficiently.
This session covers:

• Choosing the right Microsoft AI certification for your role
• Building a realistic study plan while working full time
• Preparing effectively for certification exams
• Exam-day tactics
• Understanding common traps in scenario-based questions
• Keeping certification knowledge current
• Developing professionally without burning out

The session draws on Alexandra's experience of completing multiple Microsoft certifications while working full time at Microsoft.

### 17:30 | Closing Panel: Ask the Experts

All six speakers will participate in the final panel discussion.
The session includes:

• Audience Q&A
• Open discussion with speakers
• Prize draw
• Swag distribution
• Closing remarks

### 18:00 | Finish

# YOUR TICKET INCLUDES

Your ticket includes:

• All six expert sessions
• Closing Ask the Experts panel
• Welcome coffee
• Two catered coffee breaks
• Full lunch
• Event swag pack
• Named certificate of attendance
• Session materials where speakers permit sharing
• Access to the attendee networking channel before and after the event
• Opportunities to network directly with international and Azerbaijani data and technology professionals

The certificate may be useful for professional development records and relevant MCT or partner competency evidence.
Not included: travel to the venue, parking and accommodation.

# PRICE AND REGISTRATION

## Ticket Price

177 AZN including tax
150 AZN net + VAT
There are only 50 attendee places available.
Registration closes on 1 October 2026 or earlier if all places are booked.

## How to Register

Please complete all three steps below.

### Step 1 | Make your payment