PASSMN Meeting 2026-02-17 (Virtual Meeting Only)

Important Note: This meeting is online only and will not be held at the Microsoft Technology Center

Agenda:
📅 Tuesday, February 17, 2026 📅
🕜 3:30-4:00 Kickoff / Announcements
🕜 4:00-5:00 How to Seamlessly Integrate Your SQL Server/Azure SQL into Microsoft Fabric (Gonzalo Bissio Bissio)
🕜 5:00-5:10 Break
🕜 5:10-6:10 Semantic Models Comes First: Managing Models for Growth and Self-Service (Reid Havens)
🕜 6:10-6:15 Closing

Sessions

🕜 4:00 pm
⭐️ How to Seamlessly Integrate Your SQL Server/Azure SQL into Microsoft Fabric
🙂 Gonzalo Bissio Bissio
In this session, we will explore how to integrate your SQL Server/Azure SQL into Microsoft Fabric, addressing one of the most common challenges for data professionals: bridging the gap between operational and analytical workloads. You will learn best practices for setting up seamless integration, understand the potential impacts on your current architecture, and discover how to achieve near real-time data synchronization without the need to build complex interfaces. By the end of the session, you will have the tools and knowledge to simplify your data workflows, improve performance, and maximize the value of your transactional data with Microsoft Fabric.

🕜 5:10 pm
⭐️ Semantic Models Comes First: Managing Models for Growth and Self-Service
🙂 Reid Havens
The semantic model should be the stable foundation of your analytics environment. It should not a place for report-specific experiments, formatting measures, or quick fixes. When the core model stays clean and well-structured, teams can extend it through composite models and report-layer logic without adding technical debt.
This session presents a practical semantic model lifecycle: how to design, publish, extend, and refactor models without breaking downstream reports. We’ll compare when to use calculation groups vs. DAX UDFs, where field parameters belong, and how to use Semantic Link and the Power BI MCP server to safely refactor, rename, reorganize, and validate dependencies across environments.
You’ll learn:

• What belongs in the shared semantic model vs. the report layer
• How to structure measures, folders, relationships, and calc groups for clarity
• How composite models enable report-specific logic without polluting the core model
• When to choose UDFs vs. calculation groups for reusable logic
• How Semantic Link and the MCP server support safe refactoring and lifecycle maintenance

Walk away with a framework for building once, extending safely, and preventing model clutter as your reporting ecosystem grows.

🙂 Speaker 1
⚡️How to Seamlessly Integrate Your SQL Server/Azure SQL into Microsoft Fabric
Gonzalo Bissio Bissio is Ex Microsoft, MVP data platform and truly passionate about SQL Server on all of its editions (that include express as well (?)). I’m speaker of the PASS Argentina chapter, father of Pedro, Fan of Club atletico Independiente from Argentina (Soccer or futbol fan 😛😛) and Rocky Balboa’s Soldier💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻. I have the following certifications -> Microsoft certified trainer, Azure Database administrator, Azure data engineer and Azure administrator but the most important one is that I LOVE AZURE SQL! On all of the versions.

🙂 Speaker 2
⚡️ Semantic Models Comes First: Managing Models for Growth and Self-Service
Reid Havens is the Founder of Analytic Endeavors | Havens Consulting.
As the founder of both (Havens Consulting & Analytic Endeavors) and a Microsoft MVP, Reid is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in technology, organizational management, and business analytics. With a Master's Degree in Organizational Development and a background in consulting for Fortune 10, 50, and 500 companies, Reid has the knowledge and expertise to help your organization succeed.

In addition to his corporate experience, Reid is also a highly sought-after instructor, teaching Business Intelligence, reporting, and data visualization at the University of Washington and other universities. His passion for education extends beyond the classroom, as he has co-authored the DP-500 Enterprise Azure Analyst certification exam for Microsoft and developed numerous training curriculums delivered to companies around the world.