Data Analytics

**Google Analytics Alternatives** Is it finally time to make the switch away from Google Analytics? Two-and-a-half years ago Jason Packer asked this question at Columbus Web Analytics Wednesday. Since then: Google’s Universal Analytics has been sunset, we’ve changed our name to Columbus Data & Analytics Wednesday, and Jason has released two editions of his book “Google Analytics Alternatives”. Fresh off the release of the 2nd edition of his book, we thought it was time to re-open this conversation. While people love to complain about it, GA’s market share has remained relatively constant (at least in the United States). Why is that? You won’t find any complaints about GA4 in this talk, but rather an overview of what’s currently available in the market and how to frame your decision-making process. We’ll also be giving out some free copies of Jason’s book! So even if you’ve got a “GA4Lyfe” tattoo (no judgement), there’s free books to go with the free pizza and beer. Thanks to our 2026 sponsors: [Clarivoy](https://www.clarivoy.com), [What Box Consulting Group](https://www.whatboxconsultinggroup.com), [Conductrics](https://www.conductrics.com), and [Piwik PRO](https://piwik.pro) More info at [cbusdaw.com](https://cbusdaw.com)

The March Ohio North Database Training user group meeting will be held on **March 3rd, 2026 at 5:00PM**. This will be a **HYBRID** event and we will be joined in person by **Sam Nasr**. You're welcome to come meet in-person at our meeting location, the offices of Improving at **[6000 Freedom Square Dr,](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Improving/@41.4004167,-81.6614462,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x8830e5b8255c5919:0xd8297060eb68fe04!4m6!3m5!1s0x8830dc7a0fe35dc9:0xbfc4710ecadfc5c!8m2!3d41.4004127!4d-81.6588713!16s%2Fg%2F1hm3hkqp3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** **[Unit 110,](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Improving/@41.4004167,-81.6614462,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x8830e5b8255c5919:0xd8297060eb68fe04!4m6!3m5!1s0x8830dc7a0fe35dc9:0xbfc4710ecadfc5c!8m2!3d41.4004127!4d-81.6588713!16s%2Fg%2F1hm3hkqp3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** **[Independence, OH 44131](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Improving/@41.4004167,-81.6614462,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x8830e5b8255c5919:0xd8297060eb68fe04!4m6!3m5!1s0x8830dc7a0fe35dc9:0xbfc4710ecadfc5c!8m2!3d41.4004127!4d-81.6588713!16s%2Fg%2F1hm3hkqp3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDQzMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)** [Teams Link ](https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YTg3MTY3NzItODI3OS00MTRjLTgzYTItYTBlMjY5NTQ5MzU4%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22b966f302-6b93-4686-9041-c084635642c5%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2278c760cb-657f-46aa-bd2f-7066d9403bdb%22%7d)if anyone needs it after RSVP-ing for in person. If you would like to subscribe to our email list outside of Meetup, we have changed platforms recently and you will need to register [here in Kit ](https://ohio-north-data-training.kit.com/b8f036f615)instead to receive emails. Agenda: **5:00 PM EST**: Online and in-person meeting begins with a social hour. This is an unstructured hour where you can join us to catch up and meet other group members before the session starts. There will be food brought in for in-person attendees. **6:00 PM EST**: Updates and announcements, followed by our feature presentation. See below for presentation details. **7:30 PM EST**: Optionally after the main presentations, the in-person crowd may go out for snacks and drinks at a local establishment. We hope to see you there! Session Abstract ### **Data Cleansing using Data Bricks** Machine Learning is highly dependent on adequate data. Not only does quantity matter, but more importantly quality. In this session we’ll cover how to build a custom automated process using Data Bricks. This will provide methods for cleaning data in a data lake using functions in Azure. \*Please note, that we will be using Microsoft Teams for the online portion of this meeting. You may want to join a few minutes early to ensure you do not have any issues. If you are attending in person, there are large TVs at the office, and you do not need to bring a laptop or use Teams.

Excited to share that AWS Cloud Club's first meeting will take place on Thursday, February 26th at 5pm - 6pm! We’re collaborating with [Big Data & Analytics Association](https://www.linkedin.com/company/big-data-analytics-association/) to host [Alok Jha](https://www.linkedin.com/in/alok-jha-42abb928/), Head of Product Management for AWS Intelligent Application Protection at Amazon Web Services, for a tech talk + Q&A on his journey in leading cutting-edge innovation in industry. If you’re interested in cloud, cybersecurity, AI, or product management, this is a session you won’t want to miss. Make sure to join our Meetup and GroupMe to stay up to date for future events and collabs!

Google is leading the AI revolution—don't miss your chance to stay ahead of the curve. Join GDG Cloud Indy for an immersive session where we bridge the gap between AI experimentation and enterprise production. We are thrilled to feature two expert-led deep dives into the Google AI ecosystem, designed for Cloud Architects, Developers, and AI enthusiasts alike. **The Lineup:** **11:00 AM \|** **Getting Started with Google Gemini** Speaker: Vaidehi S. Tripathi\*\*,\*\* Cloud Advisor, GDE, GDG Organizer (Cloud Indy) Focus: A walk-through of Gemini and multimodal models to boost daily productivity. **11:30 AM \|** **Google AI Studio vs. Vertex AI: The Path to GenAI** Speaker: Olga Scrivner, PhD, Google Cloud & GenAI Leader, WTM Ambassador, IEEE Humanitarian Tech Chair (Indy) Focus: Navigating the journey from rapid prototyping in AI Studio to production-ready deployments in Vertex AI. **The Perks:** Exclusive GDG Swag for attendees! Pizza & Soft Drinks (for in-person guests). Networking & Q&A with local industry leaders. **Meeting Link:** meet.google.com/wia-ygtn-fmc Also, Check our Meetup page at https://www.meetup.com/gdgcloudindy/ See you there! This is a hybrid event. Join the event virtually at: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-cloud-indy-presents-level-up-your-ai-game-with-google-gemini/ or in person at: Zionsville Town Hall - 1100 West Oak Street Zionsville, 46077 *** *** **About the Speakers :** **Olga Scrivner -** PhD\*\*,\*\* a certified Google Cloud and GenAI Leader, IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Chair (Central Indiana), and Women Tech Makers Ambassador In this talk, we’ll walk through Google’s primary generative AI platforms: **Google AI Studio** and **Vertex AI**. We’ll explore what each tool is designed for and how developers typically begin their journey with Google’s AI ecosystem. Using **Google AI Studio**, we’ll demonstrate how you can experiment with Google’s **Gemini models** to create and test ideas, from text generation to image and video creation. We’ll also discuss how these early experiments can later connect to **Vertex AI** for production use cases. **Vaidehi Tripathi** \- Elevance Health \(Cloud Advisor\) Founder and Organizer GDG Cloud Indy. Google Developer Expert-GDE. Vaidehi is a Cloud Advisor at Elevance Health (Formally Anthem) and before that worked as Solution Architecture Manager in Accenture focused on designing solution based on Google Cloud Platform. Vaidehi is a Google certified Architect, Data, Network, Security, Developer, DevOps and Machine Learning Engineer. **Hosted By :** Vaidehi Tripathi, GDG Organizer Complete your event RSVP here: https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-cloud-indy-presents-level-up-your-ai-game-with-google-gemini/.

Join other experienced and aspiring agile coaches and professionals to: * develop and practice your coaching skills in a peer-to-peer environment * share current successes and challenges in your work environment and get support from each other * learn from each other, build better relationships and experiment with new ideas

Want to be a speaker? submit your talk to our Call for Presenters!!! https://sessionize.com/cbus-hug-2026/

**New Dojo Location!** **Draft Day Columbus** 1130 Dublin Road Columbus, OH 43215 We're going to try a new dojo location for a few weeks and see how it works Dojos are informal Python group study sessions where everyone interested in Python gathers to learn about Python, help others with Python, or just hang out. Everyone is welcome from Python beginners to experts. Bringing a laptop is encouraged (we'll have extension cords and power strips). If there's something you want to learn leave a comment on this invite so we can plan ahead. We're looking for topic suggestions and people interested in presenting at our monthly meetings. To this end we've set up a survey form at [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15eBKF1nQQ2XS5gzD4rvhVRHMBEj7lJtHuA9wXupS3Uc)