QA Tools and Practices

**Title**: Powering AI Through Data Modernization: Modernizing ETL with Databricks & Unity Catalog In this session, we will discuss how enterprises are modernizing their data platforms by migrating from legacy ETL tools (such as Informatica and traditional data warehouses) to Databricks Lakehouse architecture, and how Unity Catalog enables enterprise-grade governance, security, and discoverability across data and AI assets. We will start with food and drinks at 6pm and then move into the presentation at 6:30pm. The session will cover: * Why traditional ETL platforms are becoming a bottleneck for scale, cost, and AI adoption * How Databricks changes the data engineering and analytics operating mode * The role of Unity Catalog in centralized governance * How this foundation enables AI and Gene.AI use cases on trusted data * Q&A Our speaker for this event is **Hirenkumar Dholariya**. Hirenkumar Dholariya is a Senior Data Engineering Architect with 18+ years of experience modernizing enterprise data platforms for global Fortune 500 organizations, delivering up to 40% system performance improvement and 20–35% infrastructure cost reduction through large-scale migration from legacy ETL platforms to cloud-native Lakehouse architectures. He specializes in Databricks-based data engineering, Unity Catalog–driven governance, and building scalable, secure, and real-time analytics platforms. He has led multiple enterprise-wide transformations from tools such as Informatica and traditional data warehouses to Databricks, establishing governed data foundations using Unity Catalog and enabling advanced analytics and AI use cases on top of trusted data platforms. His leadership focuses on architecting durable data platforms, enabling teams to move faster with confidence, and translating data and AI investments into measurable business outcomes. *

Join us in our English Conversation Practice group where we get to know one another, support each other and practice English! Whether you're a beginner or advanced speaker, we want to help support you wherever you are! What to expect: * introductions & ice breaker game * read current events article * discussion questions * announcements We will eat somewhere afterwards - hoping you can join!

The next NoVABeerSec event - "Informal Gathering of Security Minds Over Beer'' will be Wednesday, February 25th, 5:30PM til 7ish at Crooked Run Fermentation (22455 Davis Drive, Sterling, VA ). **BONUS** there is a Senor Ramon Taqueria as part of the brewery; so it will be a “Taco Wednesday” for everyone ;) **Venue for February:** Crooked Run Fermentation (https://crookedrunfermentation.com/sterling-virginia-2/) - Crooked Run Fermentation is a Virginia-based producer of contemporary and traditional beers, coolship sours, natural wines, ciders, and seltzers. Started in 2013 in Leesburg, Virginia, Crooked Run has developed a following for creative and nuanced beverages across a variety of styles, from lagers to IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, sours, and beyond beer. In 2017, we opened our main production facility in Sterling, Virginia, and will open a third location in northeast DC in 2022. Opened in 2017, the Sterling location features a bustling taproom, outdoor biergarten, 10 BBL brewhouse, and best of all, TACOS! Senor Ramon Taqueria offers a full menu of tacos, quesadillas, empanadas, and more. Come relax with 12 beers on tap, weekend live music, and some great food! If you're biking, we're right off the W&OD Trail. **Additional Info:** We are an inclusive group, so if we missed anyone please let us know or if you want to bring your significant other/spouse please do. Have a great week and see you later this month! Cheers, Rinaldi Rampen & Mike McCabe of @NoVABeerSec

In this workshop you will be exploring popular divination tools such as Card Readings, Crystals, Tarot, Crystals, Numerology, Essential Oils, and Pendulums, in addition to a variety of psychic development exercises to help develop your natural abilities, through practices such as meditation. Each session you will learn something different . You will gain amazing experiences and tools to learn how to trust your intuition. $25/ 90 min class (may go as long as 2 hours) Make payments with Cash/in person, Venmo or PayPal @LeighAnn-Sutton (Venmo) or PayPal.Me/Suttonla319 (PayPal) Check out my website https://www.exceptionalmindsopenhearts.com for additional offerings and payment options

Getting attention as a B2B marketer is harder than ever. Posting more isn’t working. Being everywhere isn’t realistic. And most content disappears as fast as it’s published. This session is about using **one tool, a podcast, to expand your reach in oversaturated markets**. **Stephen A. Hart** will walk through how he built and scaled *Wait Just An Infosec* at **SANS Institute**, turning a single weekly show into a reliable way to put the brand’s thinking in front of the right people, without flooding the market or burning out the team. This is not a “start a podcast” talk. It’s about designing a podcast so it does real work for your business. You’ll see: * How to use a podcast to say what your brand stands for, clearly and consistently * How to reach new audiences by featuring people who already have trust and attention * How one long conversation can support marketing, sales, and partnerships at the same time You’ll leave knowing whether podcasting makes sense for your business and if it does, how to use it to extend your reach, strengthen your voice, and support growth without posting every day.