Lakehouse Architecture, CI/CD for Databricks & Data + AI Summit Announcements

Welcome to the UAE Databricks Meetup - August 2026

Join us for a fun evening packed with Databricks insights, real-world use cases, expert speakers, and networking with the local Databricks community.

Agenda:
19:00 – 19:15 | Arrival & Networking
Meet fellow data professionals, practitioners, and Databricks enthusiasts
19:15 – 19:30 | Opening Remarks & Introductions
Opening remarks from the organisers
19:30 – 20:45 | Sessions
Hear from speakers on practical Databricks and AI insights.
Food will be served during the sessions.
20:45 onwards | Drinks & Networking
Continue the conversations over drinks and informal networking

Session 1
Fahim Kundi – Head of Data Engineering, Alef Education
An introduction to Databricks.
Fahim will share how Databricks works, it's components and core concepts. In this session, you’ll learn:

• The Lakehouse architecture
• Core concepts
• Workspaces
• Clusters and interactive collaborative workbooks

This is a highly practical session for anyone looking to build their Databricks knowledge.

Session 2
Sye Rahman - Head of Data & AI - Datasense & GCC Tech Talks Host
CI/CD for Databricks: What Does Good Look Like?
Sye will walk through the infrastructure and CI/CD side of Databricks - moving beyond the basics into how a well-architected, enterprise-grade deployment actually looks. In this session, you'll learn:

• Reference architecture for Databricks CI/CD
• Key components to deploy via CI across test and prod environments
• What enterprise deployment looks like with multiple entities, regions, or workspaces
• Managing shared vs. unique data catalogues across environments

Session 3
Tom Stroud - GM, Middle East - 7Dxperts & GCC Tech Talks Host
Data + AI Summit Round-Up: Unveiling Exciting New Features
Tom will provide a comprehensive roundup from the Databricks Data & AI summit. You'll hear about:

• LTAP
• Lakehouse//RT
• Genie One
• CustomerLake
• Agent Bricks
• Lakebase Search
• Lakeflow
• Unity Catalog + AI Gateway

Date and Location:
📅 Date: 27th August 2026
🕠 Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
📍 Venue: Five Iron Members Lounge, The Westin, Dubai Marina
Join us for a fantastic evening of learning and networking at the UAE Databricks User Group!