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🗞️Welcome to BIPro #87 – Your Weekly Business Intelligence Boost! 🚀

Get ready for this week’s latest BI trends, strategies, and insights to fuel your data-driven success!

📊 Data Trends That Matter

◘ LlamaIndex Meets Cloud Power: Unlock better insights with LlamaIndex’s integration with AlloyDB and PostgreSQL Cloud SQL.

◘ Revamping Supply Chains: How Rehrig Pacific leverages Amazon QuickSight for transformative analytics.

◘ No-Code Wizardry: Open Interpreter makes BI accessible to everyone—no code required!

◘ Direct Data Magic: A fresh approach to visualizing data straight from Numpy arrays.

◘ Microsoft Fabric Gets the Green Light: Now FedRAMP High authorized—secure your BI in Azure Commercial.

◘ The NOLOCK Paradox: Why “dirty reads” might just clean up your database performance.

◘ JSON in PostgreSQL: Powerful, versatile, and essential for modern BI.

Software delivery to dedicated edge devices is one of the most complex challenges faced by IT professionals today. While edge deployments come with inherent complications, it’s possible to avoid the pitfalls. With this guide in hand, a little planning, and the right tools and strategies in place, you can be confident you’ll never push a faulty update at scale.

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🔄 Transformations That Inspire

◘ SAP HANA’s Safety Net: Google Cloud’s Backup and DR Service for enterprise peace of mind.

◘ New AWS Datasets: 39 fresh additions to supercharge your analysis on the Registry of Open Data.

◘ Data Security Simplified: A closer look at Data Control Language (DCL).

◘ Real-Time BI Monitoring: Fabric Spark applications with live insights.

◘ Microsoft SQL Server 2025: AI-ready database redefined—cloud to ground.

◘ Smart Associations: Building polymorphic relationships in SQL Server.

◘ Effortless Pipeline Management: Streamline Azure Data Factory pipelines in Microsoft Fabric.

◘ PostgreSQL Optimization: Query smarter, not harder.

⚡ Quick BI Wins

◘ Firestore Migration Success: How HighLevel transitioned workloads with ease.

◘ Save Big on AWS: Practical tips for effective cost optimization.

◘ Real-Time Dashboards in a Snap: Seamlessly recreate your ADX dashboards in Fabric.

◘ Structured Data Basics: Build a solid BI foundation with key principles.

◘ Meet ChatGPT Pro: The next level in conversational AI.

◘ Sora Is Here: Discover the new standard in AI tools.

◘ DIY AI Training: Use Google Colab to train your own language models.

🎤 Insights from BI Pros

◘ AI Meets Strategy: Integrating AI and data science into your business roadmap.

◘ Closing the Data Literacy Gap: A deep dive into the evolution and future of data skills.

◘ GPS and Analytics: Bridging maps, kinematics, and BI for next-gen solutions.

◘ Power BI Teams Update: What the ‘Teams activity analytics’ deprecation means for you.

◘ From Code to Paper: Using GPT and Python to create scientific documents.

◘ SQL vs. Spreadsheets: Building robust champion/challenger tests from scratch.

Dive in and let this week’s insights supercharge your BI journey! 🚀

Calling All Data & BI Enthusiasts!

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This is our final edition of BIPro for 2024, but don’t worry—we’ll be back with more insights and updates in January 2025. In the meantime, we’ve got a little holiday treat for you!

Packt has some exciting offers lined up to help you boost your tech skills and get ready for an amazing new year! It’s the perfect opportunity to relax, learn something new, and stay ahead in your field. Keep an eye out for these special holiday deals!

From all of us at the Packt Newsletters team, we wish you a joyful holiday season and a fantastic start to 2025. See you next year! 🎄✨

Cheers,

Merlyn Shelley

Editor-in-Chief, Packt

➽Learn Microsoft Fabric: Explore Microsoft Fabric's features through real-world examples to build robust data analytics solutions, including lakehouses and data warehouses. Learn to monitor and manage your analytics system for flexibility, performance, and security, while leveraging AI-driven insights with Copilot integration. Start your free trial for access, renewing at $19.99/month.

➽Microsoft Power BI Cookbook - Third Edition: Dive into Microsoft Data Fabric to enhance data strategies and gain deeper insights. Effortlessly create Hybrid tables and comprehensive scorecards while utilizing new visualization tools that transform complex data into clear, actionable charts and reports for effective decision-making in Power BI. Start your free trial for access, renewing at $19.99/month.

➽Fundamentals of Analytics Engineering: Explore how analytics engineering aligns with your organization's data strategy while gaining insights from seven industry experts. Address common challenges faced by businesses and learn to implement scalable analytics solutions, from data ingestion to visualization, using industry-leading tools. Start your free trial for access, renewing at $19.99/month.

➽Getting Started with DuckDB: Utilize DuckDB to efficiently load, transform, and query diverse data sources and formats. Gain hands-on experience with SQL, Python, and R for data analysis, while exploring how open-source tools and cloud services enhance DuckDB’s versatile capabilities in the data ecosystem. Start your free trial for access, renewing at $19.99/month.

⫸ LlamaIndex integrates with AlloyDB and Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL: This blog dives into how AI agents, powered by LlamaIndex and Google Cloud integrations, are transforming application development. It highlights agentic RAG workflows, complex data parsing, and advanced knowledge retrieval, showcasing new possibilities for automating tasks like report generation and beyond.

⫸ Rehrig Pacific Company transforms supply chain analytics with Amazon QuickSight: This blog highlights how Rehrig Pacific transformed its analytics with Amazon QuickSight. It explores how they overcame data growth challenges, rapidly deployed dashboards, embedded AI-driven analytics, and boosted customer satisfaction while planning future AI enhancements to scale operations efficiently.

⫸ No Code, No Problem: How to Use Open Interpreter: This blog introduces Open Interpreter, a no-code tool that lets you control your computer with natural language commands. Learn how to install it, configure API keys, and use it for tasks like math calculations, defining functions, and data analysis effortlessly!

⫸ Visualizing Data Directly from Numpy Arrays: This tutorial covers visualizing data in Python using NumPy and Matplotlib. Learn practical examples such as line plots for stock prices, scatter plots for height versus weight analysis, and 2D array heatmaps for temperature data to build essential data visualization skills.

⫸ Microsoft Fabric approved as a Service within the FedRAMP High Authorization for Azure Commercial: Microsoft Fabric has achieved FedRAMP High Authorization for Azure Commercial, meeting rigorous security standards for US government agencies. This milestone enables federal organizations to securely adopt AI-powered tools to manage, connect, and analyze data while ensuring compliance.

⫸ The Paradox of NOLOCK: How Dirty Reads Can Sometimes Be Cleaner. This blog explores the nuances of using NOLOCK in SQL Server. While often discouraged, NOLOCK can improve query speed by reading uncommitted data, which is useful for non-critical reports. It highlights strategic use cases, trade-offs, and when accuracy must take priority.

⫸ JSON in PostgreSQL: This article provides a practical guide to using JSON in PostgreSQL, covering JSON data types, key operators, and functions. Learn to store, query, and manipulate JSON efficiently with examples of table creation, valid data insertion, and querying JSON fields.

⫸ Google Cloud Backup and DR Service for SAP HANA: This article explores Google Cloud's Backup and DR solution for SAP HANA, highlighting cost-effective cold disaster recovery strategies with Persistent Disk snapshots. Learn how integration with HANA Savepoints enables faster recovery, reduced storage costs, and simplified DR management.

⫸ 39 new or updated datasets available on the Registry of Open Data on AWS: This article highlights the AWS Open Data Sponsorship Program, which democratizes access to over 100 petabytes of cloud-optimized datasets for public analysis. It features 39 newly released datasets, including medical imaging, climate, and geospatial data, fostering innovation and collaboration.

⫸ Data Control Language (aka Security): This article explores the three SQL sub-languages: DDL, DML, and DCL emphasizing their interconnected roles in schema design, data manipulation, and privilege management. It highlights best practices, potential pitfalls, and the significance of thoughtful privilege allocation to ensure secure and effective database management.

⫸ Monitor Fabric Spark applications using Fabric Real-Time Intelligence: This article explains how to set up a centralized Spark monitoring solution in Fabric using Real-Time Intelligence. It covers configuring Spark diagnostics, emitting logs and metrics to Azure destinations, and querying data with KQL for effective performance monitoring and diagnostics.

⫸ Announcing Microsoft SQL Server 2025: Enterprise AI-ready database from ground to cloud. This article introduces Microsoft SQL Server 2025, an AI-ready database designed for hybrid environments. It highlights built-in AI capabilities, enhanced security and performance features, integration with Microsoft Fabric and Azure Arc, and tools for real-time analytics and developer productivity.

⫸ Build Polymorphic Associations in SQL Server with Foreign Keys: This article addresses the challenge of creating polymorphic associations in SQL Server, where a foreign key references multiple tables. It explains the concept, illustrates it with a media review database example, and offers design workarounds to maintain data integrity and simplify schema management.

⫸ Manage Azure Data Factory pipelines in Microsoft Fabric: This article explores managing existing Azure Data Factory (ADF) pipelines within Microsoft Fabric, offering a solution for centralizing data operations. It details the steps to "mount" ADF environments in Fabric, allowing seamless management while addressing challenges of migration and feature gaps.

⫸ PostgreSQL: Query Optimization for Mere Humans. This article discusses optimizing SQL queries by identifying bottlenecks using the PostgreSQL EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN ANALYZE clauses. It covers interpreting execution plans, understanding query performance issues, and provides tips to enhance database efficiency for better user experience.

⫸ HighLevel migrates workloads to Firestore: This article explores how HighLevel, a SaaS platform, improved scalability and performance by migrating to Google Firestore. It highlights Firestore's serverless architecture, real-time capabilities, and role in powering HighLevel's AI solutions, enhancing productivity, reliability, and handling rapid database write surges.

⫸ AWS Cost Optimization: This article provides actionable tips for optimizing AWS cloud costs. It highlights strategies like minimizing data transfer costs, identifying underutilized EC2 instances, and using cost-allocation tags to reduce waste, streamline operations, and enhance budget management effectively.

⫸ Easily recreate your ADX dashboards as Real-Time Dashboards in Fabric: This article explains how to recreate Azure Data Explorer (ADX) dashboards as Real-Time Dashboards in Microsoft Fabric. It covers the benefits of retaining existing data architecture while leveraging Fabric's advanced features and provides step-by-step guidance for transitioning dashboards seamlessly into the Fabric ecosystem.

⫸ Learn the Basics of Well-Structured Data: This article explores data literacy, focusing on understanding, structuring, and using data effectively. It highlights key data traits like volume, history, detail, and consistency, explains well-structured data principles, and offers solutions like splitting and pivoting for improving poorly structured datasets.

⫸ Introducing ChatGPT Pro: This article introduces ChatGPT Pro, a $200 monthly plan designed for professionals tackling complex problems. It includes access to advanced AI models, such as o1 pro mode, offering enhanced compute capabilities for improved accuracy and reliability in fields like data science, programming, and research.

⫸ Sora is here: This article introduces Sora Turbo, an advanced video generation model by OpenAI, now available to ChatGPT Plus and Pro users. It enables realistic video creation from text, images, and videos, offering enhanced storytelling tools with safety features to ensure responsible use.

⫸ Training Language Models on Google Colab: This article provides a guide to fine-tuning Large Language Models on Google Colab without losing progress. It explains using Google Drive to save intermediate results, creating save and load functions for model checkpoints, and ensuring continuity in training across sessions.

⫸ How to Integrate AI and Data Science into Your Business Strategy: This article provides a blueprint for conducting a two-day strategy workshop to integrate AI and machine learning into business strategy. It covers preparation, attendee selection, deep-dive topic identification, and post-workshop actions, offering a versatile, industry-agnostic approach for businesses of any size.

⫸ Bridging the Data Literacy Gap. The Advent, Evolution, and Current: This article highlights the evolving role of "Data Translators," professionals bridging the gap between business leaders and data teams to drive data-informed decision-making. It explores challenges like balancing resource abundance with actionable insights and emphasizes the critical need for data literacy to maximize organizational impact.

⫸ GPS Interpolation Using Maps and Kinematics: This article explores how to enhance vehicle telematics datasets by interpolating GPS locations between signal changes. It explains packaging approaches, demonstrates challenges with repeated GPS data, and outlines how to use maps and speed signals for accurate geospatial interpolation, improving dataset resolution and value.

⫸ Power BI in Teams – ‘Teams activity analytics’ report deprecation: This blog announces the deprecation of Power BI's 'Teams activity analytics' report, effective February 1, 2025, and recommends using the native 'Teams Analytics' feature for comprehensive insights into Teams usage and activities.

⫸ From Code to Paper: Using GPT Models and Python to Generate Scientific LaTeX Documents. This blog discusses automating the conversion of algorithms into LaTeX-formatted scientific documents using GPT models. It explores structuring repositories, leveraging GPT for consistency and accuracy, and creating adaptable, professional frameworks for documenting complex algorithms in large projects.

⫸ SQL vs. Calculators: Building Champion/Challenger Tests from Scratch. This blog explores the impact of A/B testing (Champion-Challenger testing) on business decision-making, inspired by the famous $300 million button story. It provides a practical guide to implementing this method using Oracle SQL, focusing on hypothesis testing, statistical parameters, and optimizing outcomes like payment rates through controlled experiments.

We’ve got more great things coming your way—see you soon!