Content Type: Episode

Good Design is the Cake, Not the Icing, w/ Brad Weed

Today, special guest, Brad Weed of Interplace waxes philosophical about his and Rob’s shared time at Microsoft and we discover where the seeds of ethical capitalism were planted. He is a former designer at Microsoft who worked on every release of Office from 1992-2007 and played a major role in defining and refining the company’s design and user research disciplines. He is an incredible entrepreneur with a passion for innovation who may forever be known as the perfector of the Microsoft Ruler.

Written by on February 21, 2023

Readily Ticket’s Series of Fortunate Events, w/ David Wood

Today, we welcome David Wood, founder of Eventene, to share the story of his exceptional journey through the ever-evolving field of computer technology and the extensive digital transformation it has undergone over the years. David will take us back to his high school days when his interest in technology was first sparked by the purchase of a scientific calculator with programming capabilities. While nowadays, your cellphone may hold more computing power, back in the day, a programable calculator with 210 programable steps, 21 memories, and a full complement of scientific functions was the bleeding edge of technology . . . and for David, it was his gateway to the world of technology.

Written by on February 14, 2023

The Impostor Syndrome World Championships, w/ Jocelyn Collie

Today’s guest, Jocelyn Collie, is the co-founder of P3 Adaptive, and she brings a story or two to share with you on impostor syndrome. But what is impostor syndrome? Have you ever felt like a fake or a fraud despite your accomplishments? That is impostor syndrome.  It’s when you don’t believe in your own abilities and attribute your success to things like luck or outside help or even view yourself as less accomplished or mediocre.

Written by on February 7, 2023

Quickbooks Analytics When You Can’t Find the ‘Any’ Key w/ Chuck Vigeant

On today’s episode, Chuck Vigeant, founder/CEO of Clearify, entrepreneur, speaker, leadership consultant, golf aficionado, and, the mastermind behind QQube, brings his most interesting stories of XML, ETL, and even some PGA. He discusses the frustration of accessing data in QuickBooks, sometimes a download can take 12+ hours. For many QuickBooks users, workarounds have become too complicated and time-consuming so they have resorted to deleting data yearly to save time. Can you imagine? Deleting data to access data? It’s madness!

Written by on January 31, 2023

Environmental Engineering Meets the Data Gene, w/ MS MVP Alice Drummond

On today’s episode, Alice Drummond, co-founder of DiscoverEI gives the inside scoop on transitioning from environmental engineering to Microsoft Power Platform MVP.  She shares her story of building a consultancy firm from the ground(water) up while increasing her own skill set. She and Rob wax poetic on the struggles of taking the plunge into the small business owners’ realm and neither sugarcoats the challenges faced.

Written by on January 24, 2023

The DAX Draft

When its winner takes all, it’s the unexpected choice that provides the most impressive results. Who made the bold moves? Three Power BI DAX experts duke it out in a game of “Choose it or Lose it” with 8 cutthroat rounds of DAX Draft! Can Rob Collie’s Street DAX scrape by? Will 15-time Microsoft MVP Ed Hansberry’s mental compilation of functions and chess moves prevail? Or can scrappy P3 Adaptive newcomer Leigh Ann Thibadoux blindside both?

Written by on January 17, 2023

Pragmatic Works is a Two Word Sentence, w/ Brian Knight

In this episode, Brian Knight, founder of Pragmatic Works, describes his accidental entrance into the field of technology. From a chance job offer to being “that guy” who hit the server rebuild button, you won’t want to miss this data origin story.  Only someone like Brian could get such a great start by nuking a database and turning it into a DBA career where he would become both a prolific community member and content creator.

Written by on January 10, 2023

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Chicago, w/Nicole Janeway Bills

Today, Nicole Janeway Bills, community organizer for Data Strategy Professionals, stops by with the inner scoop on data training, cryptocurrency, tokens, scandal, fraud, and the trauma of moving. At the time of recording, Nicole was an employee of FTX. During the podcast, she shared tales of last-minute relocations and the expense of attaining career goals right as an unraveling began.

Written by on December 6, 2022

The Elevator Pitch for Power BI, w/ Microsoft MVP Belinda Allen

On today’s episode, we sit down with 11-time Microsoft MVP Belinda Allen. As the co-author of two books and a prolific Power Platform blogger, Belinda has a unique perspective on business intrigue, data discoveries, and reporting solutions. With her penchant for pivot tables, she is a classic example of a citizen developer, and she generously shares her knowledge with the communities at large through her writing, public speaking, and training.

Written by on November 29, 2022

Something Bigger than Yourself, w/ Microsoft’s Miguel Escobar

Today, we reunite two old friends with a penchant for writing books for people adjacent to tech as we welcome Miguel Escobar to the show. If you use Power Query or Power BI, you might have heard of Miguel. He is the co-author of several books on Power Query, Power BI, Power Pivot, and DAX. He is also part of the expert trifecta that created Skill Wave training and he is now an integral part of Microsoft working to make Power Query better for all users.

Written by on November 22, 2022

A Guest Fit for the 100th Episode, w/ Justin Mannhardt

P3 Adaptive’s own Justin Mannhardt gives the inside scoop on delivering results and backing into data infrastructure, aka the origin story of P3 Adaptive’s Solutions Architect Team and the impact it can have on an analytics project. Justin explains the expanded focus to fulfill analytics needs through a more holistic approach to drive adoption and deliver results. With his own experience, he explains how results must sometimes come first as a proof of concept but once results are verified, more support is often needed to ensure a smooth functioning process. Rob often refers to this as the faucet first analogy, and it has the power to convince the exec team that analytics can be fruitful for businesses of all sizes.

Written by on November 10, 2022

Power Query Saves Christmas w/ Gus Miranda

Today’s guest, Gus Miranda, shares his story of how reducing friction and creating automation introduced even non-data people to the concept that data quality matters. Most importantly, though, today you will learn the underdog story of how Power Query saved Christmas during the Kronos Hack of 2021. Get the inside scoop from crisis meeting to crisis meeting until the moment when Gus stood up to save the day. While other multi-million-dollar companies were paralyzed, shocked, and attempting to ad-hoc calculate payroll and vacations, often incorrectly, Gus’s task force used Power Query to create an effective solution in time to prevent employees from missing Christmas with their families.

Written by on November 1, 2022