Archives: Podcasts

Like Throwing Water on Gremlins, w/ Fred Kaffenberger

In this episode of Raw Data by P3 Adaptive, former P3 Adaptive superstar Fred Kaffenberger is our guest. Rob and Fred will be reminiscing about old times and geeking out over all things Microsoft. But the real kicker? Fred will be revealing a shocking confession: he once faced Rob’s dreaded “Interview of Doom” without even knowing what V-LOOKUP was! What happened next? Well, let’s just say Fred didn’t let that minor setback hold him back from becoming a data wizard!

Written by on March 21, 2023

Bill Gates Needed a Chair

Today, we’re doing something a little different. We’re going to focus on a true, unfiltered story about people in the tech industry, and more specifically, about one of the most powerful figures in the field – Bill Gates. Some might even say he’s one of the most powerful men in the world. This story had a profound impact on Rob, and we’re excited to share it with you.

Written by on March 14, 2023

Put Some Adventure On Your Taco, w/ Dan Battagin

Today’s guest is Dan Battagin, a former program manager for Microsoft and the genius behind Adventure Taco! Dan has an impressive track record as the former lead developer of Microsoft’s Power Query as well as experience with multiple other software programs. We’re excited to have him on the show, especially since he only agreed to appear in order to learn about Rob’s video background. But once the conversation gets going, you will realize that Dan has a wealth of expertise in data cleansing and transformation that we can all learn from.

Written by on March 7, 2023

Rebooting Excel and Reinventing Ourselves, w/ Charlie Ellis

On today’s episode, Charlie Ellis, former Program Manager at Microsoft and expert on the heart of excel, the calc engine, sits down for an amazing conversation. He brings with him stories of the evolution of Office that began with the retooling of Excel 2007. That reboot went on to become a veritable restart of the program that nearly wiped the slate clean by creating what would in essence become a new, more responsive product. 

Written by on February 28, 2023

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