Writing & learning in public

Notes from building data platforms alone.

One decision I made on the Microsoft stack, why I made it, and what it cost. No predictions, no listicles, no "five ways AI will change everything" — just the decision, the alternative I rejected, and the thing I got wrong the first time.

Written for the person who is the whole data team: the one technical hire at a nonprofit, the analyst who became the platform owner by accident, the IT lead who now owns reporting too.

Get it in your inbox

New issues straight to your inbox. No sequences, no upsells, unsubscribe in one click.

Format — one idea per issue Issues so far — 5
Archive

Every decision, and what it cost.

Ship one report before you build the platform

One-person data team

Redact before the model, not after

AI

How Azure Automation Cut Our Microsoft Fabric Cost by 78%

Fabric

Direct Lake is not a free upgrade

Fabric

The SharePoint list that became a database

Power Platform
Get in touch

Reply to any issue — I read all of them.

If something here matched a problem you're sitting on, or contradicted your experience, that's worth an email either way.