Resurrecting the Blog
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It is time to resurrect the blog, almost exactly 10 years after its inception.
Alexander Arvidsson
I make data matter, as only data that matters can inspire change.
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Hey there and welcome! I am Alexander.
The intersection of people and information shapes everything.
I work as a consultant helping organizations make their data matter, and I enjoy sharing my thoughts and knowledge at conferences, in blog posts, and in my podcast Knee-Deep in Tech. Microsoft has recognized these contributions with the MVP award in the Data Platform category since 2018.
Recent
Focus on what is relevant
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Southwest Airlines’ December scheduling collapse exposed the dangers of deprioritizing both people and technical debt, as 90s-era systems designed for 300 daily operations failed under 20,000+ operations following a leadership shift from operational focus to profit-driven management.
Fightning with .NET - 'unable to resolve' nuGet package errors
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Encountered cryptic NuGet package errors while setting up a .NET test environment. The fix: remind NuGet where to find packages by re-adding the source with dotnet nuget add source. A simple solution to a confusing problem.
Retiring a session
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Retiring my most successful session after 20 presentations. Not because it failed, but because it exploded beyond what one session can hold. Splitting the original ‘The Untruthful Art’ into multiple new talks, with the final bow at DataMinds Connect in October.
Conference equals party! - or does it?
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Conferences aren’t the party most people think they are. The hidden reality: spending 10-100 hours preparing a single session, the mental exhaustion of networking, and why professional conferences are about career growth, not celebration.
Speaking at the Global Power BI Summit and SQLBits
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One virtual session at Global Power BI Summit, then straight to the airport for SQLBits in London. Two talks, three countries, five days. The European data conference scene doesn’t stop, and neither do I this week!
Speaking at DataMinds Connect
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Pandemic killed 2020’s plans. Now finally back on stage at DataMinds Connect in Belgium with a new session on something technical speakers ignore: emotions. First in-person conference travel since the world stopped. I’m so ready to teach again!
On Community - Again
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Years ago, fear kept me silent about bad actors in tech. Now stepping away from Data Weekender after organizers kept a speaker with documented harmful behavior. Safety demands action, not just codes of conduct. No longer afraid to speak out.