Auto Loader vs COPY INTO in Databricks: A Decision Guide for Data Engineers
In modern lakehouse pipelines, one of the first ingestion decisions data engineers face is whether to use Auto Loader or COPY INTO. Both can load files incrementally into Delta tables, but they solve very different operational problems. Choosing the wrong one can impact scalability, cost, reliability, and maintenance overhead.
A Field Study: Databricks Genie vs Microsoft Fabric
Recently I have been leading an assessment for a global industrial manufacturer comparing Databricks Genie against an already mature Microsoft Power BI/Fabric environment. Genie feels like an up-and-coming platform gaining significant momentum alongside more established incumbents.
Software Vendor vs a Technology Partner
After building custom software for more than 30 years, I can tell you that most projects encounter detours along the way. Many have approached us with a well-defined project, a clear set of requirements, a budget, a deadline, and they need “someone to get that software built and launched… ASAP!” Choosing between a vendor and a technology […]
Lakehouse Accelerator – Wisconsin Databricks User Group
Databricks Logs Explained: Where to Look When Things Break From Driver to Delta
A Databricks job fails… or worse, it runs but performs poorly. You open the workspace and face a familiar question: Where do you start? Driver logs? Spark UI? Executor logs? Query history? Without a clear approach, it’s easy to jump between tabs and waste time chasing symptoms instead of root causes.
Transferring Data and Analytics to Databricks Dashboards
Data Engineering Panel – Wisconsin Databricks User Group
Advantages of N-Tier Architecture
Implementing a new software solution can be difficult to plan out and coordinate among your team. N‑Tier architecture (also called multi‑tier architecture) is a design approach that separates an application into distinct layers (“tiers”), where each tier has a clear responsibility and communicates with other tiers through well-defined interfaces.
Why Your Competitor’s Edge Isn’t a Chatbot
In 2026, every boardroom is having the same conversation right now. Someone’s asking whether the company has a “GenAI strategy,” someone else is demoing a chatbot, and a budget is getting reallocated to build it. I get it, and honestly, they should be using Gen AI, but it’s only part of the story.
Building a Scalable Geospatial Heatmap App on Databricks
A client came to us with thousands of services spread across every ZIP code in the United States. They wanted to see what areas had plenty of coverage and what areas were underserved. Static tables and dashboards weren’t good enough. They wanted something fast, interactive, and geographic that would allow them to explore where their […]