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Ed Freeman - Software Engineer II

Ed Freeman

Software Engineer II

Ed is the 4th person to have graduated from our award winning Apprenticeship scheme.

Meet Ed

Ed Freeman

Ed is a Data Engineer helping to deliver projects for clients of all shapes and sizes, providing best of breed technology solutions to industry specific challenges. He focusses primarily on cloud technologies, data analytics and business intelligence, though his Mathematical background has also led to a distinct interest in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and other related fields.

He also curates a weekly newsletter, Power BI Weekly, where you can receive all the latest Power BI news, for free.

Ed won the Cloud Apprentice of the Year at the Computing Rising Star Awards 2019.

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Ed’s blog

Microsoft Fabric: Announced

Microsoft Fabric: Announced

Ed Freeman

Microsoft Fabric unifies Power BI, Data Factory & Data Lake on Synapse infrastructure, reducing cost & time while enabling citizen data science.
What is OneLake?

What is OneLake?

Ed Freeman

Explore OneLake, Microsoft Fabric's core storage for data in Azure & other clouds. Discover its role in Fabric workloads, the OneDrive equivalent for data storage.
Intro to Microsoft Fabric

Intro to Microsoft Fabric

Ed Freeman

Microsoft Fabric unifies data & analytics, building on Azure Synapse Analytics for improved data-level interoperability. Explore its offerings & pros/cons.
Customizing Lake Databases in Azure Synapse Analytics

Customizing Lake Databases in Azure Synapse Analytics

Ed Freeman

Explore Custom Objects in Lake Databases for user-friendly column names, calculated columns, and pre-defined queries in Azure Synapse Analytics.
What is a Lake Database in Azure Synapse Analytics?

What is a Lake Database in Azure Synapse Analytics?

Ed Freeman

Explore Lake Databases in Azure Synapse Analytics: analyze Dataverse data, share Spark tables, and design models with Database Templates.
Sharing access to synchronized Shared Metadata Model objects in Azure Synapse Analytics

Sharing access to synchronized Shared Metadata Model objects in Azure Synapse Analytics

Ed Freeman

Learn how to grant non-admin users access to Spark synchronized objects with SQL Serverless in Synapse Analytics using the Shared Metadata Model.
What is the Shared Metadata Model in Azure Synapse Analytics, and why should I use it?

What is the Shared Metadata Model in Azure Synapse Analytics, and why should I use it?

Ed Freeman

Explore Azure Synapse's 'Shared Metadata Model' feature. Learn how it syncs Spark tables with SQL Serverless, its benefits, and tradeoffs.
How to safely reference a nullable activity output in Azure Synapse Pipelines and Azure Data Factory

How to safely reference a nullable activity output in Azure Synapse Pipelines and Azure Data Factory

Ed Freeman

Discover Azure Data Factory's null-safe operator for referencing activity outputs that may not always exist. Learn to use it effectively.
How to consume a NuGet package in PowerShell

How to consume a NuGet package in PowerShell

Ed Freeman

Learn how to import .NET packages from NuGet into PowerShell and utilize their classes/methods, while avoiding PowerShell NuGet provider pitfalls.
How to update credentials for an on-prem Power BI data source using PowerShell

How to update credentials for an on-prem Power BI data source using PowerShell

Ed Freeman

Learn to automate Power BI data source credential updates using RSA-OAEP encryption and .NET SDK helper classes for on-premises data sources.
How to fix the "You need permission to access workspace..." error in Azure Synapse Analytics

How to fix the "You need permission to access workspace..." error in Azure Synapse Analytics

Ed Freeman

Fix the "You need permission" error in Azure Synapse Analytics with this guide, addressing its causes and solutions for Data Engineers/Developers.
How to use the Azure CLI to manage access to Synapse Studio

How to use the Azure CLI to manage access to Synapse Studio

Ed Freeman

Assign roles in Synapse Studio for Azure Synapse Analytics devs using Azure CLI. Accessible by Owners/Contributors of the resource.
Deploy an Azure Synapse Analytics workspace using an ARM Template

Deploy an Azure Synapse Analytics workspace using an ARM Template

Ed Freeman

Explore deploying Azure Synapse Analytics workspaces using ARM templates, a popular infrastructure deployment method for organizations.
Using Azure Key Vault for Encryption in C# - A Simple Tutorial

Using Azure Key Vault for Encryption in C# - A Simple Tutorial

Ed Freeman

Learn to encrypt data in your app using C# and Azure SDK libraries, and secure keys with Azure Key Vault. Discover the easy setup process in this blog.
How to dynamically choose the correct font colour based on a background colour in Power BI tables.

How to dynamically choose the correct font colour based on a background colour in Power BI tables.

Ed Freeman

Boost Power BI report readability with dynamic font colors for diverse backgrounds, ensuring clear text display and enhanced accessibility.
Power BI Embedded: Convention-based dynamic Row-level Security

Power BI Embedded: Convention-based dynamic Row-level Security

Ed Freeman

Explore Power BI Embedded for ISVs, using JavaScript library for personalization, Row-level Security, and modifying Embed Requests for data filtering.
Power BI Dataflow refresh polling

Power BI Dataflow refresh polling

Ed Freeman

Discover how to programmatically retrieve Power BI Dataflow refresh history for automated operations, enabling efficient dataset refresh management.
Power BI Data Type Mappings

Power BI Data Type Mappings

Ed Freeman

Explore Power BI data types across mediums, learn their corresponding names, and simplify query conversions with this informative blog and report.
NDC London 2020 - My highlights

NDC London 2020 - My highlights

Ed Freeman

Ed attended NDC London 2020, along with many of his endjin colleagues. In this post he summarises and reflects upon his favourite sessions of the conference including; "OWASP Top Ten proactive controls" by Jim Manico, "There's an Impostor in this room!" by Angharad Edwards, "How to code music?" by Laura Silvanavičiūtė, "ML and the IoT: Living on the Edge" by Brandon Satrom, "Common API Security Pitfalls" by Philippe De Ryck, and "Combatting illegal fishing with Machine Learning and Azure - for less than £10 / month" by Jess Panni & Carmel Eve.
Troubleshooting "NotImplemented / Access is denied" error when integrating Azure App Service with Azure Virtual Network (VNet)

Troubleshooting "NotImplemented / Access is denied" error when integrating Azure App Service with Azure Virtual Network (VNet)

Ed Freeman

Are you configuring your Azure App Service to use a VNet? The regional VNet integration for an Azure App Service is a preview feature, and so comes with some quirks. One of the documented limitations of this preview feature is that "The feature is only available from newer App Service scale units that support PremiumV2 App Service plans." This has interesting implications as to how you need to deploy your App Service, otherwise you could end up with a rather perplexing pattern of errors. Read about how we came about this error, and how we ended up fixing it.
Import and export notebooks in Databricks

Import and export notebooks in Databricks

Ed Freeman

Learn to import/export notebooks in Databricks workspaces manually or programmatically, and transfer content between workspaces efficiently.
Azure Databricks CLI "Error: JSONDecodeError: Expecting property name enclosed in double quotes:..."

Azure Databricks CLI "Error: JSONDecodeError: Expecting property name enclosed in double quotes:..."

Ed Freeman

Explore solutions for JsonDecodeError in Databricks CLI & Clusters. Learn how pre-built CLIs/SDKs simplify requests & authentication in REST APIs.
The Power BI Weekly newsletter has published its fifth edition!

The Power BI Weekly newsletter has published its fifth edition!

Ed Freeman

Subscribe to Power BI Weekly, our new free weekly newsletter for all things Power BI!
Explicit interface implementation

Explicit interface implementation

Ed Freeman

Two of the main use-cases for explicit interface implementation are: 1. to hide members of the interface in a class which inherits from that interface, and 2. to work around the scenario when a class is inheriting from two interfaces which share a member of the same name. Take a look at this blog to go into more depth about each of those scenarios.
Using Step Argument Tranformations in SpecFlow to pass null values into scenarios

Using Step Argument Tranformations in SpecFlow to pass null values into scenarios

Ed Freeman

Learn to handle null values in Specflow using Step Argument Transformations for comprehensive test suites and edge case validation in this blog post.
Branches, builds and modern data pipelines. Let's catch-up!

Branches, builds and modern data pipelines. Let's catch-up!

Ed Freeman

As an apprentice engineer at endjin, you cover a lot of ground, especially at a consultancy which works with the latest and greatest tools to solve its clients' problems. Learn about endjin's Modern Data Platform, which is a culmination of IP, processes and knowledge built from years of implementing high-performance data-driven solutions. Also learn about the types of tools an apprentice gets to use, and the types of things an apprentice learns along the way.
Using CALENDAR vs CALENDARAUTO to generate 'Date' table for year-on-year comparisons

Using CALENDAR vs CALENDARAUTO to generate 'Date' table for year-on-year comparisons

Ed Freeman

Performing Power BI date table generation with CALENDAR & CALENDARAUTO functions. Learn key considerations for time-intelligence calculations in reports.
Using Python inside SQL Server

Using Python inside SQL Server

Ed Freeman

Learn to use SQL Server's Python integration for efficient data handling. Eliminate clunky transfers and easily operationalize Python models/scripts.
Snap Back to Reality – Month 2 & 3 of my Apprenticeship

Snap Back to Reality – Month 2 & 3 of my Apprenticeship

Ed Freeman

Learn what types of things an apprentice gets up to at endjin a few months after joining. You could be learning about Neural Networks: algorithms which mimic the way biological systems process information. You could be attending Microsoft's Future Decoded conference, learning about Bots, CosmosDB, IoT and much more. Hopefully, you wouldn't be in hospital after a ruptured appendix!
My first month as an apprentice at endjin

My first month as an apprentice at endjin

Ed Freeman

Structured apprenticeships provide a great way to build skills whilst getting real-life experience. Endjin's apprenticeship scheme has been refined over years, with an optimal mixture of training, project work, and exposure to commercial processes - a scheme which is designed to build strong foundations for a well-rounded Software Engineering consultant. This post explains the transition from university to an apprenticeship at endjin, including the types of work an apprentice could end up doing, and some examples of real-life learnings from a real-life apprentice.
Welcome to an internship at endjin!

Welcome to an internship at endjin!

Ed Freeman

A career in software engineering doesn't need to start with a Computer Science degree. The underlying traits of problem solving, a willingness to learn and the ability to collaborate well can be built in any field. Internships provide a great way to get your foot-in-the-door in the professional world, and arm you with some real-life experience for future endeavours. This post describes an internship at endjin, including the type of work you could be asked to do and what you could learn.

Ed’s Talks

How To Actually Make Decisions When Architecting a Data Platform

How To Actually Make Decisions When Architecting a Data Platform

Ed Freeman
Microsoft Fabric - Good Notebook Development Practices

Microsoft Fabric - Good Notebook Development Practices

Ed Freeman
Microsoft Fabric - Processing Bronze to Silver using Fabric Notebooks

Microsoft Fabric - Processing Bronze to Silver using Fabric Notebooks

Ed Freeman
Microsoft Fabric - Role of the Silver Layer in the Medallion Architecture

Microsoft Fabric - Role of the Silver Layer in the Medallion Architecture

Ed Freeman
Microsoft Fabric - Local OneLake Tools

Microsoft Fabric - Local OneLake Tools

Ed Freeman
Microsoft Fabric - Creating a OneLake Shortcut to ADLS Gen2

Microsoft Fabric - Creating a OneLake Shortcut to ADLS Gen2

Ed Freeman
Decision Makers Guide to Microsoft Fabric - The Pace of Innovation

Decision Makers Guide to Microsoft Fabric - The Pace of Innovation

Ian Griffiths, Ed Freeman
Decision Makers Guide to Microsoft Fabric - Microsoft Fabric and Generative AI

Decision Makers Guide to Microsoft Fabric - Microsoft Fabric and Generative AI

Ian Griffiths, Ed Freeman
Decision Makers Guide to Microsoft Fabric - Hedging your Fabric Bet

Decision Makers Guide to Microsoft Fabric - Hedging your Fabric Bet

Ian Griffiths, Ed Freeman
Microsoft Fabric - Ingesting 5GB into a Bronze Lakehouse using Data Factory

Microsoft Fabric - Ingesting 5GB into a Bronze Lakehouse using Data Factory

Ed Freeman
Microsoft Fabric - Inspecting 28 Million row dataset

Microsoft Fabric - Inspecting 28 Million row dataset

Ed Freeman
Microsoft Fabric - Lakehouse and Medallion Architecture

Microsoft Fabric - Lakehouse and Medallion Architecture

Ed Freeman
A Tour Around Microsoft Fabric

A Tour Around Microsoft Fabric

Ed Freeman
Perspectives on Microsoft Fabric

Perspectives on Microsoft Fabric

Barry Smart, Ian Griffiths, Ed Freeman
How to safely reference a nullable activity output in Azure Synapse Pipelines and Azure Data Factory

How to safely reference a nullable activity output in Azure Synapse Pipelines and Azure Data Factory

Ed Freeman
A step-by-step customer propensity experiment with Azure Machine Learning Studio

A step-by-step customer propensity experiment with Azure Machine Learning Studio

Ed Freeman