Addend Analytics

Implementing Dynamics 365 across your organization is a major undertaking. With numerous moving parts and stakeholders to align, having an experienced implementation partner is critical.  However, managing the partnership and project requires diligence and proactive planning from your internal team as well. Follow these steps to set your Dynamics 365 implementation partners up for success when working with a partner. Establish Clear Goals, Scope, and Timelines Upfront Defining the goals, scope, timeline, and success metrics for your Dynamics 365 implementation at the start is crucial. Be sure to: Document detailed requirements for the changes and capabilities you want Dynamics 365 to enable. Avoid vague descriptions that can be interpreted differently by your partner. Prioritize must-have features versus nice-to-haves. Focus first on the 20% of functions that will drive 80% of the value. Allow reasonable time frames for each phase, from design to testing to training. Transformatio...

Implementing robust security is crucial when working with sensitive data in Azure Synapse Analytics.  This comprehensive guide provides key measures to lock down your Azure Synapse environment. With the power of an Azure Synapse workspace comes great responsibility to secure access to sensitive data .  As a central hub for big data analytics, establishing Azure Synapse security controls is a top priority. Common Security Concerns In my experience helping clients secure analytics environments, a few key threats emerge: Unauthorized data access from misconfigured permissions Data exfiltration from insider risks Lateral movement expansion from compromised credentials Security blindspots from inadequate monitoring Take a Proactive Stance The good news? Many built-in Azure security features allow locking down Synapse workspaces. By proactively enabling these measures, you minimize attack surfaces and promote data protection. This article outlines actionable steps to harden your s...

Azure Synapse Analytics features serverless Apache Spark pools to run big data workloads.  While Synapse radically simplifies Spark administration, optimizing cluster configurations and job parameter tuning is still essential to prevent overspending and tapping Azure Synapse Spark full potential. Ensure Spark Clusters are Right-Sized Synapse allows selecting clusters with varying combinations of CPU cores and memory. Overprovisioned clusters incur unnecessary expenses. Underpowered configs result in long job execution times. Follow this method to right-size your Spark clusters: Start with a smaller cluster: Initiate Spark workloads on a cluster with 8-16 cores and 15-30GB memory. Gradually scale up: If jobs fail or have high execution times, incrementally increase cluster size until the "sweet spot". Consider caching: Cluster sizing can be smaller if using caching features described later. Profile workloads: Inspect Spark UI to identify resource bottlenecks. Scale up spe...