AGENDA 18.00 – 18:20 Meet & Greet

18:20 - 19:10: I read the Databricks website and I still don't know what you do - by Holly Smith

Databricks is a Data Intelligence Platform, and if you don't know what that means this talk is for you. We'll go through common data problems seen in every industry, take a buzzword free look at what Databricks does, what it's truly capable of and how it can benefit you in your day jobs.

BIO

Holly Smith is a multi award winning Data & AI expert who has over a decade of experience working with Data & AI teams in a variety of capacities from individual contributors all the way up to leadership. In her role as Staff Developer Advocate at Databricks she has worked with many multi national companies as they embark on their journey to the cutting edge of data. She is a renowned public speaker, teacher and minority in tech advocate and works with non profits through Datakind UK.

19:10 - 19:40 Pizza and Networking

19:40 - 20:30 Ensuring Code Quality with Unit Testing, Linting, and Automation with Databricks by Alex Cole

• In the fast-paced world of software development, maintaining high code quality is crucial. This session will delve into the essential practices of unit testing, linting, and automation, and how they can transform your development workflow. We’ll cover: • Unit Testing: Understanding the importance of unit tests, how to write effective tests, and best practices for maintaining them. • Linting: How linting tools can help you catch errors early, enforce coding standards, and improve code readability. • Automation: Integrating unit testing and linting into your CI/CD pipeline to ensure continuous quality and reduce manual effort. By the end of this session, you’ll have a solid grasp of how these practices can enhance your code quality, streamline your development process, and ultimately lead to more robust and maintainable software.

BIO

• Alex Cole is a Senior Architect specializing in data projects. A Databricks Solution Architect Champion and a leader in the Databricks Community of Practice at Cognizant, he holds multiple Azure certifications in solutions architecture, data engineering, data science, and AI engineering, along with the Advanced Databricks Data Engineering certification. Alex has made contributions to the Apache Commons project with his Java code and has actively participated in open-source projects, including Databricks Labs and the Open Source Unity Catalog Project. Beyond his professional work, he volunteers as a CIO for a local non-profit organisation. Alex blogs at www.alexcole.net

Hosted and Sponsored by BJSS - www.bjss.com - a leading technology and engineering consultancy for business.

Pizzas and Drinks during the event - thanks BJSS!

-------------- About BJSS - https://www.bjss.com/ BJSS is a leading technology and engineering consultancy for business. Trusted by our clients, we collaborate with some of the world’s leading organisations to deliver complex, innovative technology, engineering, and industry solutions that millions of people use every day. ---- Photos We ask that you do NOT take photos at this meetup. We will invite people to be included in a group photo/s during the event. Speakers will let you know if it's okay to photograph their presentation (excluding other attendees). You may see organisers taking photos during the talks. These will be of speakers, if they have agreed to this, and will not include faces of attendees.