The F-Files Podcast

Five columns. One sensitive table. And only a handful of people who see what’s really there. In this episode, Frank and Kevin explore the invisible line between data protection and privileged access in Microsoft Fabric. With dynamic data masking enabled on the EmployeeData table, most users see only obfuscated results — but not everyone. They dive into: How dynamic data masking works across Fabric...

The content was identical. The configurations were not. And the damage? Very real. In this episode, Frank and Kevin uncover the critical importance of maintaining distinct settings between Development, Test, and Production environments in Microsoft Fabric. What looks like a smooth deployment often hides a dangerous assumption: that what works in one stage will work in all. They explore: How to use...

In this fiery episode of The F Files, Frank and Kevin find themselves deep in the inferno of inefficient pipelines, where static values, hardcoded paths, and inflexible components reign supreme. Data transformations are brittle, errors lurk in every corner, and updates require a full-scale rescue mission. But not all hope is lost. Armed with parameterization, string interpolation, and smart pipeli...

The logs showed a deployment to Production. The problem? No one on the team admitted doing it. In this episode, Frank and Kevin investigate the chilling consequences of improper permission control in Microsoft Fabric deployment pipelines. When pipeline settings aren’t locked down, the line between authorized changes and accidental disasters gets dangerously thin. They uncover: - How to assign pipe...

One workspace in Dev. The same workspace in Prod. And somewhere in between… the rules started to bend. In this episode, Frank and Kevin dive into the chaos and complexity of deployment pipelines in Microsoft Fabric — where content transitions between environments are anything but linear. As teams demand selective deployment, backward promotion, and environmental isolation, the system starts to sho...

The deployment completed successfully. No errors. No warnings. Just one overlooked connection string… and two weeks of corrupted reports. In this episode, Frank and Kevin uncover a cautionary tale from deep inside a Microsoft Fabric deployment pipeline. When a production stage is connected to the wrong database, the damage is invisible — until it’s irreversible. They discuss: - Why deployment rule...

The deployment pipeline was ready. Dev passed. Test looked perfect. And then… someone pushed everything to Production. In this episode, Frank and Kevin uncover the risks of reckless deployment in Microsoft Fabric. When you're running an analytics solution across Development, Test, and Production, not all content belongs in the final environment. But how do you control what gets deployed — and what...

In the mysterious world of Microsoft Fabric, not everything is as it seems—especially when it comes to data filtering. Join Frank and Kevin as they uncover the hidden power behind Smart Expressions in Fabric. What looks like a simple conditional clause hides immense potential for optimizing performance, streamlining logic, and customizing analytics at scale. How do Smart Expressions actually work...

In this gripping installment of The F Files, Kevin and Frank return to dissect the aftermath of a hasty deployment in Microsoft Fabric. When rollback isn't an option and temp tables turn traitor, our heroes face the ghost of decisions past. Discover the real-world implications of flawed deployment strategies, missing backups, and the underestimated complexity of production environments. From “it w...

Something strange is happening in the Spark clusters. Memory thresholds are breached. Jobs mutate. Performance vanishes. And in the middle of it all, a single question lingers: Did we configure the pool… or awaken something else? In this episode, Frank and Kevin dig deep into the mysterious world of executor memory management in Microsoft Fabric. What happens when your jobs outgrow the starter poo...

In this episode of The F Files, Frank and Kevin dive deep into the battle-tested tactics of incremental loading in Microsoft Fabric. With data pouring in from global sales pipelines, there's no room for full refreshes or inefficient bulk loads. But how do you balance performance, consistency, and transformation logic across thousands of records—without burning down your lakehouse? Join us as we un...

In this thrilling episode of The F Files, Frank and Kevin investigate the sleepless guardian at the heart of Microsoft Fabric’s modern data integration: database mirroring. As data flows from Azure Databricks and Cosmos DB into OneLake, our hosts dissect how metadata and full database mirroring enable real-time visibility, minimal ETL, and frictionless analytics across services. Whether you’re bui...

In this episode, we dive deep into the timeless value of historical data tracking in the world of modern analytics. Microsoft Fabric offers powerful tools to not only capture current data but also preserve its past—perfectly. Discover how slowly changing dimensions, audit trails, and temporal tables help you maintain a full picture of your data across time. Whether you're tracking customer behavio...

In this mysterious pilot episode, Frank and Kevin receive a strange call that sparks a journey deep into the unexplored wilderness of Microsoft Fabric certifications. Who are these two mysterious experts? What are they revealing? And what is the truth behind... the Skills Measured? Join the hosts as they reveal their origins, their mission, and their plan to uncover the secrets hidden in every lea...