The F-Files Podcast

Frank Geisler, Kevin Chant
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The F‑Files Podcast is a sharp, no-nonsense podcast diving into the world of Microsoft Data, Fabric, Real-Time Intelligence, and AI.Hosted by industry insiders, it blends deep technical insight with real-world stories, opinions, and a good dose of humor.Think less marketing, more what actually works straight from the field, for practitioners who like to look behind the curtain. 🚀

Episodes

  1. Episode 009 - Fabric Flux

    6D AGO

    Episode 009 - Fabric Flux

    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 show its flux. They explore:- How to configure multi-stage deployment pipelines for Dev → Test → Prod- Why selective deployment is critical — and what happens when it’s not enabled- The risks of full deployment in a dynamic workspace structure- What it means to maintain stability when environments are in constant motion⚠️ Fabric Flux — because in a world of constant deployment, nothing stays where it was meant to be.🎧 Listen now, before your pipeline starts drifting too.

    8 min

  2. FEB 4

    Episode 008 - The Pipeline Confession

    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 rules are critical for configuring production resources- How to correctly manage connection strings across Dev, Test, and Prod- When manual overrides lead to silent disasters- And how one deployment triggered a full-blown audit💡 The Pipeline Confession is a story of trust, automation — and what happens when neither is enough.🔍 Listen now. Before your pipeline reveals its own secrets.

    8 min
  3. Episode 007 - Deploy with caution

    FEB 1

    Episode 007 - Deploy with caution

    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 stays behind?They’ll explore:- The role of selective deployment in protecting production environments- Why deployment rules matter — especially between Test and Prod- What happens when one workspace gets pushed too far- Practical strategies to keep your deployment pipeline clean and safe⚠️ Deploy with Caution — because once it's in Production, there's no turning back.🛠️ Listen now before your pipeline surprises you.

    11 min
  4. Episode 006 - Secret of the smart expression

    FEB 1

    Episode 006 - Secret of the smart expression

    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 under the hood? What pitfalls should you avoid when building them into your pipelines and semantic models? And why are they becoming a critical tool in the modern data engineer’s arsenal?Tune in for expert insights, real-world use cases, and maybe even a few secrets Microsoft didn’t want you to know...The truth is in the logic.The answer is out there.

    11 min
  5. Episode 005 - Reload Regret

    FEB 1

    Episode 005 - Reload Regret

    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 worked in dev” to “why is prod on fire?”, this episode dives into the dangers of cutting corners in Fabric-powered data architectures.💥 Learn how to:- Prevent costly mistakes by validating before you deploy- Implement controlled rollbacks in deployment pipelines- Use versioned artifacts and test environments effectivelySometimes second chances come too late — but you can still avoid Reloaded Regret.

    11 min
  6. Episode 004 - The Memory Mutation

    FEB 1

    Episode 004 - The Memory Mutation

    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 pool? Is it really just a configuration issue — or is there something more sinister lurking in your autoscaling?They’ll unpack:- The limits of the starter Spark pool- Why some jobs demand more memory than expected- How to fix performance using custom pools and dynamic allocation- When to say: "This job needs more than Fabric wants to give"🧠 The Memory Mutation is real — and it starts with your next workload.👾 Stream the episode now before your cluster crashes first.

    12 min
  7. Episode 003 - The Incremental Uprising

    FEB 1

    Episode 003 - The Incremental Uprising

    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 uncover:- Why medallion architecture is your secret weapon- The role of Data Factory pipelines vs. Dataflows Gen2- How to ensure data quality and lineage in large-scale incremental scenarios- Real-world war stories from the field, where things didn’t go as plannedThis isn't just an optimization. It's a revolution.🔁 The uprising is incremental—until it’s unstoppable.

    11 min
  8. Episode 002 - The Mirror Never Sleeps

    FEB 1

    Episode 002 - The Mirror Never Sleeps

    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 building a unified data platform or exploring Fabric’s replication powers, join us as we explore the hidden reflections of your data landscape — and uncover why this mirror doesn’t blink.🎙️ Topics Covered:- Metadata mirroring vs. database mirroring- Cosmos DB and Databricks mirroring use cases- Real-time analytics without the ETL overhead- Best practices and hidden pitfalls💡 Because in the world of Fabric… the mirror never sleeps.

    14 min
  9. Episode 001 - Past Perfect: The Art of Historical Data Tracking

    FEB 1

    Episode 001 - Past Perfect: The Art of Historical Data Tracking

    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 behavior, monitoring compliance, or preserving change history for AI models, understanding historical data patterns is key to making accurate, contextual decisions.Join Frank and Kevin as they unravel the techniques and tools for managing the past—so your future insights are never incomplete.🧠 Topics Covered:- Why historical data matters more than ever- Best practices for versioning and tracking changes in Fabric- Techniques like SCD Type 2, temporal tables, and metadata snapshots- Real-world use cases where "the past" saved the day🔍 Because sometimes the best insight into the future… is hidden in the past.

    8 min
  10. Episode 000 - Welcome to The F-Files

    SEASON 1, EPISODE 1 TRAILER

    Episode 000 - Welcome to The F-Files

    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 learning objective. No braindumps. No spoilers. Just pure, intelligent decoding of Microsoft’s Fabric universe — one question at a time.Expect:👻 Halloween vibes (yes, there's a pumpkin involved)🧠 Certification survival tips🔍 Tactics for tackling exam questions like a pro🛸 A whole new way to learn Fabric with less boredom, more alien energySo grab your flashlight and follow the beam, because in this galaxy, the F stands for Fabric.📡 Subscribe now — the investigation has only just begun.

    21 min

Trailer

About

The F‑Files Podcast is a sharp, no-nonsense podcast diving into the world of Microsoft Data, Fabric, Real-Time Intelligence, and AI.Hosted by industry insiders, it blends deep technical insight with real-world stories, opinions, and a good dose of humor.Think less marketing, more what actually works straight from the field, for practitioners who like to look behind the curtain. 🚀

Information

  • Creator
    Frank Geisler, Kevin Chant
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Frank Geisler, Kevin Chant
  • Show Website
    The F-Files Podcast