August 23, 2023

Introducing "Ask Databricks": Your Direct Line to Our Product Experts!

A New Live Streaming Series for Databricks Users and Data Practitioners

We are delighted to announce that we are partnering with our friends at Advancing Analytics to launch an exciting new live streaming series called Ask Databricks! The series offers a unique opportunity for you to directly interact and ask questions to the product managers and engineers who design and build the products you use every day.

Ask Databricks promises to be a fun and informative forum, designed to increase your knowledge of Databricks products and best practices through live engagement with our experts.

Our first episode launches Wednesday, September 6th at 9am PST (we will dive into all things Delta Live Tables!). Join us every other Wednesday, where each livestream will focus on a new topic with a special expert guest!

Ask Databricks: A new forum for data practitioners

The team at Advancing Analytics is already well known in the world of data engineering and data science for their commitment to empowering data practitioners through practical knowledge and hands-on experience. If you’re a data professional, there’s a high chance you’ve seen their YouTube channel, which regularly publishes video content on news and updates in the world of Apache Spark and the Databricks Lakehouse Platform.

By joining forces with Advancing Analytics, we aim to create a live practitioner-centric environment for you to deepen your understanding of Databricks’ products and strategy, and have some fun while we’re doing it!

What to expect from Ask Databricks

Ask Databricks aims to go beyond conventional webinars, blogs, videos, and tutorials. This new collaborative endeavor taps into the collective knowledge and experience of Databricks experts and the broader community in a live, conversational environment. It doesn’t matter whether you’re new to Databricks or a seasoned user with years of experience. All questions are welcome. Here’s a glimpse at what this series will offer:

A new product theme for every episode: Each episode will highlight a specific Databricks product or capability to keep the sessions focused. We’re kicking the season off with a Delta Live Tables deep dive - you can view the full schedule here.
Hosted by ‘hands-on’ practitioners: Episodes will be hosted by the Advancing Analytics team, who has direct experience working with the product or capability being discussed. This keeps the discussion technical in nature and ensures that relevant and intelligent follow-on questions can be asked.
Expert guests from Databricks: Our product managers and lead engineers who are responsible for actually creating the products under discussion will be the guests for each session. This ensures you are getting information straight from the source.
Highly interactive Q&A: The heart of Ask Databricks lies in the interactive Q&A. You are the real star of the show. You can ask your hottest questions and receive live responses from our experts in real-time.
Learn tips and best practices: Learn valuable tips and strategies to optimize your Databricks use cases and get the most out of your lakehouse.
Networking opportunities: Connect with other data practitioners, users, and the vibrant Databricks community to share ideas, experiences, and collaborate on exciting data projects.

Where and when to watch Ask Databricks

The Ask Databricks premiere episode

The highly anticipated premiere episode of Ask Databricks is just around the corner! The series will kick off on Wednesday, September 6th at 9am PST (5pm GMT) with a deep exploration of Delta Live Tables, with special guest Michael Armbrust, distinguished software engineer at Databricks and creator of Delta Live Tables. The episode will be hosted by Advancing Analytics co-owner and well known YouTuber Simon Whiteley.

Upcoming Ask Databricks episodes

To ensure you don't miss this, or any future episode, please make sure you visit the Ask Databricks live stream schedule page to see announcements and details on speakers, topics, dates and times, and links to add episodes directly into your calendar.

Ask Databricks will be simultaneously broadcast on the Advancing Analytics LinkedIn and YouTube channels and the Databricks YouTube channel. If you’re not already subscribed to these channels…what are you waiting for?

How to join Ask Databricks live

Ask Databricks is a testament to our commitment to fostering a strong and knowledgeable community directly with our customers and users of Databricks. We are thrilled to partner with Advancing Analytics to bring you this exciting new live streaming series. Together, we will empower data practitioners and Databricks users to take on new challenges, unlock the full potential of their data, and thrive in the brave new world of data, analytics, and AI.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ask Databricks?

Ask Databricks is a live streaming series, created in partnership with Advancing Analytics, that lets viewers ask questions directly to the Databricks product managers and engineers who design and build the platform's features. Each episode centers on a specific Databricks product or capability, pairing a hands-on host from Advancing Analytics with an expert guest from Databricks. The format is meant to go beyond typical webinars and tutorials by giving practitioners a live, conversational way to learn tips and best practices.

How often will new episodes air, and what will they cover?

New episodes are released every other Wednesday, with each installment built around a different Databricks product or capability to keep the discussion focused. The series launches on September 6th at 9am PST with a deep dive into Delta Live Tables. The full lineup of upcoming topics and dates is posted on the Ask Databricks schedule page.

What role does Advancing Analytics play in the series?

Advancing Analytics provides the practitioner hosts who lead each episode, drawing on their own hands-on experience with the product being discussed so they can ask relevant, technical follow-up questions. The team is already known in the data engineering and data science community for its YouTube channel, which regularly covers news and updates on Apache Spark and the Databricks Lakehouse Platform. Advancing Analytics co-owner Simon Whiteley will host the premiere episode.

How can I participate in the Q&A during a livestream?

You take part by submitting your questions live during the broadcast, and the Databricks expert guest responds in real time as part of the show's interactive Q&A segment. This Q&A is described as the heart of the series, and it's open to anyone, whether you're new to Databricks or a seasoned user. There's no need to prepare in advance — you can ask whatever question is most relevant to the episode's topic as the conversation unfolds.

Which channels will broadcast Ask Databricks live?

Ask Databricks streams simultaneously on Advancing Analytics' LinkedIn and YouTube channels, as well as on the Databricks YouTube channel. Viewers can find calendar links and details for each upcoming stream on the Ask Databricks schedule page.