The Clearly Podcast

Andy: Hello guys, how we doing? I'm back in the office now, so I have to be quiet.

Tom: I think we're joined today by Bob Harris from Radio 2.

Andy: Do you know what the worst thing about being back in the office is?

Tom: Go on then.

Andy: Shoes. My feet are killing me. I've been wearing flip flops and trainers nonstop for the last year and a half, and now proper shoes hurt a lot. It's not fun. Also, we have to wear masks all the time.

Shailan: A lot of people take their shoes off in the office, don't they?

Andy: I feel a bit weird doing that.

Tom: I know someone who actually wears slippers in an office.

Shailan: I know someone too.

Andy: Oh my God.

Tom: It's a proper office and they wear slippers.

Andy: If only I was popular enough to get away with that.

Shailan: Some people wear trainers to the office and then put on shoes. So what Tom's saying is they wear shoes to the office and then put on slippers.

Andy: Exactly.

Shailan: So that's the COVID office footwear podcast covered. Thank you. Good night, ladies and gentlemen. That's been thoroughly enjoyable from your host Andy Clark.

Andy: So look, we're back. This is Season 2 now. We've decided to take a different direction. This is either going to be wildly successful or nobody's gonna listen to it. We want to talk about what we're going to cover in Season 2 and what we learned from being podcast hosts. I'll kick off. Tom, do you want to go into some different directions, talk about different topics?

Tom: The big hot topic at the moment in the BI world is machine learning and has been for a while. I want to talk more about artificial intelligence, machine learning, and using data to come to predictive conclusions.

Andy: Completely agree. How much demand are you guys getting from clients for this?

Tom: Most clients are thinking about it in some way. The extent to which machine learning is what somebody really needs versus something else is another matter. It's not simply a case of saying everyone needs machine learning and that will solve everything. It's about what they really need and what their actual goals are.

Andy: There’s a certain amount of we need to be seen to do machine learning, so therefore it's happening. We should discuss where it's actually beneficial versus where it’s just a project that could waste money.

Tom: Exactly. It can easily turn into a vanity project. It's similar to OLAP cubes 10-15 years ago where everyone said they needed it but didn't have a clear direction. Many projects weren’t reaping rewards, and there's a danger machine learning could go the same way.

Andy: Yeah, there’s definitely a risk of disillusionment at some point. Shailan, what are your thoughts on big topics for Season 2?

Shailan: We should cover more topics from the Power Platform. Microsoft is making a lot more noise around it. Things like Dataverse, Azure Data Factory, Data Lake, and data flows. Another good topic is the benefit of training users on Power BI before starting projects.

Andy: Love that idea. It makes such a big difference.

Shailan: Absolutely. Tom, you’ve had experiences where clients wanted reports to look like Excel.

Tom: That goes back to Season 1, Episode 1, "Why Power BI is Not Excel," which is our most popular podcast.

Andy: Maybe we should re-record it as a Season 2 update. Or is it like the Friends reunion show?

Shailan: I don’t think we need to recreate it. It’s a good podcast.

Tom: We could revisit the topics because both tools have evolved in the past 12 months. Discussing how Power BI and Excel work together could be interesting.

Andy: Great idea. My colleague is using Excel online to feed charts in Power BI, not touching Power BI desktop, and doing a great job. That’s a fascinating subject.

Shailan: So, a podcast on how Power BI and Excel work together?

Tom: Yes, Power BI and Excel BFF.

Andy: Besides each other.

Tom: Power, Power BI and Excel BFF.

Andy: Let’s lock that in.

Tom: Another topic is relaxing more during podcasts and just letting the conversation flow.

Andy: Yeah, it’s like a weekly Power BI therapy session for me. I learn a lot from just kicking around ideas.

Tom: You can get some of that from a project review session, but rarely with all three of us working together. It makes you think differently and hopefully offers value to the audience.

Andy: Another thing I found interesting is the job market right now. It’s a bit crazy with recruiters contacting me multiple times a week. Maybe we should get John Styles back on to discuss the current job market.

Tom: Definitely. The job market has shifted a lot, especially with restrictions lifting from COVID. It’s affecting the UK market and seems similar in the US.

Andy: I spoke to John recently, and he’s really busy. The demand in the dynamics market is crazy, and the same for Salesforce. Technology seems really busy right now.

Tom: Yes, I’m getting more contacts for jobs I’m not even interested in, often with high salaries.

Andy: It’s just generally busy across the board.

Tom: Another topic could be the interface between citizen developers and pro developers. How low code complements fully coded solutions and can save costs.

Andy: Great point. So, have we nailed Season 2?

Tom: I think we have a good topic list. We also have a Facebook page for the podcast now.

Andy: Do we? I didn’t know that.

Tom: It’s relatively recent. Needs more content.

Shailan: Do we have to be on Facebook?

Tom: If you want to follow the page, you do.

Shailan: I joined Facebook 10 years ago and then left.

Andy: Alright then, I’m going to say goodbye.

Tom: Goodbye as well.

Shailan: Next podcast next week. Cheers then, bye.