MVP Insights: Pablo Moreno Explains Community and User Group Involvement, Passion for Data, Summit NA Academy Class

Welcome to “MVP Insights,” a podcast that explores the universe, ideas, and opportunities of the brightest stars in the Microsoft business applications ecosystem. 

In this episode, John Siefert is joined by Pablo Moreno, EdTech Coordinator, SumamosOs BI & Digital Channels, S.L., Microsoft MVP. Pablo describes how he came involved with the User Group (UG) community, his areas of expertise, and shares details about the Academy class he’ll be leading at Community Summit North America 2024.

This episode is sponsored by Community Summit North America, the largest independent gathering of the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem, taking place Oct. 13-17, 2024, in San Antonio, Texas. Register today to connect with thousands of users across the Microsoft business applications ecosystem at the for user, by user event.

Key Takeaways

• MVP journey: Pablo first became involved with the User Group (UG) communities in 2017 when he was starting his work with Power BI. He started a local UG in Panama with about 15 other members, sharing content around Power BI and its developments and hosting local events. Five years ago, he was nominated for his MVP award and has maintained his status ever since.
• Areas of expertise: Pablo’s key area of expertise is data. He went from an analyst and senior developer specializing in Power BI since its inception in 2015, to his current role in the data science and AI engineering field.
• Overcoming project hurdles: As it relates to his toughest project, Pablo shares his experience working on a project at a multinational software company, where he analyzed CRM data to assist the marketing and sales teams in prioritizing customer engagement. Initially, he faced challenges due to a misunderstanding of the sales lifecycle but eventually developed a predictive model that stratifies customers and regions to identify key factors for deal closures. The biggest takeaway? Business context is essential for data analysts. Without this, no amount of predictive modeling or AI can provide meaningful insights
• Summit NA Academy class: During his Academy class, “Fabric Analytics Engineer: End-to-End Fabric View” on October 12-13, Pablo will demonstrate how to leverage certain aspects of Microsoft Fabric that are not commonly discussed, such as semantic learning and machine learning with Power BI, to perform real-time analytics. He describes the value professionals can gain by mastering just a few tools, rather than superficially covering many, and plans to delve into three specific topics that will significantly impact the business.
• Community tips: In closing, Pablo shares two tips for the community: don’t be scared to try out new technologies or solutions. Second, he advises listeners that they do not need to know everything. Rather, focus on becoming an “expert” in select areas and share that knowledge with the community.

Stream the audio version of this episode here: