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David Renda
Extract
✔︎
Transform
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Load
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Running pipeline: [ job_title ]
Building Microsoft solutions to keep your data fast and your business too.
About Me
Hi! I'm David, a Senior Azure Cloud and Data Architect with 10 years of experience spanning infrastructure, security, networking, and analytics on the Microsoft Azure platform. I started my career hands-on with LAN/WAN design and server deployments, evolving into full-stack Azure architecture covering everything from AVS migrations and hybrid networking to enterprise data platforms and Power BI at scale. I specialize in the Microsoft ecosystem. On the infrastructure side I design and operate hub and spoke VNet topologies, ExpressRoute and Global Reach hybrid connectivity, Azure VMware Solution, Microsoft Sentinel, and Azure Arc deployments. On the data side I architect end-to-end platforms using Azure Data Factory, Synapse Analytics, Microsoft Fabric, dbt, and Power BI serving hundreds of users across complex organizational hierarchies. I am currently finishing my DP-600 Microsoft Fabric Analytics Engineer certification, adding to my AZ-104 and AZ-305 credentials. I also run The Data Mothership, a weekly newsletter covering Azure data engineering, cloud architecture, and Microsoft Fabric.

Languages

  • English
  • French — A2

Programming Languages

  • Python
  • SQL
  • Bash/Shell

Expertise

  • Azure Cloud Architecture
  • Hybrid Cloud and Networking
  • ETL/ELT Pipeline Design
  • Data Modeling and Dimensional Design
  • Semantic Modeling and DAX
  • Security and Governance
  • CI/CD and DevOps

Tools

  • Azure Data Factory
  • Azure Synapse Analytics
  • Microsoft Fabric
  • Azure Data Lake Storage
  • Power BI
  • dbt Core
  • Databricks
  • Microsoft Sentinel
  • Azure Arc
  • Azure DevOps
  • Terraform and Bicep
  • Power Apps and Power Automate
Recent Projects

Job Market Data Pipeline

Problem: Job boards are intermediaries. Companies post to their ATS first, then it gets syndicated days later.

Solution: Built automated ETL pipeline scraping 5,400+ jobs directly from Greenhouse APIs every 3 hours, bypassing job boards entirely.

Impact: See opportunities 2-7 days before competitors on LinkedIn/Indeed. Interactive dashboard with real-time filtering, search, and application tracking.

Tech: Python (requests, pandas), HTML/CSS/JavaScript, Git, Windows Task Scheduler

View Dashboard →

Cloud Reporting Modernization

Problem: Legacy SSRS reports were slow, difficult to maintain, and disconnected from modern cloud data infrastructure.

Solution: Architected and migrated to cloud analytics stack using Azure Synapse, ADLS, and Power BI, redesigning data models and modernizing reporting layer.

Impact: 60% faster query performance, improved data governance, enabled self-service analytics for 50+ business users, reduced maintenance overhead by 40%.

Tech: Azure Synapse, ADLS, Power BI, dbt, T-SQL, Git

CRM Cloud Transformation

Problem: On-premises CRM system was expensive to maintain, inflexible, and unable to scale with business growth.

Solution: Led migration of legacy CRM to Dynamics 365, designed Azure Data Factory ETL pipelines, and modernized workflows and reporting with Power BI.

Impact: Reduced infrastructure costs by 35%, improved user adoption through modern UI, enabled real-time reporting across 200+ users, accelerated business processes.

Tech: Azure Data Factory, Dynamics 365, Power BI, Azure SQL, Python

Secure FTP Data Pipeline

Problem: Manual FTP data transfers between external partners were error-prone, insecure, and lacked audit trails for compliance.

Solution: Architected secure, automated Azure solution using Data Lake Storage and Data Explorer to streamline encrypted data flows with full governance and access controls.

Impact: Eliminated manual errors, enabled 24/7 automated data ingestion, achieved compliance with data retention requirements, improved partner integration speed by 80%.

Tech: Azure Data Lake Storage, Data Explorer, Managed Identities, VNETs, Python

Experience

Azure Cloud and Data Architect

2022 — Present

California Department of Community Services and Development

  • Migrated 70 on-premises VMware ESXi servers to Azure VMware Solution using HCX, managing cutover sequencing and hybrid connectivity end to end across AVS, native Azure, and on-premises environments via ExpressRoute and Global Reach.
  • Designed hub and spoke VNet topology, configured ExpressRoute circuits, and resolved routing between AVS, native Azure, and on-premises using Global Reach. Manage approximately 100 VMs including right sizing, disk management, and IIS administration on Windows Server 2016 and 2019.
  • Deployed Azure Arc across all 70 AVS servers, configured Microsoft Defender for Servers across the AVS fleet, and designed Microsoft Sentinel as the enterprise SIEM integrating syslog feeds from all network devices through a centralized syslog server.
  • Led full HPE Aruba switching and wireless infrastructure refresh replacing legacy hardware with new HPE Aruba infrastructure managed through HPE GreenLake. Manage on-premises network including core switches, access switches, APs, and firewalls.
  • Led end-to-end modernization of Dynamics CRM analytics platform, implementing Synapse Link, ADLS, Synapse Pipelines, dbt, and embedded Power BI, replacing legacy SSRS architecture serving 560 users across 70 agencies statewide.
  • Reduced report query times from 5 to 10 seconds to under 1 second with 99% report availability and hourly refresh SLA negotiated and proven through empirical DirectQuery load testing.
  • Architected secure data platform integrations using VNets, private endpoints, managed identities, and RBAC. Managed Azure Key Vault for all pipeline secrets enforcing zero hardcoded credentials across ADF and Azure DevOps pipelines.
  • Implemented enterprise RLS across 70 agency organizational hierarchy using nested CALCULATETABLE and USERPRINCIPALNAME DAX patterns. Built Power Apps provisioning tool and Power Automate workflows for automated user access management.
  • Established modular dbt modeling standards to improve transformation reliability, maintainability, and cross-team development velocity. Maintained dev/test/prod deployment pipelines with Azure DevOps and dbt CI/CD automation.
  • Implemented monitoring and observability using Azure Monitor and Log Analytics to enforce data freshness, latency, and reliability SLAs. Implemented row count and checksum reconciliation after every pipeline run for data integrity assurance.

Azure Cloud and Data Engineer

2017 — 2022

AH Parts

  • Modernized on-premises ETL infrastructure to Azure Data Factory and Databricks, reducing manual data refresh cycles from hours to minutes.
  • Built incremental ADF pipelines with watermark columns and ROW_NUMBER deduplication patterns for high-volume transactional data.
  • Performed Databricks optimization including broadcast joins and partition tuning achieving approximately 25% cost reduction on compute.
  • Built and maintained Azure SQL and SQL Server environments supporting operational and BI workloads across business units.
  • Modeled datasets optimized for analytics and reporting consumption, collaborating with analytics teams to deliver BI dashboards.
  • Managed Active Directory, user permissions, and storage solutions ensuring structured access and governance of business-critical data.
  • Monitored system performance and network traffic, identifying bottlenecks and ensuring high availability for operational and data pipelines.
  • Collaborated with security and IT teams to enforce compliance, firewall rules, and access controls securing sensitive data.

Contact

Have a project in mind or want to connect?

Email: David_Renda@yahoo.com

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