Alex Merced — Developer and technical writer sharing in-depth insights on data engineering, Apache Iceberg, data lakehouse architectures, Python tooling, and modern analytics platforms, with a strong focus on practical, hands-on learning.
610 articles from this blog
Guide to implementing Model Context Protocol (MCP) in a lakehouse architecture with Python, covering specification, server building, and deployment.
Overview of modern Python tools for Apache Iceberg, including PyIceberg, IceFrame, and CLI for metadata management.
Microsoft Build 2026 unveils Fabric agentic analytics stack with Rayfin, HorizonDB, and Fabric IQ for AI-driven data integration.
Explains credential vending for lakehouse security, replacing static keys with short-lived tokens via Iceberg REST catalog.
Explains how enterprise SaaS buyers now require a governed semantic layer for AI agent data access, shifting from dashboard-first to semantic-first procurement.
This article discusses authentication and authorization patterns for securing AI agent identities in the Iceberg lakehouse, including OAuth 2.0 token exchange and credential vending.
Explains Snowflake's bidirectional Iceberg writes via Horizon Catalog, powered by Apache Polaris, enabling external engines to write to Snowflake-managed Iceberg tables.
Explores Snowflake Semantic View Autopilot's AI-driven semantic model creation, its GA in 2026, and the balance between automation and human review.
Analysis of zero-copy mirroring for safer lakehouse migration, focusing on architecture, governance, and multi-engine data platforms.
Overview of Apache Iceberg v4 roadmap proposals including adaptive metadata trees, single-file commits, and convergence with Delta Lake.
A plain English guide explaining how LLMs like ChatGPT actually work, covering prediction, vectors, embeddings, and common misconceptions.
Explore Google's free AI tools including Gemini, NotebookLM, AI Studio, and more for daily productivity without paying.
Compares ChatGPT and Claude paid tiers, features, and practical productivity examples for choosing the best AI assistant.
A detailed guide to specialized AI tools for music, video, image generation, and design, including pricing and use cases.
A technical guide to running open-source AI models locally, covering hardware, tools like Ollama and Hermes Agent, and privacy benefits.
A comprehensive overview of agentic coding tools in 2026, covering CLI agents, UI-based IDEs, autonomous agents, and model routers.
Overview of AI agent tooling from major data platforms in 2026, focusing on MCP integration and native capabilities.
Compares 2026 agentic analytics tools ThoughtSpot, Databricks, and Tableau, evaluating their AI agent capabilities for data querying and analysis.
Explores concurrency and isolation challenges when multiple AI agents query a lakehouse, using Iceberg's optimistic concurrency control and access policies.
Explains the 2026 unified data architecture for multi-cloud data lakehouses using open standards like Apache Iceberg.
