Excel World

Humbled and honored to be recognized as a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for the 4th consecutive year!

I'm especially excited that this is my first MVP award in Excel, marking a new milestone in my Microsoft journey.

📢 Don't miss this upcoming session!

Join us as we explore how AI and natural language features in Power BI can help you analyze data more efficiently and uncover valuable insights with ease.

🎥 Watch live: https://www.youtube.com/live/nIrN9rpi2FQ?si=FP6D4fdaZag9RfXs

📅 Register: https://www.meetup.com/azdata-aicommunity/events/315547998/?slug=azdata-aicommunity&eventId=315547998

A big thank you to Anna Bordioug for delivering such an insightful session, “Beyond the Spreadsheet: Securing Excel & Power BI in a Modern Data World.”

Anna Bordioug shared valuable guidance on protecting sensitive data, managing access and strengthening security across Excel and Power BI environments. Her practical examples and real-world experience made the session highly relevant for data professionals, analysts and security specialists.

Watch the full recording here:

You can also subscribe to Anna’s Meetup group by scanning the QR code below:

🏆 Excel Competition — 4th Round is here! MEWC Azerbaijan Local Chapter Battle returns.

📅 July 10, 2026 · 🕙 10:00 AM (Baku, GMT+4)

Calling all Excel lovers — register now and claim your spot 👇 📝 https://forms.microsoft.com/r/5D12hsb3sF

Excited to host Session 3 of our PL-300 study series, part of Microsoft's Data Days 2026 global learning initiative!

🔒 Row Level Security in Power BI 📅 Monday, June 29, 2026 · 5:00 PM (GMT+4) · Free & Virtual

We'll cover static and dynamic RLS roles, DAX functions like USERPRINCIPALNAME and LOOKUPVALUE, and how to test roles — all essential for the PL-300 exam and enterprise reporting.

Ever wonder how a machine "reads" a sentence? It starts with tokenization — breaking text into pieces a model can actually count and compare.

In the latest issue of The AI Innovation Dispatch, I break down:

How a simple sentence becomes a sequence of tokens

Five pre-processing techniques that shape what a token even is (normalization, stop word removal, n-grams, stemming, lemmatization)

Why this "boring" first step is the foundation of sentiment analysis, entity detection, and the LLMs we use every day

Read the full article and subscribe to The AI Innovation Dispatch so you don't miss the next issue 👇

Just published: Building Your First Pipeline in Microsoft Fabric.

A step-by-step walkthrough — set up the pipeline, explore activities, schedule it, then move a file from cloud storage to a lakehouse end to end.

Whether you're new to Fabric or coming from Azure Data Factory, this is the guide I wish I'd had on day one.

A huge thank you to Sarah Kong for delivering a wonderful session on Copilot Agents in Action! 🙌

Sarah shared valuable insights into prebuilt agents, Agent Builder, Copilot Notebooks and the future of AI-powered productivity.

We truly appreciate her time, knowledge and contribution to our community! 💙

🔗 Become a member of the Azerbaijan Data & AI Meetup Group: https://www.meetup.com/azdata-aicommunity/

🚀 Session 2 of our PL-300 study series is just around the corner — and this one is all about money! 💱

📊 PL-300: Dynamic Currency Conversion in Power BI 🗓 Monday, June 22, 2026 · 17:00 GMT+4 · Virtual · FREE

In this free virtual session, you'll learn how to convert values across multiple currencies dynamically using real-time exchange rates and powerful DAX calculations — a must-know skill for the PL-300 exam and real-world financial reporting.

🧠 What you'll learn: ✅ How to set up dynamic currency conversion in Power BI ✅ How to integrate live exchange rates into your data model ✅ DAX calculations for multi-currency reporting ✅ How to build a currency switcher using measures ✅ PL-300 exam tips for this topic

This is session 2 of 6 in our free PL-300 study series, proudly part of Microsoft's Data Days 2026 global learning initiative! 🌍

Big news! We're part of Microsoft's Data Days 2026 global learning initiative, and our first session is this Sunday!

📊 Session 1: Using Slicers & What-If Parameters in Power BI 🗓 June 15, 2026 · Virtual · FREE

We'll show you how to build Power BI reports that feel alive — users can slice, filter, and explore scenarios on their own. It's an essential PL-300 skill and a huge boost for any data analyst.

📺 Watch live on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/live/oZSxnno-fDk?si=63ho7fLdzeUuxe94

🏆 Excited to share that I've renewed my Microsoft Fabric Community Super User status for FY 2025/26!

Being a Fabric Super User means being part of an elite group of technical experts recognized for community contributions — sharing knowledge, writing blog posts, helping peers find solutions, and driving meaningful engagement across the platform.

This renewal comes with some incredible benefits: direct access to Microsoft product teams, early previews of upcoming features, monthly leadership meetings, and the chance to shape the future of the Fabric community.

But honestly, the most rewarding part is the community itself — the conversations, the collaboration, and the opportunity to make a difference for others on their data journey.

✨ New Meetup Alert!

We're bringing you a live session on Microsoft Copilot Agents — and it's 🔥

🤖 Copilot Agents in Action with Sarah Kong (Microsoft Technical Trainer & MCT Community Lead)

📅 June 17, 2026 · 8PM Baku Time 💻 Online & FREE

Here's what's on the agenda 👇 → Prebuilt Copilot agents in action → Building your own with Agent Builder → AI workflows with Copilot Notebooks

Perfect for developers, Power Platform fans & AI curious minds 💡

A big thank you to Amit Chandak for delivering a fantastic session on Data Agents and Copilot in Microsoft Fabric for our Azerbaijan Data & AI Community Meetup Group!

It was an insightful session where attendees explored how Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft Copilot can accelerate report creation, simplify analytics workflows, generate DAX, and enable natural language interaction with data through Data Agents.

🎥 Watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/i6lIUtGIbvQ?si=2MLPlfbbJ7qmhmyf

To stay connected and join our future meetups on Data, AI, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Excel, and Copilot, subscribe to our meetup group: https://www.meetup.com/azdata-aicommunity/

A huge thank you to Ana Leticia Sampaio for delivering such a wonderful and insightful session today on “How to Leverage AI for LinkedIn Visibility as a Data Professional.”

Your practical tips, real-life experience, and inspiring journey showed attendees how data professionals can build their personal brand, increase visibility, and use AI tools effectively for LinkedIn content creation.

👏 Thank you, Ana, for your time, energy, and valuable contribution to our community!

📺 Watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/live/i2sTzETtW5o?si=_8-bKKV-aAMKb5Zj

🚀 Join us again tomorrow for another exciting meetup! Register here: https://www.meetup.com/azdata-aicommunity/events/314892154/?eventOrigin=home_next_event_you_are_hosting

📌 Stay connected and do not miss future meetups, AI sessions, Excel competitions, and Microsoft Fabric events:

🔹 Meetup Group: https://www.meetup.com/azdata-aicommunity/

🔹 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@IlgarZarbaliyev

🔹 Newsletter – Data & AI Horizons: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/data-ai-horizons-6912079812832452608/

A huge thank you to Alexandra Zakharova for being the speaker at today’s meetup, AI Skills for the Future: AB-730 & AB-731 Exams!

It was an insightful session full of valuable knowledge about Microsoft’s newest AI certifications, AI transformation, and practical preparation strategies. We truly appreciate Alexandra for sharing her expertise and inspiring our community.

Missed the session or want to rewatch it? Watch the recording here: Watch the Meetup Recording: https://www.youtube.com/live/UXpl6ObGMzE?si=glNS-aF_RSb42fGm

💡 Master Microsoft Copilot: From Basics to Advanced AI Productivity

AI is no longer the future — it’s already transforming how we work today.

In my latest newsletter article, I break down how Microsoft Copilot can become your daily productivity partner — from simple interactions to advanced capabilities like document analysis, image generation, and real-time insights.

🔍 In this article, you’ll learn:

📖How to get started with Copilot across devices 📖Key features that boost productivity 📖Practical tips for writing better prompts 📖Real-world ways to integrate AI into your workflow

Whether you're a business professional, analyst, or AI enthusiast — this guide will help you work smarter, not harder.