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Alex Merced

I like to code, teach and promote. Subscribe to the Web Dev 101 and Datanation podcasts. Blogs and videos at devNursery.com and GrokOverflow.com. Find everything at AlexMerced.com

Location Orlando, FL Joined Joined on  Personal website https://www.alexmerced.com github website

Work

Head of DevRel @ Dremio

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My Non-Fiction Library: Books on Data Lakehouses, Apache Iceberg, AI, and Beyond

My Non-Fiction Library: Books on Data Lakehouses, Apache Iceberg, AI, and Beyond

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9 min read

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Stories I Created: A Tour of My Fiction Books

Stories I Created: A Tour of My Fiction Books

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6 min read
How to Use Dremio with Claude CoWork: Connect, Query, and Build Data Apps

How to Use Dremio with Claude CoWork: Connect, Query, and Build Data Apps

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10 min read
How to Use Dremio with Claude Code: Connect, Query, and Build Data Apps

How to Use Dremio with Claude Code: Connect, Query, and Build Data Apps

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13 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: February 26 – March 5, 2026

Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: February 26 – March 5, 2026

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6 min read
AI Weekly: Claude Code Dominates, MCP Goes Mainstream — Week of March 5, 2026

AI Weekly: Claude Code Dominates, MCP Goes Mainstream — Week of March 5, 2026

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4 min read
Data Engineering Best Practices: The Complete Checklist

Data Engineering Best Practices: The Complete Checklist

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4 min read
Pipeline Observability: Know When Things Break

Pipeline Observability: Know When Things Break

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4 min read
Testing Data Pipelines: What to Validate and When

Testing Data Pipelines: What to Validate and When

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4 min read
Partition and Organize Data for Performance

Partition and Organize Data for Performance

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4 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: February 18–25, 2026

Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: February 18–25, 2026

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5 min read
AI Weekly: Rubin GPUs, Vibe Coding Debates, and MCP Goes Global

AI Weekly: Rubin GPUs, Vibe Coding Debates, and MCP Goes Global

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4 min read
Batch vs. Streaming: Choose the Right Processing Model

Batch vs. Streaming: Choose the Right Processing Model

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4 min read
Schema Evolution Without Breaking Consumers

Schema Evolution Without Breaking Consumers

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4 min read
Idempotent Pipelines: Build Once, Run Safely Forever

Idempotent Pipelines: Build Once, Run Safely Forever

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4 min read
Data Quality Is a Pipeline Problem, Not a Dashboard Problem

Data Quality Is a Pipeline Problem, Not a Dashboard Problem

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4 min read
How to Design Reliable Data Pipelines

How to Design Reliable Data Pipelines

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4 min read
How to Think Like a Data Engineer

How to Think Like a Data Engineer

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4 min read
Semantic Layer Best Practices: 7 Mistakes to Avoid

Semantic Layer Best Practices: 7 Mistakes to Avoid

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5 min read
How a Self-Documenting Semantic Layer Reduces Data Team Toil

How a Self-Documenting Semantic Layer Reduces Data Team Toil

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4 min read
Headless BI: How a Universal Semantic Layer Replaces Tool-Specific Models

Headless BI: How a Universal Semantic Layer Replaces Tool-Specific Models

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4 min read
Data Virtualization and the Semantic Layer: Query Without Copying

Data Virtualization and the Semantic Layer: Query Without Copying

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5 min read
The Role of the Semantic Layer in Data Governance

The Role of the Semantic Layer in Data Governance

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4 min read
Why Your AI Initiatives Fail Without a Semantic Layer

Why Your AI Initiatives Fail Without a Semantic Layer

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4 min read
Semantic Layer vs. Data Catalog: Complementary, Not Competing

Semantic Layer vs. Data Catalog: Complementary, Not Competing

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4 min read
Semantic Layer vs. Metrics Layer: What's the Difference?

Semantic Layer vs. Metrics Layer: What's the Difference?

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4 min read
How to Build a Semantic Layer: A Step-by-Step Guide

How to Build a Semantic Layer: A Step-by-Step Guide

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4 min read
What Is a Semantic Layer? A Complete Guide

What Is a Semantic Layer? A Complete Guide

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4 min read
Data Modeling Best Practices: 7 Mistakes to Avoid

Data Modeling Best Practices: 7 Mistakes to Avoid

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4 min read
Data Vault Modeling: Hubs, Links, and Satellites

Data Vault Modeling: Hubs, Links, and Satellites

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4 min read
Denormalization: When and Why to Flatten Your Data

Denormalization: When and Why to Flatten Your Data

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4 min read
Data Modeling for Analytics: Optimize for Queries, Not Transactions

Data Modeling for Analytics: Optimize for Queries, Not Transactions

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4 min read
Slowly Changing Dimensions: Types 1-3 with Examples

Slowly Changing Dimensions: Types 1-3 with Examples

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4 min read
Dimensional Modeling: Facts, Dimensions, and Grains

Dimensional Modeling: Facts, Dimensions, and Grains

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4 min read
Data Modeling for the Lakehouse: What Changes

Data Modeling for the Lakehouse: What Changes

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4 min read
Star Schema vs. Snowflake Schema: When to Use Each

Star Schema vs. Snowflake Schema: When to Use Each

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4 min read
Conceptual, Logical, and Physical Data Models Explained

Conceptual, Logical, and Physical Data Models Explained

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4 min read
What Is Data Modeling? A Complete Guide

What Is Data Modeling? A Complete Guide

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4 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: February 11–17, 2026

Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: February 11–17, 2026

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6 min read
AI Weekly: Feb 11–17, 2026

AI Weekly: Feb 11–17, 2026

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4 min read
A 2026 Introduction to Apache Iceberg

A 2026 Introduction to Apache Iceberg

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6 min read
AI Weekly Digest: Week of February 5-11, 2026

AI Weekly Digest: Week of February 5-11, 2026

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4 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: February 4-11, 2026

Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: February 4-11, 2026

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6 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: January 27 - February 2, 2026

Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: January 27 - February 2, 2026

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4 min read
AI Development Heats Up: Week of January 27 - February 2, 2026

AI Development Heats Up: Week of January 27 - February 2, 2026

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3 min read
Your Data Lakehouse Is Passive. Here’s How to Make It Agentic.

Your Data Lakehouse Is Passive. Here’s How to Make It Agentic.

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5 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: January 20–27, 2026

Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: January 20–27, 2026

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5 min read
AI Coding Dominates 2026: Week of January 20-27

AI Coding Dominates 2026: Week of January 20-27

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3 min read
What Is Agentic Analytics?

What Is Agentic Analytics?

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5 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: January 15–22, 2026

Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: January 15–22, 2026

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5 min read
AI Tools Race Heats Up: Week of January 13-19, 2026

AI Tools Race Heats Up: Week of January 13-19, 2026

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4 min read
A Practical Guide to AI-Assisted Coding Tools

A Practical Guide to AI-Assisted Coding Tools

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17 min read
Dev List Digest for Apache Iceberg, Parquet, Polaris and Arrow: January 6–14, 2026

Dev List Digest for Apache Iceberg, Parquet, Polaris and Arrow: January 6–14, 2026

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4 min read
What Are Recursive Language Models?

What Are Recursive Language Models?

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7 min read
RAG Isn’t a Modeling Problem. It’s a Data Engineering Problem.

RAG Isn’t a Modeling Problem. It’s a Data Engineering Problem.

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6 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: December 30, 2025 – January 5, 2026

Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: December 30, 2025 – January 5, 2026

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4 min read
Building Pangolin: My Holiday Break, an AI IDE, and a Lakehouse Catalog for the Curious

Building Pangolin: My Holiday Break, an AI IDE, and a Lakehouse Catalog for the Curious

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6 min read
2025 Year in Review: Apache Iceberg, Polaris, Parquet, and Arrow

2025 Year in Review: Apache Iceberg, Polaris, Parquet, and Arrow

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6 min read
Apache Dev List Digest: Iceberg, Polaris, Arrow & Parquet (Dec 9th - Dec15th, 2025)

Apache Dev List Digest: Iceberg, Polaris, Arrow & Parquet (Dec 9th - Dec15th, 2025)

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7 min read
Apache Dev List Digest: Iceberg, Polaris, Arrow & Parquet (Nov 24-Dec 8, 2025)

Apache Dev List Digest: Iceberg, Polaris, Arrow & Parquet (Nov 24-Dec 8, 2025)

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6 min read
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