MyYearInData Blog

Data engineering, architecture, security, and AI insights. Practical perspectives on building intelligent data systems.

Danger In Delegation: Why AI Agents Are Your Newest Attack Surface

ai
agents
security
agentic

A summary of agentic AI security risks from my SQLBits 2025 talk, with a timely example from the Clawdbot/Moltbot phenomenon.

Jan 27, 2026
Scott Bell
 

Agentic Decomposition: A Practical Guide to Breaking Down Problems

ai
agents
architecture
agentic
prompt-design

Before you can diagram an agentic system, you need to decompose the problem. Here’s a practical framework for identifying when agentic patterns fit and how to break down complex workflows into autonomous agents.

Jan 25, 2026
Scott Bell

The AIOps Journey: What is it?

Understanding the Holistic Framework for AI Operations
ai
aiops
mlops
llmops
architecture
strategy

AIOps is the superset of MLOps, LLMOps, and GenAIOps. Learn why a holistic approach to AI operations is critical for your technology and business strategy.

Jan 21, 2026
Scott Bell

Building a Second Brain with Obsidian and AI Agents

When knowledge graphs meet agentic systems (and why productivity hacks might actually work this time)
ai
agents
agentic
productivity
knowledge-management
obsidian
llm
Let’s be honest if you’re reading this, you’ve probably tried at least three note taking systems in the last few years. The pattern is always the same. You see something…
Jan 16, 2026
Scott Bell

Why I Use Obsidian

obsidian
productivity
knowledge-management
tools

How I use Obsidian for daily scheduling, reflection roll-ups, and building a personal knowledge graph.

Jan 11, 2026
Scott Bell

Agentic Diagramming

ai
agents
architecture
diagrams
agentic

Practical patterns for visualizing multi-agent systems without the spaghetti. How to diagram agentic AI architectures that clarify rather than confuse.

Nov 12, 2025
Scott Bell

I Don’t Want My Career to DIE (So should I consider myself a Data Intelligence Engineer)?

data engineering
GenAI
AI
Engineering
prompt engineering

How your Data Engineering career can thrive in the age of AI. Learn the difference between ‘augmented coding’ and ‘vibe coding’ to avoid pitfalls and evolve into a Data Intelligence Engineer

Jun 25, 2025
Scott Bell
 

Why Approximate Something with AI That You Can Clearly Define?

AI
Mantras
Commonplaces
Patterns

When rules beat models: why deterministic logic outperforms probabilistic AI for well-defined business problems. Know when f(x) beats training g(x).

Jun 20, 2025
Scott Bell
 

Why LLM Security Isn’t Business as Usual

AI
LLMs
security
GenAI

Prompt injection, data breaches, and the new attack surface. Why traditional security practices fall short for LLM applications.

Jun 15, 2025
Scott Bell
 

AI Content Labels & Workflow

LLMs
Azure OpenAI
ChatGPT
OpenAI
Gemini
Large Langauge Models
AI
GENAI
Writing
Technology

A transparent labeling system for AI-generated, AI-assisted, and AI-reviewed content. Learn my workflow for blending human creativity with LLMs.

Jun 1, 2025
Scott Bell
 

Fixing the Write-Host Invalid Color Error in PowerShell

Azure DevOps
PowerShell
FabricPBIP
Fabric
Error

Quick fix for the ‘Cannot process the color because -1 is not a valid color’ error in Azure DevOps pipelines and FabricPS-PBIP deployments.

Feb 3, 2025
Scott Bell
 

Creating an SSH Connection in Azure DevOps Pipelines to Azure App Service

azure
Azure DevOps
ci-cd
Azure Web Apps

Access your Azure Web App via SSH during pipeline deployments. Move files, run scripts, and debug directly from Azure DevOps.

Oct 25, 2024
Scott Bell

Performance Monitoring for Copy Activities in Azure Data Factory

azure
adf
data factory
synapse
performance
monitoring

Use KQL queries on ADFActivityRun logs to monitor copy activity performance, track row counts, and identify bottlenecks in Azure Data Factory pipelines.

Jun 18, 2023
Scott Bell
 

Copying Schemas between SQL Databases

azure
sql
database
adf
data factory

Compare Bacpac, DataPAC, Redgate, and Azure Data Factory approaches for copying SQL schema objects and data between databases.

Apr 17, 2023
Scott Bell
 

Deploying Quarto to Azure Static Web Apps

azure
quarto
github
static-web-apps
ci-cd

Complete the Quarto deployment pipeline: provision Azure Static Web Apps and connect GitHub Actions for automated publishing.

Mar 18, 2023
Scott Bell

Essential Non-Technical Tools for Data Consultants

productivity
tools
consulting

My go-to productivity stack: StashPad for notes, GoodNotes for diagrams, Greenshot for screenshots, and ZoomIt for presentations.

Feb 18, 2023
Scott Bell
 

How to Install and Render Quarto Projects with GitHub Workflows

azure
quarto
github
ci-cd

Automate Quarto builds with GitHub Actions: install Quarto on Ubuntu runners, render documents, and upload artifacts for CI/CD deployment.

Jan 3, 2023
Scott Bell

How to Deploy a Quarto Blog to Azure Static Web Apps

azure
quarto
github
static-web-apps

Step-by-step guide to hosting a free Quarto blog on Azure Static Web Apps with GitHub integration and custom domains.

Dec 28, 2022
Scott Bell

Handling UK Bank Holidays in Azure Data Factory & Synapse

azure
adf
data factory
api
Synapse

Skip pipeline runs on UK bank holidays using the gov.uk API. A reusable ADF pipeline pattern for validating dates against public holidays.

Oct 29, 2022
Scott Bell

Using sp_columns to Exclude Calculated Columns in ADF Copy Activities

azure
adf
data factory
sql

Dynamically filter out SQL calculated columns in Azure Data Factory using sp_columns metadata. A pattern for flexible, parameter-driven copy pipelines.

Oct 24, 2022
Scott Bell
 

Back to the Data

news

Welcome to MyYearInData - a blog about data engineering, Azure, Databricks, and the evolving world of AI in data.

Sep 23, 2022
Scott Bell
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