James works at Microsoft as a big data and data warehousing solution architect where he has been for most of the last eight years  He is a thought leader in the use and application of Big Data and advanced analytics, including data architectures such as the modern data warehouse, data lakehouse, data fabric, and data mesh.  Previously he was an independent consultant working as a Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence architect and developer.  He is a prior SQL Server MVP with over 35 years of IT experience.  He is a popular blogger (JamesSerra.com) and speaker, having presented at dozens of major events including SQLBits, PASS Summit, Data Summit and the Enterprise Data World conference.  He is the author of the book “Reporting with Microsoft SQL Server 2012”.  He has numerous Microsoft certifications, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.