Check out MVP-recommended content if you're interested in Imagine Cup, Microsoft Learn, or exploring Power BI and SQL Server.
In this blog series dedicated to Microsoft's technical articles, we'll highlight our MVPs' favorite article along with their personal insights.
Pradeep Kandel, Microsoft Azure MVP, United Kingdom
Imagine Cup - Student Developer Tools, Resources and Experiences | Imagine Cup
“So that students know about this championship and get required mentorship and networking opportunity to team up for submitting their Imagine Cup project.”
*Relevant Resources:
- Ideathon for Imagine Cup 2025 Aspirants held – Merocloud.com
- When Microsoft Imagine Cup Ideathon 2025 Redefined Innovation: A Journey Through My Eyes – Nepal Cloud Professionals A blog posted by Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador after the event. I think this is a good example of how local Microsoft Learn Student Ambassadors are collaborating with Microsoft MVP to bring together local mentors and students under one platform and helping the students realize Imagine Cup dreams.
Erik Moreau, Windows and Devices MVP, Belgium
“I love how Microsoft Learn challenges spark new possibilities and help me discover new topics and fields. By diving into these challenges, I get to explore a variety of subjects, from cloud computing to AI, in a fun and hands-on way. They push me to think creatively and apply what I've learned to real-world scenarios, which open up new paths for learning and career growth. Whether I'm just starting out or already have some experience, these challenges are a great way to expand my skills and find new interests.”
*Relevant Activity: #365DaysofLearn - Search / X - Sharing a new daily achievement 365 day a year since 1/1/2021 on twitter/X motivating people to start or continue their own journey.
Valerie Junk, Data Platform MVP, Netherlands
Connect data to physical locations with NFC tags - Power BI | Microsoft Learn
"I really like this guideline on how to use Power BI mobile and link reports and workspaces to an NFC tag. This solution is so valuable for frontline workers or processes where employees aren’t always at a desk. It enables quick access to reports and workspaces, which improves efficiency and decision-making. The simple setup and convenience make it an excellent choice for those on the go!"
*Relevant Activity: I recorded a video and wrote a blog post about how you can use this very easily; you can find them both here: Power BI NFC Tags - Connect your Reports and Workspaces
Sergio Govoni, Data Platform MVP, Italy
Maintenance plans - SQL Server | Microsoft Learn
“A maintenance plan is a set of specific, proactive tasks that need to be performed regularly on your databases, whether they are on-premises or in the cloud. Maintenance tasks are used to ensure proper operation, adequate performance, and availability. Maintenance plan creates a workflow that organizes the tasks needed to ensure that your database is optimized, backed up regularly, and consistent. Azure SQL database does not have a native scheduling service like SQL Agent for on-premises instances. Since it is a PaaS solution, we might be led to think that it is not necessary to do database maintenance because it is already guaranteed by the platform. Microsoft is only responsible for the infrastructure and management of backups; checking the logical and physical integrity, maintaining indexes and statistics and other database maintenance tasks are under DBA responsibility!"
*Relevant Activities:
- Blog (English): SQL Server Maintenance Plans: Strategies to protect and optimize your databases! | by Sergio Govoni | CodeX | Dec, 2024 | Medium
- Blog (Italian): Piani di manutenzione: Strategie per proteggere e ottimizzare i tuoi database! – UGISS
- Video (Italian): SQL Server Maintenance Plan - Fundamentals and best practices | Sergio Govoni on Vimeo
Published Jan 17, 2025
Version 1.0RieMoriguchi
Microsoft
Joined July 19, 2016
Microsoft MVP Program Blog
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