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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

Six Year Club
Five Year Club
1 Week Community Wellness Streak
JavaScript
Top 7
Writing Debut
Four Year Club
Three Year Club
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16 Week Writing Streak
One Year Club
8 Week Writing Streak
My Non-Fiction Library: Books on Data Lakehouses, Apache Iceberg, AI, and Beyond
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Data Engineering Best Practices: The Complete Checklist

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4 min read
Pipeline Observability: Know When Things Break
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Pipeline Observability: Know When Things Break

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

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4 min read
Partition and Organize Data for Performance
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Partition and Organize Data for Performance

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4 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: February 18–25, 2026
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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
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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
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Batch vs. Streaming: Choose the Right Processing Model

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4 min read
Schema Evolution Without Breaking Consumers
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Schema Evolution Without Breaking Consumers

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

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

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4 min read
How to Design Reliable Data Pipelines
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How to Design Reliable Data Pipelines

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4 min read
How to Think Like a Data Engineer
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How to Think Like a Data Engineer

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4 min read
Semantic Layer Best Practices: 7 Mistakes to Avoid
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Why Your AI Initiatives Fail Without a Semantic Layer

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

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4 min read
Semantic Layer vs. Metrics Layer: What's the Difference?
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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
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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
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What Is a Semantic Layer? A Complete Guide

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

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

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

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

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

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

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4 min read
Data Modeling for the Lakehouse: What Changes
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Data Modeling for the Lakehouse: What Changes

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

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

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4 min read
What Is Data Modeling? A Complete Guide
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What Is Data Modeling? A Complete Guide

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

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6 min read
AI Weekly: Feb 11–17, 2026
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AI Weekly: Feb 11–17, 2026

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4 min read
A 2026 Introduction to Apache Iceberg
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A 2026 Introduction to Apache Iceberg

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

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

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6 min read
Apache Data Lakehouse Weekly: January 27 - February 2, 2026
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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
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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.
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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?
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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What Are Recursive Language Models?

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7 min read
RAG Isn’t a Modeling Problem. It’s a Data Engineering Problem.
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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
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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
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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
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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)
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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)
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Apache Dev List Digest: Iceberg, Polaris, Arrow & Parquet (Nov 24-Dec 8, 2025)

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6 min read
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