Forem

Alex Merced profile picture

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

Five Year Club
1 Week Community Wellness Streak
JavaScript
Top 7
Writing Debut
Four Year Club
Three Year Club
Two Year Club
16 Week Writing Streak
One Year Club
8 Week Writing Streak
Bash
Unlocking the Power of Agentic AI with Apache Iceberg and Dremio
Cover image for Unlocking the Power of Agentic AI with Apache Iceberg and Dremio

Unlocking the Power of Agentic AI with Apache Iceberg and Dremio

Comments
7 min read

Want to connect with Alex Merced?

Create an account to connect with Alex Merced. You can also sign in below to proceed if you already have an account.

Already have an account? Sign in
Apache Arrow dev list digest (Aug 25–29 2025)

Apache Arrow dev list digest (Aug 25–29 2025)

5
Comments
4 min read
Agentic AI News Digest for August 25-29

Agentic AI News Digest for August 25-29

9
Comments
4 min read
Apache Polaris Dev List Digest August 25-29

Apache Polaris Dev List Digest August 25-29

4
Comments
4 min read
Apache Iceberg Dev List Digest August 25-29

Apache Iceberg Dev List Digest August 25-29

1
Comments
5 min read
Agentic AI news round‑up (Aug 17–23 2025)

Agentic AI news round‑up (Aug 17–23 2025)

3
Comments
4 min read
Apache Iceberg Dev Mailing List — Weekly Digest (Aug 17–23 2025)

Apache Iceberg Dev Mailing List — Weekly Digest (Aug 17–23 2025)

1
Comments
6 min read
Apache Polaris Dev Mailing List — Weekly Digest (Aug 17–23 2025)

Apache Polaris Dev Mailing List — Weekly Digest (Aug 17–23 2025)

5
Comments
5 min read
Apache Polaris Dev Mailing List — Weekly Digest (Aug 11–17, 2025)
Cover image for Apache Polaris Dev Mailing List — Weekly Digest (Aug 11–17, 2025)

Apache Polaris Dev Mailing List — Weekly Digest (Aug 11–17, 2025)

Comments
4 min read
Apache Iceberg Dev Mailing List – Weekly Digest (Aug 9 – 15, 2025)
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Dev Mailing List – Weekly Digest (Aug 9 – 15, 2025)

Apache Iceberg Dev Mailing List – Weekly Digest (Aug 9 – 15, 2025)

1
Comments
6 min read
Weekly Recap & Agentic AI News Round‑Up (Week of Aug 9 – Aug 15, 2025)
Cover image for Weekly Recap & Agentic AI News Round‑Up (Week of Aug 9 – Aug 15, 2025)

Weekly Recap & Agentic AI News Round‑Up (Week of Aug 9 – Aug 15, 2025)

Comments
4 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #10: The Endgame — Building an Autonomous Optimization Pipeline for Apache Iceberg
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #10: The Endgame — Building an Autonomous Optimization Pipeline for Apache Iceberg

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #10: The Endgame — Building an Autonomous Optimization Pipeline for Apache Iceberg

Comments
3 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #9: Managing Large-Scale Optimizations — Parallelism, Checkpointing, and Fail Recovery
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #9: Managing Large-Scale Optimizations — Parallelism, Checkpointing, and Fail Recovery

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #9: Managing Large-Scale Optimizations — Parallelism, Checkpointing, and Fail Recovery

Comments
3 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #8: Hidden Pitfalls — Compaction and Partition Evolution in Apache Iceberg
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #8: Hidden Pitfalls — Compaction and Partition Evolution in Apache Iceberg

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #8: Hidden Pitfalls — Compaction and Partition Evolution in Apache Iceberg

Comments
3 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #7: Using Iceberg Metadata Tables to Determine When Compaction Is Needed
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #7: Using Iceberg Metadata Tables to Determine When Compaction Is Needed

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #7: Using Iceberg Metadata Tables to Determine When Compaction Is Needed

Comments
3 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #6: Designing the Ideal Cadence for Compaction and Snapshot Expiration
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #6: Designing the Ideal Cadence for Compaction and Snapshot Expiration

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #6: Designing the Ideal Cadence for Compaction and Snapshot Expiration

Comments
3 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #5: Avoiding Metadata Bloat with Snapshot Expiration and Rewriting Manifests
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #5: Avoiding Metadata Bloat with Snapshot Expiration and Rewriting Manifests

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #5: Avoiding Metadata Bloat with Snapshot Expiration and Rewriting Manifests

Comments
3 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #4: Smarter Data Layout — Sorting and Clustering Iceberg Tables
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #4: Smarter Data Layout — Sorting and Clustering Iceberg Tables

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #4: Smarter Data Layout — Sorting and Clustering Iceberg Tables

1
Comments
3 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #3: Optimizing Compaction for Streaming Workloads in Apache Iceberg
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #3: Optimizing Compaction for Streaming Workloads in Apache Iceberg

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #3: Optimizing Compaction for Streaming Workloads in Apache Iceberg

Comments
3 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #2: The Basics of Compaction — Bin Packing Your Data for Efficiency
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #2: The Basics of Compaction — Bin Packing Your Data for Efficiency

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #2: The Basics of Compaction — Bin Packing Your Data for Efficiency

Comments
3 min read
Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #1: The Cost of Neglect — How Apache Iceberg Tables Degrade Without Optimization
Cover image for Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #1: The Cost of Neglect — How Apache Iceberg Tables Degrade Without Optimization

Apache Iceberg Table Optimization #1: The Cost of Neglect — How Apache Iceberg Tables Degrade Without Optimization

Comments
3 min read
How to Discover or Organize Lakehouse & Apache Iceberg Meetups
Cover image for How to Discover or Organize Lakehouse & Apache Iceberg Meetups

How to Discover or Organize Lakehouse & Apache Iceberg Meetups

Comments
5 min read
What is an API? And Why Data Architecture Depends on Them
Cover image for What is an API? And Why Data Architecture Depends on Them

What is an API? And Why Data Architecture Depends on Them

Comments
8 min read
Decoding AWS EC2 Instance Type Names
Cover image for Decoding AWS EC2 Instance Type Names

Decoding AWS EC2 Instance Type Names

Comments
5 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |18| The Power of Dremio in the Modern Lakehouse
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |18| The Power of Dremio in the Modern Lakehouse

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |18| The Power of Dremio in the Modern Lakehouse

Comments
5 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |17| Apache Iceberg, Arrow, and Polaris
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |17| Apache Iceberg, Arrow, and Polaris

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |17| Apache Iceberg, Arrow, and Polaris

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |16| Data Lakehouse Architecture Explained
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |16| Data Lakehouse Architecture Explained

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |16| Data Lakehouse Architecture Explained

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |15| Cloud Data Platforms and the Modern Stack
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |15| Cloud Data Platforms and the Modern Stack

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |15| Cloud Data Platforms and the Modern Stack

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |14| DevOps for Data Engineering
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |14| DevOps for Data Engineering

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |14| DevOps for Data Engineering

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |13| Building Scalable Pipelines
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |13| Building Scalable Pipelines

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |13| Building Scalable Pipelines

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |12| Scheduling and Workflow Orchestration
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |12| Scheduling and Workflow Orchestration

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |12| Scheduling and Workflow Orchestration

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |11| Metadata, Lineage, and Governance
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |11| Metadata, Lineage, and Governance

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |11| Metadata, Lineage, and Governance

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |10| Data Quality and Validation
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |10| Data Quality and Validation

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |10| Data Quality and Validation

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |9| Storage Formats and Compression
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |9| Storage Formats and Compression

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |9| Storage Formats and Compression

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |8| Data Lakes Explained
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |8| Data Lakes Explained

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |8| Data Lakes Explained

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |7| Data Warehousing Fundamentals
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |7| Data Warehousing Fundamentals

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |7| Data Warehousing Fundamentals

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |6| Data Modeling Basics
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |6| Data Modeling Basics

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |6| Data Modeling Basics

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |5| Streaming Data Fundamentals
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |5| Streaming Data Fundamentals

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |5| Streaming Data Fundamentals

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |4| Batch Processing Fundamentals
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |4| Batch Processing Fundamentals

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |4| Batch Processing Fundamentals

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |3| ETL vs ELT – Understanding Data Pipelines
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |3| ETL vs ELT – Understanding Data Pipelines

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |3| ETL vs ELT – Understanding Data Pipelines

Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |2| Understanding Data Sources and Ingestion
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |2| Understanding Data Sources and Ingestion

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |2| Understanding Data Sources and Ingestion

1
Comments
4 min read
Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |1| What is Data Engineering?
Cover image for Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |1| What is Data Engineering?

Introduction to Data Engineering Concepts |1| What is Data Engineering?

2
Comments
3 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 10 - Sampling and Prompts in MCP — Making Agent Workflows Smarter and Safer
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 10 - Sampling and Prompts in MCP — Making Agent Workflows Smarter and Safer

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 10 - Sampling and Prompts in MCP — Making Agent Workflows Smarter and Safer

15
Comments 2
4 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 9 - Tools in MCP — Giving LLMs the Power to Act
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 9 - Tools in MCP — Giving LLMs the Power to Act

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 9 - Tools in MCP — Giving LLMs the Power to Act

1
Comments
4 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 8 - Resources in MCP — Serving Relevant Data Securely to LLMs
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 8 - Resources in MCP — Serving Relevant Data Securely to LLMs

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 8 - Resources in MCP — Serving Relevant Data Securely to LLMs

1
Comments
4 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 7 - Under the Hood — The Architecture of MCP and Its Core Components
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 7 - Under the Hood — The Architecture of MCP and Its Core Components

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 7 - Under the Hood — The Architecture of MCP and Its Core Components

6
Comments
4 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 6 - Enter the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — The Interoperability Layer for AI Agents
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 6 - Enter the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — The Interoperability Layer for AI Agents

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 6 - Enter the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — The Interoperability Layer for AI Agents

Comments
4 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 5 - AI Agent Frameworks — Benefits and Limitations
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 5 - AI Agent Frameworks — Benefits and Limitations

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 5 - AI Agent Frameworks — Benefits and Limitations

1
Comments
6 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 4 - What Are AI Agents — And Why They're the Future of LLM Applications
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 4 - What Are AI Agents — And Why They're the Future of LLM Applications

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 4 - What Are AI Agents — And Why They're the Future of LLM Applications

Comments
4 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 3 - Boosting LLM Performance — Fine-Tuning, Prompt Engineering, and RAG
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 3 - Boosting LLM Performance — Fine-Tuning, Prompt Engineering, and RAG

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 3 - Boosting LLM Performance — Fine-Tuning, Prompt Engineering, and RAG

Comments
4 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 2 - How LLMs Work — Embeddings, Vectors, and Context Windows
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 2 - How LLMs Work — Embeddings, Vectors, and Context Windows

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 2 - How LLMs Work — Embeddings, Vectors, and Context Windows

1
Comments
4 min read
A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 1 - What Is AI and How It Evolved Into LLMs
Cover image for A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 1 - What Is AI and How It Evolved Into LLMs

A Journey from AI to LLMs and MCP - 1 - What Is AI and How It Evolved Into LLMs

3
Comments 1
3 min read
Building a Basic MCP Server with Python
Cover image for Building a Basic MCP Server with Python

Building a Basic MCP Server with Python

16
Comments 4
12 min read
Using Helm with Kubernetes: A Guide to Helm Charts and Their Implementation
Cover image for Using Helm with Kubernetes: A Guide to Helm Charts and Their Implementation

Using Helm with Kubernetes: A Guide to Helm Charts and Their Implementation

5
Comments
16 min read
Crash Course on Developing AI Applications with LangChain
Cover image for Crash Course on Developing AI Applications with LangChain

Crash Course on Developing AI Applications with LangChain

2
Comments
10 min read
The Data Lakehouse: The Benefits and Enhancing
Cover image for The Data Lakehouse: The Benefits and Enhancing

The Data Lakehouse: The Benefits and Enhancing

Comments
5 min read
The 2025 Comprehensive Guide to Apache Iceberg
Cover image for The 2025 Comprehensive Guide to Apache Iceberg

The 2025 Comprehensive Guide to Apache Iceberg

5
Comments
10 min read
When to use Apache Xtable or Delta Lake Uniform for Data Lakehouse Interoperability
Cover image for When to use Apache Xtable or Delta Lake Uniform for Data Lakehouse Interoperability

When to use Apache Xtable or Delta Lake Uniform for Data Lakehouse Interoperability

Comments
5 min read
2025 Guide to Architecting an Iceberg Lakehouse
Cover image for 2025 Guide to Architecting an Iceberg Lakehouse

2025 Guide to Architecting an Iceberg Lakehouse

5
Comments
14 min read
10 Future Apache Iceberg Developments to Look forward to in 2025
Cover image for 10 Future Apache Iceberg Developments to Look forward to in 2025

10 Future Apache Iceberg Developments to Look forward to in 2025

Comments
13 min read
loading...