November 2026 Meetup

Join us for the November edition of the Manchester Databricks User Group, bringing together the Manchester data community for an evening of technical deep dives, live demos and networking.

Agenda

17:30 – 17:45 | Arrival & Networking
Grab a drink, meet fellow data professionals and connect with the Manchester Databricks community.

17:45 – 18:00 | Opening Remarks & Introductions
Welcome from the organisers and an introduction to the evening's speakers and sessions.

18:00 – 18:45 | Session 1 - Keeping Up with Databricks: What a Year of Releases Tells Us About Where the Platform Is Going.

Alex Cole – Principal Databricks Architect & Databricks MVP
A year ago, Alex Cole built Databricks Release Hub to solve a simple problem: keeping track of the constant stream of new features, previews, GA releases and platform updates.
Since then, he has tracked hundreds of Databricks releases, giving him a unique dataset—and a front-row seat—to how one of the fastest-moving platforms in Data & AI is evolving.
In this session, Alex will use a year of release data to uncover some of the trends hidden beneath the announcements.

18:45 – 19:00 | Break & Networking

19:00 – 19:45 | Session 2 - From Fragmented Data to a Modern Lakehouse – An NHS Databricks Journey.

David McDwyer – Head of Data & Analytics – Nothern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

How do you transform a fragmented hospital data estate into a modern, scalable data platform?

In this session, David will share the journey of moving from disconnected legacy systems to a Databricks-powered Lakehouse within the NHS.

Drawing on real-world experience, he'll explore the challenges encountered along the way, the architectural decisions that shaped the platform, the successes achieved so far and the practical lessons learned throughout the transformation.

A great opportunity to hear first-hand what it really takes to modernise healthcare data infrastructure, including what worked, what didn't and what he'd approach differently.

19:45 – 20:00 | Session 3 - Introducing Databricks Lakebase: Bringing Operational and Analytical Data Together.

Barry Regan - Lakebase Specialist at Databricks

Databricks Lakebase introduces a new approach to data architecture, bringing PostgreSQL-based transactional databases (OLTP) directly into the Databricks ecosystem, bridging the gap between operational applications, analytics and AI.

In this session, Barry will introduce Databricks Lakebase, exploring how it brings together two traditionally separate worlds of data: operational databases and analytical platforms.

Wrap-Up & Networking

Final questions, conversations and a chance to connect with our speakers and fellow attendees.

Date & Location

📅 Date: Thursday, 19th November
🕠 Time: 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM
📍 Venue: Canopius Group – 100 Barbirolli Square, Manchester, M2 3BD

Whether you're a Data Engineer, Architect, Data Scientist, AI/ML Engineer, Platform Engineer or simply interested in what's coming next from Databricks, we'd love to have you there.

Join us for another evening of technical content, live demos, learning and networking with the Manchester Databricks community.