Lakehouse Architecture, CI/CD for Databricks & Data + AI Summit Announcements

Welcome to the UAE Databricks Meetup - August 2026

*Join us for a fun evening packed with Databricks insights, real-world use cases, expert speakers, and networking with the local Databricks community.*

Agenda: 19:00 – 19:15 \| Arrival & Networking Meet fellow data professionals, practitioners, and Databricks enthusiasts 19:15 – 19:30 \| Opening Remarks & Introductions Opening remarks from the organisers 19:30 – 20:45 \| Sessions Hear from speakers on practical Databricks and AI insights. Food will be served during the sessions. 20:45 onwards \| Drinks & Networking Continue the conversations over drinks and informal networking

Session 1 Fahim Kundi – Head of Data Engineering, Alef Education An introduction to Databricks. Fahim will share how Databricks works, it's components and core concepts. In this session, you’ll learn:

• The Lakehouse architecture • Core concepts • Workspaces • Clusters and interactive collaborative workbooks

This is a highly practical session for anyone looking to build their Databricks knowledge.

Session 2 Sye Rahman - Head of Data & AI - Datasense & GCC Tech Talks Host CI/CD for Databricks: What Does Good Look Like? Sye will walk through the infrastructure and CI/CD side of Databricks - moving beyond the basics into how a well-architected, enterprise-grade deployment actually looks. In this session, you'll learn:

• Reference architecture for Databricks CI/CD • Key components to deploy via CI across test and prod environments • What enterprise deployment looks like with multiple entities, regions, or workspaces • Managing shared vs. unique data catalogues across environments

Session 3 Tom Stroud - GM, Middle East - 7Dxperts & GCC Tech Talks Host Data + AI Summit Round-Up: Unveiling Exciting New Features Tom will provide a comprehensive roundup from the Databricks Data & AI summit. You'll hear about:

• LTAP • Lakehouse//RT • Genie One • CustomerLake • Agent Bricks • Lakebase Search • Lakeflow • Unity Catalog + AI Gateway

Date and Location: 📅 Date: 27th August 2026 🕠 Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM 📍 Venue: Five Iron Members Lounge, The Westin, Dubai Marina Join us for a fantastic evening of learning and networking at the UAE Databricks User Group!