Practical notes
Articles
Articles on data platforms, applications, AI and cloud, explaining technical mechanisms and architecture decisions.
Reading paths
Applications and integration
From mobile behaviour to exchanges between applications.
Data platforms
From calculation rules to shared models and data publication.
Document AI and agents
From document sources to retrieval and action orchestration.
Cloud and operations
From access design to architecture costs and service restoration.
Choosing a Power BI architecture and licences for an SME
A data warehouse and one shared semantic model keep the figures consistent. The number of readers and the size of the models then decide between per-user licences and a Fabric capacity.
A data platform for analytics, applications and AI
Data models, history and publishing interfaces that connect a data warehouse to analytical queries, applications and predictive models.
A mobile application stays consistent through its synchronisation protocol
Operation identifiers, retries and concurrent-update handling between a mobile application’s local database and its server.
Defining the exchange contract between APIs and events
Transactional publishing, retries and message-schema evolution between an order application and its read projections.
Four decisions for cloud access across Google Cloud, Azure, AWS and Infomaniak
Permission scope, temporary privileges, workload identities and traceability let a team compare platforms against the same requirements.
Four questions about the EU AI Act for a Swiss company
The company’s role, its EU connection and the system’s purpose determine the assessment. Those conclusions must lead to design decisions the team can verify.
Five attack scenarios and the controls that limit their consequences
Exposed services, accounts, payments, suppliers and recovery need different protections. Priority follows the activities the organisation must preserve.
Designing private AI for law firms around data access and verification
Confidentiality, permissions and verification guide the architecture. A server is one implementation option within that assessment.
A versioned knowledge base for teams and AI assistants
Approved sources, their history and controlled updates determine a knowledge base’s reliability. Text files can make that chain easier to inspect and maintain.
Choosing agent memory and managing its lifecycle
Conversation history, reference documents and persistent memory serve different purposes. Their value depends on provenance, permissions and the ability to correct information.
Reducing IT costs through a complete cost comparison
The dominant expense, the effort of change and the operating cost determine the saving. A comparison method, with AI as a worked example.
Designing retrieval, tools and controls for an AI agent
RAG, loops and graphs address different decisions. One supplier dossier shows their roles and the conditions that justify each component.
Evaluating open-weight model quality, availability and operating cost
Public rankings identify candidates. Selection depends on the licence, performance on the task and the resources required to operate the model.
Four AI agent workflows and their acceptance criteria
An agent connects information analysis with an organisation’s tools. Four examples show the integrations, expected results and checks needed to evaluate that work.
Organising AI tools, data and responsibilities at school
An educational use becomes practical when the school defines its purpose, permitted data, accounts and review rules.
Adapting HERMES to an IT project in a small municipality
Explicit decisions, verifiable results and distinct responsibilities make project governance proportionate to the work.
Which law protects pupil data in a private school?
The school’s status and the activity determine the framework. A parent-portal example connects data, suppliers and responsibilities.
Three configurations for sizing local AI
Memory, throughput and concurrent demand guide the hardware choice. Three profiles help prepare a trial and compare total operating cost.
Choosing an IT provider for a Vaud municipality
Applicable law, procurement value and the real conditions of data processing guide the choice of supplier and the contract.
Choosing a Swiss or European cloud alternative around actual use
Location, functions and exit conditions must address the same need. Comparing services by use helps prepare a gradual migration.
Deploying internal AI with open models and suitable infrastructure
Required quality, data constraints and operating capacity determine the deployment model. The model and its environment need to be evaluated together.
Reliable reporting without replacing every tool
Defined metrics, identifiable sources and a tested first pipeline provide a foundation that teams can explain and extend.
Testing whether backups can restore the business service
A complete restore checks the data, applications and dependencies. Its measured result shows how recovery capacity compares with the organisation’s needs.
Choosing an AI architecture for health data and research results
Patient records and unpublished findings can coexist in one organisation. Their uses and disclosure rules determine the controls the system needs.