ArchitectNow Data Hackathon: 1-2 Day Proof of Concept

One to two days with your team and ArchitectNow engineers to prove a data concept on Microsoft Data technology. We build together and deploy a real, working solution, in your tenant or our hackathon tenant, then hand you the design and the plan to scale it.

Pick your hackathon topic

Platform topics: prove the capability

• Real-Time Data and Event Stores: act on data as it lands · Microsoft Fabric RTI
• Ontology for Twins and Agents: shared business meaning · Fabric IQ
• Pipeline Framework: metadata-driven ingestion and validation, no new code
• Unity Catalog on Azure Databricks: governance, lineage and discovery in one place
• AI-Automated Data Engineering: agents draft, test and repair pipelines
• Zero-ETL Mirroring: operational stores live in the lake, no pipelines
• Medallion Lakehouse: raw-to-gold zones on Fabric or Databricks
• Semantic Layer: one governed model for BI and agents · Direct Lake
• Vector and Search Store: your data made retrievable for RAG · Azure AI Search
• DataOps CI/CD: tested, versioned pipeline deployments

Business outcome topics: prove the value

• Data Agents for Insights: plain-language answers · Fabric / Genie
• Operations Agents: act on what the data says, not just report it
• Executive KPI Assistant: narrated scorecards and variance explanations
• Customer 360: one trusted view of the customer across systems
• Churn and Retention Signals: score the risk, trigger the next best action
• Demand Forecasting: ML forecasts in the flow of planning
• Anomaly and Fraud Detection: real-time flags on transactions and telemetry
• Predictive Maintenance: telemetry plus twins, act before the failure
• Finance Close Assistant: reconciliation and variance explanations
• Report Rationalization: consolidate legacy BI into governed insights

These are examples to start the conversation. The best topic is the one your team already wants to prove. Bring your own.

What you get: Three outcomes, built in the room.

1. Recommended Approach and Design. The Microsoft data platform architecture for your topic, with the key decisions documented.
2. Working Prototype. A real solution deployed and demonstrated live: no slides, not a mockup.
3. Action Plan to Scale. The sequenced steps to take the prototype to production, owners named.

How it works: Six steps. Two before, three in the room, one after.

1. 01 · Pre-hackathon, Planning Session. Pick the topic, goal, knowledge sources and Microsoft technologies in scope. Choose hosting, your tenant or ours, and single-team (collaborative) vs multi-team (competitive) format.
2. 02 · Pre-hackathon, Readiness and Agenda. Schedule and review the targeted agenda. Confirm Microsoft service and source-knowledge readiness (access, licensing, sample data) and team onboarding steps.
3. 03 · Hackathon, Vision the Approach. Align on the Microsoft technology approach for the topic and the key design considerations before the build starts.
4. 04 · Hackathon, Execute the Build. Build hands-on with ArchitectNow engineers guiding side by side: pairing, unblocking, keeping the build on the clock.
5. 05 · Hackathon, Present the Results. Demo working builds to the wider stakeholder team. Multi-team format: the judging panel scores the builds and names the winner, with prize.
6. 06 · Post-hackathon, Operationalize. Agree next steps to take the winning build toward production: a natural entry to a Fabric Pilot or Databricks Pilot.

How this uses Microsoft Azure

The build runs on Microsoft Azure, in your tenant or ours.

Depending on the topic you pick, the prototype uses Microsoft Fabric or Azure Databricks for the lakehouse and pipelines, Azure data and streaming services for ingestion, and Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft Purview for access and governance. Step 02 confirms Microsoft Azure service and licensing readiness before the day, and the action plan names the Microsoft Azure work needed to take the prototype to production.

Next step

Prove your data concept in 1 to 2 days. 30-minute sponsor call to pick your topic.