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Category: Misc Languages

Configurable Retry in Microsoft.Data.SqlClient

Published 2026-08-31 by Kevin Feasel

Jerry Nixon tries it again:

Based on telemetry, a startling number of applications haven’t read the memo and updated. So, let me take a moment to talk about an incredible feature of SqlClient we previewed in 2021: Configurable Retry Logic for SqlConnection and SqlCommand. This native implementation of resiliency bypassing the need for third-party libraries like Polly, providing incredible handling of transient availability right out of the box.

Click through to see how it works, particularly in light of Polly’s controversial licensing change.

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Efficient Sampling of Spark Datasets

Published 2026-01-23 by Kevin Feasel

Rajesh Vakkalagadda needs a sample:

Sampling is a fundamental process in machine learning that involves selecting a subset of data from a larger dataset. This technique is used to make training and evaluation more efficient, especially when working with massive datasets where processing every data point is impractical

However, sampling comes with its own challenges. Ensuring that samples are representative is crucial to prevent biases that could lead to poor model generalization and inaccurate evaluation results. The sample size must strike a balance between performance and resource constraints. Additionally, sampling strategies need to account for factors such as class imbalance, temporal dependencies, and other dataset-specific characteristics to maintain data integrity.

Click through for an answer in Scala. The Python implementation would be very similar,

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Using Haskell for Data Science

Published 2025-12-09 by Kevin Feasel

Jonathan Carroll has my attention:

I’ve been learning Haskell for a few years now and I am really liking a lot of the features, not least the strong typing and functional approach. I thought it was lacking some of the things I missed from R until I found the dataHaskell (www.datahaskell.org) project.

There have been several attempts recently to enhance R with some strong types, e.g.  vapour (vapour.run), typr (github.com), using {rlang}’s checks (josiahparry.com), and even discussions about implementations at the core level e.g.  in September 2025 (stat.ethz.ch) continued in November 2025 (stat.ethz.ch). While these try to bend R towards types, perhaps an all-in solution makes more sense.

In this post I’ll demonstrate some of the features and explain why I think it makes for a good (great?) data science language.

I’ve been a big fan of F# for data science work as well for similar reasons, so it was interesting to read this article on Haskell. H/T R-Bloggers.

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A Primer on Markdown

Published 2025-09-05 by Kevin Feasel

Mike Robbins introduces Markdown:

Markdown is the standard for writing technical documentation at Microsoft and many other organizations. Its simplicity, readability, and compatibility with other tools make it an ideal choice for blogging, documenting software, procedures, APIs, and more. Whether you’re authoring a user guide, README, or knowledge base article, Markdown enables you to focus on content without getting bogged down in formatting.

As a technical writer, you’re expected to deliver clear, maintainable documentation that works across platforms. Markdown helps you do exactly that, with minimal friction.

The biggest challenge I experience with Markdown is figuring out what’s actually supported in some given implementation of Markdown. Most of the basics will be the same, but as soon as you get into things like nested lists, images, etc., support varies significantly.

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Updates to Extensions in C# 14

Published 2025-08-05 by Kevin Feasel

The word miners in the NDepend blogging mines clue us in on an update to the C# language:

A few remarks:

  • If the extension is generic, the type parameter (if any) is specified immediately after the extension keyword.
  • The receiver ReadOnlySpan<T> span applies to one or more extension methods (or members) declared within the same extension block. This logical grouping is a core advantage of the new syntax, improving clarity and structure when extending a type.
  • As far as the C# compiler is concerned, the two methods Truncate() are strictly equivalent. Therefore, one must be commented out for the program to compile.
  • Notice the call to AsSpan() in the first line. Extension methods require the receiver type to match exactly ReadOnlySpan<T>, hence it doesn’t apply to string unless you explicitly cast. This is not specific to the new syntax but worth mentioning.

Read on for examples of how extension methods and extension members will open up opportunities to improve existing C# code.

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Accessing Delta Lake via Spark Connect

Published 2025-06-23 by Kevin Feasel

Ed Elliott has some code for us:

I have just finished an update for the spark connect dotnet lib that contains the DeltaTable implementation so that we can now use .NET to maintain delta tables, over and above what we get out of the box by using DataFrame.Write.Format("delta"), this is an example of how to use the delta api from .NET:

Click through for the example, and you can learn more about Spark Connect from the Spark website and Ed has a .NET client for the task.

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Importing PDF Contents into SQL Server

Published 2024-12-04 by Kevin Feasel

Sebastiao Pereira loads a PDF:

PDF forms are widely used for data collection, document processing, and digital workflows due to their versatility and consistency across different platforms and devices. They are essential in various industries, including healthcare, education, finance, government, and business. How do you retrieve data from PDF forms and insert into a SQL Server database table?

Read on for an answer using Visual Basic, which is a name I haven’t heard in quite some time.

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Updates on the Spark Connect Dotnet Library

Published 2024-11-18 by Kevin Feasel

Ed Elliott has an update for us:

There have been quite a few changes in the last couple of months and I just wanted to give a quick update on the current state of the project. In terms of usage I am starting to hear from people using the library and submitting pr’s and requests so although usage is pretty low (which is expected from the fact that the Microsoft supported version usage wasn’t very high) it is growing which is interesting.

Read on for thoughts on production readiness, support for Spark 4.0, a couple of other updates, and some future plans.

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Showing SSRS Reports in Modern .NET Apps

Published 2024-11-05 by Kevin Feasel

Sebastiao Pereira solves a problem:

Report Viewer was originally developed for the .NET Framework. As the industry shifts towards .NET Core, developers who have traditionally relied on this tool have faced challenges displaying reports within their applications due to compatibility issues. Is it possible to display a report from SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) in a .Net Core Application?

Click through for the answer. As a quick note, we had .NET Core, but then Microsoft renamed it to .NET with .NET 6, so instead we have to differentiate .NET Framework (Windows-only, heavy SDK) with .NET (nee .NET Core, cross-platform, less heavy). I’d rate Sebastiao’s solution a workaround, but one that I doubt Microsoft will ever provide a better solution for, given the heavy de-emphasis on Reporting Services over the past several years.

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