Frankie D
Azure Solutions Architect | Enterprise Integration & Platform Engineer
I use this portfolio to turn enterprise architecture ideas into working Azure and .NET builds. It is focused on the integration points between application engineering, cloud platforms, data movement, DevOps delivery, and AI-enabled solution design.
Current work is centered on a 2026 .NET refresh aligned to Microsoft's post-.NET Conf roadmap, including .NET 10 LTS, C# 14, ASP.NET Core, Blazor/Razor, Aspire, Visual Studio 2026, and AI-enabled developer tooling. PULSE is the reference build where I am validating how these releases fit into enterprise integration architecture across application platforms, DevOps delivery, data movement, cloud hosting, and AI-assisted user experiences.
Current Engineering Focus
2026 .NET Refresh
I am currently rebuilding my software engineering portfolio around the .NET 10 / C# 14 / Visual Studio 2026 release cycle and using that refresh as a structured reason to revisit the full modern .NET stack: ASP.NET Core Web API, EF Core, Razor/Blazor UI patterns, background services, API design, validation, mapping, testing, and deployment.
Tech in rotation: C# 14, .NET 10, ASP.NET Core, VS26, VSCode, GitHub Copilot, GPT 5.* codex, EF Core (specifically, the new Vector Search), AutoMapper, Razor/Blazor, OpenAPI, Foundry SDK, Foundry Tools SDK, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, Bicep, Aspire, MCP C# SDK, AG-UI SDK, Azure AI Foundry SDK, Microsoft Agent Framework.
Current Build: PULSE - Provider Unified Lifecycle & Services Engine
The project is designed as a realistic care operations platform rather than a full EHR. It gives me a practical domain for demonstrating ASP.NET Core APIs, EF Core persistence, Razor/Blazor UI, background processing, synthetic healthcare data, operational workflows, CI/CD, DevOps planning, and cloud deployment patterns.
PULSE is also the application layer I am using to test newer AI application SDKs and patterns, including Microsoft Agent Framework, embedded assistant experiences, AG-UI concepts, and service boundaries that allow AI capabilities to be added without tightly coupling the application to one model or provider.
I am also using this project to practice professional delivery habits inside Azure DevOps, including epics, features, backlog planning, CI/CD structure, infrastructure deployment planning, and release-oriented project organization.
Core build areas: Software Engineering, DevOps, Data Engineering, and .NET Cloud Engineering.
Current Azure Platform Focus
Azure Data + Fabric IQ Solutions Project: Contoso Health Network Data Platform
Alongside the PULSE application build, I maintain a small Azure data platform that acts as the backend data source for the Health Network demo environment. This environment uses synthetic healthcare data and gives me a practical place to test Azure Data Factory pipelines, linked services, storage integration, networking patterns, and security-oriented data movement.
This data platform has also served as a long-running lab for ADF linked services, VNet integration patterns, storage access, and related Azure administration/security scenarios. The next stage is migrating the curated analytical layer into Microsoft Fabric and OneLake so the same environment can support Fabric migration, Power BI reporting, and data-platform modernization demos.
Tech in active rotation: Azure Data Factory, Azure Storage, linked services, managed identity, private networking patterns, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Lakehouse/Warehouse concepts, and future Fabric migration patterns.
Azure App + AI Solution Project: Pulse in Azure
This track focuses on deploying and operating PULSE as a real Azure application rather than only a local development project. The goal is to test the cloud architecture that supports a modern .NET application: Web API hosting, app services, containerized deployment options, background workers, observability, identity, configuration, and cost-aware Azure design.
This work includes evaluating where PULSE should use Azure Foundry, Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure Container Registry, Azure Container Apps, Azure SQL, Storage, and supporting infrastructure. It also gives me a place to apply CAF-aligned thinking around identity-first security, deployment automation, reliability, observability, operational governance, and cloud cost management.
Tech Stack: Azure App Service, ASP.NET Core Web API, Azure Foundry, Azure Functions, Azure Container Registry, Azure Container Apps, Azure SQL, Azure Storage, Application Insights, Log Analytics, managed identity, Bicep, Terraform, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, and CAF-aligned architecture patterns.
Microsoft Certification Coverage & Practical Experience
My Microsoft certification path supports the same areas demonstrated across this portfolio: Azure architecture, DevOps delivery, AI integration, administration, identity, data movement, and cloud application development. Each certification area maps to hands-on experience with real Azure and Microsoft platform services.
Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)
End-to-end Azure architecture across identity, networking, compute, storage, governance, reliability, security, and cost.
Practical experience areas: landing zone concepts, subscription and resource group organization, hub-and-spoke patterns, private endpoints, VNet integration, Azure Storage, Azure SQL, App Services, Azure Functions, Container Apps, managed identities, Key Vault, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics Workspaces, Application Insights, diagnostic settings, cost-aware architecture, and operational governance.
Azure DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400)
CI/CD, release strategy, infrastructure automation, and delivery practices that connect development, operations, and architecture.
Practical experience areas: Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, Terraform, Bicep, infrastructure pipelines, app deployment pipelines, environment promotion, release planning, pull request validation, secret handling, OIDC-based deployments, automated testing concepts, OpenAPI validation, and repeatable cloud delivery.
Azure AI Engineer (AI-201)
Integration of AI services into applications and workflows with attention to responsible, observable, and useful implementation.
2026 Note: This cert expired April '26. Currently working towards the new Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate (Exam AI-103)
Practical experience areas: Azure AI Foundry, Azure OpenAI-style application patterns, Microsoft Agent Framework, MCP-based tooling, prompt and service boundaries, embedded assistant experiences, AI interaction logging, agent evaluation concepts, retrieval and knowledge patterns, and AI-assisted developer workflows.
Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
Operational Azure knowledge across monitoring, access control, resource management, reliability, and production support.
Practical experience areas: Azure subscriptions, RBAC, Microsoft Entra ID administration, managed identities, resource configuration, diagnostic settings, Log Analytics Workspaces, Application Insights, Azure Monitor, storage account access, networking configuration, cost management, backup and recovery concepts, and support-oriented troubleshooting.
Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204)
Cloud application development patterns for APIs, service integrations, authentication, storage, messaging, and application lifecycle.
2026 Note: This cert is expiring August '26. Currently working towards the new Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate (Exam AI-200)
Practical experience areas: ASP.NET Core Web API, Azure App Service, Azure Functions, Azure Storage, Azure SQL, application configuration, authentication and authorization patterns, app registrations, managed identity usage, REST API design, OpenAPI/Swagger, background processing, telemetry, and cloud-hosted .NET application patterns.
Additional Microsoft Architecture Coverage
Beyond completed certifications, I continue to study adjacent Microsoft certification paths where they overlap with enterprise integration architecture, data platforms, security, networking, and Microsoft cloud administration.
Azure Data Engineer (DP-203) / Fabric Data Engineer (DP-700)
Azure Data Factory, ADLS Gen2, linked services, integration runtimes, REST/SAP/file-based ingestion patterns, Synapse/serverless SQL concepts, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, OneLake, Lakehouse/Warehouse patterns, and migration planning.
Network Engineering (AZ-700)
VNets, subnets, private endpoints, DNS considerations, VNet integration, routing concepts, network security groups, hub-and-spoke design, secure service access patterns, and platform connectivity planning.
Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500) / Cloud and AI Security Engineer (SC-500)
Microsoft Entra ID, conditional access concepts, least-privilege access, RBAC, app registrations, enterprise applications, managed identities, Microsoft 365 license management, user and group administration, Defender/security posture concepts, and governance-oriented design.