In short, TL;DR
I am a data engineer who has worked with many different ETLs, now working with tools such as Dagster, Python dataframes, OpenMetadata. My skills also cover the whole containerization aspect, simple network management, with DNS, IPv4 and IPv6, SSL certificates…
Hello!
I am Xavier REVEILLON
Interested in computing since I was a child, I followed a Generalist Engineering curriculum in Computer Science at Telecom Nancy school in France. After obtaining my degree, I entered a career as a BI consultant. First a Business Objects developer, I worked on XI 3.1 versions then SAP BI 4. Since then, I have worked almost exclusively with ETLs (BODS, Hummingbird Genio, SSIS, Informatica PowerCenter, ODI, Talend).
After ETLs, there are now data formats dedicated to large volumes (Parquet, Delta, Iceberg), orchestrators (Airflow and Dagster), data virtualization (Denodo) and the data lakehouse (Dremio), governance (Collibra, OpenMetadata). Being a Business Intelligence consultant also means mastering databases (SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL) from their storage (separating loading phases into different databases, managing data tablespaces and indexes, partitioning), to index creation for optimized reads, and most importantly: modeling (normal form and star schema).
Technical Skills
Being curious by nature, my field of interest goes far beyond BI.
Networks
With my homelab, I know that the DNS server is one of the cornerstones of the network, especially with the importance of "split‑horizon". Access to my public sites (tools such as Nextcloud and Gitlab) is done with the same URL from outside as from the local network. Managing record updates in case of public IP changes (both v4 and v6 (yes, we’re in 2025!)) is crucial. On the other hand, I am aware that in an enterprise setting, all IPs are static!
Before DNS management, there is already IP address management. I use both DHCP servers, SLAAC, and static addresses configured on servers. I can also manage routes to ensure proper network operation.
One topic I have not yet addressed or practiced is the deployment and management of VLANs. At home, home automation does not use Wi‑Fi, and I don’t have many devices connected to the internet, so I don’t see the need for network segregation.
Reverse‑proxies
Linked to networking and DNS, there is the reverse proxy. How to allow access to different websites while opening only a single port? Reverse proxy, but also load balancer. I work with Apache Httpd, Nginx, Haproxy, but using containers almost exclusively, my tool of choice is Traefik, for automatic URL configuration based on labels added to containers.
SSL Certificates and PKI
Also linked to all the previous topics, SSL certificates and PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) management are essential for securing communications within my network. I use not Let’s Encrypt but ZeroSSL to obtain free SSL certificates and automate their renewal. I have also set up an internal PKI in my homelab, first with openssl and the tool cfssl developed by Cloudflare.
Hardware
A short paragraph: I am one of those IT people who build their own PC. My hardware knowledge is limited to CPU, GPU, RAM, PSU, HDD, SSD… Additionally, I use an HBA in my server to have more drives than the motherboard allows.
OS
Aside from Windows on my work laptop, I mainly work with Linux OSes. My preference is Debian, but I also use Ubuntu and RedHat. Seeing both sides of the coin—apt vs dnf, ufw vs firewalld—is always good for forming an opinion.
Containerization
I am a big fan of containers. I hardly do any installations anymore; almost everything is containerized. I have installed Kubernetes in my homelab several times, years apart, both the “bare‑metal” version with kubeadm and a managed version under Rancher, with Kind for development, and especially Talos and its immutable OSes. I discovered Cluster API at the Voxxed Days recently and plan to explore that technology.
Given the number of users of my homelab (just one), Kubernetes is heavy for my infrastructure and needs. I therefore stick with Docker and Docker Compose to manage my containers. A migration to Podman is planned, which is already used on one of my Raspberry Pis. Podman Quadlet is very handy for infrastructure containers managed by SystemD, outside an orchestrator.
Automation
I have used Ansible in my homelab when I set up Kubernetes, precisely to automate node configuration. I also know Terraform, but I have never actually used it.
Programming
I work with Python and Bash for my job. In my spare time I develop a bit at home. If I had to place myself in a development role, I would rather be a backend developer.
Social Skills
I excel in teamwork and effective communication with my colleagues. I value knowledge sharing and am always ready to assist others in learning. I believe collaboration is essential for success in the field of computer science.
I help colleagues learn, and I also possess strong pedagogical abilities, enabling me to convey technical concepts to non-technical individuals. I aim to apply this on my blog as well.
While I showcase my technical abilities here, it’s equally —if not more— important to understand why, and what for, we undertake consulting assignments. I try to keep my clients' objectives and needs at the forefront of my mind.