Weekly Roundup

Weekly Roundup for August 16, 2021

The August 2021 update for Power BI is out! Be sure to check it out.

In case you missed it, be sure to check out Daniel Otykier introduce Tabular Editor 3 to the Nashville Modern Excel & Power BI User Group.

Marco Russo recently did a live Q&A workshop with CSG Pro, giving advice on how to troubleshoot and optimize an underperforming Power BI report. Definitely worth a watch.

Patrick Leblanc gives a great introduction on how to use the new paginated report visual in your Power BI reports.

Yeah, what he said!

This video isn’t about this, but Patrick covers a setting in Tabular Editor called Discourage Implicit Measures. You should always make sure this is enabled in your datasets.

Weekly Roundup for August 9, 2021

Tomorrow is the last day to register for this event. Be sure not to miss it!

After you've mastered Power BI Desktop, the most important tool for taking your data analytics career to the next level is Tabular Editor. Daniel Otykier, the creator of Tabular Editor, has just released the third full version, and it is chock full of advanced features.

If you work on Power BI datasets on a regular basis--particularly large, complex datasets with several tables, dozens or hundreds of metrics, and a lot of data--then this is the professional, enterprise-grade tool that you will need.

Daniel Otykier joins the Nashville Modern Excel & Power BI User Group to give us a walk-through of the best Power BI tool that isn't Power BI. Be sure not to miss out on this great presentation!

The October 2021 Wave 2 release for Power Apps is out. Be sure to check out the latest features.

If you’ve ever wondered whether to use a DateTime or an Integer when connecting your fact tables to the Date Dimension table, Alberto Ferrari suggests using the DateTime column, because there is essentially no difference in how the storage engine optimizes the data and it opens up some operational efficiencies.

The on-premises data gateway now supports AAD SSO pass through, meaning that you can implement Direct Query of on-premises resources, and resources in a vNet, while maintaining enforcement of single sign-on.

Weekly Roundup for August 2, 2021

After you've mastered Power BI Desktop, the most important tool for taking your data analytics career to the next level is Tabular Editor. Daniel Otykier, the creator of Tabular Editor, has just released the third full version, and it is chock full of advanced features.

If you work on Power BI datasets on a regular basis--particularly large, complex datasets with several tables, dozens or hundreds of metrics, and a lot of data--then this is the professional, enterprise-grade tool that you will need.

Daniel Otykier joins the Nashville Modern Excel & Power BI User Group to give us a walk-through of the best Power BI tool that isn't Power BI. Be sure not to miss out on this great presentation!

Gartner has named Microsoft as a Leader in Robotic Process Automation.

Marc Lelijveld has a nice, simple explanation of what makes a Power BI solution enterprise-grade. Definitely worth a quick read.

If you need a primer on making paginated reports, Blue Granite has a nice introduction.

Patrick LeBlanc has a great introduction to using R in Power BI. There are a few limitations, including the need to use a personal gateway, so check the documentation.

Reid Havens has a nice, concise introduction to using composite models in Power BI — that is, a composite of a direct query connection to a Power BI dataset and some other data source. This allows for endless mashups of data and high customizability.

I honestly didn’t know that you could use normal text boxes as de facto smart narrative visuals. Patrick LeBlanc shows you how you can use text boxes to really customize the text that you bring to your Power BI reports.

Weekly Roundup for July 26, 2021

After you've mastered Power BI Desktop, the most important tool for taking your data analytics career to the next level is Tabular Editor. Daniel Otykier, the creator of Tabular Editor, has just released the third full version, and it is chock full of advanced features.

If you work on Power BI datasets on a regular basis--particularly large, complex datasets with several tables, dozens or hundreds of metrics, and a lot of data--then this is the professional, enterprise-grade tool that you will need.

Daniel Otykier joins the Nashville Modern Excel & Power BI User Group to give us a walk-through of the best Power BI tool that isn't Power BI. Be sure not to miss out on this great presentation!

Data Culture and Digital Transformation

I always love reading the thoughts and musings of Matthew Roche, especially as a leader of a BI practice. You should definitely give this a read.

Optimizing Conditions Involving Blank Values in DAX

If you want to understand how the DAX engine works, learn it from this guy. Alberto Ferrari explains how conditions evaluate blank values, and in so doing, he gives a great explanation into some of the deeper understanding of how the Vertipaq engine works.

Exploring the Power Automate Visual in Power BI

I built something like this before by integrating a Power App with a flow built into that. It worked, but this is a much simpler solution. Patrick LeBlanc introduces the Power Automate visual for Power BI. This is really cool functionality! The possibilities are endless!

Building a Basic Desktop Flow with Power Automate Desktop

I’ve enjoyed learning about desktop flows in Power Automate Desktop from my favorite Power Platform trainers, Pragmatic Works.

Weekly Roundup for July 19, 2021

Microsoft is updating their pricing for Power Apps, basically cutting the price in half.

 

I loved this introduction to using Python in Power BI by Patrick LeBlanc.

 

Streaming Dataflows (announced at MBAS) are now in public preview. Here is the announcement with a primer on how to use them.

 

This will soon be useful for me, so I thought that it might be useful for some of you out there. If you need to document an architecture, as I will soon have to do, this should get you started.

 

If you administer a Power BI tenant, you need to watch this video. Adam Saxton shows you how to connect Log Analytics to your Power BI tenant to get great out-of-the-box, as well as custom, analytics about the performance of your Power BI resources.

Weekly Roundup for July 12, 2021

We're having our Fifth Annual Dashboard Competition on Thursday, July 22nd @ 11:30 AM Central U.S. time. If you're interested in presenting, please reach out to me as soon as possible. Slots are filling up!

 

Organizations can now require their Power BI users to set data sensitivity labels.

 

Patrick LeBlanc demonstrates the new modern tooltips.

 

I’m always asked for training resources for Power BI. Here’s a great way to train with Microsoft engineers directly.

 

Adam Saxton shows you how to use incremental refresh with native queries. This is great, because I always try to use native queries (or, better yet, views storing those native queries) as much as possible.

Weekly Roundup for June 28, 2021

The June 2021 Feature Summary for Power BI is out. Highlights include:

  • Paginated reports visual (preview),

  • Direct Query support for Dataflows generally available,

  • Mandatory label policy, and

  • Automation-related enhancements to deployments.

 

Devin Knight has a great 16-minute primer on Microsoft Power Virtual Agents. Pragmatic Works also has a 3-hour session on it coming up.

 

The long-awaited paginated report visual is now out in public preview!

 

I get asked about training resources all the time. Adam Saxton shows you where to go for free training for Power BI.

 

There’s a new version of DAX Studio out!

Weekly Roundup for June 21, 2021

Just in case any missed it, here's the recording of the Nashville Power BI user group June 2021 meetup featuring Steve Wexler discussing how to make better decisions with better visualizations.

 

You can now take advantage of Power Query in Dataverse for Teams. Note that gateways are not supported, and this is in preview and only available in Brazil at the moment (but expanding to all regions).

 

Patrick LeBlanc shows the best ways to (and not to) build cascading filters in your Power BI reports.

 

Adam Saxton shows you how to use DAX Studio and SSMS to trace your DAX queries. This would be really helpful in resolving performance troubles.

 

Patrick LeBlanc shows you several new features in the new Tabular Editor 3 that demonstrate why it is a really great new tool.

Weekly Roundup for June 14, 2021

Many organizations don’t realize how much faster and more accurate their decision-making would be if they were better at data visualization. Indeed, most organizations struggle with seeing and understanding their data. (Think about some of those 100-page slide decks and 60-column spreadsheets.)

In this live session, best-selling author and data visualization consultant Steve Wexler will share insights on how to get your organization to "get" data visualization.

Attend and learn:
Why “just the numbers” isn't good enough
The “gateway drug” to data visualization
Why we see so many bar charts
Why most people make a mess of using color
The secret to engaging your stakeholders and the power of disaggregated data
What you should always, always, always keep in mind

If you’re new to data visualization, this webinar will help you understand the benefits of well-designed charts and dashboards. If you are experienced in data visualization, this webinar will help you evangelize its use in your organization.

About: Steve Wexler is the founder of Data Revelations, co-author of The Big Book of Dashboards: Visualizing Your Data Using Real-World Business Scenarios, and author of the upcoming book The Big Picture: How to Use Data Visualization to Make Better Decisions—Faster.

Steve has worked with ADP, Gallup, Johnson & Johnson, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, Convergys, Consumer Reports, The Economist, SurveyMonkey, Con Edison, D&B, Marist, Cornell University, Stanford University, Tradeweb, Tiffany, McKinsey & Company, and many other organizations to help them understand and visualize their data.

A winner of numerous data visualization honors and awards, Steve also serves on the advisory board to the Data Visualization Society.

His presentations and training classes combine an extraordinary level of product mastery with the real-world experience gained through developing thousands of visualizations for dozens of clients. Steve has taught thousands of people in both large and small organizations and is known for conducting his seminars with clarity, patience, and humor.

 

Matt Allington demonstrates his top 5 favorite things about the new Tabular Editor 3.

 

Every data analytics or business intelligence solution should exist for a purpose, and generally speaking, that purpose should fit under the category of helping a stakeholder solve a problem they have. The only way to do that, the only way to not build a solution in search of a problem, is to listen to those stakeholders so as to understand their problems. Only then can you build effective data analytics or BI solutions. Matthew Roche makes this argument more articulately than I ever could.

 

I thought this was a clever use of calculation groups by Reid Havens to conditionally show or hide columns in a matrix based on whether there is the requisite underlying data coming through the filter context.

 

This is not anything new, but if you’ve ever needed to get a previous row in Power Query, Laura Graham-Brown shows you a very easy way to do it. Hint: It involves an index column and joining the table to itself.

Weekly Roundup for June 7, 2021

Many organizations don’t realize how much faster and more accurate their decision-making would be if they were better at data visualization. Indeed, most organizations struggle with seeing and understanding their data. (Think about some of those 100-page slide decks and 60-column spreadsheets.)

In this live session, best-selling author and data visualization consultant Steve Wexler will share insights on how to get your organization to "get" data visualization.

Attend and learn:
Why “just the numbers” isn't good enough
The “gateway drug” to data visualization
Why we see so many bar charts
Why most people make a mess of using color
The secret to engaging your stakeholders and the power of disaggregated data
What you should always, always, always keep in mind

If you’re new to data visualization, this webinar will help you understand the benefits of well-designed charts and dashboards. If you are experienced in data visualization, this webinar will help you evangelize its use in your organization.

About: Steve Wexler is the founder of Data Revelations, co-author of The Big Book of Dashboards: Visualizing Your Data Using Real-World Business Scenarios, and author of the upcoming book The Big Picture: How to Use Data Visualization to Make Better Decisions—Faster.

Steve has worked with ADP, Gallup, Johnson & Johnson, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, Convergys, Consumer Reports, The Economist, SurveyMonkey, Con Edison, D&B, Marist, Cornell University, Stanford University, Tradeweb, Tiffany, McKinsey & Company, and many other organizations to help them understand and visualize their data.

A winner of numerous data visualization honors and awards, Steve also serves on the advisory board to the Data Visualization Society.

His presentations and training classes combine an extraordinary level of product mastery with the real-world experience gained through developing thousands of visualizations for dozens of clients. Steve has taught thousands of people in both large and small organizations and is known for conducting his seminars with clarity, patience, and humor.

 

Microsoft is releasing a new app designer for model-driven apps.

 

Brett Powell has a great article about changes in Power BI that can break your datasets. He goes through common causes and how to avoid them.

 

You can now embed Power BI reports, dashboards, and tiles into Salesforce. I’ll be curious to see how people make use of this.

 

Marc Lelijveld has a terrific article showing how to integrate Power BI Deployment Pipelines into Azure DevOps. If you’re working on enterprise-class business intelligence, this is the new best practice you should be emulating.