PowerBI.tips

Category: Building Reports

Exploring the Power of Semantic Link
Semantic link is one of the most promising technologies coming from the Microsoft Power BI and Fabric team. Semantic link has the potential to automate so many redundant tasks and tedious work. Automating and using code enables BI developers to free up time for more value-added work. Join Stephanie Bruno and Mike Carlo as they do a thorough demo of using Semantic Link.

Understanding Semantic Link

Semantic link is a powerful tool that allows direct access and manipulation of data within semantic models using code and notebooks. It offers automation, streamlined data extraction, and centralized data management within models. Throughout this workshop, we’ll delve into the diverse functionalities of semantic link and its potential benefits for data scientists, analysts, engineers, and fabric admins.

A Deep Dive into Semantic Link

This demo covers a range of topics, including:
- Accessing and visualizing a Power BI report within a notebook
- Exploring the list of reports in a workspace
- Retrieving insights about tables and columns in a semantic model
- Listing and comprehending measures within a semantic model
- Visualizing and understanding table relationships
- Utilizing semantic link for data access and manipulation
Live Demos and Practical Demonstrations

Our expert presenter, Stephanie Bruno, will lead live demonstrations and hands-on exercises to illustrate the practical applications of semantic link. The demos will encompass:
- Creating a new notebook and connecting it to a workspace
- Retrieving and visualizing reports within the notebook
- Exploring tables, columns, and measures within a semantic model
- Understanding and visualizing table relationships
- Accessing and manipulating data using semantic link
- Employing DAX magic to write and evaluate DAX expressions
The Impact of Semantic Link in Action

Throughout the workshop, we’ll showcase how semantic link empowers data scientists to access and utilize measures without the need to reconstruct complex logic. Additionally, we’ll highlight the seamless integration of semantic link with Python, facilitating efficient data manipulation and analysis.

More where that came from

If you like this type of training and content, join us over at Training.tips for 60+ hours of additional training.
July 26, 2024
Tips+ Designer and Theme Generator Tutorial: Automatic Visual Objects with AI

Welcome to today’s tutorial where we’ll explore an exciting feature implemented to streamline your background creation process in Power BI. If you’ve ever found yourself spending too much time tweaking and aligning visual elements, this AI-powered solution will be a game-changer for you. This new feature continues to simplify the report visualization experience and open doors for other teams to decide on the visualizations, develop the look & feel, and pass off a pbip object to Data Engineers or BI Developers to easily add data into.

If you prefer to follow along via video, you can check out the full walkthrough on the PowerBI.tips YouTube video here:

Background

Designing the look & feel of a report typically begins with tools like PowerPoint, Adobe XD, Illustrator, or Figma, where we craft our initial background designs. Whether simple boxes or intricate layouts, these designs serve as the canvas for our data stories. We decide what visuals we want, how many objects we want on a page, and how much real estate to assign. A lot of time is spent doing this. However, once you have this background image, you still have to create all the visual objects and nudge them into place.

Introducing Visual Auto-Layout AI Feature

Now, with the Power BI Tips+ Theme Generator you now have a tool that can recognize these design elements and automatically generate visual objects, saving you precious time and effort!

Step 1: Access the Power BI Theme Generator

Navigate to the Power BI Theme Generator, where you can upload your background images. Its extremely easy to generate new pages, and quickly upload your image to each page.

Step 2: Let AI Do the Heavy Lifting

With a click of a button our AI auto-layout feature identifies the background elements and aligns visual objects accordingly. This means no more manual adjustments or tedious alignment tasks. You can do this on a page by page level OR have the Visuals AI generate all images on all pages with just a click of a button!

Step 3: Customize Your Visualizations

Once the visual objects are generated, all that’s left to do is select the visualizations you want to insert into each space. Enjoy the flexibility to choose the perfect visual representation for your data insights.

Step 4: Download and Implement

Getting this into a Power BI report is as easily as downloading the PBIX file. This file will contain all your customized background and visualizations. And as always, you can enhance your Theme file with any preconfigured setting just by adding that to your Theme Generator file. After that, just extract the files and open your Power BI report by opening the .pbip file. Voila! Your professionally designed background with perfectly aligned visuals is ready to add data to!

Conclusion

By leveraging the power of AI, you’ve not only saved valuable time but also unlocked new possibilities for creativity and efficiency in your data visualization journey. With this streamlined process, you can focus more on crafting compelling data stories and less on manual design tasks.

I hope you found today’s tutorial insightful. Stay tuned for our next tutorial, where we’ll explore another exciting feature that enhances your Power BI experience. Until then, happy visualizing!

April 29, 2024
Tips+ Designer and Theme Generator Tutorial: Gallery Project Copy & Edit

Introduction

Welcome to today’s tutorial where we dive into the powerful capabilities of the Power BI Tips+ Theme Generator. In this post, we won’t just download a project from the Gallery; instead, we’ll guide you through the process of copying and editing a project file using the Power BI Tips+ Theme Generator. Today, we’ll focus on the Framed Orange theme to showcase the flexibility and customization options available.

If you prefer to follow along via video, you can check out the full walkthrough on the PowerBI.tips YouTube video here:

Step 1: Copy and Edit Project File

Start by selecting the Framed Orange theme in the Power BI Tips+ Gallery. Click on “Copy and Edit” to open the project file. The Gallery project will open this project in your workspace and show you all the pages and visualizations in the Wireframe area.

Step 2: Customizing Project

Upon opening the file, you’ll notice wireframes representing the background and areas where visualizations will go. These project files contain all of the backgrounds, visuals and theme properties. In this case we have a palette and visualization properties set, so they are also imported. In our example, a gray border is applied to all visuals and a suite of colors is found in the palette.

Step 3: Applying Changes

Make changes to the project file as needed. In this tutorial, we’ll curve the edges of visualizations in the properties area, and bring in our own custom color palette. Easily add hex codes of your preferred colors to personalize the project.

Step 4: Preselecting Visualizations

As you navigate back to the Wireframes section you can see how easy it is to add the visuals to the predefined visual objects. You aren’t locked into these though and you can easily change the size and position. We’ve thought of that too! On Page 3 of this project, for instance, the project file has a large table.

Instead of using that, you can choose from predefined templates of visual objects to easily apply to the background. This feature makes it easy to align and space visualizations appropriately.

Pick the one that suites you best, and apply it to your background. Now that we have that, we can choose which visuals we want to add for easily dropping our data into.

Setting up a background, and perfectly aligned visuals to create beautiful reports has never been easier!

Step 5: Downloading the Modified pbip File

Download the modified project file (pbip) file to your computer. Extract the files and open the PBI file in Power BI Desktop. You will see that all of our properties, new theme, and background are all applied to the report.

Step 6: Adding Data

Load your data or use a sample dataset to see the visualizations populated. Drag and drop or select visualizations to add your data into the pre-configured fields.

Step 7: Exploring My Files Section

Did you realize you missed a few properties or colors, or maybe wanted to add one more page? Not a problem, you can go back and tweak the project file any time you want, because its yours! Discover the My Files section in the Power BI Tips+ Theme Generator, where you can explore and update all settings and properties for your current and future projects.

Conclusion:

With the Power BI Tips+ Theme Generator, you can effortlessly customize and enhance your Power BI reports without spending large amounts of time tweaking all the visualization settings for every report you create. Use the Tips+ Theme Generator to create amazing templates to use over and over again!

Stay tuned for our next tutorial, where we’ll delve into the exciting new AI features within the Power BI Tips+ Gallery. Elevate your reporting game with simplicity and efficiency!

February 27, 2024
Tips+ Designer and Theme Generator Tutorial: Gallery Project Download for Easy Theme Solutions

Welcome to today’s tutorial where we’ll explore the Power BI Tips+ Theme Generator and its incredible features designed to streamline your Power BI report building experience. In this walkthrough, we’ll guide you through the process of getting started with the Power BI Tips+ Gallery, focusing on the Sunset theme. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to effortlessly integrate our pre-configured Gallery Projects into your Power BI reports. It doesn’t get easier than this!

If you prefer to follow along via video, you can check out the full walkthrough on the PowerBI.tips YouTube video here:

Accessing Power BI Tips+ Gallery

Step 1: To begin, head over to powerbi.tips and navigate to Tools > “Themes New” section. Select the “Gallery” and you will notice the collection of Gallery Projects (A Gallery Project is comprised of a background, theme, and Power BI visuals all in one package). Highlight the Sunset theme for today’s demonstration, and select the “download .pbip Project”

This file includes everything you need to create or alter your Power BI report visual aesthetics. After the download is complete, extract all files to your directory of choice.

Extract & Open the Project in Power BI Desktop

Step 2: Open the .pbip File by double-clicking on it. This will automatically launch Power BI Desktop! Ready to start working on adding data to your report?

Step 3: Load Data in Power BI Desktop. For this tutorial, we’ll use the financials dataset. Simply click on the desired dataset and load it into the report.

Once we have the data loaded we can navigate to any of the pages. You will see that you already have a pre-configured background, visuals on the page, and a theme of colors that were created using the Tips+ Theme Generator!

Apply Your Data

Step 4: The report consists of overview tabs in yellow, red, pink, and purple, along with a dimensions tab. You can easily remove the initial description page to focus on your data. Because you already have visualizations aligned and on the report canvas, all you need to do is select the visual and click on the columns you want to add!

Step 5: If a specific visualization doesn’t suit your needs, feel free to change its type as these are the standard Power BI visualizations. If something doesn’t align directly to your expectations, you can always adjust the properties, or change the theme itself in the Tips+ Theme Generator! We’ll walk through how to customize these pre-configured packages in our next tutorial. “Gallery – Customized Projects”

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully integrated pre-configured Tips+ Gallery Project into your Power BI report using the Power BI Tips+ Theme Generator Gallery. This powerful tool simplifies the report-building process, saving you time and effort. Explore all the features available in the Tips+ Theme Generator to enhance the visual appeal of your reports effortlessly. Stay tuned for more tips and features in our upcoming tutorials. Happy reporting!

January 29, 2024
Revolutionizing Power BI Theme Building with New AI Capabilities in Tips+

In the dynamic world of data visualization, the PowerBI.Tips team has once again raised the bar. Today we’re introducing cutting-edge AI capabilities to simplify the Theme Building experience. We recognize the value of time in the fast-paced realm of analytics. So we’ve worked to implement innovative features designed to streamline the theme building process even more and enhance user efficiency.

Visuals AI: A Game-Changer in Background Customization

The PowerBI.Tips team understands that the right background sets the tone for a compelling data story. With the new “Visuals AI” button prominently placed in the top left corner of Wireframes, users can now harness the power of artificial intelligence to easily add visuals to their chosen background image. Choosing backgrounds from the Gallery makes this even easier to create visually appealing reports. This feature is a game-changer, automatically analyzing the selected page background and generating visuals that seamlessly fit into the designated spaces is an immense time saver!

No more tedious tweaking of visual sizes, spacing, or alignment after you’ve already done that on the background. “Visuals AI” takes care of it all. Users have the freedom to experiment with different backgrounds, simply applying a background image and choosing “Visuals AI”. This automatically generates visuals on all pages, or one page at a time. Don’t like the visual? It doesn’t matter, users can easily change visuals and the sizing stays the same. This not only saves valuable time but also empowers users to focus on the creative aspect of data presentation rather than getting bogged down in the intricacies of layout adjustments.

Streamlined Wireframe Building with Visual Layouts

Building a report page from scratch has never been easier, users now have the option to start with just the spaced visual objects. Leveraging the meticulously aligned, spaced, and sized visual frames generated by Visuals AI is a huge time saver. This feature is a boon for those who prefer a blank canvas or wish to bypass the Gallery background, providing a quick and efficient way to kickstart the report creation process.

Choosing this icon when on a page provides a large selection of pre-defined options.

This eliminates the need for users to manually arrange and adjust individual elements. The result is a significant time-saving that allows users to focus on the content and insights rather than the nitty-gritty of layout design.

Continuous Innovation for Time Savings

The commitment to enhancing the Theme Building experience doesn’t end here. The PowerBI.Tips team is actively exploring additional ways to integrate time-saving features into the Tips+ Theme Generator. Users can look forward to future enhancements that will further elevate the efficiency and creativity of their theme building endeavors.

Stay tuned for updates and join us on the ride as we continue to revolutionize Power BI Theme building! PowerBI.Tips will continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible with the latest advancements in artificial intelligence.

December 9, 2023
Designer: Use any Scrim from the Gallery when Building Wireframes
The Power BI Tips Theme Generator: Your Ultimate Theming Tool

The Power BI Tips Theme Generator is the go-to resource for users aiming to create consistent looking Power BI reports and dashboards with minimal effort. It simplifies Theme building, even for those who lack a strong background in design or coding. It empowers any user to create stunning and consistent looking reports with ease.

Introducing the Gallery Integration in Wireframes to extract Scrims

The Gallery Integration into Wireframes for Scrims is a feature designed to streamline the theme building process even further. It is particularly valuable for users who have invested time and effort in crafting their own themes. This feature brings the power of the Gallery background images (Scrims) into the Wireframes section. This allows users to access all the projects available in the Gallery! User can then select any, or all, of the background images to apply to their pages.

Simplified Background and Page Creation

The true magic of the Gallery Integration lies in its ability to simplify the creation of backgrounds and pages for your Power BI reports. Here’s how it works:
1. Explore the Gallery: Start by browsing through the Gallery projects in the fly out. Each Gallery project offers unique backgrounds (Scrims).
2. Select Your Desired Gallery Project: When you find a project that resonates with your vision, simply click on it.
3. Add Background Images to My Scrims: From within the selected Gallery project, you can pull background images into My Scrims by selecting “Copy to My Scrims”.
4. Effortless Application: With your background images in My Scrims, applying them to your reports is a breeze. You can choose to apply one image or add all the scrims by selecting the magic icon.

It all depends on your design preferences.

5. Automatic Page Creation: The Power BI Tips Theme Generator does the heavy lifting for you. When you apply the background images, it automatically creates the background pages for your report.

The Power of Streamlined Theme Building

The Gallery Integration in Wireframes for Scrims in the Power BI Tips Theme Generator is another unique feature built to empower you. You can effortlessly enhance your Theme projects with fresh backgrounds, ultimately saving you time and streamlining your Theme building process.

Whether you’re a seasoned Power BI user or a newcomer to the world of data visualization, this feature offers a user-friendly, efficient solution for creating visually appealing Wireframes for your reports. The Gallery Integration combines the creative power of the Gallery into the Wireframe building process.

So, if you’re ready to take your Power BI reports to the next level, check out this new feature in the Wireframes area. Streamline your design process, and create a visual narrative that speaks to your audience. Happy Theming!
October 15, 2023
Unlock Effortless Power BI Theming with the New Gallery Feature
The Power BI Tips Theme Generator tool already allows you to easily interact with, and adjust, all the visual properties, wireframes, etc… How could we possibly make Power BI Theme building an effortless experience? We start with building it all for you, then letting you adjust it!
The all new Gallery feature represents a significant leap forward in simplifying the theming process for all. This feature is especially for the business users! But, it also opens up exciting opportunities for the Power BI community to contribute in the future as well.

Introducing the Gallery Feature

With the introduction of the Gallery feature, the Tips Theme Generator has reached a new pinnacle of usability and accessibility. This feature combines all the technology and expertise that has made the Tips Theme Generator the best in the business. The primary aim of this feature is to cater to business users who might not have the time, inclination, or design expertise to build their themes from scratch.

The Simplicity of Using the Gallery

The Gallery feature simplifies theming to the point where you don’t need to be a design expert to make your reports look fantastic. It offers a curated selection of the best themes, ready for you to use. The process is as easy as browsing through the Gallery, picking your favorite masterpiece, and applying it to your Power BI reports.

Browse

Preview

Download
With Tips+ you can save a copy to your Files, customize it, and use it indefinitely as your own!

Benefits for Business Users
- Time Savings: Business users can now skip the intricate theming process, saving valuable time that can be better spent on data analysis and decision-making.
- Professional Results: Even without design skills, business users can achieve professional-quality themes that make their reports stand out.
Empowering the Power BI Community

The Gallery feature not only benefits business users but also opens doors for future contributors within the Power BI community. Our goal is to have experts and enthusiasts have a platform to showcase their visualization skills and offer their projects to a wider audience. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of community and support among Power BI users. If you are interested in being part of the Power BI Tips Gallery contributor program please fill out this form.

Getting Started with the Gallery

To access the Gallery feature, simply visit the Power BI Tips Theme Generator and navigate to the Gallery section. Browse through the projects, preview them, download the .pbip project file and apply your data effortlessly. It’s as simple as that. (The number of Themes to choose from will just continue to expand and grow).

Wrapping Up

The Gallery feature in the Power BI Tips Theme Generator is a game-changer for business users and the Power BI community alike. It simplifies theming to an unprecedented level, empowering users to create stunning reports with minimal effort, while still maintaining the ability to fully customize them. At the same time, we invite experts from the community to contribute and share their theming expertise with us. This is an exciting step forward in the world of Power BI theming, and we can’t wait to see the incredible reports that will result from it. Happy theming!

Check out our Introduction Video for a Quick Demo!
October 4, 2023
Transforming Power BI Customization: Wire Frames in PowerBI.Tips Designer

Introducing the New PowerBI.Tips WireFrames Feature

In the dynamic landscape of data visualization, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. That’s why we’re thrilled to introduce the latest game-changing feature in the PowerBI.Tips Theme Generator: WireFrames! This innovation not only revolutionizes the way Power BI is customized but also opens doors for UI/UX teams and designers to interact with Power BI developers like never before.

Unveiling WireFrames: Building the Future of Power BI Customization

The PowerBI.Tips Theme Generator has always been synonymous with empowering users to create re-usable and tailor-made themes effortlessly. With the new WireFrames feature, we’re taking customization to an entirely new dimension. This feature is a dream come true for UI/UX teams and designers who want to streamline their workflow and create plug-and-play Power BI files. This takes the best of all the ideas behind PowerBI.Tips Scrims and Layouts and brings it all together into the Themes Generator!

A Seamless Workflow: From Themes to Complete Visualizations

Imagine a seamless workflow where you can not only create and apply a theme but also design the entire visualization layout – all in one go! With the WireFrames feature, you can choose a background, add visuals to it, customize the aesthetics, and download everything at once. This holistic approach transforms how Power BI files are designed, bridging the gap between design and data seamlessly.

Exclusive Video Tutorial: Guiding You Through the Process

To ensure you make the most of this groundbreaking feature, we’ve prepared this video tutorial. It walks you through every step of using WireFrames in the PowerBI.Tips Theme Generator. This tutorial showcases the simplicity and efficiency of the process, giving you a firsthand look at how you can elevate your Power BI customization game.

Setting New Standards: Unparalleled Capabilities

One of the most remarkable aspects of the PowerBI.Tips Theme Generator is that it remains unrivaled in the market. There simply are no other tools that offer the comprehensive range of features and capabilities that our platform does. The addition of WireFrames to the Theme Generator shows how dedicated we are to pushing the boundaries of what Power BI customization can be.

Unlock the Full Potential with a Subscription

In the ever-evolving world of data-driven insights, the PowerBI.Tips Theme Generator is a foundation for a successful visual outcome. Elevate your data visualizations, streamline your design process, and create truly impactful reports and dashboards that resonate with your audience. Embrace the future of Power BI customization today use the Theme Generato r!

Ready to take your Power BI experience to the next level? With a Tips+ subscription to the Theme Generator, you gain access to the full suite of Theme Generator capabilities.

#PowerBI #DataVisualization #ThemeGenerator #UIUX #Design #PowerBItips #WireFrames

August 14, 2023
Unlock Your Creativity with the Power BI Tips Designer: Exciting New Features!

At Power BI Tips, we’re committed to providing you with the best tools and resources to enhance your report building experience. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce a range of exciting new features to the Power BI Tips Theme Generator! With these new additions, we’re taking theme customization to a whole new level and empowering you to create consistent, visually stunning reports and dashboards like never before.

Introducing the Color Wheel:

We understand that choosing the perfect colors for your visualizations can be a challenging task. That’s why we’ve integrated a brand-new color wheel into the Theme Generator. Now, you can effortlessly explore an extensive range of colors and find the perfect palette that aligns with your brand or design preferences. The Color Wheel feature makes it easy to experiment with different color combinations, ensuring your visualizations are visually striking and impactful.

Enhanced Gradient Selections:

Gradients add depth and visual interest to your reports and dashboards. With our enhanced gradient selections, you can now choose from a wide array of gradient styles to create eye-catching visualizations. Whether you prefer subtle transitions or bold color shifts, the Power BI Tips Theme Generator has you covered. Unleash your creativity and elevate your designs with stunning gradient effects.

Customizable Icons:

Icons are an essential element of any table or matrix, providing visual cues and enhancing the overall user experience. Now, with the Power BI Tips Theme Generator, you can not only choose from a vast library of icons but also customize their colors to match your theme perfectly. Seamlessly integrate icons into your visualizations and make them more engaging and intuitive for your audience. Build fully customized experiences with over 8,000 icons to choose from.

Upload and Apply Theme Files:

We’ve listened to your feedback, and we’re excited to introduce the ability to upload and apply theme files within the Power BI Tips Theme Generator. If you have existing theme files or want to try out themes created by others, simply upload them and see the magic unfold. This feature allows for seamless collaboration, sharing of themes, and easy updates saving you valuable time and effort. Themes are easily uploaded and validated against the new Microsoft specifications. Issues and code bugs are highlighted by row and easily discoverable in the Code Editor.

Introducing the Code Editor:

Advanced users and developers are going to be thrilled with the new Code Editor feature. With this powerful tool, you can now dive deep into the code behind your themes and make intricate customizations. This level of control gives you the flexibility to fine-tune every aspect of your theme and create truly unique and tailored designs.

Unlock the Full Potential with Tips+ Themes Subscription:

Some of these exciting new features are only available by signing up for the Tips+ Themes subscription. With this subscription, you gain access to the entire suite of advanced features. This includes access to all Customizable Icons, Upload and Verify Theme Files, and the Code Editor. The Themes Generator is designed to supercharge your creativity and streamline your theme creation process. Elevate your reports, captivate your audience, and have confidence that all your reports will look amazing.

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June 7, 2023
Certified vs. Promoted Dataset?

Power BI continues to grow and strengthen its position in the enterprise space. A feature that you may not be aware of, but can be extremely valuable, is the ability to certify datasets. This capability offers organizations a way to help end users identify that certain datasets are more concrete than others. In this episode we discuss different criteria by which we think a dataset should reach a promoted or certified level. Do you use this feature? Do you know the difference between a Certified vs. Promoted Dataset?

Promoted Datasets

Sample of Promoted Dataset Setting

This endorsement doesn’t have any guard rails. Any user with edit permissions on a workspace can add a promoted dataset/report. Business users should have a clear idea of what a promoted dataset means. However, this certification setting does not have any gates for sign off from admins or user bodies. The end user should have confidence in the accuracy of data, but there is no direct governance that requires it.

Certified Datasets

Sample of Certified Dataset Setting

We spend a lot of time discussing and getting some great feedback in the live chat around this area. The Certified endorsement can be tightly controlled. It is a setting that is allowed for admins or a governing user to implement. This endorsement can carry a significant amount more weight. It should imply that there are a series of steps, processes, and reviews that ensure the data is as trusted as possible. Join us as we explore what should or shouldn’t be a requirement using these endorsements. The best ways to implement these features and the value they provide to your overall implementation.

If you like the content from PowerBI.Tips, please follow us on all the social outlets to stay up to date on all the latest features and free tutorials. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and follow us on Twitter where we will post all the announcements for new tutorials and content. Alternatively, you can catch us on LinkedIn (Seth) LinkedIn (Mike) where we will post all the announcements for new tutorials and content.

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February 10, 2022