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Mar 20, 2026
Mike and Tommy break down the real difference between Publish to Web and Power BI Embedded, and why mixing them up creates security and governance headaches fast. If you need to share reports outside your organization, this episode gives you the practical framework for choosing the right option without accidentally turning convenience into a data leak.
Mar 18, 2026
Mike and Tommy break down what it actually takes to grow a Power BI side hustle from occasional freelance work into a repeatable consulting engine. If you're balancing client delivery, productized offers, and the reality of limited time, this episode gives you a sharper playbook for scaling without creating chaos.
Mar 13, 2026
Mike and Tommy map out what a practical three-year Power BI roadmap looks like as Fabric, AI, and enterprise data workflows keep colliding. If you're trying to decide what to standardize, what to experiment with, and what skills your team needs next, this episode gives you a grounded framework instead of hype.
Mar 11, 2026
Mike and Tommy tackle a mailbag question about submitting Fabric ideas, what makes a good idea stick, and where data engineering is headed next. Plus, Mike reveals he has 147 versions of Power BI Desktop downloaded.
Mar 6, 2026
Mike and Tommy break down what it really means to start a Fabric implementation the right way, from setting expectations early to choosing practical first moves that won't box teams in later. They also cover a coming permissions change for Fabric data agents that makes semantic models easier for more people to use.
Mar 4, 2026
Mike and Tommy explore AI-assisted TMDL workflows and the hot reload experience for faster Power BI development. They also cover the new programmatic Power Query API and the GA release of the input slicer.
Feb 27, 2026
Mike and Tommy dive into the February 2026 feature updates for Power BI and Fabric, with a deep focus on the new input slicer going GA and what it means for report filtering. The conversation gets into filter overload — when too many slicers and options hurt more than they help.
Feb 25, 2026
Mike and Tommy debate the implications of AI on app development and data platforms, then tackle a mailbag question on whether field parameters hinder Excel compatibility in semantic models. They explore building AI-ready models and the future of report design beyond Power BI-specific features.
Feb 20, 2026
Mike and Tommy dive deep into what it means to live in a Direct Lake world, exploring the practical realities of building semantic models on top of Fabric lakehouses. They cover the trade-offs, gotchas, and best practices for teams making the shift from Import mode to Direct Lake.
Feb 18, 2026
Mike and Tommy unpack what a report developer should know in 2026 — from paginated reports and the SSRS migration trend to the line between report building and data modeling.
Feb 13, 2026
Mike and Tommy dive deep into whether Microsoft Fabric has earned our trust after two years. Plus, the SaaS apocalypse is here, AI intensifies work, and Semantic Link goes GA.
Feb 12, 2026
Is being late to the data game actually an advantage? We explore AI readiness, the power of coding agents like OpenClaw, and why the conductor's era is here.
Feb 12, 2026
Episode 501 covers the new OneLake Catalog updates, AI's impact on workplace productivity, and strategies for organizing workspaces in Power BI.
Feb 6, 2026
Celebrating 500 episodes and 5 years of the Explicit Measures podcast. Reflecting on the journey, predictions, and what's next for Power BI and AI.
Feb 4, 2026
Mike Carlo and Eugene Meidinger discuss how AI is reshaping the data analyst's toolkit with practical frameworks for adopting AI in your daily workflow.
Feb 4, 2026
Give the AI instructions, get data, put it here. Build the pattern in different tools and test them all in minutes.
Feb 4, 2026
AI is transforming data engineering in two major ways: democratizing who can build data pipelines and creating new skills around trusting and debugging AI systems.
Jan 31, 2026
Armando and I dive deep into AI agents, why natural language might be the last programming language, and how to treat your AI like a new employee.
Jan 29, 2026
Mike and Tommy tackle a mailbag question about defining problems before choosing tools — and why goal setting matters more than ever in a world where AI lets you build anything. Plus, the January 2026 Fabric feature updates drop with 17 noteworthy items.
Jan 28, 2026
Mike and Tommy dive into a listener mailbag question about connecting a local VS Code desktop to a remote Fabric Jupyter kernel — unpacking the tradeoffs of local vs. cloud development, custom environments, cost optimization, and why OneLake File Explorer might be the missing piece. Plus, AI-generated music as a metaphor for the future of data engineering.
Jan 23, 2026
Mike and Tommy tackle a listener mailbag question: is the word 'experience' being overused in the Fabric and Power BI world? Plus, a surprise January Power BI Desktop release and Mike gushes about deployment pipeline improvements nobody announced.
Jan 21, 2026
Mike and Tommy unpack a viral LinkedIn article where a consultant saved a client $57,000 per year by moving from Fabric F64 to Premium Per User — sparking a bigger conversation about when Fabric actually makes sense, licensing confusion, and the tipping points that justify the investment.
Jan 16, 2026
Mike and Tommy unpack Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for Power BI and Fabric — what they are, how to use them, and whether organizations should be turning them on today. Plus, a deep dive on what makes AI agents actually useful versus just impressive.
Jan 14, 2026
Mike and Tommy kick off 2026 asking the big question: will AI drive Fabric's success? They share their real AI toolkits, debate the future of consulting in an agent-powered world, and brainstorm how Claude Code and agent skills could transform their daily workflows.