April 21, 2026
Why I'm Burning Down Every SaaS Tool In My Business
A hard look at why rigid SaaS stacks are breaking down, how AI agents are becoming the new interface layer, and what that means for teams building on Microsoft Fabric and Power BI.
Tag
#AI
40 posts
March 13, 2026
What's Next? Building a 3-Year Power BI Roadmap - Ep. 510
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.
March 4, 2026
AI-Assisted TMDL Workflow & Hot Reload – Ep. 507
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.
February 25, 2026
Excel vs. Field Parameters – Ep. 505
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.
February 13, 2026
Trusting In Microsoft Fabric – Ep. 502
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.
February 12, 2026
Central BI & Workspace Strategies – Ep. 501
Episode 501 covers the new OneLake Catalog updates, AI's impact on workplace productivity, and strategies for organizing workspaces in Power BI.
February 12, 2026
Late Adopter Advantage? AI Readiness – Ep. 499
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.
February 6, 2026
We Made It! Episode 500 of Explicit Measures
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.
February 4, 2026
497 Instructions for AI: Get the Data
Give the AI instructions, get data, put it here. Build the pattern in different tools and test them all in minutes.
February 4, 2026
Being a Data Analyst in the Era of AI
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.
February 4, 2026
Two Things Happening with AI in Data Engineering
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.
January 29, 2026
Define the Problem Before Tools – Ep. 498
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.
January 28, 2026
Remote Fabric Jupyter & Local VS Code – Ep. 497
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.
January 23, 2026
Experience Overuse – Ep. 496
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.
January 14, 2026
AI Drives Fabric Success – Ep. 493
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.
January 7, 2026
Our Fabric Resolutions – Ep. 491
Mike and Tommy share their 2026 Fabric resolutions — from doubling down on Power BI embedding and data warehouses to validating AI-generated code and building custom workloads. Plus, Microsoft acquires Osmos to bring agentic AI to Fabric data engineering.
December 31, 2025
Why Fabric IQ Will Cause Friction – Ep. 489
Mike and Tommy unpack Fabric IQ's new ontology feature and why it will create friction in organizations—from cultural resistance to political turf wars over data definitions. They explore MCP vs. IDE workflows and debate whether businesses are mature enough for enterprise-wide semantic alignment.
December 24, 2025
The Intelligence Developer – Ep. 487
Mike and Tommy explore the emerging 'Intelligence Developer' role—a new position shaped by AI and Fabric IQ that shifts focus from metrics to dimensions and data governance. They also recap the biggest SQL, Fabric, and Power BI developments of 2025.
December 19, 2025
Backwards Ontology – Ep. 486
Mike and Tommy ask the big question: who in your organization is going to build the Fabric IQ ontology? They explore a 'backwards' approach—starting from semantic models you already have—and debate whether the BI team, data governance, or a new role should own it.
November 7, 2025
Modeling Without the Keyboard – Ep. 474
Mike and Tommy explore the evolving role of AI in semantic modeling—from Anthropic's MCP code execution to TMDL-aware AI workflows. They also discuss 'context rot' and what happens when AI assistants lose track of long conversations. Plus, new Data Agent improvements and the upcoming card visual migration.
October 17, 2025
Action Systems + AI Applications – Ep. 468
Mike and Tommy explore the concept of 'action systems'—AI applications that don't just analyze data but take action on it. They cover the Anomaly Detector and Maps announcements from FabCon Vienna, plus OneLake diagnostics and Data Agent CI/CD support.
October 10, 2025
Data Agents and Semantic Models – Ep. 466
Mike and Tommy explore the intersection of Data Agents and semantic models—how well-built models become the foundation for AI-powered data experiences, and what best practices look like for configuring agents that actually deliver useful answers.
September 17, 2025
Initial Impressions of Data Agents – Ep. 459
Mike and Tommy share first impressions of Fabric Data Agents—what's promising, what's still hype, and how multi-agent orchestration with Copilot Studio fits in. Plus, smarter agent instructions and a Chicago Fabric crash course meetup.
August 1, 2025
AI Is Now Ready – SQLBI – Ep. 446
Mike and Tommy discuss SQLBI's bold claim that AI in Power BI is ready to pay attention to—driven by MCP servers that let AI agents query and control Power BI. Plus the Fabric July 2025 feature summary.
June 25, 2025
DataOps is the Future of Power BI Teams – Ep. 435
Tommy, Mike, and guest Mathias Thierbach unpack what DataOps means for Power BI and Fabric teams — from source control and automated testing to scaling with junior developers. The trio debates whether AI is the key to rapid DataOps adoption and why the click-and-drag approach to Fabric projects won't survive long-term.
June 6, 2025
Build for AI or Build for Reports? – Ep. 430
Mike and Tommy debate whether your next investment of time should go toward making reports better or making your semantic model AI-ready. They unpack Microsoft's new 'Prep Data for AI' features — AI instructions, AI data schema, and verified answers — and ask the hard question: is the juice worth the squeeze?
May 28, 2025
What Microsoft Build Means For You – Ep. 427
Mike and Tommy unpack Microsoft Build 2025 announcements through a practical lens — from open mirroring and SQL database tooling to the new standalone Copilot for Power BI. The main topic: a role-play exercise on how you'd actually roll out Copilot standalone in your organization.
May 16, 2025
Uses for TMDL & VS Code – Ep. 424
Mike and Tommy unpack TMDL — the Tabular Model Definition Language — tracing its origins from the monolithic BIM file to today's human-readable, file-per-object format. They explore practical use cases in VS Code, from find-and-replace renaming to AI-powered measure descriptions and unused-object cleanup with GitHub Copilot.
January 29, 2025
How to Use Copilot Capacity – Ep. 393
Mike and Tommy break down what Copilot Capacity is and how to think about sizing and governance so your organization can safely roll out Copilot features in Power BI. They share practical guidance for planning adoption, controlling cost, and setting expectations as teams move from experimentation to production.
October 4, 2024
Myths, Magic & CoPilot – Ep. 360
Mike and Tommy dig into the myths and magic around Copilot and what it really means for Power BI users. They share practical guidance on where AI helps today and where you still need strong fundamentals.
June 12, 2024
MAILBAG! Is Fabric Ready? – Ep. 327
In this episode of Explicit Measures (Ep. 327), the team discusses key Power BI updates, practical techniques, and what to watch next.
April 10, 2024
Fabric, AI & The Future of Consulting – Ep. 309
In this episode of Explicit Measures (Ep. 309), the team discusses Microsoft Fabric, AI, and what these changes mean for the future of consulting.
March 6, 2024
AI & Data Culture Problems – Ep. 299
AI can accelerate analysis, but it can’t rescue a weak data culture. In this episode, the crew digs into where the real bottlenecks live—definitions, trust, and ownership—and how teams can use AI as an assistive tool without skipping the fundamentals.
December 9, 2023
Revolutionizing Power BI Theme Building with New AI Capabilities in Tips+
Introducing cutting-edge AI capabilities to simplify the Theme Building experience. We recognize the value of time in the fast-paced realm of analytics.
October 6, 2023
New Linguistic Schema – Ep. 256
Ep. 256 explores Power BI’s updated Q&A linguistic schema—how richer relationships and shareable synonyms can improve natural-language questions, and why governance is still the make-or-break factor.
September 20, 2023
Where should we Use AI With BI? – Ep. 251
Ep. 251 focuses on where AI genuinely helps (and where it doesn’t) in a BI workflow—turning vague questions into clear requirements, accelerating DAX and documentation, and improving communication—while staying realistic about security, governance, and hallucinations.
August 9, 2023
Contextualized Insights – Ep. 239
Ep. 239 breaks down six practical ways to add context to metrics—comparisons, history, scale, and confirmation—so your Power BI visuals actually drive decisions.
April 26, 2023
The End of Analytics – Ep. 208
In Ep. 208, Mike, Tommy, and Seth debate whether the analytics “supply chain” is dying—why a shared metrics trunk and edge-driven feedback loops matter, and what AI changes (and doesn’t change) about BI.
April 19, 2023
2nd Age of Analytics – Ep. 206
In Ep. 206, Mike, Tommy, and Seth explain why the one-way “analytics supply chain” is breaking down, what defined the second age of analytics, and how AI is accelerating the shift toward product-minded, feedback-driven BI.
March 31, 2023
Using AI and Data Visualizations – Ep. 201
Ep. 201 explores where AI actually helps in BI (and where it doesn't): it can accelerate drafts of visuals, text, and analysis—but context, audience, and judgment still drive good data storytelling.