PowerBI.tips

Tag: Power BI

Creative Thinking in Fabric & Power BI
In podcast #286 we take the time to review an older video of John Cleese giving a talk about the Creative Process in Management. We thought this would be an outstanding conversation to draw parallels to the Business Intelligence world. There are so many different areas we can apply creative thinking in implementing Fabric & Power BI solutions.

You can check out that video by John Cleese here -> https://youtu.be/Pb5oIIPO62g?si=66KNV2I8p5ZlESzz

Episode 286 – Creativity in Power BI

Talking Points:
- What is Creativity, and what strategies can we use to be more creative?
- Discussion centered around the concept of being creative in handling data, building reports and fostering a data culture.
- Emphasize that creativity is not a talent but a mode of operation and discussed its relevance in the field of Business Intelligence.
Key Topics:

Where does creativity lie:
- Discussed the distinction between open and closed states.
- Strategies to foster creativity and measure its benefits.
- Dedicated time for creative thinking, challenging the conventional to-do list approach.
- Creating an oasis of quiet for pondering and problem-solving.
- Embracing humor as a catalyst for transitioning from closed to open thinking.
Overcoming Barriers:
- Identifying common obstacles to creativity within organizations dealing with technology and data.
- Evaluating the balance between analytical rigor and creative exploration in Power BI.
Applications and Tips:
- Exploring creativity in the adoption of BI practices, report building, and its application in day-to-day operations.
- Building reports with an open mindset.
- Allowing time for pondering before making decisions.
- Encouraging positive collaboration within a community.
- Applying the “art of the possible” by exploring new ideas.
Meeting Creativity:
- Examining the impact and value of injecting creativity into BI processes for organizational growth.
- Introducing humor in meetings to foster creativity.
- Building on ideas without fear of right or wrong.
- Utilizing random connections for innovative solutions.
- Creating a positive environment by avoiding negativity.
Report Building Process:
- Front-loading creativity in requirements gathering.
- Incorporating creative thinking in model design and building calculations for visuals.
This podcast episode is a treasure trove of insights for BI professionals looking to infuse creativity into their work, ultimately contributing to more innovative and effective business intelligence solutions. You can listen to the full conversation on the Explicit Measures podcast here:

As a special add-on for your enjoyment Tommy came up with a whole slew of jokes in the same vein that John Cleese told in the presentation. Feel free to use them in your next creative meeting!

Jokes Created by Tommy Puglia:

How many data scientists does it take to change a light bulb?
Three. One to replace the bulb, and two to model whether it was the most cost-effective light bulb choice.

How many machine learning experts does it take to change a light bulb?
Just one, but it will take thousands of tries to learn how to do it properly.

How many business analysts does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two. One to assure everyone that everything is going according to the plan while the other screws the bulb into the water faucet.

How many BI consultants does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Only one, but they’ll first conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine if the light bulb change will add value.

How many marketing analysts does it take to change a light bulb?
One, but they’ll also rebrand the room to make it look brighter.

How many sales analysts does it take to change a light bulb?
Just one, but they’ll convince you to upgrade to a smart bulb with a subscription plan.

How many data warehouse architects does it take to change a light bulb?
Two: one to change the bulb and another to ensure it integrates seamlessly with the existing lighting infrastructure.

How many AI developers does it take to change a light bulb?
They won’t. They’ll train a neural network to predict when the bulb will burn out and preemptively send a drone to replace it.

How many cloud storage experts does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They’ll just store light in the cloud and access it as needed.

How many Business Analysts does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Just one, but they will first interview everyone in the room to define the requirements for the ‘ideal light’ experience.

How many Data Analysts does it take to change a light bulb?
Two. One to replace the bulb, and the other to tell everyone how much brighter it could be with just a few more data points.

How many stakeholders does it take to change a light bulb?
Four. One to ask for a greener bulb, one to demand a cost-effective solution, one to insist on a smart bulb, and one to question why the bulb needs changing at all.

How many report requesters does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They’ll just ask for a daily report on the status of the light bulb but never actually replace it.

How many Data Analysts does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One, but by the time they’ve finished analyzing the best method, the technology for light bulbs has already changed.

How many stakeholders does it take to change a light bulb?
Five. One to change it and four to form a committee that debates whether it was better the old way.

How many report requesters does it take to change a light bulb?
None. They just keep requesting status updates on the darkness.

How many BI Consultants does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Two. One to assure the client that they’re leveraging cutting-edge lightbulb technology, and the other to outsource the actual screwing in to an intern.

How many BI Consultants does it take to change a light bulb at a large corporation?
An entire team, but the project will take three years and by the end, they’ll switch to a completely different kind of bulb.
January 18, 2024
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
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
Power BI Hack: Download Report Authored in Browser as PBIX
The Problem

Most of you have probably run into a situation where someone in your organization has authored a report in the Power BI web service, and now they want to make changes that can only be done with Power BI Desktop. So, you try to download the PBIX file from the Power BI web service, only to discover that you can’t, because if it wasn’t created as a PBIX, it can’t be downloaded as a PBIX. Infuriating!

The Solution (sorta…)

There’s actually a way to get around this problem. If you publish a blank PBIX file to the Power BI web service, you can copy the contents of the report that was originally authored in the browser into that blank report. And since that report was originally a PBIX file, you can download that instead!

Unfortunately, the only way to do this right now is to use the Power BI REST API and hit the Update Report Content In Group endpoint, and this process is just about as straightforward as Lombard Avenue in San Francisco. (Actually, probably even less so.)

Lombard Avenue in San Francisco: Famously bendy, but still more straightforward than manually hitting Power BI APIs.

PowerShell to the Rescue!

Hooray for PowerShell!

So, I wrote a PowerShell function to simplify and streamline this process, and its only prerequisite is the MicrosoftPowerBIMgmt.Profile module for PowerShell. Just run the script file (linked below) in your PowerShell terminal, and then call the Copy-PowerBIReportContentToBlankPBIXFile function directly from that same window. The expected parameters are:
- sourceReportId: The ID of the report to copy from
- sourceWorkspaceId: The ID of the workspace to copy from
- targetReportId: The ID of the report to copy to
- targetWorkspaceId: The ID of the workspace to copy to (this one is optional – if you leave it blank, the function will assume both source and target are in the same workspace)
Download the Copy-PowerBIReportContentToBlankPBIXFile.ps1 PowerShell script file here.

As always, feedback and suggestions are 100% welcome and encouraged.

Cheers!

~ James

Acknowledgements:
This PS function was inspired by a blog article written by one of the top minds in the Power BI space, Mathias Thierbach. Check out his article here. And if you’re not already using his pbi-tools for Power BI version control, you should check that out too.

_{If you like the content from PowerBI.Tips, please follow us on all the social outlets. Stay up to date on all the latest features and free tutorials. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Or follow us on the social channels, Twitter and LinkedIn, where we post all the announcements for new tutorials and content.

Introducing our PowerBI.tips SWAG store! Check out all the fun PowerBI.tips clothing and products:}

Hasta La Vista Data

Go Ahead Make My Data

PBIX Hat
May 6, 2022
Power BI Support Channel: Microsoft Teams Tips

When organisations deploy Power BI, it is important to offer support to users. Often this can be in the form of formal help desk and tickets. In addition to this, many companies use Microsoft Teams to set up specialised support channels. Teams offers a quick and straightforward way for users to get answers to questions. However, best practices should be followed when setting these up. This article focuses on some communication tips in Microsoft teams to help create a successful support channel.

Additionally, we recommend reading the Power BI Adoption Roadmap. This roadmap goes into detail about rolling out Power BI and setting up user support. It is a vital part of creating a data culture within your organisation.

Use a Power BI support channel

It can be beneficial to have an individual location for users to ask for help and support with Power BI. Typically, there will be a dedicated set of users who are knowledgeable and proficient with the tool. Some organisations give them nicknames such as champions, super users, or rockstars. In this article, we will refer to them as the BI team.

An organisation can, and should, set up different teams for individual projects. As part of a Centre of Excellence (CoE) or a User Support Hub, there may also be a team specifically for Power BI or the Power Platform. This specialised team would have channels dedicated to supporting and assisting the wider organisation.

To implement this correctly, the BI team should encourage users and ensure awareness of the correct teams. For example, there may be a project team working on a problem involving Power BI. After some deliberation, the project team gets stuck and decides to ask the help of the BI team. One of the project team members collects the relevant information they head to the support channel, which could be part of the CoE. Posting in this correct support channel, rather than the project channel, allows the project team to get answers quicker.

A centralised Power BI support channel

Having a centralised Power BI support channel depends on organisational structure and may not suit all businesses. However, there are several advantages for a centralised channel. There is a centralised area for the BI team to focus on, instead of users asking questions in multiple areas. A central location can also encourage users to collaborate and ask questions, helping adoption and learning at the organisation. Other users can see the results and responses, which may answer their own issues without need of additional help.

Additionally, the BI team members do not need to be added to multiple teams to support every query. This also reduces the BI team from receiving large amount of support emails, or direct contact from users asking for help. If users email and speak to BI team members directly for support, the BI team should politely tell them to ask the question on the correct channel.

The BI team should include a wiki on the channel. This can have helpful information about the BI team itself.

Asking support questions

A support channel can be invaluable to a business and be a great alternative to a help desk. However, even if it is not an official ticket, thought and structure should be put into the question. Lack of information can cause wasted time for the BI team to figure out exactly what the need is. This goes against the goal of getting users a timely answer. It will also have a knock-on effect as other questions will take longer to be answered. Additionally, it is often a source of great frustration to the BI team when there is not enough information to provide a response.

One effective way to aid users is to create a question template. Place this in the wiki of the channel and pin a message in the channel chat telling users to visit the wiki, so they can easily find it. Still, even with advice, many users may ask poorly formulated question. In this case, it can be easy for the BI team to respond negatively. However, this is not useful and may result in users not reaching out for help. Instead, the BI team should remind the user how to formulate a question and point to the template. If necessary, they can de-prioritise questions that do not use the template while prioritising those that do. Having your question prioritised, and therefore answered quicker, is a big incentive for people to ask questions in the desired format.

Example Response

Question Template

Here is an example of a template you can supply to users. When users have a question or issue, they are expected to copy the template and answer the headings as required.

Business need
Give some context on why this is needed to be looked at. If it is affecting reports or datasets, say what they are and who uses them.

Issue
Go into detail and explain what the issue is. List out anything you’ve tried before.

Expected behaviour
Explain what you would like to see and the output you were expecting.

Code
Use the code snippet function to add any code examples. Please format it first, using tools such as DAX formatter.

Link (optional)
If this relates to questions or messages in other teams, you can link to them here. You can copy a message link by clicking the ellipsis on the message. Alternatively, you can link directly to the channel the same way. Note that the BI team member will need to be added to the channel to see any messages.

Attachments
Attachments are a great way to show the trouble you are having. Include examples where you can, and try to include data where possible

Tag lists

A feature called Tag lists allow you to mention specific people. This helps users make specific people aware of the message, while not tagging a channel directly, which can be frustrating to those in it. Tag lists are great for alerting the correct people to a problem, without sending unnecessary notifications to others. An example could be tag lists could be “DAX Experts” within the BI team. This group contains those who are experienced in DAX. When users need DAX help, they can @ tag that list. The people in the list would get a notification that a high priority issue has been raised. Now only the DAX experts get notified, as they are the ones who can respond to the query.

Tag lists as notifications

Other uses for tag lists are opt-in notifications. Let’s take an example of a fictional company. The company creates a team called “News and Announcements”. Here, they post valuable news and information about Power BI. The company needs to follow the monthly release of Power BI, as software downloads are tightly controlled. Some users wish to know as soon as a new release is announced, while others are not as interested.

First, they create a tag list named “Power BI Release Alerts“. Users who want to be in this tag list can opt in. Now, whenever there is a monthly release of Power BI release, a designated user will post an announcement in this channel. The poster tags the “Power BI Release Alerts” tag list in the post. This allows users to sign up for alerts and get notifications about the announcement. Others who do not need to know as quick can still find the information but view it in their own time.

The tag lists should be an opt in group. The organisation size and structure will affect how to manage this. Some organisations will allow users to assign and manage tag lists, and to add themselves to the appropriate lists. Others may have a formal request process set up to be add or remove a user from a list.

Use a hierarchical folder structure

Within your files section, be careful how you arrange documents. Take time in creating a logical folder structure. A new user should be able to access the files and understand the logic of the folder structure.

Hierarchical folder structures rely on various levels. The top levels are used only for navigation and keeping the file structure clean. Direct files should be saved in lower down folders. This stops users adding multiple and unrelated folders, or saving files in the root folders.

An example of a hierarchical folder structure:

1st Level: High Level Subject Areas
2nd Level: Subjects
3rd Level: Breakdowns
4th Level: Individual files saved inside level 3 folders

Best Practices in Communicating on Teams Power BI support channels

When using the Power BI support channel, reply to the correct conversation rather than starting a new one. This will keep the channel tidy and the responses will have context. When starting a post, set a subject like you would an email. You can do this by clicking the format button under the input box (shown in the image below).

Format button

Only if necessary, notify people that are the recipient of the message by tagging. You should think carefully about tagging people. Tagging someone implies there is a need for them to read the post urgently. If you are asking a question in a support channel, it is unlikely you need to tag someone, as they will be reading the channel when possible. When possible, tagging should be reserved for tag lists, to allow correct users to be notified. Additionally, always avoid tagging the team or channels directly. There is no need to notify everyone, as they are part of the team anyway.

Use chats for conversations that do not require outcomes. Chats are good for working sessions, informal talk or quick questions. In many cases it can be helpful to mute chats to stop alerts distracting you do not participate in it often. Try and keep conversation in the appropriate Channel if you need a quick response from someone.

If you do use chats, follow the no hello rules. Don’t start a chat with just “hello”. Feel free to add a greeting, but include why you want to speak to that person too!

When creating Channels, make use of the apps. There are many different apps you can add, or create your own in Power Apps, such as the Power BI Version Control app.

April 30, 2022
8 Mistakes I made to Start Learning Power BI

If you want to start learning Power BI, or are looking to improve your skills, there are lots of areas you can start. However, learning itself is a skill. When I started out, I had a few things that slowed down my progress. These are eight common mistakes that I made when I started my journey of Power BI, and the lessons I learned along the way!

1) Trying to Focus on Learning too Narrow

There is a lot of areas to cover in Power BI. Most people see the visual design side of Power BI (being graphs and visuals). Yet, there is much, much more. Power Query and DAX are two detailed languages to learn in themselves. Next, there are tabular models and analysis services. Then you have the Power BI service, governance, and all things that come with software deployment. On top of that, all the third-party tools and add-ons.

You do not need to master these, but you should have breadth in your learning. Understanding the fundamentals and basic concepts of each stage in Power BI. When starting out, I dived into Power Query and wanted to be an expert modeller. While this is not a bad idea, I neglected some basics of database design and governance. Without these, my skills were not complete enough to be considered an expert in any one aspect.

Lessons Learned: See the bigger picture and start with the fundamentals. Don’t stop being a specialist if wanted, but get the basics covered first. Look at the skills matrix. Try to get to at least level 4/5 in each subject, then dive into the detail.

2) Trying to Focus on Learning Everything

A warning to the previous post, is to try and master all the areas. As I learned more, I thought learning Power BI required me to learn everything about it. Yet this was an unrealistic task. When I went to start learning Power BI, I tried to master Power Query, DAX, Analysis Services, design theory, governance among many more. The result is that I was taking on too much and forgetting most of what I had learned.

Lessons Learned: Find your niche. You may love story telling, enjoy writing complicated Power Query or advising users on admin features. It is a careful balance to not focus on too narrow or too broad. Learning is an iterative process though. To find an area you excel at and enjoy the most, you need to experience more. First, learn the fundamentals and get a good breadth of knowledge. Next, get involved in your favourite areas and get a good depth of knowledge.

3) Saying YES to every request

This is one of the biggest mistakes I made (and see others make) when taking requests. Stakeholders requesting reports are often less versed in Power BI. As a result, they may not understand best practices or visual design theory. It happened a lot – they would ask for unique and specific requirements. I took it as a challenge to try and deliver exactly what they wanted. This often-meant creative hacks, crazy DAX, and bizarre uses of visuals.

While I was pleased that I could stretch Power BI to meet users’ needs, I know now this was a bad approach. This resulted in hours of fixing the complicated visuals when things went wrong. Changes that should be small turned into complex projects.

Leason learned: You are the expert for a reason. Knowing how Power BI should be used is an important skill. Being able to explain this and not over customizing reports is even more important. Learn how to take requests from users and understand what they really want. The story the report tells is much more important than the style of visuals on a page.

4) Not Understanding enough about I.T. practices

I came from a business side analytics role. I was a big excel user and loved creating complex and unique solutions to solve difficult problems. However, I did not know enough about I.T. best practices. These include DevOps, releases, or multiple environments (e.g. DEV, TEST, PROD).

While I could develop reports, I did not know the processes to deploy them. I did not know how to thoroughly test.

Lessons Learned: While you do not need to be an expert, you should know the basics. When you start learning Power BI, make sure you spend a bit of time understanding these. Moreover, contact your I.T. department and ask about the practices in your organization.

5) Start Learning Power BI too advanced – not at the fundamentals

I love learning new skills. The more complex, the better. Trying to learn the most difficult and complex tasks seemed like a clever idea to quickly advance and become a pro. Yet, the reality is a little different. You may have heard the phrase “Don’t run before you can walk”. By diving in too quickly to the complex tasks, I missed some fundamental knowledge. This slowed my learning down overall. Without that knowledge, I found it difficult to grasp the why. This doesn’t just apply to skills in Power BI Desktop, but fundamentals in databases and data transformation too.

One area I did this is when I was learning to data model. I tried to learn all advanced methods and specialised tricks. I would find complex ways of doing powerful tasks. But without the fundamentals, I wouldn’t fully know the why. I learned replacing long text keys with integers was a good idea. Learning about data storage and the reasons behind this helped me know why to do this and understand the best methods.

Lessons Learned: When you start learning Power BI make sure to learn the basics. Even as a seasoned developer, make sure you revisit them. Learn the fundamentals of skills such as databases or data storage. Learn about STAR schema, keys, dimension, and fact tables.

6) Going too fast in learning DAX

At the start, DAX seemed like the holy grail. It was familiar from an excel background. So, I set off to master it. It seemed simple enough to do.

I was wrong. DAX is hard. In fact, DAX is extremely hard. Many beginners will say DAX is easy. Only until you learn DAX, you know it is not. While it may be easy to do some calculations, others can seem impossible. Writing DAX requires a knowledge of how it works. DAX also works differently to anything I have used before.

The worst scenario is not knowing DAX’s difficulties. You may end up writing incorrect DAX, and not know it is wrong. Users will consistently come back saying the numbers are wrong. Eventually, people will stop trusting your reports. Luckily, you do not need to be an expert in DAX. You can be a great developer will reasonable skills.

Lessons Learned: If you are struggling, first make sure you model is following best practices. This is the often cause of most DAX issues. If you want to be an expert, then great. This can be a valuable skill when you start learning Power BI. Otherwise, ensure you learn and re-learn the fundamentals. Read this article on the what the fundamentals are. Educate, practice the skills, then re-educate. Never stop learning DAX, and never stop visiting the fundamentals. Read this amazing article by SQLBI.

7) Start Learning Power BI by Ignoring best practices

Learning new skills is fantastic and often I was eager to show them off. The more complicated an answer was, the more I wanted to include it in a report. This gave me great confidence and made me feel like I really knew the subject.

However, this rarely translated into better reports. What I found was changes became difficult to make. Additionally, reports would break in the future. Minor changes and growing data would often mean repair was needed for the reports. Ignoring modelling standards such as STAR schema resulted in hours spent in DAX.

Lessons Learned: Learn the best practices and religiously follow them. Microsoft have an excellent resource for this. Simple is often better – you want to design reports that are robust, and users can trust will not break.

8) Start Learning Power BI without asking for help

There are lots of areas you can start with in Power BI. To be a great developer, it takes knowing lots of different skillsets. While there is a great deal of paid training, this may not be available to everyone. Self-training is an effective way to learn, but everyone will need some help sometimes. Thankfully, the Power BI community is an outstanding community. There are some amazing people who spend their time helping others. Yes, it is important to learn by making mistakes and figuring things out on your own. However, if you are really stuck on a problem or concept, reach out for help before getting slowed down or frustrated.

Lessons Learned: Knowing how and where to ask for help, however, is important. Even if someone likes to help a lot, sending unsolicited messages to people you do not know can come off rude and annoying. Luckily, there are a number of places you can go for help:

Community.PowerBi.com – This is the first place to go for specific questions when stuck. Please don’t treat this as a place for free consulting, but rather to help you understand concepts you are stuck on.

User Groups – These are great to join and attend monthly meetings. They normally have a local community that include all levels of knowledge – great for learning and asking questions.

Social Media – There are a number of active communities. There is a great Reddit group and some active users on Twitter. In addition, LinkedIn has many users who love to share knowledge (feel free to follow myself or PowerBI.tips too!).

Conclusion

It can sometimes be overwhelming to know where to start in a new skill. There is a phenomenon called the Dunning-Kruger effect. This is the effect that often, when you start learning, it will feel easy. However, as you learn more, you realise how much knowledge there is and feel there is so much you don’t know. Please, do not let this put you off. This is a very common feeling that almost everyone goes through.

Instead, focus on getting great at the basics. Keep it simple and to things you can complete. Reach out, join the community, and ask questions. Of course, most of all, have fun!

February 10, 2022
Business Ops 3.0.2: Updated External Tools
Howdy folks, and Happy New Year!

We’ve just released Business Ops 3.0.2, which contains long-awaited updates for the following External Tools:
Thank you for your patience with the timing of this release. We hope you enjoy it!

– James

Download the latest version of Business Ops now!

About

The Business Ops tool is designed to simplify your Development Experience with Power BI Desktop. There are a lot of challenges remembering where all the best power bi external tools are stored. Many MVPs contribute amazing projects to make your development experience better. The installer is intended to streamline and increase your efficiency when working in Power BI. Download this installer and you can add all the best External Tools directly into Power BI Desktop. Our release includes all the best External tools for Power BI Desktop. This will enable you to have a one stop shop for all the latest versions of External Tools.

_{If you like the content from PowerBI.Tips, please follow us on all the social outlets. Stay up to date on all the latest features and free tutorials. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Or follow us on the social channels, Twitter and LinkedIn, where we post all the announcements for new tutorials and content.

Introducing our PowerBI.tips SWAG store! Check out all the fun PowerBI.tips clothing and products:}

Hasta La Vista Data

Go Ahead Make My Data

PBIX Hat
February 3, 2022
Continuously Improving User Experience
In the day to day operations of businesses speed of delivery, cost effectiveness, and satisfaction of outcome is a trifecta of challenges we run against as report authors. Picking and choosing what parts to deliver, and when, determines the overall success of a given report. However, we typically can’t do all at the same time. As a result, we need to keep in mind that there should be a process or cycle of continuous improvement to ensure we are making the biggest impact to the business. In this episode we dive into these areas and more to discuss how to improve upon our solutions and what tips & tricks you can use to ensure you are continuously improving user experience.

Ways to Improve User Experiences

A few ideas that we mull over and explore in depth are how do you elicit or collect the feedback that would prompt you as the report author to understand what areas you could improve upon. Are you performing surveys? Are you analyzing or generating reports off the metrics that you have access to via the Power BI Service to understand usage. Are you tracking and managing against the overall influx of requests or tickets and are those going down as you solve problems? Are there tools that would help you dive deep into the tracking and dependencies of a report? We answer all these and more so be sure to check out our conversation.

Recommendations

Mike
- Less is more – Use less visuals on a report page
- Add documentation
- MSFT open source project for tracking usage
Tommy
- Build training for the report
- Have a road show for the report
- How do you measure educating users on reports
- Quarterly report surveys
- Number of people filling out survey
- Usage of report
- How many people are asking for access?
- Is the 30 day usage views, Active users
Seth
- Add a tab to explain how to use portions of the report
- Build an index report for use in Apps
- Focus on areas of the business the use Power BI the most and least
- Have open feedback sessions
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.

As always, you’ll find the coolest PowerBI.tips SWAG in our store. Check out all the fun PowerBI.tips clothing and products:
January 9, 2022
Power BI Themes

Themes are the bedrock of consistency. As report authors it is important to create a consistent experience in a single, series or multitude of reports. With a little forethought you can easily build reports that exhibit the same fonts, properties and many other aspects with a Power BI Theme. If you aren’t using a theme and you build reports, its time you learn about them and put them into your arsenal.

Using Power BI Themes

Themes are available in a simple form in the Power BI Desktop and you can set color templates and some global properties for fonts and sizes. You can read more about that in Microsoft’s documentation here. However, themes go much, much deeper than that. You can set almost any visual property to a pre-configured setting. This greatly simplifies building a report, and creates a consistent experience across all your report pages. A single theme can be applied and removed from the Power BI desktop with ease.

Are Power BI Themes Hard to Build?

Creating a custom theme on your own would be hard… very hard. The theme files are built using the JSON format and have grown in complexity over the years. So, its highly unlikely that you are going to endeavor to build your own. Lucky for you, we love themes and created one of the first and most widely used theme generator to minimize the time it takes you to build a comprehensive theme to maximize your efforts. You can find and use that tool for free here. Another great resource has been provided by Matt Rudy, be sure to check out his Git repo. One of the key reminders when using themes: Make sure you don’t customize any properties in your report before applying a theme because they won’t be applied.

Discussion

We tackle all there is to know about implementation, when and how to best use themes and how to maximize your experience using themes in your Power BI reports in this episode. Be sure to join us to learn more.

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.

As always, you’ll find the coolest PowerBI.tips SWAG in our store. Check out all the fun PowerBI.tips clothing and products:

December 22, 2021
Discussing SQLBI’s 7 Reasons DAX is Not Easy

First of all, go read this amazing blog put out by Alberto Ferrari over at SQLBI that he posted awhile ago. It is the context for the conversation we had and is well worth the read. 7 Reason DAX is Not Easy If you are new to DAX you will find a wealth of deep, insightful and helpful content in anything you find on SQLBI. Marco and Alberto are amazing guru’s in DAX and tabular models and have been perfecting their craft and helping the wider community hone their skills for many years.

I’m not going to re-hash the article as you should go read it yourself on their site. The points we talk about in depth in the podcast relate to focusing on the best methods to approaching and learning DAX. We take our experiences and the methods we learned and discuss at length the different points made in the article. Explore with us how you get better and overall simplify your process when building or troubleshooting DAX.

Key Takeaways

Tommy

Practice with Intent

Understand each part of the calculation

Reverse engineer Calculations

Seth

Start Simple

Break down the problem to simple forms

Use variables and tables to build measures

Mike

Use Community Tools –

Power BI Side Tools (Download with Business Ops)

DAX Generator

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.

As always, you’ll find the coolest PowerBI.tips SWAG in our store. Check out all the fun PowerBI.tips clothing and products:

December 15, 2021