Tag
23 posts
March 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.
February 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.
January 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.
January 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.
January 9, 2026
Mike and Tommy hand out their completely made-up Fabric Awards for 2025 — from 'Most Likely to Be Disabled by IT' to 'This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things.' Plus, Marco Russo confirms what they've been saying all along: notebooks win.
December 10, 2025
Mike and Tommy break down what it means to model semantic models directly in the Power BI service—why it’s a big deal for Mac users, collaboration, and faster iteration. They also highlight version history as a safety net for live edits and discuss how the web experience changes the modeling workflow.
December 3, 2025
Mike and Tommy reflect on rebuilding data environments using lessons learned—why semantic models and shared definitions matter more than ever as teams scale. They connect the dots between metric stores, governance, and the push toward a unified semantic layer in Fabric and Power BI.
November 14, 2025
Mike and Tommy explore the concept of a 'semantic bridge'—connecting semantic layers across platforms like Power BI, Databricks, Snowflake, and dbt. They compare approaches to semantic modeling across the industry and discuss what it means for cross-platform analytics.
November 6, 2025
Mike Carlo and Pragati walk through everything you need to know to level up from PL-300 to DP-600 — from lakehouses and pipelines to semantic model optimization and security in Microsoft Fabric.
October 10, 2025
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 19, 2025
Mike and Tommy compare composite models and reusable datasets—two approaches to sharing and extending semantic models across teams. They also react to Translytical Task Flows from listener feedback in their 'Beat from the Street' segment.
August 22, 2025
Mike and Tommy explore calculation groups in practice—one of DAX's most powerful features for reducing measure proliferation and creating dynamic calculation patterns. They reference SQLBI's deep dives and Bernat's practical blog posts.
August 20, 2025
Mike and Tommy discuss the evolving role of SQL in Fabric—what's new and coming soon in the SQL analytics endpoint, connecting Fabric SQL to Desktop, and whether SQL is gaining or losing ground in the modern data stack.
May 30, 2025
Mike and Tommy break down what Copilot Standalone for Power BI is and why it changes the consumer experience for chat-with-your-data. Then they role-play a realistic rollout plan—starting with real problems, measurable wins, and AI-ready semantic models instead of a blanket mandate.
May 20, 2025
Mike and Tommy debate whether the Power BI and Fabric ecosystem is still truly self-service or quietly drifting back toward corporate BI, exploring semantic model-to-lakehouse sync, data contracts, managed self-service, and where the line between central IT and business users really falls.
April 11, 2025
Mike and Tommy break down the biggest DAX and semantic model announcements from FabCon 2025. From Direct Lake improvements to DAX calendars and user-defined functions, this episode covers what matters most for Power BI practitioners.
March 7, 2025
Mike and Tommy tackle a mailbag question from Mehmet about best practices for managing multiple datasets in Power BI. They dive into whether composite models are the right approach for joining data across models.
February 14, 2025
Mike and Tommy dig into what it means for Power BI semantic models to move ‘onto the web’, from editing models directly in the service to live editing Direct Lake models from Desktop. They also connect the dots on governance, versioning, and cost—so you can adopt the new workflows without breaking your production reporting.
March 1, 2024
TMDL is a promising step toward real source control for Power BI semantic models—human-readable files you can diff, review, and deploy. In Episode 298, Mike, Tommy, and Seth unpack what’s changing in Desktop and how Copilot can speed up measure documentation.
February 2, 2024
It's mailbag time. In Ep. 290, Mike, Tommy, and Seth answer listener questions on adopting Power BI in a Google/BigQuery environment, surviving terminology changes like 'dataset' to 'semantic model', and balancing process vs. technology as tools evolve.
December 15, 2023
Ep. 276 unpacks Explore (public preview) in the Power BI service—how it helps users slice a semantic model fast, where it overlaps existing features, and what governance needs to be in place for it to scale.
November 29, 2023
Can Tableau plug into Power BI/Fabric semantic models? Yes—but Ep. 271 explains the real tradeoffs: XMLA/SQL endpoints, licensing/capacity cost, and when a shared semantic layer is a migration bridge vs. an operational burden.
May 11, 2023
Ep. 213 is a deep dive into Power BI’s new ability to edit semantic models in the Service—when web-based changes make sense, how they interact with Desktop workflows, and what teams should do now to keep governance and version history intact.