54 articles
Synapse serverless SQL infers long text columns as varchar(8000), and you can't fix it from PySpark. Here's why it happens — and how to fix it properly across Spark, SQL, and Power BI.
Ask questions about your data in natural language and get executable code. Generate complex SQL from natural language descriptions.
Use descriptive table and column names that match business terminology. Add measure descriptions explaining what each calculation represents. Create…
Power BI Copilot makes data analysis accessible to everyone through natural language.
This works on F2 and above now. For small businesses, this transforms how reports are built.
The AI-powered semantic layer makes data truly self-service. Users ask questions in their own words, and the system handles the translation to technical…
Power BI Q&A enables users to ask questions in natural language and receive instant visualizations. Recent improvements make it more accurate and powerful.
Smart Narratives automatically generate text summaries of your data, transforming numbers into stories. This guide covers implementation and customization.
Copilot in Power BI revolutionizes how we build reports and analyze data. This guide explores how to effectively use Copilot for report creation and data…
Power BI continues to evolve with AI-driven features that make data analysis more accessible. Here's what's new in April 2024.
Direct Lake can feel like magic until you hit its limits. In production I've learnt which constraints matter and how to tune tables and reports to stay in…
When diagnosing Fabric performance, I've found the root cause can be anywhere from Spark configs to report visuals. This guide consolidates tuning…
I've been tracking Fabric updates closely since GA in November 2023. In January 2024 several features landed that change operational workflows; below are…
Direct Lake changes the Power BI performance story — but it's not automatic. Over the past months I've seen Direct Lake deliver dramatic improvements when…
Deep dive into the SemPy library for working with Power BI semantic models in Microsoft Fabric notebooks.
Understanding Semantic Link in Microsoft Fabric for seamless integration between Power BI datasets and Spark notebooks.
RLS provides essential data security for multi-tenant and sensitive data scenarios. Tomorrow, I will cover Azure OpenAI function calling patterns.
Semantic models provide the business logic layer that enables self-service analytics. Tomorrow, I will cover Fabric Notebooks.
Direct Lake is the quiet superpower of Microsoft Fabric, and I think it's underexplained in most of the post-Build coverage. The classic Power BI trade-off…
Understanding Fabric licensing helps you plan costs and ensure users have appropriate access. Tomorrow, I will cover Fabric Workspace configuration and…
Power BI in Fabric provides seamless BI capabilities that connect directly to your unified data layer. Tomorrow, I will cover Fabric Capacities and pricing.
Self service analytics : Users can create their own reports Modern visualizations : Interactive, mobile friendly reports Cloud first : Scales without…
External Tools transform Power BI Desktop into a professional development environment: Enhanced DAX development Better performance analysis Automated…
ALM Toolkit is essential for Power BI DevOps: Visual schema comparison Controlled deployments Integration with CI/CD Environment management ALM Toolkit on…
dax\n{m.Expression}\n Tabular Editor transforms Power BI development: Faster editing for large models Automation capabilities Better governance through BPA…
XMLA endpoints unlock enterprise capabilities: Programmatic dataset management Integration with existing BI tools Advanced refresh strategies Automated…
Deployment Pipelines bring enterprise ALM to Power BI: Controlled content promotion Environment specific configurations Audit trail of deployments…
The Power BI .NET SDK provides: Strongly typed API access Simplified authentication Full Power BI API coverage Easy integration with .NET applications SDK…
The Power BI REST API enables: Automated content deployment Scheduled refresh management Administrative automation Custom tooling and integrations REST API…
Object Level Security provides an additional security layer: Protect sensitive columns from unauthorized access Hide entire tables from roles Complement RLS…
Row Level Security is essential for: Multi tenant applications Regional data access Hierarchical visibility Regulatory compliance Combined with proper…
Embed for organization leverages existing Power BI investments: Seamless Azure AD integration Respects organizational security policies No additional…
Embed for customers enables powerful analytics in customer facing applications: No Power BI licenses required for end users Complete control over user…
Power BI Embedded enables rich analytics in any application: Interactive reports and dashboards Secure multi tenant access Programmatic control and…
Power Query Online democratizes data preparation, enabling business users and data professionals to prepare data without code.
Smart narratives transform raw data into understandable stories, making Power BI reports more accessible to all users regardless of their analytical expertise.
Automatic aggregations bring AI-powered optimization to Power BI, making it easier than ever to achieve excellent query performance on large datasets.
Hybrid tables provide the perfect balance between real-time data freshness and historical data performance.
DirectQuery for datasets enables a governed, scalable approach to enterprise analytics where teams can self-serve while building on trusted, certified data.
Composite models let you use both in the same dataset. Composite models unlock new scenarios in Power BI, enabling enterprise-scale analytics with the…
Power BI in 2022 offers unprecedented flexibility for enterprise analytics with features that scale from simple reports to complex enterprise deployments.
Power BI Deployment Pipelines transform how organizations manage their analytics lifecycle. By bringing CI/CD practices to BI, teams can deliver insights…
Premium capacities offer: Dedicated compute : No sharing with other tenants Larger datasets : Up to 400GB per dataset Paginated reports : Enterprise…
Power BI Goals arrived in 2021 as Microsoft's answer to OKR tracking inside the BI platform, and I think it was better conceived than it might sound. The…
Premium Gen2 introduces several architectural improvements: Autoscale compute resources based on demand No need for capacity management or monitoring v…
Paginated reports excel when you need: Pixel perfect formatting for print Multi page documents with headers/footers Parameter driven report generation…
Power BI Premium Per User launched as the answer to "my team needs paginated reports, deployment pipelines, and large dataset support but we don't have a…
Dataflows are collections of entities (tables) that are created and managed in workspaces in the Power BI service. They allow you to: Connect to various…
"Why is the dataset refresh taking three hours?" is the question that eventually leads every Power BI shop to incremental refresh. The first time I switched…
"Can my customers get the dashboard inside my product?" is one of the most common questions I get from product teams once Power BI lands internally. Power…
Right-click table → Incremental refresh Incremental refresh transforms multi-hour refreshes into minutes.
In Desktop: Modeling → View as Roles → Select role → Enter email to test RLS enables true multi-tenancy in Power BI, where one dataset serves many users…
Dataflows bridge the gap between self-service BI and governed enterprise data.
A client this month wanted dashboards living inside their existing customer portal — "looks like my app, not like Power BI." That's the embedded analytics…