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Power BI Tips & Tricks: Build a Date Table with Power Query
In the previous post, we looked at options and features to power up your Power Query experience. I’d like to build on that in this article. Perhaps the greatest feature of Power Query is the UI. Any user can perform dozens of transformations, both basic and complex, with only mouse clicks and no need to…
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Power BI Tips & Tricks: Power Up in Power Query
Power Query is undeniably one of my favorite features of Power BI, and for that matter, Excel. Power Query packs a powerful punch for performing ETL (extract, transform, and load) tasks and it’s user interface makes completing these tasks pretty simple without having to write any code. I won’t expand on all of the reasons…
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Power BI Tips & Tricks: Simple Additions with Big Impacts
Let me start this post by stating the obvious: data is the main focus of our data models and reporting. Without the data, well, the models and reporting would be pointless. But as necessary as the data is, often times I find that it’s the small details in our data models and reports that bring…
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Power BI Tips & Tricks: Naming Conventions, Formatting, and Metadata
Allow me to start this article with a question: when you build a model in Power BI, do you think about the usability of that model? Rephrased, do you think about the user who is building a report on top of your model (including yourself) and the experience of that person while working with your…
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Power BI Tips & Tricks: DAX Organization
In the previous 2 articles, I wrote about the importance of learning DAX and offered some of my favorite resources for working with DAX. This article will conclude the trio of tips and tricks articles on DAX. I’d like to suggest a few additional tips that will help you stay organized and make your life,…
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Power BI Tips & Tricks: DAX Resources
In the last Power BI tips and tricks article, I wrote about the importance of learning DAX to open up the full capabilities in Power BI. In this article, I’d like expand on that and offer a few resources that I have found particularly helpful as I’ve learned and worked with DAX over the last…
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Power BI Tips & Tricks: Learn DAX!
This year I have gotten back to basics with Power BI. After working a day job that was largely focused on SSRS, on a basic on-premises Power BI setup, and on gathering proper requirements for Power BI solutions, I have returned to work in a more “traditional” Power BI environment utilizing the Power BI web…
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Nashville Modern Excel and Power BI User Group: 30 Power BI Tips & Tricks
It’s great to be back! Grateful for the opportunity to share at the Nashville Modern Excel and Power BI User Group’s October 2022 meeting. 30 Power BI tips in just over an hour! Thanks to everyone who attended in person and online, I hope you learned something new! PBIX presentation file is below: PBI 30…
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Book Review: Visual Explanations by Edward R. Tufte
Visual Explanations is the third in Tufte’s well known quartet of books on information visualization (The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, Envisioning Information, Visual Explanations, and Beautiful Evidence). This is also the third of the quartet that I have read- I have yet to read Beautiful Evidence. I found the book somewhat interesting overall, but…
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Book Review: The Design of Everyday Things – Don Norman
The Design of Everyday Things surprised me. Allow me to unpack that statement a bit. As I opened the cover of DOET (an abbreviation the author frequently uses), I expected the book to be helpful, but I did not expect what I received. The book first came to my attention from a data visualization blog…