Explicit Measures Podcast
Episodes
220: Git & Power BI
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With all of the amazing new announcements at Microsoft Build, one that may have escaped many Power BI developers in the ability to work with Git &...
219: Diving In With New Button Features in Power BI
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy discuss how the recently updated Power BI Buttons and features change the way we build bookmarks and interactivity in Reports....
218: Hello Microsoft Fabric
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's all about Microsoft Fabric & Power BI at Microsoft Build. Enough said. Resources on Fabric: https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/fabric-anno...
217: Reusing Power Query Functions & Queries
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy discuss a roadmap feature recently removed from the Power Platform Release Wave roadmap: The ability to save and curate a pers...
216: Do Power BI Pro's Need to Know Python?
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy dive into a potential new skill for all Power BI Pro's... Do we need to know the Python language as Data Analysts? With th...
215: Visual Enhancements - Title Divider & Subtitle in Power BI Visuals
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy discuss the recently released visual feature added to Power BI titles: the ability to add a title divider and the subtitle. Ho...
214: Collaboration in the Data Exploration Journey
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy discuss how important is, and will be collaboration in Power BI & data exploration moving forward. How do we identify who ...
213: Special Edition! Modeling On the Web with Microsoft's Emily Lisa
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have a special edition podcast! Mike, Seth, & Tommy interview Emily Lisa from Microsoft on the amazing, brand new modeling on the web feature n...
212: Why We Need Low-Code / No-Code Options for Data
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy break down an the influx of low-code / no-code options available for organizations and how this changes the data landscape. Fr...
211: Data Communication & Power BI
04 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy dive into an incredible concept / article by Kat Greenbook on what is Data Communication... 3 areas: To Discover To Inform ...
210: How to Dissect Someone Else's Power BI Report
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are breaking down a great video by EnterpriseDNA's Sam McKay focuses on complex reports with great style and understanding the techniques. Wha...
209: Conditional Formatting in Power BI - How Critical Is It?
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth & Tommy discuss the merits of using conditional formatting in Power BI reports and just what and how much of a impact they can make. Ca...
208: The Future of Business Intelligence Part 2 - Entering the Next Age of Data
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our episode today picks up right where we left off to finish this 2-part series based on Ryan Dolley's series of articles. If you missed part 1, c...
207: Storyframing And Storyforming - Two Essential Steps That Precede Data Storytelling
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you have had the chance to read the book Effective Data Storytelling by Brent Dykes, you are going to love this conversation today. Mike, Seth, &a...
206: The Future of Business Intelligence Part 1 - The End of Supply Chain Analytics
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy dive into an amazing two part series (part 2 is next week) on how BI has evolved and the hot take that we are exiting an era o...
205: Business Metrics, or Raising the Bar On Delivering Insight
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have an excellent article by Ben Watt, MVP, on how to incorporate, integrate, and build business metrics into our reports. Why are business metrics...
204: Options for Source Control In Power BI
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With the announcement of TMDL and new deployment pipelines features, where do we go from here? Where does Source Control exist for Power BI Developers...
203: 'It Depends' - Best Practices & Optimization for Models
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We live in a world of Best Practices and learning best practices for Power BI. It is ingrained in us and from documentation to learning. However, the ...
202: Defining What Success Is For Power BI Administrators
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy have a spirted conversation focused on what the role of a Power BI Admin should encompass, what is in their scope, and what di...
201: What AI Knows About Data Visualization & Storytelling
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We are diving into another amazing article that challenges what impact AI will have on the work of creating visuals and being able to create reports. ...
200: Discovering On-Object Editing in Power BI
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We made it to 200! And what better way to summarize why we love what we do is discuss a new game hanging feature to Power BI and how ALL developers wi...
199: Defining the Business Problem - Creating Measures From Scratch
25 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Who owns the metrics, the BI team or business? So often we are dealing with static, general data, but should Business Intelligence place a more active...
198: Dealing With Power BI Errors
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's face it: We are all too familiar with some of the error notifications and icons in developing Power BI Models. From Power Query to DAX synta...
197: The Power Automate Visual - How Important Is It?
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, and Tommy discuss why the Power Automate visual in Power BI does not get enough love and what can make it essential to the developer's too...
196: Are Power BI Champions Integral to Adoption?
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We last discussed the role of Power BI Champions in episode 180, and continuing on this topic.... Just how important are they? Do Champions make or br...
195: Use Cases for New Updates to Paginated Reports
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The guys discuss some nifty new updates to Power BI paginated reports (in the service) and how they impact current projects. Create exportable paginat...
194: Has Business Intelligence Stalled?
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We love the community, and nothing else spurs conversation than an article like the following from Randy Bean: https://hbr.org/2023/01/has-progress-on...
193: How To Build Data Literacy In Your Company
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As a follow up to episode 191 (link here), we are diving into this article on building data literacy and growing the required skills not just for you,...
192: Are Power BI Metrics & Scorecards A Must-Use Now?
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If we really were to say where Microsoft is putting their money, looking at major releases alone you would have to say the Power BI Metric / Scorecard...
191: Data Storytelling Is the Conduit for Modern Data Literacy
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have an AMAZING article that from Mara Pometti, really rocks the cradle in regards to what data storytelling is and why it matters to get it right ...
190: Do Power BI Reports Need to Be Beautiful?
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is the line between a professional and well-designed report and a beautiful report? Do our Power BI Reports need to be designed to perfection, re...
189: The Manipulation of Data By Other Teams
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy dive into how to manage the wild world of unstructured data. How do we manage, control, and allow when teams can edit or modif...
188: Mailbag! When to Use Excel Over Power BI?
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have another mailbag! The guys discuss the following: Is there a time when I should use Excel over Power BI? The situation I am thinking about is w...
187: 21 Mind Traps in BI
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Watch this video first! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYYkRaU0xh8 How does the 21 mind traps video relate to us in the Power BI world? Mike, Seth, &...
186: DataOps in For Power BI
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, and Tommy dive into DataOps processes and methods and how much they should be integrated with Power BI developers. Links: https://www.kers...
185: Mythical Man-Month: The Second System Effect
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy dive back into the Mythical Man-Month series and tackle the idea of the Second System Effect and how it relates to Power BI de...
184: Is an Analytical Engineer a BI Developer?
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Based on this tweet: Andy Cutler on Twitter: "Is an Analytics Engineer a BI Developer? All the skills I’m seeing align with that." / Twitter What is...
183: Should We Have More Icons & Buttons In Our Reports?
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy look at their practices to see if there is a larger need in our reports for more user interaction on the canvas itself. ...
182: Learning By Doing - Using Sample Reports & Database for Growing Your Skills
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Inspired by Kurt Buhler (DataGoblins), Mike, Seth, & Tommy review how essential sample data, dummy reports, and messing around with non-business f...
181: Should We Always Hide Power BI Objects?
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy pick up a potentially contentious topic... Should ALL Power BI models have certain objects hidden from the report view? While ...
180: Power BI Champions Deep Dive
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The guys have extensively covered the Power BI Adoption roadmap and strategies, but one missing piece not truly reviewed is the importance of what are...
179: Searching In Power BI Desktop - A Must-Use Feature?
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Coming off the winds of an earlier episode, just how important is it for any report author to not just get familiar with searching in Power BI Desktop...
178: Why Power BI Is So Difficult
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy talk through a conversation from Tim Warner, a Content Developer at Microsoft. The crux of the argument revolves around ...
177: Where do the DAX Window Functions Fit Into Our Existing Processes?
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you missed the December 2022 Power BI update, you missed a potentially altering way we think about DAX measures! Three new functions were rel...
176: Should We Be Utilizing Report Subscriptions More?
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
You have seen Microsoft update the subscription feature recently, and the guys review this potentially underutilized feature and how could it be broug...
175: How Do you QA Power BI Assets?
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy discuss a question asked on Twitter revolving on ensuring the highest quality of reports, content, and data from a team of dev...
174: Push Sources to Power BI or MDM?
27 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We got a mailbag! Here is the question: How strict should one be to always push new data sources through our framework before we build tabular models....
173: Dear Satya
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy write letters to Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft on their wishes for Power BI, and where the biggest needs are. Get in tou...
172: Display Folders or Measure Tables in Power BI?
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy dive into a common but hard-to-find feature in Power BI - Display Folders or Measure Tables for our DAX Measures? What is the ...
171: Does Power BI Need a Figma Design System?
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Based off this article on Bibb.pro...https://www.bibb.pro/post/why-business-intelligence-needs-a-figma-design-system Does BI "require" a Figma design ...
170: Plan To Throw One Away
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The guys go back to the Mythical Man Month and speaking on an important topic: Plan to Throw One Away. The idea back in the day and still true n...
169: BI or Change Management?
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The guys discuss two great articles around if the skill and success of Power BI resolves around Change management abilities. https://jenstirrup....
168: Too Many Systems for Our Power BI Process - Deciding on The Right Tools for Projects
06 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Microsoft has fully become a player in the data industry. From Power BI (obviously) to Azure, Machine learning, Purview, Synapse, Power Apps.... Just ...
167: Security Groups in Power BI - Where Does it Work?
01 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are talking about Security Groups in Power BI with an introduction to where it works. And for those of you who this sounds boring: trust us, ...
166: DAX For Style
29 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Taking a different approach to DAX, the language and toolbelt of the DAX language goes far beyond just crunching numbers. What can DAX do to enhance t...
165: What Makes a Visual Confusing?
24 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are going back into the Enrico Bertini well of amazing insights. On the surface, the question of what makes a visual confusing is simple. But...
164: Defining Corporate Data
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The growth of self-service and fast moving data has lead to the lack of what is defined as corporate data. What comes from the top, and should we trea...
163: Data Modeling Semantics
17 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Based on a post on LinkedIn, arguing that data modeling has become a "second class citizen" and no longer paired with business concepts from day 1 of ...
162: The Mythical Man-Month & Power BI Development
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Based on a link from Paul Turley's blog (and an episode on getting your data into shape). The idea behind this is observations from software eng...
161: Power BI as Part of Office Installer
10 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Microsoft has released a bombshell to the entire Office 365 ecosystem: Power BI Desktop is included with the Office Installer. What implications and e...
160: Power BI Roadmap Suggested Timeline of Events
08 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy dive into a new diagram on the suggestion for implementing the Power BI Adoption Roadmap, from getting familiar to success. Do...
159: Data Thinking Gaps in Power BI
03 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy dive into an amazing article by Enrico Bertini, on what Data Thinking and the gaps there. What is the importance of crit...
158: Exploring App Audiences in Power BI
01 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Another amazing article by Data Goblins on utilizing the features in Apps, Mike, Seth, & Tommy discuss the alternate ways to use the audiences as ...
157: Why Communities Fail
27 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever seen a community fall apart, or lose its luster? In the context of Power BI, we are part of many communities, but why do some lose their...
156: The Trough of Disillusionment
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Adoption & Promotion... Using @Gartner_inc "Trough of Disillusionment", what should Power BI Pros expect and can we avoid this at our organization...
155: Polishing the Power BI Experience (Tenant, Apps, Landing Pages)
20 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy focus on everything OUTSIDE the report landing page, and the report itself. What can we do to further help organizations and c...
154: How Do You Scale Yourself?
18 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This came from a conversation with an attendee at the Data Insights Summit in Chicago: There are so many features and projects to work on in the Power...
153: Revisiting Power BI Datamarts - Choosing Gold Datasets or Datamarts
13 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Datamarts in #PowerBI... We have 5 months to work with, so where do they fit for teams, solutions? The Explicit Measures podcast revisits datamarts a...
152: Deployment Pipelines - Should They Always Be Used?
11 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Power BI Deployment Pipelines are fast becoming an essential feature for organizations and BI teams. With the newly release deployment history, the ab...
151: Getting Your Data Into Shape - Power BI Style
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With another amazing article by Paul Turley, the guys dive into the importance of star schemas and being able to mess around in Power BI. Articl...
150: Mailbag! The Seven-Step Problem Solving Process for Power BI
04 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy break out another mailbag and how the 7 step problem solving process relates to Power BI. https://www.mckinsey.com...
147: Mailbag! Do We Need Graphic Design Skills In Power BI?
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Another quick episode this week (last short one we promise) as the guys are out doing Power BI things! This is a mailbag asking all about how much do ...
149: Communicating With Your Stakeholder on Power BI Adoption
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy review the components and the value of communication with executive sponsorship in Power BI Adoption. What makes it effective,...
148: Mental Models for Visualization in Power BI
27 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, and Tommy dive into another amazing article by Enrico Bertini: The Three Mental Models Model for Data Visualization (substack.com) -...
146: Mailbag! Adding Data Friendly Names in Power BI?
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We got a mailbag this week! This is a shorter episode, as people have stuff to do! We are tackling when the process and the placement of adding data f...
145: Data Insights Summit Recap
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We recap the Data Insights Summit in Chicago and the amazing experience, sessions, and new looks into Power BI coming up! Get in touch: Send in your q...
144: People Process, Technology - Part 3 - Technology
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today is the last part of our 3 part series on People Process, and Technology. We are all in on technology, and how is it unique to Power BI? Th...
143: Power BI Collaboration Methods
08 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What, where, and more importantly, WHY is collaboration in Power BI becoming increasingly important? Mike, Seth, & Tommy discuss just that on toda...
142: People, Process, Technology - Part 2 - Process
06 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today is part two of our series on #powerbi and People, Process, and technology. Today, process. The most underrated of the 3, and potentially the mos...
141: The Rise of Dataflows
01 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dataflows in Power BI are fast becoming part of the workflow than ever before. With consistent updates, major releases, and an overall solid product, ...
140: Special Edition! Datamarts with Charles Webb
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Special Edition of the Explicit Measures Podcast! This episode we have Product Manager Charles Webb from the Microsoft team joining us with a discussi...
139: People, Product, Technology - Part 1 - People
30 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today begins our 3 week Tuesday series on something all #powerbi professionals need to have a hard look on. The People, Process and Technology framewo...
138: What Is Your Next Career Step?
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy go back to why they think they are in Power BI for the long haul (and why you should be too), what they realized early on, and...
137: Where Should Data Live in Power BI?
23 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With Microsoft ever growing their data platform (if you do not believe us, think of Power BI, now read this: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/ga...
134: Our Most Underrated Power BI Features
19 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Surprise! We forgot to Publish 134 from last week: There are more features, settings, and components in the Power BI Ecosystem that you can count, and...
136: We Need This In Power BI - Reporting Requirements
18 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are diving into another amazing article, this time by Kurt Buhler (LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurtbuhler/) and this is all about how we...
135: The Storytelling Debate in Power BI
16 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So we know Storytelling is a buzz word in our industry... But how much storytelling are we actually doing, and as Mike, Seth, & Tommy get into it,...
133: Fields Parameters in Power BI
09 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy are finally ready to tackle the amazing Field Parameters feature in Power BI, and what the true implications and impact on new...
132: Breaking Down Personalize Visuals in Power BI
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The guys discuss the importance, role, and needs of the Power BI feature for consumers to personalize any visual in a Power BI Report. Just how ...
131: Do You Still Need a DBA?
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy discuss the following article and if a Database Administrator is still a required role on its own, or if the DBA is merging wi...
130: The Power BI Community in 2022 & Beyond
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy discuss how much the Power BI Community has changed and is connected, and what does the future of User Groups, conferences, an...
129: Beyond Precision - Expressiveness In Visualization
26 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mike, Seth, & Tommy are again inspired by an article by Enrico Bertini on Data Visualization: https://filwd.substack.com/p/beyond-precision-...
128: Mailbag! Major Rebuilds On Bad Power BI Reports
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We have another Mailbag! Mike, Seth, & Tommy received a question that was a must-talk topic. How many times have you as a Power BI developer...
127: Mailbag! Spoke But No Hub? Power BI Non-Centralized
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's topic comes from the mailbag! to get your own question discussed, see the links below. We have talked loads about the need for a strong Hub (c...
126: Just Send It!
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The delicate dance between perfection and delivery. What are the core things you should do before you "send it out the door", and what is acceptable t...
125: Local & Global Power BI Models
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The guys talk in-depth about the importance and weight of creating and standardizing "Global" models in an organization. With the introduction of data...
124: Data Mart First Impressions
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Yes, it's finally the guys time to review the biggest release by Microsoft this year. Data Marts. If you have not heard of this feature - GET TO IT. T...
123: What's Your Problem? Problem Solving in Power BI
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You poll 100 Power BI developers, and there is a good chance that the majority of every-day builders love to figure out technical puzzles. We have to ...
122: In Too Deep - Dealing With Complicated Power BI Models
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When we get in the weeds of a new / major report project, many times the models build on themselves. First we have the discovery, exploration, and fig...
121: Architecture of Data Implementation - Power BI Usage Guides
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The guys are going back to the Usage Scenarios series in the Microsoft Docs, focusing on the scenarios below: Personal (review from last week) Team...