• Self-service in Microsoft Power BI illustration with a cartoon man in a red baseball cap and blue shirt sitting at a desk with a laptop pointing to a monitor with visuals on it.
    Power BI Self-Service – Building the Models
    by Kevin Arnold
    In the first two posts of this series, we explored how organizations can empower users to consume and build reports using governed datasets. Now we turn to the most advanced—and potentially transformative—level of self-service BI: enabling users to build their own semantic models. This level offers maximum flexibility and ownership,… Read more: Power BI Self-Service – Building the Models
  • Spice Up Bar Charts with Deneb
    by Christopher Aragao
    Deneb has made a significant impact in the Power BI visualization space since its introduction. Like Charticulator before it, Deneb provides a way for report creators to take advantage of the Vega and Vega-Lite libraries to build custom visuals. Additionally, you can save them as templates and reuse them. So,… Read more: Spice Up Bar Charts with Deneb
  • Data Stories in the Age of AI
    by Mark Walter
    Data storytelling still matters—arguably more than before. The craft is shifting from purely hand-built charts and meetings to a partnership where human judgment frames the narrative and AI accelerates exploration, drafting, and iteration. The skills that have always been at the core of strong stories—clarity, context, and domain knowledge—remain the… Read more: Data Stories in the Age of AI
  • The Power of Elimination
    by Christina Lanham
    Designing Power BI Reports with Purpose: Explanatory, Not Exploratory One of the biggest challenges in creating Power BI reports is resisting the urge to overcomplicate them. The first question I always ask myself is: Is this report meant to be exploratory or explanatory? An exploratory report is for data enthusiasts… Read more: The Power of Elimination
  • Self-service in Microsoft Power BI illustration with a cartoon man in a red baseball cap and blue shirt sitting at a desk with a laptop pointing to a monitor with visuals on it.
    Power BI Self-Service – Building Reports from a Semantic Model
    by Kevin Arnold
    In the first post of this series, we explored how interactive reports provide a safe and scalable entry point into self-service BI. Now, we take the next step: enabling users to build their own reports using semantic models. This level of self-service offers more flexibility and insight—but it also requires… Read more: Power BI Self-Service – Building Reports from a Semantic Model
  • Data Modeling: Your Power BI Superpower
    by Wilson Man
    When you first start diving into the world of Power BI, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the different things you could be learning. You probably want to make stunning visuals and beautiful dashboards. Or geek out on the impressive calculations you can write with DAX. Or connect to… Read more: Data Modeling: Your Power BI Superpower
  • Graphic showing the Microsoft Excel logo on the left and an arrow pointing to a Power BI yellow square with a bar chart and the label DAX.
    From Excel to DAX
    by Mark Walter
    By Mark Walter Learn from the Differences, Not the Similarities It’s common to compare Excel and Power BI—and understandably so. Both are powerful tools for analysis and reporting. Both serve analytical minds that are comfortable with formulas. And yes, many functions exist in both tools. But these similarities can also… Read more: From Excel to DAX
  • Self-service in Microsoft Power BI illustration with a cartoon man in a red baseball cap and blue shirt sitting at a desk with a laptop pointing to a monitor with visuals on it.
    Power BI Self-Service – Interactive Reports
    by Kevin Arnold
    In today’s data-driven world, organizations are eager to empower their teams with self-service business intelligence (BI). But enabling self-service isn’t as simple as flipping a switch—it’s a journey that requires thoughtful planning, governance, and support. This post kicks off a three-part series exploring the different levels of self-service BI. We begin with the most accessible and scalable entry point: interactive report consumption.
  • #SML Who are we? 1. We are learners. The Power BI ecosystem is always changing and we are always trying to stay on top of it. But we recognize that we can't do it alone. 2. We believe in community. We believe that two heads (or 20) are better than than one. We know that a rising tide floats all boats. We share what we know because then we all benefit. 3. We are curious. We are not afraid of new ideas, new concepts, and new challenges. In fact, we relish them. 4. We are diverse and welcoming. Anyone can join us. We have members from all over the world. We are newbies and veterans in Power BI. 5. We all love Power BI. Do you want to join us? Email: Jessica.Jolly@AltEnterTraining.com #SML is short for Saturday Morning Learning because we meet before the Guy In A Cube Live Stream on most Saturday mornings.
    #SML is the rising tide
    by Jessica Jolly
    There is a proverb: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. I don’t know the origin of the proverb, but no doubt it came from a culture that recognizes and values the power of people working together. There seems to be… Read more: #SML is the rising tide