Stay updated with the latest news, tutorials, and best practices for using Microsoft products and services to their full potential.
We are excited by the March 2024 update for Power BI. This edition brings forth an array of new features and improvements, meticulously curated to enhance your experience with data analytics. Microsoft evidently remains committed to innovation, ensuring that both long-standing aficionados and newcomers to Power BI will discover tools and functionalities to elevate their […]
Power BI, Microsoft’s powerful business analytics tool, continues to progress rapidly. It continues to enable organisations to extract valuable insights from their data easily. Several exciting features have been introduced recently, further improving its capabilities and user experience. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of these new features. Improved performance and scalability: Microsoft […]
Power BI’s Gauge visual is a champion for presenting data in a clear and captivating way. Imagine speedometer-like dials instantly conveying performance against targets – that’s the power of gauges! This blog post dives into common gauge limitations and equips you with solutions to create impactful visuals. Gauge Advantages: Why They Shine Clarity at […]
In Excel 365 and Excel 2021 Microsoft has provided Excel users with some new features which will fundamentally change the way worksheets are designed. Dynamic array formulas allow you to work with multiple values at the same time in a formula. Dynamic arrays solve some challenging difficulties in Excel and will be a feature which […]
Welcome to the world of data visualisation and analysis with Power BI! In this blog, we’ll dive into the heart of Power BI’s analytical capabilities: DAX measures. DAX, or Data Analysis eXpressions, is a powerful formula language that enables users to define custom calculations in Power BI reports. Whether you’re a seasoned data analyst or […]
Visualising data is crucial for decision making in any industry. Power BI reports are a brilliantly efficient way to achieve this, as users have several useful visual options. In this blog post you will learn how Power BI can display dynamic text for more detailed reports. We will be using examples of sales data and […]
Data visualisation is a powerful tool that allows you to view data more clearly. This is vitally important for businesses to help them with crucial decision making. What is data visualisation? Data visualisation is the process of turning raw data into graphical representations. It works by taking selected data in Excel and then choosing from […]
Sparklines are a powerful tool in Excel that allow you to visualise data trends in a condensed chart format. Unlike normal Excel charts, Sparklines are embedded in a single cell, making them ideal for displaying trends in sales figures, website hits, and other data over a period of time. In this blog post, we’ll show […]
Excel has some powerful tools that you can use to carry out a What-if analysis. We sat down with one of our Excel Experts, Jens, to ask him about three particular data analysis tools and to see whether he would demonstrate how to use them for us. Good morning Jens, you talk a lot about […]
here we share the much-overlooked Excel Macro feature – and how it can save you considerable time every day. How do Macros Work? The Macro Recorder in Excel is a useful tool that allows users to automate repetitive tasks by recording the steps. The Macro Recorder generates Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code. It […]
This blog is part 4 of a series that explores the amazingly useful functionality of some of the most popular Office 365 Excel functions. In the previous blog, the focus was on the UNIQUE function. Building on this, we will explore how useful the MAXIFS and MINIFS functions are in finding the highest or lowest […]
This blog is part 3 of a series that looks at the amazing functionality of some of the most popular Office 365 Excel functions. In parts 1 and 2 the focus was on the FILTER and SORT functions. Building on this, we will explore how useful the UNIQUE function is in creating unique lists more […]
Most Excel users do not know the power of custom formatting. They know how the currency or accounting format. In this article you will find some useful information which can display your data in different ways, and more clearly. I got the inspiration to write this blog post from a client question on one of […]
. Power BI Desktop tool The Power BI desktop is a tool which Microsoft created as part of its BI (Business Intelligence) toolset. Other tools include Excel, SQL, SharePoint, and various reporting services. Power BI Desktop is an analysis and reporting tool designed to connect to data, transform it, analyse it, and then create an […]
Microsoft Power BI has introduced a plethora of new features that are designed to improve the user experience and help organizations improve their return on investment (ROI). These new features include everything from improved data modelling capabilities (new DAX functions) to new visualization tools and advanced analytics integrations. In this blog post, now that we’ve […]
Finally, there are new advanced options to create forecasting models in Power BI. Microsoft introduced the LINEST function and LINESTX function in the Power BI desktop February 2023 version. The LINEST function in Excel has always been an important tool for perform linear regression, leveraging the Least Squares method, to calculate a straight line that […]
How often when using Excel have you had to scroll down to find what you’re looking for in a huge spreadsheet only to find your top headings disappear off the screen? Well worry no more. The solution lies in using an incredibly handy tool called Freeze Panes. This tool ‘freezes’ the top row and left […]
Microsoft has prepared Power BI to make it easier for users to perform DAX measures without a lot of DAX knowledge. To access the Quick Measures, click QUICK MEASURES on the Home tab. You will see a list of options to choose from. On the right side of the Quick Measure dialog box, you will […]
Conditional Formatting is one of the most powerful tools in Excel. It can do so much to help you track data with relatively little time and effort. This ‘Quick Win’ tool can be mastered in a few simple steps. The blog will look at what Conditional Formatting is, how to apply it to data and […]
We can use LOOKUPSs in Excel to search for a value in a column or row, and return a value from a matching column or row. We look at them in a lot of depth on both our Excel Advanced and Excel Advanced Formulas and Functions courses. There are a number of lookup and reference functions […]
Have you ever pulled in data from various places to restructure it in Excel? Have you found yourself repeating this long, manual process every month when new data is added? The solution is to use Power Query. This blog is the first in a series of four. We will show you what Power Query can […]
Tired of interrupting your PowerPoint presentation just so that you can show the live version of your report in Power BI? You can now create interactive PowerPoint presentations which connect live to your Power BI reports! This blog will show how you can let your data tell the story with Power BI. Imagine that you […]
Power BI Desktop can work with a large number of visuals to make sure that the audience of your reports are best informed to make the right decisions. It is your responsibility to make sure that the data is presented a way, so the audience of the reports are given a clear picture of the […]
Your Power BI report needs to be as user friendly as possible for an end user to make insightful business decisions efficiently. So, what better way to grab their attention with the most salient sections of your report than to use Bookmark Navigator buttons. These buttons usually appear on the opening page and work by […]
If you want to add dynamic text to give your audience more detailed Power BI reports, you can follow STL’s LinkedIn page. This is first part of the series, but more will follow. In another series of blog posts from STL about AI visuals, you could see how the smart narrative visual could analyse another […]
DAX can be complicated and challenging. If it is not done right, DAX can be particularly difficult to debug and can slow down the underlying queries. In other words, you do not know if you have the right results. This means the audience of your reports could be sitting and waiting for the output when […]
In Power BI, you can apply Drilling tools to certain visuals in order to ‘drill down’ through your data. It works by building fields into your visuals that take you from ‘top level’ information (e.g., Sales by Country) right down to specific sales (e.g., Sales by Salesperson) known as ‘granular data’. Drilling down will change […]
Today I’m asking Jens, one of STL’s top Excel trainers, if there is a quick way to fix date issues in Excel. Can I solve date problems in Excel with Power Query? Hi Jens, do you have advice for me on how to handle date issues in Excel? Jens: I cannot count how many times […]
Today, I’m talking with Martin, one of STL‘s outstanding Power BI trainers, about the importance of Data Modelling. I’m asking Martin how I can maximise my data’s performance with data modelling in Power BI. Hi Martin, thanks for taking the time to have a chat with me. My Power BI Reports often take ages to […]
Microsoft has created some very interesting AI (Artificial Intelligence) visuals for Power BI. Power BI offers four AI visuals – Q&A, Key Influencers, Decomposition Tree, and Smart Narrative. This is Power BI AI Visuals Part 4 – Smart Narrative. AI visuals are very useful. All four can provide your report with insight information from your […]
Microsoft has created interesting and engaging AI (Artificial Intelligence) visuals for Power BI. The desktop app offers four AI visuals – Q&A, Key Influencers, Decomposition Tree, and Smart Narrative. This is Power BI AI Visuals Part 3 – Decomposition Tree, the third in a series which looks at all four AI visuals. AI visuals are […]
Microsoft has created some interesting AI (Artificial Intelligence) visuals for Power BI. Power BI offers four AI visuals – Q&A, Key Influencers, Decomposition Tree, and Smart Narrative. This is Power BI AI Visuals Part 2 – Key Influencers. AI visuals are extremely useful and all four can provide your report with insight information from your […]
Microsoft has created some very interesting AI (Artificial Intelligence) visuals for Power BI. Power BI offers four AI visuals – Q&A, Key Influencers, Decomposition Tree, and Smart Narrative. This article is Power BI Artificial Intelligence Visuals Part 1 – Q&A. It is the first in a series of 4 which will go through all four […]
Power BI desktop can easily connect to an amazing range of different sources. This allows you to always keep your reports updated whenever you add new records or original data changes at source. It also helps you to be more efficient and productive and saves a lot of time in the process. This article shows […]
This blog is for both Power BI and Excel users. In it, we demonstrate how you can automate reports with Power Query M coding What is Power Query? The Power Query tool in Excel and the Query Editor in Power BI are identical. They are important tools for both applications. In Excel, many tasks can […]
DAX (Data Analysis eXpressions) is the function language in Power BI desktop. When DAX is used to create measures, it can hard to understand the logic at times. Especially one piece, the Calculate function, can be challenging. This is the fourth part of a series of blog posts, which will investigate the mysterious Calculate […]
DAX (Data Analysis eXpressions) is the function language in Power BI desktop. When DAX is used to create measures, it can hard to understand the logic at times. Especially one function, the Calculate function, can be challenging. We visit the mysterious Calculate Function for the third time, in this four part series of blogs. […]
DAX in Power BI Desktop is an amazing tool that allows you to fully analyse your data giving you real insights to achieve profitable outcomes. You can get a lot of Business Intelligence from your reports without any DAX whatsoever. However, you may want specific information that is only possible to obtain with DAX. For […]
DAX (Data Analysis eXpressions) is the function language in Power BI desktop. When DAX is used to create measures, it can hard to understand the logic sometimes. Especially one function, the Calculate function, can be challenging. This is the second part of a series of blog posts, which will investigate the mysterious Calculate function. […]
DAX (Data Analysis eXpressions) is the function language in Power BI desktop. When DAX is used to create measures, it can hard to understand the logic sometimes. Especially one function, the Calculate function, can be challenging. This is the first part of a series of blog posts, which will investigate the mysterious Calculate function. The […]
“A picture paints 1000 words”. This quote has been used to suggest that sharing information with graphics or imagery is easier to digest than written text alone. The same is true with data – a mix of text and numbers is more user friendly when we present it using graphics. Power BI desktop has a […]
The Analytics Pane in Power BI desktop is an amazing tool. You can use it to create a variety of different analytical lines inside your report visuals to highlight trends, target lines and forecasting. This blog will explain how to create these analytical lines and show how useful they are in gaining insights into your […]
Dashboards are incredibly useful in helping business users gain insights into their data. In Power BI desktop the visualisations in a report are published to the cloud and then shared with key stakeholders in the Power BI service. This blog will explain what a dashboard is and how reports, once they are published, can be […]
Conditional Formatting is an amazing tool that allows you to track and monitor data more efficiently. It highlights information of interest. For many years, it has been the ‘go to’ tool in Excel, and now it is also available in Power BI desktop. What is Conditional Formatting Conditional Formatting is based on setting rules on […]
The different versions and configurations of Power BI can be confusing. In this blog, we are comparing Power BI Desktop to Power BI Service. This will shed light on how to use each of these apps. Power BI Desktop Power BI Desktop is a free application you can download and install on your local PC. […]
Using the right tool in the Power BI Desktop can bring efficiency wins and productivity gains to users. This blog will give you a clearer understanding about how and why this is a common issue and how to solve it. “When should you use Power Query M Functions(M), and when is it better to use […]
Why is Power BI taking over the world? Why are so many organisations currently implementing Power BI? Power BI is the most efficient tool to manage business intelligence in a world where the data sets are getting bigger and bigger. The importance of making quick and correct decisions is a key factor in running a […]
You can improve efficiency and accuracy when pulling and transforming data from various sources by using the Query Editor Tool in Power BI. It’s a marked improvement on using macros in Excel for this function. Read on to see why. Why use the Query Editor The Query Editor is where data sourced from a variety […]
In conversation with one of our Excel / Power BI trainers. In this post, we sit down with one of our training delivery team to look at the pros and cons of Power Query in Excel, as a new way of working with data. Jens, how would you describe Power Query in Excel in one […]
In this article we will introduce you to Power BI’s new Navigator tools used to enhance the functionality and appearance of your multi-page reports. If you use the app, this will help you increase productivity with Power BI’s new navigator tools. The scenario So, you’ve got your data all ready to be made into visuals […]