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Power BI Resources

Dive into data analytics and visualisation techniques using Power BI to turn raw data into actionable insights.

  • Copilot: Your Everyday Helper

    What is new in the March 2024 version of Power BI?

    Wed 22 May 2024

    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 updates in 2024

    Power BI – February 2024 updates

    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 Gauge: Mastering the Art of Data Speedometers

    Power BI Gauge: Mastering the Art of Data Speedometers

    Tue 21 May 2024

    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 […]

  • Power BI – What is DAX?

    Thu 1 Feb 2024

    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 […]

  • Power BI – Dynamic Text for More Detailed Reports

    Tue 30 Jan 2024

    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 […]

  • Power BI – The Power BI ecosystem

    Thu 1 Jun 2023

    . 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 […]

  • Power BI – New features February 2023 Version

    Thu 6 Apr 2023

    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 […]

  • Power BI – Advanced options to make forecasting models

    Tue 4 Apr 2023

    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 […]

  • Power BI – Quick Measures

    Thu 16 Mar 2023

    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 […]

  • Let your Data tell the Story with Power BI

    Fri 25 Nov 2022

    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 – Create a Perfect Chart Visual

    Tue 25 Oct 2022

    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 […]

  • Navigating to visuals: Bookmark Buttons in Power BI Desktop

    Fri 21 Oct 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI – Dynamic text for detailed reports 1: text boxes

    Tue 11 Oct 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI – Use Variables to Improve Your DAX Formulas

    Mon 10 Oct 2022

    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 […]

  • Exploit Power BI’s Drilling tools to enhance Profitability

    Fri 30 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Maximise Data Performance with Data Modelling in Power BI

    Tue 27 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI AI Visuals Part 4 – Smart Narrative

    Fri 23 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI AI Visuals Part 3 – Decomposition Tree

    Thu 22 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI AI Visuals Part 2 – Key Influencers

    Tue 20 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI Artificial Intelligence Visuals Part 1 – Q&A

    Thu 15 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Update Power BI Reports using Connections to Source Data

    Wed 14 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Automate reports with Power Query M Coding

    Tue 13 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI DAX – the mysterious Calculate function 4 – tricks

    Wed 7 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI Mysterious Calculate Function 3: Time Intelligence

    Mon 5 Sep 2022

    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. […]

  • Maintain a competitive edge by exploiting DAX in Power BI

    Fri 2 Sep 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI’s Mysterious Calculate Function 2: Filter Context

    Thu 1 Sep 2022

    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. […]

  • Power BI’s Mysterious Calculate Function: 1 – Row Context

    Tue 30 Aug 2022

    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 […]

  • Become proficient in using Power BI themes

    Wed 24 Aug 2022

    “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 […]

  • Easily track performance with Analytical Lines in Power BI

    Tue 23 Aug 2022

    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 […]

  • Improve Communication of Data Using Power BI Dashboards

    Thu 18 Aug 2022

    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 […]

  • Track performance with Conditional Formatting in Power BI

    Thu 11 Aug 2022

    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 […]

  • Comparing Power BI Desktop to the Power BI Service

    Tue 9 Aug 2022

    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. […]

  • Power BI –Power Query M functions versus DAX

    Thu 4 Aug 2022

    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 […]

  • Create Field Parameters in Power BI

    Tue 26 Jul 2022

    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 […]

  • How to Efficiently Cleanse and Reshape Data in Power BI

    Fri 22 Jul 2022

    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 […]

  • The Pros and Cons of Power Query

    Mon 11 Jul 2022

    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 […]

  • Increase Productivity with Power BI’s new Navigator Tools

    Mon 4 Jul 2022

    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 […]

  • Power BI Updates – Features to Boost Productivity

    Fri 27 May 2022

    Power BI is an ever evolving app with Microsoft releasing new features on a monthly basis as voted for by users. It’s almost a fulltime job just keeping on top of all these new developments, not to mention sifting out which features are going to be most beneficial. Well fear not, our dedicated Power BI […]

  • Excel or Power BI. Which is better for business reporting?

    Fri 11 Feb 2022

    (In conversation with Jens, one of our Excel/Power BI trainers) In this post we sit down with one of our training delivery team, Jens, to look at the pros and cons of Excel and Power BI when considering which reporting path is best for you and your organisation. Jens, you mentioned a frequently occurring question […]

  • Power BI usage

    Everybody should be using Power BI – 10 Reasons Why

    Mon 26 Apr 2021

    What is Power BI? Perhaps you have heard it said that everybody should be using Power BI. But what is it, exactly? Power BI is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors. These work together to turn unrelated data sources into coherent, visually immersive, and interactive insights. The application consists of several elements that […]

  • 30 Reasons You Should Be Considering Power BI – Part 1

    Tue 8 Sep 2020

    A lot of people out there think that the story of Power BI is too good to be true. Here is a list of the reasons that we think you should consider Power BI as a self-service and/or Enterprise Business Intelligence Solution. It’s like the new Microsoft Microsoft have not been the best at listening […]

  • Improve Decision Making with the Analytics Pane in Power BI

    Tue 16 Jun 2020

    With the Analytics Pane in Power BI, you can quickly and easily make dynamic reference lines, which can be extremely helpful when analysing data and making key business decisions. From simple trend lines to more complex forecast lines, there are so many options to choose from! First, find the analytics pane by going to the […]

  • Maximising The Use Of Collected Business Data

    Fri 10 Jan 2020

    There’s a reason why firms spend millions investing in data sets or in curating their own data recovery and organisation methods. Maximising the use of collected business data is an important proofing system required at every stage of your decision-making process . Statistics and an informed look at results will always be your friends. If […]

43 posts in this category.

 

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