Atlanta BI fans, please join us in person for our next meeting on Monday, June 2nd at 18:30 ET. Akshata Revankar (Senior Data & Applied Scientist with Microsoft) will show us how to streamline and optimize your Power BI environment using Azure Data Explorer (ADX) and Kusto Query Language (KQL). And your humble correspondent will walk you through some of the latest Power BI and Fabric enhancements. For more details and sign up, visit our group page.
Delivery: In-person
Level: Intermediate
Food: Pizza and drinks will be provided
Agenda:
18:15-18:30 Registration and networking
18:30-19:00 Organizer and sponsor time (news, Power BI latest, sponsor marketing)
19:00-20:15 Main presentation
20:15-20:30 Q&A
Overview: Are you an admin overseeing multiple Power BI workspaces and dealing with the challenge of monitoring activities and performance across all of them in a unified view? This session is designed precisely for you. Join us as we delve into a comprehensive guide on how to streamline and optimize your Power BI environment using Azure Data Explorer (ADX) and Kusto Query Language (KQL).
Speaker: Akshata Revankar (Senior Data & Applied Scientist with Microsoft) has 20+ Years of experience in the data engineering and data reporting space. She has worked with Oracle database, SQL Server, SSIS, Informatica Power Center, Hadoop systems, Qlik and Power BI. Akshata enjoys being in the data space and learning new things.
Sponsor: At CloudStaff, we believe technology should make work easier, not more complicated. We help big companies use AI and automation to solve real problems and make employees’ lives better (CloudStaff.ai).
https://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.png00Prologika - Teo Lachevhttps://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.pngPrologika - Teo Lachev2025-05-26 16:37:032025-05-26 16:37:03Atlanta Microsoft BI Group Meeting on June 2nd (Power BI monitoring with Log Analytics Workspace)
The May release of Power BI Desktop includes a new feature called Translytical Task Flows which aims to augment Power BI reports with rudimentary writeback capabilities, such as to make corrections to data behind a report. Previously, one way to accomplish this was to integrate the report with Power Apps as I demonstrated a while back here. My claim to fame was that Microsoft liked this demo so much that it was running for years on big monitors in the local Microsoft office!
Are translytical flows a better way to implement report writeback? I followed the steps to test this feature and here are my thoughts.
The Good
I like that translytical flows don’t require external integration and additional licensing. By contrast, the Power Apps integration required implementing an app and incurring additional licensing cost.
I like that Microsoft is getting serious about report writeback and has extended Power BI Desktop with specific features to support it, such as action buttons, new slicers, and button-triggered report refresh.
I like that you can configure the action button to refresh the report after writeback so you can see immediately the changes (assuming DirectQuery or DirectLake semantic models). I tested the feature with a report connected to a published dataset and it works. Of course, if the model imports data, refreshing the report won’t show the latest.
The Bad
Currently, you must use the new button, text, or list slicers, which can only provide a single value to the writeback function. No validation, except if you use a list slicer. From end user experience, every modifiable field would have a separate textbox. Ideally, I’d like to see Microsoft extending the Table visual to allow editing in place.
Translytical flows require a Python function to propagate the changes. Although this opens new possibilities (you can do more things with custom code), what happened to low-code, no-code mantra?
The Ugly
Currently, the data can be written to only four destinations:
Fabric SQL DB (Azure SQL DB provisioned in Fabric)
Fabric Lakehouse
Fabric Warehouse
Fabric Mirrored DB
Notice the “Fabric” prefix in all four options? Customers will probably interpret this as another attempt to force them into Fabric. Not to mention that this imitation excludes 99% of real-life scenarios where the data is in other data sources. I surely hope Microsoft will open this feature to external data sources in future.
So, is the Power Apps integration for writeback obsolete? Not really because it is more flexible and provides better user experience at the expense of additional licensing cost.
In summary, as they stand today, transalytical task flows attempt to address basic writeback needs within Fabric, such as changing a limited number of report fields or performing massive updates on a single field. They are heavily dependent on Fabric and support writeback to only Fabric data sources. Keep an eye on this feature with the hope that it will evolve over time to something more useful.
“…That’s when the teardrops start, fella… …Dirty deeds and they’re done dirt cheap”
“Dirty deeds done dirt cheap”, AC/DC
A few months ago, I did an assessment for a large organization seeking to modernize their data analytics processes. As a part of standardizing the toolset, the client was considering Salesforce MuleSoft for both application and data integration. After all, the vendor told them the tool can do “everything”. Indeed, taken from the vendor page, we learn that “MuleSoft is a platform that gives IT the tools to automate everything. This includes integrating data and systems, automating workflows and processes, and creating incredible digital experiences — all on a single, easy-to-use platform.”
“Gartner defines data integration as the discipline that includes architectural patterns, tools, and methodologies for accessing, harmonizing, transforming, processing, and moving data across various endpoints and infrastructures. It ensures consistent access and delivery of data across different subject areas and structures to meet business and application needs.”
Integration Platform (note the focus on applications)
“Gartner defines integration platform as a service (iPaaS) as a vendor-managed cloud service that enables end users to implement integrations between a variety of applications, services and data sources, both internal and external to their organization.”
API Management (note the focus on APIs)
“Gartner defines the application programming interface (API) management market as the market for software that supports API life cycle stages such as planning and design, implementation and testing, deployment and operation, and versioning and retirement.”
So, should we use MuleSoft for ETL and data integration patterns typically involving large data volumes, such as to load a data warehouse? I say we don’t. You probably could, but it will be like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Did that client try it despite my advice against it? They did and came to the same realization. Should we consider MuleSoft for enterprise-level app integration, such as something happening in one system triggers something happening in another system by calling APIs? Probably, that’s what’s designed to do anyway. Let’s choose the right tool for the job.
Application integration done dirt cheap
What about a true application integration scenario? In a current assessment, a client uses a third-party app which stores data in a SQL Server database. Each subsidiary has its own database that tracks invoicing locally through the app. However, a central NetSuite ERP system is used to consolidate invoices from all subsidiaries. So, the integration task at hand is to implement a bi-directional synchronization where each new local invoice (and its associated line items) is exported to NetSuite and the local invoice is then updated with the corresponding NetSuite transaction id (it’s more complicated than this but you get the idea).
Now this is where we can surely use “specialized” tools like MuleSoft, Boomi, Celigo, etc., right? And we surely pay a premium, to the likes of thousands of dollars per month. I don’t claim to know these tools but for the most part they appear to me as nice UI wrappers on top of the vendor APIs. They certainly avoid dealing with the actual API complexities, JSONs, etc, but should you lock yourself and break the bank for small scale app integration? Nowadays, everyone wants to do more with less.
Therefore, knowing and using the Microsoft Azure stack, my personal choice is to first consider Azure Data Factory. True, it’s a generic data integration tool and I must learn how to call the vendor APIs and deal with JSONs but it’s not a big deal (AI to help here). ADF can even do webhooks. And it will save you tons of money.
Atlanta BI fans, please join us in person for our next meeting on Monday, May 5th at 18:30 ET. Lakshmana R Boya will show us how to optimize Power BI reports by identifying the performance and size issues using “Measure Killer” community app. Your humble correspondent will walk you through some of the Power BI and Fabric enhancements of late. For more details and sign up, visit our group page.
Delivery: In-person
Level: Intermediate
Food: Pizza and drinks will be provided
Agenda:
18:15-18:30 Registration and networking
18:30-19:00 Organizer and sponsor time (news, Power BI latest, sponsor marketing)
19:00-20:15 Main presentation
20:15-20:30 Q&A
Overview: We will deep dive into how we can optimize Power BI reports and semantic models by identifying the performance and size issues using the “Measure Killer” app.
Sponsor: Prologika (https://prologika.com) helps organizations of all sizes to make sense of data by delivering tailored BI solutions that drive actionable insights and maximize ROI. Your BI project will be your best investment, we guarantee it!
https://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.png00Prologika - Teo Lachevhttps://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.pngPrologika - Teo Lachev2025-04-29 19:27:012025-04-29 20:04:40Atlanta Microsoft BI Group Meeting on May 5th (Optimize Power BI Reports and Semantic Models Using External Tools)
The 2025 Fabric Community conference has just concluded. There were many announcements but I found two of them intriguing to make a case for Fabric more compelling should a suitable project comes around:
OneSecurity – Analysis Services Tabular and Power BI semantic models have long supported a comprehensive and flexible row-level security (RLS), such as to support scenarios requiring dynamically denying rows. Unfortunately, column-level security (aka object-level security) has been less flexible as I explain in more detail here. I hope OneSecurity will prove more flexible over time. Currently, it doesn’t support dynamic security, but I hope it eventually will, such as by allowing a SELECT statement to evaluate runtime conditions. So, keep an eye out for OneSecurity as it evolves over time if you face more complex column-level security requirements.
Copilots for all F SKUs – Previously, I complained that Microsoft has established that AI must require premium pricing starting at $5,000/mo (F64 and above). But now they’ve promised that by the end of April copilots would go mainstream and available in all F SKUs should you need AI assistance.
Alas, no major announcements about Fabric Warehouse. As with Synapse, Microsoft went back to the drawing board with Fabric Warehouse. Consequently, the its T-SQL surface area doesn’t support various features I use. For example, IDENTITY and MERGE were promised long ago but unfortunately didn’t materialize. I personally don’t care for the most part about relational-like lakehouses or feature bundles. I don’t dare even dream about “advanced” features that SQL Server had for a long time, such as multiple databases, temporal tables, etc. Without robust warehousing, I still find it difficult to substantiate a good case for Fabric for most of my projects.
Atlanta BI fans, please join us in person for our next meeting on Monday, April 7th at 18:30 ET. Neel Pathak will explain how to do source control for Power BI with Git integration. Your humble correspondent will walk you through some of the Power BI and Fabric enhancements of late. For more details and sign up, visit our group page.
Presentation: Source Control for Power BI Delivery: In-person Level: Intermediate Food: Pizza and drinks will be provided
Agenda:
18:15-18:30 Registration and networking
18:30-19:00 Organizer and sponsor time (news, Power BI latest, sponsor marketing)
19:00-20:15 Main presentation
20:15-20:30 Q&A
Overview: The days of sharing pbix files and copying in changes are gone. Git integration now enables development teams to collaborate and provides version control/rollbacks.
Speaker: Neel Pathak (Senior Consultant with 3Cloud) a BI and analytics professional with an expertise in Power BI and guiding clients through their analytics transformation journeys.
Sponsor: 3Cloud is the #1 Microsoft Azure partner. No other partner combines 3Cloud’s expertise in Azure with a deep understanding of infrastructure, data and analytics and app innovation. We have proven our impact and are trusted with client’s most complex business problems. We look for people who share our passion for technology and want to unleash their potential.
https://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.png00Prologika - Teo Lachevhttps://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.pngPrologika - Teo Lachev2025-04-01 14:12:122025-04-01 14:12:12Atlanta Microsoft BI Group Meeting on April 7th (Source Control for Power BI)
Sometimes you may encounter annoying training content that forces you to watch a section before you can explicitly advance to the next one. Never understood why I have to do this or sit for long trainings altogether if I already know the answers and can pass the naive quizzes. Usually, a web button to continue gets enabled after you watch a video or after some time elapses.
With some investigative work and low-code JavaScript, you can easily “automate” the process to some extent, such as until it’s time for the quiz, as follows:
The trick is to find the id of the button and what makes it enabled/disabled. In the Edge browser, right click the “button” and then click Inspect. This will open the Dev Tools and you’ll will see the button HTML definition. You can right-click it on the HTML code and then click Copy OuterHTML to paste it in Notepad to inspect it. In my case, the element id is “button-next”. When the button is disabled, the app adds an attribute disabled as follows:
<button … disabled=”” type=”button” id=”button-next”>…</button>
In the browser Dev Tools Console (F12), copy and paste the following JavaScript code, and then press Enter (note that you must execute allow pasting before you can copy and paste code for the first time as the Console will inform you):
function checkAndClick() {
const targetElement = document.getElementById('button-next'); // Get the element by ID
if (targetElement) { // Check if the element exists
if (!targetElement.hasAttribute('disabled')) { // Check if it does NOT have the 'disabled' attribute
targetElement.click(); // Simulate a click
console.log('Element clicked!');
} else {
console.log('Element is disabled.');
}
} else {
console.log('Element not found.');
}
}
// Set an interval to run the function every 2 seconds
const intervalId = setInterval(checkAndClick, 2000);
// clearInterval(intervalId); Disable the timer when no longer needed
This code watches every two seconds if the disabled attribute is removed from the button, in which case it “clicks” the button to advance the content. Hope this will save you precious time for more productive work. Happy training!
I’ve been recently impressed with xAI Grok compared to Microsoft Copilot. Grok performs better that Copilot which seems to be crippled with political correctness to a point of absurdity although it seems to be getting more permissive of late. But the most important Grok advantage is that it’s always recent… and it doesn’t crash every now and then.
A couple of examples:
Question: Where is this image from?
Microsoft Copilot – what exactly is inappropriate is not clear.
Grok (impressive!) – This image depicts the rock formations and cave dwellings of Cappadocia, a historical region in central Turkey. The unique rock structures and the cave homes carved into them are iconic features of this area, particularly around the town of Göreme.
Question: What are the most important political events to watch for tomorrow (as of 2/18/2025)?
Microsoft Copilot (chaos of past and current events):
Presidential Primaries: Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have both secured enough delegates to become their parties’ presumptive nominees for president. The primaries in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington state have been particularly significant.
Senate Hearings: There are ongoing confirmation hearings for various cabinet positions, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
International Relations: Discussions and negotiations on international issues, such as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and relations with China, are likely to be in the spotlight.
Domestic Policy Debates: Debates on domestic policies, including immigration reform, climate change, and economic policies, will continue to be important topics
Grok – Based on the available information, here are some of the most important political events to watch for on February 19, 2025:
Pat King’s Sentencing in Canada: This event is noted in posts on X, indicating its significance as people are discussing its impact. Pat King was involved in the Freedom Convoy protests, and his sentencing could have broader implications on discussions around civil liberties and protest laws in Canada.
Global Political Dynamics: Although not specific to February 19, the context from web sources suggests a focus on ongoing geopolitical tensions and diplomatic engagements. For instance, the broader political calendar highlights events like the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, which might influence or be influenced by daily developments in international relations.
Atlanta BI fans, please join us in person for our next meeting on Monday, February 3rd at 18:30 ET. Jeff Levy (Data Architect @ Protiviti) will present the core concepts, architectures, and use cases of the Fabric Warehouse and Fabric Lakehouse. Your humble correspondent will walk you through the most significant Power BI and Fabric enhancements of late. For more details and sign up, visit our group page.
Presentation: Fabric Warehouse vs. Fabric Lakehouse: Choosing the Right Architecture for Your Environment Delivery: In-person Level: Intermediate Food: Pizza and drinks will be provided
Agenda:
18:15-18:30 Registration and networking
18:30-19:00 Organizer and sponsor time (news, Power BI latest, sponsor marketing)
19:00-20:15 Main presentation
20:15-20:30 Q&A
Overview: The modern data landscape demands scalable, flexible, and efficient architectures to support diverse business needs. With Microsoft Fabric, two leading paradigms have emerged to address these challenges: the Fabric Warehouse and the Fabric Lakehouse. While both tools aim to provide robust solutions for data storage, processing, and analytics, their approaches, strengths, and trade-offs differ significantly.
This presentation explores the core concepts, architectures, and use cases of the Fabric Warehouse and Fabric Lakehouse. I will compare their performance in areas such as data integration, scalability, and cost-efficiency. Attendees will gain insights into how these approaches align with specific business objectives and workloads, enabling informed decisions about which model best suits their organization’s data strategy.
Sponsor: Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned member firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, digital, legal, HR, risk and internal audit through a network of more than 90 offices in over 25 countries.
https://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.png00Prologika - Teo Lachevhttps://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.pngPrologika - Teo Lachev2025-01-28 11:41:232025-01-28 11:41:23Atlanta Microsoft BI Group Meeting on February 3rd (Fabric Warehouse vs. Fabric Lakehouse)
I had the privilege to participate in the early preview program of the new TMDL View in Power BI Desktop which is currently in public preview in the latest January release of Power BI Desktop. Without reiterating what was said in the announcement, I’d like to mention three main benefits of this feature:
Ability to access the entire model metadata – This includes features don’t have User interface in Power BI Desktop. Traditionally, BI developers have been relying on Tabular Editor to do so. Now you have another option although it requires knowing the TMLDL language. Alas, TMLD doesn’t come with user interface although it does support Autocomplete.
Ability to copy specific model features from one Power BI Desktop file to another – For example, in the screenshot below, I have scripted a calculation group. Now, I can open another Power BI Desktop file, copy the script and apply it. Of course, the target model must include the referenced entities, otherwise I’ll get an error.
Automating tasks – Hopefully, in near future support creating add-ins to automate certain aspects like creating macros in Excel by programming the Excel VBA object model. For example, a developer should be to use the Tabular Object Model (TOM) API to create TMDL scripts and apply them to a semantic model.
https://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.png00Prologika - Teo Lachevhttps://prologika.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/logo.pngPrologika - Teo Lachev2025-01-22 17:12:262025-01-22 17:12:26TMDL View in Power BI Desktop
