Atlanta MS BI Group Meeting on February 27th

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MS BI fans, join me for the next Atlanta MS BI and Power BI Group meeting on Monday, February 27th at 6:30 PM. Paco Gonzales from SolidQ will introduce to Azure Cognitive Services and walk us through the process to build a bot. SolidQ will sponsor the event. I’ll show two existing new Power BI features: clustering and binning.

Rate this meetinghttp://aka.ms/PUGSurvey, PUG ID: 104
Presentation:Bot Framework and Cognitive Services
Level: Intermediate
Date:February 27, 2017
Time6:30 – 8:30 PM ET
Place:South Terraces Building (Auditorium Room)

115 Perimeter Center Place

Atlanta, GA 30346

Overview:Cognitive computing (CC) describes technology platforms that are based on the scientific disciplines of Artificial Intelligence and Signal Processing. These platforms encompass machine learning, reasoning, natural language processing, speech and vision, human-computer interaction, dialog and narrative generation and more. Join this session for an overview of the Microsoft Bot Framework and Cognitive Services. During this session we will build and deploy a bot. We will also browse the different Cognitive Services APIs: Face, Vision, Speech, Text.
Speaker:Paco Gonzalez is the Director of the Center of Excellence at SolidQ. As a MCSE – Data Management and Analytics, a MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer) and MVP (Microsoft Most Valuable Professional) – Data Platform. Paco excels at leveraging advanced analytic technology to bring the highest value to client businesses.
Sponsor:SolidQ delivers services for Microsoft platforms that help you architect, integrate and optimize your use of data. The result? Our clients think bigger and move faster because we help them build the capacity and skills to interact with data in creative, collaborative ways that deliver new insights to the business. At SolidQ we measure our success by your satisfaction – and we guarantee it.
Prototypes with Pizza“Power BI clustering and binning” with Teo Lachev


Atlanta MS BI Group Meeting on January 30th

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MS BI fans, join me for the next Atlanta MS BI and Power BI Group meeting on Monday, January 30th at 6:30 PM. One of our most experienced consultants, Neal Waterstreet, will share his real-life experience in master data management with SQL Server MDS. I’ll update you on the latest with Power BI and SQL Server 2017. Prologika will sponsor the meeting.

Rate this meetinghttp://aka.ms/PUGSurvey, PUG ID: 104
Presentation:Master Data Management with SQL Server 2016 MDS
Level: Intermediate
Date:January 30th, 2017
Time6:30 – 8:30 PM ET
Place:South Terraces Building (Auditorium Room)

115 Perimeter Center Place

Atlanta, GA 30346

Overview:In this presentation we’ll first discuss the position Master Data Management plays in an organization’s overall data strategy. We’ll review the key concepts, different roles and responsibilities that members of the team typically play, potential risks, and best practices to help you get your organization moving forward with MDM. We’ll then take a look at some of the features of MDS 2016 such as the different ways of processing data, security improvements, Changesets and Entity Sync that make it an excellent tool for MDM.
Speaker:Neal Waterstreet is a BI Architect/Consultant with Prologika. He has more than 20 years of industry experience. Neal is skilled in the entire BI spectrum, including dimensional modeling, ETL design and development using Integration Services (SSIS), designing and developing multidimensional cubes and Tabular models using Analysis Services (SSAS) and Master Data Management using Microsoft Data Services (MDS). He’s also involved with the database community and is the co-founder and co-leader of the PASS Healthcare Virtual Chapter and the Atlanta Modern Excel User Group.
Sponsor:Prologika is one of the most trusted names in Data Analytics. Our clients, from small businesses to Fortune 100 enterprises, derive tremendous value from our services. Our mission is to help organizations make sense of data by applying the latest technologies for descriptive and predictive analytics and get actionable insights. Your organization will spend less time mining for information and be better equipped to make sound business decisions.
Prototypes with Pizza“Power BI subscriptions” and “Update on deploying Power BI reports to SSRS” by Teo Lachev

A Special Cyber Training Offer This Week!

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What a better gift to give you than increasing your BI IQ? Don’t miss my highly-discounted ($150 per person only) Power BI Dashboard in a Day (DIAD) session this Friday! It’s one of the three precon sessions of SQL Server Saturday BI Edition 2016. There are only three days left to register and there are still a few seats available. Then, join me on Saturday at 9 AM at SQL Saturday to learn how to embed reports using Power BI Embedded. Both events are in the Microsoft Office in Alpharetta.

Power BI Dashboard in a Day (DIAD Precon Session

SQL Saturday Atlanta BI Edition is proud to announce this full day training Power BI Dashboard in a Day (DIAD) is designed to accelerate your Power BI experience with a comprehensive training program in a single day. All you have to do is bring your Windows-based laptop and we’ll supply the rest – even lunch! With DIAD you get practical hands-on training prepared by the Microsoft Power BI team. During this precon we’ll build a Power BI dashboard together. Along the way, you’ll learn:

  • Learn how to apply Power BI for self-service BI and organizational BI
  • How to connect to, import & transform data from a variety of sources
  • Build real data models, as well as author and publish insightful interactive reports
  • Customize and share your “creations” for collaboration with other groups securely inside your organization including mobile device sharing
  • Get your Power BI questions answered

Register your seat now to and witness the value Power BI can deliver to you and your organization!


Atlanta MS BI Group Meeting on December 5th

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MS BI fans, join me for the next Atlanta MS BI and Power BI Group meeting on Monday, December 5th at 6:30 PM. I’ll review the tremendous success that Microsoft BI had in 2016. We’ll took a glimpse of the new Power BI navigation experience. Julie Smith will talk about Azure Data Factory Slices for our Prototypes with Pizza. Enjoy catering by Subway, thanks for Microsoft sponsoring this event.

Rate this meetinghttp://aka.ms/PUGSurvey, PUG ID: 104
Presentation:Microsoft BI 2016 Review
Level: Intermediate
Date:Monday, December 5th, 2016
Time6:30 – 8:30 PM ET
Place:South Terraces Building (Auditorium Room)

115 Perimeter Center Place

Atlanta, GA 30346

Overview:In the spirit of the season, join us to reflect on the state of Microsoft BI Platform at the end of year 2016. It’s been a fantastic year for both on-premises and cloud BI! I’ll revisit the most important changes. Please feel free to share your BI architectural and technical challenges so we can discuss how the latest technologies can solve them.
Speaker:Teo Lachev is a consultant, author, and mentor, with a focus on Microsoft Business Intelligence. Through his Atlanta-based company “Prologika” (a Microsoft Gold Partner in Data Analytics) he designs and implements innovative solutions that bring tremendous value to his customers. Teo has authored and co-authored several SQL Server BI books, and he has been leading the Atlanta Microsoft Business Intelligence group since he founded it in 2010. Microsoft has recognized Teo’s expertise and contributions to the technical community by awarding him the prestigious Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) status since 2004.
Prototypes with pizza“Azure Data Factory and Slices” by Julie Smith
Sponsor:Microsoft

Power BI Dashboard in a Day (DIAD) for SQL Saturday BI

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I’m doing a full-day Power BI Dashboard in a Day (DIAD) for SQL Saturday BI on Friday, December 9th for only $129. I’m also sponsoring the event and presenting “Embed Interactive Reports in Your Apps” presentation on Saturday at 9 AM.

SQL Saturday Atlanta BI Edition is proud to announce this full day training, register at https://powerbidiad.eventbrite.com today!

Power BI Dashboard in a Day (DIAD) is a one-day training designed by Microsoft to accelerate your Power BI experience with a comprehensive training program in a single day. All you have to do is bring your Windows-based laptop and we’ll supply the rest – even lunch! With DIAD you get practical hands-on training prepared by the Microsoft Power BI team. During this precon we’ll build a Power BI dashboard together. Along the way, you’ll learn:

• How to connect to, import & transform data from a variety of sources
• Build real data models, as well as author and publish Business Intelligence reports
• Customize and share your “creations” for collaboration with other groups securely inside your organization including mobile device sharing
• Get your Power BI questions answered

Reserve your seat now to and witness the value Power BI can deliver to you and your organization!

Presenting at Atlanta Code Camp 2016

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I’m presenting Power BI Embedded at Atlanta Code Camp on Saturday, October 15th.

You have the app. You have the data. What if your app could put the power of analytics everywhere decisions are made and allow your customers to gain insights? Modern apps with data visualizations built-in have the power to inform decisions in context—for any user and on any device. Join me to discover how you can embed data analytics in any app and on one device powered by Azure and Power BI Embedded.

I’ll share my experience in helping customers embed Power BI reports. Learn how to:

  • Create compelling interactive reports
  • Embed easily for faster time to value
  • Deploy quickly and manage with ease
Find the slides in these locations:
1. This site

Atlanta MS BI Group Meeting on September 26th

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MS BI fans, join me for the next must-attend Atlanta MS BI and Power BI Group meeting on September 26th at 6:30 PM. The Microsoft Ignite conference takes place this year in Atlanta, starting on Sep 26th. Kamal Hathi (General Manager for Power BI at Microsoft) and Pratap Ladhani (Sr. Program Manager at Microsoft) will be in town for Ignite and we will present at our meeting! This is a must attend session for everyone using or planning to use Power BI. Join us and learn why Power BI enjoys such a tremendous success and where Microsoft is planning to take it. Enjoy catering by Subway, thanks for Microsoft sponsoring this event.

Presentation:Power BI at one year – a look back and a look forward 
Level: Beginner
Date:Monday, September 26th, 2016
Time6:30 – 8:30 PM ET
Place:South Terraces Building (Auditorium Room)
115 Perimeter Center Place
Atlanta, GA 30346
Overview:This is a must attend session for everyone using or planning to use Power BI. With weekly and monthly releases, there are a lot of fantastic new features to explore in Power BI. In this session we will cover an overview of what has been released in Power BI across PowerBI.com, Power BI Desktop, mobile apps and APIs. You’ll also discover what’s new and exciting in Power BI. In this session, we’ll also introduce PowerApps – a new product from the Power BI engineering team which enables non-developers to create & use custom applications & forms across all platforms (iOS, Android, Windows & Web).
Speaker:Kamal Hathi is a General Manager for Power BI at Microsoft and a co-founder of Microsoft’s multi-billion dollar Analytics and Business Intelligence products. Kamal has delivered Power BI to market, and was responsible for its end-to-end strategy, design and delivery. Kamal is currently responsible for product growth and success of the Microsoft Business Application Platform.

Pratap Ladhani is a Sr. Program Manager at Microsoft focusing on Customer & Partner success for PowerApps and Microsoft Flow. He has been working with Microsoft for more than 13 years and has spoken earlier at Build, TechEd, Convergence & WPC conferences.
We expect other speakers from Microsoft to join us too.

Sponsor:Microsoft

2-Day Applied Power BI Workshop – Atlanta

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Are you looking for an agile self-service platform that doesn’t require reporting and query skills to get basic analytics done without reliance on IT?  Or, perhaps you’ve heard or evaluating Power BI but not sure where to start or how to take the most out of it? If so, this workshop is for you. A year ago Microsoft unveiled the new Power BI platform consisting of the PowerBI.com cloud service, Power BI Desktop, and Power BI Mobile. Since then, Prologika has helped organizations of all sizes to adopt Power BI. Packed with features, Power BI supports a dizzying variety of features and integration scenarios and it offers plenty to all types of users interested in data analytics: information workers, data analysts, BI pros, and developers.

Reserve your seat today to attend this insightful 2-day workshop for only $999 (use coupon POWERBI20160914 to get 10% discount when signing up two or more people) at the Microsoft Office in Alpharetta, when Teo Lachev (CEO of Prologika, a Power BI Red Carpet Partner) teaches you practical Power BI knowledge and data analytics skills that you can immediately apply to your job. See how Power BI can improve your usability and productivity even further.

Syllabus>>

Key Benefits

  • Understand how Power BI changed the way users (information workers, data analysts, BI pros, and developers) gain and share data insights.
  • Learn how to connect to popular cloud services to derive instant insights, create interactive reports and dashboards, and view them in the browser and on the go.
  • Discover how to integrate and transform data from virtually everywhere and then implement sophisticated self-service models and business calculations.
  • Find how to implement hybrid architectures and strict security requirements by leaving data on premise and deploying reports and dashboards to the cloud.
  • Learn how to share your BI artifacts and collaborate with other teammates.
  • Gain practical skills by creating a self-service model in the lab exercises.
  • Learn Power BI best practices, limitations (every tool has them) and workarounds.
  • Get your questions answered.
  • and much more…

You won’t want to miss this educational and engaging training event! Attend it and get a free paper copy of the book Applied Microsoft Power BI! Please register today as seating is limited.

Audience

  • Information workers
  • Business analysts
  • BI professionals
  • In general, anyone interested in self-service data analytics with Power BI

Prerequisites

Students are encouraged to bring their laptops for the exercises. Detail setup instructions and source files will be sent before the event.

Instructor

Teo Lachev is an internationally-recognized authority on Data Analytics and CEO of Prologika. Teo helps organizations make sense of their most valuable asset: their data. His strategy formulation, trusted advisory and mentoring, design and implementation services empower his clients to apply effectively data analytics in order to understand, improve, and transform their business. Teo has authored and coauthored several books and his latest one is “Applied Microsoft Power BI (Bring your data to life!)” He has been leading the Atlanta Microsoft Business Intelligence group since he founded it in 2010. Microsoft has recognized Teo’s expertise and contributions to the technical community by awarding him the prestigious Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Data Platform award since 2004.

Formulating a Power BI Enterprise Strategy Seminar – Atlanta

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A year ago Microsoft unveiled the new Power BI platform consisting of the PowerBI.com cloud service, Power BI Desktop, and Power BI Mobile. Since then, Prologika has helped organizations of all sizes to plan and adopt Power BI. Packed with features, Power BI supports a dizzying variety of features and integration scenarios but it might be difficult to understand how Power BI fits in your data analytics ecosystem.

Join Prologika and Microsoft for a 3-hour free seminar on Wednesday, August 31th, 8:30 AM -12 PM ET, at the Microsoft Office in Alpharetta, when Teo Lachev (CEO of Prologika) and Brian Jackson (Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft) share practical knowledge and experience to help you to formulate a Power BI enterprise strategy. If you’re considering Power BI but you’re not sure how it fits within your organizational data strategy, this event is for you.

Key Takeaways

  • Understand how Power BI changed the way users (information workers, data analysts, BI pros, and developers) gain and share data insights.
  • Learn 10 areas where Power BI excels compared to other popular BI tools, such as Tableau, Qlik Sense, Sisense, Domo, and others.
  • Plan a data access strategy for:
    • Importing data
    • Connecting live to cloud sources with content packs and solution templates
    • Connecting live to on-premises data sources
    • Implementing real-time dashboards
    • Embedded reporting
    • Taking a deep dive to learn how Prologika designed and implemented a hybrid architecture solution for a Fortune 50 organization and meet security requirements that prevented exporting data to the cloud
  • Join in a discussion about other business use cases and gaps between Power BI and other BI products, and find how to address them. Get your questions answered.

You won’t want to miss this educational and engaging event! Please register today as seating is limited: https://prologika.com/event/formulating-a-power-bi-enterprise-strategy/

Agenda

8:30-9:00 – Networking and introductions

9:00-10:30 – How Power BI empowers businesses like yours

10:30-10:40 – Break

10:40-11:45 – Plan a data access strategy and go “under the hood” of a hybrid architecture case study

11:45-12:00 – Q&A

Presenters

Teo Lachev is an internationally-recognized authority on Data Analytics and CEO of Prologika. Teo helps organizations make sense of their most valuable asset: their data. His strategy formulation, trusted advisory and mentoring, design and implementation services empower his clients to apply effectively data analytics in order to understand, improve, and transform their business. Teo has authored and coauthored several books and his latest one is “Applied Microsoft Power BI (Bring your data to life!)” Prologika is a Microsoft Gold Partner in Data Analytics, demonstrating a “best-in-class” ability and commitment to meet Microsoft customers’ evolving needs and distinguishing itself within the top one percent of Microsoft’s partner ecosystem. Learn more at www.prologika.com.

Brian Jackson is a Microsoft Certified Architect and Cloud Solution Architect at Microsoft. He has deep technical expertise in the SQL Server and Azure platform and served as a subject matter expert for Microsoft’s SQL Server Master and Business Intelligence certification programs. Brian has more than 20 years of experience in solution architecture and software development with a focus on business intelligence, data warehousing and database design. He has strong customer relationship skills with over 15 of years of IT consulting to several Fortune 500 companies and proven success in leading and delivering large scale implementations with globally distributed teams.

Atlanta MS BI Group Meeting on July 25th

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MS BI fans, join me for the next Atlanta MS BI and Power BI Group meeting on July 25th at 6:30 PM. Shabnam Watson will teach you MDX fundamentals. Pyramid Analytics, our sponsor, will show us why they are Microsoft Power BI preferred vendor. And I’ll demo the Power BI Publisher for Excel.

Rate this meetinghttp://aka.ms/PUGSurvey, PUG ID: 104
Presentation:A SQL Developer’s Guide to MDX Basics
Level: Intermediate
Date:Monday, July 25th, 2016
Time6:30 – 8:30 PM ET
Place:South Terraces Building (Auditorium Room)

115 Perimeter Center Place

Atlanta, GA 30346

Overview:MDX is an industry standard query language for OLAP systems and is used to query Microsoft Analysis Services (SSAS). Custom MDX queries can be authored in SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS), Reporting Services, Power BI and custom applications. While SQL and MDX share some common keywords, they have very different syntax and concepts. This session is for anyone familiar with SQL who wants to get started with MDX.
In this session we will first explore data organization in SSAS in multidimensional mode using AdventureWorks sample database. Then we will review a couple of MDX and SQL queries that return the same results and continue to learn MDX fundamentals by running queries in SSMS. We will see how certain queries are much easier to write in MDX, especially when it comes to querying data with hierarchies such as a date rollup. Finally, we will learn how to capture MDX queries generated by Excel and SSMS, to use as practical examples of how to write MDX queries.
Speaker:Shabnam Watson is an independent business intelligence consultant with 15 years of experience developing end-to-end data warehouse and business intelligence solutions using Microsoft technologies. She holds a master’s degree in computer science and a Certified Business Intelligence Professional (CBIP) certification by The Data Warehouse Institute (TDWI). She has worked with OLAP since SQL Server 7.0 and specializes in solving complex MDX and design challenges with Analysis Services.
Sponsor:Pyramid Analytics is a global BI&A leader offering an analytics platform that helps companies compete as world-class data-driven organizations. Pyramid Analytics’ mature BI Office Version 6 is an enterprise business analytics platform that puts the power of analytics into the hands of every user across an organization, making it possible to model, discover, communicate and distribute data for better corporate decision making. Pyramid Analytics was again recognized in Gartner’s 2016 Magic Quadrant Business Intelligence and Analytics (BI&A) Platforms Report for BI Office’s capabilities as a balanced analytics platform with strong governance, metadata management, security, and user administration.