Explicit Measures Podcast

Mike & Tommy tackle the overfed golden dataset problem—when a single "source of truth" becomes a 100-table, 400-measure monster that takes four minutes to open. They explore why teams fall into the trap of cramming everything into one model, how fear of discrepant numbers drives over-centralization, and what it takes to split a bloated semantic model without breaking executive trust or reverting t...

This week on Explicit Measures, we tackle a critical "last mile" problem in Business Intelligence: how do you add narrative context to Power BI reports when the storytellers aren't Power BI users? Our listener has built monthly snapshot reports delivered to multiple business units, but marketing leads need to annotate these reports with context before they reach their final audience. We explore th...

Mike & Tommy weigh in on whether Databricks and Microsoft Fabric are converging into direct competitors, exploring how Databricks' push into BI with Genie and AI capabilities is closing the gap on Power BI's presentation layer. They question whether "end-to-end" platforms are the future or just feature bloat, discuss where semantic models should live in a modern data stack, and help teams decide w...

Mike & Tommy dive into improving AI skills for Fabric developers, exploring whether to start with prompt engineering or semantic modeling fundamentals, how to build real agents without organizational buy-in, and when AI tools actually add value beyond well-built reports. They tackle the tension between learning cutting-edge capabilities and mastering core BI craft, offering a practical 90-day road...

Mike & Tommy dive into Joachim's repo-based golden semantic model architecture, exploring whether AI-assisted development is making the classic thin-report pattern obsolete and how upcoming MCP servers for report modeling might reshape architectural decisions. They weigh the trade-offs between file-based AI edits and application-layer safety, discuss when splitting reports makes sense, and tackle...

Mike & Tommy recap their experiences at FabCon 2026, sharing key takeaways from sessions, conversations with the community, and highlights from the second day of the conference. They discuss standout moments, emerging trends in the Fabric ecosystem, and what these developments mean for practitioners working with Power BI and the broader Microsoft data platform. Get in touch: Send in your questions...

We are covering ALL of Fabric Con 2026 and highlighting the updates. Context: FabCon and SQLCon 2026 Announcement Major Fabric Updates - ALL OneLake Updates Power BI March 2026 Feature Summary Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi...

Mike & Tommy dive into Power BI subscriptions as proactive workflow tools, exploring whether automated data nudges can outperform interactive dashboards for busy professionals. Using a real-world data quality monitoring example, they question when the best BI solution is the one users never open, examining the balance between "push" alerts and "pull" exploration, and how subscription-driven report...

Mike & Tommy dive into DAX complexity and Power Query ETL tips, tackling how to structure complex measures that balance readability and performance across nested time intelligence, dynamic filters, and multi-grain data. They explore advanced Power Query techniques for reducing refresh times in Fabric Dataflows Gen2 and SharePoint integrations, with practical advice on optimizing step folding and r...

Mike & Tommy tackle the messy reality of CI/CD for Power BI in the age of TMDL and PBIR, weighing whether Fabric Deployment Pipelines or Azure DevOps—or both—offer the right path forward. They explore why selective file commits feel impossible despite text-based artifacts, when each approach makes sense, and whether mixing deployment methods creates more problems than it solves. The conversation c...

Mike & Tommy tackle Git best practices for Power BI teams, exploring how to reduce diff noise from slicer selections and matrix expansions, whether renaming visual folders is brilliant or risky, and how small teams can maintain clean, readable source control without losing their minds. They weigh practical tactics like commit checklists, folder naming conventions, and the trade-offs between tr...

Mike & Tommy tackle the critical security distinctions between Publish to Web and Power BI Embedded when exposing reports publicly, questioning whether Embedded actually provides meaningful protection over Publish to Web when authentication isn't required. They explore how Row-Level Security behaves differently in each approach, whether URL filters can be locked down, and what organization...

Description: In this mailbag episode, we tackle a question from Jacob, a BI Manager and father of three who's been building his Power BI consulting side hustle since late 2023. With a full-time role, a stay-at-home spouse, and limited time to market his services, Jacob asks: How do you scale a consulting business while balancing family responsibilities? We discuss marketing strategies for time-str...

Mike & Tommy dive into what comes after a successful Power BI rollout, exploring whether the next phase is about building more reports or maturing the data platform beneath them. They question if 200 users and 300 KPIs signal maturity or hidden sprawl, discuss the shift from tool deployment to organizational capability, and outline a practical 3-year roadmap focused on governance, scalability, and...

Mike & Tommy tackle how to submit Fabric ideas that actually get noticed, exploring what separates impactful feedback from noise, why most suggestions get ignored, and how to read Microsoft's roadmap for emerging opportunities. They discuss new data types, future-proofing data engineering beyond AI hype, and practical strategies for becoming a better feedback citizen in the Fabric ecosystem. Get i...

Mike & Tommy tackle the challenge of kicking off Fabric with a clean slate, exploring how to prevent model fragmentation and build a culture of shared semantic models from day one. They discuss whether to rebuild from scratch or incrementally consolidate, why teams resist reusability, and how to establish governance that encourages collaboration without becoming a bottleneck. The episode deliv...

Mike & Tommy tackle AI-assisted TMDL workflows and the hot reload problem, exploring whether direct file editing with AI tools like Copilot is the future of Power BI development or a recipe for broken models. They weigh the tension between "move logic upstream" best practices and the brutal close-reopen cycle when TMDL changes introduce errors, debating whether Tabular Editor 3, MCP...

Are we only Direct Lake now? With Microsoft Fabric's ability to use Direct Lake with Semantic Models, where is the need for Import in Power BI, or rather where do we push people? Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Wat...

In this mailbag episode, we tackle a common challenge in Power BI report design: filter overload. When 15-20 slicers consume a third of your report page, are you empowering users or overwhelming them? We discuss practical guidelines for slicer design, the difference between "set once" and "frequently changed" filters, strategies for moving your team toward more mature reporting...

In this episode, we tackle a critical gap between Power BI's Field Parameters and Excel's live connection capabilities. Inspired by a mailbag submission from Eivind Haugen, we explore the tension between building semantic models that look great in Power BI reports versus models that serve all consumers—including the often-overlooked Excel power users. We dig into why Field Parameters break the Exc...

In this episode, Mike and Tommy explore whether the traditional "Report Developer" role still exists in the age of AI and Microsoft Fabric. They discuss what skills organizations should actually be hiring for, how the role has evolved from pixel-perfect report building to semantic modeling and data architecture, and whether AI tools like Copilot are changing what we expect from BI professionals. T...

Mike & Tommy weigh in on whether Microsoft Fabric has earned the same trust as Power BI, exploring if it's truly dependable for small businesses and enterprises alike, and examining what trust even means for an all-in-one platform that's still rapidly evolving. https://x.com/gothburz/status/2019539563027247147?s=46&t=A8umCvjDNrtK_1gwT1T7qQ https://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensifi...

Mike & Tommy explore how central BI teams should structure Microsoft Fabric workspaces, weighing medallion architecture patterns against deployment complexity, and debating whether centralized control helps or hinders self-service at scale—while unpacking why AI adoption intensifies workspace governance instead of simplifying it. Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to di...

We made it 500! Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/sho...

Mike & Tommy explore whether being late to the data game is actually an advantage in the AI era, questioning if organizations building fresh Fabric implementations can leapfrog legacy technical debt—or if they're doomed to repeat the same governance mistakes. They tackle Sandra's mailbag question about late adoption, semantic modeling for AI readiness, and when to let ontology "brew" versus act no...