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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 organizations should actually do when building public-facing dashboards—including when to aggregate data upstream, disable granular access entirely, or reconsider whether the data should be public at all.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
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-strapped consultants, targeting small to mid-sized businesses, pricing and positioning, and the tension between growth and sustainability. Whether you're considering a side hustle or already running one, this episode offers practical advice on building a consulting practice that fits your life.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
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 turning BI into the company's decision engine.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
Every once in a while a new tool shows up that bends the career curve for a certain kind of person. Not everyone. Just the people with that itch to poke at systems until they finally give up their secrets. The same instinct that used to turn someone into the unofficial Excel wizard in the office is now colliding with AI development tools that can help you build real software. If you have the data gene, this moment feels a little like someone just handed you a much bigger toolbox. It has a lot in common with what happened when Power BI first showed up. For years the people who understood the business problems best were stuck with tools that could only go so far. Power BI suddenly bridged that gap. Now AI assisted development is doing something similar across the rest of the tech stack. The distance between I know what the answer should be and I can build the thing that proves it is shrinking fast. Of course, building something is not the same thing as building a company. Rob and Justin get into that too. AI can help you spin up software faster than ever, but the hard parts of business still live somewhere else. Vision. Distribution. Understanding the real problem well enough to solve it in a way that people care about. The tools are getting easier. The thinking still matters. Also in this Episode: The Lion King Lyrics Revealed
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 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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
This is episode 319 recorded on February 6th, 2026, where John and Jason break down the Microsoft Fabric January 2026 Feature Summary — including the Osmos acquisition for AI-ready data engineering, Git branch improvements and Python SDK support for the Fabric API, expanded OneLake security, and new Real-Time Intelligence enhancements. For show notes please visit www.bifocal.show
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 delivers practical strategies for defining core business entities, creating a semantic model catalog, and building the organizational discipline needed to maintain a true single source of truth.Starting out with Power BI, our company's reporting team has been using import mode exclusively and we have not been reusing models very commonly. There is a lot of redundant data storage and I'm sure there are many conflicting DAX definitions and model relationships. I've started learning about Fabric and I'm realizing we will need to rebuild some semantic models from the ground up.Thing is, I'm not sure our team will have the patience to do things right. I suspect they will dive in and start creating more redundancies and our work will continue to be fragmented. How can I kick things off on the right foot and influence the team culture to work together with a single source of truth rather than individual sources?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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
Link zum Buch: https://www.kaiuwestahl.com/download-buch-aiordie/ Seit über 15 Jahren bauen wir Dashboards. Von den ersten BI-Projekten mit absurden Ladezeiten bis zu modernen Tools wie Power BI und SAP Analytics Cloud. Und trotzdem stellt sich heute wieder eine provokante Frage: Brauchen wir Dashboards überhaupt noch – oder übernimmt KI jetzt alles? In dieser Folge sprechen Andreas Wiener und Kai-Uwe Stahl über eine der zentralen Disziplinen der datengetriebenen Unternehmenssteuerung. Sie blicken zurück auf die Entwicklung des Dashboardings, auf die größten Missverständnisse in Unternehmen und auf die Rolle, die KI künftig spielen wird. Dabei wird eines deutlich: Viele Unternehmen springen heute direkt auf den KI-Hype – ohne ihre Hausaufgaben gemacht zu haben. Denn bevor KI wirklich Mehrwert liefern kann, müssen Unternehmen ihre Zahlen kennen. Und genau dafür bleiben Dashboards unverzichtbar. In der Folge geht es unter anderem um: • Die Evolution von Dashboarding in den letzten 15 Jahren • Warum Tools heute kaum noch der entscheidende Faktor sind • Weshalb viele Unternehmen den falschen Fokus auf Self-Service-Analytics legen • Warum Standard-Reporting oft mehr bringt als komplexe Analyseumgebungen • Wie KI künftig die tiefe Analyse übernimmt – während Dashboards das Monitoring liefern Die klare Botschaft dieser Episode: KI ersetzt Dashboards nicht. Aber sie verändert, wofür wir sie nutzen. Wer seine Daten nicht im Griff hat, wird auch mit KI keine besseren Entscheidungen treffen.  ⸻ Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: 15 Jahre Dashboarding 00:54 – Was ist eigentlich ein Dashboard? 01:32 – Warum Monitoring-Dashboards unverzichtbar bleiben 02:53 – Das Buch und Feedback aus Unternehmen 05:12 – Warum viele Berater dem falschen Hype folgen 07:35 – Neue Hausaufgaben: Dashboards statt nur Datenqualität 10:03 – Die Anfänge: Dashboarding mit Excel und PowerPoint 11:15 – Erste BI-Tools und extrem lange Ladezeiten 13:22 – Erste große Projekte und technologische Entwicklung 14:32 – Warum viele Unternehmen Dashboarding nie richtig umgesetzt haben 15:52 – Warum klassische Trainings oft nicht funktionieren 18:29 – Online-Kurse vs. Präsenzschulungen 19:10 – Power BI als Gamechanger im Dashboarding 20:34 – Tableau, Visual Analytics und der Visualisierungstrend 21:22 – Warum sich der Markt auf wenige Tools konzentriert 23:38 – Konsolidierung im BI-Markt 25:09 – Datenvisualisierung und Storytelling im Dashboard 26:00 – Self-Service Analytics: Realität vs. Wunschdenken 27:08 – Wo KI künftig die Analyse übernimmt 28:21 – Fazit: Dashboards bleiben ein zentraler Baustein der Datenstrategie
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 servers, or a native Microsoft solution offers the best path forward for safe, validated bulk refactoring.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
This is episode 318 recorded on February 6th, 2026, where John and Jason break down the Power BI January 2026 Feature Update — covering the key report, model, and service changes, what's actually impactful, and how it fits into the broader Microsoft Fabric roadmap. For show notes please visit www.bifocal.show
In this interview, Tobi Odunowo shares his professional journey from traditional HR into strategic learning, organizational development, and change management. He emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making, using tools like Power BI to simplify complex data and enable insight-driven leadership decisions. Tobi also discusses his experience supporting successful adoption of new technologies, building credibility with stakeholders, and enabling leaders to make informed decisions through structured change practices.See the YouTube video at https://youtu.be/dy4C3ySBVtc.
This week on the Science for Sport podcast, Richard Graves is joined by Emily Jacobson, Assistant Director of Sports Performance at Marquette University. Emily has spent the past decade building and refining a sports science model within a relatively small department, working primarily with men's and women's soccer and volleyball. Alongside her role at Marquette, she also contributes to U.S. Soccer in a high-performance capacity. In this conversation, we explore one of the most pressing challenges in applied sports science: how do you simplify complex data streams so they become actionable for coaches and meaningful for athletes? From acute:chronic workload ratios and GPS monitoring to return-to-play frameworks and Power BI dashboards, Emily shares how she transformed “expensive toys” into effective performance tools. She discusses the importance of visualisation, collaboration with data engineers, humility in decision-making, and why the “eyeball test” still matters in a world driven by wearables and AI. For practitioners working in elite sport, or those building systems within constrained environments, this episode offers practical insight into making sports science more impactful, not just more complex. In this episode you will learn: How to simplify GPS and workload data for real-world application Why acute:chronic workload ratios are a framework — not a solution How to build effective data visualisations that coaches actually use The difference between “expensive toys” and performance tools How to structure phased return-to-play models with clear definitions Why collaboration with data engineers and academics can transform departments How to educate athletes in an era of AI, social media and misinformation Why patience and long-term development still matter How to adapt sports science systems in the transfer-portal era Why relationships remain more important than technology About Emily Jacobson Emily Jacobson is the Assistant Director of Sports Performance at Marquette University, where she has worked for the past 10 seasons. A former Marquette women's soccer student-athlete, she now oversees sports science and performance systems across multiple programmes, with a particular focus on soccer and volleyball. She has helped develop load monitoring models, return-to-play protocols and data visualisation systems that integrate GPS, velocity-based training, force plates, motion capture and body composition analysis. In addition to her work at Marquette, Emily serves as a network employee within U.S. Soccer's high-performance department. Her approach combines applied performance coaching, collaborative analytics, and a strong emphasis on education and athlete relationships. FREE 7d SCIENCE FOR SPORT ACADEMY TRIAL SIGN UP NOW: https://bit.ly/SFSepisode241 Learn Quicker & More Effectively Optimise Your Athletes' Recovery Position Yourself As An Expert To Your Athletes And Naturally Improve Buy-In Reduce Your Athletes' Injury Ratese Save 100's Of Dollars A Year That Would Otherwise Be Spent On Books, Courses And More Improve Your Athletes' Performance Advance Forward In Your Career, Allowing You To Earn More Money And Work With Elite-Level Athletes Save Yourself The Stress & Worry Of Constantly Trying To Stay Up-To-Date With Sports Science Research
Heute wird's… filmreif.
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/Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
In episode 280 of our SAP on Azure video podcast we talk about Business Process Solutions!In our last episode we talked about the integration of SAP data into Fabric. As outlined there are multiple ways how to link or replicate data from your SAP systems to Fabric. However, we often hear from customers that the jounrey begins only then. You need to make sure that Fabric "understands" the semantics, you need to build dashboard in Power BI and you potentially want to get started to interact with your data from Copilot. In order to help customers and partners to get started more quickly, Bartosz and the team developed Business Process Solutions: prebuild resources including data models, transofmrations and business templates. Our colleuage Noopur then extended all of this in Copilot Studio, so that you can actually chat with your data. Both join us today to talk more about BPS and show us what you can do with it!Find all the links mentioned here: https://www.saponazurepodcast.de/episode280Reach out to us for any feedback / questions:* Goran Condric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gorancondric/* Holger Bruchelt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holger-bruchelt/ #Microsoft #SAP #Azure #SAPonAzure #Data #Fabric #Datasphere #Copilot #CopilotStudio
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 practices, and whether there's ever a justifiable reason to exceed 2-3 slicers per page.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
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 Excel experience, when Calculation Groups might be the better choice, and how to design semantic models that truly serve as a single source of truth across multiple consumption tools. If you're building models that connect to Excel, this conversation will change how you think about feature selection and governance.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
In this episode of CFI's Member Spotlight, we sit down with Alex Murray, a UK-based financial analyst whose path into finance started far outside the typical “cookie-cutter” route. This conversation traces how Alex moved from studying History (with a deep interest in the Renaissance and the evolution of double-entry bookkeeping) to building a career in finance through curiosity, disciplined self-learning, and strong mentorship.Alex shares how early exposure to banking through his family sparked his interest, why studying history sharpened his thinking about economic cycles, and how he translated that mindset into real-world finance work. We also dig into his hands-on experience in ESG and impact investing, his transition into a full-time role, and what surprised him most about finance once he was inside the function: the shift from reporting numbers to using them to drive decisions.You'll hear how Alex uses CFI training in his day-to-day workflow, what changed after completing the FMVA, and why he's now focused on building a long-term career in FP&A and strategic finance. The conversation also touches on the modern toolkit for analysts, including Power Query, Power BI, dashboards, and AI tools used for analysis and structured thinking.This Member Spotlight is for anyone early in their finance career (or considering a pivot) who wants a realistic look at how strong fundamentals, better questions, and practical training compound over time.Learn more about CFI's programs and certifications, including FMVA and FP&A training, and explore how thousands of professionals are building job-ready finance skills with Corporate Finance Institute.
In this episode we dive into Progress ReportsThe ChallengeYou know the moment. That message lands. Your project manager needs a status update on the project and they need it right now. Not in two weeks when it's supposed to happen. Right now.You have an 11,000 activity schedule. A critical path that keeps shifting. A structural steel delay throwing everything off. And zero minutes to spare.Usually this means three hours buried in P6. Copying data to Excel. Building out reports. Attaching baselines, unattaching baselines, running analysis. All just to deliver a simple email.On this episode of Beyond Deadlines, I sat down with Greg Lawton, CEO of Nodes and Links, to test whether a purpose built AI tool could draft that same status email in 60 seconds. Not a general chatbot. A multi agent AI system designed from the ground up to answer scheduling's hardest questions.What we found changed my perspective on what's possible.Check out Nodes & Links here and mention Micah Piippo and this podcast.Continue LearningCheck out our book The Critical Path Career: How to Advance in Construction Planning and SchedulingSubscribe to the Beyond Deadlines Email NewsletterSubscribe to the Beyond Deadlines Linkedin NewsletterCheck Out Our YouTube Channel.ConnectFollow Micah, Greg, and Beyond Deadlines on LinkedIn.Beyond DeadlineIt's time to raise your career to new heights with Beyond Deadlines, the ultimate destination for construction planners and schedulers. Our podcast is designed to be your go-to guide whether you're starting out in this dynamic field, transitioning from another sector, or you're a seasoned professional. Through our cutting-edge content, practical advice, and innovative tools, we help you succeed in today's fast-evolving construction planning and scheduling landscape without relying on expensive certifications and traditional educational paths. Join us on Beyond Deadlines, where we empower you to shape the future of construction planning and scheduling, making it more efficient, effective, and accessible than ever before.About MicahMicah, the CEO of Movar US is an Intel and Google alumnus, champions next-gen planning and scheduling at both tech giants. Co-founder of Google's Computer Vision in Construction Team, he's saved projects millions via tech advancements. He writes two construction planning and scheduling newsletters and mentors the next generation of construction planners. He holds a Master of Science in Project Management, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.About GregGreg, an Astrophysicist turned project guru, managed £100M+ defense programs at BAE Systems (UK) and advised on international strategy. Now CEO at Nodes and Links, he's revolutionizing projects with pioneering AI Project Controls in Construction. Experience groundbreaking strategies with Greg's expertise.Topics We Coverchange management, communication, construction planning, construction, construction scheduling, creating teams, critical path method, cpm, culture, KPI, microsoft project, milestone tracking, oracle, p6, project planning, planning, planning engineer, pmp, portfolio management, predictability, presenting, primavera p6, project acceleration, project budgeting, project controls, project management, project planning, program management, resource allocation, risk management, schedule acceleration, scheduling, scope management, task sequencing, construction, construction reporting, prefabrication, preconstruction, modular construction, modularization, automation, Power BI, dashboard, metrics, process improvement, reporting, schedule consultancy, planning consultancy, material management
In this episode, I talk with Amanda Makulec about what it really takes to design dashboards and data products that people can understand and use. We dig into why so many dashboards fail, how designers and analysts often misjudge their audiences, and what it means to take a truly human-centered approach to data visualization. Amanda shares insights from her work leading the Data Visualization Society and from her book, including practical ways to think about context, cognition, and decision-making. We also discuss common misconceptions about dashboards, stakeholder expectations, and the gap between technical correctness and real-world usefulness. This conversation is packed with ideas for anyone building data tools meant to inform decisions, not just look impressive.Subscribe to the PolicyViz Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.Become a patron of the PolicyViz Podcast for as little as a buck a monthPick up the new book, Dashboards That Deliver.Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, Substack, Twitter, Website, YouTubeEmail: jon@policyviz.com
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. The conversation challenges conventional hiring practices and offers practical guidance on future-proofing BI teams.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
Show Notes In this episode of Develop This!, Dennis Fraise welcomes Andrew Ratchford, Vice President at Site Selection Group, for a wide-ranging conversation on how the role of economic developers is rapidly expanding—and what that means for communities trying to compete for investment and jobs. As a proud partner of the Site Selectors Guild, Develop This! continues its mission of connecting economic developers with the site selection profession. This episode reflects that shared commitment: helping communities better understand how projects are evaluated and what it truly takes to deliver results. Andrew explains how the pandemic accelerated a shift away from traditional economic development toward a more holistic model—one that now includes housing, childcare, workforce readiness, placemaking, sustainability, and risk management as essential components of successful projects. Rather than simply providing data and incentives, communities are now judged on their ability to execute: align stakeholders, solve infrastructure challenges, and create environments where companies and talent want to stay. Key Takeaways Economic developers' roles are expanding far beyond traditional business attraction The pandemic reshaped priorities, forcing a stronger focus on supporting existing businesses Communities are evaluated on outcomes, not just information Housing and childcare have become critical site selection factors Transportation and infrastructure gaps can derail projects if not addressed early Stakeholder alignment is essential for project success Scarcity of resources is driving innovation in economic development strategies Placemaking is key to attracting and retaining talent Workforce strategies must evolve with changing industry needs Sustainability and risk management now play a central role in project evaluations About Andrew Ratchford Andrew Ratchford is Vice President at Site Selection Group, where he specializes in evaluating sites and infrastructure for developability, capacity, and long-term improvement potential. He manages complex requests for information (RFIs), coordinates site visits with clients and community partners, and develops strategic improvement plans to help communities become more investment-ready. Before joining Site Selection Group, Andrew built a diverse real estate and planning background across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. His experience includes: Nonprofit housing development managing federal grants and affordable housing projects Community and regional planning for Greenville County, South Carolina Multifamily development with Graycliff Capital Partners Site selection advisory services with Global Location Strategies With more than 13 years of experience, Andrew now focuses primarily on industrial assets and infrastructure, with a special interest in energy and brownfield redevelopment. His client work has included organizations such as Nacero, Georgia Pacific, Tennessee Valley Authority, Wisconsin Economic Development, CSX Railroad, BNSF Railroad, and Hoosier Energy. Andrew holds an MBA from Clemson University and a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from North Greenville University. He is skilled in Excel, PowerPoint, GIS platforms, and PowerBI. Outside of work, Andrew enjoys playing electric and bass guitar, hiking, traveling, cheering on Clemson football, and perfecting his lawn care game while spending time outdoors with his wife, two children, and their dog.
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_1gwT1T7qQhttps://hbr.org/2026/02/ai-doesnt-reduce-work-it-intensifies-ithttps://blog.fabric.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/supercharge-ai-bi-and-data-engineering-with-semantic-link-generally-available/https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/deprecation-of-old-excel-and-csv-import-experience-in-power-bi-service/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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
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 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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
This is episode 317 recorded on January 21st, 2026, where John & Jason talk about news that came out in January 2026 for Power BI & Microsoft Fabric in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and some interesting articles on the Fabric Blog. For show notes please visit www.bifocal.show
Ghousia Sultana is a data analyst with a strong foundation in data analytics, engineering, and business intelligence. She began her career as an HR Process Analyst, later transitioned into IT, and now works as a Data Analyst, leveraging tools like Python, SQL, Power BI, Azure, and Databricks to build scalable data pipelines and drive insights. She holds a Master's in Business Analytics and brings a deep interest in the intersection of AI and data. Currently, she is conducting research and writing on how data infrastructure, analytics, and machine learning come together to enable real-world AI solutions. Her work reflects a blend of hands-on technical expertise and a forward-looking perspective on the future of intelligent systems.
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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
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 now.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
This is episode 316 recorded on December 19th, 2025, where John & Jason talk about their predictions about 2024 & how they aged into 2025 and make their predictions for 2026 for Power BI & Microsoft Fabric. For show notes please visit www.bifocal.show
In this episode we dive into Automated Progress Tracking.The ChallengeWalking the job site with a clipboard. Sitting at a desk while a superintendent reads numbers off an Excel spreadsheet. Logging vague "days remaining" into P6. This is how most teams still update their schedules. It's slow, it's surface level, and it's not grounded in any measurable reality.On the latest episode of Beyond Deadlines, I sat down with Brady Mercer, who leads planning and scheduling at JE Dunn Construction, and Amir Berman , VP of Industry Transformation at Buildots . We went deep on how reality capture technology is changing the way project teams track progress and forecast delays.Continue LearningCheck out our book The Critical Path Career: How to Advance in Construction Planning and SchedulingSubscribe to the Beyond Deadlines Email NewsletterSubscribe to the Beyond Deadlines Linkedin NewsletterCheck Out Our YouTube Channel.ConnectFollow Micah, Greg, and Beyond Deadlines on LinkedIn.Beyond DeadlineIt's time to raise your career to new heights with Beyond Deadlines, the ultimate destination for construction planners and schedulers. Our podcast is designed to be your go-to guide whether you're starting out in this dynamic field, transitioning from another sector, or you're a seasoned professional. Through our cutting-edge content, practical advice, and innovative tools, we help you succeed in today's fast-evolving construction planning and scheduling landscape without relying on expensive certifications and traditional educational paths. Join us on Beyond Deadlines, where we empower you to shape the future of construction planning and scheduling, making it more efficient, effective, and accessible than ever before.About MicahMicah, the CEO of Movar US is an Intel and Google alumnus, champions next-gen planning and scheduling at both tech giants. Co-founder of Google's Computer Vision in Construction Team, he's saved projects millions via tech advancements. He writes two construction planning and scheduling newsletters and mentors the next generation of construction planners. He holds a Master of Science in Project Management, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota.About GregGreg, an Astrophysicist turned project guru, managed £100M+ defense programs at BAE Systems (UK) and advised on international strategy. Now CEO at Nodes and Links, he's revolutionizing projects with pioneering AI Project Controls in Construction. Experience groundbreaking strategies with Greg's expertise.Topics We Coverchange management, communication, construction planning, construction, construction scheduling, creating teams, critical path method, cpm, culture, KPI, microsoft project, milestone tracking, oracle, p6, project planning, planning, planning engineer, pmp, portfolio management, predictability, presenting, primavera p6, project acceleration, project budgeting, project controls, project management, project planning, program management, resource allocation, risk management, schedule acceleration, scheduling, scope management, task sequencing, construction, construction reporting, prefabrication, preconstruction, modular construction, modularization, automation, Power BI, dashboard, metrics, process improvement, reporting, schedule consultancy, planning consultancy, material management
In the premiere episode of Season 11, we welcome a panel of Moser's experts featuring Tony Wilhelm, Brett Canova, Melissa Steffenson, and Ari Moreland to explore the transition from SSRS to Power BI for SQL Server reporting and what it means for modern data analytics. We discuss the migration process, the benefits of Power BI, and how organizations can leverage advanced reporting to drive smarter decisions, as well as best practices, common challenges, and opportunities for businesses to unlock the full potential of their data.
Sponsors:◦ Visit Buildertrend to get a 60-day money-back guarantee on your Buildertrend account◦ Marvin Windows and Doors◦ Sub-Zero Wolf Cove Showroom PhoenixConnect with Tiffany Rosenbaum:◦ https://www.instagram.com/tiffanymrosenbaumConnect with Brad Leavitt:Website | Instagram | Facebook | Houzz | Pinterest | YouTube
Mike & Tommy tackle the classic BI trap of falling in love with tools before understanding the problem, exploring why organizations rush to adopt Copilot, Fabric, or dashboards without defining what decision they're trying to improve, and how to force problem clarity without becoming the blocker when stakeholders just want to "see the data."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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
Mike & Tommy tackle a listener's question about connecting local VSCode to remote Fabric Jupyter kernels, exploring whether Fabric's architecture is fundamentally incompatible with traditional data science workflows, and discussing what an effective development cycle actually looks like when you can't just "pip install -e ." your way to productivity.https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79331916/is-there-a-way-to-connect-to-a-microsoft-fabric-jupyter-kernel-remotely-from-aGet 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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
Mike & Tommy tackle a listener's challenge with Microsoft's overuse of "experience" in Fabric, questioning whether calling notebooks, pipelines, and copy jobs "experiences" inflates expectations and confuses adoption, and exploring what precise language would better serve data teams building real solutions.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
Mike & Tommy dive into Microsoft Fabric licensing strategy, questioning whether organizations actually need Fabric or are falling into the same over-provisioning trap as Power BI Premium. Drawing on Blake Edwards' client savings case studies, they explore F64 thresholds, hidden costs, and practical optimization tactics that separate smart capacity decisions from expensive assumptions.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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
This week's episode breaks the usual format, and that's the point. Instead of a guest or a debate, Rob does something he hasn't done publicly in a long time. He reads the foreword to a book he's actively writing. The first one since 2015. Back then, his books helped define how people learned Power BI. For a few years, he was literally the guy who wrote the book. Then he stopped. No updates. No sequels. An entire generation of practitioners came up without ever encountering his work. So why return now? Because the same pattern is repeating itself, just louder. This time with AI. The hype is everywhere, the confusion is real, and business leaders are being handed tools without a usable mental model for how success actually happens. This foreword is an explainer. Plain English. Business focused. Written for leaders and for the people who have to help those leaders make good decisions. No formulas. No technical flexing. Just a clear frame for thinking about AI in a way that doesn't implode six months later. Consider this episode an early access audio version of something that's still being built. Give it a listen. And if the foreword resonates, stay close. This may not be the last chapter you hear early.
Mike & Tommy explore Microsoft's new MCP servers for Power BI and Fabric, questioning whether teams should immediately enable these AI agent integrations or take a more measured, governed approach. They break down the security risks, governance implications, and practical rollout strategies for letting AI agents interact with semantic models.https://blog.fabric.microsoft.com/en-US/blog/introducing-fabric-mcp-public-preview/](https://blog.fabric.microsoft.com/en-US/blog/introducing-fabric-mcp-public-preview/">https://blog.fabric.microsoft.com/en-US/blog/introducing-fabric-mcp-public-preview/)https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/mcp/mcp-servers-overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/mcp/mcp-servers-overview">https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/mcp/mcp-servers-overview)Get in touch:Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips](https://twitter.com/PowerBITips">@PowerBITips) with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips](https://powerbi.tips/explicit-measures-power-bi-podcast/">PowerBI.tips) Podcast Page.Visit [PowerBI.tips](http://PowerBI.tips): https://powerbi.tips/](https://powerbi.tips/">https://powerbi.tips/)Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips](https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips)Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv](https://spoti.fi/3pyzcbJ">https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv)Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083](http://bit.ly/applepbiemp">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083)Check Out Community Jam: [https://jam.powerbi.tips](https://jam.powerbi.tips)Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/)Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/)
In this episode of Your Health University, Jamie sits down with Dr. Jimmie Williamson, Chief Behavioral Health Officer at Your Health, to break down why behavioral health belongs inside primary care—not outside it. Jimmie explains how telehealth lowered stigma, how mental health diagnoses (“F codes”) often correlate with frequent ER use, and why Your Health moved from intuition to data-driven referral models using tools like Power BI. They also map the full behavioral health ecosystem—from psych nurse practitioners to therapists to the psych pharmacist—and clarify when and how teams should refer patients for the right level of support. The takeaway is simple: earlier behavioral health intervention can improve lives, reduce hospital visits, and strengthen value-based care outcomes system-wide. www.YourHealth.Org
Those Excel macros running your business were never meant to be permanent. Someone in accounting built them because the company needed custom software and didn't have the budget or patience for a two-year IT project. IT hates them. You know they're fragile. But they work. And compared to expensive software that never quite fits, working counts for a lot. In this episode, Rob and Justin dig into what might finally replace that world. Not in theory, but in practice. Over the next four years, is the real shift AI helping people build traditional software faster and cheaper? Or is it software that actually has AI running inside it at runtime? The difference matters if you're deciding where to invest time, money, or political capital. They also tackle who's going to build this next-generation line of business tools. Is it the Power BI crowd all over again? The VBA veterans reinventing themselves? Or a new kind of builder who sits closer to the business than IT ever could? If you're nursing a mission-critical spreadsheet you're afraid to touch, or paying too much for SaaS that almost fits, this conversation will feel uncomfortably familiar. And useful. Listen to the episode and start thinking about what replaces your macros before they replace themselves.
Mike & Tommy dive into whether Microsoft Fabric's success is driven by AI innovation or if it would thrive on its own merits, exploring how AI investments reshape organizational data strategies and examining what "AI-ready Fabric" truly requires in practice.https://www.fintechbrainfood.com/p/ai-is-rewiring-the-economyNews from Today:https://www.linkedin.com/posts/josuebogran_i-have-an-nda-with-databricks-i-also-have-ugcPost-7415405540886908929-sJzF?utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAAAMKO8ABddLqKcwl4TmVJ-OO0d5Qdf3jSHQ&utm_source=social_share_send&utm_campaign=copy_linkhttps://www.linkedin.com/posts/marc-j-schmidt-957875110_all-my-new-code-will-be-closed-source-from-activity-7415115103953477632-rahG?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAMKO8ABddLqKcwl4TmVJ-OO0d5Qdf3jSHQhttps://support.claude.com/en/articles/13345190-getting-started-with-coworkGet in touch:Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips](https://twitter.com/PowerBITips">@PowerBITips) with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips](https://powerbi.tips/explicit-measures-power-bi-podcast/">PowerBI.tips) Podcast Page.Visit [PowerBI.tips](http://PowerBI.tips): https://powerbi.tips/](https://powerbi.tips/">https://powerbi.tips/)Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips](https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips)Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv](https://spoti.fi/3pyzcbJ">https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv)Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083](http://bit.ly/applepbiemp">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083)Check Out Community Jam: [https://jam.powerbi.tips](https://jam.powerbi.tips)Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/)Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/)
In today's show, BAILeY, your semi-sentient hostess with the mostest metadata, teams up with Frank La Vigne to welcome the ever-insightful Andrew Brust for a deep dive into the evolving Microsoft data ecosystem. From nostalgic tales of Windows history and scoring elusive Clippy swag at Ignite, to unraveling what makes Microsoft Fabric a game-changer for data integration, AI, and governance, this episode covers it all.You'll hear firsthand how Microsoft's innovation goes far beyond the tech itself—focusing on seamless integration, unified billing, and organizational synergy. Andrew Brust sheds light on the journey from fragmented Azure services to the unified vision of Fabric, the rise of generative AI and “agentic” intelligence, and the increasingly important role of data sovereignty and governance in today's regulatory landscape.Whether you're a data enthusiast, an AI tinkerer, or just in it for the nostalgia, grab your headphones and get ready for insights, laughs, and more acronyms than you can shake a dataset at. Stay curious and caffeinated—this episode has something for everyone!Time Stamps00:00 Microsoft Expertise and Industry Analysis03:18 "Big Data and Analytics Insights"08:31 Power BI's Rise in Azure12:26 "Unified Fabric-Based Data Platform"14:01 "Fabric IQ Powers AI Integration"17:24 "Achieving Synergy Against Odds"23:32 "Unified Compute for Seamless Integration"24:41 "Overwhelmed by AWS Complexity"28:21 "Microsoft Research Powers Azure Fabric"34:20 "Azure Foundry and Tools"37:33 "Flexibility Beyond Major Cloud Providers"41:33 Global Data Privacy Trends45:13 "Governance for Agentic AI"47:29 "Azure Stack and Local Clouds"50:13 "Kubernetes: The Cloud Caveat"53:40 "Let's Reconnect and Reminisce"
492: Fabric Made Up AwardsMike & Tommy hand out the first annual Fabric Made Up Awards, debating hilarious categories from "Most Likely to Be Disabled by IT" to "Best Feature That Requires a Long, Awkward Conversation," revealing which Fabric features deserve recognition for being simultaneously essential yet problematic.Get in touch:Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips](https://twitter.com/PowerBITips">@PowerBITips) with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips](https://powerbi.tips/explicit-measures-power-bi-podcast/">PowerBI.tips) Podcast Page.Visit [PowerBI.tips](http://PowerBI.tips): https://powerbi.tips/](https://powerbi.tips/">https://powerbi.tips/)Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips](https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips)Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv](https://spoti.fi/3pyzcbJ">https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv)Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083](http://bit.ly/applepbiemp">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083)Check Out Community Jam: [https://jam.powerbi.tips](https://jam.powerbi.tips)Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/)Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/](https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/">https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/)
Mike & Tommy start the new year with their own Microsoft Fabric ResolutionsGet 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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
This is episode 315 recorded on December 16th, 2025, where John & Jason talk about the Fabric November 2025 Feature Summary part 3 including updates to Data Warehouse, Real-Time Intelligence, and Data Factory. For show notes please visit www.bifocal.show
Mike & Tommy dive into Revisiting Dataflows Gen 2, exploring the tension between initial skepticism and current capabilities after major updates, and how organizations can strategically position this tool in their data workflows for maximum value.https://blog.fabric.microsoft.com/en/blog/unlocking-the-next-generation-of-data-transformations-with-dataflow-gen2-fabcon-europe-2025-announcements?ft=Allhttps://blog.fabric.microsoft.com/en-gb/blog/new-dataflow-gen2-dataGet 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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
Welcome to Episode 418 of the Microsoft Cloud IT Pro Podcast. In this episode, Ben sits down with Cat Schneider during a lively conference to discuss a variety of topics, focusing on the theme of “anti-AI.” They reflect on life and technology before AI became prominent, sharing tales of conferences, hackathons, and explorations of older tech solutions. They also discuss some of Cat's adventures in SharePoint and Power Platform, including managing SharePoint permissions with flows, the challenges of migrating file shares to SharePoint, syncing issues with OneDrive, and practical uses of Power BI for troubleshooting and managing SharePoint data. Additionally, they dive into humorous conference anecdotes from the inaugural Workplace Ninjas US, including accidental late-night adventures. Cat Schneider is an experienced data specialist and Power Platform, SharePoint, and Teams enthusiast with a demonstrated history of innovation for almost 15 years in the public sector. Cat is skilled in Microsoft-based applications, quality assurance, and databases. She is a strong community and social services professional with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology from Florida State University. In addition to being a self-taught coder with a never-ending thirst for learning more—and helping others learn and improve their coding skills—she is also co-leader of the Power Platform UX/UI and Accessibility (A11y) Global User Group. Your support makes this show possible! Please consider becoming a premium member for access to live shows and more. Check out our membership options. Show Notes Cat Schneider on LinkedIn Yer a wizard, Cat! Cat on GitHub About the sponsors Would you like to become the irreplaceable Microsoft 365 resource for your organization? Let us know!
Mike & Tommy dive into the challenges posed by Microsoft's Fabric IQ, exploring the friction it creates within organizations as they redefine semantics. They discuss how this shift impacts culture, politics, and collaboration, offering practical strategies for successful adoption.https://blog.fabric.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/introducing-fabric-iq-the-semantic-foundation-for-enterprise-ai?ft=AllGet 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/powerbitipsSubscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVvSubscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tipsFollow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/
This is episode 314 recorded on December 15th, 2025, where John & Jason talk about the Fabric November 2025 Feature Summary part 2 including updates to Data Engineering & Data Science. For show notes please visit www.bifocal.show
Laith Palhawan, CEO and founder of OrangeCrew, has successfully transitioned his managed IT services company into the public sector by becoming GSA certified, allowing him to provide IT services to government agencies. This shift has required a deep understanding of compliance and security requirements that differ significantly from those in the private sector. In the public sector, clients expect adherence to strict standards and predefined solutions, which contrasts with the more flexible and responsive approach typically found in private business engagements.Pahlawan's experience highlights the challenges of profitability in the managed services landscape, particularly when working with government contracts that often yield lower margins of 10-15%. He emphasizes the importance of strategic partnerships and effective business analysis to maintain sustainable margins. By utilizing tools like Power BI and Kaseya, OrangeCrew can track time and resources spent on each client, allowing for informed decisions about which clients to prioritize and which to decline based on profitability and demand.The episode also delves into OrangeCrew's innovative use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance internal operations and client services. Pahlawan has developed a centralized database that integrates various data sources, enabling the use of AI to analyze client interactions and identify potential issues proactively. This system not only improves operational efficiency but also positions OrangeCrew as a forward-thinking MSP capable of offering advanced solutions to clients, particularly in the realm of AI.For MSPs and IT service leaders, the insights shared by Pahlawan underscore the necessity of adapting to evolving client needs, particularly regarding compliance and AI integration. As businesses increasingly rely on AI for operational efficiency, MSPs must enhance their understanding of data management and automation to remain competitive. The conversation serves as a reminder that embracing new technologies and strategic partnerships can lead to sustainable growth and improved service delivery in a challenging market.