Hat Full of Data

2 Power BI Storage Modes

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Presented with Joe Griffin

Description

It’s common that we need to integrate Power BI alongside Dataverse and our model-driven apps (hey, that’s the beauty of the Power Platform, right?), to help present our key business data in the most effective manner. But confusion can sometime arise when it comes to the best storage mode to use. Real-time reports sounds great in theory, but if approached in the incorrect manner, those spinning wheels will drive your users crazy. Import mode can get around these issues, but what if our users are impatient or if we need to refresh more than 8 or 48 times a day? For a poor person working with all of this for the first time, it’s a true minefield to navigate.

To help you through this or the preserve your sanity (maybe both!), join our two Dataverse and Power BI experts for a deep-dive session on how to build the most effective, highly performant reports, that surface your Dataverse data, while also dealing with those pesky end-user requirements for having everything real-time. In this session, you’ll learn:

The key differences between Import, Direct Query and composite storage modes.
How both the underlying model and visualization layer impact the performance of your reports.
The steps involved to build a highly performant underlying model when using DirectQuery mode.
What tools are available to help us benchmark performance, identify potential problems and resolve them.

If you’re a functional consultant or system customizer who works frequently with Power BI, then this is the ideal session for you!

Cheat at Power BI

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description

A picture paints a thousand words, and a graph is a colourful picture of data. Power BI a powerful tool to draw those pictures of data but some find it hard to grasp.

So how do we cheat? What are the shortcuts to still be doing best practice but keeping it simple and within the Power BI pro license? In this session we will build a report from scratch using all the tips and tricks to make it as simple as we can to paint those data pictures to tell those thousand words about your data.

Resources

As part of the demos I recommend the use of backgrounds and themes. Files in this repo include backgrounds and themes matched to the D365PPUG branding.

Files

References

Power BI General

Backgrounds

TMDL

TMDL Calendar

Copilot Architecture Workshop

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description

As organizations embrace the new wave of AI-powered assistants and copilots, the architecture and governance of these agents become critical for success. This workshop explores how to design robust and scalable agent frameworks that integrate seamlessly into enterprise environments. We will discuss key considerations for orchestrating agents, ensuring security and compliance, and embedding responsible AI principles into every layer. Using examples from Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, and the Azure AI framework, participants will gain practical insights into aligning technical design with organizational policies and governance needs. The session blends conceptual foundations with real-world implementation guidance, equipping attendees to build agent ecosystems that are both powerful and trustworthy.

Copilots, Chaos and Control: Getting Real About AI Productivity

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description

In this Fun, no‑filter session, Laura and Claire put multiple Microsoft Copilots through their paces to show how everyday business users can actually get work done faster in the new world of AI. They will contrast “AI magic” with good old‑fashioned automation, proving that simple rules, flows, and templates still quietly solve a huge chunk of real problems alongside Copilot‑powered experiences in Microsoft 365, Power Platform & Power BI.

Through live demos, honest commentary, and a few deliberate “AI fails,” you’ll see what Copilots are brilliant at, where they fall short, and how to combine them with lightweight automation to get reliable, repeatable outcomes instead of AI theatre.

The session will also lift the lid on security and data reality: what Copilots can see, where the real risks lurk, and how to avoid turning an access‑permissions mess into an AI‑powered data leak. You will hear practical, plain‑English guidance on mitigating risk with sensible permissions, data classification, and governance so you can say “yes” to AI without losing sleep. Finally, Laura and Claire will share a simple, repeatable checklist to prepare you & your data and content so Copilots look smart instead of confused, helping your organisation get value from AI faster.

What you’ll walk away with By the end of this session, delegates will:

Understand the different types of Microsoft Copilots available to business users and where they appear in day‑to‑day tools (email, documents, data analytics, line‑of‑business apps).

Know when to reach for Copilot versus simple automations and how they can work together instead of competing.

Recognise common security and data‑governance risks when using Copilots and have practical steps to mitigate them.

Have a clear, non‑technical checklist for preparing content and data so Copilot responses are more accurate, relevant, and safe. ! Come and Enjoy Laura and Claire break everything so you don’t have to !

Data and Power Automate the Right Way

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description

Power Automate is a great low-code automation tool that we all know and love. Sometimes though we push Power Automate to do things it was never meant to do. I often have to remind people it is Power Automate not Power Integrate. Looping through 10,000 records is not a great idea in Power Automate.

In this session we will look at how we can get Power Automate to make data tools do the dirty work and Power Automate do what it does best and orchestrate the work. Lots of demos and laughter.

Dynamic Power Query

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description

Power Query is an powerful tool for transforming a diverse array of data formats, making them ready for analysis in Power BI or Excel. And within Microsoft Fabric, Gen2 dataflows prepare data for storage in selected destinations, all written in M.

However, the M language can be challenging to master. It is particularly unforgiving when dealing with adaptive data schemas and evolving data sources. So, how can we write queries that are flexible and capable of refreshing seamlessly?

This session will provide you with a variety of tips and techniques to effectively manage missing columns, handle changing schemas, and troubleshoot common issues that can disrupt your refresh history. Expect plenty of demonstrations and links to valuable resources to support your learning.

Enhancing Microsoft Fabric with Power Automate

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Fabric Workshop - Dataverse, Power BI and Fabric

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Get Copilot to Build Your Demo Data

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Let's build a data agent

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Microsoft Fabric Activator and Power Automate - A Great Combination

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Microsoft Fabric and the Mess of SharePoint

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Microsoft Fabric Introduction

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Paginated Reports Have Had Some Love

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description

Paginated reports are great for those pixel perfect pages we still need and those Excel exports that businesses desire. And the engineers at Microsoft have been giving Paginated reports some love. Early 2024 we got Power Query, over the past year we’ve seen online creation from datasets improving and now we have the dynamic per recipient subscriptions.

In this session, using business cases we will walk through how paginated reports are still a vital part of the reporting landscape. We will discuss what licenses we need to do the magic. I promise lots of demos and laughter.

Stop Waiting for the Data Team

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Translytical Flows vs Power Apps

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Description

You create a brilliant report, it matches all the requirements and then someone asks for write back. They want to add adjustments, commentary or other random ideas. Although we would love to say no, we end up building solutions to provide write back and triggering events. Previously the obvious options have been an embedded Power App or a Power Automate button. Then Microsoft made up new words and released Translytical Flows that use User Defined Functions to open up the possibilities.

In this session we will demo building this new feature from scratch along side a demo of a simple Power App doing the same write back. Then we will have the fun of comparing the functionality, useability and maybe even the licencing. Who will win?

Plenty of demos, audience participation and time for questions.

Resources

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