CSL, September 2024
This month MS have added the long awaited Dark Mode to Power BI. Whether you’re working late into the night or simply prefer a darker interface, Dark Mode provides a sleek, modern look that reduces eye strain and enhances focus. Read on for other key updates.
Reporting
Updated menu bar in Service view mode
Over the last few years, MS have added many new features to the menu bar in Power BI, cluttering readability and navigation. MS have now consolidated these options and streamlined the button text for better readability and responsive screen sizing. This change is only applicable to view mode of reports and apps.
Before:
After:
- Chat in Teams is available through the Share option.
- Get insights was moved to the “…” menu.
Visual calculations update (preview)
Visual calculations are now on by default so you can start using them right away without having to enable the preview feature. Of course, you can still turn them off if you wish by disabling the visual calculations preview in Options and Settings > Options > Preview features.
Apart from adding more formatting options as part of the visual level format strings (see below) this month also enables data types for visual calculations.
Data types for visual calculations
You can now set the data type for your visual calculations in the visual format pane under General > Data format:
Selecting the correct data type is important as it not only influences how your visual calculation can be used in your charts and in your calculations, but also determines which formatting options are available for further customization. Keep in mind that if the data type and data do not match, the data type is ignored. For example, if you have data rows that contain ‘ABC’, and set the data type to ‘Decimal number’ then the data cannot be formatted as decimal number, and the data type will not be applied.
Note that the data type setting is only available for visual calculations, not for fields or measures as their data type can be set in the model only.
Visual level format strings (preview)
Last month MS introduced the first version of visual level format strings. As a quick reminder, visual level format strings allow you to format fields and measures on a visual, overriding any format string already set in the model. This gives you more flexibility and a quicker way to get the formatting you wanted. This month, MS are turning these visual level format strings on by default and expanding them beyond just custom format strings.
Now that visual calculations are on by default visual level format strings are too. If you want, you can turn them off by disabling the visual calculations preview in Options and Settings > Options > Preview features.
You find visual level format strings in the format pane for a visual under General > Data format:
Last month you could only enter a custom format string here. This month MS are aligning the formatting options in the ribbon, so your visual level formatting is even more powerful and easier to do. This includes setting the format, such as Text, Currency and Whole number and, for numerical formats, options like thousands separator and number of decimals:
In the Properties pane in the model view, if you want to enter a custom format string, you can do so by selecting ‘Custom’:
Modeling
Introducing Fabric Metrics Layer: A New Era of Metric Management in Fabric (preview)
Metrics sets is now in public preview, it is a transformative new feature designed to redefine how organizations manage and consume metrics. The Fabric Metric Layer’s home base in Power BI brings powerful capabilities to streamline metric management, ensure consistency, and foster trust in data across your organization.
What is the Metrics Layer?
The Fabric Metrics Layer is aimed at helping organizations define, discover, and reuse trusted metrics with ease. Trusted creators within an organization can develop standardized metrics that incorporate essential business logic, ensuring consistency across the organization. Creators organize these metrics into collections, promote and certify them, and make them easily discoverable for end users and other creators. These endorsed and promoted metrics can then be used to build reports, improving data quality across the organization, and can also be reused in other Fabric solutions, such as Notebooks. Consumers can utilize these metrics to gain insights into their business questions from reports or directly from the Metrics hub, which features visuals and Copilot insights.
Why Metrics sets?
Metric Sets are in the process of being deployed across regions, so expect to see them light up in your region soon!
The Power BI Metrics sets in the Fabric Metrics Layer address 3 main problems:
- Data quality across an organization by establishing metrics (rooted in measures) that can be reused – eliminating the need for authors to rebuild duplicative measures in reports
- Enabling self-service by establishing “mini” models in the metric set details page that allow business users to Explore the data they are interested in by opening the metric and its associated, curated dimensions to add filters, slicers, and answer their own questions
- Eliminating siloed data by allowing other Fabric artifacts to leverage metrics defined in the Fabric metrics layer, for example Notebooks. Data science notebooks can connect to a metric defined in a PBI semantic model and use the data outside of Power BI itself. More Fabric artifacts will be available as we continue to roll out features
In the fast-paced world of data-driven decision-making, organizations often face challenges with large, complex models that lead to data silos and duplicated efforts. Metrics sets provide a solution by enabling users to manage and reuse key metrics across the organization, ensuring a single source of truth and improving trust in the metrics being used.
Key Features:
- Curated Collection of Metrics: Metric sets will serve as a collection of measure pointers to source semantic models and include key dimensions so end users and authors alike can unambiguously understand how a metric should be grouped or used.
- Rich Consumption Experiences: Users can explore and consume metrics from the metric set itself, allowing for deep insights and understanding. Copilot summaries and multiple visuals will be available for users to scroll through and go from data to insights in seconds.
- Efficiency: Consumers no longer need to rely on report creators to answer questions or build custom reports for specific needs. Consumers can leverage the Explore dialog to dig deeper into a given metric in an environment where everything in the data pane “just works” because the dimensions have been curated specifically for the metric.
- Discoverability and Reuse:
- Consumers: Metrics are discoverable via search, and Metric sets can be promoted, endorsed, certified just like any artifact so that users trust it. Consumers can also leverage the Explore dialog to dig deeper into a given metric in a safe environment where everything in the data pane “just works” because the dimensions have been curated specifically for the metric.
- Authors: Metrics can be discovered and reused during report creation, using the source semantic model upon saving an exploration or report.
- Integration with Copilot Experiences: Integration with Copilot will enhance the user experience by providing AI-driven insights and recommendations.
What about existing metrics in scorecards?
You may be familiar with scorecard metrics – they are not going anywhere. Scorecard metrics will be renamed to their original name of Goals, and the functionality will remain. Scorecards are a great downstream use for the new Metrics Layer – simply connect a scorecard goal to a metric that is visualized in a report, and that metric not only standardized across an organization, but viewable in one pane of glass for leadership to track with a target, due date, and to get progress updates on along with their other goals.
Metrics sets mark a significant step forward in metric management within Fabric, addressing long-standing challenges and introducing powerful new capabilities. By rolling out these features in key milestones, we ensure continuous engagement and enhanced reporting capabilities for all users. We are excited to see how the Fabric Metrics Layer will empower your organization to make more informed, data-driven decisions.
Stay tuned for the upcoming milestones and get ready to transform your metric management experience with Metrics sets!
Live edit of semantic models in Direct Lake mode with Power BI Desktop
We’re excited to introduce a groundbreaking feature in Power BI Desktop: Live editing of a semantic model in Direct Lake mode. This innovative capability allows users to live edit semantic models in Direct Lake mode with Power BI Desktop, directly accessing the OneLake data, and leveraging the Power BI Analysis Services engine in a Fabric workspace instead of your local machine.
With live edit, you can now make changes to your semantic models in Direct Lake mode with Power BI Desktop. Every modification is applied to the semantic model in the workspace, ensuring a seamless and efficient workflow. This feature is designed to enhance your data modeling experience by providing familiar experience of Power BI Desktop with the option to export to Power BI Project (PBIP) to support professional enterprise development workflows. Learn more about export to Power BI project in our documentation.
To get started, enable the live edit feature in the Power BI Desktop preview options menu, select your semantic model in Direct Lake mode from the OneLake data hub, and choose Edit from the Connect button drop-down. Whether you’re creating new measures, adding calculation groups, creating relationships between tables, or running DAX queries, Direct Lake mode streamlines the process as data is accessed directly from the OneLake.
To learn more about Power BI updates in September 2024, view the full MS summary.
If you would like support in your Power BI projects, get in touch with CSL by emailing info@csl-uk.com.
