9 Hidden Power BI Features that Boost Your Productivity
Introduction Power BI keeps evolving fast. Yet most of the users only tap a fraction of what the platform offers. As Power BI experts, we are constantly discovering new tricks that could have saved a lot of time over the past few years. To help you unlock its true potential, we’ve curated 9 transforming features including upgrades many users still overlook. Let’s dive into these powerful Power BI features! AI-Assisted Search in Slivers and Filters AI-Assisted search has reduced the time taken to remember person’s full name. Power BI now supports AI-assisted natural language search, allowing you to type queries like: The AI automatically maps your intent to the right field and returns matching results. This makes slicing data faster, smarter, and far more intuitive. Multi-Column Sorting Working with large matrix or table visuals often means you need to sort by multiple columns. Power BI allows you to sort by one column and then refine that sorting by holding down the “Shift” key and selecting a second column. For example, you can sort a table by year first, and then by month, making it easier to analyze your data chronologically. Sorting by Other Fields You can also sort visuals by fields that are not directly visible in the report. To do this, add the field as a measure in the tooltip. Then, select the measure from the “Sort Axis” option, and you’ll have the visual organized based on the hidden field. Quick Page Navigation Another slow and tedious task is turning pages using arrows at the bottom of the screen. To save time right click on the navigation arrows, you can see a pop-up menu which shows the list of pages in your report for faster navigation. DAX Shortcuts Everyone knows the shortcuts of Keyboards, but the real intelligence is in mastering the shortcuts of DAX formulas. One of the most useful shortcuts is multi-select, where you can replace instances of a term across a formula by using “Ctrl + Shift + L.” Use “Ctrl + /” for commenting and uncommenting sections of your DAX code, which helps immensely during debugging or when testing variations of your formulas. Organizing Measures with Measure Tables To track the growing number of reports, you can create a dedicated “Measure Table” to group and organize your measures. Simply create a blank table, move all your measures to it, and delete unnecessary columns. To categorize your measures for easy navigation you can create display folders and subfolders within this table to categorize. Create Columns from Examples in Power Query One of the underutilized Power BI features is the ability to create columns based on examples. Instead of writing complex formulas, you can input a few examples, and Power BI will auto-generate the corresponding formula. This will help you to extract first names from email addresses or creating custom formatting, saving you the time and headache of manual coding. Auto Adjustment of Tooltips Enabling the tooltip auto-adjustment feature in Power BI boosts productivity by streamlining the layout on the report canvas and ensuring tooltips dynamically resize to fit content. Thus eliminating the need for manual adjustments, allowing users to focus on insights and analysis rather than formatting. Advanced Filter Options If you are working with complex datasets and where you need precise control over the data displayed the filter pane is a great feature. You can switch to advanced filtering and apply conditional logic like “contains” or “begins with.” This is particularly helpful when working with complex datasets, where you need precise control over the data displayed. Conclusion Power BI being the most dynamic data tool, you can boost your productivity significantly and improve the quality of reports by mastering these 9 hidden tools. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, there’s always something new to discover in Power BI. With the right techniques and the support of experts like Sparity, you can elevate your data storytelling to new heights. Explore these features and see how they can transform your Power BI projects today! Why Sparity for Power BI Solutions? Having the right company to guide you through the complexities makes a world of difference. Sparity brings deep expertise in Power BI, offering customized solutions that cater to your unique business needs. Whether it’s custom visualizations, optimized data modeling, or advanced analytics, Sparity ensures that your Power BI implementation is not only powerful but also aligned with your strategic goals.
Migrate Your Classic Storage Accounts to Azure Resource Manager by August 31, 2025
Introduction The migration from classic storage accounts to Azure Resource Manager (ARM) is now more crucial than ever. As per Microsoft’s latest update, classic storage accounts will be fully retired on August 31, 2025. To continue leveraging the full spectrum of Azure’s capabilities, it is imperative that all data in classic storage accounts be migrated to ARM by this date. Why is Migration Required? Starting August 31, 2025, Microsoft will retire classic Azure storage accounts, meaning they will no longer be accessible. To avoid service disruptions, you must migrate your storage accounts to Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and update your applications to use Azure Storage resource provider APIs.Azure Resource Manager (ARM) introduces a consistent management layer that simplifies deployment, offers resource grouping, and grants access to all new Azure Storage features. Any customer still using classic storage accounts will miss out on these new features and updates. What Happens If You Don’t Migrate? If you don’t migrate your classic storage accounts by August 31, 2025, you’ll lose the ability to manage those accounts through Azure Service Manager. Although the data within these accounts will be preserved, any applications using classic APIs for management will no longer function correctly. What Actions Should You Take? To ensure a smooth migration process, follow these steps: If you need assistance, Microsoft provides community support, access to cloud solution architects, and technical support through the Azure portal.By migrating to Azure Resource Manager, you ensure continued access to your storage accounts and benefit from the latest features and updates, aligning with Microsoft’s ongoing advancements in cloud technology. Key Information At Sparity, we are here to ensure a smooth transition as Microsoft retires classic Azure storage accounts on August 31, 2025. Below is crucial information you need to know: Creation Restrictions:Subscriptions created after August 31, 2022, can no longer create classic storage accounts.Subscriptions created before September 1, 2022, were allowed to create classic accounts until September 1, 2023.Since August 31, 2022, the ability to create new classic storage accounts has been phased out. End of Management via Azure Service Manager:After August 31, 2025, you will no longer be able to manage your classic storage accounts through Azure Service Manager.Your data will be preserved, but we highly recommend migrating to ARM to avoid service interruptions. Migration Process and Considerations:No Downtime for Data Operations:During migration to ARM, data plane operations will continue without downtime.Management operations will be temporarily blocked during the migration.There may be downtime for scenarios like classic virtual machine (VM) or unmanaged disk migration.Management Operations:Data operations can continue during migration.Management tasks like creating or managing container objects with the Azure Storage resource provider will be blocked until migration is complete. Handling Classic Disk Artifacts:Delete Artifacts Before Migration:If your classic storage accounts contain unmanaged disks, virtual machine images, or OS images, delete these artifacts before starting the migration.Failure to delete these artifacts could result in migration failure.We recommend migrating unmanaged disks to managed disks. Post-Migration Details:Access Keys and RBAC Role Assignments:Account access keys and connection strings will remain unchanged after migration.Any Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) assignments scoped to the classic storage account will be preserved.Storage Account Type:After migration, your storage account will become a general-purpose v1 account.You can upgrade it to a general-purpose v2 account.Account Name and Address:The name and address of your storage account will remain the same post-migration.Logging Limitations:The migration process does not offer additional logging capabilities. Why Choose Sparity for Your Migration Needs? At Sparity, we have extensive expertise in Microsoft Azure and are fully equipped to handle the complexities of your migration. Our team of seasoned professionals ensures a smooth transition to Azure Resource Manager, minimizing downtime and ensuring your data and applications continue to operate seamlessly. With our deep understanding of Azure’s infrastructure and best practices, Sparity is your trusted partner in making this critical migration. Need Help? For any questions or assistance, Sparity is here to help. Our experts are ready to guide you through the migration process, ensuring a seamless and efficient transition. Contact us today to learn how we can support your migration to Azure Resource Manager.
Mitigated Data Loss with Cloud Migration for a Healthcare Provider
Discover how Sparity’s solutions mitigated data loss, optimized storage with Azure, and fortified security, ensuring seamless healthcare operations