This past month, Power BI has introduced a suite of updates and new features, significantly enriching the user experience. Let’s delve into these exciting developments that promise to revolutionise your interaction with Power BI.

 

1 – Improved Integration with OneDrive and SharePoint Power BI Desktop now boasts enhanced integration with OneDrive and SharePoint. This integration, now a standard part of Power BI Desktop, simplifies the process of opening, saving, and sharing reports. It’s particularly beneficial for teams working collaboratively on reports, making the process more straightforward and familiar, especially for those accustomed to the Office interface.

 

2 – Enhanced On-Object Interaction The latest update introduces several improvements to on-object interaction:

• Date Hierarchy on Data Flyout: This feature allows users to easily switch between a structured date hierarchy and the raw date format, enhancing flexibility in data manipulation.
• Direct Text Editing with Placeholder Text: Adding text elements, like titles, is now more intuitive, with placeholders enabling direct typing on the visual itself.
• On-Object Formatting for Ribbon and Funnel Charts: Customising these charts has become more user-friendly, with direct formatting options on the chart objects.

 

3 – Power BI Home in Desktop The redesigned Power BI Home acts as a central hub for all your Power BI activities within the desktop application. This intuitive interface significantly boosts productivity and simplifies content discovery and management, making it easier for newcomers to navigate and utilise the full range of Power BI features.

 

4 – Deduplication Rules for Composite Models To address the challenge of naming conflicts in composite models, Power BI now allows users to apply deduplication rules. This feature ensures clarity and avoids confusion, particularly when dealing with large and complex datasets that might have overlapping names.

 

5 – Modelling Enhancements

• Edit Data Model in Power BI Service: Now in preview, this feature includes a new manage relationships dialogue, streamlining the process of editing relationships within your data model. This is particularly useful for ensuring that your data is interconnected correctly.
• Model Explorer Public Preview: Offering a comprehensive view of your dataset’s semantic modelling objects, this feature enhances visibility and facilitates easier navigation and editing, ideal for those who are managing complex data models.

 

6 – Data Connectivity and Service Updates

• Snowflake Connector Update: Enhanced performance with optimised query implementation, making data retrieval faster and more efficient.
• New Planview OKR Connector: Connect to Planview Objectives and Key Results data seamlessly, ideal for strategic planning and performance tracking.
• Service Updates: Including OneLake Data Hub for easy data access, enhanced Explorer Pane for improved navigation, and customisable Deployment Pipelines for tailored data management processes.

 

7 – Exciting New Visualisations in AppSource From the ValQ Plan for intricate business planning to the versatile Date Picker by Powerviz, new visualisations are set to enrich your Power BI experience. Notably, the Drill Down Network PRO and TMap 2.1 offer advanced data visualisation capabilities, while Inforiver Enterprise brings robust data writeback options, allowing for interactive data updates directly from your reports.

 

These latest updates to Power BI are transformative, streamlining workflows, enhancing data interaction, and expanding visualisation capabilities. Whether you’re a seasoned Power BI user or just starting out, these updates are designed to elevate your data analysis and reporting experience to new heights.

Stay tuned for more updates and tips on leveraging these new features to their fullest potential!