The Algebra Teacher Powers to B.I.

Data, especially in the time of quarantine, can make you look REALLY good on paper. Or, on the screen I should say-- or in this case in a table. And if I am being honest- putting all my cards on the table (you're welcome for that pun)- I've definitely tried to use data in building a defense when my wife has called me out on something. Unfortunately for me, she knows how a cherry-picked data table can tell many different stories. Nevertheless, I persist! In this post I discuss: *DAX function CALENDARAUTO *why I broke-up with function CALENDAR *link to a demo I create *how I attempt to use a Date Table to make myself look better to my wife 😁 I’ve really loved learning about DAX functions lately during my deep dive into the world of Power BI.   As you know I have a math teaching background so it is fascinating to see how I can manipulate simple calculations to use time intelligence, override specific filters, and cross reference other tables.   One of the...

I miss sports. In particular, I miss baseball. Between learning more Power BI functions and the ins-and-outs of DAX, I've turned to Netflix to fill the deep caverns left in my soul since baseball season has been postponed. And as a result, I've thought more about tigers and big cats more than I ever have in my life. I know ALL about Carol Baskins and am fully on board for a spin-off centering on locating her lost husband. I've googled "is it really legal to own a tiger in a residential area?" Without baseball in April, I am barely hanging in there (kinda like Joe Exotic's eyebrow ring). So, I am filling the sports-sized hole by using baseball stats in Power BI to demonstrate pulling data from multiple tables and consolidating it into one table.  Some of the data we want to consolidate also has to have some aggregations (which is fancy for "calculations") performed on it.  In this demo I will attempt to break down what is really going on ...

This time last year if someone had asked what " merging queries " was, I probably would have thought it described the point where my wife's questions all seemingly combined into one big, blurry quiz. Now I know it means something completely different! It's a way to shape and transform your data. This easy-to-understand multi-media lesson will answer such questions as: Why do you want to combine data? How does this skill save space and increase my productivity speed? Which "joins" best fit my goal? A preview of the effective visuals used in the lesson: So, here is my multimedia approach, including detailed notes,  to simplifying what could be a big blur (like it was at the beginning for me.)  Again, I hope this approach to learning BI is making something complicated, a bit easier to understand. Especially for those of you who are like me... learning to thrive in this new B.I. world. Please reach out with any questions or comment on th...

I got a chance in the 2 nd  week of work to help out with  a video  that my company usually likes to post once a month about all the updates that are in the Power BI Desktop.  What’s great about Power BI is that they are constantly asking for user feedback and trying to implement changes the end-user wants.   On the learning side, this can again be  a little overwhelming  because as a newbie, it seems there is always more and more to learn.  As a former teacher though,  I love the learning process and was excited to get a chance to help. Below are some of the things I thought were the most interesting and useful for those of us who are new to the game.  To see all of them in action check out the video.  This was my first time recording so don’t be too critical just yet of my on-air presence.   😉 So, after doing all my online learning and prepping with Power BI I was shocked when I came into the offic...