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Power BI: Checklist I run before publishing any report

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We’re back after a long break, and in the meantime, the blog has had a bit of a makeover. There’s now a curated list of posts for anyone starting their Power BI journey, so feel free to check that out if you’re new around here. Now, let’s get back to today’s topic. Think of this scenario: you’ve done all the hard work, built a clean report, everything looks perfect… and just before publishing, you pause for a second. I used to run a mental checklist every time. Do you do it too? Should you?  Honestly, yes. A simple checklist can save you from those painful “the report is broken” messages that pop up from every direction once a stakeholder opens it. I’ve been there more times than I’d like to admit, and that’s exactly why I put this list together from my mental checklist to the analyst in action blogs. It’s not theory, it’s a collection of small lessons learned from actual reports, moments of panic, and last-minute bugs that showed up at the worst possible time. This checklist help...
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Beginners guide to Tabular Editor

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Tabular Editor (TE), I have heard this name before. Yes, you probably had it if you work closely with Power BI, then Tabular Editor (TE)is the parallel lead to your PBIX reports. If you haven't explored Tabular Editor (TE), then this blog is for you. With this blog, we will give you all the basic use cases that get ignored in Power BI, but with TE, you can do it seamlessly. There are tons of articles and videos explaining the UI of TE, so we won't be touching it. We will be focusing on different use cases that I normally do with all my Power BI reports. First things first, we will be focusing on the TE version 2 since it's a free tool. You can also opt for version 3, which is a much-improved version than version 2, but I would recommend starting with version 2 and seeing if it suits your needs. Version 3 is a paid version. To download TE Version 2 from this very well known git hub page . Also, do check a small comparison done between the two versions on the TE official webs...
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Common pitfalls with Values, Distinct and Value

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Another week, another blog! This week, we will cover something very basic. If you are a BI developer and work with Power BI, you will be familiar with DAX functions - Values, Value, and Distinct. This blog will cover all the common pitfalls and practical use cases for each of them. Before we start, let's start with a small question. Are distinct and unique means the same? For a very long time, I used to think they were just synonyms, but they aren't. Wait what?? How are they different? Okay, let's understand it. Distinct means each value in a specific column appeared once. In other words, you can say to count all values as 1. If you are a fan of SQL, then you already know that distinct is used to remove duplicates. While unique means you only consider the values that aren't repeated in a column. There's a subtle difference between the 2 that gets ignored easily. Okay, since you are aware of the difference between distinct and unique, we can now start the real acti...
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Going level beyond with Field Parameters

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Field parameters are widely used to change fields or measures dynamically in a visualization. If you are new to field parameters, we have covered the basics of field parameters in one of the earlier blogs. Related Read: Mastering Field Parameters in Power BI Field parameters are a powerful way to let users dynamically switch between different fields (like columns or measures) — no drill-down needed. This hands-on guide walks through how to use field parameters to create flexible visuals, build custom slicers, and improve report interactivity. You'll also learn tips on editing parameters, handling implicit vs. explicit measures, and avoiding common mistakes. In this blog, we will take it to the next level. Before we get started, I am using Sample Superstore as my dummy data. So let's get started, and we are first creating a basic field parameter taking all basic measures - Total Sales, Total Quantity, and Profit. We are dragging this field parameter in a basic table visual. Noth...
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Introduction to Power Ops

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Power BI, combined with all external tools, at least the basic ones, can be a perfect BI tool to meet all your needs. Today's blog will focus on another external tool. What?? Not another one!! In my regular practice, I always rely on basic external tools such as DAX Studio, Tabular Editor, and Measure Killer. But what if I say this new tool is a transformer, combining all the basic tools in one place? If you are looking for an introductory guide for the basic external tools, we got you covered.  Beginner's Guide to DAX Studio Advanced Guide to DAX Studio Guide to Measure Killer Yes, you read it right and we will give you an introductory guide to all the functionalities that can be achieved with  Power Ops . Okay, first things first to download Power Ops you can visit their  website  and I would recommend exploring it with one of your reports. You can download the free version. It will be available under the external tools section in Power BI Desktop. Before we move f...
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