Talk Data to Me

Data-related concepts can be intimidating, especially giving the rate of change in the world of business intelligence and AI. Data Lake, Data Migration, Data Warehouse, Data…Lakehouse? It’s never a good feeling to feel lost in a group working session, or like you need to “stealth Google” concepts just to understand what everyone else is talking about.

Join us for an overview of the most common data terms and concepts that cause confusion within the Microsoft data stack. This low-jargon session will demystify common data-related terms for business users and data professionals alike, translating these concepts into practical business applications. We’ll provide real-world examples of how key data concepts work in practice, so you can go into your next data project meeting with confidence.

D365 Data 101

Working with data in D365 applications gets a lot easier once you know what’s going on under the hood. While most users don’t need a developer-level knowledge of D365’s data infrastructure, everyone benefits from understanding how the data infrastructure that supports each D365 application works together.

This low-jargon tour of how D365 data flows from your fingertips to underlying data models (and back!) will help you better understand both how and why D365 systems work the way they do. Learn the underlying data anatomy of each “family” of D365 applications, including how that logic defines your options for integration with other tools, such as Fabric and the Power Platform. Leave this session ready to work with your D365 app of choice with less frustration, greater understanding, and more success!

Paginated Reports 201 – Build a Better Report

You’ve connected to your data source and generated a table with parameters in Power BI Report builder, but the basic structure of your report leaves something to desire. How do you upgrade your functional but ho-hum report without breaking it?
   
In this session, users will learn how to tackle a mix of structural and formatting challenges that often plague paginated report developers, such as getting headers to repeat on each page, leveraging date pickers, and incorporating two datasets within the same table. Attendees will leave with links to the sample files and instructions they can reference in future when tackling their own reports.

Workshop - Paginated Reports 101 for the Power BI Veteran

Scenario: you’ve just completed a Power BI report, and it’s downright majestic! There’s just one tiny problem: it turns out your report users need a simple table that will print out well instead. Now what?  
 
This hands-on session will go step-by-step in converting a Power BI analytical report into a Power BI paginated report that uses the same underlying Power BI Dataset.  We’ll break down what each section of Power BI Report Builder contributes to your report and discuss how the underlying paginated report logic differs from a standard PBIX file. 
 
Session attendees will have the opportunity to practice what they learn throughout session with hands-on support and time for Q&A. At the end of this deep dive, attendees will leave with practice files that they can reference for practice and as a starter template for developing their own paginated reports.  

This is a 90-minute hands-on workshop version of this presentation, which I have also presented as a 50-minute session without the hands-on component.

Mastering the BI Mullet - Create an efficient data ecosystem in Fabric & Power Platform

If your organization has big data dreams but limited data staff, you may need a BI Mullet.
Microsoft describes “Managed self-service BI” as “discipline at the core and flexibility at the edge.” This hybrid “BI Mullet” approach can make the most of institutional knowledge spread throughout the organization while focusing the data team’s workload to tasks best suited to their technical expertise.

Done right, this approach can save time for the data team and money for the organization, all while empowering business users to leverage data in ways that might never occur to those outside their department. Done wrong, without processes and systems that support a decentralized data approach? That “BI Mullet” will get messy fast.

This daylong workshop will provide a mix of technical step-by-step instructions and functional best practices tailor made to help data professionals adopt the right managed self-service BI approach for their organization.
Technical topics will include how to:
• Optimize your semantic models to eliminate report writing guesswork and enable effective usage of AI.
• Design custom Power BI report themes and templates that automatically apply your company's style guide, saving time and improving consistency.
• Build Power Automate flows that support seamless cross-team feedback, collaboration, and data quality checks.
• Leverage Microsoft Purview to support incremental improvements to your DQ&G (Data Quality & Governance).
• Reliably collect data internally that can't be sourced from existing systems

Functional topics will address common "people and process" challenges that often fall to small data teams, including:
• Where to start when you need to bring order to a chaos in the Power BI service.
• How to identify and address common DQ&G (data quality & governance) issues.
• Ways to meet internal training and change management needs.
Attendees will leave how proactive planning and design can lead to more "data kismet" and fewer data migraines.

Every BI mullet will be a little different. Let’s get yours styled right.

This session is designed as a day-long workshop that includes a mix of demos and hands-on activities. I've designed it based on the recurring patterns I've noticed among my clients, who are generally SMBs with few-to-no existing data staff.

Paginated Reports 101 for the Power BI Veteran

Scenario: you’ve just completed a Power BI report, and it’s downright majestic! There’s just one tiny problem: it turns out that your users need a report that can be easily printed, and fast! Now what?
 
This hands-on session will go step-by-step in converting a Power BI analytical report into a Power BI paginated report that uses the same underlying Power BI Dataset.  We’ll break down what each section of Power BI Report Builder contributes to your report and discuss how the underlying paginated report logic differs from a standard PBIX file. 
 
At the end of this deep dive, attendees will leave with practice files that they can reference, both for practice and as a starter template for developing their own paginated reports.  

Choosing the Right Reporting Tool for the Job (D365 Finance & Power BI)

The right reporting tool can make a huge difference in development costs and user adoption but knowing which tool to use (and when) can be a challenge. During this session, users will learn when to use standard Power BI reporting, paginated reports, Excel-based reporting, customized Dynamics 365 Finance reports, OData, or a combination to meet their specific reporting needs. We will dive into the wealth of out-of-the-box reporting Dynamics 365 F&O has, where to look, and what changes users can make without having to engage in any type of code changes. Finally, we'll review common D365-to-report "data plumbing" approaches to demystify how your critical information gets from point A to point B.

This session was first presented at Community Summit NA in collaboration with the inestimable Lauren Wooll.

Talk Data to Me

Aligning your data infrastructure to your company's key business needs is a team sport; IT simply can’t build the right tools and structure without guidance from various business stakeholders. Yet, it’s difficult to work together when you seem to be speaking different languages. ETL, Dual Write, API, Data Lake, Data Migration, Data Warehouse, Data…Lakehouse? It’s never a good feeling to feel lost in a group working session, or like you need to “stealth Google” concepts just to understand what everyone else is talking about.

If you’ve ever left meeting feeling like you needed a data translator, this session is for you! Join us for an overview of the most common data terms and concepts that cause confusion within the D365, Fabric, and Power Platform space. We’ll provide real-world examples and jargon-free explanations for key terms and concepts, so you can go into your next data project meeting with confidence.

Mastering the BI Mullet - Managed Self Service BI with Power BI and Power Automate

If your organization has big data dreams but limited data staff, you may need a BI Mullet.

Microsoft describes “Managed self-service BI” as “discipline at the core and flexibility at the edge.” This hybrid “BI Mullet” approach empowers end users to develop reports using tools maintained by a central data team.

With the right systems in place, a BI Mullet can encourage innovation and make the most of the time staff has available. With the wrong (or absent) systems? Your mullet will get messy fast.

Join this session to learn practical strategies to keep your own BI Mullet on point, including:
• Creating optimized Power BI semantic models that eliminate report writing guesswork and enable effective usage of AI.
• Designing custom Power BI report themes and templates that automatically apply your company's style guide, saving time and improving consistency.
• Building in Power Automate flows to ensure cross-team feedback, collaboration, and data quality checks.
• Leveraging Microsoft Purview to support incremental improvements to your DQ&G (Data Quality & Governance).

Every BI mullet will be a little different. Let’s get yours styled right.