

Santhana Lakshmi Ponnurasan
Data-Driven Product Lead | Power BI Specialist
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
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Meet our data pro and Microsoft Certified Power BI specialist! She’s all about turning raw data into cool, actionable insights. With her deep knowledge of Power BI's advanced features, she's famous for her creative and innovative reports that really make data pop. She is also one of the four Finalists of the Microsoft Power BI DataViz World Championships 2025.
As a Product Lead, she does it all- market research, testing, collaborating with teams, brainstorming new ideas, helping with marketing, and creating engaging content.
She’s also an engaging speaker and loves sharing her knowledge with the data community on her Medium blog, offering tips and best practices. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, she mentors aspiring pros, especially women, to help them reach their full potential in the data field.
When she’s not diving into data, she’s a proud Corgi paw parent who loves outdoor adventures and trying new foods as a dedicated foodie.
Area of Expertise
Topics
The Power BI Glow-Up: Watch a Report Transformation Live
Do your Power BI reports feel functional but lack visual appeal? It’s time for a glow-up! Great data storytelling isn’t just about numbers—it’s about how you present them. This session will equip you with UI/UX best practices, design hacks, and practical tips to elevate your reports from basic to breathtaking.
Who Is It For?
This session is for Power BI users who want better-looking reports, Data pros who care about clarity and impact and for anyone who loves good design + great data!
Session Takeaways:
1. Quick design fixes for instant improvements
2. Smart visual choices for better storytelling
3. Color, layout & formatting tips that work
4. Before-and-after transformations to apply instantly
Walk away with practical, easy-to-apply hacks to give your reports a serious glow-up!
The Psychology Behind Powerful Power BI Reports
Ever created a Power BI report that looked great but didn’t quite land with your audience? You’re not alone. Designing dashboards isn't just about visuals- it's about how people think, see, and feel when they interact with your report. In this session, we’ll explore how basic psychology principles can help you build more intuitive, impactful, and human-friendly reports. No psychology degree needed- just curiosity!
Session Takeaways
1. How the brain processes data and visuals (and what that means for your report design)
2. Design techniques based on psychology principles
3. Real Power BI examples showing how small changes lead to big insights
Walkaway with:
1. Free downloadable: “Psychology in Power BI – Design Checklist”
2. PBIX Templates and assets
Beyond the Basics: Discover Power BI’s Best Kept Secrets
Power BI is packed with incredible features, but let’s be honest- how many of them do we actually use? Beyond the usual visuals and DAX formulas, there’s a whole world of lesser-known tools that can boost efficiency, enhance interactivity, and optimize performance. In this session, we’ll uncover some of Power BI’s hidden gems that can take your reporting game to the next level!
Who is it for?
This session is for Power BI developers, analysts, and business users who want to go beyond the basics and unlock features they might have overlooked. Use these features to level up or use them to know more about what else Power BI has to offer.
Session Takeaways:
1. Discover underutilized features that can simplify your workflow or enhance your reports/dashboards.
2. Learn how to improve navigation, performance, and interactivity in your reports.
3. Walk away with new tricks to make Power BI work smarter for you.
5 Dashboard Design Rules in 10 minutes
Join me for a quick and engaging journey through the world of data design! In this lightning talk, we'll uncover five essential rules to help you master the art of designing data effectively. Don't miss out on this opportunity to level up your data design skills – see you there!
Lightning Talk
From Imagination to Reality: Craft Any KPI with Powerviz's KPI Visual
Join me for a fun and interactive session where we'll dive into the incredible world of the KPI Visual, a custom Power BI visual by Powerviz that can turn any KPI idea you have into a stunning, functional visual. Whether you want to track performance, measure success, or visualize trends, the KPI Visual has got you covered.
Who is it for?
This session is perfect for Power BI users of all levels who are eager to enhance their reports with advanced KPIs.
No prior experience with KPI Visual is needed—just bring your creativity and curiosity!
Session Takeaways:
1. Discover how to quickly and easily create stunning KPIs by leveraging our range of pre-built templates.
2. We’ll walk through the features, explore the different layers, and over 40 chart variations, and show you how to use the advanced text editor for pixel-perfect designs.
2. Discover how to turn any KPI concept into a dynamic visual with KPI Visual from scratch.
Supercharge your Power BI Dashboards with Powerviz visuals
Ready to take your Power BI dashboards from standard to stunning? Get ready to add some serious flair to your Power BI dashboards with our Powerviz custom visuals! In this session, I'll take you through the in's and out's of our amazing visuals that are designed to make your data pop. Our visuals are designed to bring that "wow" factor to your reports, making them not only functional but also visually striking.
Who is it for?
This session is ideal for anyone looking to elevate their Power BI dashboards with impressive, custom visuals. No prior experience with our visuals is needed—just bring your curiosity and a desire to create standout dashboards!
Takeaways:
1. Watch a live demo of the Powerviz visuals in action. They are designed to be simple to use, yet they add a whole new level of flair and functionality to your reports.
2. Discover how our visuals are fully customizable, with low/no code options, pre-built themes, time-saving features, and inbuilt color palettes. I'll show you how these features come together to make your reports not only more effective but also more enjoyable to create.
Discover Powerops Desktop- Your Free Power BI Sidekick
Join me for an insightful session on Powerops, your new best friend for Power BI! This FREE external desktop tool is packed with features designed to make your Power BI reports and models smarter and more manageable. I'll give you a tour of how Powerops can help you analyze, find usage, compare versions, and adhere to best practices—all without breaking a sweat. Plus, I'll give you a sneak peek at our SaaS version, featuring version control.
Who is it for?
If you work with Power BI and want instant insights, easy version tracking, and automated best practice checks, this session is for you!
Session Takeaways:
1. Analyze reports & models in seconds
2. Find where measures & columns are used—no more guesswork
3. Compare report versions with ease
4. Automate best practice checks & apply fixes instantly
5. Exclusive look at our SaaS version with version control!
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