Power Pivot and Power BI, 2nd Edition

Book Description

Microsoft Power BI, including Power Pivot and Power Query, are a set of free add-ons to Excel that allow users to produce new kinds of reports and analyses that were simply impossible before.

This book, printed in full-gorgeous color, gives you an overview of Power BI, Power Pivot and Power Query, and then dives into DAX formulas, the core capability of Power Pivot. Always from the perspective of the Excel audience.

Written by the world's foremost Power BI bloggers and practitioners, the book's concepts and approach are introduced in a simple, step-by-step manner tailored to the learning style of Excel users everywhere. The techniques presented allow users to produce, in hours or even minutes, results that formerly would have taken entire teams weeks or months to produce.

This book includes lessons on:-

• difference between calculated columns and measures
• how formulas can be reused across reports of completely different shapes
• how to merge disjointed sets of data into unified reports
• how to make certain columns in a pivot behave as if the pivot were filtered while other columns do not
• how to create time-intelligent calculations in pivot tables such as "Year over Year" and "Moving Averages" whether they use a standard, fiscal, or a complete custom calendar.
• how to leverage Power Query to make your Power Pivot models awesome!
• how to use Power BI Desktop and PowerBI.com and how they fit into the Excel landscape

The "pattern-like" techniques and best practices contained in this book have been developed and refined over several years of onsite training with Excel users around the world, and the key lessons from those seminars costing thousands of dollars per day are now available to you, within the pages of this easy-to-follow guide. This updated second edition covers new features introduced with Office 2016 and Power BI Desktop.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 A Revolution Built On You
Chapter 2 Power Pivot And The Power Bi Family: Making Sense Of The Various Versions
Chapter 3 Learning Power Pivot "The Excel Way”
Chapter 4 Loading Data Into Power Pivot
Chapter 5 Intro To Calculated Columns
Chapter 6 Introduction To Dax Measures
Chapter 7 The "Golden Rules” Of Dax Measures
Chapter 8 Calculate() – Your New Favorite Function
Chapter 9 All() – The "Remove A Filter” Function
Chapter 10 Thinking In Multiple Tables
Chapter 11 "Intermission” – Taking Stock Of Your New Powers
Chapter 12 Disconnected Tables
Chapter 13 Introducing The Filter() Function, And Disconnected Tables Continued
Chapter 14 Introduction To Time Intelligence
Chapter 15 If(), Switch(), Blank(), And Other Conditional Fun
Chapter 16 Sumx() And Other X ("Iterator”) Functions
Chapter 17 Multiple Data Tables
Chapter 18 Multiple Data Tables – Differing Granularity
Chapter 19 Performance: Keep Things Running Fast
Chapter 20 Power Query To The Rescue
Chapter 21 Power Bi Desktop
Chapter 22 "Complicated” Relationships
Chapter 23 Row And Filter Context Demystified
Chapter 24 Calculate And Filter – More Nuances
Chapter 25 Time Intelligence With Custom Calendars: Greatest Formula In The World
Chapter 26 Advanced Calculated Columns
Chapter 27 New Dax Functions… And Variables!
Chapter 28 "Youtube For Data” – The Importance Of A Server

About The Author

Avichal Singh

Avichal Singh is Principal Consultant at PowerPivotPro where he blogs, trains and consults on PowerPivot and Power BI. His past experience includes building large scale Power BI solutions at Microsoft. He lives in Seattle.

Rob Collie

A former Microsoft engineering leader, Rob Collie is an entrepreneur, author, and consultant who believes Excel is enjoying a renaissance in power and importance - a trend that provides massive opportunities for the millions of Excel practioners worldwide. His passion is empowering and the Excel Professional to seize those opportunities. When he's not training, consulting, or writing, Rob can be found in his laboratory, devising new tools and techniques for the Excel community. He also operates the world's leading PowerPivot website (PowerPivotPro.com) and occassionally sleeps.