Power BI Update - May 2024

Summary

The May edition of Power BI's monthly update introduces a plethora of enhancements aimed at improving user experience. Notably, the modern tooltip is now enabled by default, signaling the beginning of a series of innovative changes. Matrix layouts are revamped, inspired by Excel's PivotTable, offering new ways to arrange components. Line visuals receive significant updates, including customization and autoscaling capabilities. Users can now interact more intuitively with visuals through on-object formatting. Additionally, the public preview of publishing reports to folders in workspaces simplifies content organization. Power BI Copilot expands its capabilities, allowing users to query the data model directly. The update also includes general availability of DAX Query View and model explorer, along with enhancements in data connectivity and mobile app accessibility.

Takeaways

• 🆕 Modern Tooltips are now enabled by default in Power BI, marking the beginning of significant enhancements to their functionality.
• 📊 Matrix layouts have been introduced with options to select from compact outline or tabular layouts, inspired by Excel's PivotTable.
• 📈 Line visuals in Power BI have received a major update, including the ability to customize line patterns, autoscale, and apply changes across different line types.
• 🎨 Object interaction updates allow for direct formatting of small multiples, waterfall, and matrix visuals through a convenient mini toolbar.
• 📁 'Publish to folders' feature is in public preview, enabling hierarchical organization of items within Power BI workspaces.
• 🗣️ Power BI Copilot now allows users to ask questions directly about the data model, extending beyond just the data presented in report visuals.
• 🔍 DAX Query View is generally available, offering a variety of productivity tools for writing and testing DAX queries within Power BI Desktop.
• 🔄 The refresh of calculated columns and tables is now supported in the Power BI service for direct query sources using single sign-on authentication.
• 🔗 Enhanced Oracle database connector with single sign-on support and several new and updated connectors have been announced.
• 📑 Live connected Power BI reports can now be viewed directly in OneDrive and SharePoint, expanding beyond import mode.
• 📈 The Power BI mobile app introduces a 'Show Visuals as Table' view to enhance accessibility and data consumption in a tabular format.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the May edition of the Power BI monthly update presented by Jason Himmelstein?

The main focus of the May edition update includes enhancements in Power BI reporting, such as modern tooltip improvements, matrix layouts, line updates, object interaction updates, and the introduction of publishing to folders in public preview.

Why is the modern tooltip being highlighted in the Power BI update?

The modern tooltip is highlighted because it is now enabled by default and marks the beginning of significant improvements that will revolutionize tooltip management and customization.

What new layout options have been introduced for matrix visuals in Power BI?

The new layout options for matrix visuals include compact outline and tabular layouts, which allow users to alter the arrangement of components similar to Excel's PivotTable.

What enhancements were made to the line visuals in the May Power BI update?

The enhancements to line visuals include the ability to hide and show lines, customize line patterns, autoscale line patterns, and apply line dash cap and line upgrades across other line types.

How does the new on object formatting feature in Power BI improve the user experience?

The on object formatting feature allows users to interact directly with visuals like small multiples, waterfall, and matrix, making it more intuitive and efficient to format reports by using a convenient mini toolbar that appears upon right-clicking on a visual component.

What does the public preview of 'publish to folders' in Power BI allow users to do?

The public preview of 'publish to folders' allows users to create a hierarchical structure for organizing and managing their items, and publish reports directly to specific folders within their workspace from Power BI Desktop.

What new capability is being previewed for Power BI Copilot related to data models?

Power BI Copilot is previewing a new capability that allows users to ask questions about the data in their data model, enabling them to get answers directly from the underlying model, even if the answer isn't already present on the report page.

What updates have been made to DAX query view in the Power BI modeling section?

Updates to DAX query view include the ability to run a DAX query before keeping it, conversational building of DAX queries using Copilot, and additional professional code editing experiences such as change all occurrences and block folding.

How has the Oracle database connector been enhanced in the latest Power BI update?

The Oracle database connector has been enhanced with the addition of single sign-on support in the Power BI service, using Microsoft Entra ID authentication.

What new connectors have been added or updated in the Power BI data connectivity area?

New connectors added include OneStream, Zendesk, and CCH Tagetik. There has also been an update to the Azure Databricks connector.

What is the significance of the integration between Power BI and OneDrive and SharePoint for live connected reports?

The integration allows users to seamlessly view Power BI reports with live connected data directly in OneDrive and SharePoint, enhancing collaboration and accessibility of reports with team members.

What changes have been made to the Power BI add-in for PowerPoint regarding image mode?

Changes to image mode include the ability to print add-ins saved in public snapshot without requiring a permissions check, and the introduction of 'Show as Saved Image' to replace the add-in with an image for faster load times during presentations.

What new feature has been added to the Power BI mobile app to improve accessibility?

The 'Show Visuals as Table' view has been added to all reports in the Power BI mobile app, allowing users to view all visuals as table visuals, which is beneficial for those using accessibility screen readers or preferring a tabular data consumption experience.