Power BI

Technical Article

Never ship a broken semantic model again: how to build automated tests in Power BI with user-defined functions

  • Article

User-defined functions (UDFs) in Power BI let you build reusable, automated tests for your semantic models — so you catch broken measures, duplicate rows, and faulty relationships before they reach your reports. This article walks through how to use UDFs alongside PQL.Assert to standardize testing across your team, and how to automate those tests with Power Automate or a Fabric Notebook.

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2026-06-29

SQLServerCentral Article

What Power BI DirectQuery does to your SQL Server (and how to fix it)

  • Article

Power BI DirectQuery can quietly overwhelm your SQL Server. Unlike Import mode, DirectQuery sends live T-SQL for every visual interaction, multiplying queries and placing heavy analytical load on the database. This article explains how to identify the worst offending DirectQuery queries, why the generated SQL is often inefficient, and what you can do from the database side, including indexing, Query Store, and reporting views, to improve performance. It also outlines practical changes on the Power BI side and when DirectQuery is simply the wrong architectural choice.

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2026-04-20

4,405 reads

Technical Article

Level 28: DAX Text Functions: The DAX Extract & Modify Functions: LEFT(), RIGHT(), MID(), REPLACE(), SUBSTITUTE()

  • Stairway Step

Business Intelligence Architect, Data Analyst, CPA, and author Bill Pearson introduces a subseries surrounding the DAX Text Functions, including LEFT(), RIGHT(), MID(), REPLACE(), and SUBSTITUTE() and breaks out the operational groups of functions involved. Next, he introduces the “Extract and Modify” group of text functions as the focus of this Level. Finally, he identifies and examines each functional member of the “Extract and Modify

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2026-02-04

1,594 reads

External Article

Power BI Quick Reference Guide

  • Article

I need a structured reference guide to help me get started or expand on Power BI knowledge. I want to be able to bookmark a resource and then use it daily when needed as I build my data sets, reports, and dashboards. Can you please enumerate some common and helpful resources as a Power BI Quick Reference guide?

2026-01-28

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DBCC CHECKDB Limits I

When running DBCC CHECKDB on SQL Server 2025, can I include the Resource Database?

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