Explicit Measures Podcast

Hosted by PowerBI.Tips

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Episodes

556

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Hosted by Mike Carlo, and Tommy Puglia, the Explicit Measures Podcast is a Power BI focused show that is like being around a Power BI Pro’s Water Cooler. With so many available resources in the community that focuses on the “how” in Power BI (how to do Drill Through, how to use DAX, etc.,), the Explicit Measures Podcast is all around the WHY. Why use a particular feature, does it make sense for my users? Build the toolset, learn the how, and then come to the Podcast to the listen to the why in situations we all experience as Power BI Pros.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

August 27, 2026Episode 5581 hr 6 min

558: Has Your Medallion Patterns Changed?

Mike & Tommy dive into whether medallion architecture has truly evolved in the Fabric era or whether teams are just re-labeling Bronze, Silver, and Gold with new icons, using this Microsoft Fabric community article as a jumping-off point. They break down when an all-in-one Warehouse pattern makes sense versus a hybrid Lakehouse approach, and walk away with a practical take on how much Spark you actually need before complicating your design. Read the article: Choosing your medallion pattern in Fabric Data Warehouse Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

August 25, 2026Episode 5571 hr 8 min

557: LLMs: What Data Viz Teaches Us

Mike & Tommy dive into what data visualization can teach us about critically evaluating LLMs, exploring why fluent, polished AI output can be just as misleading as a beautiful but inaccurate chart. They break down the tension between AI speed and data quality, tackling how BI teams can build a practical framework around accuracy, security, and sovereignty to use these tools without lowering their standards. Read the article that inspired this episode: https://nightingaledvs.com/critically-evaluating-llms/ News links from this episode: https://www.meetup.com/chicagolandpowerbi/events/315787998/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/blog/fbc_pbiupdatesblog/power-bi-august-2026-feature-summary/5348434 https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Fabric-Updates-Blog/Bringing-agentic-warehouse-development-to-Fabric-Data-Warehouse/ba-p/5360190 https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/blog/fbc_pbiupdatesblog/the-ai-semantic-layer-you-probably-already-have/5360197 Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

August 20, 2026Episode 5561 hr 10 min

556: Power BI Desktop Bridge Tips

Mike & Tommy dive into Power BI Desktop Bridge, breaking down what it actually solves, where it fits in your stack alongside Desktop, Service, Fabric, Git, and deployment pipelines, and what it really takes to make it run like a Ferrari for your team. They tackle the hard questions — whether Desktop Bridge exposes weak development habits faster than it fixes them, how to keep speed from turning into chaos, and what governance guardrails every BI lead should have in place before rolling it out broadly. Read more: https://promptingbi.com/2026/08/19/design-the-report-from-the-meeting-you-already-had/ News: Enhanced Data Agent Visualizations with Fabric Visuals (Preview) Connectivity Patterns in Microsoft Fabric: A Guide for Data Integration Workloads Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

August 18, 2026Episode 5551 hr 9 min

555: Anonymous Rayfin Fabric Apps

Mike & Tommy dive into anonymous data access in Fabric Apps, exploring how the new capability lets builders deliver public-facing BI experiences without requiring users to sign in — and whether that's a governance breakthrough or a disaster waiting to happen. They break down which items support it, what tenant admins need to know, and how Rayfin fits into the story of Fabric becoming a true application platform. Learn more: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/apps/anonymous-data-access News this episode: https://www.meetup.com/chicagolandpowerbi/events/315711136/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/blog/fbc_fabricupdatesblogs/fabric-runtime-2-0-generally-available/5326359 https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/blog/fbc_fabricupdatesblogs/build-end-to-end-fabric-solutions-with-sql-database-skills-preview/5357234 Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

August 13, 2026Episode 5541 hr 3 min

554: Fabric as a Backend (FaaB)

Mike & Tommy dive into the emerging pattern of Fabric as a Backend (FaaB), exploring whether Fabric is becoming the default way teams think about their entire data ecosystem or just a front-facing adoption tool. They weigh in on whether this pattern is a natural evolution of the platform or a case of forcing an analytics engine into an operational role — and what guardrails teams need before going all in. Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

August 11, 2026Episode 55338 min

553: Crawl, Walk, Run with Agentic Power BI Assets

Mike & Tommy dive into what agentic development actually means for Power BI teams, breaking down the crawl, walk, run framework for safely adopting AI agents across BI assets. They explore why the shift goes far beyond Copilot prompts, how semantic models become the center of the conversation, and whether most orgs are ready to trust agents with DAX, RLS, and report generation. Tune in for a practical roadmap on where to start, what guardrails are non-negotiable, and how experienced pros stay relevant as agents take on more of the build. Read the article: https://datasavvy.me/2026/06/22/crawl-walk-run-with-agentic-development-of-power-bi-assets/ Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

August 6, 2026Episode 55234 min

552: Talking Power BI Desktop Bridge

Mike & Tommy dive into the Power BI Desktop Bridge preview, exploring how this new local API surface lets external tools and AI agents interact directly with a running Desktop session — and whether that changes report authoring forever. They break down the Report Authoring Skill showcase, weigh in on the governance risks of agent-driven edits outside of source control, and discuss what experienced teams should actually test before trusting an edit–verify loop with their models. Read more: https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Updates-Blog/Power-BI-Desktop-Bridge-Preview/ba-p/5227769 Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

August 4, 2026Episode 5511 hr 0 min

551: Return of the Composite Model

Mike & Tommy tackle the hub-and-spoke composite model pattern, weighing in on whether splitting a bloated golden semantic model into a core hub with department-specific spokes delivers real simplification or just trades one problem for another. Prompted by Austin's question about avoiding a 100+ table behemoth, they break down what belongs in the hub, where DirectQuery connections start to hurt, and what governance guardrails teams need before scaling this architecture. Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

July 30, 2026Episode 55040 min

550: The State Business Intelligence Platforms in the Age of AI

Mike & Tommy dive into the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Analytics and BI, breaking down what Microsoft's 19th consecutive Leader recognition actually means in an era where every vendor claims to be AI-first. They explore whether the real story is Power BI, Fabric, or the broader Microsoft ecosystem, and tackle the central tension of whether AI is making BI more powerful or just more confusing. Tune in for a practical take on what data teams should do differently before letting agents answer business questions. https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Updates-Blog/Microsoft-named-a-Leader-in-the-2026-Gartner-Magic-Quadrant-for/ba-p/5262403 https://www.gartner.com/doc/reprints?id=1-2NLYXIAL&ct=260626&st=sb Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

July 28, 2026Episode 54947 min

549: Training Jr Staff on Agents for DAX

Mike & Tommy tackle a question every data team manager is wrestling with: should junior staff learn DAX fundamentals before touching agentic AI tools, or can they dive straight in? Drawing from a listener in the insurance industry who manages a data team, they explore the tension between building real technical depth and embracing AI-assisted efficiency, and whether letting juniors "vibe DAX" creates dangerous blind spots or a faster path to productivity. Learn more and submit questions: https://powerbi.tips/explicit-measures-power-bi-podcast/ Episode event: https://www.meetup.com/chicagolandpowerbi/events/315711136/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events Get in touch: Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page . Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/ Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎ Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/ Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/