Basics of Modeling in Power BI: What is a Dimension Table and Why Say No to a Single Big Table

I have previously written about relationships and the cardinality of the relationship. Now is a good time to explain the two types of tables we deal with every day in a reporting data model; Fact and Dimension table. In this article, I will explain what a Dimension table is, and examples of it, and how Read more about Basics of Modeling in Power BI: What is a Dimension Table and Why Say No to a Single Big Table[…]

Many-to-One or Many-to-Many? The Cardinality of Power BI Relationship Demystified

In the previous article, you learned the basics of relationships, you learned why we need a relationship, and what is the filtering impact of it across multiple tables. In this article, you will learn about one of the most important properties of a relationship called Cardinality. Understanding what the meaning is of 1-1, 1-Many, Many-1 Read more about Many-to-One or Many-to-Many? The Cardinality of Power BI Relationship Demystified[…]

Back to Basics: Power BI Relationship Demystified

There are tons of articles about advanced tips of Power BI modeling such as advanced DAX, and context transition. However, based on my experience with our clients, I realized there is a big gap in basic content. Hence, this article is going to cover the basic essentials of the relationship. Tips such as: What is Read more about Back to Basics: Power BI Relationship Demystified[…]

Performance Design Tip for Power BI: Be Careful of Dates

I have written about Date Dimension in Power BI in many posts, and it makes sense now to explain one of the most common performance challenges that I see in some of the models. Sometimes, your model size grows significantly big, and you have no idea why!? In this article, I will show you one Read more about Performance Design Tip for Power BI: Be Careful of Dates[…]

Combining Dimension Tables in Power BI using Power Query: Basics and Foundations of Modeling

The article that I wrote earlier this week about the shared dimension had a lot of interest, and I’m glad it helped many of you. So I thought better to write about the basics of modeling even more. In this article, I will be focusing on a scenario that you have all faced, however, took Read more about Combining Dimension Tables in Power BI using Power Query: Basics and Foundations of Modeling[…]

Creating a Shared Dimension in Power BI Using Power Query: Basics and Foundations of Modeling

For a data warehouse professional, a shared dimension concept is always clear, and a star schema design always includes such type of entity. However, in the Power BI user’s world, there are many users who are not coming from a data warehousing background. It is necessary to understand some of the concepts in order to Read more about Creating a Shared Dimension in Power BI Using Power Query: Basics and Foundations of Modeling[…]

Multiple Layers of Aggregations in Power BI; Model Responds Even Faster

Aggregations are speeding up the model. However, the aggregated table is not just one table; It can be multiple layers of aggregations. Aggregation by Date, aggregation by Date and Product, aggregation by Date and Product and Customer. Multiple layers ensure that you always have the best performance result possible, and you only query the DirectQuery Read more about Multiple Layers of Aggregations in Power BI; Model Responds Even Faster[…]

Power BI Aggregations Step 3: Configure Aggregation Functions and Test Aggregations in Action

Aggregation can speed up the performance of DirectQuery sourced tables significantly. To use it, firstly, you need to create an aggregation table. Secondly, you must set up proper storage modes for tables in the model. Finally, you have to configure the aggregation functions, which I will explain in this post. You can learn about aggregation Read more about Power BI Aggregations Step 3: Configure Aggregation Functions and Test Aggregations in Action[…]

Dual Storage Mode; The Most Important Configuration for Aggregations! Step 2 Power BI Aggregations

An aggregated table can be a layer on the source DirectQuery table. This table needs to have a proper relationship set up with other tables and also the proper storage mode configuration. Storage Mode configuration of the composite model is an important configuration and critical part of setting up the aggregation. The storage mode configuration Read more about Dual Storage Mode; The Most Important Configuration for Aggregations! Step 2 Power BI Aggregations[…]

Power BI Aggregation: Step 1 Create the Aggregated Table

Aggregation tables are the fast-performing solution for huge DirectQuery tables in Power BI. In the previous blog post, I explained what aggregation is and why it is an important part of a Power BI implementation. Aggregations are part of the Composite model in Power BI. Your first step for the aggregation set up is creating Read more about Power BI Aggregation: Step 1 Create the Aggregated Table[…]