For some time now, I have been using the hashtag #datamustread on LinkedIn and Twitter to regularly recommend books that are essential for a data journey. At the end of this year, I would like to put together some absolute highlights that I consider to be absolute #datamustread books:
True or False: A CIA Analyst’s Guide to Spotting Fake News
True or False by Cindy L. Otis covers the entire spectrum of misinformation and disinformation, why we fall for it, and what we can do about it. Even though some concepts are familiar to me, I still learned quite a lot. The book contains a wealth of unexpected examples, current and from history, and is more relevant than ever in today’s world.
Info We Trust by RJ Andrews is an inspiring journey of data storytelling, but it’s also written in an extremely entertaining way, making this #datamustread the perfect companion for relaxing days. RJ’s enjoyable writing style, by the way, has been a guiding light for my own books.
My book Decisively Digital: From Creating a Culture to Designing Strategy (➡️Amazon) is guest at Christina Stathopoulos and her #bookaweekchallenge on LinkedIn. Join Christina as she reflects on her journey through the book with several LinkedIn posts.
Christina’s posts can be found further down this blog along with a variety of interesting comments and opinions. Feel free to join the discussion on LinkedIn! You also have the chance to participate in our raffle and win one of three copies of Decisively Digital! Good luck!
No one can argue that today’s business landscape is DIGITAL, you’ve got to stay ahead of the curve or you’ll quickly fall behind. It’s Digital or… Disappear.
Jam-packed with insights, this book includes 24 interviews with leaders of the digital revolution covering:
Welcome to the fascinating world of data visualization, where even maps can take the form of bar charts! I prefer to call this visualization a Skyscraper Map because you can picture these bars on a map as skyscrapers. Also known as a Bar Chart Map, this type of visualization brings your geodata to life, giving it the appearance of skyscrapers dotting a cityscape.
Why Use a Skyscraper Map?
You can use a skyscraper map to display geodata along with its corresponding values. This innovative visualization combines a map indicating various locations (be it a city, a country, or any geographical place) with a bar chart. Like a traditional bar chart, the height or volume of each bar in a skyscraper map is proportionate to the values it signifies.
Crafting a Skyscraper Map with Azure Maps in Power BI
Step 1. Click on the Azure Map icon in the Visualization pane.
Step 2. Drag the lower right corner to extend the filled map visual.
Step 3. From the Fields Plane, select PostalCode.
Step 4. Now, choose TotalSales from the Fields Plane.
Step 5. Head over to the Format your Visual section.
Step 6. Toggle off the Bubble layer switch.
Step 7. Enable the Bar chart layer switch.
Step 8. Expand the Bar chart layer pane.
Step 9. Expand the Size pane.
Step 10. Under the Size pane, set the Height to 4 px.
Step 11. Under the Size pane, set the Width to 3 px.
With these steps, you’ve created a skyscraper map showing sales by zip codes in your dataset. Want to try it out? Download the PBIX file here.
If you’re keen on diving deeper into Power BI, don’t miss my book, Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI (Amazon), filled with more insightful tutorials like this one. Got any feedback, ideas, or questions about creating bar chart maps in Power BI? I’d love to hear from you:
I’m honored to support Girls Who Code along with Nathan Yau, Zach Gemignani, and many other great data visualization authors.
Pay what you want and get your dataviz humble bundle here.
More from the Humble Bundle website:
Make insights & analytics take shape
Learn how to give your raw materials form and substance with books like Visual Analytics with Tableau, Data Fluency, and Visualize This from Wiley, filled with expert advice on the tools and techniques you & your organization need. Plus, your purchase helps support Girls Who Code!
Complete list of data visualization books in this humble bundle:
UPDATE July 25, 2022: Along with other data visualization book authors, we already raised over $23,000 in donations for Girls Who Code through the Dataviz Humble Bundle: https://bit.ly/DataVizBundle
Microsoft’s Power BI is known for its data visualization capabilities, but many exciting features are not enabled by default. These under-the-radar features are known as Power BI Preview Features, and they often have the potential to significantly enhance your data analysis efforts. Some of these exciting features include Azure Maps, which is essential for creating impactful Skyscraper Maps with Power BI.
Follow this Step-by-step Guide
To leverage the power of these Preview Features, you need to enable them in your Power BI interface. Here is a quick guide to help you activate Azure Maps and other Preview Features:
Step 1: Navigate to the File tab on Power BI’s menu bar. Note: There is no need to have a data connection, the opening modal can be closed.
Step 2: Choose Options and Settings from the dropdown menu.
Step 3: From the subsequent options, click on Options.
Step 4: In the new dialogue box, select Preview Features from the list on the left-hand side.
Step 5: Check the box next to Azure Map Visual to enable it.
Step 6: Confirm your changes by clicking the OK button.
Power BI’s Preview Features evolve over time, with new features continuously being tested and added. As of now, the current preview features you can enable in Power BI include:
Shape Map Visual
Spanish Language Support for Q&A
Q&A for Live Connected Analysis Services Databases
The world of Power BI is a treasure trove of powerful capabilities waiting to be explored. Share your experiences, creative applications, and insights as you navigate this exciting realm:
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