Tag: Power BI

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI Hits #1 Amazon’s Hot New Release in Information Management

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI is number 1 New Release in Information Management
Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI is an Amazon Hot New Release

I’m thrilled to announce that my latest book, Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI, has achieved the #1 spot in Amazon Hot New Releases in Information Management! This is an exciting milestone, and it’s all thanks to you!

If you’re new to the world of data visualization and want to get started with Power BI—a tool widely adopted by businesses for its ease of use and powerful capabilities—this book is your ideal guide. It’s a comprehensive, fully visual guide to Microsoft Power BI, and it’s designed to make data visualization as accessible and fun as possible.

This book brings together all the resources you need to master the everyday use of this powerful data visualization software. Whether you’re looking to understand the basic functions of Power BI or dive into its more advanced features, this book has you covered.

Here’s what you’ll find inside:

    • Step-by-step instructions for working with, transforming, and processing data sources.
    • Tips for customizing data visualizations to create informative and presentation-ready charts and graphs.
    • Full-color, two-page tutorials on the more advanced features of Power BI.

I want to take a moment to extend a huge thank you to all of you. Your ideas, your feedback, your support – these are what truly make Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI something special. You’ve helped me realize this not just this project, but all my previous book projects as well, and I’m so grateful.

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI is available now on Amazon and at your local bookstore. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enhance your data visualization skills and gain a new perspective on how to communicate information effectively.

Master Microsoft Power BI with My New Book: Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI

Alexander Loth holding his books Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI, Decisively Digital and Visual Analytics with Tableau

A Comprehensive, Fully Visual Guide to Data Visualization and Analytics

I am thrilled to announce the release of my latest book, Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI – a comprehensive and fully visual guide to mastering Microsoft Power BI. This book is designed to help both beginners and experienced users improve their skills in data visualization and analytics using Power BI, a powerful tool that has become an industry standard. In this blog post, I’ll give you a sneak peek into the contents of the book and how it can help you become a Power BI pro.

Why Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI?

Power BI is a robust data visualization software that enables users to transform raw data into meaningful insights through stunning visuals. However, learning Power BI can be challenging, especially for those who are new to the world of data visualization. That’s where Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI comes in. The book adopts a visual learning approach, combining step-by-step instructions with clear screenshots to walk readers through the basic and advanced functions of Power BI.

What’s Inside Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI?

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI offers a comprehensive learning experience, covering a wide range of topics, including:

  1. Working with, transforming, and processing data sources: Learn how to connect to various data sources, clean and transform data, and create relationships between tables.
  2. Customizing data visualizations: Discover how to create informative and presentation-ready charts and graphs by customizing their appearance, colors, and interactivity.
  3. Advanced Power BI features: Explore app integrations, data access with DAX, and other advanced features that will help you get the most out of Power BI.
  4. Real-world examples and guidance: Apply your learnings to real-world scenarios with practical examples and expert tips throughout the book.

Who Can Benefit from Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI?

This book is suitable for a wide range of readers, including:

  1. Beginners: If you’re new to Power BI or data visualization, Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI provides an accessible introduction to help you get started.
  2. Intermediate users: For those with some experience in Power BI, the book offers valuable tips and advanced techniques to enhance your skills further.
  3. Professionals: Data analysts, business intelligence professionals, and managers can use this book to improve their data visualization and reporting capabilities using Power BI.

Get your copy today!

Teach Yourself VISUALLY Power BI is a must-have resource for anyone looking to master Microsoft Power BI. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, this book offers valuable insights and guidance to help you harness the full potential of this powerful data visualization tool. Don’t miss out – grab your copy today and embark on your journey towards becoming a Power BI pro!

How to create a Skyscraper Map with Azure Maps in Power BI (Bar Chart Map)

Skyscraper Map in Power BI, aka. bar chart map, or bar chart on a map
Skyscraper Map in Power BI, aka. bar chart map, or bar chart on a map

Have you ever seen a bar chart on a map?

I prefer to call this visualization a skyscraper map because you can picture these bars on a map as skyscrapers.

You can use a skyscraper map for displaying geodata along values. The skyscraper map is a combination of a map with locations and a bar chart. The location can represent a city, a country, or some other type of place. As with a bar chart, the height or volume of each bar is proportional to the values it represents.

How to create a Skyscraper Map with Azure Maps in Power BI

First, you need to make sure that the Azure Maps preview feature is enabled in Power BI to create a skyscraper map. This tutorial is based on the Retail Analysis Sample dataset.

1    Click on the Azure Map icon of the Visualization pane.

2 Extend the filled map visual by dragging the lower right corner

3  Select PostalCode from the Fields Plane.

Power BI assigned Country to the Location field.

4  Select TotalSales from the Fields Plane.

Power BI assigned Sales to the Bubble size field.

5    Click on the Format your Visual section.

6          Disable the Bubble layer switch

7          Enable the Bar chart layer switch

8 Expand the Bar chart layer pane

9 Expand the Size pane

10  Select 4 px for Height

11  Select 3 px for Width

You created a skyscraper map that shows sales by zip codes in your data set. Download the PBIX file.

How to enable Power BI’s Preview Features, such as Azure Maps

Some exciting new features in Power BI are not enabled by default. These functions are so-called preview features whose development or testing is not yet completely finished. For certain use cases, such as creating Skyscraper Maps in Power BI, it may be worthwhile to activate them.

In the following blog posts, we will check out some capabilities of the Azure Maps feature. Therefore, let’s see how you can enable Azure Maps, and other preview features, in Power BI.

1    Click on File in Power BI’s menu bar.

2    Click on Options and settings

3    Click on Options

4  Select Preview Features from the lefthand list.

5          Enable Azure map visual

6          Confirm your changes with the OK button

Power BI might ask you to restart the application in order to change the preview features settings. Now you’re good to go to create your Skyscraper Map with the Azure Maps feature!

Which preview features is Power BI offering?

While the preview features change over time, currently you can enable the following preview features in Power BI:

  • Shape map visual
  • Spanish language support for Q&A
  • Q&A for live connected Analysis Services databases
  • Azure map visual
  • DirectQuery for PBI datasets and AS
  • Modern visual tooltips
  • Power Bl Desktop infrastructure update
  • Web page connector infrastructure
  • Modify visuals settings for mobile layout
  • Sparklines
  • Scorecard visual
  • Field parameters

 

Visual Tracert: How to use GeoTraceroute to analyze, visualize and embed internet traffic routes

Visual traceroute from Frankfurt to Ukraine shows redirection via Russia
Visual traceroute (aka. tracert) from Frankfurt to Ukraine shows redirection via Russia

Earlier today I read the news from NetBlocks (via Reuters) that since the weekend parts of the Ukrainian internet traffic are rerouted via Russia. To be precise, it’s about Ukrainian Kherson Oblast, which is occupied by Russia since March.

Now I wanted to trace the internet route myself and ideally visualize it. Here I came across the service of GeoTraceroute, which does a great job in visualizing traceroutes (aka. tracert). For the trace, I chose Frankfurt as starting point, and skynet.ua, the local internet provider in Kherson, as the endpoint.

Of course, you can also include the URL of GeoTraceroute as a web element in your Power BI report or Tableau dashboard and parameterize it for dynamic interactions. You can see the format as in my example:

https://geotraceroute.com/?node=2021&host=skynet.ua