Laz

Helping Organisations Transform Data into Insights by Overcoming Challenges with Proven Approaches in Reporting, Governance, Training, Storytelling #PowerBI

[Laz @Data_Laz]

I'm in Leeds! 🎤

Speaking next Wednesday at the Power BI, Data & Analytics User Group on something I help clients with continuously: Power BI Governance.

Governance is not exactly the shiny, sexy part of the job. You see it on socials, in the community and even with clients. Everyone wants to talk about AI, dashboards, Copilot and Fabric.

But here is the thing... 3 factors are making governance MORE important than ever... AI, Data Centricity and Microsoft Fabric ⚠️

AI is everywhere. Everyone wants to be more data driven. Power BI is now one workload of many inside MS Fabric.

And yet, I am still walking into rooms where nobody agrees what "revenue" means, which model should be trusted or where the numbers actually come from.

Same challenges I was seeing 5 years ago. Just with bigger consequences now.

⭐ I have also got a couple of chats lined up with organisations while I am there ☕ If you are in Leeds or nearby and fancy a Power BI, analytics and coffee chat, drop me a message.

Wednesday 27th May, The Brew Society, 17:45.

#PowerBI #MicrosoftFabric #MetisBI

[Laz @Data_Laz]

Great to see this being discussed by other PBI/BI experts, because you’re bang on. The balance of maintaining a health pipe, feeding in new leads, the work it takes, remaining active in community, marketing, content, accounting, contracts, plus more and then in addition actually doing the work.

[Laz @Data_Laz]

Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse vs Warehouse 📊

I put together a simple breakdown of what they share, where they differ, and where each can fit in a real Fabric architecture.

Read here: https://t.co/SLT8IflXcD

#MicrosoftFabric #MSFabric #DataEngineering #PowerBI #BusinessIntelligence

[Laz @Data_Laz]

𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐈 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭-𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲

Enabled Copilot but getting vague answers, inconsistent results or just wrong outputs? 😠

𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐥𝐲 ��𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐥, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐭.

I wrote a practical guide on what "Copilot-ready" means and what we should be doing:

👉 Model design (still a huge part)
👉 Hide the noise (keys, audit fields)
👉 Business friendly naming and synonyms
👉 AI instructions and verified answers
👉 Mark models as "Approved for Copilot"
👉 Think governance and enablement

Also, added a rollout checklist of all things to consider ✅

🔗 Read the blog here: https://t.co/K8Cu4l1sfm

#PowerBI #AIReadiness #DataStrategy #MicrosoftFabric

[Laz @Data_Laz]

What sets Metis BI apart from other UK consultancies?

If you are looking for a Power BI and Business Intelligence partner, have a read on how we work.

UK Microsoft Power BI Consultant | Microsoft Power BI Consultancy https://t.co/yXHoKLx5pu

#MetisBI #PowerBI #MSFabric #businessintelligence

[Laz @Data_Laz]

@matthewloop Thanks for sharing! Any items you’d recommend as most impactful?

[Laz @Data_Laz]

@KratosBi 👏 👏 👏

[Laz @Data_Laz]

Is Power BI Desktop becoming obsolete?

Microsoft is adding more development features to the browser - but is it ready for full-scale report building yet?

I explored it all in this blog 👇

https://t.co/IIUKNTBAu7

#PowerBI #MSFabric #MetisBI

[Laz @Data_Laz]

𝐖𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲

I hear this a lot…

And simply put… it’s NOT true!

For me, wireframing is an important part of my process when delivering reporting solutions that actually align with an organisations objectives.

Here’s why it matters:

👉 Gets everyone aligned early
👉 Separates story from styling
👉 Prevents endless rework
👉 Uncovers gaps before development
👉 SAVES time ⏱️ and money 💰

Want to learn more?

Blog here: https://t.co/IsaSwKvILC

#PowerBI #UXDesign #BusinessIntelligence #DataVisualisation

[European Microsoft Fabric Community Conference @EuropeanFabric]

"Navigating Power BI & Fabric Licensing"
by Lazaros Viastikopoulos,

Get clarity on the maze of Microsoft licensing and make informed decisions for your data strategy.

🔗 https://t.co/JZKlEmyBCr

#PowerBI #MicrosoftFabric #DataStrategy #MSFabric #LicensingSimplified

[Laz @Data_Laz]

🚀 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲, 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 - 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 🏥

We spend so much time getting the data right and making reports look great, yet many still fail...

Why? 🤔

I find we don’t spend enough time gathering requirements and understanding our end-users.

Success comes from crafting a story... aligning with end-user goals, challenges, understanding their questions and delivering actionable insights.

In this video, we will explore a healthcare solution and cover:

👉 The process I follow to gather requirements.
👉 How to build a story that resonates with end-users.
👉 Some considerations when gathering requirements.
👉 Bed capacity overview report page.
👉 Ward-level analysis report page.
👉 Creating solutions that get used - not binned.

🎥 Watch the video here: https://t.co/GUzKzqJw6r

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗶��𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁? 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘁! 🤝

#PowerBI #NHSAnalytics #UKHealthcare #HealthcareAnalytics

[Laz @Data_Laz]

@marcorus I do belive in the future Chris will be right. How far into it, not sure! However, I feel like we aren’t there now, and we need people to be able to understand the code that is being written.

[Laz @Data_Laz]

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

This solution was created for inventory managers tracking materials at every stage - from raw inputs to finished goods.

It was designed using a "Build The Story, Then The Dashboard" approach, a process that puts business goals and challenges first.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀:

👉 Struggle to identify production bottlenecks and react to inefficiencies.
👉 No single view of KPIs like utilisation and downtime to track progress.
👉 Difficult to balance inventory, leading to over/understock materials.
👉 No real-time view of stock adjustments... discrepancies and write-off.
👉 Teams lack access to data on the factory floor, delaying decisions.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻:

👉 Are we meeting production targets and maintaining optimal efficiency?
�� Which factories or machines are underperforming, and why?
👉 How can we reduce downtime and improve utilisation?
👉 Are we holding too much or too little stock in key material categories?

📖 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗴 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼) 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://t.co/yWZAWIe44y

📞 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺?
👉 Book a free chat: https://t.co/bdImRgBbFM
👉 Or visit https://t.co/Xoq0rBgQWe to learn more

#PowerBI #BuildTheStoryThenTheDashboard #DataStorytelling #Reporting #DataViz #Analytics #PowerBICommunity #BusinessIntelligence #MetisBI #DataViz

[Laz @Data_Laz]

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀? 🤔📊

Well, Power BI offers many ways to share Power BI Reports:

➡️ Apps 🏆
➡️ Workspaces 👎
➡️ Shareable Links 🤔
➡️ Org Apps ❓
➡️ Publish to Web 🚫

And various other ways too. So, we wrote a blog all about it.

However, it is more focused on report consumers, so the users who just want to view, not build.

📙𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://t.co/bO8CCKhJJJ

📞 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺?
👉 Book a free chat: https://t.co/bdImRgBbFM
👉 Or visit https://t.co/Xoq0rBgQWe to learn more

#PowerBI #BusinessIntelligence #ReportSharing #PowerBIApps #PowerBIWorkspaces #MSFabric #DataGovernance #PowerBICommunity

[Laz @Data_Laz]

🍎 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲

One of the most common mistakes we still see in reporting projects?

We assume users will simply tell us everything we need:

🚫 What do you want?
🚫 How do you want to see it?
🚫 Can you send over your KPIs?
🚫 Can you share an existing report?

🔍 End users shouldn’t be expected to provide everything from the above.

They’re experts in their business domain... not in reporting or DataViz.

And that’s okay.

It’s not their job to know what makes a great dashboard.

It’s ours to guide the conversation... to ask smarter questions that help uncover:

✅ What decisions they’re trying to make
✅ What challenges they face
✅ What information would actually drive action
✅ What objectives are they working towards

Once we have that clarity... the real objectives, challenges and decisions... we can finally design and develop a solution that’s actually tied to business impact.

That’s how we move from “just a report” to something truly valuable. Ask the right questions to the end-users. Facilitate the right workshops with the right people and promote discussion.

📞 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺?
👉 Book a free chat: https://t.co/bdImRgBbFM
👉 Or visit https://t.co/Xoq0rBgQWe to learn more

#PowerBI #MetisBI #PowerBICommunity #ReportingRequirements #DataStorytelling #MSFabric #DataViz #Reporting #DataVisualisation
#KPIs #Analytics #BusinessIntelligence

[Laz @Data_Laz]

“𝗦𝗼... 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀?” 🤦‍♂️

Ever heard that? Frustrating right...

But here is the thing... creating a Power BI reports is actually easy.

Well, creating the "what do you want" style report is easy.

But creating one that truly matters? That solves real challenges, resonates with your audience and promotes action? That take more time and effort!

It goes beyond just asking the end-users "so, what is it you want" and "how do you want to see it"...

𝗪𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴: https://t.co/IzFOZPsAvh

📞 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺?
👉 Book a free chat: https://t.co/bdImRgBbFM
👉 Or visit https://t.co/Xoq0rBgQWe to learn more

#PowerBI #DataStorytelling #MetisBI #Reporting #PowerBICommunity #DataViz #BusinessIntelligence #DataAnalytics #PowerBIReports #MSFabric

[Laz @Data_Laz]

@KratosBi @KratosBi - is there a link to a full video or blog on this?

[Laz @Data_Laz]

🚫 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗜 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 ≠ 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔 𝗙𝗲𝘄 ���𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀

Too often, teams are thrown into Power BI with some links to tutorials… and left to figure it out on their own.

But real adoption takes more than that.

✅ Role-specific learning
✅ Hands-on practice
✅ A sense of community
✅ Ongoing support for continuous learning
✅ Time carved out for users to actually learn

In this blog, I cover:

👉 Why Power BI training is critical
👉 The 4 key user personas that matter
👉 What great training should include
👉 Why you need to go beyond training
👉 Importance of a community, not just workshops

If you're planning Power BI training , or wondering why previous efforts didn’t stick... this is worth a read 👇

🔗 Blog Here: https://t.co/4IqJEnKU2g

📞 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺?

👉 Book a free chat: https://t.co/bdImRgBbFM
👉 Or visit https://t.co/Xoq0rBgQWe to learn more

#PowerBI #PowerBITraining #DataCulture #DataLiteracy #BusinessIntelligence #PowerBICommunity #MetisBI #MSFabric

[Laz @Data_Laz]

@KratosBi So… are you saying measure tables are bad… I hope you are, because I ain’t a fan of them 😃

[Laz @Data_Laz]

I have to be honest, I actually really enjoy bookmarks. Don’t get me wrong, not looking for complexity in life 😂 we all already have plenty of that! I find if you get use to them, configure them correctly, group them, etc. it makes life so much easier. But, I don’t like it when people outright ignore them only because “they are hard to maintain”. When I hear that… my follow up is well how can you achieve X, Y, Z… if you can achieve same result for the business/end-users (like FP), support you… but if nothing… then I call it lazy development 😎