Expert Data Modeling with Power BI - Second Edition

I found the first edition of “Expert Data Modeling with Power BI” so valuable I had to buy the second edition when it became available. Even as an experienced Power BI developer I would often bring the book with me to lunch and enjoy reading, highlighting and underlining in it. There were several things I liked about the first edition. First, I liked the fact that the book was written by a consultant that had worked in a variety of situations, and, brought his real-world expertise that he gained to the pages. Second, I liked how thorough the book was, that it covered all aspects of data modeling (data acquisition, data prep, star schema, and advanced data modeling techniques) and was a useful resource for the beginner who could grow into the book, but useful for the experienced dev also. I even found the “Introduction” chapter valuable, but having a good amount of experience when I bought the first edition it was the “Advanced Modeling” techniques that I was most interested in. The second edition, as expected, adds more content, reflecting the many additions to the Power BI product since the first edition. I like the smaller font and the graphic design updates although I liked the first edition graphic design also. The screenshots look better in the second edition and it appears that some screenshots were replaced with actual diagrams to make the content clearer, which I like. I do have a few suggestions for a future revision. In the “Data from Various Sources” section I would love to see one or more examples connecting via an API, perhaps one simple example, and one more complex example. Something else I would find valuable, which the author invariably has run into, is a case study looking at a tangled data model design (bidirectional cross filtering, many to many relationships,…), and then a proposed redesign. In summary, I’m glad I have the second edition of the book and will have to find a willing recipient of my first edition copy that won’t mind my crazy highlighting and underlining.

If you want to build top-quality, high-performing Power BI reports, the make-or-break aspect will be whether you get your data model right. Ever since the first edition of MS MVP Soheil Bakhshi's book came out two years ago, it has been at the top of my list of recommended data modeling books: My only quibble with this book is the title, which might lead you to believe that that it is primarily for expert/advanced users. While the book skillfully addresses advanced topics, it is also the only book I've seen on this topic suitable for beginning Power BI users as well. At over 650 pages, this is an extensive resource that you can grow with as your Power BI knowledge expands over time. Soheil starts with an outstanding introduction to data modeling in Power BI - explaining in clear, concise language with multiple illustrations why the data model is so fundamental to Power BI, and addressing key concepts, such as star schema and denormalization. One of my favorite things about this book is the excellent balance of theory and practice. Soheil does a great job explaining the broader "whys" of data modeling best practices, but also shows you in step-by-step detail the "hows" of implementing these approaches in your own reports - covering the necessary DAX, Power Query and Power BI techniques with excellent clarity. As good as the first edition was, this new second edition is substantially improved, since it addresses in detail the advances in Power BI related to data modeling implemented over the last two years, including: 🔸 Composite Models 🔸 Enabling Direct Query for live connections 🔸 Field Parameters 🔸 Datamarts 🔸 EVALUATEANDLOG for debugging 🔸 The new family of DAX WINDOW functions Whatever your current level of skill with data modeling is, I believe you will find much to learn from in this book.

This book is complex but I have joined the authors group and plan to see what I can learn from the experts.

Brian Julias recommended this book, and even though I've been using the product for years, I still found really good content within. I recommend for architects and anyone who's building semantic models with Power BI.

This book is a great starting point for anyone wanting to learn easy to understand concepts pertaining to data modeling. Some of the high points: Requirements gathering Star Schema DAX, especially time intelligence Calculated columns Creating a Data Table Power Query and most interesting to me personally was the portion devoted to creating a Data Mart. Since this books covers everything from start (modeling) to sharing (Data Mart) this will be a book I will continually reference and would recommend to colleagues.

I have been using Power BI for close to three years on a daily basis and still found several hidden gems in this book. Highly recommend!

Book content is very good very useful, Book binding is perfect Delevery is on time,

The best book to get a global view of data modeling in Power BI. It not only focuses on data modeling but also covers data acquisition, cleaning, and preparation before the modeling process. It also explains advanced data modeling techniques and Row Level Security. A very enjoyable and entertaining read. It progresses gradually through each topic, and before you know it, you've finished the book.

In my profession as a business intelligence consultant, I mainly focus on performance improvements in Power BI. In 80-90% of cases, performance problems stem from a 'wrongly' set up data model. Unfortunately, adjusting a data model later is a big job and often takes a lot of time. So it's better to get it right at the start. This will save you a lot of time, costs and user annoyance. The book is written for data analysts, business analysts and BI professionals with basic knowledge of Power BI and issues around data modeling. Still, the book gives a concise summary of how data modeling should be set up. For in-depth knowledge, other valuable books have been written, such as Ralph Kimball's 'Data Warehouse Toolkit'. Also, the book fleetingly covers only the essentials for data modeling in terms of DAX (data analysis expressions). For in-depth coverage, I can recommend the book 'Definitive Guide to DAX' by the gurus in this field: Alberto Ferrari and Marco Russo. It is quite an art to describe only the basics and necessities of two complex techniques, namely data modeling and DAX. The reader is taken step by step through the process of getting from the source data to the final data model. The author covers how the data is loaded, right up to actually shaping the data into a table, be it a fact or dimension table in Power Query. The book covers many interesting concepts in the areas of RLS, many-to-many calculations groups and SCD. The book provides great insights, informs you on how best to set up a data model and offers examples of best practices to ponder. It is valuable not only for the novice developer, but also for the experienced developer. Highly recommended!

Brilliant book and a life saver

This book is a real game-changer for anyone working with Power BI and in the field of data analysis, As, it focuses on data modeling and best practices, breaking down complex concepts into easily understandable elements. Soheil's passion and expertise shine through on every page, making this an invaluable resource for mastering data modeling. The real-world examples and advice shared are pure gold from designing effective models to mastering DAX. This book covers it all, and I’m keen to put it in action.