Self Service BI–Excel Rocks!!

Microsoft is coming with lot of Self Service BI tools the recent addition is Data Explorer.

In Excel now you have the following component for Data Analysis

• PowerView: You can same experience as SharePoint integrated PowerView inside excel for the data in Excel Sheet
• PowerPivot with powerful DAX Support: There are lot of content on Web on this.
• Data Explorer Download

Data Explorer try to standardize and customize data consumption experience.  There are many new data sources added, For example “Folder”, SharePoint List, Hadoop file, SQL Azure, Facebook.

Query on Active Directory are really an interesting new way of getting data

Facebook Graph API support

• GeoFlow Download | Getting Started Document.

7 years back I have worked on POC called Mappy with HCL Technologies, the fundamentals are exactly same.  Great to see it is a product now from Microsoft.

Azure Training

There are really rick training material in Channel9 to ramp up in Azure.

Introduction Trainings

1. Windows Azure Overview
2. Introduction to Compute
3. Windows Azure Lifecycle, Part 1
4. Windows Azure Lifecycle, Part 2
5. Windows Azure Storage, Part 1
6. Windows Azure Storage, Part 2
7. Introduction to SQL Azure
8. Windows Azure Diagnostics
9. Windows Azure Security, Part 1
10. Windows Azure Security, Part 2
11. Scalability, Caching & Elasticity, Part 1
12. Scalability, Caching & Elasticity, Part 2, and Q&A

Intermediate Trainings

• SharePoint on Windows Azure
• Azure Service Bus
• Mobile Services (27 Parts)
• Web Sites (7 Parts)
• Windows Azure Active Directory (4 parts)
• Getting Started with HDInsight (3 Parts)
• Media Services (4 Parts)
• Cloud Services (8 parts)
• Storage and SQL DB (9 Parts)

Advanced Trainings

• Cloud Patterns (3 Parts)
• VM & Networking (4 parts)
• Customer Success Stories (4 Parts)

Visual Studio 2012 Treasures

Recently got an opportunity to talk about Visual Studio 2012 features to one of the reputed IT division head.  The wealth of features VS2012 provides are amazing, making use of the at right time helps the organization and individuals.  Here is quick summary.

• TFS Features
  • Agile Template: One of the must try feature, helps to manage product backlog, capacity planning, Employee Task list view, Drag & drop status update.

• Code Review: A productive, quality improvement which nice code review workflow, contextual comment, tight integration with TFS.  Amazing feature.

• My Workspace

• VS2012
• IDE Search capabilities

• Code Visualization

• Code Analysis

• IntelliTrace

To get the complete list of new feature check out the Visual Studio Ultimate 2012 Overview videos.

SQL Server Tabular Model

Recently we worked on a project which uses most of the features of Tabular Model.  While implementing there were lot of online link which helped to solve the problems.  This blog post is to consolidate all of them.  Tabular Model, DAX keyword were not Search Engine friendly, getting these out was not that easy, if you are just starting Tabular this post sure will help.

• TechEd Demo: Provides high level overview
• Very very basic demo using PowerPivot which is client version of Tabular Model.
• Getting Started with PowerPivot and DAX
• DAX Functions
• DAX Resource Center
• Understanding Relations
• Dynamic Relations
• Currency Conversion: Supporting the Currency conversion is challenging in Tabular Model. There are few blog highlighting different options, but none works for large scale tabular model!!  If you are data is limited you try this Considering Target Currency as Filter
• Security and Permission
• Basic Sample
• Dynamic Security
• Table based security
• Effective User Name Setting issue
• · Time Intelligent
• Concept and Best Practice
• Time DAX Functions
• Partition Processing Automation:SSAS Command
• Role Playing Dimension are not supported in Tabular Model, there is a connect ticket for the same also on name

DAX Query

• Basics Part 1, Part 2
• Channel 9
• Dynamic Filters

Update 7/15

• DAX Basics for Power BI
• PluralSight Training, They have lot of training sessions for DAX.
• Recommendation from SQL BI 
• Power BI Recommendation 
• Best practice from field
• Stairway to DAX and PowerBI

Data Tools, DACPAC & BACPAC

Database development is no more just scripts, there are lot of improvement in Database Project development, maintenance and deployment.  in this blog post let me summarize the recent developments.

• Database Project (Install DataTools from here)
• Database Project creation
• Database Reference
• Compilation and integration errors
• Warnings and Errors
• Database Deployment (Part of SQL 2012)
• DACPAC – Only Schema
• BACPAC – Schema and Data (JSON format)

• Export Import (Available from SQL Server 2005)
  • Script Generation (from SQL 2008 R2, include data in script), Even you can target to SQL Azure.

  

Visual Studio 2012 Update

Make sure you are updated with latest update of Visual Studio 2012, the UI navigation for VS 2012 is diff from the traditional update!!

Open Visual Studio 2012 click on Tools Menu and select Extension and Updates..

 

Get the latest updates… Enjoy!!

Click here to see the list of updates covered in Visual Studio 2012 Update 2

Wireframe

Prototyping is important to visualize the product ahead in SDLC, this helps to validate scenarios and receive early user feedbacks.  There are whole lot of tools to do the same.  Try

• Microsoft Sketchflow
• Balsamiq Mockups
• Pencil Project
• Windows 8 Metro Apps - http://www.telerik.com/products/windows-8/appmock.aspx (download)
• Consolidation of all tools