Explicit Measures Podcast

Mike & Tommy dive into what agentic development actually means for Power BI teams, breaking down the crawl, walk, run framework for safely adopting AI agents across BI assets. They explore why the shift goes far beyond Copilot prompts, how semantic models become the center of the conversation, and whether most orgs are ready to trust agents with DAX, RLS, and report generation. Tune in for a practical roadmap on where to start, what guardrails are non-negotiable, and how experienced pros stay relevant as agents take on more of the build.
Read the article: https://datasavvy.me/2026/06/22/crawl-walk-run-with-agentic-development-of-power-bi-assets/
Get in touch:
Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.
Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/
Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv
Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎
Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips
Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/
Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy dive into the Power BI Desktop Bridge preview, exploring how this new local API surface lets external tools and AI agents interact directly with a running Desktop session — and whether that changes report authoring forever.
They break down the Report Authoring Skill showcase, weigh in on the governance risks of agent-driven edits outside of source control, and discuss what experienced teams should actually test before trusting an edit–verify loop with their models.
Read more: https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Updates-Blog/Power-BI-Desktop-Bridge-Preview/ba-p/5227769
Get in touch:
Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.
Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/
Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv
Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎
Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips
Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/
Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy tackle the hub-and-spoke composite model pattern, weighing in on whether splitting a bloated golden semantic model into a core hub with department-specific spokes delivers real simplification or just trades one problem for another. Prompted by Austin's question about avoiding a 100+ table behemoth, they break down what belongs in the hub, where DirectQuery connections start to hurt, and what governance guardrails teams need before scaling this architecture.
Get in touch:
Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.
Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/
Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv
Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎
Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips
Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/
Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy dive into the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Analytics and BI, breaking down what Microsoft's 19th consecutive Leader recognition actually means in an era where every vendor claims to be AI-first. They explore whether the real story is Power BI, Fabric, or the broader Microsoft ecosystem, and tackle the central tension of whether AI is making BI more powerful or just more confusing. Tune in for a practical take on what data teams should do differently before letting agents answer business questions.
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Updates-Blog/Microsoft-named-a-Leader-in-the-2026-Gartner-Magic-Quadrant-for/ba-p/5262403
https://www.gartner.com/doc/reprints?id=1-2NLYXIAL&ct=260626&st=sb
Get in touch:
Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.
Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/
Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv
Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎
Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips
Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/
Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy tackle a question every data team manager is wrestling with: should junior staff learn DAX fundamentals before touching agentic AI tools, or can they dive straight in? Drawing from a listener in the insurance industry who manages a data team, they explore the tension between building real technical depth and embracing AI-assisted efficiency, and whether letting juniors "vibe DAX" creates dangerous blind spots or a faster path to productivity.
Learn more and submit questions: https://powerbi.tips/explicit-measures-power-bi-podcast/
Episode event: https://www.meetup.com/chicagolandpowerbi/events/315711136/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events
Get in touch:
Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.
Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/
Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips
Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv
Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎
Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips
Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/
Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/