Power BI Update - March 2025

Summary

The March 2025 Power BI Monthly Update excites users with a plethora of new features and improvements, all presented by Patrick LeBlanc and Swetha Mannepalli. Key updates include enhanced capabilities for Copilot and AI, allowing seamless access to summaries directly from Teams messages and more intuitive DAX function generation. Reporting sees a boost with features like copying report object names and enriching PowerPoint presentations with data annotations. Additionally, the update introduces a direct migration from Azure Analysis Services to Power BI and enhanced semantic model editing across web and desktop. The showcase ends with a shoutout to Peter, a prominent community contributor, emphasizing the value of community feedback and interaction.

Highlights

• Enhanced Power BI Copilot allows for seamless access to summaries directly from Teams and Outlook 🌐.
• Expanded capabilities for DAX function generation with Copilot, including folder and hierarchy recognition 📂.
• Directly migrate from Azure Analysis Services to Power BI with minimal disruption via a simple button 🌟.
• Power BI now supports editing semantic models in Direct Lake mode across web and desktop 📝.
• Introduction of data point annotations in PowerPoint enhances storytelling with Power BI visuals 📈.
• Community spotlight shines on Peter for his outstanding contributions and engagement in the Power BI community 👏.

Key Takeaways

• The March 2025 update brings exciting enhancements to Power BI's Copilot and AI capabilities, making data analysis even easier and more intuitive 🤖.
• Users can now copy report object names easily and enrich PowerPoint presentations with data annotations, enhancing reporting and storytelling 📊.
• Power BI facilitates seamless migration from Azure Analysis Services with a simple button, streamlining user transitions and expanding capabilities 🚀.
• The update expands semantic model editing capabilities, reinforcing Power BI's flexibility across web and desktop environments 🖥️.
• Peter from the Power BI community is highlighted for his remarkable contributions, showcasing the power of community engagement and support 🌟.

Overview

In this month's Power BI update, Patrick LeBlanc and Swetha Mannepalli introduce a range of new features and improvements that are sure to excite users. From seamless integration of Copilot into more platforms to enhanced capabilities for DAX function generation, there's a lot to love in March 2025’s updates.

On the reporting front, users are treated to new functionality like copying report object names directly to the clipboard and engaging storytelling features in PowerPoint presentations. These features make it easier than ever to organize and share insights from data visualizations.

Furthermore, the update makes strides in semantic modeling, allowing users to edit models across web and desktop environments seamlessly. The migration from Azure Analysis Services is now more straightforward, ensuring a smooth transition for users. The Power BI community also gets a nod with Peter being recognized for his exceptional contributions, highlighting the continued value of community-driven support and collaboration.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Hosts Introduction The chapter titled 'Introduction and Hosts Introduction' begins with bright music, setting an energetic tone for the Power BI Monthly Update. Patrick LeBlanc, a Principal Program Manager for Microsoft Fabric, expresses excitement about the update and introduces himself. He is joined by Swetha Mannepalli, a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft, who also shares her enthusiasm about being part of the update. They are attending FabCon, anticipating meeting the community in person and inviting attendees to greet them if seen.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Format Experimentation and Overview The chapter titled 'Format Experimentation and Overview' discusses the team's ongoing efforts to refine their content delivery method. They aim to make content more accessible and easier to navigate, especially by simplifying the process for discovering demos. Plans include creating a monthly introductory video summarizing key features and providing detailed discussions, complemented by a playlist for further exploration.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Demonstrations and Playlist Information The chapter discusses the organization and accessibility of video demonstrations and playlists associated with a blog. It mentions the efforts to compile all demos into a single video segmented by sections, which will be integrated and linked within the blog for easy reference while reading. Readers can access the full playlist or the entire video through provided links in the description. The chapter also encourages feedback from viewers and suggests checking the updates blog for detailed information on video content.
• 01:30 - 03:30: Copilot and AI Updates The chapter discusses updates related to Power BI, Copilot, and AI. A significant update is the ability to access Copilot summaries directly from Teams messages with a single click. This feature is available in both Teams and Outlook for items that support Copilot.
• 03:30 - 06:00: Reporting Updates This chapter discusses the functionality and utility of Power BI reports. It highlights how a Power BI developer can create detailed reports, which can then be easily shared through platforms like Teams. A notable feature is the ability to generate a concise summary of the report upon opening, making it accessible even to business users who might not have prior knowledge of the report's content or purpose. The chapter emphasizes the importance and convenience of this feature, encouraging viewers to check out the demo provided.
• 06:00 - 09:00: Power BI Spotlight The chapter titled 'Power BI Spotlight' discusses the improvements made to the DAX language in Power BI. The narrator highlights the perception of DAX as a challenging, yet opportunistic language. The key improvement mentioned is the enhanced integration with Copilot, which now recognizes folders and hierarchy when generating DAX functions. This update aims to make working with DAX easier and more powerful, demonstrating the synergy between Copilot and DAX.

Power BI Update - March 2025 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 (bright music) - Hello, Power BI Community. This is the March edition of the Power BI Monthly Update. I'm so excited to be here. I'm Patrick LeBlanc, Principal Program Manager for Microsoft Fabric. - Thank you, Patrick. It's a pleasure to be here. And I'm Swetha Mannepalli, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft. And we're thrilled to be part of this update with you. We're so excited to be here at FabCon, last week and this week. And we can't wait to meet you in person. If you see either Patrick or myself, make sure to say hello.
• 00:30 - 01:00 - You probably know this, we've been experimenting with this format just a little bit, Swetha and I, we've been working on this, the entire team, working on this. And we're trying to figure out ways to make this more consumable, more digestible, making the demos easier for you to discover with just a simple click. Each month, we'll be doing an intro video like this, where we'll do a summary of most of the features, and talk a bit more in depth about each one of them. Following the video, you may see a playlist.
• 01:00 - 01:30 Sometimes it's a single video, we're working on it, where we'll have all the demos. They'll be grouped by section. They'll also be linked within the blog, and you can watch as you read through the blog. You'll find the full playlist, or the entire video. And it should be easy where in the description below. So please be patient, check it out, let us know what you think. For more details about what you see in the video, check out our updates blog. As always, the link is where? In the description.
• 01:30 - 02:00 - That is right, Patrick. Let's get into the updates. Power BI, Copilot and AI. I know we have a lot of Copilot updates, but this is a good one. Trust me, this is a good one. So for example, you can now get to Copilot summary directly from your Teams message, just with a single click. This is available in both Teams and Outlook for items that support Copilot. - And so if I send you a message on Teams, Swetha, imagine this.
• 02:00 - 02:30 So I'm a Power BI developer, I'm an expert in Power BI. So I create this beautiful report, I send you a message in Teams. You can actually generate a summary of the report when you open it. So I'll just click that report, it opens that report, and then it'll give you a great summary. You should definitely check out this demo. It is one that you want to see. - Yeah, and just to add a little more detail there, Patrick, I could be a business user who has no idea about what this report does. This is a great way to get a quick summary on what this really does.
• 02:30 - 03:00 So that's the feature for you. - Yeah. And speaking of Copilot, so I think DAX is just a magical language. And some people say it's hard. I don't say it's hard. It's opportunistic, right? It's challenging. And so, we've made it a little easier this month. So now, what Copilot can do, when we're generating DAX functions, or when we're generating DAX, it recognizes folders and hierarchy. So it even makes Copilot and DAX together more powerful.
• 03:00 - 03:30 It's really exciting. - Plus there is an improved language understanding for data questions, Patrick. So, which means now, Copilot can now interpret a broad range of phrasing and synonyms without any additional curation really. - Yeah, it's pretty nice. And so there's also another big improvement in Copilot's ability to generate ad hoc calculations. Think about this. So let's say I ask a question about a year-to-year, or a month-to-month comparison.
• 03:30 - 04:00 And that measure doesn't exist in the model right now. Copilot will actually generate that for me. So like profit margins, or averages, Copilot will actually generate all that, directly in the Copilot pane. Copilot's getting pretty smart! - That is cool, Patrick. Now let's move on to some reporting updates, shall we? - Yeah. - Perfect. First, we now have a new feature that lets you copy report object names directly to the clipboard. This works for pages, visuals, bookmarks, filters, which can be really useful for organizing
• 04:00 - 04:30 and managing your reports. - Yeah! - So I think this comes in handy for situations where you have to copy those report object names. - Yeah, that's a good one. But I think I have one just a, that's a little more exciting, right? So I think we're going to go back and forth on this, Swetha, it's like two prize fighters. So there's a very helpful update for visual calculations and it kind of gives me this Excel feel. And so for those that's working with DAX and visual calcs,
• 04:30 - 05:00 when you start creating your visual calc, it actually highlights the column, but it even color codes the measures that you're referencing in the DAX. I will tell you, this is, I'm so excited about this particular one, and I can't wait to get out and use it. - Perfect. No, that is a good one, Patrick. - Yeah. - Now there's also a new storytelling feature for Power BI in PowerPoint. This is what I'm excited about. Again, if I put my business user hat, this is something that would be very, very helpful
• 05:00 - 05:30 for a storytelling feature when you're using Power BI within PowerPoint. So you can now add data point annotations directly to your visuals in PowerPoint to provide more context and make your presentations even more engaging. - Okay, that's a good one, that's a good one. I got to give you that one. That's a pretty nice one, right? Because everybody uses PowerPoint, and so why not have better PowerPoint presentations? But, here's one that I think that's going to top it all. You remember, I don't know how many months ago,
• 05:30 - 06:00 we started the web modeling journey and you can create your Direct Lake models in the web? Well, guess what? This month, you can create your Direct Lake semantic models directly in the desktop. And don't get me wrong, I love the web modeling capability because it extends Power BI semantic model design beyond a PC. If you have a MacBook, if you have an iPad, you can create your semantic models in the web. But it's just something about using the Power BI desktop
• 06:00 - 06:30 to design my semantic models. That gives me a little warm and fuzzy in my tummy, Swetha. So I don't know, this may be at the top of the list for me this month. - So now I agree with you, Patrick, because usually what we do within Power BI, is you develop stuff within Power BI desktop, and move to web, not the other way around. And this feature really taps into that. So got to give it to you. So now Patrick, I have another one regarding the tandem view. It now supports editing semantic models in Direct Lake mode, which is great for users who want to do Code First experience.
• 06:30 - 07:00 Now we have the live editing of semantic models, which means you can now open and edit your Direct Lake models right from Power BI desktop, from the web interface. - Wow, wow. That's exciting, that's exciting. That's exciting. I mean, so we're just enabling all the integrations and all the creation and editing of semantic models, at every touch point, in the desktop, in the web, and we're just bringing parity everywhere. But there's another great feature
• 07:00 - 07:30 that I have been looking into, and I've actually started using. Is you can use notebooks, which are semantic model. And so we're introducing a one click experience for using Fabric notebooks and semantic links to analyze your semantic models online. This is completely, you can choose a pre-configured notebook and we'll handle the setup, we'll enable seamless analysis of your semantic models with just one click. This is exciting. So I've been doing this for a bit, and you got to do a little work to make this work.
• 07:30 - 08:00 Not anymore, right? We're just adding that integration point for you. But here's something that I think, a lot of people that are waiting on. I've been using Azure Analysis Services, and I know a lot of customers are using Azure Analysis Services, and guess what? We're bringing a migrate button directly, directly in the workspace. And so you can migrate your Azure Analysis Services directly from Azure AS into Power BI, directly in the workspace, with just a click of a button.
• 08:00 - 08:30 This is something that I know a lot of people have been working on, and it allows you full use of Power BI and the Fabric capabilities once you get that migrated over with minimal disruption to your users. This is something that's going to be exciting, and I can't wait. I just, I really can't wait to see the feedback we get on this one, Swetha. - No, that is a big one, Patrick. I think this tops the list for me, because I know from Azure Analysis Services, an easy click of a button way to move to Power BI
• 08:30 - 09:00 is a huge thing. Especially for customers who are hooked onto Azure Analysis Services. Now Patrick, this is my favorite section of the whole update, which is Power BI Spotlight, talking about one of the users who has been doing amazing work. So this month, we are highlighting Peter for his outstanding contributions to the Power BI community. So Peter is a super user, and has been a member since 2023, with over 560 kudos,
• 09:00 - 09:30 448 solutions and more than 1,400 replies. What do you think about that, Patrick? - That is absolutely amazing. Thank you Peter, for all your contributions that you do for this community, and keep up the great work! That's all for this month's update. But be sure to visit the Power BI Community. You can find the link in the description below. You can head over there to get your questions answered, and to hang out with people that are working on Power BI.
• 09:30 - 10:00 And also your feedback is so important to us. Don't forget to like, comment and hit that Subscribe button if this is your first time here. And stick around for our Power BI demos. You can find a link in the description below. We're going to kick this off with Copilot and AI.