Using RANK instead of RANKX in DAX - SQLBI Newsletter #309

Don't miss the next newsletter - Subscribe now!

NEW ARTICLE

When should you use RANK instead of RANKX? Make an informed decision by reading this article.
Read more

COURSES IN 2026

Mastering DAX classes in 2026

The full course calendar is live for the first half of 2026. We are visiting new cities with the updated Mastering DAX, aligned with the new "Definitive Guide to DAX" book coming soon.
Plan your 3-day DAX training. If you have budget you must use before year-end, go ahead and secure your seat now!
Read more

COMICS

AI BI Blunders

This comic has been generated by ChatGPT using so many prompts...

#309 · Dec 2025

LEARNING

Course calendar

DATA MODELING - 3 DAYS

	Jul 21-23 - Amsterdam

Mastering DAX - 3 DAYS

video courses

	Introducing DAX
	Mastering DAX
	Optimizing DAX
	Intro to Data Modeling
	Data Modeling for Power BI
	Mastering Tabular
	DAX Tools Video Course
	DAX Patterns
	Power BI Dashboard Design

BI-WEEKLY NEWS DIGEST

Latest news

	• Power BI November 2025 Microsoft packed many updates in the release made for the Ignite announcement (a large conference held two weeks ago). The more relevant updates deserve dedicated pieces of news, below in this newsletter: MCP Server, PBIR format, and new card visual. However, after ages of graphical user interfaces, we are back to the console and text files. If you have not installed Visual Studio Code, it is time to do it now. We are so back! Nov 18, 2025 · Microsoft
	• Power BI modeling MCP Server MCP stands for Model Context Protocol and it enables AI agents to interact with tools and services. Anthropic launched it one year ago, and Microsoft now provides an official implementation to manipulate the semantic model in Power BI Desktop or Fabric. Yes, you can use Power BI Desktop! But is the MCP server the right tool? Would a command-line interface work better? One year is a decade in AI space. However, you should try it! Nov 18, 2025 · Microsoft
	• The Power BI modeling MCP server in plain English If you need a shorter, human-readable introduction, this article is written by a human for humans. LLM-generated readme files are sometimes annoying to read with more emojis than would be legal to have if they were regulated. Nov 19, 2025 · Eugene Meidinger
	• Talk to your data model: Introducing the Power BI modeling MCP If you want a more accurate and technical description, this is a deeper explanation made by one of the authors of the DAX language. Who confirms that the MCP Server is not a DAX/Power Query expert, but it helps anyway if you know what you are doing, and it provides the right guidance. Nov 19, 2025 · Jeffrey Wang
	• AI agents that work with Power BI semantic model MCP servers The MCP Server that Microsoft provides is not the only one, and VS Code is not the only editor. You can try Claude and other MCP servers for Power BI Desktop. Confused? Don't worry, it's the chaos of a new race. We're just at the beginning. Nov 19, 2025 · Kurt Buhler
	• TMDL Visual Studio Code Extension You can manage the TMDL code in Visual Studio especially if your company adopted the PBIP format for your semantic model. If you prefer a graphical user interface, Tabular Editor is still the gold standard. However, manipulating a TMDL file is usually better/easier than working on JSON when you cannot or do not want to use another user interface. Nov 20, 2025 · Microsoft
	• PBIR will become the default Power BI report format Do not confuse PBIP with PBIR. The latter is the internal format used to describe the report (not the semantic model) that is used in both PBIX and PBIP formats. This is going to be the default format for new Power BI reports starting in January 2026. Keeping the legacy format requires an additional step. AI is accelerating the adoption of new features. Not everyone is happy with that. Pay attention if you are on the "wait and see" side: this time, an action is required, and not voting puts you on the side of the early adopters. Nov 17, 2025 · Microsoft
	• Hidden secrets in the Power BI report metadata Did you know that many limits of Power BI visuals are in the user interface of Power BI? Manipulating the PBIR format directly allows you to create visuals that are impossible to develop with the regular user interface of Power BI. We are so used to having similar limitations in the semantic model (TMDL and Tabular Editor can access many properties not exposed by the model view in Power BI) that we are not surprised at all that this also exists for the reports. It was just not unveiled before. Nov 25, 2025 · Kurt Buhler
	• New Card visual in reports The most unexplainable feature release is the general availability of the new Card visual. It has been in public preview for more than 2 years, and all of a sudden, the generally available version introduced breaking changes that weren't released in earlier public previews. We can already hear the buzz on social media. Nov 20, 2025 · Microsoft
	• New card visual preview to GA impact FAQ It does not surprise us to read articles that address the issues created by the new Card visual release. It is surprising that Microsoft does not publish that in its official documentation, and that the product manager uses their personal blog to do so. In the early days, Power BI was the more agile team within Microsoft's slower corporate system. Well, the system probably won, and the publishing process is no longer agile. Pure speculation, but these are clear signals, and we would like nothing more than to be proven wrong. Nov 22, 2025 · Zoe Douglas

SQLBI YOUTUBE CHANNEL