November 2024: Top Power BI Updates With Soheil, Microsoft MVP

1. Copilot and AI:

• Copilot in Power BI mobile apps(Preview)
• Copilot summaries insubscriptions (Preview)

2. Path Layer for the Azure Map visual

3. Text Slicer (Preview)

4. DLP policies restrict access action for semantic models (Preview)

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Copilot and AI

The inclusion of Copilot in Power BI mobile apps marks a significant advancement in how users interact with data on the go. This feature uses AI to generate insights directly within the mobile app, enabling decision-makers to get actionable insights anytime, anywhere.

Copilot summaries in subscriptions enhance the way insights are communicated. Summarising key data points and trends using the AI-driven narrative capability makes reports much more accessible and understandable, particularly for stakeholders who need quick updates rather than in-depth analysis in their mailbox.

Read more about Email subscriptions for reports and dashboards in the Power BI service.

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Path Layer for the Azure Map visual

The new Path Layer for the Azure Map visual is a significant feature for businesses where precise geographical tracking is crucial, such as logistics, delivery services, and road construction.

This update lets users visualise and analyse routes directly within their Power BI reports, facilitating better route planning and optimisation. By integrating actual path data with other business metrics, companies can enhance operational efficiency and reduce costs associated with transportation and delivery.

Read more about this feature.

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Text Slicer (Preview)

Introducing the Text Slicer, a new visual tool designed to enhance text data exploration by allowing users to filter reports based on specific substrings within their data.

This is particularly useful for analysing descriptive values that share common substrings, aiding in faster and more precise data analysis.

For instance, users can quickly isolate data related to a specific product feature or customer feedback theme.

We’ve also recorded a short video demonstrating how to leverage this new feature effectively in your reports.

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DLP policies restrict access action for semantic models (Preview)

My top favourite for this month’s updates is the DLP policies restrict access action for semantic models, a feature of Microsoft Purview that is well integrated with Microsoft Fabric.

Generally speaking, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a strategy and a set of tools aimed at ensuring sensitive or critical information is not lost, misused, or accessed by unauthorised users.

DLP solutions help organisations monitor, detect, and block the transmission of sensitive data across their networks and applications, both in transit and at rest.

DLP systems can prevent accidental or intentional exposure of confidential data, such as personal identification information, financial data, intellectual property, and other regulated data types, by defining and enforcing security policies.

Building on this foundation, the new DLP policies restrict access action for semantic models feature in Microsoft Purview extends these capabilities to the data managed within Fabric Workspaces, requiring a Fabric Capacity with the workspace must be assigned to this capacity.

The integration enhances the security framework by allowing businesses to apply strict access controls to their data assets, ensuring that sensitive information remains protected within the BI ecosystem.

This proactive approach to data governance is essential for organisations to maintain robust data security standards and compliance with regulatory requirements.

Since this feature is in Public Preview, it currently supports Power BI semantic models and lakehouses with multiple restrictions. Therefore, I strongly recommend reading the dedicated documentation here to understand this feature and its limitations before testing it.

As always, I suggest avoiding productionising Preview features before they are generally available.

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Final Thoughts

The features introduced in the Power BI November 2024 update are particularly beneficial for businesses looking to enhance their operational efficiency and data security.

The enhanced DLP policies provide robust protection for sensitive data within Fabric Workspaces, crucial for maintaining data integrity.

Meanwhile, tools like the Text Slicer and the Path Layer for Azure Maps offer significant improvements in data discovery and geographic insights, essential for industries such as logistics and delivery.

These updates not only simplify complex data tasks but also equip businesses with the necessary tools to make more informed decisions.