Visuals, visuals, visuals. It is (almost) all about visuals this month with loads of new visuals and updates to existing visuals. Also, we are helping users getting started with the introduction of canvas watermarks. Power BI is getting a shiny new icon and we are adding a dismiss option to the Power BI Desktop splash screen. The personalization of visuals is now generally available and we are introducing dynamic M query parameters in preview. On the mobile side, we are (amongst others) adding support for notch displays and on the Service, we have some updates about the 'new look' experience.
After 10 years, support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020. In line with this, we will be stopping support for Power BI Desktop on Windows 7 on Jan 31st 2021. After that, Power BI Desktop will only be supported on Windows 8 and newer. The January 2021 release of Power BI Desktop Optimized for Report Server will be supported as per the Modern Lifecycle Policy i.e. supported until the next release (currently scheduled for May 2021), after which it will only receive security updates until January 2022, after which support will stop.
We are also making a change to the version of .NET that is required to run Power BI Desktop. Starting from this release you will need to have .NET 4.6.2 or greater installed. This is installed by default with Windows 10 and for older versions of Windows the Power BI Desktop installer will launch the .NET installer for you.
Here is the full list of October Power BI updates:
- Canvas watermarks
- Personalize visuals is now generally available
- Data point rectangle select for Treemap
- Dynamic M Query Parameters (preview)
- Automatic Table Detection from Excel files
- Automatic Table Detection from JSON files
- Broader geographical support for Power Platform Dataflows connector
- MariaDB now supports DirectQuery
- Updated SharePoint Online List Connector
- New connectors
- Power BI for HoloLens 2 (preview)
- Automatic page refresh is now supported on the Windows app
- Support for notch displays
- Extended admin capability features are now generally available!
- New visuals
- Zebra BI Charts (version 4.3)
- Zebra BI Tables (version 4.3)
- RoadMap by ADWISE (version v1.5.0)
- ZoomCharts (version 1.6)
- Bullet Chart by xViz
- Editor’s picks
- Simplified installation
- Find template apps from the Power BI Desktop
- DirectQuery support for template apps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LveNuQqV5xk
Reporting
Canvas watermarks
For new Power BI users, it can be difficult to know where to start. We have now added on-canvas watermarks to help guide new users taking their very first steps to get data, populate the fields pane, and drag and drop visuals.
We have also added our very first sample dataset loaded directly into the Power BI Desktop! Now new users do not have to fish around to find a sample dataset to get started. By simply clicking on “try a sample dataset” from the canvas watermark new users can choose to follow along with our sample dataset tutorial or load the sample dataset directly to begin building visuals.
Watch the following video to see this in action:
Personalize visuals is now generally available
Back in May, we released a public preview of a new personalize visuals feature that will allow your end-users to make inline tweaks to visualizations in the reading view. For example, your end-user can change a measure or dimension or the visualization itself.Now this month, we are excited to announce that the feature is now generally available!
This general availability release includes:
- Several usability improvements
- Drag and drop support
- First-time coachmarks
- “Don’t summarize” option
- Enable/disable setting at page-level
- Embed for your organization
Usability improvements
As part of this release we’ve include many usability improvements for both end-users and report authors.Drag and drop support
We now support drag and drop fields within the same visual property and across different visual properties. For example, this can be used to quickly move field in the legend to the axis of a visual:
This can also be used to quickly reorder the columns of a table or matrix:
First-time coachmarks
We’ve also included contextual coachmarks to help first-time users of this feature.
When a user first lands on a report page with a visual that can be personalized, they will see the following coachmark on the Personalize this visual icon:
Additionally, once a user makes their first personalization, they will see the following coachmark on the Bookmarks button, letting them know how they can save their personalized view:
“Don’t summarize” option
We have also added the ability for end-users to change the default aggregation to Don’t summarize. For example, in this table visual you do not want to aggregate a column but instead see the raw values for that column:
Enable/disable setting at page-level
Previously, report authors could turn this feature on or off either at a report or visual level. Now we’ve added the ability to turn on or off this capability for all the visuals on a given page. You’ll find this new option in the page settings:
Embed for your organization
We know that many users consume Power BI reports that are embedded into their own applications, so we want to extend support for common embed scenarios for your organization.Here is an example of a report that can be explored without ever leaving Microsoft Teams:
Coming soon this month, we will also add a configuration option for users that want to enable the ability to save the personalized view using bookmarks. Here is a sneak peak of the capability:
Note that organizational embed support does not currently include Publish to Web (Public).
For more details check the embedded section of this blog or watch the video below:
Data point rectangle select for Treemap
This month, we have extended the data point rectangle select preview feature to include the Treemap visual. Thank you for using the feature, and please keep sending us feedback!Analytics
Export data from Q&A visual
We are happy to announce that we have now extended support of Export data to Q&A visuals!You’ll find this option in the context menu ( . . . ) of the visual header, just like a standard visual:
Data preparation
Dynamic M Query Parameters (preview)
When filtering and interacting with a Direct Query report, end-users want the best of both worlds: snappy performance and access to more of the raw data. For those looking for more query performance optimizations without compromising on report interactivity, we’re introducing a new feature, Dynamic M Query Parameters (preview). This new Microsoft Power BI feature allows M Query Parameters to be dynamically updated by report consumers based on their filter or slicer selections. By giving authors control over how end-users’ filters get incorporated into the source query, they can optimize the performance of the query and allow end-users to freely interact with the report, using slicers or filters.How to get started
To get started you will need to first turn on the preview switch: Dynamic M Query Parameters.
As a prerequisite for this feature, you will need to have a valid M Query Parameter created and referred in one or more Direct Query tables.
Note: The following DirectQuery sources are not supported:
- T-SQL based data sources: SQL Server, Azure SQL Database, Synapse SQL pools (aka Azure SQL Data Warehouse), and Synapse SQL OnDemand pools
- Live connect data sources: Azure Analysis Services, SQL Server Analysis Services, Power BI Datasets
- Other unsupported data sources: Oracle, Teradata and Relational SAP Hana
- Partially supported through XMLA / TOM endpoint programmability: SAP BW and SAP Hana
Setting_up_a_new_M_parameter
Then you will need to fill out the following information about the Parameter:
Once you have created the parameters, you can now reference them in M query. To modify the M Query you will need to open the Advanced editor while you have the Query (that you want to modify) selected:
Then, you will need to reference the parameters in the M Query:
let
selectedRepoNames = if Type.Is(Value.Type(RepoNameParameter), List.Type) then
Text.Combine({"'", Text.Combine(RepoNameParameter, "','") , "'"})
else
Text.Combine({"'" , RepoNameParameter , "'"}),
KustoParametersDeclareQuery = Text.Combine({"declare query_parameters(", "startTime:datetime = datetime(", DateTime.ToText(StartTimeParameter, "yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm"), "), " , "endTimep:datetime = datetime(", DateTime.ToText(EndTimeParameter, "yyyy-MM-dd hh:mm:ss"), "), ", "repoNames: dynamic = dynamic([", selectedRepoNames, "]));" }),
ActualQueryWithKustoParameters = "GithubEvent | extend RepoName = tostring(Repo.name) | where RepoName in(repoNames)| make-series count() on CreatedAt from startTime to endTimep step 12h by RepoName | evaluate python(typeof(*), 'result = df') | mv-expand count_ to typeof(long), CreatedAt to typeof(datetime)",
finalQuery = Text.Combine({KustoParametersDeclareQuery, ActualQueryWithKustoParameters}),
Source = AzureDataExplorer.Contents("demo11.westus", "GitHub", finalQuery, [MaxRows=null, MaxSize=null, NoTruncate=null, AdditionalSetStatements=null])
in
Source
Now that you have created the parameters and referenced them in the M Query, next, you will need to create a table with a column that provides the possible values available for that parameter. This will allow it such that the parameters are dynamically set based on filter selection. In this example, we want our StartTime Parameter and EndTime Parameter to be dynamic. Since these parameters are requiring a Date/Time parameter, I want to generate date inputs that can be used to set the date for the parameter. To start I will create a new table:
Here is the first table I created for the values for StartTime Parameter:
StartDateTable = CALENDAR (DATE(2016,1,1), DATE(2016,12,31))
Power_BI_October_2020_Feature_Summary
Here’s the second table I created for the values for EndTime Parameter:
EndDateTable = CALENDAR (DATE(2016,1,1), DATE(2016,12,31))
Power_BI_October_2020_Feature_Summary
Now that the tables with the Date field has be created, we can bind each field to a parameter. Binding the field to a parameter means that as the selected value for the field changes, this value will get passed to the parameter and update the query where the parameter is referenced. So, to bind field, go to the Modeling tab, select the newly created field, and go to the advanced properties:
Select the dropdown under bind to parameter and set the Parameter which you want to bind the field to:
This example parameter is for a single-select value (setting the parameter to a single value), so we will want to keep Multi-select set to No, which is the default:
If your use cases require multi-selection (passing multi-values to a single parameter), you will toggle this above switch to Yes, and you will need to ensure that your M Query is setup properly to accept multiple values in the M query.
And finally, you can now reference this field in a slicer or as a filter:
Note that if the mapped column is set to No for Multi-select, you will need to use either a single select mode in the slicer or require single select in the filter card. For more details on this new feature, check out our documentation or watch the video below:
Automatic Table Detection from Excel files
When using the Excel connector, this new feature will automatically identify sections of each Excel spreadsheet to extract into a table and show them under a “Suggested Tables” group in the Navigator. Previously, unless data was formatted as Tables or Named Ranges in Excel, users had to scrape the relevant rows/columns with specific transforms (skip rows, remove columns, etc.) from worksheet objects (e.g. Sheet1 in the example below). To use this feature, please enable it in the settings dialog.
Automatic Table Detection from JSON files
When using the JSON connector, the new feature will automatically flatten the JSON into table. Previously users had to flatten records/lists manually. This new feature also adds support for JSON lines (or newline-delimited JSON, where each line in the file is a JSON string). To use this feature, please enable it in the settings dialog.Data connectivity
Power BI connectors allow you to bring in outside data into Power BI. Here are some data sources that we are adding or updating certified connectors for this month.Broader geographical support for Power Platform Dataflows connector
We are happy to bring broader geographical support to the Power Platform Dataflows connector. The Power Platform Dataflows connector now supports Germany, UAE, Switzerland, and South Africa endpoints.MariaDB now supports DirectQuery
The MariaDB team has updated their connector that was introduced last month to now support Direct Query, empowering users to run more intensive reports against their MariaDB server.Updated SharePoint Online List Connector
We are happy to announce a new version of the SharePoint Online connector. You can expect improved performance and greater usability.
With this connector, we are making available two different views for the same data:
- All
- Default
The all view includes all user created and system defined columns.
You can opt in to the new connector by selecting "2.0 (Beta)" under Implementation when connecting to SharePoint Online List.
We look forward to your feedback.
New connectors
Power_BI_October_2020_Feature_Summary
Spigit
Somewhere in the mind of an employee, partner, or customer is an idea that can radically transform your business. Spigit innovation management software enables you to easily uncover these ground-breaking ideas, manage them, and bring them to market with minimal effort from your innovation team. The connection type for this connector is Import and you will find it in the Other category. Read more about Spigit.
eWay-CRM
eWay-CRM is a CRM system embedded right into Microsoft Outlook. It helps companies all around the world with their CRM agenda, project management and business opportunities. A single workspace allows you to collect, organize and share all of the information important to your business using software you already use. Make e-mails, calendar events, notes and documents immediately available to your team. The connection type for this connector is Import and you will find it in the Online Services category. Read mode about eWay-CRM.Service
Updates to the ‘new look’ experience and release plan
The ‘new look’ of the Power BI service is evolving again based on your feedback during public preview and close to being the default experience for all users.We’ve made navigation updates to give you more space to work with your content, provided options for report authors to configure their page navigation, updated the action bar for quicker access to common actions, and more.
The ‘new look’ is close to being the default experience for all users at the end of October, but we’d like to hear more feedback before then and are inviting tenant admins to switch your users to the ‘new look’ exclusively. Starting late September, look for an admin setting to appear in your Admin portal where you can enable the ‘new look’ for all your users and remove the old and new look toggle from the header.
More information on ‘new look’ updates and release plan in this blog post.
Mobile
Power BI for HoloLens 2 (preview)
Power_BI_October_2020_Feature_SummaryPower BI continues to innovate, and last month we released the Power BI app for HoloLens 2, bringing insights into the real world through augmented reality. This makes it easy to view and interact with reports and dashboards on top of your real-world environment. Users can get report pages and dashboards into mixed reality, and once they do, visuals exist there every time they open the app, updated in real time, and persisting until they choose to remove them.
Watch a demo:
Automatic page refresh is now supported on the Windows app
Report pages using auto page refresh will now also be refreshed in the Windows app. With auto page refresh, your presentations and slideshows update in real-time, ensuring that you will always be displaying the latest business data and insights. Check out the How-to guide to learn how to enable automatic refresh.Support for notch displays
iPhone and iPads now support notch displays, giving you more screen space for reports and dashboards.
Embedded
Power BI Automation and APIs
Power BI APIs now supports Viewer role.The Viewer role gives a read-only experience to users. This role should be assigned to users who need to view content within workspaces without the ability to modify it. Starting now, the Power BI APIs support this Viewer role. You can now add a user to a workspace with viewer role permissions.
Read more about Viewer role APIs support in the upcoming developer blog.
Power BI Embedded Analytics
New look for Power BI EmbeddedComing soon in the month of October, the Power BI ‘new look’ will be reflected for Power BI embedded analytics scenarios. For more information checkout Updates to the ‘new look’ experience and release plan blog.
Personal bookmarks now available for embed for your organization
Personal bookmarks allow report consumers to create their own set of bookmarks for each report by capturing various states of a report page.
Now, report consumers can use the same personal bookmarks they are using on Power BI Service when consuming embedded analytics.
Read more about personal bookmarks for embed for your organization scenario in the upcoming developer blog.
Personalize visual on embedded scenarios
Personalize visual empower your end-users to explore and personalize visuals all within the consumption view of a report. When you turn on personalize visual for a report, the option to personalize a visual will also be available when consuming embedded analytics.
Read more about personalize visual and how to save different views for your users in the upcoming developer blog.
Report action bar and Persistent filters are coming to embed for your organization
Coming up in the month of October, when embedding for your organization, consumers will be able to use the Power BI report action bar. In addition, persistent filters which allow your users to retain their report state will also be available as part of it. The same state will be shared both for consuming the report on embedded analytics and on Power BI Service.
Read more about Persistent filters on embed for your organization.
Read more about report action bar for embed for your organization scenario in the upcoming developer blog.
Visualizations
Extended admin capability features are now generally available!
We are happy to announce that the new admin capabilities are now generally available. Power BI admins can import and manage AppSource visuals directly to the organizational visuals page in the admin portal. Any AppSource visual imported to the organizational store will retain Power BI certification, and will automatically be updated when a new version is available. Additionally, Power BI admins can pick any visual from the organizational store to show up automatically in the visualization pane of the entire signed-on organization members, in Desktop or the Service.To learn more, check out our documentation.
New visuals
New this month are:Clustered Stacked Bar Chart by DEFTeam Solutions Pvt Ltd
Hierarchical Bar Chart by Excelnaccess.com
HTML Content by Daniel Marsh-Patrick
process.science Process Mining by process.science GmbH & Co. KG
Overview by CloudScope
Image by CloudScope
Timeline by CloudScope
User List by CloudScope
Zebra BI Charts (version 4.3)
https://youtu.be/ARYY6M16NRA?t=4
Since reporting space is always very precious, we used a scientific method to find a way to save it. The Zebra BI team developed an extremely powerful new algorithm to optimize the layout of charts in small multiples - all within one single visual.
In older versions of Zebra BI, a big chart could already span over two smaller charts. Now, however, it can span over multiple charts, as many as can fit! The spanning of bigger charts can now happen in multiple columns, while before it could only happen once. The exact allocation of space has also been improved, resulting in an extremely optimized display of small multiples where practically no space is wasted.
This feature is especially useful in situations where you have big differences in values between data categories.
It gets better. The new ‘Automatic’ layout works with all Zebra BI charts and all their settings.
You can change the chart type and set the display of charts to Top N with all other charts automatically aggregated to "Others" category.
Download this visual from AppSource or, for the full list of new features, please visit Zebra BI for Power BI – 4.3 Update.
Zebra BI Tables (version 4.3)
https://youtu.be/ARYY6M16NRA?t=210
There are many new functionalities in Zebra BI Tables visuals, from the ability to visualize additional up to 20 columns to the whole new concept of Scaled groups within your tables and much more! Keep scrolling to see all of them, along with practical examples.
- You can now display any of your additional measures as charts!
- You can select the type of your measure to ensure the most appropriate display or visualization of each column:
- We have introduced a brand new concept of Scaled groups in Zebra BI Tables!Here's the story. Since additional measures in tables are often showing KPIs that are unrelated to other KPIs in the same visual, you can decide how they should be scaled by adding them to separate Scaled groups. You can set up up to six scaled groups in this way.The picture below shows a P&L statement with margins, where a ‘% of Revenue’ measure is visualized as a pin chart and also its change/variance from PY is calculated in percentage points and visualized (the red/green column on the far right):
Power_BI_October_2020_Feature_Summary
https://youtu.be/ARYY6M16NRA?t=1062
There are many other important new features and improvements in the Zebra BI Tables visual that will improve the design and usability of your Power BI reports and dashboards, so make sure you read the full product update and check out the video here: Zebra BI for Power BI – 4.3 Update. You can also download this visual from AppSource.
RoadMap by ADWISE (version v1.5.0)
Plan, roadmap, and time schedule phases and milestones using ADWISE RoadMap. This flexible and comprehensive visual can help you present your project, product or campaign plans, or plans of whatever else that can be time-scheduled. You can now experience the substantially updated version.
A lot of improvements have been made and new functionality has been added:
- Get started quickly with only three fields needed (axis y, start and end date)
- Tooltips functionality added to better describe all the items on the roadmap
- Roadmapping projects or campaigns? No problem, you can use your own names for field labels (shown in Tooltips). This also comes handy if you localize roadmap.
- Group text is now fully configurable – text wrapping, alignment and color
- New milestones options - size, new shape “+”, text on/off and hiding text option (when milestones close together)
- More coloring options across roadmap items – color groups/bars/milestones by group, by category, by range and default
- Improved behavior when filtering and adding new data (categories retain colors)
- Now, you can try watermark-free version with basic features
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI7R__RmLmQ&feature=youtu.be
Download this visual from AppSource, or visit www.adwise.cz/adwise-roadmap
ZoomCharts (version 1.6)
The latest (1.6) release of ZoomCharts visuals is a major one and is coming with exciting updates and new amazing features. This release of the ZoomCharts visuals is introducing many new features and improvements. Three of them are real head-turners and will make a significant difference for Power BI report creators and end-users.Measure support
First, with 1.6. release ZoomCharts has switched to the matrix view for data aggregation and processing. It means that Drill Down Pie PRO, Drill Down Donut PRO, Drill Down Combo PRO, Drill Down Combo Bar PRO - all these visuals now fully support measures, drill-through and Report Page Tooltip from any drilldown level, with the rest of the visuals catching up in the next release.New, more powerful Drill Down Graph PRO
Secondly, with 1.6. ZoomCharts has majorly upgraded the Drill Down Graph PRO visual. It is now the only graph visual in the marketplace offering full control over the graph exploration experience, extended customization options and multiple layout options.New key features for every report creator to check out are:
-
- Dynamic, radial and hierarchical layouts – enables you to use graph to visualize not only for relationship and outlier detection, but also map hierarchical relationships such as organizational structure.
Power_BI_October_2020_Feature_Summary
- Expansion levels, direction and radius – you can choose whether to display all graph nodes at once, or – let users explore relationships among nodes by revealing the child nodes on click. You can also control direction of node expansion, and how many “child” levels to reveal on click.
- Dynamic, radial and hierarchical layouts – enables you to use graph to visualize not only for relationship and outlier detection, but also map hierarchical relationships such as organizational structure.
Power_BI_October_2020_Feature_Summary
- Auras –group nodes in color-coded clusters to better visualize relationships among them
Power_BI_October_2020_Feature_Summary
- Upgraded toolbar – search box, save state, reset button, dark mode and other new features that will improve your graph exploration experience
- New customization options – separately customizable source and target nodes, link grouping in categories, outline formatting, hyperlink support in tooltip and more. For example, split nodes into multiple categories and apply different outline for each to visualize project tasks and their statuses.
We also suggest checking out this Drill Down Graph PRO use case, where the new hierarchical layout of the graph is used to visualize the structure of an international company. Read more about this use case on ZoomChart’s blog or view the PBIX.
New trial experience
Finally, ZoomCharts Drill Down Visual has introduced a new, license-key free trial experience. Now all users can try out the full version of visuals (free and paid features) 30 days for free just by adding visuals from Microsoft AppSource or Power BI Marketplace. No need to sign up, no need to enter the license-key. Head to the Microsoft AppSource and try out visuals these today!Bullet Chart by xViz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC_qnrSYg8o
xViz has released a new PBI Certified version (1.1.6) of the Bullet Chart which supports several new use cases such as single KPI as well as the IBCS improvements to the bullet chart. The bullet chart as proposed by Stephen Few is ideal for visualizing KPIs and track metrics. For effective visualization and practical applications the IBCS institute recommends improvements to the standard bullet chart such as highlighting the variances between actual and target with the help of variance bar and normalizing target values to facilitate visual evaluation.
Seven prebuilt templates have been added where users can select the desired templates and quickly get started without spending time navigating through the property sheet. Improved UX with data label and comparison band enhancements for better positioning and formatting capabilities for newly added Single KPI use case. Other notable features include Target section enhancements, sorting based on variances and the Analytics section.
Editor’s picks
The new Editor’s picks for this month are:HTML Content by Daniel Marsh-Patrick
Funnel / Pyramid Chart by xViz
Individual Control Chart by PQ Systems
Column Chart With Upper and Lower Bounds by 3AG Systems
Radar Chart by MAQ Software
Drill Down Pie PRO by ZoomCharts
The Editor’s picks can be found in the in-product AppSource in Power BI Desktop and service under Editor’s picks category.
Template Apps
Simplified installation
We are excited to announce the availability (later this week) of the new simplified installation for template apps as new users of Power BI might find it difficult to configure a newly installed template app. From October onwards, apps that support the simplified installation feature can be installed with prepopulated authentication and privacy settings!To experience the simplified installation go to COVID-19 US tracking template app check out the new simplified installation experience.
We also updated the configuration stage: we have added a link to app’s documentation so it is easy to learn how to configure the app. Next to that, we improved the behavior for required parameters and introduced example text to make sure it is clear which parameters require user attention. Finally, we extended the support for list parameters allowing builders and installer to use list parameters.
Find template apps from the Power BI Desktop
As the template apps gallery continues to grow, we are adding more ways for you to find those templates from Desktop. Many of our partners who are extending connectivity to Power BI Desktop publish template apps offering prebuilt reports and dataset to use as well.
To find template apps from Power BI Desktop, head to Get Data and notice the new link to discover Template Apps.
Once you finish installing and connecting the data to the template you can build your own report by connecting to the dataset just like any other dataset in Power BI.
DirectQuery support for template apps
Template app partners can now build apps that connect to DirectQuery (DQ) data sources! When you install a template app that uses a DirectQuery data source, you will be prompted to connect your data before navigating to the app to make sure your data is available when you get there.Being able to build template apps using supported DQ data sources opens up a host of possibilities for offering BIG data analytics from sources such as Azure Data Explorer, Dynamics 365, SQL, and many others (see the complete list here).
Community
Power Platform Community Conference
Join_us_Thursday_October_22_Power_Platform_Community_Conference2020 has brought many changes for all and we are thrilled to come together with you to host another online Power Platform Community Conference this year. Join us on October 22 for an all-day event full of inspiration and information! You can register and watch the event page for Keynote announcements and schedule updates. Register here.
Data Stories Gallery theme
if you haven’t connected with our Power BI community yet, now is a great time to do so. Go to https://community.powerbi.com and register to connect, learn, find solutions and discuss Power BI with business intelligence experts and your peers. The Power BI community is also a great place for you to showcase what you do and see the amazing work other community members have posted in our Data Stories Gallery each month.If you want to contribute to the Data Stories gallery, for October and November, it’s not too late! The theme for October is Power BI and Excel, better together! And the theme for November is Accessibility. We will be looking out for those reports that include Accessibility features, and who knows, you could win some cool Power BI swag!
Other
Export data source to PBIDS in Power BI Desktop
Last October, we released a new file format, PBIDS, that allowed users to start from a file that already has a data source connection. This file type essentially streamlined the Get data experience, making it quicker for users to start building reports. Previously, you had to manually create these files in a notepad editor or using the file generator tool provided by Power BI Tips. Now in this release, you can now auto-generate these connection files from within Power BI Desktop.You can find this setting by going to File > Options and settings > Data source settings:
Then you select the data source that you want to export as a PBIDS:
When you select Export PBIDS, we will automatically generate the PBIDS file which you can rename and save in your directory and share with others. Optionally, if you open the file in a text editor, you can modify the file further, including specifying the mode of connection in the file itself.
Before we jump to the next feature, we also want to recognize and thank Caroline Anderson for working on this feature in the summer as an intern!
Icon update
Across the Power Platform we have updated our product icons to the new Fluent design system. As you have probably seen this new style rolling out across Microsoft products including Office and Dynamics, we aim to create brand consistency and bring a modern, full color experience. We hope you agree!
Desktop splash screen dismiss
A small but delightful change, we have added the long awaited dismiss “X” to the Desktop splash screen. Now if you accidently launch Power BI Desktop you can close the application from the splash screen.
That is all for this month! Please continue sending us your feedback and do not forget to vote for other features that you would like to see in Power BI! We hope that you enjoy the update!
If you installed Power BI Desktop from the Microsoft Store, please leave us a review: https://aka.ms/pbidesktop-review.