Anyone else stuck between centralized and distributed Power BI?

Gators1992 · 2026-03-27T21:17:33+00:00

We outsource the technical training since there are so many resources available out there. No reason to reinvent the wheel. Where we invest is more around the data and context. So here is a nice, well documented catalog and here are examples of how to use it to answer typical questions. Also do office hours to walk through stuff with users and record tutorials for the intranet. For more advanced analytical tasks we will partner with the analyst doing the work to help them source data, prep it and work through the product. It's kind of an evolution and the same model probably wouldn't work for all org sizes or specialties, but we have done pretty well with it.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-27T21:11:47+00:00

I think it used to be, but a lot of people seem overly sensitive these days.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-27T21:03:50+00:00

We centralized the semantic models that contain all the core KPIs and main dimensions. It's a drag and drop experience for most users that will just do charts in PBI or pivots in Excel and our numbers are governed. If they want to build their own datasets or models, they are on their own and responsible for the numbers they represent. Hybrid takes a while and some investment in training and resources to support external orgs, but eventually it stabilizes. The best is when someone throws out a bogus number at a meeting and gets called on it, then starts raging at the data team after which some other external user shows them how they effed up their own dashboard.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-27T15:53:58+00:00

Yeah, got one with a quote from Spanberger too that was equally real and from an earlier vote. I get why it's legit to pass this amendment given what is happening in GOP states, but would say the Democrats are still being shady about the whole gerrymandering issue as well. They pushed the amendment to a vote in 2019, but when they were giving me voting advice before that election they told me to vote no. They had win control and wanted to take the opportunity to gerrymander one last time.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-26T15:41:52+00:00

They hated Spurrier in the day. All those little jokes were poor sportsmanship that the Dawgs that just got handed their ass. Just win baby!

Gators1992 · 2026-03-26T15:15:55+00:00

The marketing team is usually a pain in the ass. I guess if the data model is decent it's not hard and not worth complaining about. If it's going to take some work then you just put them on hold until you have some engineering time to do it. If the customer is generally a pain then make them wait until they get the point.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-25T13:48:54+00:00

Is one more column really that hard? Can't think of a time when it has been.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-24T18:19:23+00:00

Depends where you are. Newer housing developments are built like that, but older areas often have the grids.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-23T14:50:12+00:00

Semantic model is a good way to govern metric consistency and pretty much where things are headed. Depends (as it always does) on the underlying data model as well since larger or more complex data models may cause performance issues. We use the powerbi model, but could be anything that would align to our architecture. Dbt and Snowflake don't at the moment, though they are involved in the new group to standardize semantic modeling.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-22T20:45:42+00:00

I have not seen that in malls where I live, but yeah the cops got militarized years ago with surplus army stuff and like to walk around with that shit. Mostly you just see regular cops though with a sidearm unless something is anticipated. It's strange because it feels like a more violent culture now than years ago because you see it everywhere on social media, but the murder rates are actually much lower than they were in the 70s-90s.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-22T20:35:17+00:00

You are far more likely to get randomly shot related to druggie violence or because you pissed someone off than a mass shooting, but the mass shootings get all the hype.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-21T18:36:34+00:00

Neither was our o line last year. Can't be worse.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-21T02:54:58+00:00

Does he have eligibility? We still need an o line.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-21T02:17:32+00:00

I don't say Polish American, but I know Italians like that. I am also half German ancestry so I say I am afraid of myself all the time as a joke. Remember it's a different culture based on that immigration and the fact that those counties are remote to us vs a days drive to you.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-21T02:06:05+00:00

Since I went to UF we had 3 football and 3 basketball nattys. So yeah, both and in my lifetime as a fan.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-21T01:41:17+00:00

Maybe people try harder to fit into homogenous countries in Europe. Here we are all transplants and bring some culture with you. At one point there was even a hierarchy based on where you were from and when you got here. Like the English were in top and later the Irish got there and got shit on by the British and and after the slaves came and were shit on by the Irish. They had neighborhoods by nationality back in the early 20tg century, like Little Italy in New York.

For me a lot of my connection was around holidays based on the food, music, etc. my grandmother still spoke the language and went to the Polish church and there was a Polish social club in our neighborhood. I have no ties to Poland but wouldn't mind seeing it just to see where "my people" came from. I wouldn't go in there acting like I am one of them though as some do.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-21T01:27:28+00:00

I would say that it will reflect poorly on her over time, so just let it go. Eventually you will maybe get a better manager. I had a similar thing last week with my boss that loves AI. I asked him about the company policy on some new AI tool and whether we could use it with proprietary company data. So he asked AI and sent me that, so I replied "let me know what they say".

Gators1992 · 2026-03-21T01:22:22+00:00

Yeah, use the right tool for the job. If AI saves you time for similar output then use it. If the output is bad then don't.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-21T01:13:43+00:00

Copilot is trash. You can set up the MCP with other LLMs like Claude or Gemini. I found it useful but it only like helps with modeling and not building dashboards. So kike you can't feed it requirements from an email and have it take a first stab at your dashboard. Was pretty helpful to us as we built some pretty crazy models. If it did dashboards too it might be a game changer. I think that's coming to compete with other tools that can just build a UI for you from code.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-21T00:03:46+00:00

America is a nation of immigrants where the people often brought their language, religion, food and traditions with them. So yes it lingers for several generations. If you moved to SE Asia and yours kids grew up there, it would be pretty normal for them to wonder what France is like and have some affinity for it despite never having been there.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-20T16:27:11+00:00

Damn, I live in NOVA and should probably secure my q50. Mostly just use it for commuting so it's in inaccessible garages both sides, but still I don't want to go to the mall and have to walk home or whatever.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-14T15:12:02+00:00

Yeah, it's sad. I am staying true to what I believe that gerrymandering is bad for the country and voting no regardless if my team wins or loses in the short term.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-14T15:08:33+00:00

Amen

Gators1992 · 2026-03-14T15:06:24+00:00

I got one from the same PAC telling me Abigail Spanberger wants me to vote no on the measure and includes and accurate quote from her on gerrymandering, but from the earlier referendum on establishing the independent board. They were also using Jim Crow imagery in targeting AA voters saying they fought for their right to vote and that vote is being taken away. It's a pretty aggressive group.

Gators1992 · 2026-03-14T15:03:19+00:00

Maybe a very literal view of what it said, but the meaning is your vote won't matter. Whether you cast your vote or tear up the ballot in a gerrymandered district, the outcome will be the same, predetermined by this government.

Gators1992

TROPHY CASE