Recently I gave a session on the SQL Server Days about the new features for business intelligence in SQL Server 2016. I have always found that the design of the slide deck matters and this time I was fortunate enough to have the assistance of 356labs, a presentation design agency founded by SQL Server MVP […]
Overview of Published Articles – 2015Q3
Here is an overview of the articles I published in the third quarter of 2015. Retrieve file sizes from the file system using Power Query Create a Treemap Graph in SQL Server Reporting Services 2016 How to create a heat map graph in SQL Server Reporting Services 2016 How to create a Sunburst Graph in SQL […]
What’s new for BI in SQL 2016 – Session materials
SQL Server Days 2015 is over and it was a blast. Met a lot of people from the #sqlfamily, too many to mention, and I saw some interesting sessions. My favorites were David’s session about loading data faster and Catherine’s session about BIML (yes, both are related to SSIS). I gave a session on the new […]
New SSRS features in SQL 2016 CTP 2.4
SQL Server 2016 CTP 2.4 hasn’t been released yet (any day now I guess), but someone was apparently very eager at Microsoft because some of the MSDN documentation pages are already updated. One of those pages is What’s New in Reporting Services. There we can see three new features will be added: PDF replaces ActiveX […]
Why I hate Pie Charts
The pie chart should be avoided at all costs. Why? you can only display a limited number of slices (although that doesn’t really stop people from creating pie charts with dozens of slices) they take up a lot of space the human brain cannot easily compare slices based on radial areas. We’re better in comparing […]
Reblog: The Magic Alt Button
SQLKover update: I love this trick! I use it daily, no kidding (except in weekends). Want to see it in live action? You can watch my MSSQLTips.com webcast on-demand where I demonstrate this trick. Start watching at around minute 38. Lately I have been using more and more the awesomeness of the Alt-button in SQL Server […]
MDS 2016 CTP 2.3: tiles greyed out in Manager
I’m toying around with MDS 2016 CTP 2.3 in preparation of my SQLServerDays session about what is new for BI in SQL Server 2016. I uploaded the sample models into MDS and I opened up Master Data Manager in Internet Explorer to try out some of the new features. The Manager has received a make-over […]
The SSDT Evolution
When you are developing for the Microsoft Business Intelligence stack, you always needed Visual Studio for your business intelligence (SSIS, SSAS & SSRS) projects. If you have a full blown Visual Studio installation, you needed the BI templates; if you didn’t have Visual Studio (or the right version), you would install a shell that could […]
Webinar – SSIS Best Practices and Tuning Tips
I’ll be giving an SSIS webinar for MSSQLTips.com on Tuesday 15th September 2015. The title is SQL Server Integration Services Best Practices and Tuning Tips and its abstract goes like this: Did you ever inherited a slow running un-maintainable mess of an SSIS package? Or do you want to knock up your SSIS developing skills […]
Report Builder Changes in SQL Server 2016
As a lot of features, Report Builder will improve as well in SQL Server 2016. At the moment of writing CTP 2.3 has been released and Report Builder has the following changes: more up-to date look ‘n feel high dpi in the preview HTML5 support Screenshot of the look ‘n feel: That’s right: away with baby-blue and enter […]