About this page: This shows the actual Reddit comments that back up
the "(Nx)" frequency claims in the wiki. Alex can validate these links and see the
context in which resources were shared.
Methodology
These counts come from analyzing Eugene Meidinger's comment history in r/PowerBI and r/MicrosoftFabric (6,021 comments total).
The theory: When someone repeatedly links the same resource in short comments, that resource is likely answering a frequently asked question that belongs in the wiki.
Star Schema Design Guidance 35x
URL pattern: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema
Found in 35 unique posts
Show 35 comments
Post: 1hdcihy (1 comment)
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.
It's hard to give a precise answer without more context. Lakehouses are built on [parquet and delta](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/data-engineering/lakehouse-and-delta-tables), which means they use a columnstore storage similar to [Vertipaq in Power BI](https://www.microso...
Post: 1n5mxqy (1 comment)
Based on their description, it's very likely a multi-source issue. From the Power BI [docs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/relationships-one-to-one) on 1-1 relationships:
>[**Row data spans across tables**](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/relationships-one-t...
Post: 11u1do4 (1 comment)
Do you have your data model in a "star schema"? Specifically, do you have dimension/reference tables that are tied to your two fact/transaction tables?
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema
Post: 1faigrw (1 comment)
Functionally it's great and probably the best option available. The main concern is your data model can get a bit cluttered and confusing if you have to do it multiple times. Although at that point I suppose you could combine them into a single "junk" dimension.
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/...
Post: 1ffy33v (1 comment)
Have you read about Star Schema and dimensional modelling? It sounds like you just need some shared dimensions:
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema)
Post: 1fii7lj (1 comment)
Yes, typically it's recommend to put your data into a shape known as a star schema. This means that you want a date table of some sort that you use to connect all 3 tables indirectly.
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guida...
Post: 1fj0n12 (1 comment)
I'm unclear what the question is. Typically if you have a repeated value like that it indicates there is a problem with your model. I would read up on Star Schema
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema)
Post: 1fkq5b2 (1 comment)
1) Add a dimension for item. You want to approach a star schema
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guidance/star-schema)
2) Remove the many to many relationship between Sales and Budget, use the new dimension instead
[ht...
Post: 1fuc7qe (1 comment)
I'm not sure if I understand the question. You would get your data model to approach a Star Schema by creating a month dimension or date dimension with a relationship to both of your tables. Then you would use month from that dimension as your axis.
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/guid...
Post: 1gsuxzc (1 comment)
Don't let those datawarehouse-pilled folks lie to you! Star schema reduces issues ***on average***. That doesn't mean that it's always better for every use case. It's the safest default in a majority of cases and the most scalable if you are going to hundreds of millions of rows or larger.
Specific...
Self-Join in Power BI 19x
URL pattern: feathersanalytics.com/self-join
Found in 18 unique posts
Show 19 comments
Post: 10ypx40 (1 comment)
>In Power Query, I can fold the data in on itself to get yesterday's and today's side-by-side,
I'm confused, it sounds like you've already managed a self-join in Powerquery with a 1 day offset. If not, that's probably the way to go.
[https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/](https://fe...
Post: 110ajsc (1 comment)
It would be a bit easier to answer if you included the Powerquery code you are using right now and some sample data.
My first thought is you'd do a [self-join](https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/) in PowerQuery, filter the results on the date range instead of expanding it, and then...
Post: 18lbfaf (1 comment)
Have you considered doing a self-join in Power Query? That way you could potentially have changed form and changed to on the same row of data, which would make the filtering easier.
[https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/](https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/)
If you ...
Post: 18of7f0 (1 comment)
Non-trivial chance you'll have to do some sort of self-join.
https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/
Post: 18wf3jr (1 comment)
Hi Oded,
Unfortunately unless you provide more information about where you are stuck, and what you have tried so far, I can't really help you since I'd be making a bunch of guesses.
These blog posts might help you:
https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/
https://www.kasperonbi.com...
Post: 1f457dp (1 comment)
My first thought would be to start with a self-join based on overlapping date/time ranges.
Self-join: [https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/](https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/)
Joining on a date range: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eZAG\_K4R54](https://www.y...
Post: 1f8uxyy (1 comment)
Trying to do this sort of thing in Power BI is definitely difficult. I would Google Gaps and Islands analysis:
[https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/databases/sql-server/t-sql-programming-sql-server/introduction-to-gaps-and-islands-analysis/](https://www.red-gate.com/simple-talk/databases/sql-serv...
Post: 1gm2ton (1 comment)
Easiest solution is a self-join:
[https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/](https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/)
Post: 1gut78e (1 comment)
Can you just do a self-join on the purchase order table and filter out when the product id is the same on both sides?
[https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/](https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/)
The big issue is because the data is in Excel and not SQL, you don't ...
Post: 1gwfpp2 (1 comment)
I'm recommending adding the index and doing the self join in Power Query, not DAX, just to clarify.
[https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/](https://feathersanalytics.com/self-join-in-power-bi/)
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/add-index-column](https://learn.microsof...
Power BI Consultant AMA 45x
URL pattern: reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv
Found in 44 unique posts
Show 45 comments
Post: 118tqoa (1 comment)
Power BI in fact!
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/power\_bi\_consultant\_ama/
Post: 11ardsb (1 comment)
I recently did an AMA that has a lot of resources:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/power\_bi\_consultant\_ama/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/power_bi_consultant_ama/)
I'd consider reading [Financial Intelligence for IT professionals](https://www.amazon.com/-...
Post: 10w11hv (2 comments)
Hmmm, so why do you want to be a consultant? It has a lot of benefits but a lot of downsides as well. The feast and famine cycle with work is a giant pain.
This answer [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/comment/j7kwgoc/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) covers a lot...
I think [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/comment/j7kt7gl/) is a pretty good answer, and it includes a link to my freelancing blog posts.
I decided to become an expert in Power BI first, and only went freelance when I was incredibly stressed out about my job. I was theoretica...
Post: 11gvopv (1 comment)
Here's the books I learned from:
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/comment/j7ljcuc/
Post: 123vxa3 (1 comment)
Sure! Here's a pretty big AMA post I did:
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/power\_bi\_consultant\_ama/
Post: 124p305 (1 comment)
Consultant here 😜. Plenty of bad apples, but writing off an entire profession seems a bit hasty, but again I'm biased. I think very large consultancies tend to be the worst, because it can come down to billable hours over customer satisfaction. I did a pretty frank AMA, so hopefully that proves I'm ...
Post: 18luojm (1 comment)
I did an AMA a good while back
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/power\_bi\_consultant\_ama/
Post: 18neqxe (1 comment)
I did an [AMA](https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/power_bi_consultant_ama/) at the beginning of the year. I charge between $125-200 / hr in the US for Power BI consulting, depending on payment terms, number of hours, and how much of a pain the customer is.
What you are describing, ba...
Post: 1957z7n (1 comment)
I did a consulting AMA last year, in case that's helpful.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/power\_bi\_consultant\_ama/
Post: 19b0uf5 (1 comment)
I did an AMA
[https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/power\_bi\_consultant\_ama/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/10w11hv/power_bi_consultant_ama/)
My customer projects tend to range from 10-100 hours. Most of my work with smaller companies was via subcontracting through a co...
Query Folding Basics 11x
URL pattern: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/query-folding
Found in 11 unique posts
Show 11 comments
Post: 1f7yu95 (1 comment)
It's a little involved, but Phil Seamark's refresh visualizer might help:
[https://dax.tips/2021/02/15/visualise-your-power-bi-refresh/](https://dax.tips/2021/02/15/visualise-your-power-bi-refresh/)
I might also double check the SQL Power Query is generating (if you aren't just doing a raw select...
Post: 1famrf2 (1 comment)
Sure thing! I tried to cover some of the details in this comment:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/1famrf2/comment/llu5x5g/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/1famrf2/comment/llu5x5g/)
Essentially this is a GIF of two tables being imported from the [AdventureWorks](https://githu...
Post: 1fjt8fg (1 comment)
Oh hey, this looks a lot like when I was intentionally making Power Query very slow:
[https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/1famrf2/the\_sick\_thrill\_of\_intentionally\_making\_power/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/1famrf2/the_sick_thrill_of_intentionally_making_power/)
I'm guess...
Post: 1h6eyjn (1 comment)
Power Query is extremely inefficient at anything that
1. requires a lot of memory
2. Is a blocking operation (pivots, sorts, etc)
3. Requires going outside of the table you are in
You can use Power Query Diagnostics to narrow things down a little bit.
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-qu...
Post: 1hkx3o0 (1 comment)
If at all possible, move the data to a relational database and move the transformation work out of Power Query, possibly via [query folding](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/query-folding-basics). You are using a corkscrew to hammer in a nail.
If the data is static, use CSV at a bare m...
Post: 1ij3l7f (1 comment)
**Internals, internals, internals.**
Understanding how data is [stored and compressed](https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/articles/article.aspx?p=2449192&seqNum=3) helps a lot. Understanding how the [Formula and Storage engine](https://www.sqlbi.com/articles/formula-engine-and-storage-engine-in-da...
Post: 1li8ure (1 comment)
I'm still not 100% clear on what you are trying to do. It sounds like you have a bunch of rows and in each row you have a cell with specific text and if that text is in your keyword table, you want to return the cluster ID.
Your fastest option is likely a [left outer join](https://www.w3schools.com...
Post: 1loarwo (1 comment)
It really depends on what is causing the load. Is it's IO, RAM, CPU, or locking and blocking? It also matters when and how frequent your refreshes are.
The very first thing I would do is use View Native Query in Power Query, to see what SQL is being generated and sent to the source. You should ...
Post: 1mmqvt2 (1 comment)
10 minutes is excessive, but not insane. It depends a lot of the structure of your SQL and the types of Power Query transformations you are making. If you are hand-writing SQL, then any PQ transformations on top probably aren't [folding](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/query-folding-ba...
Post: 1mzsi3j (1 comment)
It's probably not folding the merge back to the source system.
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/query-folding-basics](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-query/query-folding-basics)
In which case it's going to be sloooooooow, because PQ is memory constrained and does poorly with...
Fabric Licensing from Scratch 14x
URL pattern: sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing
Found in 12 unique posts
Show 14 comments
Post: 1hjsf9u (1 comment)
>Limited community knowledge: Fabric is new, so there’s a lack of community-driven solutions, forums, or practical guides to help troubleshoot issues.
Brings me back to Power BI, circa 2016. What a time to be alive 🙃.
Is there any content you'd particularly like to see? I'm starting a down-to-eart...
Post: 1i5gz19 (3 comments)
I've written a Fabric Licensing from Scratch post. Let me know if it needs any improvements.
[https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/](https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/)
I'm also presenting on it January 25th
[https://www.datatoboggan.co...
It can burst up to 12x.
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/data-warehouse/burstable-capacity](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/data-warehouse/burstable-capacity)
I've written a plain English guide to Fabric licensing, let me know if anything is missing.
[https://www.sqlgene.com/2...
I was having a discussion about this with some colleagues about Microsoft's history of obtuse licensing requirements. I think it's fair if you feel it's like how Concur has awful UI by design.
As for the dashboarding, I think [Hanlon's razor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon%27s_razor) applies....
Post: 1mezhoq (1 comment)
It's going to depend a lot on what they mean by "learn" in this case.
[Licensing wise](https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/), you can consider Fabric to be an extension of Power BI Premium. Item management is still done in workspaces, exactly like Power BI.
The most im...
Post: 1n56c5g (1 comment)
Here's my fabric licensing from scratch post:
[https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/](https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/)
The answer to your question depends *a lot* on how column-compressible your data is, since Fabric lakehouses and Fab...
Post: 1hc0a9s (1 comment)
From a blog post I recently posted in r/MicrosoftFabric
"Finally, if you ramp up to an F64 sku, Power BI content is then included. Users will still need a Fabric Free license. At $5002/mo for F64, this means it’s worth switching over at 358 Pro users or 209 PPU users."
https://www.sqlgene.com/20...
Post: 1i1y23o (1 comment)
Here's a plain English explanation of Fabric licensing. Let me know if you have any questions.
[https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/](https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/)
You won't be able to avoid licensing your consumers with Pro unless...
Post: 1ib6zuw (1 comment)
Here is my attempt to explain Fabric licensing from scratch:
[https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/](https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/)
Here is my personal guidance for Fabric for small businesses:
[https://www.sqlgene.com/2025/01/26/m...
Post: 1icqrnf (1 comment)
Here's my best attempt to explain it all in Plain English. It's loooong.
[https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/](https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/)
Post: 1ij6web (1 comment)
My posts on [Fabric licensing](https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/) and [Fabric for Small Business](https://www.sqlgene.com/2025/01/26/microsoft-fabric-guidance-for-small-businesses/) were far, far longer than I would have liked. There's some real complexity there.
Post: 1n8a18y (1 comment)
I've made an attempt!
https://www.sqlgene.com/2024/12/07/fabric-licensing-from-scratch/
Can't Download PBIX 6x
URL pattern: data-goblins.com/power-bi/cant-download-pbix
Found in 6 unique posts
Show 6 comments
Post: 1gx2prw (1 comment)
There are some shenanigans to get around this if absolutely necessary.
[https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/cant-download-pbix](https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/cant-download-pbix)
Post: 1hdid3c (1 comment)
Not exactly what you are asking, but this should have some gems.
[https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/cant-download-pbix](https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/cant-download-pbix)
Post: 1i14b2c (1 comment)
Yes, [download the PBIX](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/service-export-to-pbix) (if the report exists) and open it in Power BI Desktop. If the button is greyed out, there are cumbersome [workarounds](https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/cant-download-pbix) that may be an opti...
Post: 1i8ubp6 (1 comment)
https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/cant-download-pbix
Post: 1iebzbn (1 comment)
Given the complexity of this article, I'm guessing it's doable but not simple.
[https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/cant-download-pbix](https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/cant-download-pbix)
Post: 1lifsfb (1 comment)
The docs have a long list of limitations:
[https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/service-export-to-pbix#limitations-when-downloading-a-report-pbix-file](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/create-reports/service-export-to-pbix#limitations-when-downloading-a-report-pbix-f...