BIFocal - Clarifying Business Intelligence

This is episode 10 recorded on August 17th, 2017 where we talk about the new Power BI licensing model & Microsoft Ignite.

For show notes please visit http://bifocal.show/2017/08/18/episode-10-may-i-see-your-license-please-sir

In this episode, John and Jason look talk about about SQL Server 2017 RC2, PowerApps, and updates to the Power BI service. Recorded August 3rd, 2017

In this episode, John and Jason look specifically the July 2017 updates to Power BI in the Desktop, the service, and to the On-Premises Data Gateway. Additionally, we talk about the fact that in September, we’ll be recording in front of a live audience at the Microsoft Ignite conference in Orlando! Recorded July 14, 2017

Check out the show notes at https://www.bifocal.show/2017/08/01/episode-8-back-into-it/

After a long hiatus, Jason and John are back with the podcast! The format has changed, and now it’s audio-only (for the moment at least) and we’re trying to keep it down to a consumable 30 minutes.

In this re-launching episode both Jason and John were in Johannesburg for the Share conference, and took the opportunity to discuss all of the important announcements coming out of the Microsoft Data Analytics summit, which was happening half a world away in Seattle. Recorded June 13, 2017

Check out the show notes at https://www.bifocal.show/2017/08/01/episode-live-from-johannesburg/

Power BI has been getting a lot of attention recently, but it represents only the cloud platform of Microsoft’s BI strategy. As clearly announced last fall, the other main platform, deployed on premises, is SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). The release of SQL Server 2016 represents a major leap forward for SSRS.

Jason and John welcome guest Riccardo Muti, from the SSRS team at Microsoft to discuss the past, present and future of this venerable BI tool. Recorded August 11, 2016

Check out the show notes at https://bifocal.show/2017/07/20/episode-6-select-from-reports/

In this episode, we were fortunate enough to have Kasper De Jonge as our guest. Kasper is Senior Program Manager on the Analysis Services team, and has been with the tabular data model since its inception. Recorded May 19, 2016

Check out the show notes at bifocal.show/2017/07/20/episode…select-from-stack/

The excitement for Power BI continues to build. The driving force behind this is its ease of use, the from zero to insight speed. It’s easy to overlook the fact that Power BI also has a strong development story too. Join Jason and John as they welcome special guest Ted Pattison of Critical Path consulting to discuss the developer landscape in Power BI. Recorded April 28, 2016

Check out the show notes at https://bifocal.show/2017/07/20/episode-4-the-power-bi-development-story/

SharePoint 2016 is now generally available!!!

Jason and John welcome guests Kay Unkroth and Gregory Appel from Microsoft to discuss the BI changes in SharePoint 2016. Kay is a senior Product Manager responsible for BI intergration in SharePoint, and Greg is a senior PM in charge of Excel Online.

The big topic discussed is the fact that Excel Services have moved over to the Office Online Server. Our guests tackle the questions and repercussions of this, as well as many other topics including Microsoft’s renewed focus on SQL Server Reporting Services. Recorded March 24, 2016

Check out the show notes at https://bifocal.show/2017/07/20/episode-3-select-from-on-prem-where-version2016/

After the monthly News Update, Tips & Tricks, and What’s New in Power BI, John & Jason explain the Microsoft BI stack & it’s related technologies. They roll up their sleeves to dive into where each product can\should\will be best utilized in the business world of today. Recorded February 25, 2016

Check out the show notes at https://bifocal.show/2017/07/20/episode-2-select-from-stack/

John & Jason kick off the BI-focal show by introducing themselves, the topics, and the show format. During the course of the hour they will cover some fun BI Basics and give their perspective on what we might be able to expect in the Microsoft BI ecosystem over the next year.

Check out the show notes at https://bifocal.show/2017/07/20/episode-1-select-from-hosts/