Explicit Measures Podcast

Mike & Tommy tackle the growing tension between individual and team-owned Microsoft Fabric Agent Skills, exploring how BI teams should organize, govern, and promote skills without killing innovation or creating shadow BI.

They break down the full skill lifecycle — from personal experiments to certified team assets — and land on practical governance guardrails that are lightweight enough to actually stick.

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy tackle whether Power BI developers are quietly becoming professional QA testers in the age of Microsoft MCP, weighing in on what separates a true senior developer from a junior when AI writes the first draft.

They explore how the developer role is shifting, who owns accountability when AI-generated measures ship broken, and what skills still matter when the tool can do the typing.

More on Microsoft MCP for Power BI: https://claude.com/blog/how-anthropic-enables-self-service-data-analytics-with-claude

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy dive into RayFin, Microsoft's new AI-first product for building, deploying, and governing agents inside Microsoft Fabric, exploring whether this is a true shift in how BI teams work or just another layer of hype on day one.

They break down what RayFin actually changes for semantic models, reports, and pipelines, tackle the real governance risks when AI can build and deploy at platform speed, and land on the practical first steps a Fabric team should take before turning it loose in their tenant.

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Fabric-Updates-Blog/Introducing-Rayfin-A-new-AI-first-way-to-build-deploy-and-govern/ba-p/5191676

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/microsoft-build-2026-building-agentic-apps-with-microsoft-fabric-and-microsoft-databases/

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy dive into Microsoft Build 2026, breaking down what the "agentic apps" announcement actually means for Power BI and Fabric teams—and whether this is a real architecture shift or just rebranded copilots.

They weigh in on how Fabric Data Factory orchestration, Microsoft Databases, and Agent Skills change the day-to-day for BI developers and data engineers, and what governance guardrails teams need before anything touches production data.

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/microsoft-build-2026-building-agentic-apps-with-microsoft-fabric-and-microsoft-databases/
https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Fabric-Updates-Blog/Orchestration-in-Fabric-Data-Factory-Build-2026-recap/ba-p/5185775

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy dive into CI/CD automation with agents in Microsoft Fabric, exploring how agentic workflows are reshaping deployment pipelines, whether AI-driven deployments introduce more speed or more risk, and what guardrails teams need before letting agents touch production workspaces.

https://github.com/microsoft/fabric-task-flows

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/cicd/deployment-pipelines/get-started-with-deployment-pipelines?tabs=from-fabric%2Cnew-ui

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/cicd/variable-library/get-started-variable-libraries?tabs=home-page

https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/main/skills/productivity/handoff/SKILL.md

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy dive into Claude Design meets Power BI Embedded, exploring whether AI-generated UX is a shortcut or a quality risk, how semantic models stay the source of truth when LLMs scaffold embedded apps, and what guardrails belong on every AI-assisted analytics project.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PowerBI/comments/1sy5kue/claude_design_meets_power_bi_embedded/

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy tackle Microsoft Fabric hints to work faster, exploring whether teams are wasting time due to self-inflicted bad workflows, poor reuse, and confusing busy work with shipping value. They break down which repeatable tasks should be standardized first, when "just build it" becomes technical debt, and what practical Fabric habits listeners can adopt this week to stop the waste and start delivering faster.

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy explore agentic skill and report design, diving into the "Five Minutes to Wow" framework and whether AI agents accelerate great design or amplify bad habits. They confront questions about who owns design decisions when the AI makes the call, how to balance speed with craftsmanship, and what guardrails prevent self-service clutter—ultimately wrapping up with practical takeaways for anyone opening Power BI Desktop tomorrow.

https://data-goblins.com/power-bi/five-minutes-to-wow

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Updates-Blog/Power-BI-May-2026-Feature-Summary/ba-p/5182174

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Updates-Blog/New-Power-Query-experience-in-Power-BI-Desktop-Preview/ba-p/5181129

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy dive into whether agentic tooling should be driving your Knowledge Center, exploring if docs, support, and governance content can—or should—be fully automated by AI, and what that means for the future relevance of your CoE.

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/

Mike & Tommy explore the importance of agentic skills for the Fabric developer, weighing whether Skills are a productivity breakthrough or another governance risk, and discussing how to build, version, and share Skills without sacrificing engineering discipline.

https://github.com/mattpocock/skills/blob/main/skills/productivity/grill-me/SKILL.md

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Updates-Blog/Semantic-model-settings-pane-Preview/ba-p/5177694

https://community.fabric.microsoft.com/t5/Power-BI-Updates-Blog/Execute-DAX-Queries-REST-API-Preview/ba-p/5177697

Get in touch:

Send in your questions or topics you want us to discuss by tweeting to @PowerBITips with the hashtag #empMailbag or submit on the PowerBI.tips Podcast Page.

Visit PowerBI.tips: https://powerbi.tips/

Watch the episodes live every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 730am CST on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/powerbitips

Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/230fp78XmHHRXTiYICRLVv

Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/explicit-measures-podcast/id1568944083‎

Check Out Community Jam: https://jam.powerbi.tips

Follow Mike: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelcarlo/

Follow Tommy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommypuglia/