Expert Data Modeling with Power BI, Second Edition: Enrich and optimize your data models to get the best out of Power BI for reporting and business needs

I found the first edition of “Expert Data Modeling with Power BI” so valuable I had to buy the second edition when it became available. Even as an experienced Power BI developer I would often bring the book with me to lunch and enjoy reading, highlighting and underlining in it.There were several things I liked about the first edition. First, I liked the fact that the book was written by a consultant that had worked in a variety of situations, and, brought his real-world expertise that he gained to the pages. Second, I liked how thorough the book was, that it covered all aspects of data modeling (data acquisition, data prep, star schema, and advanced data modeling techniques) and was a useful resource for the beginner who could grow into the book, but useful for the experienced dev also.I even found the “Introduction” chapter valuable, but having a good amount of experience when I bought the first edition it was the “Advanced Modeling” techniques that I was most interested in.The second edition, as expected, adds more content, reflecting the many additions to the Power BI product since the first edition. I like the smaller font and the graphic design updates although I liked the first edition graphic design also. The screenshots look better in the second edition and it appears that some screenshots were replaced with actual diagrams to make the content clearer, which I like.I do have a few suggestions for a future revision. In the “Data from Various Sources” section I would love to see one or more examples connecting via an API, perhaps one simple example, and one more complex example. Something else I would find valuable, which the author invariably has run into, is a case study looking at a tangled data model design (bidirectional cross filtering, many to many relationships,…), and then a proposed redesign.In summary, I’m glad I have the second edition of the book and will have to find a willing recipient of my first edition copy that won’t mind my crazy highlighting and underlining.

If you want to build top-quality, high-performing Power BI reports, the make-or-break aspect will be whether you get your data model right.Ever since the first edition of MS MVP Soheil Bakhshi's book came out two years ago, it has been at the top of my list of recommended data modeling books:My only quibble with this book is the title, which might lead you to believe that that it is primarily for expert/advanced users. While the book skillfully addresses advanced topics, it is also the only book I've seen on this topic suitable for beginning Power BI users as well. At over 650 pages, this is an extensive resource that you can grow with as your Power BI knowledge expands over time.Soheil starts with an outstanding introduction to data modeling in Power BI - explaining in clear, concise language with multiple illustrations why the data model is so fundamental to Power BI, and addressing key concepts, such as star schema and denormalization.One of my favorite things about this book is the excellent balance of theory and practice. Soheil does a great job explaining the broader "whys" of data modeling best practices, but also shows you in step-by-step detail the "hows" of implementing these approaches in your own reports - covering the necessary DAX, Power Query and Power BI techniques with excellent clarity.As good as the first edition was, this new second edition is substantially improved, since it addresses in detail the advances in Power BI related to data modeling implemented over the last two years, including:🔸 Composite Models🔸 Enabling Direct Query for live connections🔸 Field Parameters🔸 Datamarts🔸 EVALUATEANDLOG for debugging🔸 The new family of DAX WINDOW functionsWhatever your current level of skill with data modeling is, I believe you will find much to learn from in this book.

This book is complex but I have joined the authors group and plan to see what I can learn from the experts.

Brian Julias recommended this book, and even though I've been using the product for years, I still found really good content within. I recommend for architects and anyone who's building semantic models with Power BI.

I recommend this book for the hands on exercises and thoughtful full tips on getting the data working fast for you on the Power BI platform. It is not for beginner, though.The reading is good. The topic is one I use and consider myself an SME on.The book feels a bit diffused and sometimes out of order, which makes the reading confusing for most people, in my opinion. Give it some paciense and you will learn a ton.

I have been using Power BI for close to three years on a daily basis and still found several hidden gems in this book. Highly recommend!