Ciao friends! As we always do every year, I would like to recap what happened in the word of DAX in
2022 and take a look at what to expect in 2023. So, what happened in 2022? Well, just a few
days ago, Microsoft released new DAX functions: INDEX, OFFSET, and WINDOW.
With these functions, you can
change the evaluation context in relative terms within a partition and a sort order.
Expect more content from SQLBI to cover these new features next year. While Microsoft was busy
working on these new functions, Darren Gosbell finally released DAX Studio 3. This new version
of DAX Studio has a fresh new user interface and many small but important improvements.
If you still have not upgraded, this must be your number one task for 2023.
But DAX Studio is not the only news in the tools area. We at SQLBI released the first version of
Bravo for Power BI. Bravo is a new external tool for Power BI Desktop to analyze a model, export
data. format DAX, and create a date table and time intelligence measures just with one click.
Bravo is free and open source and it's easy to use also for those users that might be intimidated
by the complexity of a tool like DAX Studio. For example, Bravo is available in multiple languages
and Bravo also provides limited options for those features that are also available in tools like
DAX Studio and Tabular Editor. So, advanced users should continue to use those tools when they need
more flexibility, but Bravo is "keep it simple". Another tool we built at SQLBI is the Contoso
Data Generator. It's a tool we use to create sample databases for our articles and videos.
You can use this free and open source tool to create your specific sample databases by
customizing the data range and the distribution of data. OK, now you understand that at SQLBI we
like to write code for new tools, but we also did something else! First of all, we launched SQLBI+.
SQLBI+ is a new subscription service for advanced content to create Tabular models.
What does it mean? When you create a Power BI or an Analysis Services model, you are actually
creating a semantic model with a Tabular engine that is used by these products. SQLBI+ gives
you access to specialized content that will not find a place in more generic courses.
We have already published two courses delivered in a SQLBI+ as white papers and video courses:
Writing DAX Queries is the first one, and Composite Models is the second one.
In SQLBI+ we also have video recorded sessions on specific subjects,
and every year we will publish at least two new other courses and four new sessions.
At least! Now, what about YouTube? We have a YouTube channel that surpassed
65,000 subscribers. We will be soon at 70,000. We launched The Whiteboard, which is a new
video series where we explained DAX and complex concepts with the help of a digital whiteboard,
and as usual we continue to publish new articles and videos that we always announced in our
newsletter, so register to our newsletter if you didn't it yet! So, what should you expect in 2023?
Well, in the first half of the coming year we will release a new version of the Optimizing DAX video
course. We started working on it in 2021, and we, yeah, it is taking longer than we expected.
It takes so long to create a new training because the research behind it is immense, but we hope you
will understand the big project behind this new course once you see the final product.
And then, as usual, we will do in-person training, new articles, new videos, and new tools. Now, this
year I'm not going to give out any more spoiler! I have been promoted to "head of marketing" so
I can no longer try to disclose something in advance because otherwise I should fire
myself! But believe me, you will see other cool things in 2023, I just cannot mention them now.
But on behalf of everyone at SQLBI, I wish you a great New Year and enjoy DAX! [Music]