Home > TECH > The Logic of Insight: Power BI Intelligence Layer
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01 // INTRODUCTION: THE VISUAL PROOF
If Power Apps is the interface and Power Automate is the logic, Power BI is the truth. In this third pillar of the "Big 3," we move away from executing actions and move toward validating them. This log explores Power BI as the final destination for all the data processed by our "Bunch of Ifs."
02 // THE PHILOSOPHY: DATA IS JUST HISTORY
My philosophy for Power BI mirrors my automation logic: A report is just a collection of answered questions. Every visual on a dashboard should be the result of a specific inquiry.
- "How many 'True' paths did our automation take?"
- "Where is the bottleneck in our 'If' nest?"
If a visual doesn't answer a question or trigger a decision, it’s just noise. In the projects archive, we treat data as a narrative of system performance.
03 // THE ARCHITECTURAL SPLIT: M-CODE VS. DAX
Just as Power Automate has Cloud and Desktop, Power BI has two distinct logic engines. Knowing which one to use is critical for performance.
A. Power Query (M-Code) // The Data Shaper
This is your "Kitchen." You use M-Code to clean, pivot, and filter data before it enters the model.
- The Logic: "If the column is null, replace with 0."
- Best For: Heavy lifting, data cleaning, and structural changes.
B. DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) // The Calculator
This is your "Storefront." DAX handles the complex math and time-intelligence logic.
- The Logic: "Calculate the sum of sales IF the region is 'North'."
- Best For: Dynamic filtering, year-over-year growth, and complex aggregations.
04 // THE EXPRESSION LAYER: DAX LOGIC
Following the "Bunch of Ifs" philosophy, DAX allows us to create logical measures that react to user filters.
1. The Logical Switch (The Cleaner IF)
Don't nest five IF() statements. Use SWITCH to handle multiple conditions elegantly.
// Logic: Assign a status label based on the completion percentage Project Status = SWITCH( TRUE(), [Completion %] = 1, "COMPLETED", [Completion %] > 0.8, "NEAR_FINAL", [Completion %] > 0, "IN_PROGRESS", "PENDING" ) --- ### 01 // INTRODUCTION: THE VISUAL PROOF If Power Apps is the interface and Power Automate is the logic, **Power BI is the truth.** In this third pillar of the "Big 3," we move away from executing actions and move toward validating them. This log explores Power BI as the final destination for all the data processed by our "Bunch of Ifs." --- ### 02 // THE PHILOSOPHY: DATA IS JUST HISTORY My philosophy for Power BI mirrors my automation logic: **A report is just a collection of answered questions.** Every visual on a dashboard should be the result of a specific inquiry. * "How many 'True' paths did our automation take?" * "Where is the bottleneck in our 'If' nest?" If a visual doesn't answer a question or trigger a decision, it’s just noise. In the **projects** archive, we treat data as a narrative of system performance. --- ### 03 // THE ARCHITECTURAL SPLIT: M-CODE VS. DAX Just as Power Automate has Cloud and Desktop, Power BI has two distinct logic engines. Knowing which one to use is critical for performance. #### **A. Power Query (M-Code) // The Data Shaper** This is your "Kitchen." You use M-Code to clean, pivot, and filter data *before* it enters the model. * **The Logic:** "If the column is null, replace with 0." * **Best For:** Heavy lifting, data cleaning, and structural changes. #### **B. DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) // The Calculator** This is your "Storefront." DAX handles the complex math and time-intelligence logic. * **The Logic:** "Calculate the sum of sales **IF** the region is 'North'." * **Best For:** Dynamic filtering, year-over-year growth, and complex aggregations. --- ### 04 // THE EXPRESSION LAYER: DAX LOGIC Following the "Bunch of Ifs" philosophy, DAX allows us to create logical measures that react to user filters. #### **1. The Logical Switch (The Cleaner IF)** Don't nest five `IF()` statements. Use `SWITCH` to handle multiple conditions elegantly. ```dax // Logic: Assign a status label based on the completion percentage Project Status = SWITCH( TRUE(), [Completion %] = 1, "COMPLETED", [Completion %] > 0.8, "NEAR_FINAL", [Completion %] > 0, "IN_PROGRESS", "PENDING" )
