Power BI Weekly

Issue 363

23^rd June 2026

Welcome to the 363rd edition of Power BI Weekly! It's a very security, governance and connectivity-flavoured week from MSFT, with a cluster of announcements around authentication, data protection and the connector ecosystem. Here they are:

• Michaela Isaacs has flagged the move from embedded ODBC drivers to ADBC in Power BI and Fabric, which will mean updating your Databricks, Snowflake or BigQuery connectors, so it's worth getting ahead of.
• Kay Unkroth covers Entra ID single sign-on for the Starburst connector (Preview), and Entra ID single sign-on for the Denodo connector (Preview), allowing users to query these sources in DirectQuery with their own credentials.
• Also from Kay, workspace outbound access protection for Power BI Reports (Preview) applies automatic data flow constraints without requiring any changes to individual reports or extensive configuration.
• Yael Biss announces that Protection Policies are now Generally Available, which let organizations classify data once and enforce access restrictions across all Power BI reports that consume a semantic model, ensuring sensitive information is only visible to authorized users based on its classification.
• Goutham Upadhyaya shares the June 2026 on-premises data gateway release.
• And Michaela Isaacs returns to explain how Microsoft is centralising the Power Query connector ecosystem in Fabric, introducing a defined connector lifecycle from Preview through to Retirement.

Finally, on the community side, Philipp Lenz has written up implementing parent-child hierarchies using PATH(), DAX UDFs and TMDL, a practical look at turning hierarchies into something readable while preserving full depth and avoiding blank values.

Data Prep

• Securing the Power Query connector ecosystem in Fabric
  Microsoft is centralizing Power Query connector development in Fabric to enhance security, reliability, and long-term support, introducing a clear connector lifecycle that includes Preview, General Availability (GA), Transparent Migration, and Retirement stages.
• Power Query, PivotTable, and Pivot Chart: A Month-End Workflow
  This tutorial demonstrates how to automate month-end reporting by combining Power Query for data import, PivotTable for summarization, and PivotChart for visual insights, saving time compared to manual processes.

Data Modeling

• Implementing Parent-Child Hierarchies in Power BI Using PATH(), DAX UDFs, and TMDL
  This article shows how to transform complex parent-child hierarchies into readable structures in Power BI using PATH(), custom DAX UDFs, and TMDL, eliminating blank values while preserving full hierarchy depth.
• Connecting Claude AI to Power BI Desktop: 5 Practical Tips for Efficiency
  Learn five practical tips for efficiently integrating Claude AI with Power BI Desktop to automate date table creation, DAX function generation, and full documentation production.
• The Most Important DAX Concepts to Learn First
  This video breaks down four essential DAX concepts-filter context, relationships, grain, and context transition-with clear examples to help beginners avoid common calculation pitfalls in Power BI.

Report Authoring and Interactivity

• Using AI with Power BI Project (PBIP) Files to Create Reports
  AI can automatically generate entire Power BI reports-including visuals, slicers, and formatting-from PBIP project files, streamlining development for developers, analysts, and Fabric professionals.
• How to Build ANY Custom Cards in Power BI
  Learn to create custom HTML KPI visuals in Power BI by designing mockups in Figma, generating prompts for Claude AI, and implementing the code directly within Power BI, enabling versatile card designs for any KPI.
• Clickable KPI Cards in Power BI — No Custom Visual, Just SVG
  Build a fully functional, clickable KPI card in Power BI using only DAX and SVG, without any custom visuals or third-party tools, allowing users to switch between different metrics with a single button click.
• Deja de usar los Tooltips por defecto en Power BI
  Learn how to enhance Power BI tooltips with additional fields, formatting options, and a new sentence template feature from the June 2026 update, making your reports clearer and more insightful without cluttering visuals.
• Building Power BI Reports with AI 100% OFFLINE (Official MCP with Local LLM)
  This guide demonstrates how to use LM Studio with the Model Context Protocol to create and deploy fully offline AI agents that interact seamlessly with Power BI, enabling secure local data analysis without internet connectivity.

Deployment, Security and Operations

• Protect once, enforce everywhere: Protection policies for Power BI (Generally Available)
  Microsoft Purview protection policies let organizations classify data once and enforce access restrictions across all Power BI reports that consume a semantic model, ensuring sensitive information is only visible to authorized users based on its classification.
• Microsoft Entra ID single sign-on for the Starburst connector in Power BI (Preview)
  With Microsoft Entra ID SSO enabled for the Starburst connector in Power BI (Preview), report viewers authenticate using their own Entra ID, allowing Starburst’s access policies-including row-level and column-level security-to be enforced based on the actual user rather than a generic connection account.
• Microsoft Entra ID single sign-on for the Denodo connector in Power BI (Preview)
  With Entra ID single sign-on, users can query Denodo models in Power BI DirectQuery using their Azure Active Directory credentials seamlessly.
• Workspace outbound access protection for Power BI reports (Preview)
  The preview introduces workspace outbound access protection for Power BI reports, enabling automatic data flow constraints without requiring any changes to individual reports or extensive configuration.
• Migrating from embedded ODBC drivers to ADBC in Power BI and Fabric
  Migrating from embedded ODBC drivers to ADBC in Power BI and Fabric will require updating connectors for Databricks, Snowflake, or BigQuery to ensure seamless connection management and performance.
• On-premises data gateway June 2026 release
  The June 2026 on-premises data gateway release (version 3000.322) introduces Windows Web Account Manager authentication for enhanced token security, updates Apache Log4j to patch vulnerabilities, adds consent-driven diagnostic uploads with integrated run experience insights, and aligns fully with the latest Power BI Desktop version.
• Power BI to Excel: Save time and never reformat your data again
  Discover how Power BI’s live connection feature, when exported to Excel, eliminates repetitive manual reformatting by automatically refreshing data with a single click while preserving original formatting.
• Beyond Version Control: GitHub Actions for Power BI Development | Daniel Patkos
  Daniel Patkos will demonstrate how GitHub Actions can automate Power BI development workflows, from code reviews to CI/CD pipelines, enhancing quality and efficiency for Power BI developers.

General

• Dashboard del Mundial de Fútbol en Power BI y en vivo
  This tutorial builds a comprehensive World Cup football dashboard in Power BI, teaching key concepts like Power Query and DAX through step-by-step construction.