Categories
Fabric

Materialising DataFrames in Spark

We recently dived into Spark and saw how DataFrames use lazy evaluation to defer execution until needed. This is useful for defining segments of logic to be reused, but if this causes large, complex calculations to execute multiple times, there may be a better way. Lazy evaluation Let’s take an example with some sales data: The display triggers execution […]

Categories
Fabric

Thinking in SQL, Working in Spark

I’ve spent years shaping data with SQL Server, however after pulling at the threads of Fabric I’m opening notebooks and finding PySpark. At first glance the difference is stark, but it’s not quite the dramatic shift it appears. If you’re not familiar, let’s look at what’s very similar, and where the true differences are. Same data, different […]

Categories
Fabric

Pulling at the Threads of Microsoft Fabric

I’ve had Fabric gnawing at me for too long. Whilst I’ve dabbled in a couple of areas, I haven’t taken the time to explore the breadth of what Microsoft’s flagship data platform offers. That is, until I recently took the plunge. For those who may be in the same position, I wanted to share the […]

Categories
Fabric Power BI

Intentional Header Behaviour in Paginated Reports

If you’ve tried to get header rows to repeat or scroll as you move through your paginated reports, you may have felt the frustration of getting them working correctly. Whether it’s Reporting Services, Power BI, or Fabric, the flavour doesn’t matter. The properties on the tablix should provide the functionality, but they’re not reliable. In this post […]

Categories
Fabric Power BI

Elevate Report Presentation with Apps in Power BI and Fabric

When using Power BI or Fabric workspaces to browse reports, we’re greeted with a list of items and their attributes. While attention is given to report visuals such as bars, pies, candles, and RAG highlights, the surrounding experience is neglected. When it comes to consumption, the standard interface falls short. Apps fill this gap. They’ve […]