An introduction to learning how to protect ourselves and organise against Big Data

Renowned DAX experts Alberto Ferrari and Marco Russo teach you how to design data models for maximum efficiency and effectiveness. How can you use Excel and Power BI to gain real insights into your information? As you examine your data, how do you write a formula that provides the numbers you need? The answers to both of these questions lie with the data model. This book introduces the basic techniques for shaping data models in Excel and Power BI. It’s meant for readers who are new to data modeling as well as for experienced data modelers looking for tips from the experts. If you want to use Power BI or Excel to analyze data, the many real-world examples in this book will help you look at your reports in a different way–like experienced data modelers do. As you’ll soon see, with the right data model, the correct answer is always a simple one! By reading this book, you will: • Gain an understanding of the basics of data modeling, including tables, relationships, and keys • Familiarize yourself with star schemas, snowflakes, and common modeling techniques • Learn the importance of granularity • Discover how to use multiple fact tables, like sales and purchases, in a complex data model • Manage calendar-related calculations by using date tables • Track historical attributes, like previous addresses of customers or manager assignments • Use snapshots to compute quantity on hand • Work with multiple currencies in the most efficient way • Analyze events that have durations, including overlapping durations • Learn what data model you need to answer your specific business questions About This Book • For Excel and Power BI users who want to exploit the full power of their favorite tools • For BI professionals seeking new ideas for modeling data

“Worth a read for anyone who cares about making change happen.”—Barack Obama A powerful new blueprint for how governments and nonprofits can harness the power of digital technology to help solve the most serious problems of the twenty-first century As the speed and complexity of the world increases, governments and nonprofit organizations need new ways to effectively tackle the critical challenges of our time—from pandemics and global warming to social media warfare. In Power to the Public, Tara Dawson McGuinness and Hana Schank describe a revolutionary new approach—public interest technology—that has the potential to transform the way governments and nonprofits around the world solve problems. Through inspiring stories about successful projects ranging from a texting service for teenagers in crisis to a streamlined foster care system, the authors show how public interest technology can make the delivery of services to the public more effective and efficient. At its heart, public interest technology means putting users at the center of the policymaking process, using data and metrics in a smart way, and running small experiments and pilot programs before scaling up. And while this approach may well involve the innovative use of digital technology, technology alone is no panacea—and some of the best solutions may even be decidedly low-tech. Clear-eyed yet profoundly optimistic, Power to the Public presents a powerful blueprint for how government and nonprofits can help solve society’s most serious problems.

Big Data Application in Power Systems, Second Edition presents a thorough update of the previous volume, providing readers with step-by-step guidance in big data analytics utilization for power system diagnostics, operation, and control. Bringing back a team of global experts and drawing on fresh, emerging perspectives, this book provides cutting-edge advice for meeting today’s challenges in this rapidly accelerating area of power engineering. Divided into three parts, this book begins by breaking down the big picture for electric utilities, before zooming in to examine theoretical problems and solutions in detail. Finally, the third section provides case studies and applications, demonstrating solution troubleshooting and design from a variety of perspectives and for a range of technologies. Readers will develop new strategies and techniques for leveraging data towards real-world outcomes. Including five brand new chapters on emerging technological solutions, Big Data Application in Power Systems, Second Edition remains an essential resource for the reader aiming to utilize the potential of big data in the power systems of the future. Provides a total refresh to include the most up-to-date research, developments, and challenges Focuses on practical techniques, including rapidly modernizing monitoring systems, measurement data availability, big data handling and machine learning approaches for processing high dimensional, heterogeneous, and spatiotemporal data Engages with cross-disciplinary lessons, drawing on the impact of intersectional technology including statistics, computer science, and bioinformatics Includes five brand new chapters on hot topics, ranging from uncertainty decision-making to features, selection methods, and the opportunities provided by social network data

Power Query is one component of the Power BI (Business Intelligence) product from Microsoft, and "M" is the name of the programming language created by it. As more business intelligence pros begin using Power Pivot, they find that they do not have the Excel skills to clean the data in Excel; Power Query solves this problem. This book shows how to use the Power Query tool to get difficult data sets into both Excel and Power Pivot, and is solely devoted to Power Query dashboarding and reporting.

Power Query is the amazing new data cleansing tool in both Excel and Power BI Desktop. Do you find yourself performing the same data cleansing steps day after day? Power Query will make it faster to clean your data the first time. While Power Query is powerful, the interface is subtle—there are tools hiding in plain sight that are easy to miss. Go beyond the obvious and take Power Query to new levels with this book.