Next Generation Maps in Power BI with Icon Map (with James Dales)

LIVESTREAM DATE/TIME 📅

May 1st, 2026 - 9:30AM (Pacific Time)

DESCRIPTION 📄

Power BI mapping has… historically been “fine” in the way a rental car with three warning lights is “fine.” In this session, James Dales (Microsoft Data Platform MVP, co-leader of the London Fabric & Power BI User Group, and creator of Icon Map) walks through what’s new in modern mapping for Power BI and why Icon Map has evolved into a premium visual.

We’ll cover:

• Why Icon Map is now paid and what it delivers over legacy Icon Map and Azure Maps

• Icon Map Pro vs Icon Map Slicer: what each one does and when to use them

• The Icon Map Catalog and how it changes map-building workflows in Power BI

• Best practices for building clearer, faster, more interactive geospatial reporting experiences

Whether you’re building operational dashboards, location intelligence reports, or real-time analytics, you’ll leave with practical guidance on how to level up your maps without making your report behave like a slideshow.

GUEST BIO 👤

Having previously led the Power BI and Microsoft Fabric capabilities at both UK and global level for a large multi-national Microsoft consultancy, in 2024 James co-founded an ambitious geospatial data company Tekantis, to focus on geospatial analytics and data products.

James is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and is the co-leader of the London Fabric and Power BI user group. In 2019 he became the first member of the Power BI Contributors Program, working alongside the Microsoft engineering team to build new functionality into the Power BI product codebase. He has a keen interest in geospatial and real-time analytics and is the author of the Icon Map visuals for Power BI.

RELATED CONTENT 🔗

Icon Map Website
Icon Map LinkedIn
Jame's LinkedIn

Power BI Report-Scoped Measures: 6 Patterns for Better Reports

Video by: Reid Havens

Report-scoped measures (aka report-specific measures) are one of the easiest ways to level up a Power BI report without turning your semantic model into a junk drawer.

In this video, I walk through my Visual & Report-Scoped Measures guide and show the art of the possible. No deep DAX theory, no data engineering detours, just practical patterns you can steal immediately.

We’ll cover:

• What “report-scoped” measures are (and when you should use them)

• Six practical patterns for enhancing report UX with measures

• Dynamic titles that respond to context

• Conditional formatting driven by measures (so visuals explain themselves)

• How to keep your model clean while still making reports more interactive and readable

If you build reports for humans (not just for your own amusement), this is a strong set of patterns to have in your toolkit.

(Livestream Replay) Exploring Practical Front-End Techniques for Power BI Reporting - Gustaw Dudek

DESCRIPTION 📄

During the front-end development phase, we face many choices that will affect the usability, appearance, and overall experience of the report. To shed light on some of these issues, Gustaw will share his approach and thought process, conveying his experiences through selected use cases. Among the topics, there will be information on specific charts and nuances of their formatting, as well as Power BI functionalities like field parameters and conditional formatting, illustrated with concrete examples.

The subjects discussed during the live session are intended for all Power BI users regardless of their experience level—beginners, intermediate, and advanced. Some aspects may also appeal to users of other data visualization tools, given the universal nature of certain approaches.

GUEST BIO (Gustaw Dudek)👤

Gustaw Dudek is the Head Of Business Intelligence at the Polish Company - Enterium. He has multiple years of experience in the field of data analytics. He implements and provides business reporting solutions for various industries using Power BI tools. Gustaw is also IBCS® Certified Analyst, Enterprise DNA Platform Expert and Microsoft Power BI Community Representative. He developed extensive Power BI Portfolio, which includes diversified array of financial and operational reports as well as various demonstrative dashboards created in the frames of international BI challenges. He regularly shares his personal PowerBI-related experience through Linkedin Platform by showcasing diverse data visualization techniques.

RELATED CONTENT 🔗

Gustaw's LinkedIn
Gustaw's Power BI Content Repository Report
Gustaw'’s NovyPro Profile
Gustaw's Behance Profile

Explosion Vs Erosion for Stacked Charts in Power BI!

Video by: Reid Havens

Learn about a recently released feature for Power BI that lets you choose how to add spaces between stacked chart categories. Either by "Exploding" or "Eroding" to create those spaces. Each has their pros/cons so tune in to learn more!