RADACAD Data Analytics Updates 14th Oct 2026

Claude + Power BI Data for Business Users: Fabric IQ MCP Server Setup & Demo

AI is not just for developers. Business users need to be able to ask their own company data a question from the AI tool they already use every day. In this video I connect Claude to the data in a Power BI semantic model using the Fabric IQ MCP Server, so a business user can type a normal prompt and get an answer from governed company data. I start with a demo of how it works, then walk through the full setup, and finish with a complete live demo.

Power BI Data in Excel: Export to Excel vs Analyze in Excel (Why One Wins)

Your users are going to take Power BI data into Excel. The only question is how. In this video I show the two main ways to work with Power BI data (which lives in the semantic model) in Excel: Export to Excel and Analyze in Excel, which is the Excel live connection to Power BI. I demo both methods step by step, explain the real disadvantages of Export to Excel, and show why Analyze in Excel is the better choice, plus how you can control who uses which method in your organization.

In-Person Fabric and Power BI Courses

Our Power BI and Microsoft Fabric training courses were a huge success during last year's world tour — and the feedback from attendees was incredible. We are still finalizing the dates and cities for this year's tour, so stay tuned for that announcement. In the meantime, if you do not want to wait, reach out to us directly. We are more than happy to schedule a private training session for your team — at your pace, on your schedule, tailored to your needs. Just send us a message and we will take it from there.

Here are some feedback from this round of training;

Enthusiastic and intense, it’s been an incredible three days, covering all important aspects of Data engineering, Data warehousing, Integration, Data governance, and Fabric best practices. From hands-on lab exercises to ad hoc discussions, we’ve dived deep and explored every facet of the Fabric landscape.
The course was very helpful to deepen more into the Power BI capabilities and its use cases, seeing different solution alternatives, and strengthen the knowledge we already have in some topics.
I liked the training a lot. It was a very interactive session - good level of overview around PowerBI Architectures, mixed with right level of deeper dives. Reza was always open and approachable to adjust the agenda and answering questions relevant to the audience. I enjoyed switching between presentation and Live-demos, which made the content easy to understand and remember.
Reza is very knowledgeable in MS tech stack and some of the questions he answered went beyond just the fabric usage in a more holistic and practical view from his experiences. It was one of the best engaging trainings I have attended in years and would definitely recommend anyone looking to learn Fabric architecture and workloads to attend this brilliantly designed course.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Microsoft Fabric training. The content was well-structured and relevant, providing a deep dive into essential topics. Reza was an outstanding trainer, whose enthusiasm and deep knowledge made the learning process both effective and enjoyable. His practical examples and hands-on approach greatly aided in understanding the complexities of Fabric. I leave this course better equipped and confident in applying these new skills in my work. Highly recommend!
I really enjoyed the training. I learned a lot. Reza has the ability to convey information well and takes the time for questions.
The course was quite informative and filled up gaps in understanding MS Fabric platform. Now we have clearer strategy what is the best way to use the platform.
Thank you! Great job!

Here are some photos from the previous year's training tour;

Power BI & Fabric Summit 2027: ticket sales open

The 6th edition of the Power BI and Microsoft Fabric Summit this year took place from the 23rd to the 27th of February 2026. We had almost 150 sessions presented by almost 170 speakers at a week-long conference across eight tracks, spread into two repeating time slots.
We received a huge amount of positive feedback, which is heartwarming for our team after all the hard work. This is made possible by many of our wonderful speakers. If you attended this year's summit, thank you. We are glad that you could be with us this time. If you haven't been able to attend, the recordings of all sessions are now available through the event website below.

Event's website:
https://globalpowerbisummit.com/

Difinity Conference ANZ 2026: Sessions and speakers announced

The sessions and speakers are announced for Difinity Melbourne and Auckland in December 2026.
Difinity is the largest Microsoft Data, AI, Power BI, and Fabric Conference in New Zealand and Australia, focusing on Microsoft Fabric and Data and AI technologies of Microsoft. IT Decision Makers, Developers, Business Analysts, IT Professionals, Data Engineers, Data modelers, ETL developers, Data Architects, BI Managers, BI Professionals, Database Administrators, Architects, Digital & Big Data business leaders, and Consultants will gather for two consecutive days of learning.

Difinity 2025 was a huge success. We have run 10 Difinity events so far and we got amazing feedback from attendees of all three cities.

The dates for Difinity this year are as follows;

Difinity Conference Toronto 2026: wrapped up

We had an amazing time at Difinity Conference Toronto with speakers coming from the Netherlands, Ireland, and different regions of the USA and Canada. And we received such great feedback from attendees about this conference.

Difinity is a Microsoft Fabric and Power BI conference in person. Presented by industry experts, MVPs, and Microsoft, it is a conference for learning and networking. There isn't any marketing session at this conference.

If you missed joining us this year at Difinity, you can join us at the virtual Power BI & Fabric Summit, or one of the Difinity Conferences in the ANZ region; links are in the sections above.

In Loving Memory of Leila Etaati

Leila Etaati is a name that RADACAD started, grew, and matured with it. She was the heart and brain of RADACAD. It is with great sadness that she passed away on the morning of 31st of December 2023 after 11 months of nonstop fight with progressive head and neck cancer. Leila was co-founder and co-director of RADACAD, Power BI & Fabric Summit, Difinity conference, Data Insight Summit, SQL Saturday Auckland, Power BI and Analytics user group in Auckland, and Global AI BootCamp in Auckland.
Some of the videos and articles published in 2023 were done while Leila was either at the hospital or going through difficult treatment plans. Nothing has ever stopped Leila from doing her work, which she loved and wanted to help community at the same time.
The past few months were split into two parts: the part that she was battling deadly cancer with all her might, I have been with her at the hospital, and we never really had much chance to think about work and our newsletter. And after her passing, which was not less difficult for me to keep going.
I may write about her difficult path in the last few months of her life at some stage, it is the most unbelievable and sad story, but also shows how strong Leila was facing all of those in a situation that everyone else would have lost hope.
I have written a tribute to her which is also mentioned in her Eulogy, which you can read here.
Below is also the video of her funeral. Leila is always with RADACAD.

Reza

Consulting Support Calls with RADACAD Team

Get on a one-on-one call with one of our consultants, and get your problem fixed as soon as possible. On a monthly subscription, we can cover all your questions. Choose what is the best package for your monthly support subscription. Hours to be used within 30 days (one month). You can cancel anytime, No long term contract. Contact us if you have any questions.

https://learn.radacad.com/product/consulting-support-calls-power-bi-and-ai/