The podcast discusses Microsoft's article on semantic link and data validation using great expectations, Power BI's integration with PowerPoint, the new M connector and Delta table compatibility in Power BI Desktop, a potential revolutionary feature and a comparison of Azure Data Factory and Synapse Pipelines, retirement of Synapse and transition to using P bix, exploring the semantic link and its significance, and expressing gratitude to listeners for their support.
The semantic link and Great Expectations in Power BI offer new opportunities for collaboration between data scientists and business analysts, enabling improved data validation and quality assurance.
Great Expectations, a Python package, plays a crucial role in ensuring data quality within Power BI by allowing for validation and testing of data, measures, columns, and tables within the semantic model, enabling proactive addressing of any issues and greater confidence in data accuracy and reliability.
Semantic link provides the ability to perform data quality checks on a semantic model using libraries like Great Expectations, allowing for validation of data ranges, checking for missing values, and enhancing data quality across organizations.
Deep dives
Semantic Link and Data Validation
The semantic link feature in Power BI allows users to connect to semantic models and query them in data science applications. This opens up possibilities for data scientists to work with the data in a Python environment and shape it according to their needs. Additionally, the article highlights the use of a Python package called Great Expectations, which aids in data validation for data scientists and engineers. Great Expectations allows for the testing of data quality and the validation of measures, columns, and tables within the semantic model. It can be used to ensure data quality before using it for analysis, as well as to identify any data drift or changes in the production environment. Overall, the semantic link and Great Expectations offer new opportunities for collaboration between data scientists and business analysts, enabling improved data validation and quality assurance.
Enhancing Data Quality with Great Expectations
Great Expectations, a Python package, can play a crucial role in ensuring data quality within Power BI. It allows for the validation and testing of data, measures, columns, and tables within the semantic model. By setting expectations and running tests with Great Expectations, data scientists and engineers can identify any issues, validate the output of their analysis, and catch any data drift or unexpected changes. This enables the B.I. team to proactively address data quality issues before they impact the business. With Great Expectations, organizations can have greater confidence in the accuracy and reliability of their data.
Considerations and Benefits of Semantic Link and Great Expectations
While the semantic link feature in Power BI and the Great Expectations package offer exciting possibilities for data validation and collaboration, there are some considerations to keep in mind. Data scientists and data engineers can benefit from the ability to work with semantic models and shape data within a Python environment. However, it's important to recognize that data scientists often prefer working with raw, denormalized data, rather than the structures typically found in semantic models. The focus on data validation and quality assurance with Great Expectations may be more aligned with the needs of data engineers and business analysts. Additionally, organizations should consider the technical aspects of installing and managing these Python packages within their Power BI environment. Overall, the semantic link and Great Expectations offer valuable capabilities for enhancing data quality and collaborating between different roles in the data analysis process.
The Value of Semantic Link in Data Quality
Semantic link provides the ability to perform data quality checks on a semantic model. By using libraries like Great Expectations, users can define expectations for the data and ensure its accuracy. This allows for validation of data ranges, checking for missing values, and other quality control measures. It is particularly useful in testing environments or before publishing data to ensure the integrity of the information. While the article primarily focuses on data science, the true value of semantic link lies in its ability to improve data quality across organizations and identify issues such as missing dimensions and incorrect input.
Evaluating the Use of Data Science with Semantic Link
The podcast episode explores the potential use of semantic link in data science workflows. While the article emphasizes the value of utilizing semantic models for data science work, the hosts express skepticism regarding the practicality and effectiveness of this approach. They question the need to incorporate data science within the semantic model, particularly considering the challenges surrounding version control, validation, and the potential impact on downstream processes. They suggest using alternative approaches, such as performing data science work on the data directly in a separate environment, rather than relying on the semantic model for predictive or correlation analysis. Overall, the discussion highlights the need for further exploration and evaluation of the role and benefits of semantic link in data science applications.
Mike, Seth, & Tommy dive into a new article from Microsoft Fabric, Semantic Link & Semantic Models, and how it dives into data quality and data scientists(?).
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