The Clearly Podcast

Application Lifecycle Management in Power BI

Summary

This week we talk about Application Lifecycle Management.

It is important to remember that BI projects, like all software projects, should be considered in a cycle, rather than a linear process.  That is to say that the deployed report (or application) should provide a base for iteration.

Most organisations are good at managing the environments to promote code from development to release, but all too often this becomes the end of the chain.  We now have deployment pipelines that give something of a DevOps deployment experience.  Source control is the big problem with Power BI because PBIX files are databases and therefore stateful and resistant to source control.  The template file can be source controlled, but as a binary does not make it easy to use source control tools, such as branching and merging.

Application Lifecycle Management is also applicable to the wider Power Platform, although since the codebase is essentially stateless, source control concepts are a lot easier.

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Transcript

Andy

Hello everyone, and welcome to the Clearly Podcast, Episode 18, recorded on Friday, February 5th, 2021. I'm Andy Clark, here with Shailan Chudasama and Tom Gough. Today, we'll discuss Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) in Power BI projects, covering stages, practical considerations, and user engagement. How are you both?

Tom

Doing very well, thanks, Andy. How about you?

Andy

I'm good, thanks. Shailan, everything okay?

Shailan

All good here.

Andy

Great! Tom, could you start by defining Application Lifecycle Management, especially in Power BI?

Tom

Sure, Andy. ALM involves taking software from design to development, then to testing, and finally to production. Feedback from users helps refine and improve the software. In Power BI, reports need the same lifecycle management. Once deployed, user feedback should loop back to refine the reports continuously.

Andy

How many customers actually follow these procedures? Shailan, your thoughts?

Shailan

Not many. Often, a prototype report becomes critical for decision-making without proper lifecycle management. Ideally, we should move from prototype to development, testing, and then production. We've seen some customers set up environments for this, like playground, development, test, UAT, pre-production, and production.

Tom

I agree. While full ALM might be overkill for small organizations, most use some form of it. The challenge is ensuring the feedback loop is robust to continually improve reports.

Andy

What are the main considerations with ALM in Power BI, specifically with workspaces?

Shailan

In Power BI, you manage environments through workspaces. Create separate workspaces for development, testing, and production. The Power Platform now allows easier environment management, and tools like deployment pipelines help automate transitions and connection string changes.

Tom

Yes, deployment pipelines offer automation similar to DevOps, but managing pbix files remains challenging. They are stateful and resist source control. Saving them as templates helps but doesn't solve everything.

Andy

Any plans from Microsoft to address these issues?

Tom

Nothing specific yet, but balancing the needs of professional developers and citizen developers is complex. Improvements are likely, especially within the broader Power Platform context.

Shailan

There are pipeline enhancements in the works, but details are scarce. Managing binary files in source control remains tricky across many BI tools.

Andy

Discipline is key in managing pbix files and workspaces. Use clear naming conventions and version control, even if manual. Tom, what about broader business aspects?

Tom

Establish formal feedback channels and engage business champions to facilitate user feedback. Regular drop-in sessions can help build relationships and gather insights for report improvements.

Andy

Let's wrap up with final tips. For me, disciplined management of pbix files is crucial. Shailan?

Shailan

Set up clear environments and communicate the process to everyone involved.

Tom

Remember, it's a lifecycle. User feedback is essential for continuous improvement.

Andy

Thanks, everyone. For more information, visit clearlycloudy.co.uk for the UK and Europe, or clearlysolutions.net for North America. We'll be back on March 8th to discuss the power of community. Stay safe and have a great weekend!its may take time to materialize.