How to make your Power BI Semantic Models faster!
Proposed session for SQLBits 2026TL; DR
Say goodbye to slow Power BI reports! In this demo-packed session, we’ll discover how to troubleshoot, optimize, and supercharge semantic model performance using DAX Studio & Tabular Editor.
Session Details
Tired of the dreaded "this report is slow" feedback? Sluggish reports and long refreshes are often symptoms of unoptimised models or hidden design flaws. In this session, I'll give you the practical toolkit to find and fix them
Join me for this demo-filled, intermediate-level session, where I will walk you through how to approach this scenario. We'll work through examples of poorly performing reports/models, identify the cause of the issue and discuss how they can be redesigned or optimised to help improve performance.
I'll show you how you can use tools like DAX Studio and Tabular Editor to identify and correct issues, leveraging keys features like Best Practice Analyser, VertiPAQ analyser & DAX Traces. We'll also dissect some of the most common causes of slow DAX queries & show you how to avoid them.
You’ll leave this session with the tools and skills to build faster, more efficient models and finally silence the "slow report" complaints.
Join me for this demo-filled, intermediate-level session, where I will walk you through how to approach this scenario. We'll work through examples of poorly performing reports/models, identify the cause of the issue and discuss how they can be redesigned or optimised to help improve performance.
I'll show you how you can use tools like DAX Studio and Tabular Editor to identify and correct issues, leveraging keys features like Best Practice Analyser, VertiPAQ analyser & DAX Traces. We'll also dissect some of the most common causes of slow DAX queries & show you how to avoid them.
You’ll leave this session with the tools and skills to build faster, more efficient models and finally silence the "slow report" complaints.
3 things you'll get out of this session
Learn how to identify Semantic Model performance issues
Understand what you can do to improve performance
Discover the tools that help you optimize models
Speakers
Ashley Warren's other proposed sessions for 2026
CI/CD in PowerBI: For when just hitting publish isn't good enough - 2026
From Concept to Product: How to bring your data product to life - 2026