22-25 April 2026 
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SQLBits 2026
Mastering Power BI Documentation System – Not Just an Afterthought
“You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.”
We all have a vision for great documented Power BI solutions - but well to often we push it at the end, forget it or can't remember it.
This session will suggest a well-designed Power BI documentation systems that lead to progress, even when motivation is low.
In this session, you'll get hands-on methods for making documentation a natural part of your Power BI workflow.
We'll explore Power Query metadata, Table Groups and scripting in Tabular Editor, INFO.VIEW DAX functions, external tools, model layout views, TMDL view documentation, VertiPaq Analyzer in DAX Query views, Semantic Link Labs, and JSON theme documentation.
Everything is tied together in a user-friendly, accessible app – where the end user meets the documentation directly.
This isn’t just inspiration – it’s a system you can take home and apply.
A Power BI documentation system – not just an afterthought
You don’t rise to the level of your goals – you fall to the level of your systems.
We all want well-documented Power BI solutions. Yet too often, documentation becomes an afterthought - rushed at the end, skipped entirely, or forgotten when it’s needed most.
This session will guide you through building a repeatable, practical system for Power BI documentation that works even when motivation is low. Instead of relying on good intentions, you’ll learn how to make documentation a natural part of your Power BI workflow - and see how much that can be automated.
Through practical examples, we’ll explore wide variety of topics within documentation in Power Query, Semantic Model, Power BI Desktop and finally you’ll see how it all ties together in a user-friendly app that connects documentation directly to the end user.
// Power Query
- Query Folders
- Applied Steps (Rename + Properties)
- Table Properties from M to TMDL
- Parameters for easy switch
- Last Refresh & Measure Table & Table.Profile
- Powerqueryformatter.com
// Semantic Model
- Format DAX
- DAX Expression as Description
- INFO.VIEW Model Docs
- Display Folders for Measures & Columns
- Table Groups
- Semantic Model Docs
// Power BI Desktop
- Model Layout View per Fact
- DAX Query View + VertiPaq Analyzer
- Unpin Ineffective Default Visuals
- Report Theme JSON Docs
- Report Visual elements in Selection Pane
- Report Docs
// App
- Video and PDF in an App
- Notebooks with measure dependency and model relationships in an app
- OneLake catalog
- All into a Lakehouse
- External Tools & Copilot
- End-User Docs
This isn’t just inspiration - it’s a complete documentation system you can take home and apply immediately with scripts, templates and code snippets.
Make Power BI documentation a habit, not an afterthought.
#DocumentationCanBeFun
We all want well-documented Power BI solutions. Yet too often, documentation becomes an afterthought - rushed at the end, skipped entirely, or forgotten when it’s needed most.
This session will guide you through building a repeatable, practical system for Power BI documentation that works even when motivation is low. Instead of relying on good intentions, you’ll learn how to make documentation a natural part of your Power BI workflow - and see how much that can be automated.
Through practical examples, we’ll explore wide variety of topics within documentation in Power Query, Semantic Model, Power BI Desktop and finally you’ll see how it all ties together in a user-friendly app that connects documentation directly to the end user.
// Power Query
- Query Folders
- Applied Steps (Rename + Properties)
- Table Properties from M to TMDL
- Parameters for easy switch
- Last Refresh & Measure Table & Table.Profile
- Powerqueryformatter.com
// Semantic Model
- Format DAX
- DAX Expression as Description
- INFO.VIEW Model Docs
- Display Folders for Measures & Columns
- Table Groups
- Semantic Model Docs
// Power BI Desktop
- Model Layout View per Fact
- DAX Query View + VertiPaq Analyzer
- Unpin Ineffective Default Visuals
- Report Theme JSON Docs
- Report Visual elements in Selection Pane
- Report Docs
// App
- Video and PDF in an App
- Notebooks with measure dependency and model relationships in an app
- OneLake catalog
- All into a Lakehouse
- External Tools & Copilot
- End-User Docs
This isn’t just inspiration - it’s a complete documentation system you can take home and apply immediately with scripts, templates and code snippets.
Make Power BI documentation a habit, not an afterthought.
#DocumentationCanBeFun