22-25 April 2026 
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SQLBits 2026
Mastering the BI Mullet Part 2: Implementation & Demos
See Managed self-service BI in action. Transform a semantic model to streamline report writing. Choose admin features aligned with your data culture and build custom themes. Leverage Purview for discovery and data quality. Practical demos for small teams.
Now that you understand the BI Mullet strategy, let's see it in action. This demo-driven second half walks through how you can build core aspects of the BI Mullet that, together, will protect a small data team's time and help maximize their impact.
Demo 1: Reduce "Shadow BI" Risks with Thoughtful Use of Admin Features
-Workspace governance settings & deployment pipelines
-Tenant setting management
-Certification & sensitivity labels
-Usage monitoring to identify what's actually working
Demo 2: Make Your Power BI Semantic Model "People-Friendly"
-Best practices for naming conventions
-Features that help report writers easily identify the right fields, measures, and tables
-How to reconcile conflicting department-specific needs (e.g., different date hierarchy requirements)
-Bonus tip: Leveraging a hidden "help" tab that can feature key links, instructions, or FAQs
Demo 3: Create a Custom Report Theme & Starter Template
-Design a custom theme that applies your organization's style guide by default
-Build a minimal starter template that builds in consistency while minimizing the report writer's learning curve
Demo 4: Leverage Purview's Unified Catalog
-Key features that help users find the right data independently
-Using Purview to connect the dots between business contexts, data products, and access policies
-How data quality rules and scanning can prevent unwelcome surprises at the report writing stage
-One practical (manual) way to integrate Unified Catalog metadata into your Power BI Semantic Model
Bonus Demo: Use SharePoint Forms & Power Automate Flows to Support Decentralized Collaboration
-How (and why) to create SharePoint forms that capture new data requests or data quality issues
-Building a Power Automate flow that routes requests to the right approvers for streamlined updates
-Designing approval workflows that scale without overwhelming your small team
Every BI Mullet will look a little different based on your organization's needs. You'll leave with concrete implementation patterns you can adapt immediately—business in the front, party in the back, and governance all the way through.
Demo 1: Reduce "Shadow BI" Risks with Thoughtful Use of Admin Features
-Workspace governance settings & deployment pipelines
-Tenant setting management
-Certification & sensitivity labels
-Usage monitoring to identify what's actually working
Demo 2: Make Your Power BI Semantic Model "People-Friendly"
-Best practices for naming conventions
-Features that help report writers easily identify the right fields, measures, and tables
-How to reconcile conflicting department-specific needs (e.g., different date hierarchy requirements)
-Bonus tip: Leveraging a hidden "help" tab that can feature key links, instructions, or FAQs
Demo 3: Create a Custom Report Theme & Starter Template
-Design a custom theme that applies your organization's style guide by default
-Build a minimal starter template that builds in consistency while minimizing the report writer's learning curve
Demo 4: Leverage Purview's Unified Catalog
-Key features that help users find the right data independently
-Using Purview to connect the dots between business contexts, data products, and access policies
-How data quality rules and scanning can prevent unwelcome surprises at the report writing stage
-One practical (manual) way to integrate Unified Catalog metadata into your Power BI Semantic Model
Bonus Demo: Use SharePoint Forms & Power Automate Flows to Support Decentralized Collaboration
-How (and why) to create SharePoint forms that capture new data requests or data quality issues
-Building a Power Automate flow that routes requests to the right approvers for streamlined updates
-Designing approval workflows that scale without overwhelming your small team
Every BI Mullet will look a little different based on your organization's needs. You'll leave with concrete implementation patterns you can adapt immediately—business in the front, party in the back, and governance all the way through.