And the lights were switched on

Hello

Wow, this is really happening.

18 months ago I had no idea I was going to write a book and create a website. Thanks so much for joining me at the start of this new adventure.  

How it began

It was March 25th 2021 when I first raised the idea of writing a book to help Excel folk learn Power BI. I know the date because I still have the email I sent to Bill Jelen saying “Hey Bill, what’s involved in writing a book?” Bill has written 67+ books, so he’s a good guy to ask. 

That was the start of it, and over the next 14 months I spent evenings and weekends writing “Power BI for the Excel Analyst”.

How it progressed

Early on I made lots of rookie errors, but gradually I developed a style I was happy with. I was a few months into the process when I realised I’d need to go back and re-write the first 50 pages!

I wanted the printed book to be in full colour, to really help readers engage with the examples and exercises. Power BI is a visual interface to your data, therefore colour seemed essential. 

There are over 350 screenshots and they are now my nemesis. The speed with which Power BI is developing is amazing but a nightmare for creating an instructional book, especially when a completely new Formatting Pane gets introduced as you finish your first draft (yes that was another do-over ). 

I got there eventually and I’m really happy with how it all turned out. I hope you are too.

I had help

I did not do this alone. Not only did Bill give great guidance, but Deanna Puls and her husband Ken (you may have heard of him), were instrumental in spotting my mistakes, and recommending changes that I believe make the book much better. 

They would  have made this first blog post better but I think asking them to do that is taking the relationship too far! I have made some small “tweaks” to the book since they last saw a copy and therefore I take full responsibility for any typos or mistakes.

This Website

The initial thought was to set up a simple download page for the exercises and solution files that go along with the book “Power BI for the Excel Analyst”.  Then I started playing around and added a table with the links referenced in the book.

Then it occurred to me it would be great to have a reference page for content that I recommend to beginners.  Also I wanted to be able to have somewhere to post updates on the book as new features are added, or as items in the book get renamed or buttons are moved!. And that’s the birth of PBI.guide. 

Home Page with Recommended YouTube Content

Additional Recommended Sites

What’s next?

I hope you read the book, and that it provides you with value and enjoyment. I’d be grateful if you’d recommend it to others.  I’d love to hear your feedback.

Thanks again, welcome to the blog and to PBI.guide

Wyn