powerbi-modeling | SkillBundle

Power BI Semantic Modeling

Guide users in building optimized, well-documented Power BI semantic models following Microsoft best practices.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when users ask about:

Creating or optimizing Power BI semantic models
Designing star schemas (dimension/fact tables)
Writing DAX measures or calculated columns
Configuring table relationships (cardinality, cross-filter)
Implementing row-level security (RLS)
Naming conventions for tables, columns, measures
Adding descriptions and documentation to models
Performance tuning and optimization
Calculation groups and field parameters
Model validation and best practice checks

Trigger phrases: "create a measure", "add relationship", "star schema", "optimize model", "DAX formula", "RLS", "naming convention", "model documentation", "cardinality", "cross-filter"

Prerequisites

Required Tools

Power BI Modeling MCP Server: Required for connecting to and modifying semantic models
- Enables: connection_operations, table_operations, measure_operations, relationship_operations, etc.
- Must be configured and running to interact with models

Optional Dependencies

Microsoft Learn MCP Server: Recommended for researching latest best practices
- Enables: microsoft_docs_search, microsoft_docs_fetch
- Use for complex scenarios, new features, and official documentation

Workflow

1. Connect and Analyze First

Before providing any modeling guidance, always examine the current model state:

1. List connections: connection_operations(operation: "ListConnections")
2. If no connection, check for local instances: connection_operations(operation: "ListLocalInstances")
3. Connect to the model (Desktop or Fabric)
4. Get model overview: model_operations(operation: "Get")
5. List tables: table_operations(operation: "List")
6. List relationships: relationship_operations(operation: "List")
7. List measures: measure_operations(operation: "List")

2. Evaluate Model Health

After connecting, assess the model against best practices:

Star Schema: Are tables properly classified as dimension or fact?
Relationships: Correct cardinality? Minimal bidirectional filters?
Naming: Human-readable, consistent naming conventions?
Documentation: Do tables, columns, measures have descriptions?
Measures: Explicit measures for key calculations?
Hidden Fields: Are technical columns hidden from report view?

3. Provide Targeted Guidance

Based on analysis, guide improvements using references:

Star schema design: See STAR-SCHEMA.md
Relationship configuration: See RELATIONSHIPS.md
DAX measures and naming: See MEASURES-DAX.md
Performance optimization: See PERFORMANCE.md
Row-level security: See RLS.md

Quick Reference: Model Quality Checklist

Area	Best Practice
Tables	Clear dimension vs fact classification
Naming	Human-readable: `Customer Name` not `CUST_NM`
Descriptions	All tables, columns, measures documented
Measures	Explicit DAX measures for business metrics
Relationships	One-to-many from dimension to fact
Cross-filter	Single direction unless specifically needed
Hidden fields	Hide technical keys, IDs from report view
Date table	Dedicated marked date table

MCP Tools Reference

Use these Power BI Modeling MCP operations:

Operation Category	Key Operations
`connection_operations`	Connect, ListConnections, ListLocalInstances, ConnectFabric
`model_operations`	Get, GetStats, ExportTMDL
`table_operations`	List, Get, Create, Update, GetSchema
`column_operations`	List, Get, Create, Update (descriptions, hidden, format)
`measure_operations`	List, Get, Create, Update, Move
`relationship_operations`	List, Get, Create, Update, Activate, Deactivate
`dax_query_operations`	Execute, Validate
`calculation_group_operations`	List, Create, Update
`security_role_operations`	List, Create, Update, GetEffectivePermissions

Common Tasks

Add Measure with Description

measure_operations(
  operation: "Create",
  definitions: [{
    name: "Total Sales",
    tableName: "Sales",
    expression: "SUM(Sales[Amount])",
    formatString: "$#,##0",
    description: "Sum of all sales amounts"
  }]
)

Update Column Description

Create Relationship

When to Use Microsoft Learn MCP

Research current best practices using microsoft_docs_search for:

Latest DAX function documentation
New Power BI features and capabilities
Complex modeling scenarios (SCD Type 2, many-to-many)
Performance optimization techniques
Security implementation patterns

Power BI Semantic Modeling

Guide users in building optimized, well-documented Power BI semantic models following Microsoft best practices.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when users ask about:

Creating or optimizing Power BI semantic models
Designing star schemas (dimension/fact tables)
Writing DAX measures or calculated columns
Configuring table relationships (cardinality, cross-filter)
Implementing row-level security (RLS)
Naming conventions for tables, columns, measures
Adding descriptions and documentation to models
Performance tuning and optimization
Calculation groups and field parameters
Model validation and best practice checks

Trigger phrases: "create a measure", "add relationship", "star schema", "optimize model", "DAX formula", "RLS", "naming convention", "model documentation", "cardinality", "cross-filter"

Prerequisites

Required Tools

Power BI Modeling MCP Server: Required for connecting to and modifying semantic models
- Enables: connection_operations, table_operations, measure_operations, relationship_operations, etc.
- Must be configured and running to interact with models

Optional Dependencies

Microsoft Learn MCP Server: Recommended for researching latest best practices
- Enables: microsoft_docs_search, microsoft_docs_fetch
- Use for complex scenarios, new features, and official documentation

Workflow

1. Connect and Analyze First

Before providing any modeling guidance, always examine the current model state:

1. List connections: connection_operations(operation: "ListConnections")
2. If no connection, check for local instances: connection_operations(operation: "ListLocalInstances")
3. Connect to the model (Desktop or Fabric)
4. Get model overview: model_operations(operation: "Get")
5. List tables: table_operations(operation: "List")
6. List relationships: relationship_operations(operation: "List")
7. List measures: measure_operations(operation: "List")

2. Evaluate Model Health

After connecting, assess the model against best practices:

Star Schema: Are tables properly classified as dimension or fact?
Relationships: Correct cardinality? Minimal bidirectional filters?
Naming: Human-readable, consistent naming conventions?
Documentation: Do tables, columns, measures have descriptions?
Measures: Explicit measures for key calculations?
Hidden Fields: Are technical columns hidden from report view?

3. Provide Targeted Guidance

Based on analysis, guide improvements using references:

Star schema design: See STAR-SCHEMA.md
Relationship configuration: See RELATIONSHIPS.md
DAX measures and naming: See MEASURES-DAX.md
Performance optimization: See PERFORMANCE.md
Row-level security: See RLS.md

Quick Reference: Model Quality Checklist

Area	Best Practice
Tables	Clear dimension vs fact classification
Naming	Human-readable: `Customer Name` not `CUST_NM`
Descriptions	All tables, columns, measures documented
Measures	Explicit DAX measures for business metrics
Relationships	One-to-many from dimension to fact
Cross-filter	Single direction unless specifically needed
Hidden fields	Hide technical keys, IDs from report view
Date table	Dedicated marked date table

MCP Tools Reference

Use these Power BI Modeling MCP operations:

Operation Category	Key Operations
`connection_operations`	Connect, ListConnections, ListLocalInstances, ConnectFabric
`model_operations`	Get, GetStats, ExportTMDL
`table_operations`	List, Get, Create, Update, GetSchema
`column_operations`	List, Get, Create, Update (descriptions, hidden, format)
`measure_operations`	List, Get, Create, Update, Move
`relationship_operations`	List, Get, Create, Update, Activate, Deactivate
`dax_query_operations`	Execute, Validate
`calculation_group_operations`	List, Create, Update
`security_role_operations`	List, Create, Update, GetEffectivePermissions

Common Tasks

Add Measure with Description

measure_operations(
  operation: "Create",
  definitions: [{
    name: "Total Sales",
    tableName: "Sales",
    expression: "SUM(Sales[Amount])",
    formatString: "$#,##0",
    description: "Sum of all sales amounts"
  }]
)

Update Column Description

Create Relationship

When to Use Microsoft Learn MCP

Research current best practices using microsoft_docs_search for:

Latest DAX function documentation
New Power BI features and capabilities
Complex modeling scenarios (SCD Type 2, many-to-many)
Performance optimization techniques
Security implementation patterns