Artificial Intelligence with Microsoft Power BI

Chapter 4. Automating Data Exploration and Editing

Most of this book shows you how AI can do something new that could not have been done before, whether that is identifying key features and anomalies, building a machine learning model, or applying Azure AI Services to your data. This chapter, however, is about how AI can automate aspects of the data exploration and editing process. The first half of the chapter reviews the built-in AI components of Power Query Editor that automate data preprocessing steps. The second half explores the AI tools and features that help speed up the process of interpreting information and generating reports. Together, these automation features of Power BI allow the analyst to spend less time on tedious tasks and free up more time for more thoughtful work.

The Transformational Power of Automation

As a reader of this book, you are likely the kind of person who is excited to see advances in the technological landscape. The opposite kind of person, someone who rejects new technology, is often called a Luddite. But did you know this was the name of a labor movement in northern England in the early 1800s? The original Luddites were skilled textile workers who would break into factories and destroy the new looms that were competing with their labor. Their sabotage was serious enough that Parliament passed the Frame-Breaking Act in 1812, making such crimes punishable by death.¹ Notably, for the Luddites, it was never about being against technology per se—they ...