6.4Checklists & templates
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Start clean: identified sources (cloud preferably), data cleaned and typed in Power Query, star schema, dedicated and marked date table.
- Publish with peace of mind: consistent design, tuned interactivity (2 to 4 slicers), tested RLS, timed performance, team workspace and scheduled refresh.
- Rule: a checklist ticked every time beats a method known by heart — on a shared report, you execute.
Zineb's thread — the sheets near the desk
After a quarter, the sheets below stay near Zineb's desk: the startup one displayed beside the screen, the pre-publication one in her notebook. « What saved me, she says in essence, is not knowing the points, it's ticking them every time — especially the day before a delivery to management. »
Adapt the wording to your context, keep the structure: it's what prevents oversights and incidents.
Ready-to-use references
A good checklist makes a delivery fast and oversight-free. Adapt it to your context, but keep the structure: it's what protects you.
Two key moments
A report plays out at two moments: at startup (model and data) and before publication (design, security, performance, refresh). Two sheets, two mandatory passes.
Tick, don't recite
You no longer think under pressure: you execute the sheet near the desk. What is ticked is done; what is assumed done is not.
Start a Power BI report
- Sources identified and location thought through (SharePoint/OneDrive preferably, to refresh without a gateway)
- Data cleaned and typed in Power Query (errors, duplicates, correct types) — not after the fact
- Star schema: facts at the center, dimensions (one row per item), 1:* relationships checked
- Dedicated date table created (CALENDARAUTO/CALENDAR), sorted (MonthNumber) and marked as a date table
- Foundation of explicit measures (Total, Count, average via DIVIDE) stored in « _Measures » and formatted
- Useless columns removed, auto date/time hierarchy disabled, lightened types
Before publication
- Consistent design: theme applied, accent color + neutrals, conditional formatting, titles as statements
- Tuned interactivity: useful slicers (2-4), « Edit interactions » on global KPIs, drill-through tested
- Security: RLS created and TESTED with « View as » (role/email) if the report contains scopes
- Performance: Performance Analyzer passed, guilty visuals fixed, measures factored
- Publication: team workspace chosen (not personal), scheduled refresh + credentials OK, source .pbix backed up
- Sensitive data: no unnecessary confidential data embedded, access limited to the right audience
Daily reflexes
- Check the relationships (Model view) before composing a visual
- Reuse an existing measure rather than creating a calculated column
- Test each measure on zero, blank and an edge case
- Check a visual's totals against the source
- Reread a page before showing it: titles, accent, filters
- Back up the .pbix after each work session
Ready-to-say script — starting a clean report (30s)
« Reliable sources? Typed Power Query? Clean star? Marked date table? Measures in « _Measures »? Lightened model? If any no, I fix it before composing. »
Keep it near your next report.
Ready-to-say script — pre-publication review (30s)
« Consistent design? 2 to 4 slicers? Tested RLS? Analyzer passed? Team workspace? Scheduled refresh? Source backed up? If any no, I don't publish. »
The last net before clicking Publish.
Copy-paste template — my checklists
[ ] Reliable sources (cloud preferably)
[ ] Power Query: types, errors, duplicates
[ ] Star + marked date table
[ ] Measures in « _Measures »
[ ] RLS TESTED (« View as »)
[ ] Performance Analyzer
[ ] Team workspace + refresh
[ ] source .pbix backed upCopy-paste template — date table and marking
Dates = CALENDARAUTO()
MonthNumber = MONTH(Dates[Date])
-- Sort Dates[Month] by Dates[MonthNumber]
-- Mark Dates as a date tableSME / small budget
Sheets on one page displayed on the wall: the essentials (star, date table, measures, tested RLS) are enough.
SME Algiers
Anticipate local realities in the sheet: accountant's exports, FR dates, known reference person, shared team workspace.
Remote / hybrid
Add a written validation line to the tracking: at a distance, a dated and ticked publication avoids misunderstandings.
Intercultural
Make the labels explicit in writing: what seems obvious (who refreshes, which workspace) is not for everyone.
48h challenge — apply tomorrow
Take 1 real report, run the « Start a Power BI report » checklist, then the « Before publication » review, and tick where it stands.
- I ticked a checklist on a real report.
- I can draw the startup sheet and the pre-publication review.
- I did the 48h challenge or scheduled its date.
Zineb starts her sales report. What should she tick first?
Tip: keep these checklists near the guide's thread project (Zineb's sales dashboard).