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Welcome to ALT-Enter LLC. If you have landed here, it’s probably because you heard me speak about Power BI at a webinar, training, or an event. Whatever the reason, I am glad you are here.
I am passionate about Power BI, and want to use my web space to help other people get ‘skilled up’ on this amazing tool.
BI stands for “business intelligence” and Power BI (PBI) is a Microsoft-specific BI tool. There are other BI tools, notably Tableau and Sisense. Because I am a Microsoft Certified trainer (see About Me), I have focused on Power BI. That said, there are many topics that are platform independent and when I post on these topics, I will tag them as “BI”, “Microsoft”, “Excel” or a tag that reflects the context.

There are typically two ‘on ramps’ to Power BI: Excel or database user. Of course these are not mutually exclusive, but a typical business user can be very skilled with Excel and have almost no exposure to databases. My path to PBI was through Excel; I had to learn some of the database terms and concepts that are common in Power BI. While doing this, I realized that there are lots of amazing resources for people who are already knowledgeable around database ‘lingo’ and concepts, but not much for the rest of us. So here I am! Hopefully, the information I share will help you make progress learning Power BI.

If you are already skilled, there are other blogs that I love. Check out the Other Resources tab.

Before you hire me, you probably want to know a little more about me…

I am a mid-career professional who has spent 27 years in corporate roles.  After leaving my corporate berth seven years ago, I was at a crossroads. I had loved my job, and whatever I did, I wanted to enjoy it just as much or even more!

I had been teaching Microsoft applications at my local library, and was energized each time my students had an ‘ah ha’ moment.

Teaching Word @ the Evanston Public Library

One thing led to another, and I took some tests to become a Microsoft Certified Trainer.

Microsoft Certified Trainer
Microsoft Certified Trainer

Once I was certified, I began teaching Microsoft applications as a freelance trainer. And that’s been awesome! Technology changes every single day so I have to learn something new every day. The more I trained, the more I wanted to specialize in an area, and get deep. I love Excel (despite crying through every math class I have ever had), and started dabbling in Power BI.

After a year and a half, I decided to see if I could get certified in Power BI. And within six months, I became an M.C.S.E in Data Analytics. This certification has been joined by several more over time:

PL-100 Certification
DA-100 certification
MCSE–Data Management and Analytics Certification
PL-500 Certification

I now try to spread my enthusiasm for Power BI in a variety of ways. I deliver training on Power BI, I create and deliver workshops and speak at user groups. My natural audience are Excel users who want to start using Power BI.

Doing one of my favorite things!
Speaking at Power Summit Phoenix 2018

I speak at Power BI events as often as I can. My speaking engagements have, of course, diminished during COVID, but I hope to get back out on the speaking circuit now that COVID is receding.

In 2022, I did a thing that I never thought I would do: I wrote a book. Here it is:

My book!

The target audience is my favorite “peeps”: folks who are coming from Excel into Power BI, and need to learn some basics skills in Power BI. Don’t worry if you do not need (or want) to pass the PL-300 certification. I didn’t write it just for that purpose. I also wrote it to help the newbie “flatlander” gain some basic skills.

If you need training on Power BI, Excel 2016, Power Pivot (Excel 2016) or the Power Query Editor, let’s talk!