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The ridiculously wide Samsung CRG9 49" monitor
Posted by Andy Brown on 02 June 2021
How wide is too wide when it comes to a computer monitor? Perhaps the answer depends on the size of your desk, but you'll need plenty of space for this monster.
Answers and winner for our May 2021 film reviews competition
Posted by Andy Brown on 02 June 2021
Our film reviews competition was won by Andrew Kenyon of NICE, with his review of Die Hard, with runners-up reviewing Apollo 13, 2012, Skyfall and Avatar.
June 2021 Wise Owl Newsletter Competition
Posted by Andy Brown on 02 June 2021
For this month's competition you are invited to work out which work colleagues received which COVID vaccine on which days, using the grid supplied as an aide. The first correct answer picked out of our randomised sorting hat will receive a fifty-pound Amazon voucher!
Our experience of switching to Stripe payments
Posted by Andy Brown on 01 June 2021
This is the blog which I wish I could have read before starting to integrate Stripe payments on our website! It explains why I'm ultimately glad we went for Stripe, but also some of the things which are harder than they need to be.
Creating picture charts in Power BI using the Infographic Custom Visual
Posted by Andy Brown on 19 May 2021
Want to use your pet's picture for a column chart? This blog shows how to create stacked picture charts in Power BI using the powerful Infographic custom visual.
Power BI Desktop update for May 2021
Posted by Andy Brown on 19 May 2021
May's update to Power BI Desktop is a big one, encompassing new ways of viewing models, tables and fields, a new text box, smart narratives (to explain data) and a new anomaly detection feature (to explain exceptions).
Understanding our figure for outstanding reviews
Posted by Andy Brown on 10 May 2021
Our website quotes an impressive figure for our average feedback from courses given, but how is this calculated, and how can you know that it's accurate?
Easter Quiz 2021 - Competition Winner, Results and Analysis
Posted by Andy Brown on 03 May 2021
Congratulations to Pat Watt of Skills Development Scotland for winning the prize this month (and generously donating it to charity) - answers and winners here!
Details of the Power BI Desktop Update for April 2021
Posted by Andy Brown on 28 April 2021
The April 2021 update to Power BI Desktop makes it easier to load text, CSV, JSON and Excel files and includes a wider range of shapes, with more drawing effects
What to do when you get red squiggly lines in SSMS and no Intellisense
Posted by Sam Lowrie on 28 April 2021
Normally when SQL Server Management Studio underlines words with what Microsoft call "red squigglies" it's because you haven't refreshed your local cache, but it could also be because of a recent bug - here's how to get round this!
Use ZoomIt to zoom in and out in any application and to draw on screen
Posted by Andy Brown on 27 April 2021
ZoomIt allows you to use keystrokes to zoom in and out in any Windows program, and allows you to draw or write on screen.
A computer in a fish tank? Meet the Sea Drive
Posted by Andy Brown on 27 April 2021
What happens when you want an aquarium AND a laptop, but are short of space? Sadly, the answer is that you get a computer in a fish tank.
A fully-functioning modular laptop with plug-in ports and components
Posted by Andy Brown on 27 April 2021
Is this the next thing in laptops? Meet a laptop which you can break down into its component parts, each of which you can easily replace.
Solving FAILED TO DECRYPT CREDENTIALS message when running Power BI
Posted by Sam Lowrie on 20 April 2021
Following the April 2021 update to Power BI (perhaps coincidentally) we started getting this message appearing on our computers, blocking us from running Power BI. Here is how to solve this!
Answer and winner for the March 2021 newsletter competition
Posted by Andy Brown on 25 March 2021
This month's competition was one by Michelle Ashworth of Rochdale Borough Council (congratulatons to her): answers and details in this blog.
Free online training taster session
Posted by Andy Brown on 24 March 2021
We're on a mission to convince people that our our online training courses are every bit as good as our classroom courses - book a free half-hour taster session to see for yourself!
Power Query Online now supports flow diagrams!
Posted by Andy Brown on 24 March 2021
A life-changing (or at least job-changing) new software update from Microsoft - you can now see a visual view of data flows in Power BI (at least in the online version, anyway).
From one extreme to the other - a mini-PC anyone?
Posted by Andy Brown on 24 March 2021
Last month I blogged on a folding laptop with 7 screens; this week it's a five-inch fully-formed mini-computer.
Power BI Desktop - March 2021 Update
Posted by Andy Brown on 24 March 2021
There are two tiny changes in the March 2021 update - X-axis constant lines and a couple of tweaks to DAX - but still the big logjam of changes remains in preview.
The new SQL String_Split function for comma-delimited strings
Posted by Andy Brown on 22 March 2021
If you're using SQL Server with compatibility level 130 or greater you can now use the new String_Split function to divide a comma-delimited string into a table of values.