April sees a raft of new features - some in Preview - for Power BI for Desktop. Updates include enhancements to data connectivity, query editing, matrix reporting and, er, Spanish.

If you haven't already tried out Power BI Desktop, it can be downloaded from here - it's completely free.

In particular, desperate times may call for desperate measures, so we must live in quick times, as Microsoft introduces Quick measures instead. These measures allow you to create measures in an instant based upon 19 different calculations (e.g. sum, average, max, min) across five different categories (aggregation, filters and baselines, time intelligence, running totals and mathematical operations).

In summary, other than quick measures, the updates also include the following features:

• Rename axis titles
• Redshift connector: beta support and publish to Power BI service
• Enhancement of the parameter input experience for SAP HANA and BW connectors
• Add column by example
• Split column (by delimiter / number of characters) into rows
• Basic mode for "Group by"
• Go to column.

The following are included in "Preview" mode (i.e. the final versions may vary in both operation and interface):

• Q&A in Spanish
• New matrix visual enhancements, such as column sorting, column resizing and word wrapping
• Quick measures
• Show value as...
• Connect to datasets in the Power BI service.

We'll have more on all of these in our May newsletter. If you are not already a subscriber, feel free to join by completing the form at the foot of any SumProduct web page. In addition, SumProduct's very own Tim Heng will be attending Microsoft's Data Insights Summit in Seattle on Monday 12 June and will be reporting back on these and future new features coming to a Power BI theatre near you very soon.