The Fabric Data Agent Goes GA

The Fabric Data Agent Goes GA

Author: Brick Thompson, Jon Thompson, Caleb Ochs, Landon Ochs September 5, 2026 Duration: 8:14
Microsoft is folding AI into nearly every part of Fabric, and the Fabric Data Agent is now generally available after a long run in preview. Brick and Landon talk through what they've found in testing: where natural language querying holds up, what it takes to get consistent answers, and why we've been adding a platinum stage to the medallion architecture with context files that tell the model how the business actually works. Landon also covers Microsoft's open-source Fabric skills, the PBIP ...

Every other Thursday, The Dashboard Effect cuts through the noise around business data. Host Brick Thompson of Blue Margin sits down with operators and leaders who are actually using analytics to steer their companies, moving beyond theory to the tangible realities of implementation. This isn't about abstract concepts; it's a focused discussion on building clarity and accountability through dashboards and reporting that people actually use. You'll hear specific stories about the hurdles mid-market and private equity-backed firms face when trying to make data-driven decisions a daily habit, not just an aspiration. The conversations in this podcast are built for leaders who need practical frameworks, whether it's about selecting the right metrics, fostering a data culture, or justifying the investment in business intelligence tools. Each episode aims to simplify a complex landscape, providing listeners with a clearer path to turning their information into a strategic advantage. Tune in for grounded advice that translates data from a potential asset into a genuine driver of business performance.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

The Dashboard Effect
Podcast Episodes
Getting the Same Answer from Power BI, Excel, and Your AI Agent [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:04
When your team asks the same question in Power BI, in Excel, and through an AI agent, the answers should match. That consistency comes from defining your business rules once, upstream in the lakehouse, so every tool read…
What an MCP Server Actually Does [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:47
An MCP server gives an LLM a standard way to reach your data and run tools against it. Every API is built differently, and the Model Context Protocol puts one interface over all of them, which is why Anthropic's standard…
The Platinum Layer: Getting Your Data Ready for AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:29
The platinum layer sits on top of the standard medallion architecture, built specifically to get data ready for LLMs. In this episode, Brick and Landon break down what it takes to build one well. Landon walks through the…
The Gold Layer: Your Best Data, Ready to Report [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:22
The gold layer is where cleaned, validated data lives in a medallion architecture, ready for reporting and analysis. In this episode, Brick and Landon break down what actually makes a gold layer good. Landon covers what…
Bronze, Silver, Gold: A Practical Guide to Medallion Architecture [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:38
How does raw data from a system like Salesforce become a dashboard your team can actually trust? On this episode of the Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon walk through medallion architecture and the three stages data mov…
Can You Run Your BI on AI? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:15
Everyone's asking the same question: why can't I just run all my business intelligence through AI? In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon break down the real answer. You probably can, but only if your…
Using Vibe Coding in Real Data Projects [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:09
In this episode, the team gets hands-on with vibe coding and what it actually looks like inside real data work. From building API connections to generating synthetic datasets, they walk through where AI is genuinely spee…
AI Won't Kill Your Coding Career [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:08
AI is replacing software engineers. At least that's what the headlines say. But is it actually true? In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick - CEO of Blue Margin and Landon - Data Platform Manager at Blue Margin,…
The Hidden Complexity Behind Simple Dashboards [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:22
Designing a dashboard might seem straightforward, just add charts, metrics, and a few visualizations. But the dashboards that actually help businesses make decisions often look surprisingly simple. In this episode of The…
Should You Build a Data Team or Borrow One? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:05
Many companies assume the best way to build a data capability is to hire an internal team. But is that always the right move? In this episode of The Dashboard Effect, Brick and Landon break down one of the most common qu…