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The Data God of Form - Chris Hamill

Christopher Wagner • November 23, 2019

It's all about the User Experience

Linked In Profile: Link

Blog: Link


Data God Qualifications:

Chris may be new to the position of Data God, but his place amongst the gods is unquestionable. The UX/UI that Chris has created in Power BI is second to none and inspires others to do more.


What makes for a great Power BI UX/UI?

Great Power BI UX/UI takes a great deal of work. You must know your audience, know how to work with your tool, gather feedback, fail fast, and iterate often. The big key is focusing on how you can avoid overwhelming consumers of your report readers.


Top 8 Report Design Tips

The God of Form recommends that you focus on 8 design elements to be useful in your reporting:

  1. Margins - Don't let visuals go to the borders.
  2. Distribution - Making sure all of your visual elements are evenly distributed can make reports much easier to read and understand.
  3. Alignment - Visuals that are not aligned with each other can be extremely distracting. Always take the time to line everything up before you publish it.
  4. Branding - Make sure that you use appropriate branding throughout your report development.
  5. Coloring - Consistent colors help focus people on the story. Try to limit the number of different colors. We're not at a circus here.
  6. Consistency - Having a standard layout, fonts, sizes, and positioning can help make reports more consumable.
  7. Accessibility - Taking the time to make things accessible can really help broaden the reach of your analytics. Many people are color blind. Don't solely rely upon colors to tell your story.
  8. Backgrounds - This is Chris's secret sauce. Check out his multiple blog posts on the subject.


Data God Fun Fact:

Every time Chris visits Wisconsin, someone takes him to Cafe Benelux. Not 100% sure how this happens... maybe a god of Cafe's has something to do with this? Regardless- if you are in Milwaukee, check out Cafe Benelux. It's very good.


History:

Chris has only recently joined the ranks of Data Gods. Previously, Chris was a Finance Analyst for Microsoft, and before that, Starbucks.

Notable UX/UI Blog Posts

Background Concepts for Power BI - Link

User-Friendly Drill Down Experiences - Link

Overlays for True Self Service Reporting - Link

CHRIS WAGNER, MBA MVP

Analytics Architect, Mentor, Leader, and Visionary

Chris has been working in the Data and Analytics space for nearly 20 years. Chris has dedicated his professional career to making data and information accessible to the masses. A significant component in making data available is continually learning new things and teaching others from these experiences. To help people keep up with this ever-changing landscape, Chris frequently posts on LinkedIn and to this blog.

Become a Data Engineer

By Christopher Wagner • September 3, 2024
Your guide to becoming a Data Engineer.

Microsoft Fabric vs Databricks

By Christopher Wagner • August 19, 2024
Compare Microsoft Fabric and Databricks, two leading data platforms. Highlights their features, strengths, and unique offerings across various domains like data engineering, data analytics, data science, DevOps, security, integration with other tools, cost management, and governance. Microsoft Fabric is noted for its low-code/no-code solutions and seamless integration with Microsoft tools, making it accessible for users with varying technical skills. Databricks is praised for its high-performance capabilities in big data processing and collaborative analytics, offering flexibility and control for experienced data teams.

Data Wizardry and Epic Adventures: A Day in the Life of a Microsoft Fabric Engineer

By Christopher Wagner • November 15, 2023
In a dynamic data engineering scenario, Sam, a skilled professional, adeptly navigates urgent requests using Microsoft Fabric. Collaborating with Data Steward Lisa and leveraging OneLake, Sam streamlines data processes, creating a powerful collaboration between engineering and stewardship. With precision in Azure Data Factory and collaboration with a Data Scientist, Sam crafts a robust schema, leading to a visually appealing Power BI report.

Power BI usage scenarios: Lakehouse to Power BI

By Christopher Wagner • April 28, 2023
NOTE: This is the first draft of this document that was assembled yesterday as a solo effort. If you would like to contribute or have any suggestions, check out my first public GIT repository - KratosDataGod/LakehouseToPowerBI: Architectural design for incorporating a Data Lakehouse architecture with an Enterprise Power BI Deployment (github.com) This article is NOT published, reviewed, or approved by ANYONE at Microsoft. This content is my own and is what I recommend for architecture and build patterns.
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