What we’re about
We are a group of Power BI and Modern Excel enthusiasts. This group is dedicated to running monthly meetings to share techniques and inspire incredible data analytics and dashboards using Power BI and the Modern Excel tools (Power Pivot and Power Query).
View recordings of past meet-ups on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIRJFbuwYskLKHIWt9OBV
Interested in Presenting?
Do you have a topic you’d like to share with the group? We are always looking for people to speak at upcoming meet-ups, and love to hear about the projects you are working on! If you are interested, fill out our online form: https://xlguru.ca/speakatvanpug
Upcoming events
2
Time Intelligence in Power BI | Reza Rad
•OnlineOnlineSESSION TRACK:
Power BI & Excel
SESSION OUTLINE:
Joseph Yeates will kick off our first meet-up of 2026 by showing us some of the latest and greatest in Power BI. Then our good friend Reza Rad will be our features presenter.
Time-based analysis and calculations are the most common calculations, and sometimes challenging, but Microsoft MVP Reza Rad is here to help! In this session, we will talk about designing a time intelligence pattern and usage of DAX functions to calculate much time-based analysis, such as rolling 12 months, usage of some of the function to change the behavior of analysis all through live demos. You will also learn the new way of calculation for time intelligence using Calendar Options.
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Reza Rad is a Microsoft Regional Director, an Author, Trainer, Speaker, and Consultant. He has a BSc in Computer engineering; he has more than 20 years of experience in data analysis, BI, databases, programming, and development mostly on Microsoft technologies. He is a Microsoft Data Platform MVP for 14 continuous years (from 2011 till now) for his dedication to Microsoft BI. Reza is an active blogger and co-founder of RADACAD. Reza is also co-founder and co-organizer of the Difinity conference in New Zealand, the Power BI Summit (the biggest Power BI conference), and Data Insight Summit (Chicago, USA). His articles on different aspects of technologies, especially on BI, can be found on his blog: http://radacad.com/blog.
Connect with and follow Reza online at:
- LinkedIn (Personal): https://www.linkedin.com/in/rezarad/
- LinkedIn (Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/radacad
- Bluesky (Personal): https://bsky.app/profile/rezarad.bsky.social
- Twitter (Personal): https://twitter.com/Rad_Reza
- Twitter (Company): https://twitter.com/RADACAD_COM
- Twitter (Difinity Conference): https://twitter.com/DifinityConf
TENTATIVE AGENDA (subject to change, all times listed are in Pacific Time):
- 11:45am Teams Meeting opens to attendees to begin joining
- 12:00pm-12:05pm Welcome and Meeting Overview
- 12:05pm-12:20pm What's New in Power BI
- 12:20pm-1:20pm Feature Presentation
- 1:20pm-1:25pm Meeting Wrap-up
REGISTRATION:
This meet-up will be hosted on Microsoft Teams, and will be recorded to share with others who were not able to attend live. You must RSVP for the event in order to access the Teams Meeting link.
JOINING THE EVENT:
Attendees can join the Teams Meeting starting at 11:45am on the day of the event. The link will be visible only if you RSVP beforehand.
Once the event gets underway at 12:00pm, we ask that attendees make sure they are on MUTE, so background noise and distractions are minimized.
During the presentation, attendees can type questions and comments into the chat area, which will be monitored by the event hosts. There will be time for Q&A at the end, where attendees can un-mute their mic and even share their video to ask questions.
**NOTE: As mentioned above, this event will be recorded and shared online, so attendee information may be visible in the recording.87 attendees
Financial Modelling with AI: Is it ready and how can we use it? | Giles Male
•OnlineOnlineSESSION TRACK:
Excel
SESSION OUTLINE:
Microsoft MVP Giles Male has been testing AI tools for financial modelling as part of the Mod Squad podcast series over the last few months, alongside Paul Barnhurst and Ian Schnoor. Join him as he shares the highs and lows of this testing journey, and shares practical advice for anyone looking to use AI tools as part of their modelling work in 2026.
SPEAKER PROFILE:
Giles Male is a 2x Microsoft MVP and one of 8 Master Financial Modelers certified globally with the FMI. He is passionate about helping other modellers cut through the hype and misinformation in the market.
He's also sometimes known for wearing fur coats, music videos, and generally being extremely quiet and humble...
Connect with and follow Giles online at:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giles-male-30643b15
- Website: www.fullstackmodeller.com
TENTATIVE AGENDA (subject to change, all times listed are in Pacific Time):
- 8:45am Teams Meeting opens to attendees to begin joining
- 9:00am-9:05am Welcome and Meeting Overview
- 9:05am-10:05am Feature Presentation
- 10:05am-10:10am Meeting Wrap-up
REGISTRATION:
This meet-up will be hosted on Microsoft Teams, and will be recorded to share with others who were not able to attend live. You must RSVP for the event in order to access the Teams Meeting link.
JOINING THE EVENT:
Attendees can join the Teams Meeting starting at 8:45am on the day of the event. The link will be visible only if you RSVP beforehand.
Once the event gets underway at 9:00am, we ask that attendees make sure they are on MUTE, so background noise and distractions are minimized.
During the presentation, attendees can type questions and comments into the chat area, which will be monitored by the event hosts. There will be time for Q&A at the end, where attendees can un-mute their mic and even share their video to ask questions.
**NOTE: As mentioned above, this event will be recorded and shared online, so attendee information may be visible in the recording.5 attendees
Past events
162
