What's New · Issue #006 · Power Platform · May 2026 · by Raushan Ranjan, MCT
Microsoft's May 2026 Power BI update is one of the more impactful monthly drops this year. Three features reaching General Availability directly affect how analysts build reports and how developers work with data. Here's the MCT breakdown — what changed, what it means practically, and what PL-300 candidates need to know.
⚡ What's New — May 2026
- Visual Calculations GA — Calculate values directly within a visual without writing DAX measures. Think running totals, rank within visual, percentage of column total — all without touching the data model. Now generally available for all users.
- Custom Totals GA — Override subtotal and grand total values in matrix visuals using DAX expressions. Critical for financial reporting where standard totals are mathematically incorrect (e.g. margin % totals).
- Copilot Summary Shortcuts — New Copilot button on the report ribbon and visual header. One click generates an AI summary of the report or selected visual. Available in Power BI Service and Desktop.
- New Get Data Experience (Preview) — Redesigned data connection interface in Power BI Desktop. Faster search, better categorisation, unified connector browser. Enable under Options → Preview Features.
- Azure Maps Formatting Pane Updated — Now aligned with the modern formatting experience. Layer options, style controls and map settings reorganised for consistency with other visuals.
- Theme Dropdown Updated — "Remove custom theme" renamed to "Reset to default" — clearer language, same functionality.
- Slicer Default Fixed — Slicers now correctly default to dropdown mode without configuration issues.
📋 PL-300 Exam Relevance
Visual Calculations are now exam-relevant. Understand the difference: visual calculations work on the visual matrix, not the data model — they cannot be reused across visuals and don't affect the semantic model. DAX measures remain the right choice for reusable, cross-visual logic.
Custom Totals directly address a common exam scenario — "a client's margin% total row shows an incorrect average instead of a weighted calculation." The answer is now custom totals via DAX override, not a workaround measure.
💡 MCT Take — Raushan Ranjan
Visual Calculations will confuse learners who are just starting with DAX. The most important thing to teach: visual calculations are for display-layer logic — running totals in a specific visual, rank within that visual's filter context. The moment you need that logic reused elsewhere, you write a DAX measure. Both coexist — they solve different problems.