How To Use The Enterprise DNA Support Forum

[sam.mckay]

Detailed below are a range of tips for getting the most out of the Enterprise DNA Support Forum.

This forum is to provide support for all Enterprise DNA members. Currently, the forum is also read-only for any non-members.

Members can ask anything about Power BI or around the courses and content produced by Enterprise DNA and we will look to find a solution for you. Please review all the tips and rules around asking questions.

PLEASE NOTE - This forum is public. No information or data should be shared if it is considered sensitive.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. HOW TO GET STARTED WITH THE SUPPORT FORUM
2. HOW TO SEARCH FOR CONTENT WITHIN THE FORUM
3. TIPS FOR ASKING QUESTIONS IN THE FORUM
4. TIPS FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS IN THE FORUM
5. HOW TO COMPLETE A FORUM THREAD

[sam.mckay]

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH THE SUPPORT FORUM

The Enterprise DNA Support Forum has been created to provide additional assistance and support to members.

Please note that the forum has not been developed to enable consulting, on-demand coaching or development services for free. Support given is primarily to assist members in educating themselves to answer their own queries.

How to start a forum topic or thread

From the forum home page you can start a thread by selecting the icon at the bottom right of the screen.

What are categories?

A category is basically the topic your query comes under. For example a general Power BI question would need to be grouped in the Power BI category. The same for a specific DAX or Query Editor question.

It’s important to assist us in grouping these topics into the right categories for ease of searching later on.

[sam.mckay]

HOW TO SEARCH FOR CONTENT WITHIN THE FORUM

You can easily search for content within the forum.

Before answering a question it’s recommended to complete a quick search to discover if your query has been asked before by another member.

You can complete searches using the icon below

Can I be more specific in my searches?

Yes you definitely can. See below for how to do this.

Can I do a quick search for all the posts I have worked in or on?

Yes this can easily be done also. Just enter your user name into the Advanced Search section and hit submit

[sam.mckay]

TIPS FOR ASKING QUESTIONS IN THE FORUM

There are many ways you can assist those providing support when asking questions on the support forum.

Please review the below in detail before asking any questions on the forum.

Asking better questions will help those answering your query and also help you in getting a strong solution faster.

Please break out separate questions into separate topics

When thinking of a topic title name, think about what you would likely type into google search to get the answer.

Please make sure the topic is tagged in the correct category. For example a DAX formula question is tagged in the ‘DAX Calculations’ category

Please provide as much context to a question as possible. This includes the data, the model, the formula, the filter context etc. To get good answers just post as much detail about the issue or question as possible.

Please be patient, this isn’t an on-demand forum. Response times will likely be anywhere between 12-48 hours.

If you find a solution to your questions before it is answered please place this information into the forum thread and mark the questions as solved.

Please remember the forum is not a free development service or on-demand coaching service. It’s to assist your learning around how to complete Power BI development yourself. We will do as much as reasonable to help, but if there is some learning to be done, you may be directed to relevant tutorials to learn this yourself rather than having answers continuously delivered to you.

[sam.mckay]

TIPS FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONS IN THE FORUM

Anyone can answer questions on the forum, and we encourage it greatly, as there is no better way to learn than by helping others.

Please look to give as much support as possible without venturing into offering free consulting services - this is not the intention of the forum. We are looking to offer valuable support to members so that everyone can learn how to complete work themselves effectively.

Some further important tips below.

Provide as much educational support as you can on top of answering the question. The best thing to do is to link to the significant amount of Enterprise DNA content that is available.

Even though in support, answers are best solved if you are really responsive during the first 48 hours since the post was made, you don’t want to just reply for the sake of replying quickly; only reply if you have something that can move the question resolution forward.

Focus on things that you know to start with. Do not be worried that you cannot do or answer everything.

Pace yourself. You don’t have to answer everything. Set yourself a small target of just answering two or three questions when you are online (or more, it’s up to you).

Be nice. Add a personal touch. This is a great community and is growing bigger by the day. It’s a great way to build your own profile through time.

[sam.mckay]

HOW TO COMPLETE A FORUM THREAD

If your question has been answered within the forum it is important to mark your thread as ‘solved’.

You can do this very easily below.

First click the ellipsis at the bottom of a post that has answered your question the best.

Then tick the below box.

You will then see this.

It’s important to do this so that those answering questions know what to focus on.

You will see on the home page that solved topics are easy to spot.

Thanks for your assistance with this.