Blog

• Power BI: Unicode Characters in Visualizations

  Using DAX measures and Unicode characters to render color-coded icons in Power BI Table and Card visualizations, a lightweight alternative to custom visuals.

• Power BI: Filter Using Card Visualizations and Bookmarks

  Bookmarks and transparent shapes turn standard Power BI card visualizations into interactive filter controls without custom visuals or extra licensing.

• Excel: Combination Clustered and Stacked Column Chart

  Producing a combination clustered and stacked column chart in Excel without modifying or restructuring the underlying source data.

• Astro: Adding Previous and Next Post Navigation Links to Blog

  An Astro component that adds previous and next navigation links to blog posts using relative position within a content collection.

• Excel VBA: Automate E-mail Content Extraction from Outlook

  Automate Outlook e-mail extraction with Excel VBA by parsing plain text and HTML tables to import structured data into worksheets.

• Excel VBA: Retrieving Outlook Address Book Values

  A custom VBA function for retrieving property values from Outlook address book entries, with support for both local contacts and Exchange.

• Astro Collection Pagination Using Rest Parameter Routes

  Paginate Astro content collections using a rest parameter dynamic route, with proper TypeScript inference and accessible page navigation.

• Power Query: Access REST APIs Secured by Basic Auth and API Key

  Querying secure REST APIs from Power Query using API key and Basic Auth headers, covering both authentication patterns with practical examples.

• Power Query: Handling Paginated REST API Data

  Three Power Query methods for retrieving paginated REST API data, covering known page counts, calculated page counts, and fully unknown page counts.

• Power BI Map Visualizations: Mapping Continents and Countries

  Continent and country mapping in Power BI is more complex than it appears. Geopolitical ambiguity and inconsistent place names require deliberate handling.

• Power BI Map Visualizations: Mapping Common City Names

  Non-unique city names frequently map to the wrong location in Power BI. Correct data categories, country context, and coordinate data resolve the ambiguity.

• Why I Switched from WordPress to Astro

  After years on WordPress, Astro offered lower maintenance, reduced hosting costs, better performance, and full control over every line of output.

• Create Self-Signed S/MIME Certificates

  Using OpenSSL to build a local certificate authority and issue self-signed S/MIME certificates for signing and encrypting e-mail at no cost.

• Starting Over: Rebuilding My Website Using Astro

  Why I rebuilt my website from scratch using Astro, what the process involved, and how it resulted in a faster, simpler, and easier website to maintain.