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5 Brutal Truths You Face When the Power BI Analyst Who “Knew Everything” Isn’t on the Org Chart Anymore

Everything still runs, but now everyone’s second-guessing the numbers.

Author

Glenda Carnate
January 22, 2026

Read time: 2.5 minutes

If the Power BI environment feels unstable when an analyst departs, it was never a problem with the tool.

Initially, everything appears to be functioning normally... reports are loading, numbers are refreshing, no errors. However, the moment someone asks for clarification on changes to a KPI or an explanation of a DAX measure, doubt begins to set in.

With the departure of the analyst who "knew everything,” the environment continues to function but there is little to no confidence in the resulting numbers.

5 Brutal Truths Power BI Teams Learn the Hard Way

  1. Documentation was nonexistent.
    All critical information resided in their brains.
    Fixed with: No README file provided. No production dataset available, either.

  2. Metric referee
    They chose which number is the 'correct' one.
    Fixed with: Designate one owner for each KPI and review in January.

  3. DAX interpreter
    Change anything related to DAX, and totals wouldn't calculate correctly.
    Fixed with: If a measure cannot be adequately expressed within three sentences, it needs to be rewritten.

  4. The Semantic Model Owner.
    The only people who knew what it was, were them until they left.
    Fixed with: Designate a formal semantic product manager.

  5. A reorganization didn't create an issue for Power BI. Their departure affected it.
    Ultimately, trust was lost first.
    Fixed with: Run a bus test in January to validate whether or not the product will meet the user's needs. If the validation fails, all work on Power BI should be stopped.

💡Key Takeaway: 

Analyst Leaving = Dependency. Analytics come from a system that is durable enough to withstand people moving out, by embedding their knowledge and ownership in the system rather than relying on their memory.

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👉 COMMENT with the most fragile measure you’ve ever maintained.

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