Amex expands Platinum airfares, ends Lufthansa lounge access


American Express has made two announcements affecting holders of the American Express Platinum Card® and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, and it’s both good and bad news for cardmembers.

The first is a revamping of the premium airfare program discounts to extend to select domestic economy fares. The second is less welcome news: Amex will end its long-running (but lesser-known) lounge arrangement with Lufthansa as of Oct. 1.

Here’s how the changes affect the Global Lounge Collection and travel benefits you may be relying on.

Platinum member airfares expanded to economy

The newly launched Platinum Member Airfares portal is an expanded airfare program for eligible Platinum and Business Platinum cardmembers booking through Amex Travel™. It consolidates and replaces the previous International Airline Program and Recommended Flights.

Eligible cardmembers can access discounts on select fares across more than 30 airlines, including Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines and Qantas. Amex says members can save an average of 10%, or about $100 per ticket, on eligible international fares in premium economy, business and first class.

MATT MOFFITT/THE POINTS GUY

The program now offers savings on select economy tickets for domestic flights with limited participating airlines, which is a great way to save on travel.

Remember that Amex Platinum cardholders earn a generous 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel® (on up to $500,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar) while also accruing miles in their chosen airline loyalty program on the same ticket. The savings can also extend to up to seven additional travelers booked on the same reservation as the eligible cardmember.

Lufthansa lounge access ending this fall

The more consequential change for Europe-bound cardmembers is the end of Amex’s lounge agreement with Lufthansa, effective Oct. 1.

Under the current arrangement, American Express Platinum Card and Business Platinum Card members can access Lufthansa Business Lounges when flying economy on any Lufthansa Group carrier and Lufthansa Senator Lounges (which are considered superior to the Business Lounges) when flying in business class.

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Holders of the Centurion Card from American Express can currently access Lufthansa First Class Lounges at Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and Munich Airport (MUC) regardless of travel class, though the famous Lufthansa First Class Terminal has always been excluded from the agreement.

From Oct. 1, these options will no longer be available to Amex cardmembers. The one exception: If a Lufthansa lounge participates in Priority Pass, indirect access through that network may still be possible for eligible cardmembers through the card’s complimentary Priority Pass Select membership (enrollment required).

The information for the Centurion Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Everything you need to know about Amex Centurion Lounge access

Bottom line

The launch of the Platinum Member Airfares platform should be a genuine improvement for Platinum and Business Platinum cardmembers, who can now enjoy discounts on select domestic economy fares.

The loss of Lufthansa lounge access is a devaluation, however. Cardmembers who value Lufthansa Group lounge access as part of their travel routine to, from and around Europe have until the end of September to use the perk and should factor this into their planning for any fall travel (or beyond).

To learn more, read our full reviews of the American Express Platinum and the American Express Business Platinum.



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Power BI Datasets – Table of Content

What is Power BI?

Power BI is a set of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to turn disparate data sources into coherent, visually immersive, and interactive insights. Your data could be in the form of an Excel spreadsheet or a hybrid data warehouse that is both on-premises and cloud-based. Power BI makes it simple to connect to your data sources, visualize and uncover what matters, and share your findings with whomever you choose.

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What are Datasets in Power BI?

A dataset is a data collection that you can connect to or import. Power BI allows you to connect to and import all kinds of datasets, allowing you to put everything together in one place. Dataflows can also be used for sourcing the data for Datasets. Workspaces are associated with datasets, and a single dataset can be used in multiple workspaces.
We have selected “My workspace” and then the “Datasets + dataflows” tab in the example below

Power BI workspace

Let us now look into the different types of Datasets in Power BI.

Types of Datasets

Datasets in Power BI are ready to report and visualize the source of data. There are five different types of datasets, each of which can be constructed in one of the following ways:

  • An existing data model will be connected that is not hosted in a Power BI capability.
  • Power BI Desktop file needs to be uploaded which includes a model.
  • Uploading a CSV (comma-separated values) file, or uploading an Excel workbook (Includes one or more Excel tables and/or a workbook data model).
  • Creating a push dataset using the Power BI service.
  • Creating streaming or dataset with hybrid streaming using the Power BI service.

Let us now explore different types of Datasets.

1) External-hosted models

Azure Analysis Services and SQL Server Analysis Services are the two types of externally hosted models. Installing the on-premises data gateway, whether on-premises or VM-hosted infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), is required to connect to a SQL Server Analysis Services model. A gateway isn’t required for Azure Analysis Services.

When there are existing model investments, such as those that form part of an enterprise data warehouse(EDW), connecting to Analysis Services makes sense. By utilizing the identity of the Power BI report user, Power BI can establish a live connection to Analysis Services, enforcing data permissions. Both tabular models and multidimensional (cubes) are supported by SQL Server Analysis Services. A live connection dataset sends queries to externally hosted models, as demonstrated in the accompanying 

External-hosted models

2) Power BI Desktop-developed models

A model can be created using Power BI Desktop, a client application for Power BI development. The model is essentially a tabular Analysis Services model. Models can be created by importing data from dataflows and blending it with data from external sources. While the characteristics of how modeling can be accomplished are outside the subject of this article, it’s crucial to note that Power BI Desktop supports three different types, or modes, of models. We are going to discuss the datasets in the coming sections.

Row-Level Security (RLS) can be used in externally hosted models and Power BI desktop models to restrict the amount of data that can be obtained for a certain user. Users in the Salespeople security group, for instance, can only see report data for the sales region(s) to which they’ve been assigned. Roles in RLS can be either static or dynamic. Static roles apply the same filters to all users allocated to the position, whereas dynamic roles filter by the report user.

3) Excel workbook models

The creation of a model is automatic when datasets are created from Excel workbooks or CSV files. To construct model tables, Excel tables, and CSV data are imported, and an Excel workbook data model is translated to produce a Power BI model. In every scenario, data from a file is imported into a model.

4) Push Dataset

A Power BI dataset that can only be created and populated using the Power BI API is known as a push dataset. However, the lack of a good user interface for creating a push dataset restricted its adoption to scenarios where a single table was inhabited with real-time data streaming.

5) Hybrid Streaming Dataset

Real-time streaming in Power BI allows you to stream data and update dashboards in real-time. Real-time data and visuals can be displayed and updated in any Power BI visual or dashboard. Factory sensors, social media sources, service usage metrics, and a variety of other time-sensitive data collectors or transmitters can all be used to collect and transmit streaming data.

Hybrid Streaming Dataset

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How to Create a Power BI Dataset?

Before discussing the steps of creation. It is necessary to know that there are three basic ways to retrieve data in Power BI Desktop that you will use to create your visualizations:

1) Live:

Here you will be connecting to a server that carries all the data. Although no data is sent, the model’s metadata is imported into Power BI Desktop. A query is transmitted to the server when you build visualizations, and it is then executed. The outcomes are then visualized and returned to Desktop. With SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) models, whether multidimensional or Tabular, live connections are commonly employed. Power BI Desktop behaves like any other thin client in this scenario, like Excel or Reporting Services (SSRS). It is not possible to make major modifications to the model, but you can add new measurements that will be available in that  .pbix file.

2) DirectQuery:

You can make more modifications to the model here than you can with a Live connection. The data is kept on the server, and queries are run on the server, just like in Live. The Power BI Desktop model, for instance, allows for the creation of relationships.

3) Import:

Power Query queries are used to import the data into a Power BI Desktop file (.pbix). The data is compressed highly so it’s feasible to load records in millions into a file on your system. A model, comparable to an SSAS Tabular model, is built behind the scenes. This is the most versatile mode, as it allows you to blend data from any source. However, all data must be loaded into your model, which can take a long time to refresh.

Now, let’s move to create the dataset. Below are the steps which make you comprehend the creation of the Power BI Dataset.

1) A dataset is connected to the .pbix file where it was created one by one. When you first launch PBI Desktop, click “Get Data” to create a new dataset.

Get Data

Alternatively, you can choose a source from the dropdown menu as shown below:

dropdown menu

2) Let’s assume we imported a few tables from the WideWorldImporters SQL Server sample database (The .pbix file can be downloaded here). The tables and their relationships are visible in the Model view:

.pbix file downloaded

3) You can view the actual data of one table at a time in the “Data view”.

Data view

4) You can create, view, and interact with visualizations built on top of the data and model in the “Report view”. 

Report view

 The dataset is made up of the data as well as the model view. Now, let’s move to the different modes of Dataset available in Power BI.  

[ Related Article : msbi ]

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Dataset modes in the Power BI

These modes of Dataset in Power BI ascertain whether or not data is imported into the model or retained in the data source. The following are the three Dataset modes in Power BI:

  1. Import
  2. DirectQuery
  3. Composite
1) Import

The most popular mode for developing datasets is the import mode. Because of in-memory querying, this mode provides incredibly quick performance. Modelers can also benefit from design flexibility and support for certain Power BI service capabilities (Quick Insights, Q&A, etc.). It’s the default mode when developing a new Power BI Desktop solution because of these advantages.

It’s crucial to realize that all imported data is saved on disk. When the data is refreshed or queried, it should be fully loaded into the memory of Power BI. Import models can yield very rapid query results once they are in memory. It’s also crucial to note that there’s no such thing as a partially loaded Import model in memory. An Import model can also integrate data from any number of supported data source types. The following image illustrates it. 

Import model

2) DirectQuery

Import mode can be replaced by DirectQuery mode. Data is not imported into models created in DirectQuery mode. Instead, they are made up entirely of metadata that defines the model’s structure. If the model is queried, data is retrieved by using the native queries from the underlying data source.

DirectQuery Model

3) Composite

The composite mode can blend DirectQuery and Import modes, or integrate multiple data sources for DirectQuery. The storage mode for every model table can be configured for models created in Composite mode. Calculated tables (defined with DAX) can also be used in this mode.

Composite Model

Import and DirectQuery modes are used in composite models to give you the best of both modes. They can blend the high query performance of in-memory models with the capacity to access near real-time data from data sources when set properly.

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 Conclusion:
We have successfully learned that Power BI lets you connect various datasets for importing and bringing them all together in one place. In this blog, we explored the topics of Datasets in Power BI in a systematic flow by understanding Power BI, then Datasets in Power BI, different types of Datasets and models used for reporting and visualizing data, creating a Dataset for connecting files, and various modes of Datasets in Power BI.

Related Article:

  1. MSBI vs Power BI
  2. Looker vs Power BI
  3. KPI in Power BI
  4. DAX In Power BI
  5. Power BI Architecture
  6. Power BI Components
  7. Power BI Dashboard
  8. Power BI Data Modeling
  9. Power BI Documentation



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