Power BI May 2026 Feature Summary: New Power Query Get Data + Card States

Power BI May 2026: What Just Shipped

Microsoft released the Power BI May 2026 feature summary on May 13, 2026. Key updates include the new Power Query Get Data experience, Card with States visual improvements, Copilot + AI enhancements, and platform-wide consistency improvements.

Quick Answer

Three updates matter most for enterprise: (1) New Power Query Get Data experience (Preview) — redesigned data source discovery + connection flow with dark mode + keyboard navigation, (2) Card with States visual is faster + smarter + fully unlocked for advanced KPI scenarios, (3) Cross-platform consistency means Power Query behaves identically across Power BI Desktop, Microsoft Fabric, and Microsoft Excel.

What's New in May 2026

1. New Power Query Get Data Experience (Preview)

Completely redesigned data source discovery + connection flow. Key improvements:

• Improved data source discovery (autocomplete, suggestions, recently used)
• Streamlined connection flow (fewer clicks, clearer error messages)
• Built-in accessibility: keyboard navigation + dark mode
• Cross-platform consistency: same experience in Power BI Desktop + Fabric + Excel

For enterprise Power BI shops, this matters because:

• Reduces analyst time for connecting to new sources
• Lowers training cost for new Power BI users
• Consistent experience across analyst tool chain (Power BI Desktop, Fabric, Excel power users)

EPC Group recommendation: pilot in development workspaces. Defer enterprise rollout until preview → GA (typical 60-90 days).

2. Card with States Update

Card visual now supports conditional state-based formatting natively. Faster rendering + more flexible KPI scenarios. Use cases:

• Executive dashboards with state-dependent visual treatment (red/amber/green)
• Operational dashboards with threshold-based formatting
• Financial reporting with variance highlighting

3. Copilot + AI Enhancements

The May update includes improvements across Copilot in Power BI. Key directions:

• Better natural language to DAX
• Improved semantic understanding for vague questions
• Faster Copilot response time (likely related to GPT 5.5 Instant integration per /blog/gpt-5-5-instant-microsoft-365-copilot-may-2026-low-latency-stem-image)

What's NOT in May 2026 (Notable)

• Power BI Premium P1/P2/P3 are not getting new feature parity (Microsoft is investing in Fabric F-SKU instead). If you're still on Premium, plan migration to Fabric.
• No major Fabric capacity (F-SKU) pricing changes this month.
• Direct Lake mode improvements are tracked separately on the Fabric roadmap.

EPC Group Engagement Updates

We're updating engagement templates to reflect Power BI May 2026:

1. Power BI Consulting — Power Query Get Data Preview testing baked into Phase 1
2. Microsoft Fabric Consulting — Cross-platform Power Query consistency reduces analyst training time
3. Power BI to Fabric Migration — Migration tooling updated to reflect new Get Data experience
4. Copilot for Power BI Adoption — Enhanced Copilot capabilities accelerate adoption

What This Means for Industries

Financial Services: Faster connection to Snowflake + Databricks + custom data sources via new Get Data.

Healthcare: Power BI for clinical analytics (HEDIS, Star Ratings, value-based care) benefits from improved Copilot natural language to DAX.

Manufacturing: OT data source connections (historians, SCADA, MES) benefit from streamlined connection flow.

Government: Federal Power BI deployments in GCC + GCC High will get May 2026 features 30-90 days behind commercial.

EPC Group Decision Framework

Pilot now: Power Query Get Data Preview, Card with States visual update

Wait for GA: Production rollout of preview features (typical 60-90 days)

Plan migration: Power BI Premium → Fabric F-SKU using /tools/microsoft-fabric-capacity-calculator

Update training: Internal Power BI champion network should test + document the new Get Data experience before broader rollout

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: When will Power Query Get Data go from Preview to GA?
A: Microsoft typical cadence is 60-90 days. Watch the Fabric Updates Blog.

Q: Does Card with States work in Power BI Premium P1/P2/P3?
A: Yes, but new feature investment is concentrated in Fabric F-SKU. Plan migration to F64 or higher.

Q: Will the new Get Data experience work with on-premises data gateways?
A: Yes. Existing gateways continue working.

Q: How does this affect Power BI Embedded?
A: Power BI Embedded uses the underlying Fabric platform. Features cascade to Embedded 30-60 days later.

Q: Why EPC Group?
A: Microsoft consulting since 1997. Errin O'Connor was original Power BI Beta Team member (Project Crescent). Microsoft Press Power BI author. Microsoft Solutions Partner with all six designations under the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program.

Next Steps

• Power BI May 2026 Feature Summary
• Fabric capacity calculator: /tools/microsoft-fabric-capacity-calculator
• Power BI consulting: /services/power-bi-consulting
• Fabric consulting: /services/fabric-consulting
• Schedule discovery: /contact · (888) 381-9725