November 4, 2025 • 21 mins
Opening: “You Thought Your Power BI Maps Were Safe”You thought your Power BI maps were safe. They aren’t. Those colorful dashboards full of Bing Maps visuals? They’re on borrowed time. Microsoft isn’t issuing a warning—it’s delivering an eviction notice. “Map visuals not supported” isn’t a glitch; it’s the corporate equivalent of a red tag on your data visualization. As of October 2025, Bing Maps is officially deprecated, and the Power BI visuals that depend on it will vanish from your reports faster than you can say “compliance update.”So yes, what once loaded seamlessly will soon blink out of existence, replaced by an empty placeholder and a smug upgrade banner inviting you to “migrate to Azure Maps.” If you ignore it, your executive dashboards will melt into beige despair by next fiscal year. Think that’s dramatic? It isn’t; it’s Microsoft’s transition policy.The good news—if you can call it that—is the problem’s entirely preventable. Today we’ll cover why this migration matters, the checklist every admin and analyst must complete, and how to avoid watching your data visualization layer implode during Q4 reporting.Let’s be clear: Bing Maps didn’t die of natural causes. It was executed for noncompliance. Azure Maps is its state-approved successor—modernized, cloud-aligned, and compliant with the current security regime. I’ll show you why it happened, what’s changing under the hood, and how to rebuild your visuals so they don’t collapse into cartographic chaos.Now, let’s visit the scene of the crime.Section I: The Platform Rebellion — Why Bing Maps Had to DieEvery Microsoft platform eventually rebels against its own history. Bing Maps is just the latest casualty. Like an outdated rotary phone in a world of smartphones, it was functional but embarrassingly analog in a cloud-first ecosystem. Microsoft didn’t remove it because it hated you; it removed it because it hated maintaining pre-Azure architecture.The truth? This isn’t some cosmetic update. Azure Maps isn’t a repaint of Bing Maps—it’s an entirely new vehicle built on a different chassis. Where Bing Maps ran on legacy APIs designed when “cloud” meant “I accidentally deleted my local folder,” Azure Maps is fused to the Azure backbone itself. It scales, updates, authenticates, and complies the way modern enterprise infrastructure expects.Compliance, by the way, isn’t negotiable. You can’t process global location data through an outdated service and still claim adherence to modern data governance. The decommissioning of Bing Maps is Microsoft’s quiet way of enforcing hygiene: no legacy APIs, no deprecated security layers, no excuses. You want to map data? Then use the cloud platform that actually meets its own compliance threshold.From a technical standpoint, Azure Maps offers improved rendering performance, spatial data unification, and API scalability that Bing’s creaky engine simply couldn’t match. The rendering pipeline—now fully GPU‑accelerated—handles smoother zoom transitions and more detailed geo‑shapes. The payoff is higher fidelity visuals and stability across tenants, something Bing Maps often fumbled with regional variations.But let’s translate that from corporate to human. Azure Maps can actually handle enterprise‑grade workloads without panicking. Bing Maps, bless its binary heart, was built for directions, not dashboards. Every time you dropped thousands of latitude‑longitude points into a Power BI visual, Bing Maps was silently screaming.Business impact? Immense. Unsupported visuals don’t just disappear gracefully; they break dashboards in production. Executives click “Open Report,” and instead of performance metrics, they get cryptic placeholder boxes. It’s not just inconvenience—it’s data outage theater. For analytics teams, that’s catastrophic. Quarterly review meetings don’t pause for deprecated APIs.You might think of this as modernization. Microsoft thinks of it as survival. They’re sweeping away obsolete dependencies faster than ever because the era of distributed services demands consistent telemetry, authentication models, and cost tracking. Azure Maps plugs directly into that matrix. Bing Maps didn’t—and never will.So yes, Azure Maps is technically “the replacement,” but philosophically, it’s the reckoning. One represents a single API call; the other is an entire cloud service family complete with spatial analytics integration, security boundaries, and automated updates. This isn’t just updating a visual—it’s catching your data architecture up to 2025.And before you complain about forced change, remember: platform evolution is the entry fee for relevance. You don’t get modern reliability with legacy pipelines. Refusing to migrate is like keeping a flip phone and expecting 5G coverage. You can cling to nostalgia—or you can have functional dashboards.So, the rebellion is complete. Bing Maps was tried, found non‑compliant, and replaced by something faster, safer, and infinitely more scalable. If that still sounds optional to you, st
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You thought your power bimps were safe. They aren't. Those
colorful dashboards full of Big Maps visuals they're on borrowed time.
Microsoft isn't issuing a warning, it's delivering an eviction notice.
Map visuals not supported isn't a glitch. It's the corporate
equivalent of a red tag on your data visualization. As
of October twenty twenty five, Big Maps is officially deprecated,
and the powerbi visuals that depend on it will vanish
(00:21):
from your reports faster than you can say compliance update.
So yes, what once loaded seamlessly will soon blink out
of existence, replaced by an empty placeholder and a smug
upgrade banner inviting you to migrate to as your maps.
If you ignore it, your executive dashboards will melt into
beige despair by next fiscal year. Think that's dramatic, It isn't.
It's Microsoft's transition policy. The good news, if you can
(00:44):
call it, that is the problems entirely preventable. Today, we'll
cover why this migration matters, the checklist every adminent analyst
must complete, and how to avoid watching your data visualization
layer implode during Q four reporting. Let's be clear, bing
maps didn't die of natural causes. It was executed for
non compliance. As your Maps is a state approved successor,
modernized cloud aligned and compliant with the current security regime.
(01:05):
I'll show you why it happened, what's changing under the hood,
and how to rebuild your visuals so they don't collapse
into cartographic chaos. Now, let's visit the scene of the crime,
the platform rebellion. Why bing maps had to die. Every
Microsoft platform eventually rebels against its own history. Bing Maps
is just the latest casualty, like an outdated rotary phone
in a world of smartphones. It was functional, but embarrassingly
(01:26):
analog in a cloud first ecosystem. Microsoft didn't remove it
because it hated you. It removed it because it hated
maintaining pre as your architecture. The truth this isn't some
cosmetic update. As your Maps isn't a repaint of bing Maps.
It's an entirely new vehicle built on a different chassis
where bing Maps ran on legacy. APIs designed when cloud
meant I accidentally deleted my local folder. As your Maps
is fused to the Azure backbone itself. It scales, updates, authenticates,
(01:50):
and complies the way modern enterprise infrastructure expects compliance by
the way, isn't negotiable. You can't process global location data
through an outdated service and still claim adherence to modern
data going governance. The decommissioning of bing maps is Microsoft's
quiet way of enforcing hygiene. No legacy APIs, no deprecated
security layers, no excuses. You want to map data, then
(02:10):
use the cloud platform that actually meets its own compliance threshold.
From a technical standpoint, as your maps offers improved rendering performance,
spatial data unification, and API scalability that Bing's creaky engines
simply couldn't match. The rendering pipeline now fully GPU accelerated handles,
smoother zoom transitions, and more detailed geoshapes. The payoff is
higher fidelity visuals and stability across tenants, something bing Maps
(02:32):
often fumbled with regional variations, but let's translate that from
corporate to human, as your maps can actually handle enterprise
grade workloads without panicking. Bing Maps bless its binary heart
was built for directions, not dashboards. Every time you dropped
thousands of latitude longitude points into a powerbi visual, bing
Maps was silently screaming business impact immense unsupported visuals don't
(02:53):
just disappear gracefully. They break dashboards. In production, executives click
open report, and instead of performance metrics they get cryptic
placeholder boxes. It's not just inconvenience, it's data outage theater.
For analytics teams, that's catastrophic. Quarterly review meetings don't pause
for deprecated APIs. You might think of this as modernization.
Microsoft thinks of it as survival. They're sweeping away obsolete
(03:14):
dependencies faster than ever because the era of distributed services
demands consistent telemetry, authentication models and cost tracking. As your
Maps plugs directly into that matrix. Bing Maps didn't and
never will. So Yes, as your Maps is technically the replacement,
but philosophically it's the reckoning. One represents a single API call.
(03:34):
The other is an entire cloud service family, complete with
spatial analytics, integration, security boundaries, and automated updates. This isn't
just updating a visual, it's catching your data architecture up
to twenty twenty five. And before you complain about force change,
remember platform evolution is the entry fee for relevance. You
don't get modern reliability with legacy pipelines refusing to migrate
(03:54):
is like keeping a flip phone and expecting five G coverage.
You can cling to nostalgia, or you can have function
dashboards so the rebellion is complete. Being Maps was tried,
found non compliant, and replaced by something faster, safer, and
infinitely more scalable. If that still sounds optional to you,
stay tuned because ignoring the migration prompt doesn't delay the execution,
It just ensures you face it unprepared. The bureaucratic gate
(04:17):
tenant settings before migration. Welcome to the bureaucratic checkpoint of
this migration, the part most users skip until it ruins
their weak You can't simply click upgrade to Azure Maps
and expect Powerbi to perform miracles. No, first, you must
pass through the administrative gate known as the power Bi
Service admin Portal. Think of it as city Hall for
your organization's cloud behavior. Nothing moves and no data crosses
(04:39):
an international border until the appropriate box is checked and
the legallyase is appeased. Let's start with the boring truth.
As your based visuals are disabled by default. Microsoft does
this not because it enjoys sabotaging your workflow, but because
international privacy and data residency rules require explicit consent. Without
these settings enabled, as your maps visualizations refuse to load,
(05:00):
they don't error out loudly. Know that would be merciful.
They simply sit there, unresponsive, as if mocking your impatience.
Here's where you intervene. Log into the power Bi admin
portal using an account mercifully blessed with administrative privileges. In
the search bar at the top, type Azure and watch.
Several options appear as your maps visuals, data processing outside
(05:21):
your region, and a few additional toggles that look suspiciously
like those cookie consent prompts you never read. Every one
of them determines whether your organization's maps will function or fail.
Now remember the metaphor. This is airport customs for your data.
Location coordinates are your passengers, Azure is the destination country,
and these toggles are passports. If your admin refuses to
stamp them, nothing leaves the terminal. Selecting allow azur Maps
(05:45):
authorizes powerbi to engage with the Azure Maps API services
from Microsoft's global cloud network. Enabling the option for data
processing outside your tenants region allows the system to reach
regions where mapping services physically reside. Decline that, and you're
grounding your vision rules inside a sandbox with no geographic awareness.
Then there's the question of subprocessors. These are Microsoft's own
(06:05):
service components, effectively subcontractors that handle specific capabilities like layer
rendering and coordinate projection. None of them receives personal data.
Only raw location points, place names, and drawing instructions are transmitted.
So if you're worried that your executive's home address is
secretly heading to Redmond, rest easy. The most sensitive data
traveling here is a handful of longitude values and some
(06:27):
color codes for your bubbles. Still, compliance requires acknowledgment. You
check the boxes not because you mistrust Microsoft, but because
auditors eventually will. When these settings are configured correctly, the
Azuo maps visual becomes available. Organizationwide, analysts open their reports,
click upgrade, and Powerbi promptly replaces being visuals with Azure ones, provided,
of course, that this administrative groundwork exists. Now here's where
(06:48):
the comedy begins. Many analysts, impatient and overconfident, attempt conversion
before their admins flip those switches. They get the migration
prompt they click enthusiastically, and Powerbi appears to cooperate until
they relow the report. Suddenly nothing renders, no warning, no
coherent error message, just visual silence. Eventually, someone blames the
network or their Powerbi version, when in truth the problem
(07:09):
is bureaucracy. So coordinate with your admin team before conversion.
Confirm as your maps access at the tenant level, confirm
regional processing approval, and save your organization. Another incident ticket
titled maps broken again. Once this red tape is handled,
you'll notice something remarkable. The upgrade dialogue finally behaves like
a feature instead of a prank. Reports open, visuals load,
(07:29):
and Microsoft stops judging you. This tenant configuration step is
the least glamorous part of the migration, but it's also
the foundation that everything else depends on. Treat it like
updating your system bias. You only need to do it once,
but skip it and everything downstream fails spectacularly. So paperwork complete,
passport stamped, bureaucracy satisfied, you're cleared for takeoff. Yet before
you exhale in relief, a warning what comes next looks
(07:52):
suspiciously easy. Powerbi will soon suggest that a single click
can safely migrate all of your maps. That's adorable. Prepared
to discover how the illusion of automation works and why
trusting it without verification might be your next compliance violation.
The autofixed mirage converting bing maps automatically. Here's where the
trap is set. You open your report and Powerbi politely
(08:13):
flashes a message your bing map visuals can be upgraded
to Azure Maps. Click here. It sounds like the sort
of maintenance miracle we've long been promised. One click, total transformation.
The interface even smiles reassuringly, as if to say, gone,
nothing could possibly go wrong, and then you click. What
happens is technically accurate, but philosophically misleading. Powerbi runs an
(08:33):
internal routine that scans each big map or field map,
visual notes its data bindings, and rebuilds the visual template
using the Azuo maps engine. Simple mappings, latitude, longitude, category
measure carry over conditional formatting is important. Bubble colors are preserved.
You watch the progress bar glide across the screen, convinced
that Microsoft has at last mustered painless migration. Except automation
(08:54):
never really replaces human review, It just compresses the delay
before disappointment. The first clue comes when you reopen the
dashboard and realize your carefully proportioned markers have shrunk. Bubble
size controls in Azure maps follow a different scale curve.
It's not random. Bing maps treated pixel size as an
absolute as your maps ties maximum radius to relative viewport dimensions.
(09:15):
The larger your screen, the tinier the circles. Congratulations, your
revenue hotspots now look like misplaced freckles next to zoom.
Bing maps defaulted to an intermediate geographic spread wide enough
to show continents close enough for state borders, as your
maps assumes you prefer intimacy snapping to city level detail.
That means every map open somewhere between way too zoomed
in and why are my inside one building? The fix
(09:38):
you manually adjust the initial camera setting, because apparently automation
respects geometry but not human patients. Color gradients are another
quiet betrayal. Bing maps use a simple linear heat scale.
Azure's renderer interprets high density data differently, translating a five
step gradient into ten, often with new hues introduced metrics
that once looked comfortably green to red now appeared teal
(09:59):
to my genta. Someone will accuse you of rebranding. They'll
be wrong. It's just the new rendering engine's different opinion
on chromatic morality. Let's discuss when this so called auto
upgrade actually succeeds. Straightforward visuals one category one measure basic
bubble plot usually survive. Intact field maps that already had
latitude and longitude columns for given by the gods of
metadata emerge mostly unscathed. In those cases, automation saves genuine minutes,
(10:23):
But the moment your dashboard leans on layered logic, multiple fields,
shape overlays, conditional transparency, drill through behavior, the cracks widen
as your maps rebuilds what it can and politely ignores
the rest. It's like hiring a painter who repaints your
living room but decides the corner shelf was outside scope. Technically,
Powerbie logs every skipped property during conversion, but you'll never
(10:44):
see it unless you enjoy sifting through diagnostic traces. The symptom,
as always is visual chaos. Filter's misaligned legendsaryset and coordinates
subtly drift. Due to Azure's updated projection system, Yes, Global
compliance now features curvature accuracy. Unfortunately, it also means your
Chicago office made drift into Lake Michigan. If you don't
verify grid alignment. Here's a real world anecdote. One analyst
(11:05):
clicked upgrade all five minutes before a board presentation. Half
the visuals regenerated properly, the rest flattened into avant garde
modern art. The geography layer from a sales report merged
with a supply chain density map, producing what could only
be described as post industrial cartographic expressionism. The executive team
applauded the creativity, then demanded an explanation moral test in
(11:26):
a copy. Unless your career goal is interpretive mapping. Fundamentally,
the automatic upgrade isn't malicious. It's pragmatic. Microsoft recognizes that
most power bear users aren't visual perfectionists. They want something
that loads, not something that aligns with subdegree precision. For them,
upgrade all works beautifully. For anyone who reports to leadership
that expects accuracy down to a decimal, it's a mirage.
(11:47):
So treat this automation like you'd treat autopilot on a
commercial jet. A convenience, not a substitute for attentiveness. It
gets you airborne, keeps you level, but the human pilot
you must land the report without turbulence. Once you understand
and what the conversion touched, and where distortions hide. You
can decide whether the one click option achieved genuine modernization
or simply rearranged your problems with sharper graphics. In short, yes,
(12:10):
automation works except when it doesn't, and when it doesn't,
you'd better be ready for manual re entry. That's where
we head next, the disciplined, precise method that separates professionals
from passengers. Get comfortable. Now we do it the right way.
Manual migration, mastery, doing it like a pro. Welcome to
the part automation couldn't handle precision. The automatic upgrade is
fine for hobbyists, but you presumably prefer your dashboards not
(12:34):
to resemble geological accidents. Manual migration is slower, yes, but
it ensures your visual integrity survives Microsoft's modernization. This is
the section where professionals reclaim control from the algorithm. Step one,
remove the old dependency. Select your big map visual right
click and brace yourself. Delete it. Don't panic. Your data
model remains untouched. You're excising the obsolete shell, not the insight.
(12:56):
Now from the visualization pain choose the Azure Map's icon
will look smugly confident as all cloud native visuals. Do
drop it onto your report canvas. You've just built the
blank skeleton of your new map. Step two, rebind the data.
Drag your fields back into the appropriate wells latitude, longitude,
category size. The same assignments being used, but now they
map to the azuroschema. Think of it as rewiring your
(13:17):
house after tearing out knob and tube, same fixtures compliant wiring.
Verify that every coordinate column actually contains numeric data types.
Azuos parser refuses to guess if you see bun blank bubbles. Afterward,
you've missed a binding. Step three, restore design fidelity. The
bubbles may appear microscopic. That's Azure's conservative scaling Again. Adjust
the bubble size slider upward until your map approximates previous
(13:40):
visual density. Then revisit color encoding under data colors. Reapply
your categorical palette manually. Bing's palette translation doesn't port automatically.
Default blue gray spheres aren't anesthetic, They're a surrender. Now
inspect the layer controls as your maps introduces distinct layer
types point heat map line and filled polygon. Choose point
for raw coordinates or heat map four density visualization migrating
(14:02):
field map visuals. Use filled polygon and ensure your geographic
field matches power BIS recognized regions. Each layer acts like
a registry hive. Misplace one key and the entire visualization
structure collapses. Step four configure interactivity under visual interactions enable
cross filtering between map and other report visuals. Test by
clicking a region. Corresponding charts should adjust instantly if they don't.
(14:26):
Re evaluate the relationships in your data model. Powerbi respects logic,
not wishful thinking. Drill through also needs verification. Write click
a location and confirm subordinate pages. Load as intended as
your maps handles context differently Without refreshed drill parameters, navigation
breaks silently. Step five performance validation. As yours rendering engine
is GPU assisted, it rewards efficiency using precise latitude longitude
(14:49):
fields accelerates load time dramatically. If your data set still
relies on vague region names, pre geocode them. It's the
geospatial equivalent of defragmenting your hard drive. Observe refreshed speeds.
You should see near instant red draws, even on large
point sets. Let's pause for a mental model, since you'll
need one. Think of each mapping coordinate as a Windows
Registry key. It defines structure, not just data. Move them
(15:11):
carefully preserve hierarchy. If a single key points to the
wrong visual branch, you introduce corruption, and unlike system repost
powerb I won't offer a repair wizard. Meticulous migration protects
the architecture, not merely the appearance. Common pitfalls several analysts
often forget report themes influence azure maps layer colors, producing
mismatched tones across visuals. Adjust your theme or explicitly overright
(15:32):
colors within the visual to maintain consistency. Another misstep failing
to test at varied display sizes as your map scales dynamically,
A dashboard perfect on a full monitor might look claustrophobic
on team's embedded views. Test responsiveness before executive eyes and countertruncation.
Now engage in post migration scrutiny. Cycle through each map.
Watch the legend update, interact with slices. Confirm map boundaries
(15:55):
aligned with expectations, no wandering pins, no phantom territories. Reproduce
one or two visual side by side with archived screenshots
from bing maps to confirm design equivalents. The point is
in faith its verification. Only after every visual behaves should
you publish. Then, and only then has your report been
resurrected into compliance. The result cleaner rendering, fewer projection artifacts,
(16:15):
and the assurance your dashboard won't self destruct. When Microsoft
removes Being's final API endpoint, you've effectively recertified your data
set for the modern platform. The transition is surgical, not decorative,
and the contrast speaks volumes where being offered legacy comfort
as you deliver structural integrity. Think of it as moving
from a rented apartment to a building you help design, plumbing, wiring,
and compliance, all under your control. So yes, you did
(16:37):
it manually. Congratulations. You are now part of the thin
elite layer of powerbi professionals who understand that modernization isn't
about convenience, It's about precision. Now that your cartography is
finally house trained, let's explore a hidden upgrade. Most analysts
never even enable the shape map. It's been sitting quietly
under preview features, waiting for ambitious users time to wake
it up. Bonus advantage unlocking shape maps. Now that you've
(16:59):
wrestled Azoo maps into compliance, prepare for the part Microsoft
doesn't advertise the shape Map. It's the quiet sibling living
under preview features, waiting for someone curious enough to toggle
a checkbox, and predictably, most users never do. They assume
anything labeled preview means unfinished, incorrect. In this case, it
means secret weapon. Shape Map isn't a replacement for Azuo maps.
(17:20):
It's a different species of visualization entirely. While a zoo
maps thrives on points, latitude, longitude, data intensity, shape map
focuses on areas. Think political districts, sales territories, or custom
defined zones your company pretends are confidential trade regions. Instead
of plotting dots on a satellite layer, shape Map colors
pre defined boundaries based on your measures to awaken it.
(17:42):
Navigate to file options and settings options preview features, Scroll
through the list until you find shape map visual and
check the box with the satisfaction of someone unearthing buried functionality, restart,
powerbi and a miracle. The new visual appears in your pain.
It resembles a minimalist world icon and as if whispering. Finally,
the configuration is almost disappointingly simple. Drop the shape map
(18:05):
visual onto your canvas. In the field's pain connect, a
category one measure and optionally a location identifier. By default,
it ships with a handful of standard geometries world countries,
US states, but its real power comes from supporting topots
and files, those compressed geometrical blueprints of any region you define.
Upload one containing your organization's unique boundaries, say regional sales zones,
(18:27):
and watch the map fill with color exactly where your
spreadsheet demands. The result differs from as your Maps in
one crucial way, no external rendering call. Shape map operates
entirely client side. It doesn't query cloud geography services, so
its output persists even in air gapped or highly secure environments.
That makes it ideal for government agencies, defense contractors, or
anyone whose compliance department experiences hard palpitations at the phrase
(18:49):
data leaves region. As your maps is cloud native. Shape
map is introverted. Functionally, both tools can coexist. Use as
your maps when precision coordinate plotting or zoom interactivity matters.
Use shape map when classifications dominate the story performance by state,
compliance by district, revenue by territory. Azure is the microscope,
Shape is the atlas. Together they provide depth and overview.
(19:13):
Now the humor Unlike being maps, shape maps won't ghost
you mid quarter. It has no deprecated API looming in
the shadows, waiting to betray you during executive review. Once enabled,
it stays stable until you deliberately disable the preview feature,
something nobody ever does. After discovering how quietly powerful it is,
there's strategy in mastering it. Analysts fluent in both azure
maps and shape map reach a higher tier of powerbi credibility.
(19:36):
They design reports that merge location precision with categorical clarity,
toggling between life geospatial updates and static region visuals seamlessly
to stakeholders. That feels like magic to you, It's just
configuration discipline. If you provide leadership insights divided by regional accountability,
shape map becomes a compliance friendly canvas. No data leaves
(19:56):
your tenant, and visuals remain lightning fast. You can even
blend corporate boundaries with open source to ports on layers
to display proprietary zones atop public geography, a polite way
to remind your boss that not all territory definitions come
from being so. Yes, the platform changed, taking your outdated
visuals with it, but hidden inside that inconvenience is a
new capability set visuals that respect modern compliance and offer
(20:19):
customization once reserved for enterprise GIS software. In short, you've
inherited sharper safer cartography. Use it. Progress isn't optional. Progress
has never asked your permission. It schedules its own deployment.
This migration is in punishment, its maintenance of professional reality.
Technology that stores location data must evolve or it collapses
under regulation. As your maps and shape map aren't novelties,
(20:42):
their compliance in visual form. If your dashboards still rely
on being maps, they're effectively antiques, colorful, nostalgic, and unsupported.
Your choice is binary, modernize, or obsoless. The visuals won't
wait for nostalgia. They'll break quietly and completely while you're
explaining last quarters metrics. Avoid that humiliation your conversions, configure
tenant permissions, verify fidelity, and embrace the new mapping stack
(21:05):
before deadlines enforce it for you. And remember, staying current
isn't heroism. Its hygiene. Platforms shift APIs, retire, and professionals
adapt without complaint because uptime doesn't negotiate sentimentality. POWERBI gave
you tools worthy of modern infrastructure. Now it expects you
to behave accordingly. If this guide saved your reports, repay
the favor, subscribe, enable alerts, and let your next upgrade
(21:28):
deploy itself. Efficiency demands obedience. The future rarely gives second warnings.
You thought your power bimps were safe. They aren't. Those
colorful dashboards full of Big Maps visuals they're on borrowed time.
Microsoft isn't issuing a warning, it's delivering an eviction notice.
Map visuals not supported isn't a glitch. It's the corporate
equivalent of a red tag on your data visualization. As
of October twenty twenty five, Big Maps is officially deprecated,
and the powerbi visuals that depend on it will vanish
(00:21):
from your reports faster than you can say compliance update.
So yes, what once loaded seamlessly will soon blink out
of existence, replaced by an empty placeholder and a smug
upgrade banner inviting you to migrate to as your maps.
If you ignore it, your executive dashboards will melt into
beige despair by next fiscal year. Think that's dramatic, It isn't.
It's Microsoft's transition policy. The good news, if you can
(00:44):
call it, that is the problems entirely preventable. Today, we'll
cover why this migration matters, the checklist every adminent analyst
must complete, and how to avoid watching your data visualization
layer implode during Q four reporting. Let's be clear, bing
maps didn't die of natural causes. It was executed for
non compliance. As your Maps is a state approved successor,
modernized cloud aligned and compliant with the current security regime.
(01:05):
I'll show you why it happened, what's changing under the hood,
and how to rebuild your visuals so they don't collapse
into cartographic chaos. Now, let's visit the scene of the crime,
the platform rebellion. Why bing maps had to die. Every
Microsoft platform eventually rebels against its own history. Bing Maps
is just the latest casualty, like an outdated rotary phone
in a world of smartphones. It was functional, but embarrassingly
(01:26):
analog in a cloud first ecosystem. Microsoft didn't remove it
because it hated you. It removed it because it hated
maintaining pre as your architecture. The truth this isn't some
cosmetic update. As your Maps isn't a repaint of bing Maps.
It's an entirely new vehicle built on a different chassis
where bing Maps ran on legacy. APIs designed when cloud
meant I accidentally deleted my local folder. As your Maps
is fused to the Azure backbone itself. It scales, updates, authenticates,
(01:50):
and complies the way modern enterprise infrastructure expects compliance by
the way, isn't negotiable. You can't process global location data
through an outdated service and still claim adherence to modern
data going governance. The decommissioning of bing maps is Microsoft's
quiet way of enforcing hygiene. No legacy APIs, no deprecated
security layers, no excuses. You want to map data, then
(02:10):
use the cloud platform that actually meets its own compliance threshold.
From a technical standpoint, as your maps offers improved rendering performance,
spatial data unification, and API scalability that Bing's creaky engines
simply couldn't match. The rendering pipeline now fully GPU accelerated handles,
smoother zoom transitions, and more detailed geoshapes. The payoff is
higher fidelity visuals and stability across tenants, something bing Maps
(02:32):
often fumbled with regional variations, but let's translate that from
corporate to human, as your maps can actually handle enterprise
grade workloads without panicking. Bing Maps bless its binary heart
was built for directions, not dashboards. Every time you dropped
thousands of latitude longitude points into a powerbi visual, bing
Maps was silently screaming business impact immense unsupported visuals don't
(02:53):
just disappear gracefully. They break dashboards. In production, executives click
open report, and instead of performance metrics they get cryptic
placeholder boxes. It's not just inconvenience, it's data outage theater.
For analytics teams, that's catastrophic. Quarterly review meetings don't pause
for deprecated APIs. You might think of this as modernization.
Microsoft thinks of it as survival. They're sweeping away obsolete
(03:14):
dependencies faster than ever because the era of distributed services
demands consistent telemetry, authentication models and cost tracking. As your
Maps plugs directly into that matrix. Bing Maps didn't and
never will. So Yes, as your Maps is technically the replacement,
but philosophically it's the reckoning. One represents a single API call.
(03:34):
The other is an entire cloud service family, complete with
spatial analytics, integration, security boundaries, and automated updates. This isn't
just updating a visual, it's catching your data architecture up
to twenty twenty five. And before you complain about force change,
remember platform evolution is the entry fee for relevance. You
don't get modern reliability with legacy pipelines refusing to migrate
(03:54):
is like keeping a flip phone and expecting five G coverage.
You can cling to nostalgia, or you can have function
dashboards so the rebellion is complete. Being Maps was tried,
found non compliant, and replaced by something faster, safer, and
infinitely more scalable. If that still sounds optional to you,
stay tuned because ignoring the migration prompt doesn't delay the execution,
It just ensures you face it unprepared. The bureaucratic gate
(04:17):
tenant settings before migration. Welcome to the bureaucratic checkpoint of
this migration, the part most users skip until it ruins
their weak You can't simply click upgrade to Azure Maps
and expect Powerbi to perform miracles. No, first, you must
pass through the administrative gate known as the power Bi
Service admin Portal. Think of it as city Hall for
your organization's cloud behavior. Nothing moves and no data crosses
(04:39):
an international border until the appropriate box is checked and
the legallyase is appeased. Let's start with the boring truth.
As your based visuals are disabled by default. Microsoft does
this not because it enjoys sabotaging your workflow, but because
international privacy and data residency rules require explicit consent. Without
these settings enabled, as your maps visualizations refuse to load,
(05:00):
they don't error out loudly. Know that would be merciful.
They simply sit there, unresponsive, as if mocking your impatience.
Here's where you intervene. Log into the power Bi admin
portal using an account mercifully blessed with administrative privileges. In
the search bar at the top, type Azure and watch.
Several options appear as your maps visuals, data processing outside
(05:21):
your region, and a few additional toggles that look suspiciously
like those cookie consent prompts you never read. Every one
of them determines whether your organization's maps will function or fail.
Now remember the metaphor. This is airport customs for your data.
Location coordinates are your passengers, Azure is the destination country,
and these toggles are passports. If your admin refuses to
stamp them, nothing leaves the terminal. Selecting allow azur Maps
(05:45):
authorizes powerbi to engage with the Azure Maps API services
from Microsoft's global cloud network. Enabling the option for data
processing outside your tenants region allows the system to reach
regions where mapping services physically reside. Decline that, and you're
grounding your vision rules inside a sandbox with no geographic awareness.
Then there's the question of subprocessors. These are Microsoft's own
(06:05):
service components, effectively subcontractors that handle specific capabilities like layer
rendering and coordinate projection. None of them receives personal data.
Only raw location points, place names, and drawing instructions are transmitted.
So if you're worried that your executive's home address is
secretly heading to Redmond, rest easy. The most sensitive data
traveling here is a handful of longitude values and some
(06:27):
color codes for your bubbles. Still, compliance requires acknowledgment. You
check the boxes not because you mistrust Microsoft, but because
auditors eventually will. When these settings are configured correctly, the
Azuo maps visual becomes available. Organizationwide, analysts open their reports,
click upgrade, and Powerbi promptly replaces being visuals with Azure ones, provided,
of course, that this administrative groundwork exists. Now here's where
(06:48):
the comedy begins. Many analysts, impatient and overconfident, attempt conversion
before their admins flip those switches. They get the migration
prompt they click enthusiastically, and Powerbi appears to cooperate until
they relow the report. Suddenly nothing renders, no warning, no
coherent error message, just visual silence. Eventually, someone blames the
network or their Powerbi version, when in truth the problem
(07:09):
is bureaucracy. So coordinate with your admin team before conversion.
Confirm as your maps access at the tenant level, confirm
regional processing approval, and save your organization. Another incident ticket
titled maps broken again. Once this red tape is handled,
you'll notice something remarkable. The upgrade dialogue finally behaves like
a feature instead of a prank. Reports open, visuals load,
(07:29):
and Microsoft stops judging you. This tenant configuration step is
the least glamorous part of the migration, but it's also
the foundation that everything else depends on. Treat it like
updating your system bias. You only need to do it once,
but skip it and everything downstream fails spectacularly. So paperwork complete,
passport stamped, bureaucracy satisfied, you're cleared for takeoff. Yet before
you exhale in relief, a warning what comes next looks
(07:52):
suspiciously easy. Powerbi will soon suggest that a single click
can safely migrate all of your maps. That's adorable. Prepared
to discover how the illusion of automation works and why
trusting it without verification might be your next compliance violation.
The autofixed mirage converting bing maps automatically. Here's where the
trap is set. You open your report and Powerbi politely
(08:13):
flashes a message your bing map visuals can be upgraded
to Azure Maps. Click here. It sounds like the sort
of maintenance miracle we've long been promised. One click, total transformation.
The interface even smiles reassuringly, as if to say, gone,
nothing could possibly go wrong, and then you click. What
happens is technically accurate, but philosophically misleading. Powerbi runs an
(08:33):
internal routine that scans each big map or field map,
visual notes its data bindings, and rebuilds the visual template
using the Azuo maps engine. Simple mappings, latitude, longitude, category
measure carry over conditional formatting is important. Bubble colors are preserved.
You watch the progress bar glide across the screen, convinced
that Microsoft has at last mustered painless migration. Except automation
(08:54):
never really replaces human review, It just compresses the delay
before disappointment. The first clue comes when you reopen the
dashboard and realize your carefully proportioned markers have shrunk. Bubble
size controls in Azure maps follow a different scale curve.
It's not random. Bing maps treated pixel size as an
absolute as your maps ties maximum radius to relative viewport dimensions.
(09:15):
The larger your screen, the tinier the circles. Congratulations, your
revenue hotspots now look like misplaced freckles next to zoom.
Bing maps defaulted to an intermediate geographic spread wide enough
to show continents close enough for state borders, as your
maps assumes you prefer intimacy snapping to city level detail.
That means every map open somewhere between way too zoomed
in and why are my inside one building? The fix
(09:38):
you manually adjust the initial camera setting, because apparently automation
respects geometry but not human patients. Color gradients are another
quiet betrayal. Bing maps use a simple linear heat scale.
Azure's renderer interprets high density data differently, translating a five
step gradient into ten, often with new hues introduced metrics
that once looked comfortably green to red now appeared teal
(09:59):
to my genta. Someone will accuse you of rebranding. They'll
be wrong. It's just the new rendering engine's different opinion
on chromatic morality. Let's discuss when this so called auto
upgrade actually succeeds. Straightforward visuals one category one measure basic
bubble plot usually survive. Intact field maps that already had
latitude and longitude columns for given by the gods of
metadata emerge mostly unscathed. In those cases, automation saves genuine minutes,
(10:23):
But the moment your dashboard leans on layered logic, multiple fields,
shape overlays, conditional transparency, drill through behavior, the cracks widen
as your maps rebuilds what it can and politely ignores
the rest. It's like hiring a painter who repaints your
living room but decides the corner shelf was outside scope. Technically,
Powerbie logs every skipped property during conversion, but you'll never
(10:44):
see it unless you enjoy sifting through diagnostic traces. The symptom,
as always is visual chaos. Filter's misaligned legendsaryset and coordinates
subtly drift. Due to Azure's updated projection system, Yes, Global
compliance now features curvature accuracy. Unfortunately, it also means your
Chicago office made drift into Lake Michigan. If you don't
verify grid alignment. Here's a real world anecdote. One analyst
(11:05):
clicked upgrade all five minutes before a board presentation. Half
the visuals regenerated properly, the rest flattened into avant garde
modern art. The geography layer from a sales report merged
with a supply chain density map, producing what could only
be described as post industrial cartographic expressionism. The executive team
applauded the creativity, then demanded an explanation moral test in
(11:26):
a copy. Unless your career goal is interpretive mapping. Fundamentally,
the automatic upgrade isn't malicious. It's pragmatic. Microsoft recognizes that
most power bear users aren't visual perfectionists. They want something
that loads, not something that aligns with subdegree precision. For them,
upgrade all works beautifully. For anyone who reports to leadership
that expects accuracy down to a decimal, it's a mirage.
(11:47):
So treat this automation like you'd treat autopilot on a
commercial jet. A convenience, not a substitute for attentiveness. It
gets you airborne, keeps you level, but the human pilot
you must land the report without turbulence. Once you understand
and what the conversion touched, and where distortions hide. You
can decide whether the one click option achieved genuine modernization
or simply rearranged your problems with sharper graphics. In short, yes,
(12:10):
automation works except when it doesn't, and when it doesn't,
you'd better be ready for manual re entry. That's where
we head next, the disciplined, precise method that separates professionals
from passengers. Get comfortable. Now we do it the right way.
Manual migration, mastery, doing it like a pro. Welcome to
the part automation couldn't handle precision. The automatic upgrade is
fine for hobbyists, but you presumably prefer your dashboards not
(12:34):
to resemble geological accidents. Manual migration is slower, yes, but
it ensures your visual integrity survives Microsoft's modernization. This is
the section where professionals reclaim control from the algorithm. Step one,
remove the old dependency. Select your big map visual right
click and brace yourself. Delete it. Don't panic. Your data
model remains untouched. You're excising the obsolete shell, not the insight.
(12:56):
Now from the visualization pain choose the Azure Map's icon
will look smugly confident as all cloud native visuals. Do
drop it onto your report canvas. You've just built the
blank skeleton of your new map. Step two, rebind the data.
Drag your fields back into the appropriate wells latitude, longitude,
category size. The same assignments being used, but now they
map to the azuroschema. Think of it as rewiring your
(13:17):
house after tearing out knob and tube, same fixtures compliant wiring.
Verify that every coordinate column actually contains numeric data types.
Azuos parser refuses to guess if you see bun blank bubbles. Afterward,
you've missed a binding. Step three, restore design fidelity. The
bubbles may appear microscopic. That's Azure's conservative scaling Again. Adjust
the bubble size slider upward until your map approximates previous
(13:40):
visual density. Then revisit color encoding under data colors. Reapply
your categorical palette manually. Bing's palette translation doesn't port automatically.
Default blue gray spheres aren't anesthetic, They're a surrender. Now
inspect the layer controls as your maps introduces distinct layer
types point heat map line and filled polygon. Choose point
for raw coordinates or heat map four density visualization migrating
(14:02):
field map visuals. Use filled polygon and ensure your geographic
field matches power BIS recognized regions. Each layer acts like
a registry hive. Misplace one key and the entire visualization
structure collapses. Step four configure interactivity under visual interactions enable
cross filtering between map and other report visuals. Test by
clicking a region. Corresponding charts should adjust instantly if they don't.
(14:26):
Re evaluate the relationships in your data model. Powerbi respects logic,
not wishful thinking. Drill through also needs verification. Write click
a location and confirm subordinate pages. Load as intended as
your maps handles context differently Without refreshed drill parameters, navigation
breaks silently. Step five performance validation. As yours rendering engine
is GPU assisted, it rewards efficiency using precise latitude longitude
(14:49):
fields accelerates load time dramatically. If your data set still
relies on vague region names, pre geocode them. It's the
geospatial equivalent of defragmenting your hard drive. Observe refreshed speeds.
You should see near instant red draws, even on large
point sets. Let's pause for a mental model, since you'll
need one. Think of each mapping coordinate as a Windows
Registry key. It defines structure, not just data. Move them
(15:11):
carefully preserve hierarchy. If a single key points to the
wrong visual branch, you introduce corruption, and unlike system repost
powerb I won't offer a repair wizard. Meticulous migration protects
the architecture, not merely the appearance. Common pitfalls several analysts
often forget report themes influence azure maps layer colors, producing
mismatched tones across visuals. Adjust your theme or explicitly overright
(15:32):
colors within the visual to maintain consistency. Another misstep failing
to test at varied display sizes as your map scales dynamically,
A dashboard perfect on a full monitor might look claustrophobic
on team's embedded views. Test responsiveness before executive eyes and countertruncation.
Now engage in post migration scrutiny. Cycle through each map.
Watch the legend update, interact with slices. Confirm map boundaries
(15:55):
aligned with expectations, no wandering pins, no phantom territories. Reproduce
one or two visual side by side with archived screenshots
from bing maps to confirm design equivalents. The point is
in faith its verification. Only after every visual behaves should
you publish. Then, and only then has your report been
resurrected into compliance. The result cleaner rendering, fewer projection artifacts,
(16:15):
and the assurance your dashboard won't self destruct. When Microsoft
removes Being's final API endpoint, you've effectively recertified your data
set for the modern platform. The transition is surgical, not decorative,
and the contrast speaks volumes where being offered legacy comfort
as you deliver structural integrity. Think of it as moving
from a rented apartment to a building you help design, plumbing, wiring,
and compliance, all under your control. So yes, you did
(16:37):
it manually. Congratulations. You are now part of the thin
elite layer of powerbi professionals who understand that modernization isn't
about convenience, It's about precision. Now that your cartography is
finally house trained, let's explore a hidden upgrade. Most analysts
never even enable the shape map. It's been sitting quietly
under preview features, waiting for ambitious users time to wake
it up. Bonus advantage unlocking shape maps. Now that you've
(16:59):
wrestled Azoo maps into compliance, prepare for the part Microsoft
doesn't advertise the shape Map. It's the quiet sibling living
under preview features, waiting for someone curious enough to toggle
a checkbox, and predictably, most users never do. They assume
anything labeled preview means unfinished, incorrect. In this case, it
means secret weapon. Shape Map isn't a replacement for Azuo maps.
(17:20):
It's a different species of visualization entirely. While a zoo
maps thrives on points, latitude, longitude, data intensity, shape map
focuses on areas. Think political districts, sales territories, or custom
defined zones your company pretends are confidential trade regions. Instead
of plotting dots on a satellite layer, shape Map colors
pre defined boundaries based on your measures to awaken it.
(17:42):
Navigate to file options and settings options preview features, Scroll
through the list until you find shape map visual and
check the box with the satisfaction of someone unearthing buried functionality, restart,
powerbi and a miracle. The new visual appears in your pain.
It resembles a minimalist world icon and as if whispering. Finally,
the configuration is almost disappointingly simple. Drop the shape map
(18:05):
visual onto your canvas. In the field's pain connect, a
category one measure and optionally a location identifier. By default,
it ships with a handful of standard geometries world countries,
US states, but its real power comes from supporting topots
and files, those compressed geometrical blueprints of any region you define.
Upload one containing your organization's unique boundaries, say regional sales zones,
(18:27):
and watch the map fill with color exactly where your
spreadsheet demands. The result differs from as your Maps in
one crucial way, no external rendering call. Shape map operates
entirely client side. It doesn't query cloud geography services, so
its output persists even in air gapped or highly secure environments.
That makes it ideal for government agencies, defense contractors, or
anyone whose compliance department experiences hard palpitations at the phrase
(18:49):
data leaves region. As your maps is cloud native. Shape
map is introverted. Functionally, both tools can coexist. Use as
your maps when precision coordinate plotting or zoom interactivity matters.
Use shape map when classifications dominate the story performance by state,
compliance by district, revenue by territory. Azure is the microscope,
Shape is the atlas. Together they provide depth and overview.
(19:13):
Now the humor Unlike being maps, shape maps won't ghost
you mid quarter. It has no deprecated API looming in
the shadows, waiting to betray you during executive review. Once enabled,
it stays stable until you deliberately disable the preview feature,
something nobody ever does. After discovering how quietly powerful it is,
there's strategy in mastering it. Analysts fluent in both azure
maps and shape map reach a higher tier of powerbi credibility.
(19:36):
They design reports that merge location precision with categorical clarity,
toggling between life geospatial updates and static region visuals seamlessly
to stakeholders. That feels like magic to you, It's just
configuration discipline. If you provide leadership insights divided by regional accountability,
shape map becomes a compliance friendly canvas. No data leaves
(19:56):
your tenant, and visuals remain lightning fast. You can even
blend corporate boundaries with open source to ports on layers
to display proprietary zones atop public geography, a polite way
to remind your boss that not all territory definitions come
from being so. Yes, the platform changed, taking your outdated
visuals with it, but hidden inside that inconvenience is a
new capability set visuals that respect modern compliance and offer
(20:19):
customization once reserved for enterprise GIS software. In short, you've
inherited sharper safer cartography. Use it. Progress isn't optional. Progress
has never asked your permission. It schedules its own deployment.
This migration is in punishment, its maintenance of professional reality.
Technology that stores location data must evolve or it collapses
under regulation. As your maps and shape map aren't novelties,
(20:42):
their compliance in visual form. If your dashboards still rely
on being maps, they're effectively antiques, colorful, nostalgic, and unsupported.
Your choice is binary, modernize, or obsoless. The visuals won't
wait for nostalgia. They'll break quietly and completely while you're
explaining last quarters metrics. Avoid that humiliation your conversions, configure
tenant permissions, verify fidelity, and embrace the new mapping stack
(21:05):
before deadlines enforce it for you. And remember, staying current
isn't heroism. Its hygiene. Platforms shift APIs, retire, and professionals
adapt without complaint because uptime doesn't negotiate sentimentality. POWERBI gave
you tools worthy of modern infrastructure. Now it expects you
to behave accordingly. If this guide saved your reports, repay
the favor, subscribe, enable alerts, and let your next upgrade
(21:28):
deploy itself. Efficiency demands obedience. The future rarely gives second warnings.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.