Power BI

Learning objectives

By the end of this week you will be able to:

Describe what Power BI is and its parts (Desktop, Service, Mobile).
Name the three views in Power BI Desktop.
Import data from Excel and CSV.
Build a first simple visual.

Lessons

Power BI turns raw data into interactive reports. It has three main parts:

Power BI Desktop: the free Windows app where you build reports. This course uses it.
Power BI Service: the website (app.powerbi.com) where reports are published and shared.
Power BI Mobile: apps for viewing reports on phones and tablets.

In Desktop, the icons on the left switch between three views:

Report view: the canvas where you build visuals.
Table view (called Data view in older versions): see the rows of each loaded table.
Model view: see the tables and the relationships between them.

On the right are the Visualizations pane (chart types and formatting), the Data pane (your tables and fields) and the Filters pane.

The typical workflow, which is also the order of this course: Get Data → Transform (Power Query) → Model (relationships and DAX) → Visualize → Publish.

Data Import

Click Home > Get Data. Power BI can connect to hundreds of sources, but you will start with the two most common:

Excel workbook: choose the file, then tick the sheets or Tables you want in the Navigator window.
Text/CSV: choose the file; Power BI previews it and guesses the delimiter and data types.

In the Navigator you get two buttons:

Load brings the data in as it is.
Transform Data opens Power Query so you can clean it first. Get in the habit of choosing this.

Import vs DirectQuery: Import copies the data into the report file, which is fast and the right choice for learning. DirectQuery leaves the data in the source database and queries it live; it is used for very large or constantly changing data.

Your first visual: in Report view, click a chart type in Visualizations, then tick fields in the Data pane (for example Region and Sales). Power BI decides which field goes on the axis and which becomes the value; drag fields between wells to change it.

Save often. Power BI files use the .pbix extension.

Watch

VideoPower BI Tutorial for Beginners (Step-by-Step in 30 Minutes)
A full first tour: interface, loading data and a first report.
VideoImport Excel into Power BI and Build Your First Dashboard (Step-by-Step)
Focuses on Get Data from Excel.
Microsoft LearnGet started with Microsoft data analytics (Microsoft Learn)
Official free reading path with short exercises.

Practice

Install Power BI Desktop. Import a sample sales workbook. Explore the three views, then build three visuals on one page: a card showing total Sales, a bar chart of Sales by Region, and a line chart of Sales by Month. Save the file as Week1.pbix.

Check your understanding

Try each question first, then open it to see the answer.

Which part of Power BI do you use to build a report?

Power BI Desktop.

What is the difference between Load and Transform Data in the Navigator?

Load imports as is; Transform Data opens Power Query to clean first.

Which view shows how tables are connected?

Model view.

Assignment

Submit Week1.pbix and a screenshot of your three visuals.