Introduction to Power BI and Its Interface
Well, hello there! If you are new here, my name is Abdurrahman (ab-do-ramen). If not, welcome back! This article will be the start of the Power BI series. Power BI is a business intelligence tool used primarily for data visualization. There are many similarities between Power BI and Excel/PowerPoint since all office tools are created by Microsoft.
I strongly urge you to learn Excel before learning Power BI. We will learn the overall layout of Power BI and familiarize ourselves with the most commonly used tools. Then, finally, we will go over how to build a basic dashboard by transforming the data, loading it, and applying visualizations to it.
Power BI Desktop Interface Walkthrough
Overview of the Interface
Ribbon
- The Ribbon is located at the top, similar to Excel and PowerPoint.
- Contains tabs such as File, Home, Insert, and Modeling.
- These tabs provide access to various functionalities, such as importing data, transforming data, inserting visuals, and managing measures.
Key Sections of the Interface
Home Tab
- Import data from multiple sources (Excel, SQL Server, etc.).
- Use Power Query Editor for data transformation.
- Insert a default set of visuals and manage measures.
Left-Hand Pane
- Report View: Shows how the dashboard will look when presented.
- Model View: Displays relationships between different datasets.
- Data View: This allows you to view and manage your data tables.
Right-Hand Pane
- Filters Pane: Apply filters to your report
- Visualizations Pane: Add and customize visuals for your report.
- Fields Pane: Populated with data once loaded; used for dragging and dropping fields into visuals.
Introduction to Power BI
Installing Power BI
Begin by installing Power BI Desktop from powerbi.com.
Getting and Transforming Data
Importing Data: Data can be imported from sources like Excel, SQL Server, etc. A preview of your data will appear, allowing you to load it directly or transform it before loading.
Transforming Data with Power Query: It’s highly recommended that data be converted to ensure Power BI recognizes it correctly. Power Query Editor allows you to change column types, clean and combine, and remove unnecessary columns. You can also work with multiple files in Power Query by right-clicking on the left-hand side and adding a new query.
Loading Data into Power BI: Once the transformation is complete, close and apply the changes to load the data into Power BI.
Creating Relationships
Instead of merging tables, create relationships in Power BI using the Model View on the left-hand side, as discussed before.
Visualizing Data in Power BI
Selecting and Visualizing Data
Fields Pane: Go to the Fields Pane and select the data you want to visualize.
Visualizations Pane: We can change the type of visualization (e.g., charts, maps, slicers) by going to the visualization pane. Then, let's add a slicer to filter data by selecting the relevant data in the Fields Pane. After that, we can customize the slicer (e.g., dropdown, list) using the options on the top right of the slicer.
Formatting and Calculations
Formatting Options: We can customize your charts' X-Y axis, legends, and other visual aspects.
Quick Measures: For calculations like year-over-year (YoY) change, use the Quick Measures feature under the Time Intelligence section. Then select your data and date, and Power BI will calculate.
Map Charts and KPI Cards: We can generate map charts by adding values and locations from the Fields Pane. Finally, we can add KPI cards by selecting the Card from the Visualizations Pane and choosing the relevant data from the Fields Pane.
Writing New Measures
Unlike using quick measures to create custom calculations, you’ll need to learn DAX (Data Analysis Expressions).
Saving and Sharing Reports
Saving Your Report
To save your report, go to File and select Save to save your Power BI report.
Publishing and Sharing Reports
You can publish your report by selecting Publish and then Reports. Once published, a web link is generated that you can share with others.
Overall, I have introduced you to Power BI and its core functionalities. From creating charts to creating measures that allow us to perform complex measures. To use power query to transform our data before loading it. As we continue, we will delve further into these features, such as inserting charts, creating DAX formulas, and more. Make sure to practice creating visualizations on your own. As always, have a Good morning, Good afternoon, and Good night.
