Power BI Desktop is the technology that transforms raw data into actionable insights, which is crucial in data driven environment. Learning how to connect, transform, and visualise data using Power BI Desktop, complemented by Microsoft Power BI Courses, can significantly improve your decision-making process.
This blog will discuss the crucial processes of establishing connections to various data sources, honing that data using the Power Query Editor, and creating dynamic dashboards and reports that narrate engaging tales. Prepare for the full power of your data and learn how Power BI Desktop can help you make decisions more quickly and intelligently.
Table of Contents
-
Understanding Power BI Desktop
-
Step 1: Connecting to Data Sources
-
Step 2: Navigating the Power Query Editor
-
Step 3: Applying and Loading Transformed Data
-
Step 4: Publishing and Sharing Your Work
-
Conclusion
Understanding Power BI Desktop
Power BI Desktop is a free application you can download to work with data sources, create data models, and build advanced visualisations. It is famous for supporting more data types and sources, including Excel, databases, Google Cloud, and web API. The tools are intuitive for both power and novice users, as they can connect to data, manipulate it, and design appealing and dynamic reports.
Step 1: Connecting to Data Sources
User is required to do in Power BI Desktop is to import data. Some of the database connections that Power BI Desktop supports are Excel, SQL Server, Azure, SharePoint, Oracle, and MySQL. Here’s how you can connect to a data source.
- Open Power BI Desktop: To do this, open the Power BI Desktop and focus on the first option of the Home tab. When you have reached this point, the “Get Data” button will appear on the screen and when clicked it will display the list of data sources.
- Select a Data Source: Select the database type you want to join. For example, if you would like to connect to an Excel file, you will just choose Excel. If you are linking to a SQL Server database, then choose SQL Server.
- Provide Connection Details: If the selected data source requires it, the user should enter certain connection details. To connect to an Excel file, you will simply have to navigate to the file folder. To connect to SQL Server, the user would need to enter his/her server name, database name, and authentication information.
- Load or Transform Data: Once you enter all the necessary information, choose the ‘Load’ button to load the data directly into Power BI Desktop, or choose the ‘Transform Data’ button to go to the Power Query Editor, where the data transformation is available.
Step 2: Navigating the Power Query Editor
The Power Query Editor is one of the Power BI Desktop components which helps clean, transform and reshape the data before it is loaded into the data model. With the editor, one can use filters, sort data, join tables, delete duplicates, and convert data types. Here’s how you can use the Power Query Editor to transform your data:
- Remove Unnecessary Columns: It is common for your data source to have columns not required for your research. To eliminate these columns, perform a right-click on the column header and choose “Remove.” As a result, your data will become more streamlined and manageable.
- Filter Rows: Depending on certain requirements, you may need to remove some rows. You can, for instance, eliminate entries that have missing values, apply a date range filter, or omit specific categories. The column header’s “Filter” option can be used for this.
- Change Data Types: Power BI attempts to identify each column’s data type automatically, but occasionally you will need to make changes. For instance, you can alter a date column to the “Date” type if it is identified as text. Click the column header, select the “Transform” option, and then choose the desired data type to alter the data type.
- Merge and Append Queries: To construct a single dataset, you might need to combine or append data dispersed across several tables or data sources. While the “Append Queries” option stacks tables on top of one another, the “Merge Queries” option combines two tables based on a shared column.
- Add Custom Columns: You may need to make calculated columns when the default data is insufficient. With the “Custom Column” function in Power BI, you may create new columns dependent on formulae or expressions.
- Group Data: The “Group By” option is helpful if you need to aggregate your data (for example, to calculate the sum, average, or count). You can apply aggregate functions to other columns and group data based on one or more columns.
Step 3: Applying and Loading Transformed Data
After completing the required data transformations in Power Query Editor, import the updated data into Power BI Desktop for further analysis and visualisation. This is how to go about doing it:
- Apply Changes: In the Power Query Editor, select “Close & Apply” after completing the necessary modifications. By doing this, Power BI Desktop will load the cleaned data and make all adjustments.
- Create Data Relationships: If you are working with more than one table, you might need to establish associations between them. To accomplish this, use the “Model” view and drag fields between tables to establish a relationship. This is an important step to ensure that you can do cross-tab analysis and that your data model is reliable.
- Build Visualisations: After your data has been loaded and prepared, you can begin creating visuals. Power BI Desktop offers numerous visualisation choices, including bar charts, line graphs, scatter plots, pie charts, maps, and more. Making interactive and meaningful graphics is as easy as dragging and dropping fields onto the visualisation window.
- Create Reports and Dashboards: Using the visualisations, generate reports and dashboards that stakeholders can access and share. A report can include numerous pages, interactive features like filters and slicers, and a layout emphasising important insights.
Step 4: Publishing and Sharing Your Work
After completing your data transformations and creating your reports, you can share your work with others by publishing it on the Power BI service. Here is how to do it:
- Log in: Make sure the Power BI Desktop is open, and you are logged into your Power BI account.
- Publish: Click the “Publish” button on the “Home” page to select the workspace where you wish to publish your report. This enables those in your organisation or others you have shared access to view it.
- Collaborate and Share: After your report is published, you may collaborate with colleagues, share it, and configure automated data refreshes to ensure it is always updated.
Conclusion
To make data driven decisions effectively, one must know how to connect and transform data using Power BI Desktop. Learning to connect to diverse data sources, manipulate data with the Power Query Editor, and create compelling visuals allows you to unlock the full potential of your data. With guidance from free resources of The Knowledge Academy, you can go beyond basic reporting, transforming raw data into meaningful insights. You can create impactful reports that drive strategic actions and deliver substantial business benefits by honing these skills.