Microsoft Learn

Power BI is comprised of several components that work together to transform raw data into insightful and interactive reports.

• Power BI Desktop: A free application you install on your local computer. It's the primary tool for connecting to data, transforming and modeling it, and creating reports and dashboards.
• Power BI Service: An online SaaS (Software as a Service) service (app.powerbi.com) where you publish reports created in Power BI Desktop. You can create dashboards, share content, and collaborate with colleagues here.
• Power BI Mobile Apps: Available for Windows, iOS, and Android devices, allowing you to view and interact with your reports and dashboards on the go.

For this tutorial, we'll primarily focus on Power BI Desktop and the Power BI Service.

If you don't have Power BI Desktop installed, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Microsoft Power BI website.
2. Download the latest version of Power BI Desktop.
3. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.

Once installed, launch Power BI Desktop. You'll see a welcome screen where you can sign in (optional for basic use) or start a new report.

Power BI can connect to a wide variety of data sources. Let's connect to a simple Excel file.

1. In Power BI Desktop, on the Home tab, click Get Data.
2. Select Excel from the list of common data sources.
3. Click Connect.
4. Browse to your Excel file (you can use a sample file provided by Microsoft Learn or create your own with some sample sales data).
5. Select the sheet containing your data and click Load.

Your data will now appear in the Fields pane on the right side of the Power BI Desktop window.

Now, let's create some visualizations.

1. In the Visualizations pane, select a visual type, for example, a Stacked bar chart.
2. A blank chart will appear on your report canvas.
3. From the Fields pane, drag a categorical field (e.g., 'Product Category') to the Axis well of the visual.
4. Drag a numerical field (e.g., 'Sales Amount') to the Values well.
5. You'll see a bar chart representing sales by product category.

Experiment with other visualization types like pie charts, line charts, and cards to display different aspects of your data.

Power BI reports are interactive by default. Clicking on a bar in one chart will filter other visuals on the same page. You can also customize the appearance of your visuals.

1. Select a visual.
2. In the Visualizations pane, click the Format your visual icon (paintbrush).
3. Here, you can change colors, add data labels, adjust titles, and more.

This interactivity makes your reports dynamic and allows users to explore data effectively.

To share your report, you need to publish it to the Power BI Service.

1. In Power BI Desktop, on the Home tab, click Publish.
2. You'll be prompted to sign in if you haven't already. Use your work or school account.
3. Select a workspace to publish to (e.g., 'My workspace').
4. Click Select.

Once published, you can access your report at app.powerbi.com.

In the Power BI Service, you can:

• View your published reports and dashboards.
• Create dashboards by pinning visuals from reports.
• Share your reports and dashboards with others.
• Set up data refreshes to keep your data up-to-date.

The Power BI Service is where collaboration and advanced analytics features come into play.