Power BI Basics: Connecting to Data

This tutorial will guide you through the fundamental steps of connecting to various data sources in Power BI. A successful data connection is the first crucial step in building insightful reports and dashboards.

Understanding Data Sources

Power BI supports a wide array of data sources, ranging from simple files to complex cloud services and databases. The process of connecting to each source might differ slightly, but the core concepts remain the same.

Common Data Source Types:

Files: Excel, CSV, XML, JSON, Text
Databases: SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL
Cloud Services: Azure SQL Database, Azure Data Lake, SharePoint, Salesforce
Power Platform: Power BI datasets, Power Apps, Dataverse
Web: Web pages, OData feeds

Steps to Connect to Data

Open Power BI Desktop

Launch Power BI Desktop. If you don't have it installed, you can download it from the Microsoft Store or the official Power BI website.

Access the Get Data Feature

On the 'Home' tab of the ribbon, you'll find the Get Data button. Clicking this button will open a dropdown menu with a list of common data sources.

For a more comprehensive list, select More....

Select Your Data Source Type

Browse through the categories or use the search bar to find your specific data source. For example, if you're connecting to an Excel file, select 'Excel workbook'.

Click Connect.

Provide Connection Details

This step varies depending on the data source:

For Files: You'll be prompted to browse and select your file.
For Databases: You'll typically need to provide server name, database name, and authentication credentials (e.g., Windows authentication, username/password).
For Web Sources: You'll enter the URL of the web page or API endpoint.

Follow the on-screen prompts to enter the necessary information.

Select and Load Data

After providing connection details and establishing a connection, a Navigator window will appear. This window displays the available tables, sheets, or views from your data source.

Select the data you want to import by checking the boxes next to their names. You can preview the data in the right-hand pane.

You have two options:

Load: Imports the selected data directly into your Power BI model.
Transform Data: Opens the Power Query Editor, where you can clean, shape, and transform your data before loading it. This is highly recommended for most scenarios.

Quick Tip: Connecting to an Excel File

1. Click Get Data > Excel workbook.

2. Browse to and select your Excel file.

3. In the Navigator, select the sheet or table you need and click Transform Data to clean it up.

Next Steps

Once your data is loaded, you can begin transforming it in the Power Query Editor or start building your visualizations on the report canvas. Understanding data connections is the bedrock of effective business intelligence with Power BI.