What is Microsoft Power BI?

What is Microsoft Power BI?

Power BI is a set of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to transform disparate data sources into logical, visually immersive, and interactive insights.


Your data could be in the form of an Excel spreadsheet or a collection of hybrid data warehouses that are both cloud-based and on-premises.


Power BI makes it simple to connect to your data sources, visualise and uncover what matters, and share your findings with whomever you choose.

 

Below is a list of the most popular data sources with which Power BI connections can be used:


Documents (e.g. excel .xlsx, .pdf, .csv, .xml, .json)


Bases of information (e.g. MS SQL, Oracle, SAP HANA, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Amazon Redshift, Snowflake, others)


Organizers (cloud-based e.g. SharePoint and locally-based)


Azure Services is a service provided by Microsoft (Azure SQL Database, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake, others)


Services available over the internet (e.g. Microsoft Exchange, Dynamics 365, Salesforce Objects, Google Analytics)


Additional Resources (e.g. websites, OData feed, ODBC, Active Directory, others)


Other services provide an indirect relationship (e.g. Microsoft Azure Data Factory)

 

When you've finished creating a Power BI report, you can analyse it using one of the following Power BI versions:


  • Power BI Service Power BI Desktop
  • Power BI Mobile is a mobile version of Power BI.
  • Power BI Desktop is a desktop version of Power BI.


Power BI Desktop is a desktop version of Power BI (free download from Microsoft website).


It is the most advanced version of Power BI, allowing us to extract data from a variety of sources and process it.


Users can also construct dynamic reports that are simple to analyse.


It generates.pbix files with the data model (aggregated data) and report.


It's a good option for folks who need to work with raw data and create reports.

 

Power BI Service is a service provided by Microsoft.


 It's a Power BI cloud version.


We can receive pre-processed data and create reports with it.


It is not as complicated as Power BI Desktop, but it allows us to collaborate with others and share reports with others without having to use Power BI Desktop.


Why use Power BI?


Dashboards and reporting for SaaS solutions that are already built.


Real-time dashboard changes are possible with Power BI.


Offers Secure and dependable access to your cloud or on-premises data sources


Quick deployment, hybrid configuration, and a secure environment are all features of Power BI.


Allows natural language queries to be used to explore data.


Provides a dashboard visualisation feature that is continuously updated by the community.


Power BI's Background


Ruler and Dhers Netz of Microsoft's SQL server coverage services team came up with the idea for Power BI.


It was created by West Chadic George and dubbed Project Crescent in 2010.


It was included with SQL Server Codenamed Mount McKinley in 2011.


In September 2014, Microsoft released the first Power BI preview.


On July 24, 2015, the first version of Power BI was released. Power Query, Pivot, View, and Map were used as add-ins in Excel.


The enlargement tool Power Bl Desktop is used to create dashboards and reports. Other users will be able to access Power Bl programmes via desktop and mobile devices.


Power BI Dashboard


There are five main Power BI components available on the market.


Power Query is a tool for searching, accessing, and transforming data from public and/or internal sources.


Data modeling for in-memory analytics is done with Power Pivot.


Data visualisation, analysis, and display are all possible with Power View.


Power Map: It uses interactive geographic visualisation to bring data to life.


Power BI Service: This service allows you to share data views and workbooks that can be refreshed from both on-premises and cloud-based data sources.


Power BI Q&A: You can use a natural language query to ask questions and get instant replies.


Data Management Gateway: It provides data refreshers on a regular basis, as well as the ability to view data feeds and expose tables.


Data Catalog: The Data Catalog is a component that allows the user to discover and reuse queries. Metadata can help with a variety of things.


Power BI's Benefits: 


The following are some of the benefits of utilising Power BI:

 

Pre-built dashboards and reports for SaaS solutions are available.


Update the dashboard in real-time.


Secure and dependable access to your cloud or on-premises data sources


Power BI provides a safe environment, easy implementation, and hybrid configuration.


Exploration of data using natural language queries.


Dashboard visualisation feature


Excel users will like the new features that are often released.


Database connectivity capabilities that are extensive The web version of the Q&A feature is now available.


To use visualisations, interaction with both Python and R code is required.


Many tools for wrangling and cleaning data are available in Power Query.


After uploading the data into the Power BI web service, you may schedule a refresh without having to do anything manually.


Who makes use of Power BI?


Here is a list of notable professionals who use the Power BI tool:

 

1.       Business & Data Analyst

2.       Developer & Database Administrator

3.       IT Team and IT Professional

4.       Consumer for End User Report

5.       Data Scientist

6.       PMO – Project and Portfolio Manager

  

Conclusion:


BI aids in the analysis of data and the provision of actionable information that enables corporate executives and company managers to make well-informed business choices.



Power BI is a data visualisation and business intelligence application that allows you to convert data from a variety of sources.



1) Power BI Desktop 2) Power BI service are two essential Power BI products. 3) Data Gateway for Power BI 5) Power BI Mobile Apps 4) Power BI Report Server



Important data sources utilised in Power BI include Excel (.xlsx, xlxm), Comma Separated Value (.csv), Power BI Desktop (.pbi), Databases in the Cloud, and Databases on-premises.



Power BI terminology includes visualisation, datasets, dashboards, reports, and tiles.



Ruler and Dhers Netz of Microsoft's SQL server coverage services team came up with the idea for Power BI.



1) Integration of data 2) Information Processing 3) Data visualisation is a crucial part of the Power BI architecture.



Power BI Dashboard includes features such as Power Query, Power Pivot, Power View, Power Map, Power BI Service, Power BI Q&A, Data Management Gateway, and Data Catalog.



DAX is a formula expression language that can be utilised with a variety of visualisation tools, including Power BI.



Tableau only provides Ad Hoc Analysis, but Power BI delivers Complete Dashboards for analysis.



PMO - Project and Portfolio Manager, Business & Data Analyst, IT Team, IT Professional, and others are all important professionals who use Power BI.

 


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Sneh Lata SENIOR DIGITAL MARKETING COORDINATOR