What is Power BI?

Power BI is a Data Visualization and Business Intelligence tool that

converts data from different data sources to interactive dashboards
and BI reports for business-driven decisions. The Power BI suite
provides multiple software, connectors, and services. Power BI apps
are available for different platforms. This set of services is used by
business users to consume data and build BI reports.

What is Business Intelligence?

Business Intelligence assists companies in processing and filtering
massive amounts of stored data and transforming it into actionable
insights. Mining, Data Warehouse, and Data Analytics are the
correlated names of Business Intelligence. Exploratory data analysis,
dashboards, and predictive modeling are the core methods of business
intelligence.

Why do we need a Business Intelligence Tool?

In today's digital era, unstructured data is dispersed all around the
world. Companies face difficulty in handling and monitoring huge
amounts of data, which in turn negatively affects their business
strategies and operation management. This is why the companies
require powerful BI tools for quick decision-making to increase their
sales production, increase the availability of structured data, generate
immense reports, handle customers, track employee performance, and
enhance operational efficiency.
Popular business intelligence tools such as Power BI and Tableau are
being used by financial companies and big firms like Deloitte, PwC,
and EY to compile data from various sources and present it in an
attractive format that can be used for making crucial business
decisions and identifying market trends and patterns.

What are the Major Components of Power BI?

Following are the major components of Power BI −
Power Query
It is the process of cleansing and transforming data and permits users
to access datasets connecting from multiple sources. It is included on
the Power BI desktop. Business users may view the data from distinct
databases like MySQL, SQL servers, DB2, and many more.
Power View
It is a data visualization tool that assists users in developing stunning
charts, and colorful maps, that turn data into a story.
Power Map
It is a 3D map visualization tool to identify geospatial data on Map
visuals. It seamlessly helps organizations to examine the maximum
sales production geographically, visualizing the demographic
populations of specific regions.
Power Pivot
It is a Data Modelling technique that is used to create relationships
between datasets. It performs complex computations by utilizing
DAX functions.
Power Q & A
When dealing with giant datasets, it becomes crucial to get to know
the in-depth details of the data. Luckily, it is done through natural
language where users may ask questions and obtain the answer
through Power Q & A.

Why Power BI as a Career?

Aspirants who are willing to make their career as a Power BI
developer, researcher, business analyst, or data analyst should learn
the Power BI tool and get certified by attempting the PL 300 exam.
They should start from scratch and learn all the core components of
Power BI.
Anyone who is well versed in Excel can easily learn Power BI. The
growing demand for Power BI professionals who can develop
interactive dashboards and reports has been increasing continuously.
Power BI is widely used in all domains, like healthcare, finance,
manufacturing, retail, and more. This allows enthusiastic Power BI
learners to grab opportunities in these domains.

Power BI - Introduction
Power BI is a Data Visualization and Business Intelligence tool that
converts data from different data sources to interactive dashboards
and BI reports. Power BI suite provides multiple software, connector,
and services - Power BI desktop, Power BI service based on Saas, and
mobile Power BI apps available for different platforms. These set of
services are used by business users to consume data and build BI
reports.
Power BI desktop app is used to create reports, while Power BI
Services (Software as a Service - SaaS) is used to publish the reports,
and Power BI mobile app is used to view the reports and dashboards.
Power BI Desktop is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. To
download the latest version, you can use the following link −
https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/downloads/
Power BI – Architecture
Power BI Desktop − This is used to create reports and data
visualizations on the dataset.
Power BI Gateway − You can use Power BI on-premises gateway to
keep your data fresh by connecting to your on-premises data sources
without the need to move the data. It allows you to query large
datasets and benefit from the existing investments.
Power BI Mobile Apps − Using Power BI mobile apps, you can stay
connected to their data from anywhere. Power BI apps are available
for Windows, iOS, and Android platform.
Power BI Service − This is a cloud service and is used to publish
Power BI reports and data visualizations.
Following are the available data sources in Power BI –
 Flat Files
 SQL Database
 OData Feed
 Blank Query
 Azure Cloud platform
 Online Services
 Blank Query
 Other data sources such as Hadoop, Exchange, or Active
Directory
Power BI – Phases in Development
Power BI visual design is easy. Once you connect to a data source,
you can shape the data (remove columns, change data types, and so
on), do data modelling (create relations) and design visuals.
This guide steps you through the following phases:
 Connecting to data sources
 Shape the data
 Model the data
 Report on the data

Installing Power BI Desktop:

 Go to Power BI Download.
 Click on "Download for free" under Power BI Desktop.
 Follow the installation instructions.

Connecting to Data Sources:

 Power BI can connect to a variety of data sources, including:
 Excel Spreadsheets
 SQL Server Databases
 Online Services (Google Analytics, Salesforce)
 Cloud Databases (Azure, AWS)
Steps to connect to data:
 Open Power BI Desktop.
 Click on Home > Get Data.
 Select the data source (e.g., Excel, SQL Server, Web) and click
Connect.
 Load or transform the data using Power Query if needed.

Data Transformation with Power Query

 Once you load your data, you may need to clean or transform it
using Power Query.
 Remove duplicates.
 Change data types.
 Merge or append queries.
 Filter rows and columns.

To transform data:
 Click on Home > Transform Data.
 Use the Power Query Editor to apply transformations like
removing null values, changing column names, etc.
 Click Close & Apply to save the changes.
Creating Visualizations
Visualizations are key to understanding your data. Power BI offers
various visualizations like bar charts, line charts, pie charts, maps,
and tables.
Steps to create a visualization:
 Drag a field from the Fields pane to the report canvas.
 Choose a visualization type from the Visualizations pane (e.g.,
pie chart, bar chart).
 Customize the visualization by dragging additional fields (e.g.,
category, values) into the axis or legend.

Data Modeling and Relationships

Power BI allows you to create relationships between tables. This is
particularly useful when working with data from multiple sources.
Steps to create relationships:
 Click on the Model view icon.
 Drag and drop fields to create relationships between tables
(e.g., a customer ID in one table and a sales order in another).
 Use relationships to create complex reports with data from
multiple tables.
DAX (Data Analysis Expressions)
DAX is a formula language used in Power BI for creating custom
calculations.
Calculated Columns: Add new columns to tables based on
expressions.
Measures: Perform aggregate calculations (e.g., SUM, AVERAGE).
Example DAX formula for calculating total sales:
DAX
Copy code
Total Sales = SUM(Sales[Sales Amount])

Creating and Sharing Reports

Once your data model and visualizations are ready, you can create
interactive reports by adding slicers, filters, and bookmarks.
Steps to share reports:
 Publish your report to the Power BI Service by clicking on
Home > Publish.
 Share the report or dashboard with other users by generating a
link or embedding it in a website.
Power BI Dashboards
Dashboards are single-page views that aggregate multiple
visualizations from different reports. Use dashboards to create an
overview of key metrics.
Steps to create a dashboard:
 Go to Power BI Service.
 Open an existing report and pin visualizations to the dashboard.
 Share the dashboard with your team for easy access to key
insights.

Power BI Online Service Features

In the Power BI Service, you can:
 Set up Scheduled Refresh to keep your data up-to-date.
 Create Workspaces for collaboration with your team.
 Use Power BI Apps to package and distribute reports to end-
users.
Power BI Best Practices
 Use consistent naming conventions for tables, columns, and
measures.
 Optimize your data model by removing unnecessary columns
and tables.
 Use hierarchy levels in your visualizations (e.g., year, quarter,
month).
 Keep your dashboards clean and simple; avoid overcrowding
them with too many visuals.

Key Components of Power BI

1. Power BI Desktop:
A Windows application where users can create complex data models
and reports. This is the primary tool for building reports.

2. Power BI Service (Online):

A cloud-based platform for sharing, collaborating, and consuming
reports created in Power BI Desktop.

3. Power BI Mobile:
A set of apps available on iOS, Android, and Windows devices for
viewing and interacting with reports on the go.
4.Power BI Report Server:
An on-premises server where organizations can host and distribute
Power BI reports behind their firewall.

5. Power BI Gateway:
Bridges the gap between the Power BI service and on-premises data
sources. It allows for scheduled data refreshes and real-time data
analysis.

Features of Power BI
Data Connectivity:
Power BI can connect to a wide variety of data sources, including:
Files: Excel, CSV, XML, JSON, etc.
Databases: SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL.
Online services: Google Analytics, SharePoint, Salesforce, Dynamics
365, and many more.

Data Transformation:
Power Query Editor allows users to clean, reshape, and transform
data before building reports.

Interactive Visualizations:
A wide range of visualization types, such as bar charts, pie charts,
line graphs, maps, etc., with drag-and-drop functionality.
Custom Visuals:
Power BI allows developers to create custom visualizations using the
Power BI Developer Tools.

DAX (Data Analysis Expressions):

A formula language for creating calculated columns, measures, and
custom aggregations.

Real-Time Analytics:
Power BI provides real-time dashboards for live data monitoring,
useful in IoT applications and performance tracking.

Sharing and Collaboration:

Reports can be shared easily within teams through the Power BI
service, and users can collaborate on data models and reports in
workspaces.

Power BI Architecture
Power BI consists of three main layers:
 Data Integration: Ingests data from various sources.
 Data Processing: Uses Power Query to transform and clean
data.
 Data Presentation: Involves creating visualizations, reports,
and dashboards for business intelligence and decision-making.
 Benefits of Power BI
User-Friendly Interface:
The drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy for users to build
reports without extensive technical knowledge.

Cost-Effective:
Power BI has a free version (Power BI Desktop) and affordable
licensing options (Pro and Premium).

Scalability:
It supports both individual users and enterprise-scale reporting,
making it suitable for organizations of all sizes.

Cloud-Based:
Power BI service is cloud-based, allowing access from anywhere
with an internet connection.

Integration with Microsoft Ecosystem:

Seamless integration with Excel, Azure, SQL Server, and other
Microsoft services.
 Who Uses Power BI?
 Business Analysts: For data visualization and report generation.
 Data Scientists: To model and analyze large datasets.
 IT Professionals: For monitoring real-time data and providing
insights.
 Executives: For creating dashboards to track business
performance and key metrics.

Applications of Power BI
1. Business Intelligence and Reporting
Power BI is primarily used for business intelligence (BI), helping
organizations turn raw data into actionable insights:
Interactive Reports: Create dynamic reports with drill-down
capabilities to explore data from different angles.
Dashboards: Provide a single view of key performance indicators
(KPIs) from various reports and data sources in real-time.
Automated Data Refresh: Set up scheduled refreshes to ensure
reports and dashboards display up-to-date information.

2. Financial Reporting and Analysis

Power BI is popular in finance departments for:
Budgeting and Forecasting: Monitor budgets, track actuals against
forecasts, and perform variance analysis.
Profitability Analysis: Analyze revenue streams, cost drivers, and
margins across different products, regions, or business units.
Cash Flow Management: Track and predict cash inflows and
outflows, helping companies manage liquidity more effectively.

3. Sales and Marketing Analytics

Power BI empowers sales and marketing teams with data-driven
insights:
Sales Performance Tracking: Analyze sales data by region, product,
or sales representative to identify trends and underperformance.
Customer Segmentation: Use Power BI to group customers based on
demographics, purchase behavior, and engagement, helping with
targeted marketing campaigns.
Lead Generation and Conversion: Track lead sources, pipeline
performance, and conversion rates, and optimize marketing efforts
accordingly.

4. Human Resources (HR) Analytics

HR departments can leverage Power BI for workforce planning and
employee insights:
Employee Attrition Analysis: Understand why employees are leaving
and predict which segments of the workforce are at risk of attrition.
Recruitment Metrics: Analyze hiring pipelines, time-to-fill positions,
and applicant sources to optimize recruitment strategies.
Employee Performance: Track KPIs related to employee
productivity, training outcomes, and overall performance.
5. Operations and Supply Chain Management
For supply chain and operations management, Power BI provides
valuable insights for optimizing processes:
Inventory Management: Monitor inventory levels, track stock across
locations, and optimize reorder points to avoid overstocking or
stockouts.
Supplier Performance: Evaluate suppliers based on delivery times,
quality, and pricing, and make data-driven decisions on vendor
contracts.
Logistics Optimization: Analyze shipping and delivery data to
improve transportation efficiency and reduce costs.

6. Healthcare Analytics
In the healthcare industry, Power BI helps organizations improve
patient care and operational efficiency:
Patient Data Analysis: Track patient demographics, treatment
outcomes, and satisfaction levels to enhance patient care.
Hospital Resource Utilization: Analyze bed occupancy rates,
equipment usage, and staffing levels to optimize resource allocation.
Clinical and Operational KPIs: Monitor clinical outcomes, patient
wait times, and operational costs to improve overall performance.
7. Project Management
Power BI assists project managers by providing real-time insights
into project performance:
Project Tracking: Monitor project progress, milestones, and budgets
in real time, identifying potential delays or cost overruns.
Resource Allocation: Analyze team workloads and allocate resources
more efficiently across multiple projects.
Risk Management: Identify project risks early and take corrective
actions based on data-driven insights.

8. Retail and E-commerce Analytics

Retailers use Power BI to enhance customer experience and improve
business outcomes:
Sales Trends: Analyze sales data to identify seasonal patterns, top-
selling products, and emerging customer preferences.
Store Performance: Compare the performance of physical stores
across different locations and evaluate profitability.
Customer Behavior: Track customer journeys, purchase frequency,
and cart abandonment rates to refine marketing strategies.

9. Manufacturing Analytics
In manufacturing, Power BI is used to monitor and optimize
production processes:
Production Efficiency: Track machine utilization, downtime, and
output rates to enhance operational efficiency.
Quality Control: Analyze defect rates and production errors to
improve product quality.
Supply Chain Visibility: Provide end-to-end visibility into the supply
chain, helping manufacturers manage inventory and supplier
relationships better.

10. Education and Academic Institutions

Power BI helps academic institutions with:
Student Performance Tracking: Analyze student progress, grades,
and attendance to improve learning outcomes.
Resource Allocation: Monitor resource utilization, such as faculty
workloads, classrooms, and equipment.
Enrollment Trends: Analyze admission data and identify patterns in
student applications and enrollment to shape recruitment efforts.

11. Government and Public Sector

Government organizations use Power BI to improve service delivery
and transparency:
Public Service Delivery: Analyze service performance in areas like
healthcare, education, and transportation.
Budget Allocation: Track and optimize budget spending across
different government departments and initiatives.
Transparency and Accountability: Share data and insights with the
public, improving transparency and trust in government operations.
12. Energy and Utilities Analytics
In the energy sector, Power BI helps in managing and optimizing
resources:
Energy Usage Monitoring: Track energy consumption patterns,
forecast demand, and optimize energy production.
Sustainability Reporting: Analyze data related to emissions, energy
efficiency initiatives, and sustainability metrics.
Asset Performance: Monitor the performance of equipment and
infrastructure to reduce downtime and maintenance costs.

13. Customer Support and Service

Power BI enables customer service teams to enhance support quality:
Call Center Analytics: Analyze call volumes, response times, and
customer satisfaction to improve service levels.
Customer Satisfaction: Monitor customer feedback and service
ratings to identify areas for improvement.
Ticket Resolution: Track the time taken to resolve tickets and the
efficiency of support teams.
14. Telecommunications
The telecom industry leverages Power BI for improving network
performance and customer retention:
Network Performance: Monitor network usage, identify bottlenecks,
and optimize bandwidth allocation.
Customer Retention: Analyze churn data and customer behavior to
devise retention strategies.
Revenue and Billing: Track billing cycles, revenue trends, and
customer usage patterns.

Conclusion
Power BI is a versatile tool that can be used by individuals and
organizations to make data-driven decisions. By mastering the skills
in this tutorial, you’ll be able to create powerful and insightful
reports, share them, and enhance your data analysis workflows.
Power BI is one of the most popular tools for organizations seeking
to leverage data to drive business decisions due to its rich features,
ease of use, and integration capabilities.
Power BI is a highly flexible tool with broad applications across
various industries. Its ability to handle large datasets, connect to
multiple data sources, and provide real-time insights makes it ideal
for any organization aiming to become data-driven and improve
decision-making processes.
1. Total Sales by Customer

This query will calculate the total sales amount for each customer by
evaluating data from both the Sales and Customers tables.

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE (
Sales,
Customers[Name],
"Total Sales", SUM(Sales[Amount])
)

2. Total Discount Given by Product

This query calculates the total discount provided per product,

connecting Sales and Products.

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE (
Sales,
Products[ProductName],
"Total Discount", SUMX(Sales, Sales[Amount] * Sales[Discount])
)
3. Total Sales by Region

This query calculates the total sales per region using the Sales table.

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE (
Sales,
Sales[Region],
"Total Sales", SUM(Sales[Amount])
)

4. Total Sales by Product and Region

This query joins Sales and Products to show total sales for each
product in each region.

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE (
Sales,
Products[ProductName],
Sales[Region],
"Total Sales", SUM(Sales[Amount])
)
5. Merged Dataset (Sales, Customers, Products)

To create a new dataset merging columns from Sales, Customers, and

Products that makes sense, you can use NATURALINNERJOIN or
LOOKUPVALUE functions to combine these datasets.

EVALUATE
SELECTCOLUMNS (
NATURALINNERJOIN (
Sales,
Customers
),
"OrderID", Sales[OrderID],
"Customer Name", Customers[Name],
"Product", Sales[ProductID],
"Amount", Sales[Amount],
"Discount", Sales[Discount],
"Region", Sales[Region],
"Date", Sales[Date]
)

This will merge Sales and Customers based on a natural inner join,
providing a combined view.
6. Merged Dataset with Products

To combine Sales, Customers, and Products, we will use a similar

approach by joining all three datasets:

EVALUATE
SELECTCOLUMNS (
NATURALINNERJOIN (
NATURALINNERJOIN (Sales, Customers),
Products
),
"OrderID", Sales[OrderID],
"Customer Name", Customers[Name],
"Product Name", Products[ProductName],
"Amount", Sales[Amount],
"Discount", Sales[Discount],
"Region", Sales[Region],
"Date", Sales[Date]
)

Explanation:

SUMMARIZE: Groups data by specified columns and aggregates the

results.
SUMX: Performs row-by-row aggregation.

NATURALINNERJOIN: Joins two tables based on common

columns, returning only matching rows.

SELECTCOLUMNS: Selects specific columns to include in the

output, ideal for merging datasets.

MORE EXAMPLES
EVALUATE
ROW("Total Sales", MIN(Sales[Amount]))

MIN –
MIN/SUM/AVERAGE/MAX/COUNT/DISTINCTCOUNT/COUNT
ROWS

EVALUATE
ROW(
"Total Discounted Sales",
SUMX(
Sales,
IF(Sales[Discount] > 0,
Sales[Amount] * (1 - Sales[Discount]),
 Sales[Amount]
)
)
)

EVALUATE
ROW(
"Total Discounted Sales",
SUMX(
Sales,
SWITCH(
TRUE(),
Sales[Discount] > 0, Sales[Amount] * (1 - Sales[Discount]),
Sales[Amount] // Default case
)
)
)

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE(
FILTER(
Sales,
Sales[Region] = "EAST"
 ),
"Total Sales", SUM(Sales[Amount])
)

EVALUATE
ROW(
"Total Sales",
CALCULATE(
SUM(Sales[Amount]),
ALL(Sales[Region])
)
)

EVALUATE
FILTER(
Sales,
Sales[Amount] > 1000
)

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE(
Sales,
Sales[CustomerID], -- Include identifying columns
 Sales[Amount], -- Include the amount column
"Rank",
RANKX(
ALL(Sales), -- Removes any filters on the Sales table
Sales[Amount], -- The expression to rank
, -- No tie-breaking value
DESC, -- Rank in descending order
Dense -- Ranking method (Dense or Skip)
)
)

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE(
Sales,
Sales[Amount],
Sales[Discount], -- Include the Revenue column
"Profit to Revenue Ratio",
DIVIDE(
Sales[Amount],
Sales[Discount],
0 -- Value to return if denominator is 0
)
)
EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE(
Sales,
Sales[CustomerID], -- Include identifying columns if
needed
Sales[Amount], -- Include the original Amount column
"Adjusted Amount",
IF(
Sales[Amount] = 0,
BLANK(),
Sales[Amount]
)
)

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE(
Sales,
Sales[Product], -- Include the Product column
Sales[Region], -- Include the Region column
"Product and Region",
CONCATENATE(Sales[Product], " - " & Sales[Region]) --
Concatenate Product and Region with a hyphen
)
EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE(
Sales,
Sales[Date], -- Include the OrderDate column
"Year",
YEAR(Sales[Date]) -- Extract the year from OrderDate
)

EVALUATE
SUMMARIZE(
Sales,
Sales[Date], -- Include the OrderDate column
"Formatted Date",
FORMAT(Sales[Date], "MMM DD, YYYY") -- Format the
OrderDate as MMM DD, YYYY
)
EVALUATE
ROW("Today's Date", TODAY())

EVALUATE
ROW("Current Time", NOW())

EVALUATE
VALUES(Sales[Product])