Important Power Bi Tools of its Architecture. And 6 FAQs

Microsoft Power BI tools are a set of facilities inside the Power Bi architecture framework that help implement the entire paradigm of data and its analysis effectively. Power BI tools allow users to create interactive dashboards and reports to clearly and easily understand their data. In this article, we will inform you in detail about the various Power bi tools. We will also talk about the Cortana feature of Windows and how Power bi tools can integrate with Cortana to give a tremendous uplift to the user experience.

Table of content:

  1. What are Power BI tools? 
  2. The working mechanism of Microsoft Power BI tools
  3. What are Power BI external tools? 
  4. Types of external tools in Power BI 
  5. How to enable external tools in Power BI? 
  6. How does a Power BI tool fit in the Cortana Intelligence architecture? 
  7. What is Cortana?
  8. Integration of Power BI and Cortana

Power BI tools are currently used by over 70% of the Fortune 500 companies, including Amazon, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company, and Unilever. These companies have also incorporated Power BI tools into their internal processes to make better business decisions based on real-time information. They are listed as below:

  1. Power Query is the facility for importing data from existing sources and transforming/refining the data into a format appropriate for analysis.
  2. Power Pivot is the technique for analyzing the data that has been imported and creating the desired data model. 
  3. Power View is the facility for implementing the visualization actions and interacting with the Power Pivot model.
  4. Power Desktop is the cocoon in which the above 3 are found and worked on.
  5. Power Map is the facility of importing information from the database onto Bing Maps for the accurate location of an address.
  6. Power QnA is the verbal assistant that can be programmed into a Power Bi project for providing results by listening to voice commands.

Some of the features of Power BI tools include: 

Easy to use dashboards and reports:

With the Microsoft Power BI tool, you can create reports and dashboards that allow you to analyze your data with just a few clicks. You can also share those reports or collaborate with others to work on them together. 

A wide range of data sources:

You can connect to many different databases or other systems using Power BI Desktop or Microsoft Excel through the Power Query feature. It enables you to import all kinds of information into one place for easy use of the powerful Power BI architecture

Real-time updates:

With real-time updates from various sources such as social media feeds or web services like Twitter feeds, you can see what’s happening now. It is all thanks to the ease of use of the Microsoft Power BI tools.

The working mechanism of Microsoft Power BI tools

Microsoft Power BI tools.

After analyzing the various components of the Power BI tool, given below is the working mechanism that details the functioning of the tools. It allows you to connect to a wide range of data sources, giving you the ability to access the data you need from wherever it is located. Furthermore, you can easily connect to any data source with the ‘get data’ feature, making it quick and easy to get the data you need to power your BI reports and dashboards. 

On-premise 

Users can install Power BI on their local machine and use it. This option is best for enterprise-level businesses with dedicated IT teams, as it requires more maintenance than the cloud option. On-premise Power BI uses SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) as its data warehouse, and users must have access to the SSAS server to use it. Microsoft licenses Power BI, and users can download the software from Microsoft’s website. 

On – cloud 

Users can opt for the cloud-based version of Power BI, hosted by Microsoft Azure. This option may require less maintenance than an on-premise installation but requires more technical knowledge of cloud computing systems than an on-premise installation does. Power BI uses Azure SQL Database as its data warehouse on the cloud. All users must have access to an Azure account to use this version of Power BI. Users can also purchase an enterprise license for Power BI if they wish for access and support from Microsoft or other third-party vendors. 

What are Power BI external tools? 

External tools are external software or services that Power BI uses to help you create and manage your data models. In addition, they enable you to elevate the functionality of your reports and dashboards by integrating with other applications. Thus, Power BI external tools are add-ons that extend Power BI’s functionality. 

Types of external tools in Power BI 

Power BI includes a collection of Power BI external tools that you can use to connect with other applications and services. One can use them to enhance their data analysis. You can use this feature to create customized visualizations that aren’t available in Power BI but might be helpful for your business needs

Semantic modeling 

Semantic modeling tools help you create a semantic model or a data structure containing information about the relationships between your data. You can use this to create reports that are easier to read and understand or create more complex analyses in Power BI. Semantic modeling tools allow you to create and manage your data structure, like a database schema or a taxonomy. 

Data analysis tools

data analysis

Data analysis tools include predictive analytic models and time series analysis. These can be used for data analysis, such as querying and visualizing data in Excel or another application, creating a custom report, or using Power Query to import data from multiple sources into Power BI. These tools can help you visualize your data in different ways than what’s possible within Power BI itself. 

Miscellaneous tools 

Miscellaneous tools provide other helpful functions, like connecting a social media account or creating a pivot table without loading data into Power BI. But, these tools don’t fit into any other category, such as Power BI mapping tools and APIs for connecting to your data source. It includes embedding content from other applications or creating a custom model using R scripts or SQL queries. 

Custom tools 

Custom Power BI tools allow you to create custom visualizations, reports, dashboard tiles, apps, and more that you can share with others or use yourself! In addition, these custom elements will enable you to further define your data by adding new fields and filters, which could help work with large datasets. 

How to enable external tools in Power BI? 

One of the key features of Power BI tools is its ability to integrate with external data sources and tools easily. The Power BI platform provides a set of well-defined APIs that enable developers to connect Power BI to external data sources and tools easily. Additionally, Power BI provides a set of built-in connectors that enable users to connect to various popular data sources and tools. The Power BI platform’s external data integration capabilities allow users to easily connect to and analyze multiple sources. This makes Power BI an ideal platform for building data-driven applications and solutions through Power BI external tools

To enable Power BI external tools, click Tools > Options > External Tools and click the Enable External Tools checkbox. You can also opt to utilize your system’s default browser or a specific browser as your default web browser. 

When you enable Power BI external tools, they’re available in all published reports and dashboards. So, for example, if you create a report that uses an Excel workbook as an external data source and then publish it to the Power BI service, other users will use the same Excel workbook when they open that report. 

If you wish to utilize distinguished versions of a Power BI external tool with different reports or dashboards, you must publish each version separately. 

How does a Power BI tool fit in the Cortana Intelligence architecture? 

The scheduled collaboration allows Cortana to provide tailored recommendations based on what you’re doing in Power BI. For example, suppose you open up a report about sales performance for the last quarter. In that case, Cortana might recommend related reports about revenue projections or customer satisfaction surveys to make better decisions about how your company should proceed forward into the future. We’ll look at how the Cortana Intelligence Suite integrates with Power BI in the paragraphs ahead. This popular business intelligence platform allows users to explore and analyze data from a variety of sources: 

What is Cortana? 

Cortana is Microsoft’s intelligent personal assistant. Cortana is powered by machine learning, enabling it to get to know you and your interests over time to provide helpful information and services. The Cortana Intelligence Suite is Microsoft’s framework for building AI-powered solutions for business. One can access Cortana by saying “Hey Cortana” or clicking the microphone icon on the taskbar. Cortana can also be used in apps and websites as part of Microsoft Edge and other products. It is a voice-activated intelligent personal assistant that can help you stay productive by providing information and reminders and completing tasks for you. Cortana is available on Windows 10 computers (including IoT devices), iOS and Android mobile devices, Xbox One, and the Harman Kardon Invoke smart speaker. It’s designed to help you get things done using your voice and machine learning to learn more about how you interact with your device. It can also connect to other services, like Bing search, Office 365, and Power BI. 

Integration of Power BI and Cortana 

Power BI tools and cortana

Power BI tool was designed from the ground up to be a cloud-based platform that allows users to share their data across multiple applications and devices. This makes it easy for people who work in different locations or on different devices (such as tablets) to collaborate on projects without relying on email or other tools designed for collaboration. 

Therefore, one way to use Cortana Intelligence Suite is to integrate Power BI tools. This integration allows users to create custom models using Power BI Desktop and then publish them as web services consumed by Cortana Analytics. With this integration, you can use the same data sources in both systems, making sharing insights between teams and departments easier. 

The integration of the Power BI tool with Cortana provides users with an intuitive, intelligent way to explore and analyze data. Users can ask Cortana questions in natural languages, such as “What were my sales yesterday?” or “How many customers are there?” The system will respond by providing relevant information. The system learns from each user’s interactions, making it more accurate over time. In addition, you can use Cortana Intelligence Suite to build custom models that predict and analyze data from various sources, including those you get from third-party data providers. 

Final words 

Power BI tools also make it easy for companies to look at multiple metrics at once because you don’t have to worry about having numerous dashboards or ensuring all the data is stored in a single place. Instead, you can create new reports as needed without worrying whether or not other people will be able to understand what they’re seeing when they look at your dashboard. Another reason why companies are starting to use Power BI is that it has become easier than ever before. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What are the components of the Power BI tool? 

Power BI is a suite of business intelligence tools designed to help individuals and companies interpret and analyze data. The product is composed of six main elements as listed below:

  • Power Query 
  • Power Pivot 
  • Power View 
  • Power Desktop 
  • Power Map 
  • Powe QnA 

2. What programming language are Power BI tools written in? 

Microsoft Power BI tool is a business intelligence tool that allows users to visualize and analyze data. It is written in DAX and M. 

3. What are the five building blocks of Microsoft Power BI tools? 

The five building blocks of Microsoft power Bi tools are:

  1. Dashboards
  2. Datasets
  3. Visualisations
  4. Reports
  5. Tiles

4. What is the backend for the Microsoft Power BI tool? 

Microsoft Power BI tool is processed by the backend server in Microsoft Azure Cloud Services for high-security compliance and performance. Additionally, power BI connects to many tools to collect data, including Excel spreadsheets, Google Spreadsheets, Salesforce.com, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. 

5. How do you structure data in the Microsoft Power BI tool? 

In Power BI, one can structure data in a flat table. Microsoft Power BI is a powerful tool for analyzing and visualizing data. When you’re creating a flat table in Power BI, you can structure your data in several ways. You can add additional columns to your table, or you can create multiple tables that are connected by common key values. 

One common way to structure data in a flat table in Power BI is to add columns with additional metadata about each row. For example, if you have customer information stored as a single column of text, you might want to separate the names and addresses of each customer into separate columns. This allows you to perform queries on specific information within your dataset without having to parse through all of the rows. 

Another way to structure data in a flat table in Power BI is by creating multiple tables that share common keys or values. For example, if you have sales data stored as a single column of numbers representing sales made by each employee during the month, it might be useful for analysis purposes if each employee’s sales were separated out into their own table so that they could be compared against one another or grouped together by region or product type. 

6. Is Power BI a free tool? 

Power BI tools are free to the extent that you can use them to analyze data from multiple sources, including Excel and databases. You can also share the reports acquired with other people and collaborate on dashboards. Microsoft Power BI tool is a business intelligence tool available in the cloud and for download. Though, Microsoft Power BI is also available as a paid premium tool with other top-notch features.