Overview of Power BI and its flow of work

Power BI is a tool that helps organizations gain insights from their data. It can be used to create visualizations and reports from various data sources. Power BI is a cloud-based service, which means it can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

It can help organizations make better decisions. While it requires some initial investment to set up, the benefits can be tremendous. Power BI can help organizations save time and money and make better decisions by providing insights that would otherwise be hidden in data. With its ease of use and flexibility, Power BI is a tool that any organization can benefit from.

Table of Content:

  1. What is Power BI?
  2. What is Power BI used for, and who uses it?
  3. Explanation of Power BI tools
  4. The basic working of Power BI
  5. Difference between Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service 
  6. Business problems that Power BI can help you solve 
  7. 8 FAQ

What is Power BI?

Power BI is a business intelligence tool that provides access to real-time data and the ability to visualize it in interactive dashboards. The information you can get from Power BI helps identify trends and patterns in your business and predict future needs based on current data. 

It provides an easy way to connect to various data sources, transform the data into the format you need, and visualize it in popular formats like tables, matrices, charts, and dashboards. The tool also lets users create models that can make predictions based on the existing data.

What is Power BI used for, and who uses it?

Microsoft Power BI is a cloud-based business intelligence and data visualization tool that enables users to easily connect to data sources, analyze and visualize data, and share insights with others. With Power BI being the membrane of business giants, Accenture, Wipro, Deloitte, Dell, and WNS are some of the prominent names that are using Power BI to ease and strengthen their day-to-day operations. 

Power BI provides several benefits to the above-mentioned companies, including the ability to:

–          Connect to a wide range of data sources: Power BI supports connectivity to a wide range of data sources, both on-premises and in the cloud, including relational databases, OLAP cubes, social media, web data, etc.

–          Analyze and visualize data: Power BI provides several built-in tools and features for analyzing and visualizing data, including the ability to create custom reports and dashboards.

–          Share insights with others: Power BI makes it easy to share insights with others, whether through the Power BI service or by embedding Power BI content in other applications.

Power BI is used by businesses of all sizes to visualize data, spot trends, and make better decisions. Power BI is easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere, making it a popular choice for busy professionals who need to be able to access their data on the go.

Explanation of Power BI tools

Power BI desktop

Power BI is a business intelligence tool that allows users to visualize and analyze data. It includes a Power BI desktop application and a cloud-based service. Power BI includes several different tools, such as Power Query, Power Pivot, and Power View. Power Query is used to connect to and transform data. Power Pivot is used to create and manage data models. Power View is used to create interactive reports. Thus, these tools can be used together to create powerful and informative reports. 

Power BI Service:

The Power BI service is a cloud-based platform for building data visualizations and reports. It allows users to connect to various data sources, such as databases and spreadsheets and then presents a visualized/graphical version of the data in charts and graphs. Users can also create dashboards to display their data visually in one place, allowing them to quickly see how different pieces of information relate to one another. It works with any device with an internet connection—from smartphones to computers.

Power BI Report Server:

Power BI report server is a web-based application that allows users to create reports based on their data with the Power BI service. This tool provides more functionality than Microsoft Power BI desktop because it enables users to build reports without installing any software on their computers first. If you don’t have an Internet connection or prefer to work offline, you can use this feature instead of the cloud-based version of Power BI. Though, Power BI Desktop is competent enough for this working, the Power BI report server comes into being for the other fundamental facets such as rule based conditional formatting, report page tooltips (enabling the user to form a report page and use it as a custom tooltip), expansion and collision of matrix row headers among a number of other distinctive features. 

Power BI Desktop:

Microsoft Power BI Desktop is a tool for creating interactive dashboards that allow you to embed visuals like charts or graphs into your presentations or documents so that anyone viewing them will be able to see what those visuals mean at a glance. It’s designed for end-users who want to create their data visualizations using Excel or Access files as sources of information for their charts and graphs. 

Power BI Data Gateway:

Power BI Data Gateway is a service that provides data access and data management capabilities for on-premises and cloud-based data sources. It enables users to connect to data sources, create and manage data sets, and perform data analytics. Power BI Data Gateway can be installed on an on-premises computer or Azure. Power BI Data Gateway provides data security and governance capabilities and the ability to scale to support large numbers of users and data sources. 

Power BI Mobile apps:

Power BI mobile apps, Microsoft Power BI desktop

The Power BI mobile apps allow users to access their data and analytics on the go from their mobile devices. The apps provide a range of features and functionality, including viewing dashboards and reports, interacting with data visualizations, and receiving notifications when new data is available.

The basic working of Power BI

Power BI tool helps organizations gain insights from their data. Once you’ve installed the software and logged in, you’ll see a menu bar at the top of the screen with four options: Home, Dashboard, Excel Connector (for connecting to Excel files), and More. The Home option allows you to access your dashboard and other projects; Dashboard will enable you to create new dashboards; Excel Connector will allow you to connect an Excel file so that it can be used as a data source within Power BI, and More provides additional options such as creating a report or exploring datasets within Power BI.

The Power BI workflow typically starts with data imported into the Power BI service. This data can come from various sources, such as Excel, SQL Server, or a web API. Once the information is imported, it can be transformed and cleansed using the Power Query editor. After the data is in the desired state, it can be loaded into the Power BI service.

Once the data is loaded into Power BI, it can be used to create visualizations. Visualizations can be made using the Power BI Desktop application or the Power BI service. Microsoft Power BI Desktop is a local application that can be installed on a user’s machine. It includes all of the features of the Power BI service, plus additional parts for data modeling and creating custom visuals. The Power BI service is a cloud-based application that can be used to create and share visualizations.

After the visualizations are created, they can be published to the Power BI service. Once published, they can be shared with other users or embedded in other applications.

Difference between Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service 

There are two versions of Power BI:

Power BI Desktop and Power BI Service. Both versions allow users to connect to data sources, build visualizations, and share their work with others. However, there are some critical differences between the two versions. 

 Microsoft Power BI Desktop is a self-service BI tool that anyone can use to create their reports and dashboards. It is free to download and use and does not require a Power BI account. Power BI Service is a cloud-based service that allows users to collaborate on reports and dashboards. It requires a Power BI account and has a monthly subscription fee. 

 Power BI Desktop is an excellent option for users who want to create their own BI content and don’t need to share it with others. Power BI Service is a better option for users who need to collaborate with others on BI content and are willing to pay a monthly subscription fee.

Another key difference is that Power BI Desktop allows you to create and edit complex data models. In contrast, Power BI Service only allows you to view and interact with data models that have been created in Microsoft Power BI Desktop.

Finally, Power BI Desktop can be used to create static reports, while Power BI Service allows you to create interactive reports that can be shared with others. 

Business problems that Power BI can help you solve 

Businesses need to monitor employee productivity levels to ensure that the company is achieving their targets. One way to do so is by using the Power BI tool. Regular monitoring of productivity levels can help identify any trends or issues and allow businesses to take proactive measures to address any problems. This can help improve employee morale and motivation and ultimately lead to increased productivity levels.

Productivity and performance 

Power BI Service

There are many business problems that Power BI can help you solve. One such issue is managing poor performance. Power BI can help you identify areas where employees are underperforming and take corrective action to improve their performance. Additionally, Power BI can help you track employee performance over time and identify trends. This information can be used to decide on staffing, training, and other initiatives.

Effective and efficient compiling of reports 

If you manage a business, you likely have to regularly compile reports from different systems. This can be a time-consuming and tedious process, especially if you don’t have a dedicated data team. Power BI can help you automate report generation and make your data easier to work with. With Power BI, you can connect to multiple data sources, including Excel, SQL Server, and Salesforce. You can then use the Power BI desktop application to transform and visualize your data. Power BI can help you save time and make better decisions by giving you quick and easy access to your data.

Protecting marketplace value

As a business, it’s essential to protect your marketplace share and value. There are several business problems that Microsoft Power BI can help you solve. For example, if you’re worried about losing customers to a competitor, Power BI can help you track customer satisfaction levels and identify areas where your business needs to improve. If you’re concerned about a decline in sales, Power BI can help you track sales figures and identify trends. And if you’re worried about a change in the market, Power BI can help you track market changes and identify opportunities or threats. Using Power BI lets you stay ahead of the competition and protect your marketplace share and value.

Final words

As a business owner, you are always looking for ways to improve your bottom line. Power BI can help you do that by providing detailed insights into your business operations. By understanding where your money is being spent and where your customers are coming from, you can better decide where to invest your resources. Power BI can also help you identify trends in your industry to stay ahead of the competition. In short, Power BI is a powerful tool that can help you run your business more efficiently and effectively.

8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What should I use Power BI for?

There are several different ways that Power BI can improve business intelligence and decision-making. 

  1.  Creating visualizations and reports from data sets
  2. Creating interactive dashboards
  3. Identification of patterns and trends
  4. Forecasting outcomes
  5. Creating predictive models

2. Who uses Microsoft Power BI?

Microsoft Power BI is used by businesses of all sizes to gain insights into their operations and make better decisions. Power BI is easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere, making it a popular choice for businesses.

3. Is Microsoft Power BI easy to use?

Microsoft Power BI is easy to use and has an intuitive interface allowing users to visualize data and gain insights into their business. Power BI also has a wide range of features that makes it a powerful tool for business intelligence without the need to understand complex programming.

4. How can I access Power BI from my mobile?

With the Power BI mobile app, you can easily access the Power BI via a mobile device. You need to download the app and complete the sign-in. 

5. Is Power BI report server free?

Power BI report server is included in the Power BI Premium subscription costing around $5000 a month. Power BI report server enables you to host and manage Power BI reports on your premises.

6. How do I connect to the Power BI report server?

a.   Click on the ‘Get Data’ option 

b.  Choose your preferred source of data

c.   Select the Power BI report server, wherein you will have access to data

7. Are Power BI services free?

Power BI is available in both free and premium versions. With Power BI free version, one can store up to 10 GB of data, whereas premium Power BI services have a couple of add-on features and specifications. 

8. How do I go to the Power BI service?

a.   Click on the location pane tab

b.  Search for ‘Sample Reports’ in the ‘Learn’ menu

c.   Click on the sample to have access

d.  Visit ‘My Workspace,’ and the sample gets installed there 

(the answer does not seem related to the question, pls check)