How to create Power BI Reports

Power BI Interface Overview

Power BI offers a user-friendly interface in the Power BI desktop which is designed for data modeling, visualization, and analysis.

Main components of Power BI interface

Home Ribbon
Report view
Data View
Model View
Pages
Filters pane

At the top, Home Ribbon is present with multiple tabs containing key functions:

Home: Basic functions like importing data, managing queries, and creating visualizations.
Insert: Tools to add visuals, buttons, shapes, and text boxes.
Modeling: Options for managing relationships, creating measures, and setting data types.
View: Customize layout options, themes with features like Bookmarks and Performance Analyzer.
Help: Access documentation, tutorials, and resources.

Report View is the default view used for creating and viewing reports with key elements, such as:

Canvas is the main area to create visualizations by dragging fields onto the canvas.
Visualizations Pane contains various chart types like bar charts, line graphs, tables, etc. Select a chart type and customize it.
Fields Pane displays the datasets you’ve loaded and drag fields to the canvas to create visuals.
Filters Pane is used to apply filters to visuals, pages and entire reports.

To view the imported data, Switch to the Data View using the second icon on the left sidebar. It allows us to perform data cleanup, transformation, sort and filter data columns.

The third icon on the left sidebar is Model View which is used to:

Create and manage relationships between different tables.
See a visual representation of your data model.
Add or modify relationships using drag-and-drop.

At the bottom, the Page Tabs is present which creates multiple pages within a single report and rename, duplicate, or delete pages as needed.

On the right-hand side, the Filters Pane is used to apply filters at the visual, page, or report level and adjust filter settings to customize how data is displayed.

At the bottom, the Status Bar is given to show information like data refresh status and notification messages or errors.

Toolbar Quick actions contains

Save, Undo, and Redo buttons.
Refresh: Update your data.
Publish: Upload your report to the Power BI service.

In the Data View or Report View,create DAX formulas using the Formula Bar to build calculated columns or measures.

Bookmarks save different views of the report for easy navigation. Selection Pane manages visual elements on the canvas, such as hiding or grouping visuals.

Creating Your First Report

The step-by-step guide to create Power BI reports using Power BI Desktop are:

1. Launch Power BI Desktop

Open Power BI Desktop and sign in with your Microsoft account if prompted.

2. Connect to a Data Source

Go to the Home tab and click “Get Data” and Choose your data source (e.g., Excel, SQL Server, CSV, etc.).

3. Explore the Data

In the Fields Pane on the right, see the imported tables and columns. Click on the Data View (table icon on the left) to explore the data in table format.

4. Create Visualizations

Go back to the Report View (chart icon on the left) and in the Visualizations Pane, select a visual type (e.g., a bar chart). Drag fields from the Fields Pane into the Values, Axis, or Legend areas in the Visualizations Pane to populate the chart.

5. Add More Visuals

Repeat the process to add more visuals like pie charts, tables, or line charts. Resize and arrange visuals on the Canvas to create a coherent layout.

6. Apply Filters and Slicers

In the Visualizations Pane, select a Slicer visual and drag a field into the slicer. Use the slicer on the report to filter the data interactively.

7. Customize Visuals

Select a visual and use the Format Pane (paint roller icon) to:

Change colors.

Modify labels, titles, and legends.

Add data labels or tooltips.

8. Add Titles and Text

Go to the Insert tab and click the Text Box to add titles or descriptions to your report and also format the text as needed.

9. Save Your Report

Click File > Save As.

Give your report a name (e.g., Sales_Report.pbix).

10. Publish Your Report

To share the report online, click “Publish” in the Home tab.
Select a workspace in the Power BI Service (cloud).
Click “Publish” and access your report at Power BI Service.

Connecting to Data Sources

In Power BI Desktop, connect to Data Sources by following the steps, like:

Open Power BI Desktop,
Click on “Home” > “Get Data”,
Choose the Data Source,
Enter Connection Details (such as file path, server name, or credentials)
Load or Transform Data (use Power Query Editor if needed)
Click “Load” to import the data into Power BI

Connecting to Data Sources in Power BI Service

Go to Power BI Service (app.powerbi.com)
Click “Home” > “Get Data”
Choose a Cloud or On-Premises Data Source

Cloud-based Sources: OneDrive, SharePoint, Azure, etc.

On-premises Sources: SQL Server, Oracle, etc. (requires Power BI Gateway)

Authenticate & Load Data

Understanding Datasets, Reports, and Dashboards

Datasets

Dataset is a collection of data imported or connected from various sources, such as excel files, SQL Server database and cloud storage.

Key Features of Datasets

Datasets can be updated by refreshing automatically. It can be shared and reused across multiple reports. Use Power Query to clean and transform data. It supports relationships between tables.

Report

Report is a collection of visuals like charts, tables, maps, KPIs built on a dataset. It allows in-depth data analysis and storytelling.

Key Features of Reports

Reports can have multiple pages and can use filters and slicers for user interaction. It can be built using Power BI Desktop or Power BI Service and can be exported (PDF, PPT, Excel) or embedded in apps.

Dashboards

Dashboard is a single-page, high-level view of important business metrics. Unlike reports, dashboards only exist in Power BI Service and combine visuals from multiple reports or datasets.

Key Features of Dashboards

Dashboards are interactive and can automatically update when data changes. It can be shared with users for real-time monitoring which includes alerts and KPIs.

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How to create Power BI Reports