Power BI is a business analytics tool developed by
Microsoft that allows you to connect to various data sources, clean and
transform data, create interactive reports and dashboards, and share insights
across your organization. It’s widely used for data visualization and
business intelligence (BI) because it combines ease of use with powerful
analytical capabilities.
What Power BI Is (in simple terms)
Power BI lets you:
- Import
data from multiple sources (Excel, SQL databases, cloud
services, APIs, etc.).
- Clean
and transform the data using Power Query.
- Model
relationships between data tables.
- Create
visual reports (charts, maps, KPIs, etc.) using
drag-and-drop tools.
Share dashboards online through Power BI Service (cloud-based) or embed them in apps and websites
|
Component |
Description |
|
Power BI Desktop |
The main app (on your PC) where you import data,
transform it, and build reports. |
|
Power BI Service (Cloud) |
A web platform to publish, share, and collaborate on
reports/dashboards. |
|
Power BI Mobile App |
Lets you view dashboards on phones/tablets. |
|
Power BI Gateway |
Connects on-premises data (like SQL Server) securely to
Power BI Service. |
|
Power Query |
Used for data cleaning and transformation (like Excel’s
Power Query). |
|
Power Pivot / DAX |
For building data models and creating advanced
calculations using DAX formulas. |
How to Use Power BI for Data Analysis
Here’s a typical workflow:
