How to Use Microsoft Power BI

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1Getting Started

2Using the Query Editor

3Creating a Visual

4Save Your Report

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Power BI is a collection of software services, that allow you to input data from various sources and generate a chart or report based on that data. Whether your data is a simple Excel spreadsheet, Salesforce data, Google Analytics, or a MySQL database. Power BI lets you easily connect to your data sources, visualize (or discover) what’s important, and share that with anyone or everyone you want. This How.com.vn article teaches you how to use Microsoft Power BI Desktop.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Getting Started

1. 
   1
   Download the Power BI Desktop app. To do so, go to https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/desktop, and click on the Download Free button.

   • Alternatively, you can open the Microsoft Store in the Windows Start menu and search "Microsoft Power BI" using the search bar in the upper-right corner. Click the Microsoft Power BI icon and click GET to download and install Microsoft Power BI.
2. 
   2
   Open the file once it downloads. If you downloaded the Power BI app from the website, double-click the installation file in your web browser or installation folder. Follow any instructions on-screen to install it.
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3. 
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   Click Get Data to Connect to data. To get started with Power BI Desktop, the first step is to connect to your data. To do this, you can either click Get Data on the Welcome screen when you first launch Power BI Desktop, or click the Home tab at the top and click the icon that resembles a cylinder with a table in front of it. This displays a list of data sources you can select.
4. 
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   Select your data source. There are many different data sources you can connect to from Power BI Desktop. Look through the list of data sources and click the one you want to connect to. Then click Connect in the lower-right corner. You can also use the list on the left to filter sources by "All," "File," "Database," "Power Platform," "Azure," "Online Services," and "Other."

   • Data sources you can connect to include some of the following: Excel Workbook, PDF, Text file, JSON file, SQL Server, MySQL database, Oracle database, Access database, IBM database, Azure services, Google Analytics, Amazon Redshift, Salesforce, Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, Dynamics 365, a web address, and more.
   • Alternatively, you can click Recent sources to open data sources that you've recently used in Power BI, or click Open Other Reports to open previous Power BI reports.
5. 
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   Enter any required information, as prompted. When you select a data type, you're asked for information. You may be asked to open a file on your computer, sign in to an online service, enter a URL, or connect to a third-party app that is already installed on your computer. Follow the instructions for the data source you selected to connect to that data source.
6. 
   6
   Select a data set and click Load or Transform Data. Once you've selected your data set, you will be given a list of tables and data sets in the Navigator window. Click a table or data set to see a preview of it. When you see the data set you want to import, click the checkbox next to the data set. Then click Load in the lower-right corner to load the data into Power BI, or click Transform Data to open it in the Query Editor.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Using the Query Editor

1. 
   1
   Click Transform Data after selecting a data source. It's in the lower-right corner of the Navigator window once you select a data source. The Query Editor allows you to make changes to your data before you load it into Power BI
2. 
   2
   Change the name of a column header. If you want to change the name of a column header, simply click the header and type a new header name.
3. 
   3
   Delete a column. If there's a column you don't want to use in your data, you can delete the entire column. To do so, simply right-click the column header and click Remove.

   • Alternatively, you can click a column header to select it and click Delete Column in the panel at the top.
4. 
   4
   Remove a data point from a column. If there's a data point in a column you don't want to include (i.e. a product that's no longer available), use the following steps to remove that data point from the column:

   • Click the icon that resembles a black arrow pointing down (⏷) in the column header.
   • Uncheck the item you want to remove
   • Click Ok.
5. 
   5
   Change the format for a column. If you want to change the format of a column (i.e, date & time, decimal, percentage, whole numbers, etc), use the following steps to do so:

   • Right-click on a column header to show the menu.
   • Click Change Type.
   • Click the format you want to use.
6. 
   6
   Delete a row. If there's a row you want to delete, click the row number to the left to select it. Then click Remove Rows in the panel at the top.
7. 
   7
   Change the value of a cell. If a cell has incorrect information (i.e, incorrect spelling, wrong number, etc), use the following steps to change the value of that cell:

   • Right-click the cell you want to change.
   • Click Change Value.
   • Click Insert.
   • Enter the new value for the cell in the space below "Replace with."
   • Click Ok.
8. 
   8
   Manually input new data. Use the following steps to input new data manually:

   • Click Enter Data in the panel at the top.
   • Type a name for the table next to "Name" in the lower-left corner below the table window.
   • Click the plus sign (+) at the top to create a new column.
   • Click the plus sign (+) on the left side to create a new row.
   • Double-click a column header at the top and type a new header name.
   • Double-click a cell and type the data for that cell.
   • Click Ok at the bottom.
9. 
   9
   Add a new data source. Use the following steps to add more data sources:

   • Click New Source in the panel at the top of the Query Editor.
   • Select a data source type and click Connect.
   • Follow the instructions to upload a file, sign into an online service, or connect to another app..
   • Click the checkbox next to the data set or table you want to import.
   • Click Ok.
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    10
    Switch Queries. All data sets you upload are listed in the panel to the left below "Queries". Click a query to view that data set.
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    Rename a query. If you want to rename one of the queries you upload, right-click the query you want to rename in the panel to the left. Then click Rename. Type a new name for that query.
12. 
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    Remove a change to your data set. Each step you take in transforming data (such as rename a table, transform a data type, or delete columns) is recorded by Query Editor and listed below "Applied Steps" in the Query Settings panel to the right. Use the following steps to remove a change you've made:

    • Click the step below "Applied Steps" to view a preview of the model before that step.
    • Click the "X" icon to the left of that step.
    • Click Delete.
13. 
    13
    Merge queries together. If you've added two or more data sources, you can use the following steps to merge the queries into one query:

    • Click your main query in the list to the left.
    • Click Merge Queries in the Home panel at the top of the screen.
    • Click Insert in the pop-up.
    • Click the header of the column you want to associate with the merged data in the Merge window.
    • Use the drop-down menu below the first query to select the second query you want to merge with.
    • Click the header of the column you want to import in the second query in the Merge window (hold Shift to select more than one column).
    • Click Ok in the lower-right corner.
    • Click the button in the header of the new column that's been added.
    • Uncheck all options except that data type you want the column to contain.
    • Click Ok.
14. 
    14
    Click Close & Apply. It's the first option in the "Home" panel at the top of the Query Editor. This applies all the changes you've made to the data set.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Creating a Visual

1. 
   1
   Add a title to the chart. Use the following steps to add a title to your chart:

   • Click Text Box in the Home panel at the top of the screen.
   • Click and drag the edges of the text box so that it is placed where you want it to go.
   • Use the box to select a font, font size, style, and alignment.
   • Type the title for the chart.
2. 
   2
   Select the fields you want to include in your chart. To do so, click the bracket icon to the left of a data source listed in the "Fields" menu to the left to expand the data source. Then click the checkbox next to the fields you want to include in your chart.
3. 
   3
   Select the type of chart you want to use. There are a variety of chart types you can select in the "Visualizations" menu to the left. Each chart has an icon that looks like the type of chart it is. You can also hover your mouse cursor over a chart icon to read what kind of chart it is. Click the icon for the chart type you want to use.

   • You can add more than one chart to report. To create another chart, simply click off the chart to deselect it. Then click another chart icon in the "Visualizations" menu.
4. 
   4
   Drag a data field into the "Axis" space. This is the field that will go into the X (horizontal) axis. You can click and drag a data point from the "Fields" menu into the space below "Axis" below the "Visualizations" menu.

   • You can also drag and drop a data field into the chart itself.
   • You can drag and drop more than one data field into a single field. The order you arrange them in the "Visualizations" menu affects the order they appear in the chart
5. 
   5
   Drag a data field into the "Value" space. This is the field that will be used in the Y (vertical) axis.
6. 
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   Drag a data field into the "Legend" space (optional). This is the field that the legend or key is created from. You can reuse a data field you've already used.

   • Some charts have additional spaces, such as secondary values, tooltips, and small multiples.
7. 
   7
   Format the chart. To format a chart click the icon that resembles a paint roller below the chart icons in the "Visualizations" menu. Click the toggle switch next to an item in the Format menu to turn the item on or off in the chart. Click the bracket icon to the left of the item to expand the options menu.

   • You can use the options menu to change colors in the chart, select a font, font size, or change an object's position within the chart. There is an options menu for the X-Axis and Y-Axis, as well as the legend, title, background, border, and more.
8. 
   8
   Arrange the chart. You can adjust the size of a chart by clicking and dragging the sides of the chart. You can move the chart around by clicking and dragging it.
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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Save Your Report

1. 
   1
   Click File. It's the first option in the menu bar at the top.
2. 
   2
   Click Save as. This option allows you to save a Power BI (.pbix) file with a specific filename.
3. 
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   Add a name for the file. Use the space next to "Filename" to type a name fo the file.
4. 
   4
   Click Save. This saves your file.
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