One of the most common tasks for any organization is how to quickly gather relevant information for informed business decisions. Gaining insights into your business using an easy-to-read visual format is a key unique feature with Microsoft Power BI (Business Intelligence). Companies benefit from having this sort of fast and real-time information at their fingertips. In this post, we will review Power BI Desktop and Reporting.
Generating Power BI reports can be done in two ways. Users can build a report directly on the Microsoft Power BI Website; or by utilizing the Power BI Desktop. Power BI Desktop is a free application that allows for much greater control of the reports being developed. The Power BI desktop application is frequently updated giving the user new features on nearly a monthly basis. The Desktop will allow the user to also work within the Power Query editor to model data and create meaningful tables with low overhead. Data Analysis Expression (DAX) can be used inside the Power BI Desktop to code powerful measures and columns.
There are three main areas of focus in the Power BI Desktop.
- The Report Canvas
- Data View
- Model View
The Report Canvas is the area in which the report developer designs the layout and operation of the report. The Data View is an area that allows the developer the freedom to filter data, create measures, create columns, sort data, and a host of other operations. Lastly, the Model View area allows the user to create relationships between data sources based on key fields.
These relationships can be Many to Many, Many to One, and One to One. Once a developer becomes familiar with the desktop application, they will find that Power Bi is an extremely powerful data analysis tool.
Learn more about Microsoft Power BI and schedule your Power BI Demo!
