Every action which we access is data or piece of information. Data is generating in leaps and bounds in the business world. Every action we perform ends up being a record and thus the modern world is stuffed with data. So the question is what is the way to manage humongous data? If we think to evaluate a dataset then we might need a tool for it. Have you ever heard about such a magnificent tool? Have you ever heard about Power BI?
There are very few people who are aware about this power tool. Let’s learn what is Power BI and how it is changing lives by saving and managing data.
What is Power BI?
It is a SaaS based data collective business intelligence platform powered by Microsoft. With its launch in 2014, Microsoft is coming up with regular updates and making this power tool more powerful for its customers.
How exactly does Power BI work?
It converts your raw and scattered data into interactive visualizations all at one place and helps users make business decisions. Hundreds of certified connectors are provided in the power BI platform which helps in connecting data from different systems and files.
So let’s concentrate on some influential aspects of Microsoft Power BI and let’s dig deeper into it.
Introduction to Power BI
What we often presume about Power Bi is it is just a business intelligence tool. Well that is partly correct but power BI is much more than what we assume. It converts data from varied sources into visibly interesting and interactive dashboards.
Now data visualization is made more easy and convenient. If we define power BI it is all about a business intelligence tool which uses cloud based apps of organization and collect, manage and analyze data from different sources and make it very convenient for users.
A business powered information pack helps businesses make better decisions at the right time.
You might be thinking the operability of power BI must be very difficult! Well to your surprise it is very simple. It extracts data from multiple sources and brings together all the data and intelligently converts it into visually compelling data. This data can be used to make informed data driven decisions. Using graphs, charts, snapshots and other familiar multimedia formats, it consumes information and generates Power BI reports.
If you are willing to trigger some specific sources of power BI then it will collect all the data available on a particular cloud which includes spreadsheet, doc file, on-premises data sources and much more.
You must be thinking what power BI is? Is it a mobile app or web app? And how can you use it?
Well the answer is it is all of this. It is a window based desktop application called as power bI desktop and also it is SaaS based app which can be conveniently accessed from all locations and it is known as Power BI service. It is versioned as a mobile app for Windows, iOS or Android based phones and tablets. For different platforms you have different versions of Power BI like SaaS, Desktop and mobile Power BI.
Let’s check how each of these power BI tools work distinctly.
- Power BI Desktop
It is a free data visualization tool which you can install on windows computers and create reports and visualization. To extract business data and support different databases and systems. It is an extremely handy tool for developers to transform information into visualization. It offers data warehouse capabilities along with data discovery and preparation. Sharing of information is not possible using this tool but you can prepare and generate reports.
Power BI Users can:
- Connect, transform, and model data.
- Connect multiple sources into one dataset and generate reports.
- A vast variety of visualizations are provided to add to your Power BI report. Additionally, you can install custom visualizations from the market or develop customized Power BI visuals for yourself.
- Choose a color theme from existing templates and also create a new one with your own set of colors.
- Setup rules for row-level security.
- Power query editor and DAX queries to shape your data.
- Performance check for visualizations.
- Support Python.
- Publish reports in Power BI service.
- Power BI Service
It is a cloud service platform which allows users to create interactive dashboards and share developed reports. It has prime focus on collaboration teams and organizations and supports light report editing. Most of the features of power BI desktop are supported by Power Bi services. It lets users share their reports among other users who can access power bI dashboard using power BI website and mobile apps for Android, and Apple.
Explore below extensive features of Power BI service
- With other Power BI users share dashboards and reports.
- On Power BI dashboard and reports users can set alerts and subscribe.
- Setup permissions – view and edit reoprt permission.
- Manage row-level security.
- Create divergent workspaces.
- Securely share dashboards and reports of business intelligence to other users in teams by creating Power BI apps.
- Analyze data in excel.
- Using embed API securely share reoprts in other systems.
- Setup on-premise gateways for legacy data and schedule data refresh.
Things which you could not achieve using Power BI service and you will also need Power BI Desktop as well
- Add/edit rules for row-level security.
- Create calculated columns.
- Advanced query editor.
- Python and DAX support.
- Data transformation and modeling.
Interesting facts about Power BI
- Saves time and resources
- Simple and large sharing
- To get started use Power BI free
- Analytics process made easier
- Highly customizable and attractive visualization options
- Connect with power BI community
Final words
Modern business world is continuously plunging data and with every new move we create a new record of data. Power BI is a helpful tool as it eliminates unnecessary storage space and makes tasks efficient. We hope you liked this blog and it was insightful. Hope this blog helps you understand how to use BI to manage your data efficiently and effectively.
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