{"id":576,"date":"2025-04-07T12:02:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T12:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/leveragingdatavisualizationtocommunicateeffectively\/?post_type=chapter&p=576"},"modified":"2025-07-07T21:35:49","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T21:35:49","slug":"the-power-of-business-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/leveragingdatavisualizationtocommunicateeffectively\/chapter\/the-power-of-business-intelligence\/","title":{"raw":"The Power of Business Intelligence","rendered":"The Power of Business Intelligence"},"content":{"raw":"
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You don\u2019t need a title to be a leader!<\/p>\r\n

\u2014Mark Sanborn<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

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What Do You Think?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"282\"]\"A Note: Author Illustration (2025)[\/caption]\r\n

John was just boarding a return flight from a conference and could not wait to share things he had learned while attending a three-hour session on Power BI storytelling. On his return plane trip, he outlined key points he had learned. As he scrutinized his session notes, he noticed his first note was \u201cWhat is it?\u201d and then he noticed that he had highlighted \u201cyour app\u201d in his note. John was amazed that he had learned how to create a storytelling dashboard and an app.<\/p>\r\n

He started pulling a list of questions from his notes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n \t
  1. What type of account do we need, and do we already have Power BI with our Microsoft 365 account?<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. How are we presenting quarterly sales now? How are we telling the story of our sales now?<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Can we create a dashboard that is interactive and uses visuals (like maps for geographical distribution of sales) and drill-down techniques?<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Who else in my department knows about Power BI?<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    Consider<\/em><\/strong>\u2014What other questions should be part of the planning stage to launch the Power BI suite?<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    Introduction<\/h1>\r\n

    In the era of data-driven decision-making, organizations are embracing robust tools to weave compelling narratives from raw data. Microsoft Power BI stands out as a game changer, offering a dynamic platform to transform raw data into actionable insights. This chapter serves as a gateway to a variety of topics ranging from when to use Power BI to applying techniques and features that support storytelling. Examples of how Power BI is used in different industries illustrate how diverse sectors leverage this tool to gain a competitive edge and drive innovation. Power BI building blocks, robust visualizations, and quick insights are some of the features covered in this chapter. When you complete this chapter, you will be able to create your own Power BI reports, and dashboards, and see how an app would benefit communication within your organization. The authors will also share the abundance of training resources available (for free!). Whether you are a novice or an experienced storyteller, the insights and knowledge gained in this chapter will lay the groundwork for a successful journey into the world of Power BI storytelling.<\/p>\r\n

    Before we get started, let\u2019s determine the parts that are free. Power BI Desktop is free and users can develop dashboards, create apps, or use the \u201cquick insight\u201d feature. Power BI Desktop is a great place to clean data, analyze data, and create reports. However, Power BI Desktop does not work on a Mac. Power BI Services Online provides the ability to create dashboards (often from the reports created in Power BI Desktop), create apps, and share content. Power BI Services Online works on either Macs or PCs. It makes sense to learn both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Services (Online). Mac users are encouraged to follow the reading during the Power BI Desktop and apply what they learn from the Power BI Services (Online). In this chapter, both the Power BI Desktop and Power BI Services (Online) will be demonstrated<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n

    \u201cPower BI Desktop<\/strong> unifies the former Excel Power Tools (Power Pivot, Power Query and Power View) into one vastly improved, stand-alone, data discovery desktop application built on a modernized HTML5 visualization framework.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

    \u2014<\/em>Edward Price, Applied Microsoft Power BI: Bring your data to life!<\/em><\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

    Chapter 7 addresses the following learning objectives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

    \r\n

    Learning Objectives<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n

    \r\n

    At the end of this chapter, students should be able to:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      \r\n \t
    1. LO 1: Explain the differences between Power BI Desktop and Power BI Services Online.<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. LO 2: Upload Excel files and\/or sample files to Power BI Desktop to transform (clean) data.<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. LO 3: Create a multipage report in Power BI Desktop with storytelling techniques.<\/li>\r\n \t
    4. LO 4: Publish a Power BI Desktop File (or a .pbix file) to Power BI Services Online.<\/li>\r\n \t
    5. LO 5: Generate quick insights in Power BI Services Online to analyze trends, outliers, and correlations.<\/li>\r\n \t
    6. LO 6: Download available datasets using Power BI skills.<\/li>\r\n \t
    7. LO 7: Apply appropriate visualizations for specific key performance indicators (KPIs).<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

      Key Terms:<\/em> Bookmark, business intelligence, dashboards, DAX expressions, Decomposition tree, modeling, metrics, My Workspace, One Lake Data Hub, Power BI, Power BI app, Power BI Desktop, Power BI Services Online, quick insights, reports, scorecard, semantic models, storytelling techniques, transform data, Workspace<\/p>\r\nDownload Chapter 7 PowerPoint (11 MB)<\/a>\r\nDownload Chapter 7 Student Files (15.6 MB).<\/a>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

      7.1 Features of the Power BI Suite<\/h1>\r\n
      \r\n

      Storytelling is our obligation to the next generation. If all we are doing is marketing, we are doing a disservice, and not only to our profession, but to our children, and their children. Give something of meaning to your audience by inspiring, engaging, and educating them with story. Stop marketing. Start storytelling.<\/p>\r\n

      \u2014Laura Holloway, founder in chief of The Storyteller Agency<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n

      In the previous chapter, you created dashboards in Excel with slicers. For some of you, this may have been your first experience creating a dashboard. If so, keep in mind that old phrase from Bachman-Turner Overdrive, \u201cYou Ain\u2019t Seen Nothing Yet!<\/em>\u201d If you are familiar with data from your organization, you can probably list the potential uses for building interactive dashboards and reports. But you haven\u2019t encountered the \u201cQuick Insights\u201d available in Power BI Services (Online) or seen the ability to create an app for your organization.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      Licensing:<\/h2>\r\n

      Power BI Services (Online):<\/strong> <\/span>There are three kinds of Power BI Services (Online) per-user licenses: Free, Pro, and Premium. Power BI in Microsoft Fabric is a free account, and no credit card is required to use it. Both PC and Mac users can use Power BI Services (Online). The online service is bundled with Microsoft 365 and is a free license. With a free license of Power BI Services Online, you can use it for personal data analysis and visualization in \u201cMy Workspace.\u201d The Power BI Service Online is a cloud-based service where users view and interact with reports and dashboards. The Power BI Services (Online) Pro license has built-in collaboration capabilities and costs $10 per user\/month. The Pro license opens a way to strategically communicate within your organization.<\/p>\r\n

      Power BI Desktop:<\/strong><\/span> Power BI Desktop can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store and is always free<\/strong>. Use the Microsoft store since Windows will automatically update your Power BI Desktop. You can download Power BI Desktop at Microsoft<\/span><\/a> IF you have a PC<\/strong>. There is no Mac version at this time.<\/p>\r\n

      A Power BI Desktop license allows you to publish<\/strong> reports to My Workspace<\/strong> if you are using the free version of Power BI Online. If you have a Pro license in Power BI Services Online, you can also publish from the Power BI Desktop to Workspaces<\/strong> in Power BI Services Online. You need a Microsoft Power BI Services (Online) Pro<\/strong> to publish to the web from Workspaces. I know this sounds confusing, so please feel free to explore Publish to Web from Power BI<\/span><\/a> or Power BI service per-user and capacity-based licenses<\/span><\/a> from Microsoft Learn. The authors will show features of the Pro option, but any assignment expectations will use only the free license.<\/p>\r\n

      Please review the Power BI Suite Process shown in Exhibit 7.1, and notice the process is very similar whether you have a free license or a Pro license. The biggest difference is collaboration within the Workspace and the ability to create a Power BI app for consumer consumption. The Pro license unlocks more advanced AI capabilities as well (although we will not be working with AI in this context). The Power BI Desktop accepts hundreds of file types. Once you upload an Excel file to Power BI Desktop and save it, the new extension for the file is .pbix. Both Power BI Desktop and Power BI Services can upload and use .pbix files.<\/p>\r\n

      Exhibit 7.1\u2014Power BI Suite Process<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1482\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1024\"]\"An Note: Author Illustration (2024)[\/caption]\r\n

      As a Student, Where Do I Find Power BI Services (Online)?<\/h2>\r\nNote: Screenshots of Power BI interface \u00a9 Microsoft Corporation. Used with attribution for instructional and illustrative purposes. Annotations added by the author.<\/em>\r\n

      1. Login<\/strong> to your Microsoft Office account provided to you at your university. Make sure to use your college credentials.<\/p>\r\n

      2. In the menu (located vertically on the left side), choose Apps<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n

      3. Look<\/strong> in the \u201cExplore by category\u201d section for Power BI (Power BI is listed under several categories). Review Figure 7.1 to see the menu and Apps area.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1507\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1024\"]\"A Figure 7.1\u2014Where to Find Power BI Services Online<\/strong>
      Note: Screenshot of Microsoft 365 Interface \u00a9 Microsoft Corporation. Author Annotations Added.[\/caption]\r\n

      4. When you open Power BI Services (Online) the first time, you should see several tiles like, Getting Started with Power BI<\/em> (see #1 in Figure 7.2), and several Explore this data story<\/em> (see #2). If this is your first time working with Power BI Services Online, make sure to explore these. Keep in mind, your experience will be slightly different since the examples change. Also, you will not see anything in the My Workspace<\/strong> tile since you have not added anything to your My Workspace yet. But the most important component is Learn<\/strong> (see #3).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1508\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1024\"]\"A Figure 7.2\u2014Opening Screen for Power BI Services (Online)<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\n\r\n

      <\/div>\r\n

      5. If you select Learn<\/strong> (#3), you will see the Learning Center provided by Microsoft, essentially the hub for all Power BI training. Figure 7.3 shows the variety of examples you can explore. Note the sample reports, information on the newest features, lots of potential training opportunities, and testimonials.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_1509\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"1024\"]\"A Figure 7.3\u2014Power BI Services Online Learning Center<\/strong>[\/caption]\r\n

      Before demonstrating how to upload files, let\u2019s define some of the terms used by Power BI. Don\u2019t worry; take one step at a time to understand how the suite of Power BI works together. This chapter will use Microsoft datasets and templates, public datasets, and the XCaliber Foods dataset to demonstrate many principles. So let\u2019s start with the foundational components.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      What Is Power BI?<\/h2>\r\n

      \u201cPower BI is a collection of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to turn unrelated sources of data into coherent, visually immersive, and interactive insights\u201d that can be shared (Microsoft\u2014Power BI Introduction, 2023, para 1). You can upload an Excel file, a SalesForce file, a Mailchimp file, a web page, a database, and hundreds<\/strong> of other sources into Power BI Desktop. Multiple sources are possible. Just as a car is built of metal, fabric, glass, and rubber, a dataset potentially pulls from unrelated, even third-party sources.<\/p>\r\n

      The best Power BI experience is on a PC. You can only use Power BI Desktop on a PC unless the Mac is running software to simulate the Windows experience. However, it is possible to do most of the same things in Power BI Services (Online). Let\u2019s look at a comparison of Power BI Desktop and Power BI Services (Online). Make sure to notice the main points in the visual. There may be terms you don\u2019t understand yet, and that\u2019s OK. We will cover them shortly.<\/p>\r\nExhibit 7.2\u2014Comparison of Power BI Desktop and Power BI Services (Online) <\/strong>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"489\"]\"A Note: Author Illustration (2024)[\/caption]\r\n

      A note on sharing in Exhibit 7.2.<\/strong> When you use the share button in Power BI Desktop, it is a unique experience depending on whether you use the Pro or Free version of Power BI Services Online. Evidently, Power BI Desktop knows which version you have. Sharing in a Pro environment gives you a way to directly connect with others. Sharing in the Free version means the sharing comes about because you are saving it to a shared folder. Look at Figure 7.4 for some of the differences.<\/p>\r\nFigure 7.4\u2014Pro Versus Free Sharing Feature<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\"A\r\n

      Compare Power BI Desktop to Power BI Services (Online)<\/h2>\r\n

      The Power BI suite<\/em> has two main components plus an App Creation Tool that work together to give your users the best experience. The first component is the Power BI Desktop.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      Power BI Desktop<\/h3>\r\n

      This is an app that you download to your computer (but it is only for PCs). You can download and install it for free<\/strong>. You can upload files from many different sources and connect them through modeling. You can design a report on the Power BI Desktop and publish<\/strong> it to Power BI Services Online. If you have the free<\/strong> version of Power BI Services Online, your only option in Power BI Desktop is to publish to My Workspace. As shown in Exhibit 7.3, when you first open the Power BI Desktop app, you see a pop-up window to get started with helpful videos to guide you.<\/p>\r\nExhibit 7.3\u2014Power BI Desktop App\u2014Opening Screen<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\"A\r\n

      To close the pop-up window, just click the X in the upper right-hand corner. You will now see an Untitled\u2014Power BI Desktop container. The main sections include the ribbon, the views, the filters, visualizations, and fields.<\/p>\r\n

      According to Devin Knight, a Microsoft Data Platform MVP and president of Pragmatic Works, there are four main steps to reach the report process: (1) data discovery\/data shaping, (2) data modeling (like creating relationships, DAX: Data Analysis eXpression), (3) data visualization (building reports, custom visuals), and (4) data sharing\u2014publishing the reports to Power BI Services Online to share with others (2023, 14:37\u201315:29). Does it surprise you that data visualization is the third step?<\/p>\r\nFigure 7.5\u2014Main Sections of Navigation in Power BI Desktop<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\"Shows\r\n

      Ribbon<\/strong>\u2014The ribbon has a similar look and feel to other Microsoft products. At this early stage, one of the key components is the Get Data<\/strong> or alternatively Excel Workbook<\/strong>. One of the key differences of Power BI Desktop when compared to Power BI Services (Online) is the ability to \u201cget data\u201d from multiple sources. Besides Excel, some of the file types accepted by Power BI Desktop include text\/CSV, XML, and PDF, as well as several databases like SQL Server database. There are hundreds of other files that can be used with Power BI Desktop. This is a significant difference since Power BI Services Online accepts very few file types and Power BI Desktop accepts over a hundred file types. Also on the ribbon is the ability to transform data (essentially clean it up).<\/p>\r\n

      Note that Power BI Desktop has a Publish<\/strong> button on the ribbon. You can only publish to My Workspace<\/em> (if free version of Power BI Services Online). If you are using a Pro version of Power BI Services Online, Power BI Desktop will publish to either My Workspace<\/em> or Workspace<\/em>. Power BI Desktop will know which version of Power BI Services Online that you have (free or pro).<\/p>\r\n

      Views<\/strong>\u2014These three icons provide views: Report view, data view, or model view. The data view<\/strong> shows your dataset (like opening Excel). The report view<\/strong> shows the canvas and any visualizations you have started. The model view<\/strong> is where you can create relationships, build hierarchies, or perform calculations through DAX (Data Analysis eXpression). DAX<\/strong> is a formula expression language that allows users to create more complex measures, calculated columns, and tables. It is specifically tailored for business intelligence.<\/p>\r\n

      Filters<\/strong>\u2014This is somewhat explanatory. You can add filters to \u201cfilter the data.\u201d An example for using the filter could be if your company is dropping a service or product line and you want to filter it out from anything you create.<\/p>\r\n

      Visualizations<\/strong>\u2014Although you see a robust number of visuals, if you click on the three dots (ellipsis) you can get more visuals. Exhibit 7.4 shows only the first page of visualizations. It might surprise you, but there are over 400 visuals available<\/strong>! As a word of caution, download visuals that have been tested and approved by Microsoft.<\/p>\r\n

      Data<\/strong> shows the tables and fields of the dataset.<\/p>\r\n

      Canvas<\/strong> is where you build the report with visualizations and context.<\/p>\r\nExhibit 7.4\u2014Example of Power BI Visualizations Available<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\"A\r\n\r\nFigure 7.6\u2014Power BI Desktop<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\"A\r\n

      Take a minute to explore the Power BI Desktop as shown in Figure 7.6. Try out the samples so you get a sense of what is available.<\/p>\r\n

      The next component of the Power BI suite is Power BI Services (Online). You can determine your license by selecting your avatar. The authors have a Power BI Services (Online) Pro<\/strong> license and a student account that has a Free<\/strong> license. We have tried to make sure to point out the differences.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      Power BI Services (Online)<\/h3>\r\n

      This is available by logging into Office.com using your organization\u2019s credentials (shown in the next section). This Power BI Services Online works on either Mac or PC. Power BI services can Upload some<\/em><\/strong> data sources including .pbix files and Power BI Services Online is used to create dashboards and analyze the data through quick insights. If you have the Pro version, you can create and share a Power BI app. There\u2019s much more, but let\u2019s take it one step at a time. The report you build in Power BI Desktop is published to<\/em><\/strong> Power BI Services Online. If you have the free account, you can publish to \u201cMy Workspace,\u201d or if you have a Pro license, you can publish to \u201cMy Workspace\u201d and<\/strong> \u201cWorkspace\u201d assuming you have first created a Workspace! In Figure 7.7, you should note the Upload feature. You can upload a .pbix or .rdl file here, but NOT an Excel file. Read on to discover how you can upload your Excel File to Power BI Services Online.<\/p>\r\nFigure 7.7\u2014Power BI Services Online<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\"A\r\n

      Home, Create, Browse, and OneLake Data Hub in Power BI Services Online<\/h4>\r\n

      \"A<\/span><\/p>\r\n

      Home<\/strong> is what you would expect\u2014It shows your files based on how recently accessed. It also has a \u201cNew report\u201d button that you can use to start creating reports.<\/p>\r\n

      Create<\/strong> allows you to add data to start building a report. You have a few choices\u2014(a) Excel (Preview), which means you link your Excel file from OneDrive; (b) link a CSV file from OneDrive; (c) paste or manually enter data (looks like a spreadsheet); or (d) select a published semantic model. If you recall, \u201cPower BI semantic models represent a source of data that\u2019s ready for reporting and visualization\u201d (Microsoft Learn, 2023, para 1).<\/p>\r\n

      Browse<\/strong> includes a list of files in order of the most recent use.<\/p>\r\n

      OneLake Data Hub<\/strong> is a centralized data hub for your entire organization. It allows members of the organization to use Fabric data items if they are given access. When you click on OneLake Data Hub, you will see a list of your data (My data). If you select, \u201cEndorsed in your org,\u201d you will see a list of datasets available to you from your organization. Since you are visiting this as a student, this selection will not show any files. You can learn more about this at Microsoft Learn: Discover data items in the OneLake data hub<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      A Word to Mac Users<\/h3>\r\n

      Although you can\u2019t use Power BI Desktop to \u201cget data,\u201d you can still get your data into Power BI Services Online. Once you have the data in Power BI Services Online, you should be able to create dashboards and reports.<\/p>\r\n

      Here are two options:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

      Option #1\u2014Link an Excel File to Power BI Services Online<\/h4>\r\n

      Mac users should be able to use Excel Preview to link<\/strong> their Excel file to Power BI Services Online. Two things are important.<\/p>\r\n\r\n