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Practice MCQ

Unit 1 - Notes

INT374

Unit 1: Getting Started with Power BI

1. Overview of Power BI

1.1 Definition and Purpose

Power 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. It is a Business Intelligence (BI) platform provided by Microsoft.

  • Primary Goal: To bridge the gap between data and decision-making by allowing users to connect to data, visualize it, and share findings.
  • Target Audience: Data Analysts, Business Intelligence Professionals, Business Users, and Management.

1.2 The Power BI Ecosystem (Components)

Power BI consists of three primary elements, known as the Power BI Triad:

  1. Power BI Desktop:
    • A free Windows desktop application.
    • Function: Used for connecting to data, transforming data, data modeling, and creating reports. This is the primary development tool.
  2. Power BI Service (SaaS):
    • An online Software as a Service (SaaS) based on the cloud.
    • Function: Used for publishing reports, creating dashboards, sharing, and collaboration.
  3. Power BI Mobile Apps:
    • Applications available for Windows, iOS, and Android devices.
    • Function: Used for consuming reports and dashboards on the go.

Additional Components:

  • Power BI Report Server: An on-premises report server for companies that cannot store data in the cloud due to compliance/security restrictions.
  • Power Query: The data transformation engine (ETL - Extract, Transform, Load) shared with Excel. Uses the M language.
  • Power Pivot: The data modeling engine. Uses DAX (Data Analysis Expressions).

1.3 Key Features

  • Hybrid Deployment Support: Connects to data sources on-premises and in the cloud.
  • Quick Insights: Uses AI algorithms to find patterns in data automatically.
  • Natural Language Query (Q&A): Allows users to ask questions about data using plain English (e.g., "Total sales by region").
  • Custom Visualizations: Integration with Python, R, and a marketplace of community-created visuals.

2. Installation and Setup

2.1 System Requirements

Before installation, ensure the hardware meets the minimum requirements:

  • OS: Windows 10 or Windows Server 2012 R2 (or later). Note: Power BI Desktop is not natively available for Mac/Linux.
  • RAM: 4 GB minimum (8 GB+ recommended for large datasets).
  • Processor: 1 GHz or faster x86- or x64-bit processor.
  • Display: At least 1440x900 resolution.

2.2 Installation Methods

There are two primary ways to install Power BI Desktop:

Method A: Microsoft Store (Recommended)

  • Pros: Automatically installs the latest updates in the background; smaller download size.
  • Steps:
    1. Open the Microsoft Store app on Windows.
    2. Search for "Power BI Desktop".
    3. Click Get or Install.

Method B: Direct Download (.exe)

  • Pros: Allows for offline installation; specific version control (useful for IT departments).
  • Cons: Requires manual updates every month.
  • Steps:
    1. Visit the official Microsoft Download Center.
    2. Download the PBIDesktopSetup_x64.exe installer.
    3. Run the installer and follow the wizard.

2.3 Account Setup (Licensing)

While Power BI Desktop is free, sharing requires an account.

  • Free License: For personal use. You can author reports but cannot share them securely with peers in the Service.
  • Pro License: Required to share reports and collaborate in App Workspaces.
  • Premium License: Capacity-based licensing for large organizations.

Note: You generally need a work or school email address (e.g., name@company.com) to sign up. Standard consumer email domains (gmail, outlook, yahoo) are often blocked during registration.

3. Interface and Workflow

3.1 The General Workflow

The typical lifecycle of a Power BI project follows this linear path:

  1. Get Data: Connect to sources (Excel, SQL, Web, etc.).
  2. Transform: Clean and shape data using Power Query Editor.
  3. Model: Create relationships between tables and write DAX measures.
  4. Visualize: Create charts and graphs on the canvas.
  5. Publish: Upload the report to the Power BI Service.
  6. Share: Distribute to stakeholders.

3.2 Power BI Desktop Interface Tour

When you open Power BI Desktop, the interface is divided into several distinct areas:

A. The Ribbon

Located at the top, similar to Excel.

  • Home: Common tasks like Get Data, Refresh, and inserting common visuals.
  • Insert: Add text boxes, shapes, buttons, and AI visuals.
  • Modeling: Manage relationships, create new tables, and create measures.
  • View: Change themes, configure phone layouts, and toggle pane visibility.
  • Optimize: Settings to improve report performance (Pause visuals, Optimization presets).

B. The View Switcher (Left Sidebar)

There are three distinct views in Power BI Desktop:

  1. Report View: The default canvas where visuals are built.
  2. Table View (formerly Data View): Allows inspection of the raw data rows and columns. Useful for debugging and verifying calculated columns.
  3. Model View: Displays the semantic model. Here you manage relationships (joins) between tables (Star Schema/Snowflake Schema).

C. The Panes (Right Side)

  • Filters Pane: Controls data visibility at the Visual, Page, or Report level.
  • Visualizations Pane: Contains the library of charts (Bar, Line, Pie, Map, etc.) and settings to format them (colors, axes, labels).
  • Data Pane: Lists all loaded tables and their columns. Icons indicate data types (e.g., Sigma symbol for numeric fields).

D. The Canvas

The central area where visuals are placed and arranged. It represents the "Page" of the report.

E. Status Bar (Bottom)

Shows the current page number and connection status.

4. Adjusting Settings

Power BI Desktop offers granular control over how the application behaves and how specific files are handled. These are accessed via File > Options and settings > Options.

The Options dialog is split into two categories: Global and Current File.

4.1 Global Settings

These settings apply to every instance of Power BI Desktop on the machine.

  • Data Load (Global):
    • Type Detection: Configure how Power BI detects column data types for unstructured sources.
    • Cache Management: Clear data cache to free up memory.
  • Power Query Editor:
    • Formula Bar: Ensure this is checked to see the M code behind transformations.
    • Monospaced Font: Makes reading code easier.
  • Security:
    • ArcGIS for Power BI: Enable/disable specific map visuals.
    • Custom Visuals: Determine if certified or uncertified visuals can run.
  • Regional Settings: Set the application language.

4.2 Current File Settings

These settings apply only to the specific .pbix file currently open.

  • Data Load (Current File):
    • Time Intelligence: Auto Date/Time.
      • Default: On. Creates hidden date tables for every date column.
      • Best Practice: Turn OFF for professional models to save file size and memory, then create a custom Date Table.
    • Relationships: Autodetect new relationships after data is loaded.
      • Recommendation: Often turned OFF in complex models to prevent Power BI from creating incorrect relationships automatically.
  • Regional Settings (Current File):
    • Locale for import: Determines how date formats (DD/MM/YYYY vs MM/DD/YYYY) and decimal separators (comma vs dot) are interpreted. This must be set to match the source data's origin region, not necessarily your computer's region.
  • Privacy: Defines the privacy levels (Private, Organizational, Public) for data sources to manage the Firewall constraints when merging data from different sources.

4.3 Preview Features

Located under Global > Preview features.
Microsoft releases new features monthly that are not yet fully stable. Users must manually check these boxes to access beta features (e.g., new visual formatting options, new DAX functions). Requires a restart of the application.