Power BI is a powerful business intelligence (BI) tool that allows companies to harness the full potential of their customer data. It helps organizations create detailed reports and dashboards that turn raw data into actionable insights, enabling data-driven decisions.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of creating Power BI Dashboards using Power BI Desktop. You’ll learn how to easily design and visualize your data, making it easier to analyze business trends and inform strategic choices.
Prerequisites
- A Power BI Desktop account.
- Working knowledge of Power BI.
- Working knowledge of databases and data sources.
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Types of Charts in Power BI
1) Power BI Slicers
- Power BI Slicers help make your Power BI Dashboards interactive. This feature ensures that dashboards cover every topic in detail and provide information in a layered manner across different aspects so that you can review them in one go!
- To create a Power BI Slicer, open the Power BI Desktop and go to Visualizations > Slicer > choose a Field > and drag-and-drop it on your dashboard.
2) Power BI Map Visualizations
- Power BI Dashboards allow you to design maps and visualize them to provide more depth into the demographics of the data being analyzed.
- Power BI Map Visualizations come in 2 forms- a Shape Map that focuses on geographic areas & colour gradation and a Bubble map that displays data comparison in the form of different sized bubbles as shown below.
- To create a Power BI Shape Map, open the Power BI Desktop and go to Visualizations > Filled Map > choose a Value > add to the Location bucket.
- To create a Power BI Bubble Map, open the Power BI Desktop and go to Visualizations > Map > choose a Value > add to the Location bucket.
3) Power BI Tables & Matrices
- Tables in Power BI help represent data systematically and concisely. Matrices are another form of Power BI tables that have different category headers on the rows and columns.
- To create a Power BI Table, open the Power BI Desktop and go to Visualizations > Table > Values, and set your Value fields according to the table you want.
- To create a Power BI Matrix, open the Power BI Desktop and go to Visualizations > Matrix. Here you can change Column Colors, Shift Rows and Column Totals, and much more.
4) Power BI Scatter Chart, Waterfall Chart, and Funnel Charts
- Power BI Dashboards allow users to add a diverse set of charts, helping them present their data in a simple yet and accurate manner. Scatter Charts are used to compare 2 different parameters with each other.
- To create a Scatter Chart, open the Power BI Desktop and go to Visualizations > Scatter chart > select two fields you’d like to compare > drag-and-drop these to the X-Axis and Y-Axis fields > add a field to the Details bucket to mark how you wish to filter your data.
- Waterfall Charts are used to show the changes in a single value like Sales, over a period of time.
- To create a Waterfall Chart, open the Power BI Desktop and go to Visualizations > Waterfall charts > choose a Time-based Field like a month or year > drag to the Category panel > choose any value, like Sales, you want to track over Time > Drag to the Y-Axis
- Funnel Charts help organizations display User Journeys. To create a Funnel Chart, open the Power BI Desktop and go to Visualizations > Funnel.
5) Modifying Colors in Power BI
- In any dashboard, colours play an important role in highlighting the differences between attributes or datasets. In some cases, you may need to modify them so that your dashboard can acquire all the differences.
- To change the colour of any Power BI Chart or Graph, open the Power BI Desktop and click Visualizations > click on the chart you’d like to modify > click Paintbrush symbol > Data Colors> select a colour picker to choose any chart colour you’d like.
5 Easy Steps for Creating Power BI Dashboards
You can create Power BI Dashboards using the following steps:
- Step 1: Downloading Power BI Desktop
- Step 2: Installing the Power BI Desktop
- Step 3: Importing Data to Power BI
- Step 4: Formatting the Data in Power BI
- Step 5: Creating Visualizations for your Power BI Dashboards
Step 1: Downloading Power BI Desktop
- Now to download Power BI Desktop, look at the header and you will find a download sign ( ⤓ ) > Power BI Desktop. Another option is to visit Microsoft Power BI’s official website. Power BI is only compatible with Windows systems, so keep that in mind before downloading it.
Step 2: Installing the Power BI Desktop
- Once the Power BI Desktop is downloaded, open the setup file and go to Next > ☑I accept the terms in the License Agreement > Choose the destination folder > ☑Create a desktop shortcut > Install > ☑Launch Microsoft Power BI Desktop > Finish.
Step 3: Importing Data to Power BI
- The next step is to import data from any data source and visualize it in Power BI. To do so, press on Home > Get Data > Choose a data source > Connect as shown below.
- Once you have imported your data, Power BI starts processing it and organizes it based on what it has found in the Navigator Window. Before loading the data, you have an option to format it.
- To do this, select the “Transform Data” available at the bottom of the page. In case you want to load the data without any formatting, click on “Load”.
Step 5: Creating Visualizations for your Power BI Dashboards
- Once you have imported your data completely onto Power BI, creating the visualization elements is very easy.
- You can incorporate different visualization elements (similar to the ones discussed in the previous section) by simply clicking on any Bar, Pie, or Donut chart or any other data visualization methods and types under the Visualizations tab on the right side of the panel as shown below.
Image Source: Microsoft Docs
Conclusion
- This article gave a step-by-step guide on creating Power BI Dashboards using Power BI Desktop.
- It also gave an introduction to Power BI and highlighted its importance for any organization.
- It described the different Power BI Chart Types available for Power BI Dashboards that can be added as visualization elements.
Overall, Power BI Dashboards play a pivotal role for any organization as they help companies better understand their customer and business requirements by providing information and attractive dashboards.
Share your experience of Creating Power BI Dashboards in the comments section below!
FAQs
1. What are Power BI dashboards for?
Power BI dashboards are used to visualize and monitor key business metrics in real time. They consolidate data from multiple sources into interactive, easy-to-understand visuals, helping users make informed decisions, track performance, and gain insights across different areas of the business.
2. What is the difference between Power BI dashboards and reports?
Power BI dashboards provide a high-level, consolidated view of key metrics and visuals from multiple reports on a single page, offering quick insights. Reports, on the other hand, are more detailed and can contain multiple pages, offering deeper analysis with interactive charts, tables, and filters.
3. Is Power BI being discontinued?
No, Power BI is not being discontinued. It is actively supported and developed by Microsoft, with regular updates and new features. Power BI continues to be a leading business intelligence tool for data visualization, reporting, and analytics.
4. What are the limitations of Power BI dashboard?
Power BI dashboards have a few limitations, such as a maximum of 10,000 rows for free users in some cases, limited customization options for visuals, and a cap on the number of tiles (up to 10). Additionally, real-time data refreshes are restricted depending on the service plan, and some complex data models may affect performance.
Aakash is a research enthusiast who was involved with multiple teaming bootcamps including Web Application Pen Testing, Network and OS Forensics, Threat Intelligence, Cyber Range and Malware Analysis/Reverse Engineering. His passion to the field drives him to create in-depth technical articles related to data industry. He holds a Undergraduate Degree from Vellore Institute of Technology in Computer Science & Engineering with a Specialization in Information Security and is keen to help data practitioners with his expertise in the related topics.
