Power BI

Interactive Power BI Learning

Getting Started

First Launch

When you first open Power BI Desktop, you'll be greeted with the welcome screen.

Power BI Welcome Screen

For this tutorial, we'll click on "Learn with sample data" to explore Power BI's features with pre-loaded data.

Loading Sample Data

After clicking "Learn with sample data", you'll see the Navigator window:

Power BI Navigator
  1. 1

    Tick the box next to "financials"

  2. 2

    Click the "Load" button

Understanding the Power BI Interface

The Top Ribbon

Power BI Top Ribbon

The ribbon contains all your main tools organized into sections:

Home
  • • Get data: Connect to various data sources
  • • Excel workbook: Direct connection to Excel files
  • • Recent sources: Quick access to previously used data
  • • Transform data: Opens Power Query Editor for data cleaning
Insert
  • • New visual: Add a blank visualization
  • • AI visuals: AI-powered visualizations
  • • Buttons and shapes: Add interactive elements
  • • Text box: Add descriptive text to your report
Modeling
  • • New measure: Create DAX calculations
  • • New column: Add calculated columns
  • • Manage relationships: Control how tables connect
  • • Model view: Switch to data modeling perspective
View
  • • Page view: Standard report creation view
  • • Performance analyzer: Monitor report performance
  • • Show/hide panes: Control interface elements
  • • Bookmarks: Save and manage report states
View Navigation Icons

On the far left of your screen, you'll find three important navigation icons:

Data View
Report View

Bar chart icon - This is your main workspace for creating visualizations and reports. Here you can:

  • • Drag and drop visualizations
  • • Format and arrange elements
  • • Add multiple pages to your report
  • • Set up interactions between visuals
Data View

Table icon - Shows your data in a spreadsheet-like format where you can:

  • • View all rows and columns in your tables
  • • Check data types and formats
  • • Sort and filter data
  • • Verify calculations and relationships
Model View

Flow chart icon - Shows how your data tables are connected. In this view you can:

  • • See relationships between tables
  • • Create and modify connections
  • • View cardinality (one-to-many, many-to-many)
  • • Organize your data model layout

Switch between views using the icons on the left side of your screen

visualisations Pane

visualisations Pane

This pane contains three key areas:

  • visualisation Types (Top):

    All available chart types including:

    • Bar and column charts
    • Line and area charts
    • Pie and donut charts
    • Maps and tables
    • Custom visuals (available via marketplace)
  • Fields Area (Middle):

    Where you specify which data goes where in your visualisation:

    • X-axis and Y-axis fields
    • Legend fields
    • Values and tooltips
  • Format Options (Bottom):

    Customize your visualisation's appearance:

    • Colors and styles
    • Titles and labels
    • Grid lines and legends
    • Data labels and formatting

Fields Pane

Fields Pane

The Fields pane (far right) shows all available data in your report:

  • Tables:

    Each table in your data is shown with a ▼ dropdown

  • Fields:

    Individual columns from your data with icons showing their type:

    • Σ indicates numeric fields
    • ABC indicates text fields
    • Calendar icon indicates dates

Filters Pane

Filters Pane

The Filters pane (left of visualisation) allows you to filter data at different levels:

  • Filters on this visual:

    Only affects the selected visualisation

  • Filters on this page:

    Affects all visualisations on the current page

  • Filters on all pages:

    Affects every visualisation in the entire report

  • Drillthrough:

    Allows you to drill down into more detailed data

Pro Tips

  • • Right-click fields for additional options
  • • Double-click a visualisation type to quickly create it
  • • Use CTRL+drag to copy visualisations
  • • Press CTRL+Z to undo any mistakes
  • • Use the search boxes to quickly find fields or visualisations

Creating Your First Visual

Let's create a simple bar chart showing profit by country:

  1. 1

    Click the bar chart icon in the visualisations pane

  2. 2

    From the Fields pane, drag:

    • "Country" to the X-axis
    • "Profit" to the Y-axis
First Bar Chart

And that's it! You've created your first visualisation. Notice how Power BI automatically:

  • Sorted the data
  • Created appropriate axis labels
  • Added a title
  • Formatted the numbers

It's that simple! Power BI handles all the complex calculations and formatting, letting you focus on exploring your data and creating insights.Head to our next page for a quick video tutorial to exlore some more quick start wins!