Power BI Desktop is a powerful tool that allows you to create rich, interactive reports and dashboards based on data from a variety of sources. Before you can create reports, however, you first need to connect to and shape your data.
Connecting to data involves establishing a link between Power BI Desktop and your data source. Power BI Desktop supports a wide variety of data sources, including Excel spreadsheets, CSV files, databases, and cloud-based data sources.
Shaping your data involves transforming your data so that it is ready for analysis and visualization. This may involve cleaning and formatting your data, filtering out unnecessary columns, merging tables, and creating calculated columns. Power BI Desktop includes a powerful data shaping tool called Power Query Editor, which allows you to perform these transformations using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface.
Once you’ve connected to and shaped your data, you can use it to create reports and visualizations in Power BI Desktop. By using Power BI Desktop’s built-in visualization tools and features, you can create powerful and insightful reports that help you gain new insights into your data.
Overall, connecting to and shaping your data is an essential step in the Power BI Desktop workflow. By taking the time to properly connect and shape your data, you can create more accurate and effective reports that drive better business decisions.