What is Power BI?
Lesson 1: What is Power BI?
In this lesson, you will learn what Power BI is and the key components that make up the Power BI ecosystem.
📦 Power BI Components
Power BI is a suite of tools developed by Microsoft for business intelligence and data visualization. It includes three main components:
- Power BI Desktop – A free Windows application to create reports and dashboards.
- Power BI Service – A cloud-based service to publish, share, and collaborate on reports.
- Power BI Mobile – Mobile apps for Android and iOS to view dashboards and stay updated on the go.
🖥️ Power BI Desktop
Power BI Desktop is a free application that runs on Windows. It allows users to:
- Import and clean data from multiple sources (Excel, CSV, SQL, etc.).
- Create interactive reports using charts, tables, and visuals.
- Use Power Query for data transformation.
It is the main tool for report development before publishing to the cloud.
☁️ Power BI Service
Power BI Service is the online platform (app.powerbi.com) used for:
- Publishing and sharing reports created in Power BI Desktop.
- Scheduling data refresh automatically from cloud or on-premise sources.
- Collaborating with team members.
To use the full features of Power BI Service, a Power BI Pro license is required.
📱 Power BI Mobile
Power BI Mobile provides apps for smartphones and tablets on Android and iOS. These apps allow you to:
- Access your reports and dashboards from anywhere.
- Get real-time notifications and updates.
- View KPIs and insights while on the move.
💰 Free vs Paid Versions
Feature | Power BI Desktop (Free) | Power BI Pro (Paid) |
---|---|---|
Create Reports | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Local Save | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Publish to Web | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Auto Data Refresh | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Collaboration & Sharing | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
Cloud Storage | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (10 GB) |
📝 Summary
Power BI is a powerful tool for turning raw data into meaningful insights. You can start with Power BI Desktop for free and later use the cloud service for sharing and collaboration.
✅ Next Lesson
Lesson 2: Installing and Exploring Power BI Desktop
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