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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