INTRODUCTION TO POWER BI
Kelvin Mugwe Watheri
2nd May 2025
SESSION AGENDA
By the end of the session this will be the tangible objectives
•What is Power BI?
•Key Features of Power BI
•How Power BI Works
•Power BI vs Tableau: A Comparison
•Live Demo
•Q&A
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WHAT IS POWER BI?
WHAT IS POWER BI?
• A business analytics tool by Microsoft
• Turns raw data into interactive dashboards and reports
• Offers data connection, transformation, modeling, and visualization
• Designed for both technical and non-technical users
WHY POWER BI?
•Easy integration with Microsoft products (Excel, Azure, SQL Server)
•Drag-and-drop visualizations
•Strong community and support
•Regular updates and enhancements
•Affordable pricing model
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KEY COMPONENTS OF POWER BI
•Power BI Desktop: Create reports (free)
•Power BI Service: Share and collaborate online
•Power BI Mobile: Access reports on mobile devices
•Power BI Gateway: Connect on-premises data
•Power BI Embedded: Integrate reports into your own apps
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HOW POWER BI WORKS
HOW POWER BI WORKS
• Step 1: Connect to data (Excel, databases, web sources, etc.)
Step 2: Transform data using Power Query (ETL)
Step 3: Model data using relationships and DAX
Step 4: Build visualizations
Step 5: Share reports and dashboards via Power BI Service
LIVE DEMO (SAMPLE SUPERSTORE DATASET)
SAMPLE DASHBOARD MADE FROM POWER BI
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
BASIC ANALYSIS QUESTIONS
1. What are the total sales and profit across the whole business?
2. Which product categories generate the most revenue?
3. Which states have the highest and lowest sales?
4. How is the sales performance by region (East, West, Central, South)?
5. What is the monthly trend of sales over time?
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DEEPER INSIGHTS / INTERMEDIATE
•Which sub-categories are the least profitable despite high sales?
•What are the top 10 customers by total sales?
•Which shipping modes are most frequently used?
•Is there any relationship between discount offered and profit margin?
(Hint: Use a scatter plot)
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Feature
Power BI
Tableau
Ease of Use
Easier for beginners, Excel-like
Steeper learning curve
Pricing
More affordable (especially Pro)
More expensive (enterprise-focused)
Integration
Deep Microsoft ecosystem
Broader database connectors
Visualizations
Good, improving rapidly
Superior visual polish
Data Handling
Great for small-medium datasets
Stronger for very large datasets
Community Support
Strong, especially Microsoft users
Very strong, data science focus
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Customization
Moderate (custom visuals available)
Very flexible (but requires skills)
WHEN TO USE POWER BI VS TABLEAU?
Choose Power BI if:
• You heavily use Microsoft products
• You need quick insights and lower cost
• Your team includes non-technical users
Choose Tableau if:
• You need highly customized, beautiful visualizations
• You work with extremely large, complex datasets
• You have a budget for more expensive BI solutions
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•Questions?
THANK YOU
•Contact Info:
•kelvin-mugwe9b133b232
•+254723438378