If you have been looking for a book that has a lot of easy to understand step-by-step instructions and screen shots that show you how to use Power BI Desktop, this is the book for you. The Quick Start Guide To Learning Power BI Desktop book has been designed to have you using the software quickly, by teaching you the basics and more. If you have used any or all of the following Excel Power BI Tools, you will be familiar with many of the topics covered in this book: Power Pivot, Power Query or Power View. If you have not used any of these tools, don't worry, the step-by-step instructions guide you through all of the hands-on exercises. This free, business intelligence tool provides functionality that Excel does not have.
You will learn how to import data from a variety of data sources, transform the data, so that it can be used to create reports and dashboards. Creating tables, charts and formulas is covered, as well as, adding interactive features to charts.
This book is written from the perspective that the reader has not created a report before or has not used Power BI Desktop. This book is for the beginner. To help you become familiar with the options and features, the book contains over 275 illustrations that provide a visual tour of the software.
After completing the exercises in this book, you will be able to perform the following tasks and more:
- Learn how to discover data needed for analysis and reports
- Load data from a variety of sources into the data model
- Use the Query Editor to transform data
- Create charts
- Merge and append data
The Quick Start series of books are for people that are new to a software package and want to take it for a "test drive", as they say. The books in this series will show you how to use some of the most used features of the software, by completing the tasks in each exercise. Topics are explained as you go along, but not in-depth. You will cover enough of the software to know whether or not it will handle a large percent of your needs, without investing weeks of your time, trying to learn about a larger number of features and options. This book will get you up and running quickly, by teaching the basics, so that you can use the software.
Indera Murphy is an author, retired educator and IT professional that has over 20 years of experience in the Information Technology field. Indera has written over 35 books on software topics including Crystal Reports, Microsoft Office, Power BI Tools, Dashboard Design, Reporting Services, ACT! and OpenOffice.org. She has held a variety of positions including technical writer, programmer, course developer and project leader. Indera has designed and developed software applications and web sites, as well as, manage technology driven projects. In addition to being an Executive Director and consultant, as an online adjunct professor, she has taught courses in a variety of areas including project management, technical writing, information processing, Excel, Access, Crystal Reports, HTML, Windows, Dreamweaver and critical thinking.
