Power BI is built on the foundation of Microsoft Excel, and as such, the learning curve from Excel to Power BI is not that steep anyone who can use Excel can use Power BI, but the latter is far more powerful than its spreadsheet counterpart. Power BI is something of an umbrella term and can refer to either a Windows desktop application called Power BI Desktop, an online SaaS (Software as a Service) service called Power BI Service, or mobile Power BI apps available on Windows phones and tablets, as well as for iOS and Android devices. Power BI connects to a range of data sources, from basic Excel spreadsheets to databases, and both cloud-based and on-premise apps. This allows users to generate and share clear and useful snapshots of what’s happening in their business. Primarily, Power BI pulls data together and processes it, turning it into intelligible insights, often using visually compelling and easy-to-process charts and graphs. Power BI is the collective name for an assortment of cloud-based apps and services that help organizations collate, manage, and analyze data from a variety of sources, through a user-friendly interface.īusiness intelligence tools like Power BI can be used for a multitude of purposes. In this post, we’re going back to basics to find out exactly what Microsoft’s flagship BI software Power BI does, how much it costs, and what it can do for your business. Thinking about implementing a platform to help you pluck useful, actionable insight from your data? You’re in the right place. That’s where business intelligence software comes in. Data is the lifeblood of modern businesses, and we’re generating more of it than ever.īut amassing mountains of digital information isn’t much use unless organizations are able to make sense of it.

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