How to Create Power BI Report Samples?

Data is increasingly becoming central to decision-making. This necessitates using tools that can help make sense of it all.

Are you looking to turn your boring data into a visual masterpiece?

Let me guess. You have been sifting through mountains of data. Only to end up with a headache and no actionable insights.

Fear not – Power BI is here to save the day.

It has a user-friendly interface and customizable templates. It allows even the most data-phobic among us to analyze and visualize complex data sets with ease.

But with so many options available, it can be challenging to know where to start. Stress not; I’ve compiled a list of the best Power BI report samples.

Whether you’re a seasoned data pro or a beginner does not matter. These Power BI report examples will inspire you and help you get the most out of Power BI.

Table of Content:

1. What is a Power BI Report?
2. Benefits of Power BI Report
3. Power BI Report Samples
4. How to Create Charts for Reports in Power BI?
5. Wrap Up

Let’s dive in.

What is a Power BI Report?

Power BI is a business intelligence tool that allows you to connect to various data sources. Then transform and clean your data, and create visualizations in the form of reports and dashboards. A Power BI report is a collection of visualizations designed to answer specific questions. Or provide insights into your data.

Power BI reports can include various visualizations, such as charts, tables, matrices, maps, and gauges. You can also add interactive features, such as filters and slicers. This allows you to explore the data and glean new insights.

Benefits of Power BI Report

• Easy Data Access

No matter where the data came from, you can quickly access it using Power BI reports. Power BI integrates with various data sources, including Excel, SharePoint, Azure, etc., for quick and effective data access.

• Improved Data Visualization

The intuitive interface allows you to create dynamic visuals in Power BI reports with minimal effort. These visualizations make understanding complex data sets and spotting trends and patterns easier.

• Increased Collaboration

You can share Power BI reports with other users. Therefore, teams can work collaboratively and make decisions more efficiently.

• Real-Time Data Monitoring

Power BI reports facilitate real-time data monitoring. This lets you keep track of data changes and hasten the decision-making process. This functionality is essential for businesses that have to react promptly to market or industry changes.

• Mobile Access

You can access Power BI reports from anywhere using a mobile device. This functionality allows you to access your data even when not at the workplace.

Power BI Report Samples

You can customize Power BI reports to meet specific business needs. Here are two common examples of Power BI reports:

• Sales Report

A sales report provides information on revenue, sales trends, and consumer behavior. It aids in discovering sales opportunities, monitoring sales activity, and improving sales tactics. Customization lets you include data from other sources, such as CRM, ERP, and other sales-related software.

Example

Assume you have the data below on company spending by department.

Total Spend	Department	Category	Spend Amount ($)
Total Spend	Marketing	Advertising	20,000
Total Spend	Marketing	Events	15,000
Total Spend	Marketing	Collateral	30,000
Total Spend	Marketing	Salaries	50,000
Total Spend	Operations	Rent	10,000
Total Spend	Operations	Utilities	8,000
Total Spend	Operations	Supplies	15,000
Total Spend	Operations	Salaries	40,000
Total Spend	Sales	Salaries	30,000
Total Spend	Sales	Commissions	6,000
Total Spend	R&D	Salaries	40,000
Total Spend	R&D	Contractors	20,000
Total Spend	Admin	Salaries	30,000
Total Spend	Admin	Legal	15,000
Total Spend	Admin	IT	10,000

You can map this data on a Power BI report, as shown below.

• Financial Report

A financial report provides insights into financial performance, including revenue, expenses, and cash flow. You can use it to assess strengths and weaknesses, track performance, and optimize financial strategies. You may also tailor this report to include data from various sources. Accounting software, banking data, and other financial-related software are examples of such sources.

Example

Let’s say you have the financial data table below.

Locations	Revenue	Profit & Cost	Details	Amount
North America	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Sales	132000
North America	Revenue	Expenses	Salaries	159000
North America	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Marketing	170000
North America	Revenue	Profit	Tax	182000
North America	Revenue	Profit	Profit After Tax	834000
International	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Sales	162000
International	Revenue	Expenses	Salaries	158000
International	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Marketing	145000
International	Revenue	Profit	Tax	171000
International	Revenue	Profit	Profit After Tax	753000
Middle East	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Sales	155000
Middle East	Revenue	Expenses	Salaries	166000
Middle East	Revenue	Expenses	Cost of Marketing	199000
Middle East	Revenue	Profit	Tax	151000
Middle East	Revenue	Profit	Profit After Tax	685000

You can create a Power BI report of the data as shown below.

How to Create Charts for Reports in Power BI?

To create a report in Power BI, we will divide the process into 5 distinct stages;

Stage 1: Logging in to Power BI

• To access the Power BI web service, begin by opening the login page.
• Enter your email address and click the submit button.

• You will be redirected to your Microsoft account login page.
• Enter your Microsoft password and click the “Sign in” button.

• You have the option to stay signed in or not.

• Once done, the Power BI home screen will open.

Stage 2: Create a Data Set and Select it to Use in Your Sankey Chart.

• Navigate to the left-side menu and click the “Create” button.
• Select “Paste or Manually enter data”.

• We will use the cash flow data below for illustration.

Total Spend	Department	Category	Spend Amount ($)
Total Spend	Marketing	Advertising	20,000
Total Spend	Marketing	Events	15,000
Total Spend	Marketing	Collateral	30,000
Total Spend	Marketing	Salaries	50,000
Total Spend	Operations	Rent	10,000
Total Spend	Operations	Utilities	8,000
Total Spend	Operations	Supplies	15,000
Total Spend	Operations	Salaries	40,000
Total Spend	Sales	Salaries	30,000
Total Spend	Sales	Commissions	6,000
Total Spend	R&D	Salaries	40,000
Total Spend	R&D	Contractors	20,000
Total Spend	Admin	Salaries	30,000
Total Spend	Admin	Legal	15,000
Total Spend	Admin	IT	10,000

• Paste your data table into the “Power Query” window.
• Select the option “Create a dataset only”.

• Go to the left-side menu and click the “Data Hub” option.
• This will display a list of available data sets in Power BI. (If you haven’t created a data set yet, refer to the section titled “Error! Reference source not found”).

• To create a Sankey Diagram using Power BI, first, select the data set you wish to use.
• Power BI will populate the screen as below.

• It will display the data set and its corresponding fields on the right side of the screen.
• You will find different reports and data set options in the middle area.
• Click the “Create a report” dropdown and select “Start from scratch”.

• This will take you to the Report Canvas screen.

Stage 3: Adding the Power BI Sankey Diagram Extension by ChartExpo

• To create a Sankey Diagram, we need to use either an add-in or Power BI visual from AppSource.
• Navigate to the right side of the Power BI dashboard to access the Power BI Visualizations panel.
• Click the ellipsis symbol (…) as highlighted in the diagram below. This is to import the Power BI Sankey Diagram extension by ChartExpo.

• • Select the option “Get more visuals”. Then enter “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” in the search box.

• The “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” option will appear as shown below.

• Click the “Add” button.

• Power BI will add the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” to the visualization panel.

Stage 4: Drawing a Sankey Chart with ChartExpo’s Power BI extension

• Click the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” icon located in the visualization panel.
• This action will result in a new window opening in the report section of your dashboard.

• You can adjust the size of the visual as per your preference.
• On the right-hand side of the Power BI dashboard, you will see the “Fields” section adjacent to “Visualizations”.

• To create a Sankey Chart, you must first choose the particular fields you want to incorporate.
• It is essential to note that you must select the ChartExpo visual beforehand. Select the field in following sequence:
  1. Total Spend
  2. Department
  3. Category
  4. Spend Amount ($)

• You will receive a request to enter your ChartExpo license key or email address.

Stage 5: Activating your ChartExpo Trial or Applying a Subscription Key

• When you select the ChartExpo visual, you will see three icons below the “Build visual” option.

• Click the middle icon labeled “Format visual”. The visual properties will appear on your screen, as depicted in the image below.

• Follow these steps to get started as a new ChartExpo user:
• Input your email address into the textbox provided in the “Trial Mode” section. This is the email address where the License key will be sent once you subscribe to the add-in.
• It’s crucial to provide an accurate and up-to-date email address.
• Click the “Enable Trial” button to activate your 7-day trial.

• You should then receive a welcome message from ChartExpo.
• Note that any Sankey Diagrams you create during the trial period will contain the ChartExpo watermark.

• If you have a license key;

1. • Go to the “License Settings” section and enter your license key in the “ChartExpo License Key” box.
   • Turn on the “Enable License” toggle switch to apply the license.

• • Your Sankey Diagram will then appear without a watermark.

• • To include the $ sign in the numerical data of the chart, expand the “Stats” properties. Then input the prefix value.

• • To assign colors to individual nodes, expand the “Level Colors” properties and choose the colors.

• • It is important to note that any modifications made will be automatically saved.

Insights

• In level 1, the total amount spent is $339,000.
• At level 2, the size of the nodes represents the amount spent by different departments. The sales department had the lowest expenditure while the marketing department had the highest.
• Level 3 breaks down the data by category;
• The highest amount of money, $190,000, was spent on Salaries accounting for 50% of the total costs.
• The Commissions category had the lowest expenditure of $6,000, which made up only 1.7% of the expenses.

FAQs

What is Power BI reports?

Power BI reports are interactive data visualizations created with Microsoft’s Power BI. Users can then make sense of the information presented visually. As a result, spotting trends, patterns, and insights becomes less challenging.

What is the purpose of a report?

The purpose of a report is to communicate information in a structured and concise manner. Reports help convey the research, analysis, or investigation results. They are common in business settings to inform decision-making processes at various organizational levels.

What are the key benefits of using Power BI reports?

Power BI reports are interactive, providing data-driven insights through immersive visuals. In addition, they can connect to multiple data repositories. This makes it possible to consolidate your data-analysis efforts.

Wrap Up

In conclusion, Power BI report samples are like superheroes for your data analysis needs. They swoop in with colorful visuals and intuitive design to save the day. Providing insights that were once hidden in plain sight.

Data visualization using Power BI reports is efficient. They can aid in decision-making, trend and challenge identification, and clarity regarding your company’s operations.

The best part?

Using these reports is simple and free.

Power BI report samples help save hours that could otherwise spend on other tasks. Sort through the various Power BI report samples available. Then choose the one that suits your business needs. Afterward, create a report in PowerBI and see how it performs.

You have learned how to create a Power BI report using the Sankey Diagram Extension by ChartExpo. The extension will help you create a Sankey Diagram for whatever dataset you have.

Unleash the power of ChartExpo and Power BI today and see the magic yourself.