How to Use Power BI for Clear Insights with Charts

You might wonder how to use Power BI if you are accustomed to spreadsheets in Excel. Power BI (PBI) is a much more powerful data analysis tool.

You need to understand its features and the kind of data visualizations that you have access to. This way, you can utilize it effectively. Most importantly, you need to ensure that you work with good-quality data. A powerful tool is not a replacement for bad data.

You also need to ensure that you work with data in the correct format. Access and permissions should also be granted carefully. Defining your data points and KPIs will also make it easier to work with PBI.

In this article, we learn how to use Power BI and define it. We’ll discuss core PBI features and, finally, how to use PBI to create charts for data analysis.

Table of Content:

1. What is Power BI Used for?
2. What Does Power BI Do?
3. Who Uses Power BI?
4. Reasons for Using Power BI Desktop
5. How to Use Power BI for My Business?
6. How to use Microsoft Power BI for Data Analysis?
7. Real-Life Examples of How to Use Power BI
8. Advantages and Disadvantages of Power BI
9. How to Use Power BI – FAQs
10. Wrap Up

What is Power BI Used for?

Definition: Power BI is used for connecting, analyzing, and visualizing data to support better decision-making. It allows users to pull data from various sources, such as Excel, cloud services, or databases, clean and transform it with Power Query, and then build interactive reports and dashboards.

Businesses use Power BI to track KPIs, identify trends, and share insights across teams, making it a powerful tool for data-driven collaboration.

Here are some key points to describe what Power BI is used for:

• Data Visualization

One of the primary uses is Power BI for data visualization. It allows you to create interactive visualizations that help you understand complex data sets quickly. Also, you can customize the visualizations to suit your needs that resonate with your brand identity.

• Data Analysis

Power BI offers robust data analysis capabilities, including data modeling, visualization, and exploration. You can connect to various data sources and clean and transform data. Then perform complex calculations to glean valuable insights that inform decision-making.

• Business Intelligence Reporting

Power BI is a potent business intelligence reporting tool. You can create custom reports that offer insights into your operations. You can use these reports to track performance, monitor KPIs, and pinpoint improvement areas.

• Real-time Data Analysis

Power BI facilitates data analysis in real-time. It lets you connect to streaming data sources and create real-time dashboards and reports. You can monitor key metrics and make informed decisions using these real-time data analysis features.

• Data Integration

Power BI connects you to data sources like Excel spreadsheets, SQL databases, and cloud-based services. This empowers you to consolidate your data and create a unified view of your business operations.

What Does Power BI Do?

• Connects to Multiple Data Sources

Power BI integrates with Excel, databases, cloud platforms, and hundreds of other sources. This helps bring all your business data together in one place.

• Cleans and Transforms Data

Using Power Query, you can prepare raw data by cleaning, shaping, and modeling it for accurate analysis.

• Creates Interactive Dashboards

Power BI allows you to design charts, graphs, and visual reports to track KPIs, monitor performance, and spot trends easily.

• Enables Real-Time Insights

With automatic data refresh, you can analyze real-time updates and make faster, data-driven decisions.

• Supports Collaboration and Sharing

Reports and dashboards can be published to the Power BI service, making it simple to share insights with teams and stakeholders.

Who Uses Power BI?

Power BI is designed for a wide range of users across industries and job roles. Its flexibility makes it useful for both technical and non-technical professionals.

• Business Analysts

They use Power BI to explore data, build dashboards, and create reports that guide strategic decisions.

• Executives and Managers

Leaders rely on Power BI dashboards to track KPIs, monitor performance, and stay updated with real-time insights.

• Data Professionals

Data engineers, scientists, and IT teams use Power BI to integrate, model, and analyze complex datasets.

• Sales and Marketing Teams

They use it to understand customer behavior, measure campaign performance, and forecast future trends.

• Finance Professionals

Power BI helps finance teams analyze budgets, expenses, and revenue streams with clear, interactive reports.

Reasons for Using Power BI Desktop

• Free to Use

Power BI Desktop is completely free, making it an excellent choice for individuals and businesses to start analyzing and visualizing data without upfront costs.

• Connects to Multiple Data Sources

It allows users to connect to a wide range of data sources such as Excel, SQL Server, cloud services, and APIs, making it versatile for different business needs.

• Advanced Data Transformation

With Power Query Editor, you can clean, transform, and shape raw data into meaningful datasets before creating reports.

• Interactive Visualizations

It offers a wide variety of customizable charts, graphs, and dashboards that help in better data storytelling and decision-making.

• Data Modeling Capabilities

Power BI Desktop enables users to create relationships between datasets, define calculated columns, and use DAX (Data Analysis Expressions) for advanced calculations.

How to Use Power BI for My Business?

Power BI is a powerful tool that helps businesses turn raw data into actionable insights. Whether you run a small company or a large enterprise, it can support smarter decision-making. Here’s how you can use it for your business:

• Connect Business Data

Import data from Excel, Google Analytics, CRM systems, databases, or cloud apps to bring everything into one place.

• Clean and Organize Data

Use Power Query to remove errors, standardize formats, and structure data for analysis. This ensures reports are accurate and reliable.

• Build Interactive Dashboards

Create charts, graphs, and KPIs that track business performance. Dashboards let you monitor sales, marketing, operations, and financial metrics in real time.

• Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Set up KPIs to measure business goals like revenue growth, customer acquisition, or employee productivity.

• Share Insights with Teams

Publish dashboards to the Power BI Service, making them accessible on web or mobile. This improves collaboration and keeps teams aligned.

How to use Microsoft Power BI for Data Analysis?

In this section, we learn how to use Power BI for data insights.

Stage 1: Logging in to Power BI

• Log in to Power BI.
• Enter your email. Click the “Submit” button.

• Enter your password and click “Sign in“.

• Choose whether to stay signed in.

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

• Click on the “Create” option on the left-side menu.
• Select “Paste or manually enter data“.

• The following cash flow data will be used for this example.

Total Cost	Company Type	Company Name	Expertise Categories	Expertise	Cost
Total Cost	Subcontractor	Skyline Contractors	Mechanical Installation	Plumbing & Heating	15456
Total Cost	Subcontractor	Skyline Contractors	Mechanical Installation	Mechanical Work	10159
Total Cost	Subcontractor	Onyx General Contractors	Mechanical Installation	Plumbing & Heating	18045
Total Cost	Subcontractor	Onyx General Contractors	Mechanical Installation	Mechanical Work	12695
Total Cost	Subcontractor	Living Well Remodeling	Mechanical Installation	Plumbing & Heating	14589
Total Cost	Subcontractor	Living Well Remodeling	Mechanical Installation	Welding	11456
Total Cost	Supplier	Power-up Builders	Raw Material	Cement	20561
Total Cost	Supplier	Power-up Builders	Raw Material	Steel	32456
Total Cost	Supplier	Five-star Construction	Raw Material	Bricks	10253
Total Cost	Supplier	Five-star Construction	Raw Material	Timber	9000

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

• Click on the “Data Hub” option on the left-side menu.
• Power BI populates the data set list. (If you have not created a data set, refer to the Error! Reference source not found section.)

• Choose the data set you want to use to create your Sankey diagram.
• Power BI populates the screen as shown below:

• The data set and its fields are shown on the right side. The middle area shows report and data set options.
• Click on the “Create a report” dropdown.
• Select “Start from scratch“.
• You should see the Report Canvas screen as shown below:

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

• To finish creating our Sankey Diagram, we’ll use an add-in or Power BI visual from AppSource.
• Navigate to the Power BI Visualizations panel.
• Click the ellipsis (…) highlighted above to import the Power BI Sankey Diagram extension by ChartExpo.

• The following menu opens:
• Select the “Get more visuals” option.

• • The following window opens.
  • Enter “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” in the highlighted search box.

• You should see “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” as shown in the image below.

• Click the highlighted “Add” button.

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

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

• Select the “Sankey Diagram for Power BI by ChartExpo” icon in the visualization panel.
• The following window opens in the report section of your dashboard:

• You can resize the visual as needed.
• Navigate to the right side of your Power BI dashboard. You should see “Fields” next to “Visualizations“.

• You’ll select the fields to use in your Sankey chart here.
• The ChartExpo visual needs to be selected, though.
• Select the field in the following sequence:
  • Total Cost
  • Company Type
  • Company Name
  • Expertise Categories
  • Expertise
  • Cost

• You’ll be asked for a ChartExpo license key or email address.

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

• Select the ChartExpo visual. You should see three icons below “Build Visual” in the Visualizations panel.

• Select the middle icon, “Format visual“.
• The visual properties will be populated as shown below.

• If you are a new user:
  • Enter your email address in the “Email” textbox in the “Trial Mode” section.
  • This should be the email address that you used to subscribe to the ChartExpo add-in. It is where your ChartExpo license key will be sent.
  • Ensure that your email address is valid.
  • Click “Enable Trial.” You’ll get a 7-day trial.

• You should receive a welcome email from ChartExpo.
• The Sankey Diagram you create under the 7-day trial contains the ChartExpo watermark (see below).

• If you have obtained a license key:
  • Enter your license key in the “ChartExpo License Key” textbox in the “License Settings” section (see below).
  • Slide the toggle switch next to “Enable License” to “On“.

• Your Sankey diagram should now be ready (see below). Note that it does not have a watermark.

• Let’s add the prefix (e.g., the $ sign) to the numeric values in the chart.
• Expand the “Stats” properties.
• Add the prefix value (e.g., the $ sign).

• To add colors, expand the “Level Colors” properties and select a color.
• Do this to change the color of each node.

• Automatically, all changes will be saved.

Insights

• At level 1, the total cost of the procurement is $155K.
• At level 2, $72.3K (46.7%) was spent on suppliers. $82.4K was spent on subcontractors, which is 53.3%.
• At Level 3, Power-up Builders and Five-Star Construction charged $53.0k and $19.3k, respectively. While $82.4k in subcontractors’ costs was spent on 3 companies:
  • Skyline Contractors,
  • Onyx General Contractors,
  • and Living Well Remodeling.
• They charged $25.62k, $30.7k, and $26.0k, respectively, for their services.
• At Level 4, suppliers provided raw materials for procurement, which cost $72.3k. Companies that provided mechanical installations billed $82.4k.
• $72.3k was spent on purchasing raw materials. It was split between cement ($20.6k), steel ($32.46k), bricks ($10.3k), and timber ($9k), respectively. $82.4k was spent on mechanical installation costs. It was split between plumbing, heating, mechanical work, and welding. Their costs were $48.1k, $22.9k, and $11.5k, respectively.

Real-Life Examples of How to Use Power BI

• Sales Performance Tracking

Businesses use Power BI dashboards to monitor sales revenue, conversion rates, and customer acquisition trends, helping identify top-performing products or regions.

• Financial Reporting

Finance teams create interactive reports to track expenses, profit margins, and cash flow, replacing manual spreadsheets with automated, accurate insights.

• Marketing Campaign Analysis

Marketers analyze campaign performance by connecting Power BI to Google Analytics or social media data, measuring ROI, and optimizing ad spend.

• Supply Chain & Inventory Management

Operations teams use Power BI to track inventory levels, supplier performance, and logistics efficiency, ensuring cost savings and timely deliveries.

• Job Application Tracking

Power BI helps HR teams and recruiters track job applications across different stages of the hiring process. It provides visual dashboards to monitor applicant sources, interview progress, and time-to-hire, making recruitment more efficient and data-driven.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Power BI

Power BI is one of the most popular business intelligence tools, but like any software, it comes with both strengths and limitations.

Advantages of Power BI

1. User-Friendly Interface: Drag-and-drop features make it easy to build dashboards and reports without advanced technical skills.
2. Integration Capabilities: Connects seamlessly with Excel, Azure, SQL, Google Analytics, and hundreds of other data sources.
3. Powerful Data Visualization: Offers a wide range of charts, graphs, and custom visuals to present insights clearly.
4. Real-Time Insights: Dashboards update automatically, allowing businesses to make quick, data-driven decisions.
5. Affordable and Scalable: The free version is feature-rich, and premium plans scale well for larger organizations.

Disadvantages of Power BI

1. Learning Curve for Advanced Features: While basic use is simple, mastering DAX formulas and complex modeling takes time.
2. Performance Issues with Large Data: Handling massive datasets can slow performance unless optimized.
3. Limited Customization in Free Version: Some advanced AI features and sharing options require paid plans.
4. Dependence on Internet: For collaboration and publishing reports, an internet connection is necessary.
5. Complex Data Preparation: Cleaning and transforming data in Power Query can be challenging for beginners.

How to Use Power BI – FAQs

Is Power BI easy for beginners?

Yes, Power BI is beginner-friendly. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create basic reports and dashboards without coding.

Beginners can quickly connect Excel sheets or simple datasets, apply filters, and build visuals. However, advanced features like DAX formulas, data modeling, and custom visuals may require some learning.

What is Power BI and how do I use it?

Power BI is Microsoft’s business intelligence tool used to turn raw data into interactive dashboards and reports. You can use it by:

1. Getting Data: Import data from Excel, databases, or cloud services.
2. Transforming Data: Clean and shape it with Power Query.
3. Modeling Data: Build relationships, calculations, and measures.
4. Visualizing Data: Create charts, graphs, and dashboards with drag-and-drop tools.
5. Sharing Insights: Publish your reports to the Power BI Service for collaboration and access on web or mobile.

What is an example use case for Power BI?

Power BI is a powerful business analytics tool. It can be used for a variety of purposes in different industries. Some of the common use cases to understand how to use Power BI:

• Creating interactive Power BI reports and dashboards
• Tracking various metrics and KPIs
• Data analysis
• Creating data visualizations like bar charts, line charts, scatter plots, pie charts, tables, and maps

Wrap Up

Power BI is one of the most powerful business intelligence tools for analyzing and visualizing data.

Our main focus throughout this article has been learning how to use Power BI. To do this, we went through the process of using it to create a data analysis chart.

We used the ChartExpo add-in from AppSource to help us create our chart.

We also looked at what Power BI is and briefly discussed its core features. The most important features include data visualizations, customizable templates and dashboards, and data integration.

Finally, we answered some FAQs. We hope you are ready to explore and learn how to use Power BI.