Cloud based Data Visualization –

Non-Programming Approach

Creating
Visualizations using
Microsoft Power BI
Hands on Activity

Dr. Omer Ayoub

House of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences,
King Abdul Aziz University,
Saudi Arabia
Used with permission from Microsoft. The Microsoft logo and Power BI logo and other Microsoft products
Email: [email protected] and services
used in this presentation are content of Microsoft. All respective rights and permissions for the product
belongs to
Microsoft. This presentation is to be used for training purposes only and not for commercial 1 distribution or
use permission
from Microsoft.
Contents
• Introduction to Microsoft Power BI
• Architecture – How it works?
• Understanding features of the Power BI Desktop Application -1
• Understanding features of the Power BI Desktop Application -2
• Importing data set into Power BI
• Editing and cleaning data in Power BI – Changing values / data types
• Writing queries
• Creating different types of charts
• Bringing it all together
• Deploying cloud workspace on Power BI online
• Asking questions about the data from reporting engine.
• conclusion

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Power BI Architecture

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The Data Perspectives
PAST: What Happened?
• Reactive reporting
• Common among most companies
PRESENT: What is Happening?
• KPI’s and CPM Concepts
• Streaming analytics
FUTURE: What will Happen?
• Predict based on trends and external data
• Understand impact and what-if analysis

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Power BI Online - Introduction

• Cloud based service (Part of Office 365)

• Access your data, wherever it may exist
• Ask questions, integrate with cortana
analytics and more
• Create curated content based on your
organizational needs
• Share insights across web, mobile and
embedded within your own applications

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Power BI Desktop - Introduction

• Free download that starts your Power BI

experience.
• Not an end user tool, but a power user
and designer tool.
• Can be used to mash, model and design
engaging experiences.
• Transform and clean data
• Design once and view anywhere

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Power BI Desktop – Hands On

• Before we start with the hands on exercise; download the data set that we will be using
for creating visualizations in Power BI from the given link:
• http://icts.ictp.it/Members/oayub/Lab%205%20-%20Canada.xlsx/view

• Alternatively; you may use the other data set that can be accessed through the following
link:
• http://icts.ictp.it/Members/oayub/Financial%20Sample.xlsx/view

• Or; you may use a data set of your choice.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 1
Step-1:

We need to
load some data
from any file or
online data
source.

To load data
into the Power
BI Application;
click Get Data

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Understanding Power BI Features - 2
Step-2:

You will come

across a dialog
box with variety
of options with
different file
types to load.
Select the file
type of your
choice and
proceed with
“Connect”

In this case; we
choose excel
file

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Understanding Power BI Features - 3
Step-3:

You will come

across a dialog
box with variety
of options with
different file
types to load.
Select the file
type of your
choice and
proceed with
“Connect”

In this case; we
choose excel
file

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Understanding Power BI Features - 4
Step-4:

Choose the sheet

you want to
import from the
file you selected.
In this case; we
have selected
“CA Sales”

Once file is
selected; it will
provide you the
data preview in
the dialog
window and also
it will allow you to
edit the data or
load it as the way
it is.
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Understanding Power BI Features - 5
Step-5:

Select the file by

ticking the box at
the left of each
sheet in the file
you selected. It
will preview the
data and its
current format in
the right pane.
Should you need
to modify, edit
data, change data
types, add
custom values or
any operations on
data; click Edit

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Understanding Power BI Features - 6
Step-6:

Choose the sheet

you want to
import from the
file you selected.
In this case; we
have selected
“CA Sales”

Once file is
selected; it will
provide you the
data preview in
the dialog
window and also
it will allow you to
edit the data or
load it as the way
it is.
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Understanding Power BI Features - 7
Step-7:

With the “Edit”

mode; the editor
allows you to
change different
properties of the
data; change
record values;
add new values;
execute queries
and many other
options as can be
seen above at the
pane. You may
scroll through the
other options as
“transform”, “Add
Column” and
“View”
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Understanding Power BI Features - 8
Step-8:

Once you close

and save the
changes; your
data columns will
be visible at the
rightest pane of
the window.
You can view the
relationships
between multiple
data sets; view
the data itself and
scroll back to
visualization
window using the
left side menu
pane.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 9
Step-9:

Drag one of the

fields from the
”Fields” section
to the canvas and
it will display the
data it contains.
Repeat the same
procedure for
another column
and drag it to the
existing column.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 10
Step- 10:

Drag one of the

fields from the
”Fields” section
to the canvas and
it will display the
data it contains.
Repeat the same
procedure for
another column
and drag it to the
existing column.

You can change

the data text size
and color by
using the menu
below
visualizations
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Understanding Power BI Features - 11
Step- 11:

Similarly,
following the
same procedure;
drag more fields
from the “Fields”
area onto the
existing field area.
If you drop them
somewhere else
on the canvas,
they would plot
individually as a
unit parameter
and will not
contribute to the
group plotting.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 12
Step- 12:

With the data

selected on the
canvas; you may
click on the first
visualization option
and it will transform
the table into a
simple bar chart.

You may choose to

plot it differently
either as stacked
bar chart, line chart,
pie chart or any
other type; is solely
your own choice to
try.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 13
Step- 13:

Since you selected

to plot revenue by
different provinces,
in different years
and by different
categories; the
single plot allows
you to scroll
through the other
visuals in the same
plot. Click on the
double down arrow
to scroll between
different views for
the parameters
mentioned.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 14
Step- 14:

You can even

view the data
associated to the
plot by clicking
on the right most
option that
appears if you
hover on the
visualization;
Select “See Data”
and it will open a
new tab below
the visualization
that will contain
the data figures
plotted above in
the graph.
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Understanding Power BI Features - 15
Step- 15:

Changing the axis

style, line color,
points on the
canvas, font-size,
font-style and
height of the graph
or visualization can
be accustomed
according to users’
choice. Simply
click on the
“Format” icon
below the
visualization types
and you will get
access to all
features

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Understanding Power BI Features - 16
Step- 16:

Alternative method
to plot something
is by selecting on
the type of visual
you want to plot; It
will plot a vague or
dim visual
representing the
prototype of actual
visual. Now you
may choose the
field from the
“Fields” section
and drop on the
visual to generate
an actual visual
based on the data.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 17
Step- 17:

Experiment yourself by
creating new
visualizations, adding
new categories of data
and varying between
different types for
same data set. If you
fall short of space on
the first page, you an
always create
additional pages by
clicking on the +
button and rename
them by your choice

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Understanding Power BI Features - 18
Step- 18:

Now that we have

done some of the
visualizations and
we would like to
export them or
use them in our
reports; click on
“Publish”.

It will ask you to

save your project
as “.pbix”
extension. Name
your project and
save it on your
local disk.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 19
Step- 19:

Upon saving your

file, a new dialog
box will appear
asking you to
enter your sign in
information to
Microsoft Power
BI Pro version
(cloud version) of
the same
product.

To sign in; please

enter the
information in the
next slide:

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Understanding Power BI Features - 20

Power BI Pro Accounts (Cloud Access) for ICTP Codata Workshop

Username Password
[email protected] Codata2018
[email protected] Codata2018
[email protected] Codata2018

[email protected] Codata2018
…. ….
[email protected] Codata2018

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Understanding Power BI Features - 21
Step- 21:

Using the
information
provided in the
above slide; login
through this
window to access
live cloud based
version of your
visualization

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Understanding Power BI Features - 22
Step- 22:

You will be asked

to select the
workspace where
you want to save
and publish your
visualizations.
Select the default
“My Workspace”
and proceed
further.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 23
Step- 23:

Once your project

is successfully
published, you
will get a success
message
informing you that
you can get quick
insights about
your data and
learn more about
reporting tools
using the Power
BI mobile and Pro
version.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 24
Step- 24:

• After you have successfully published your project; go to:

http://powerbi.microsoft.com
• Login with your Power BI Pro account details
• You will get to see the same project uploaded under the Tab “My Workspace”

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Understanding Power BI Features - 25
Step- 24:

Click on “My
Workspace”. It will load
a list of all the
Dashboards, Reports,
Workbooks and
Datasets that have been
created so far by the
logged in user. Since we
exported or published
our Report; select
“Reports” and you will
find your project there. I
saved it as “class.pbix”

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Understanding Power BI Features - 26
Step- 24:

Select the Report and

click on File. Now you
can export your
report as an
“interactive report” to
be used in
powerpoint or for
embedding as html
iframe in your website
for live interaction.

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Understanding Power BI Features - 27
To preview a web based report version that can be embedded as iframe object; Click here

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