This document is a quick guide for beginners using Power BI, emphasizing the need for proper licensing and data sources. It provides steps for creating visualizations, filters, and interactions, along with suggestions for custom visuals. Additionally, it highlights options for publishing and developing in Power BI, including using SPFx web parts and embedding reports.

2. A quick guide to getting started
with Power BI….
…from someone else who isn’t an
expert either 

3. You want easy visualisations (charts, maps
etc.)
You want easy sorting/filtering
You have drilldown or parent/child scenarios
You want to support mobile
Your client has E5 or Power BI Pro licenses
Your data is in SQL, SP lists, or a file (e.g.
Excel, XML etc.)
Easier than with D3
for example..

4. Make sure you get the right bits
Power BI *Desktop*
https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/desktop
Consider licensing, even for your “dev environment”
E5
Power BI Pro

6. Easy options
Bit more involved

7. 1. Generally “brought into model”
2. Direct Query

8. Tables and columns now
detected
Can use “Edit Queries” button to
bring in extra columns/change
detected relationships etc.

9. 1. Use “New Visual” button to
add a shape
2. Select the type
3. Bind it to data

10. “Jobs by zone”
-
-

11. Drag fields to the “Filters” section of the
control to make it act as a filter

12. Use the Edit Interactions button to control which
other visualizations should react
“Filter” or “do nothing” buttons
will appear on other filterable
visualizations:

13. Use filter visualizations with Table visualization
Select item in chart –> filters items in table

14. The Slicer is a special kind of visualization – it acts
as a filter depending on data type:

15. Cannot select item in (the standard) table
Slicers can be inflexible
CUSTOM VISUALS TO THE RESCUE!

16. Investigate to see if they meet your requirements
Original Microsoft control Custom controls
Table Grid (by MAQ Software)
Slicer Chiclet slicer
Attribute slicer
Timeline slicer
Obtain from https://store.office.com/

18. Typically will publish to an Office 365 Group
..or use “My Workspace” when in dev/testing..

19. SPFX web part

20. Publish to web

21. Pull tiles/dashboards/reports into custom app
JS “embed report” option (but now also have SPFx web
part)
Develop custom visuals
https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/developers/