How to Build Power BI Dashboard from Excel
Building a Power BI dashboard from Excel is a straightforward process that involves a few simple steps. Here’s a detailed explanation with examples:
- Prepare your Excel data:
- Launch Power BI:
- Create a new dashboard:
- Connect to your Excel data:
- Design your dashboard:
- Customize your visualizations:
- Apply filters and interactions:
- Save and share your dashboard:
Before you begin, make sure your Excel data is organized and structured in a way that is suitable for creating visualizations in Power BI. Each column should represent a specific data attribute, and each row should contain related data.
Open Power BI Desktop or log in to the Power BI service online.
In the Power BI application, create a new dashboard by selecting the “Create” button and choosing “Dashboard” from the drop-down menu.
In Power BI Desktop, click on “Get Data” from the Home tab and select “Excel” from the available data sources. Choose the Excel file you want to connect to and click “Load” to import the data.
Once your data is loaded, you can start designing your dashboard. Drag and drop visualizations from the Visualization pane on the right-hand side of the screen. You can choose from various chart types, tables, maps, and other visual elements to display your data.
With your visualizations in place, customize them to suit your preferences. You can add titles, change colors, adjust axes, and apply various formatting options to make your dashboard visually appealing and meaningful.
Use the “Filters” pane to apply filters to your data, allowing users to interact with your dashboard dynamically. You can set up interactions between different visuals to create a connected and interactive experience.
Once you’re satisfied with your dashboard, save your work and share it with others. In Power BI Desktop, choose “File” and select “Save” to save your dashboard locally. In the Power BI service, click on the “Publish” button to share it with colleagues or embed it in other applications.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say you have an Excel file with sales data for different regions and products. After connecting the Excel file to Power BI, you can create a bar chart showing the total sales for each product category. Additionally, you can add a map visualization to display the sales distribution across different regions. By applying filters, users can explore specific regions or product categories, enabling them to gain insights from the data.