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Mercy-Shalom Adedayo
Mercy-Shalom Adedayo

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How to Get Data Into Power BI as a Newbie

Introduction

In today's world, companies have data everywhere. Excel sheets, company databases, cloud apps, and websites. As a beginner data analyst, your first big skill is grabbing all that data and putting it in one place. Power BI makes this super easy with its simple tools.

Power BI is like a magic dashboard maker. It connects to tons of data spots, cleans up the messy info, and turns it into cool charts and reports. Whether it's a basic spreadsheet or fancy online storage, Power BI pulls everything together so you can see the full story.

The hero behind this is Power Query. Think of it as your data cleaner and organiser. It does ETL: Extract (grab the data), Transform (fix and reshape it), and Load (put it into Power BI for analysis). No coding needed, just clicks!

Power BI connects to all these common sources:
• Files like Excel (.xlsx) or CSV.
• Databases like SQL Server (your company's main data storage).
• Cloud stuff like Google Sheets or SharePoint.
• Websites and APIs (live data from the web).

It has ready-made "connectors" for over 100 sources. You pick one, sign in if needed, and choose Import (copies data in) or Direct Query (keeps it live and fresh).

Microsoft teaches this in their free training: Always check your sources first, pick the right way to connect, and make loading fast. Data isn't neat in one file, it's scattered, so mixing it right is key to good reports.
This blog walks you through it step-by-step:
• How to click "Get Data" and pick sources.
• Real examples with Excel, SQL, and web data.
• Tips to link everything without headaches.

By the end, you'll confidently pull data from anywhere in Power BI. No more data chaos, just clear insights!

Connecting Data from Multiple Sources

Power BI allows you to connect to a wide range of data sources. Below are step-by-step guides for each major source.

Step 1: Connecting to Excel

  1. Open Power BI Desktop
    Image 1

  2. Navigate to Home → Get Data → Excel
    Image 2

  3. Browse and select your Excel file
    Image 3

  4. In the Navigator window, select the required sheets or tables
    Image 4

  5. Click Load (to import directly) or Transform Data (to clean first)
    Image 5

Step 2: Connecting to Text/CSV Files

  1. Open Power BI Desktop
  2. Navigate to Home → Get Data → Text/CSV
    Image 6

  3. Browse and select the CSV file (e.g., 202601-divvy-tripdata.csv)
    Image 7

  4. Preview the dataset in the dialog window
    Image 8

  5. Click Load or Transform Data
    Image 9

Step 3: Connecting to PDF

  1. Open Power BI Desktop
  2. Navigate to Home → Get Data → PDF
    Image 10

  3. Select the PDF file
    Image 11

  4. Wait for Power BI to detect available tables

  5. Select the desired table(s)
    Image 12

  6. Click Load or Transform Data
    Image 13

Step 4: Connecting to JSON

  1. Open Power BI Desktop
  2. Navigate to Home → Get Data → JSON
    Image 14

  3. Select the JSON file or input API endpoint
    Image 15

  4. Load the data into Power Query
    Image 16

  5. Expand nested fields to structure the data properly

  6. Click Close & Apply
    Image 17

Step 5: Connecting to SharePoint Folder

  1. Open Power BI Desktop
  2. Navigate to Home → Get Data → SharePoint Folder
    Image 18

  3. Enter the SharePoint site URL
    Image 19

  4. Click OK and authenticate if required

  5. Select files from the folder
    Image 20

  6. Click Combine & Transform Data

Step 6: Connecting to MySQL Database

  1. Open Power BI Desktop
  2. Navigate to Home → Get Data → MySQL Database
    Image 21

  3. Enter the server name and database
    Image 22

  4. Provide authentication credentials
    Image 23

  5. Select the required tables
    Image 24

  6. Click Load or Transform Data

Step 7: Connecting to SQL Server

  1. Open Power BI Desktop
  2. Navigate to Home → Get Data → SQL Server
    Image 25

  3. Enter the server name
    Image 26

  4. Leave the database field blank (or specify one if needed)

  5. Click OK

  6. Select authentication method

    Image 27

  7. In the Navigator pane, expand the database
    Image 28

  8. Select required tables

  9. Click Transform Data to open Power Query Editor

Step 8: Connecting to Azure Analysis Services

  1. Open Power BI Desktop
  2. Navigate to Home → Get Data → Azure → Azure Analysis Services
    Image 29

  3. Enter the server name
    Image 30

  4. Select the database/model

  5. Choose connection mode (Live connection recommended)

  6. Click Connect

Conclusion

Connecting to multiple data sources in Power BI is a key step in building reliable and meaningful reports. Data often comes from different places, such as files, databases, and cloud services, and Power BI makes it easy to bring everything together in one environment.
With tools like Power Query, you can not only connect to data but also clean and transform it into a structured format ready for analysis. This preparation stage is essential, as well-organised data leads to more accurate insights and better decision-making.
For beginners, learning to connect to and prepare data properly lays a strong foundation for creating effective dashboards. Ultimately, successful data analysis in Power BI starts with how well you gather, clean, and combine your data from different sources.

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