blog post

Everything You Should Know About Microsoft Power BI

Florian Cabirol
April 30, 2024
Everything You Should Know About Microsoft Power BI

Quick steps to create a report with Google Sheets:

You can easiliy create a report following this step :

  1. Get informations from the data integration from our connector.
  2. Create a source on catchr.io.
  3. Download our Google Sheets extensions.
  4. Configure and run your request
If you need more informations, you can follow the tutorial.

How to install Google Sheets Catchr Add-on.

To start exporting your data to Google Sheets, you need to install the Catchr add-on. You currently have two options :

Option A: Via the marketplace:

  1. Visit the Catchr Add-on page on the Google Workspace Marketplace and click "Install."
  2. Grant the necessary permissions for the add-on.
  3. Upon successful installation, open a Google Sheets to proceed.
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Install Catchr Google Sheets Add-on

Option B: Directly within a Google Sheets:

  1. Open a new Google Sheets.
  2. In the top menu, click "Extensions", then hover over "Add-ons" and select "Get add-ons."
  3. Search for "Catchr" and choose "Catchr - data connector."
  4. Click "Install" and grant the required permissions.
  5. Close the installation pop-up when completed.
  6. Start using the Catchr add-on.
Install Catchr Add-on for Google Sheets
Install Catchr Add-on for Google Sheets

Once you have installed the add-on, you can start making requests.

The tutorial

Quick steps to create a report with Looker Studio:

You can easiliy create a report following this step :

  1. Get informations from the data integration from our connector.
  2. Create a datasource and new report on Looker Studio.
  3. Choose your metrics and dimensions.
  4. Use charts with your metrics and dimensions.
If you need more informations, you can follow the tutorial. You can also find a template for at the end of the page.

The tutorial

Quick steps to create a report with PowerBI:

You can easiliy create a report following this step :

  1. Get informations from the data integration from our connector.
  2. Create a source on catchr.io.
  3. Configure your request on the PowerBI request manager.
  4. Copy the given URL in PowerBI
If you need more informations, you can follow the tutorial. You can also find a template for at the end of the page.

The tutorial

Not everyone is tech-savvy enough to understand complex statistics and data about their business. With so many KPIs thrown around, it can get really tricky for anyone to get their head around them. That's what Microsoft Power BI promises to resolve. With over 5 million subscribers, it provides laypeople with comprehensive yet simple tools to analyze, visualize, and share their data. If you're wondering what Power BI stands for, it means Business Intelligence.

In this article, we'll discuss everything you should know, including the purpose of Power BI, its features, common uses for digital marketing, and more. Read on. 

What Does Power BI Do? 

Before we go any further, it's important to understand what Power BI is and what it intends to achieve.

AI has been creeping into the business landscape faster than ever, with 64% of businesses believing it will boost productivity. Being one of the largest corporations on the planet, Microsoft has also been at the forefront of this transformation with the launch of Power BI.

Businesses have to decide what to focus on when they receive large swathes of data. Seeing the big picture can become nearly impossible in such a scenario, and that's where Power BI comes to the rescue. 

It shows you all the important elements in one place, allowing you to see all the relevant data. All team members get access to important data that helps them make critical decisions for the company.

Who is Power BI For? 

Usually, data analysts and data scientists use AI-based business products, but Power BI is built differently. Due to its user-friendly nature, many people working in a business can use it. How you use it depends upon your role in a particular company since it can generate various dashboards using the relevant data.

Power BI is mainly used by data analysts who generate insightful digital marketing reports and models to share them with the team. However, not all businesses have the financial space to hire a data scientist or analyst. Therefore, they use Power BI as a self-service tool to monitor their digital marketing progress and improve the team's performance.

Different Versions of Power BI 

Power BI serves all kinds of users by offering different versions. Some are for businesses with tight budgets, while others are for those who can spend more. Some have limited features, while others have a fully stacked feature line. 

1. Power BI Desktop 

Power BI Desktop is a free desktop application that blends seamlessly with Power BI service to offer advanced data visualizations, data exploration, and report creation. Once you're done, you can save your digital marketing reports and share them with others on the Power BI site.

2. Power BI Service 

Also known as Power BI Online, the Power BI Service is the full version that connects to your data and lets you create visualizations from reports. It is available in two formats:

1. Power BI Pro 

Power BI Pro is similar to Power BI Desktop in many aspects, such as file upload size, storage limits, visualizations, and more. The critical difference between the two is that the Pro version allows you to share your reports privately if the recipient also has a Pro license. 

2. Power BI Premium

Power BI Premium offers a different way of using Power BI in which you pay for the processing capacity and the amount of space you want instead of paying for individual licenses. With six capacity models of varying space limits, users can select one that meets their needs. 

This program is intended for businesses that generate vast amounts of data to get a dedicated capacity to process their Power BI load. It's important to remember here that Premium isn't a license; it's just a payment for processing capabilities.

You must buy the Premium license separately to create reports, share dashboards, and collaborate with other users. 

How Does Power BI Work? Its Basic Components

Let's discuss some basic components and reporting tools that help Power BI work seamlessly.

1. Power Query 

It is an engine that works on different data sources and helps you combine and refine them. You can add it to Excel or use it on Power BI Desktop. With more than 300 AI-powered queries, you can shape your data in whatever way you want with Power Query. 

2. Power Pivot 

Power Pivot handles the data modeling tasks by creating various data models and helping you make calculations. Its main driver is the Data Analysis Expression (DAX) for modeling simple and complex data.

Although it works perfectly with Excel, it is much more capable, thanks to its features, such as:

  • Renaming columns and tables. 
  • Organizing tables with individual tabbed pages.
  • Better data control through defining hierarchies.
  • Generating KPIs that can be used in PivotTables reports. 

3. Power View 

Power View is the technology that powers Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and SQL Server. Power View visualizes your data creatively by creating interactive elements like maps, charts, and graphs. It has powerful filtration mechanisms that filter out crucial data for e-commerce visualizations. 

4. Power Map 

Power Map lets you plot over a million data rows on Bing maps by taking data directly from Excel tables or its Data Model. Thanks to its collaboration with Bing maps, Power Map creates maps based on various elements, such as country, city, state, latitude, and longitude.

Reasons to Use Power BI 

1. Ease of Use 

Despite juggling various complex datasets, Power BI presents a final version that is simple enough for everyone to understand. All the insights are effectively visualized so you can gain the most from them. Moreover, the user interface is simple and generates reports using multiple data sources. Hence, it brings access to digital marketing strategy for everyone instead of relying on a few experts.

2. Productivity Boost

BI goes through four stages that combine the company's data and create a decision support tool. Here are the four steps involved in this process:

  • Effective information gathering.
  • Integrating different but relevant datasets.
  • Quality reporting that provides all relevant people a way to access data. 
  • Schematizing the data to make it easier for everyone to understand and share. 

The best thing about BI is that these four stages are well-integrated. There's no need to trigger each stage once you're inside the app and everything functions smoothly. By assimilating data into an understandable and reliable manner, the decision-making process is much more efficient and accessible. As a result, the company's productivity sees a significant surge. 

3. Quick Templates 

Power BI saves you precious time by creating various reporting templates within no time. Moreover, everyone in different departments and teams can use these reports to help:

  • Streamline processes
  • Reduce reporting time
  • Make operations more efficient

4. Excellent Security 

Data is undoubtedly the key to success in the modern business world. However, it's equally important to protect that data from malicious actors ready to pound on any weakness in your data security. Today, 60% of small businesses go bust after experiencing a cyber assault. Power BI has various security features that set it apart from other programs, such as:

  • Double encryption that lets users share data effortlessly.
  • Oversight capabilities help you identify suspicious behaviors. 
  • A strong permission mechanism to prevent network intrusion. 
  • Sensitivity labels protect data when you export it. 
  • Minimal data exposure to the public internet 
  • Row Level Security (RLS) only allows people to see relevant data points. For instance, a sales manager will only see data related to sales. 
  • Object Level Security (OLS) can show items if the user is allowed and hide them if they aren't.

5. Frequent Updates 

Microsoft is committed to providing regular updates for the platform, which it does every month. These updates keep Power BI ahead of the Bruges, with all its features running smoothly. Moreover, Microsoft listens to the feedback and improves its platform by adding new in-demand features and removing bugs/errors from previous versions.

6. Affordability 

Existing Microsoft Enterprise Agreement customers can use Power BI for zero additional costs. However, those who are new can get it in three different plans:

  • Pro
  • Premium Per User
  • Premium Per Capacity 

7. Integration with Several Apps 

Power BI integrates perfectly with other apps, such as Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Dynamics, Power Automate, Power Apps, and more. With this level of integration, BI can process data from various data sources, including Google Analytics. Here's how BI integrates with multiple apps: 

  • Power BI lets you move files with Excel to generate charts from its visual dashboards. That way, users can try new Excel methods and gain valuable insights.
  • Power BI helps you analyze large amounts of data when used in conjunction with Azure. Azure is well-known among scientific professionals for enabling large-scale data collaborations. 
  • Microsoft Cloud App Security combines with Power BI to prevent theft during data exchange. 
  • The natural integration of Power BI with Office 365 allows for better coordination among team members since most are already familiar with the latter. 

8. Seamless Accessibility 

No matter where you are, you can easily access Power BI through its app. It makes it an excellent option for businesses operating in multiple locations. You can access the data as an engineer while working on a road. 

You can pull up your favorite slides during a meeting if you're a manager. If you're an analyst, you can analyze any PPC data you like. Moreover, it allows multiple teams to work on a file simultaneously without disrupting the platform. 

Conclusion: Power BI

Microsoft's Power BI is great when it comes to getting valuable data about your business. However, it can get tricky for businesses who are not tech-savvy, and that's where Catchr comes in. We offer an exceptional Power BI connection service that connects various data sources to Power BI. With more than 20 connectors and over 10,000 metrics, you won't miss any crucial data points anymore.

From social media platforms to CRM, we ensure seamless data integration so you can benefit from all data types. You don't have to perform any complex steps for data integration; Catcher does that and saves you valuable time and resources that you can invest elsewhere. 

So, contact us today and let us integrate important data for a robust digital marketing strategy through Power BI.

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In this template, you will find all the metrics and dimensions you would need to get a better view of your data.

If you need more templates, you could look at our looker studio template gallery.

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In this template, you will find all the metrics and dimensions you would need to get a better view of your data thank to our integrations.

If you need more templates, you could look at our PowerBI template gallery.

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