How to Connect and Import Data from Common Sources in Power BI

Power BI is a powerful business intelligence tool that allows users to visualize and analyse data from
various sources. Whether you are working with Excel spreadsheets, databases, or cloud-based
services, Power BI makes it easy to connect and import your data for analysis. In this blog post, we
will explore the step-by-step process of connecting and importing data from some common sources
in Power BI.

Excel Spreadsheets:

Excel spreadsheets are a common source of data for many organisations. Here is how you can
connect and import data from an Excel spreadsheet into Power BI:

 Open Power BI Desktop.

 Click on the "Get Data" button in the Home tab.
 Select "Excel" from the list of data sources.
 Browse to the location of your Excel spreadsheet and select it.
 Choose the specific data you want to import from the spreadsheet (e.g., a particular
worksheet or range).
 Click "Load" to import the data into Power BI.

SQL Server Database:

SQL Server databases are widely used for storing and managing structured data. To connect and
import data from a SQL Server database in Power BI, follow these steps:

 Click on the "Get Data" button in the Home tab.

 Select "SQL Server Database" from the list of data sources.
 Enter the server’s name and database name.
 Choose a data connectivity mode (e.g., Import or Direct Query).
 Optionally, write a SQL query to fetch specific data.
 Click "Load" to import the data into Power BI.
Import: This mode imports data from the SQL Server database into Power BI, storing it locally within your
Power BI file.

Direct Query: This mode connects Power BI directly to the SQL Server database, allowing for real-time analysis
of data without importing it. Note that this mode has specific limitations and requirements.

CSV Files:

Comma-separated values (CSV) files are a simple and portable format for storing tabular data. Here's
how you can import data from a CSV file into Power BI:

 Click on the "Get Data" button in the Home tab.

 Select "Text/CSV" from the list of data sources.
 Browse to the location of your CSV file and select it.
 Specify any delimiter settings if needed.
 Click "Load" to import the data into Power BI.

Web Data:

Power BI also lets you connect and import data directly from web sources such as HTML tables or
JSON files. Here is how you can do it:
  Click on the "Get Data" button in the Home tab.
 Select "Web" from the list of data sources.
 Enter the URL of the web page containing the data.
 Choose the data you want to import (e.g., HTML table or JSON).
 Click "Load" to import the data into Power BI.
For practice: Kaggle (https://www.kaggle.com/)

Conclusion:

Power BI provides various options for connecting and importing data from various sources, including
Excel spreadsheets, databases, CSV files, and web sources. By following the simple steps outlined in
this blog post, you can quickly bring your data into Power BI for analysis and visualization,
empowering you to make data-driven decisions with confidence.