Power BI is a powerful reporting solution that allows you to create interactive visualizations and reports based on your data. When working with Power BI, it’s important to understand the concepts of datasets and workbooks, as they play a crucial role in the development and sharing of your reports.
Power BI Datasets
A Power BI dataset is the model created in Power BI Desktop that holds all of your data. There are three main ways to retrieve data for your visualizations:
- Live: This method allows you to connect to a server that holds the data. No data is transferred to Power BI Desktop, but the metadata of the model is imported. Live connections are typically used with SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS) models.
- DirectQuery: Similar to a live connection, but with the ability to make more changes to the model. The data stays on the server, and queries are executed on the server. Relationships can be created in the Power BI Desktop model.
- Import: In this method, the data is imported into the Power BI Desktop file using Power Query queries. The data is highly compressed, allowing you to load millions of records into a file on your machine. This mode is the most flexible, as you can combine data from various sources.
Depending on your requirements and the type of data you are working with, you can choose the appropriate method for retrieving your data.
Creating a Power BI Dataset
To create a Power BI dataset, you can start by clicking on “Get Data” when you open Power BI Desktop. You can also select a data source from the dropdown menu. Once you have imported your data, you can view and manage it in the Model view, Data view, and Report view.
Publishing a Power BI Dataset
Once you are satisfied with your report, you can publish the Power BI Desktop file to the Power BI service. This allows you to share your reports with others. When you publish a file, it is split into two pieces: a report based on what you created in the report view, and a dataset that contains the data and model view.
After publishing, you can view your artifacts in the Power BI service. You can also reuse the dataset as a data source for a new Power BI Desktop file, allowing you to create reports based on the centralized model.
Scheduling a Power BI Dataset Refresh
To ensure that your dataset contains the latest data, you can schedule a refresh. This automatically updates the data in your dataset. Depending on the source of your data, you may need to configure a gateway to establish a connection between the data source and the Power BI service.
Conclusion
In this article, we have provided an overview of Power BI datasets and workbooks. Datasets are the models that hold your data, and workbooks are the reports created based on those datasets. Understanding the differences between live, DirectQuery, and import methods for retrieving data is essential for building effective reports. Publishing your datasets to the Power BI service allows for easy sharing and collaboration, while scheduling refreshes ensures that your data is always up to date.