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First Power BI Step: Get a Free Account for Power BI

April 05, 2023 - by

First Power BI Step: Get a Free Account for Power BI

Problem: How do I get started with Power BI?

Strategy: The first step is to get a free account for Power BI. Go to PowerBI.Microsoft.Com. You will need a work address. What is the definition of a work address? It is something that is not a free e-mail account from Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, or others.

Problem: How do I get my feet wet?

Strategy: Explore the sample dashboards available at PowerBI.Microsoft.com.

While you are signed on to PowerBI, click the Get Data icon in the lower left corner of the screen.

In Power BI Desktop, click Get Data.
Figure 1075. Click Get Data to find the sample dashboards.

On the next screen, use the Samples link in the lower left corner.

In the Content Pack Library, look for the Samples link in the lower left.
Figure 1076. Several pre-built dashboards will show you what is possible.

From the next screen, choose any of the sample dashboards and choose Connect. It will take a moment for the data to load, and then your sample dashboard will appear in the Dashboards panel on the left side of the screen. Click the dashboard name to load it in the browser.

The sample dashboard has many charts and visualizations already created that you can experiment with.
Figure 1077. A sample dashboard.

This article is an excerpt from Power Excel With MrExcel

Title photo by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash