Power BI Connected Pivot Tables in Excel

People are talking about using BI-connected PivotTables in Excel these days. But what’s with all the fuzz? Let us find out, shall we? The Power BI tool lets you analyze, visualize, and connect data from various sources. Power BI is compatible with workbooks hosted on OneDrive for Business, SharePoint, and Teams. 

On the other hand, Excel is a spreadsheet program that allows users to do data-driven calculations and create charts. In addition, users can develop dynamic reports and dashboards using PivotTables in Excel connected to Power BI, enabling them to update their data in real time.

What is PivotTables in Excel? 

 PivotTables in Excel is a powerful tool for analyzing data. It is a summary of your data in a chart that lets you see trends based on your data. You can summarize and analyze big datasets in a flash, and they are time-consuming to create from multiple sources. Instead, you can combine data from various sources, including Power BI, into one PivotTable with the help of Power BI-connected PivotTables in Excel.

Creating a Power BI-connected PivotTable in Excel

Step 1: 

Install the Power BI Publisher for Excel add-in to create Power BI-connected PivotTables in Excel. It allows users to access Power BI reports and datasets and retrieve data directly from them. By clicking the “Connect” button on the Power BI tab in Excel, users can connect to Power BI once the add-in is installed.

Step 2: 

When Power BI is connected, users can choose the report or dataset they want to use as their PivotTable data source. Furthermore, users can choose which fields to include in their Pivot Table, including calculated fields and Power BI measures.

Step 3:

Users can create their Pivot Table using Excel after selecting the data source and fields. As a result, any changes to the data in Power BI will automatically be reflected in the PivotTable since it is now connected to the data in PivotTable.

 

Benefits of using a Power BI-connected PivotTables

Perk 1: 

With Power BI-connected PivotTables in Excel, users can quickly refresh the PivotTables with the latest Power BI data. Click the “Refresh” button on the Power BI tab in Excel. As a result, PivotTable data is updated with the latest Power BI data, ensuring the report is always current.

Perk 2:

PivotTables in Excel connected to Power BI can also be easily integrated into dashboards and reports in Power BI. PivotTables can be created in Excel, published to Power BI, and added to Power BI dashboards and reports. Reports and dashboards created this way can combine data from multiple sources in real-time and be updated dynamically.

PivotTables V/S PivotCharts in Excel

Users can also create Power BI-connected PivotCharts within Excel in addition to Power BI-connected PivotTables. 

The PivotChart is similar to the PivotTable, but it displays data graphically, allowing trends and patterns to be visualized more effectively.

Enhancements in BI-Connected PivotTables In Excel 

Drag-and-Drop Aggregations: 

You can use this tool to quickly obtain answers to questions within Excel without relying on predefined measures.

Date Fields: 

Date fields are now supported in pivot tables connected to Power BI datasets, which means it is now possible to filter by date and sort by date.

Field list modifications: 

Also, predefined measures are displayed in their respective tables rather than within the field list.  

Takeaway

The notable enhancements of the Power BI PivotTables in Excel can be used to analyze and visualize data. Users can create reports and dashboards using Power BI, for example, by combining data from different sources. Updating Power BI dashboards and information with the latest data is easy by incorporating these charts. PivotTables and PivotCharts connected to Power BI in Excel can provide users valuable insights into their data using dynamic reports and dashboards. To know more, visit Education Nest.