Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate Study Guide

Chapter 4. Visualizing and Presenting Data

In the literal sense, data is no more than numbers and characters stored in a database or file that may have had meaningful business context before it was collected and stored. The purpose of a report is to convert that raw data back into contextual information in a readable format and presentation, enabling a business consumer to understand, make decisions, and take action based on the information. The correct presentation and format of that information depend on the audience and the intended use.

Analysis and Reporting

A casual user likely sees Power BI as a tool they use to visualize data using graphical elements like charts and gauges. In previous chapters, you saw that there is much more to data analysis than simply dropping fields into a chart to create a report. After you’ve cleansed, shaped, and modeled the data, you can begin the process to visualize and gain insights from this valuable business information.

This section introduces reporting formats used to view, present, and interact with data. Different business scenarios and use cases call for different modes for reporting.

Visual Report Types

When most people think of Power BI, they envision interactive reports that are highly visual, dashboard-style visualizations, but this is not the only way to consume data from a semantic model. Report users may need information in different formats to perform business functions. For the purpose of the exam, our focus is primarily on ...