Power BI Common FAQs

This FAQ provides a broad understanding of Power BI, catering to users of different skill levels, ensuring they can grasp the basics and explore advanced functionalities as needed.

For full explanations of all major Power BI features, see the Power BI Reporting help topic.

For Beginners

1. What is Power BI, and why should I use it?
   • Power BI is a data visualization and business intelligence tool that helps transform raw data into interactive and insightful visualizations for better decision-making and a tool for facilitating data-driven understanding and communication.
2. How do I start using Power BI?
   • Start by referencing our ‘Quick Start Guide’ and leveraging our default, explore different visualizations, and create simple reports using the drag-and-drop interface.
3. What are Datasets, Reports, and Dashboards in Power BI?
   • Datasets: Collections of data tables or files imported into Power BI.
   • Reports: Visual representations of data using various charts and graphs.
   • Dashboards: Summary views of important insights and visuals from multiple reports.

Intermediate Users 

1. How can I create calculated fields (measures) in Power BI?
   • Currently, we do not allow users to create their own calculated fields; however, if you have a recommendation to add a specific measure field, we encourage you to post in our NEW users' feedback forum.
2. What are Measures and Dimensions in Power BI?
   • Measures are calculated values like ticket metrics, while dimensions are categories or groupings, such as ticket types or dates, used to analyze measures.
3. How can I create meaningful visualizations using Power BI? 
   • To create compelling visualizations, use measures and dimensions together. For instance, visualize historical trends (measure) over time (dimension) to track performance
4. What is the difference between a drill DOWN and a drill THROUGH? 

• Drill Down
  • You can explore data within a specific hierarchy or dimension. Examples include drilling down from Year > Quarter > Month > Day or Country > State > City
  • You can click on a data point to see more details within the hierarchy. For instance, start at a national level, drill down to a state level, and further down to a city level
  • Power BI provides breadcrumb navigation to help you track your position in the hierarchy and move back up easily
  • Drill down is limited to the established hierarchies in your data model; it can't cross different dimensions or unrelated data points
• Drill Through
  • Takes you to a report page for deeper analysis of a data point. Useful for exploring details not tied to a hierarchy (e.g., Ticket Summary > Ticket Details)
  • To use drill through, you must set a report page as the drill-through target with the details you want to show 
  • When you click a data point, Power BI automatically applies filters and navigates to the drill-through page 
  • Unlike drill down, drill through is not restricted by preset hierarchies, offering more flexibility in analyzing different data points 

 General 

1. Is Power BI suitable for non-technical users? 
   • Yes, Power BI offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionalities, making it accessible to users with varying technical competencies 
2. Can I share Power BI reports and collaborate with others? 
   • Yes, Power BI offers sharing and collaboration features, allowing users to share reports, dashboards, and insights securely within the organization. Find more info in our ‘Understanding Power BI’ documentation 
3. What kind of training or resources are available for learning Power BI? 
   • Microsoft offers official documentation, tutorials, and community forums for learning Power BI. Additionally, there are online courses, webinars, and user groups available for users at different skill levels.
      **BELOW, we've curated a selection of links to external training opportunities that have been vetted and meet our quality standards, ensuring valuable resources for growing your Power BI knowledge and overall understanding
4. Can live data and historical data be combined in reporting and visuals? 
   • No, historical and live data cannot be combined in reports or visuals. 
5. What are the time constraints for record retention in live versus historical data? 
   • Live data is records on a rolling-monthly basis, updated on the hour of the current day. This allows users to pull the entire prior month's live data on the 1st of every month. 
   • Historical data is records from the prior full day (updated nightly), back a rolling-two years 
6. What are the recommendations and best practices from Irth's perspective? 
   
   • Report Naming: Always include the name of the dataset in your report names. For example: "Live OCC Tickets" or "Historical On-Time Metrics by Region"  
   • Which Dataset to Use for Specific Reporting Needs: Reports that cover a full month or more of records should use the historical dataset 
7. The measure or dimension I want to use is in the live dataset, but not historical; can anything be done? 
   • Feel free to drop a request on our forum to help other users aid in getting your request prioritized; our data engineering team is methodically working on getting measure & dimension variances reconciled 
8. Can I rename fields in Power BI visuals and dashboards? 
   
   • Users should NOT rename field in visuals or tables. This can cause internal system issues and prevent future visuals from working as intended  

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