Loading budgets into Power BI is one of the most frequent tasks we apply in our Business Intelligence solutions.
There are many ways to do this, but there are some more optimal ones to simplify the transformation and loading process. To do this, I recommend you follow these 3 steps:
Edit some elements in Excel that facilitate the process of transforming data with Power Query
This is, for me, one of the simplest details to apply and which in turn prevents us from making more complex transformations in Power Query. The goal is to know them and avoid these transformations by making some changes in some cells of your Excel Budget sheet.
This is applicable in most cases, I’ll tell you about it in the first part of the video, below.
We will apply the most common transformations when loading budgets into Power BI
Most Excel budgets, although they can be very different and each has its own nuances, they also have a common denominator, a very common pattern, which is to include a column with the budgeted amount per month.
This is great in Excel and is also great for visualization and analysis in Power BI.
But in terms of data modeling, which will give us the analysis and DAX calculations we need, maintaining this column structure for months will significantly complicate calculations and measurement creation.
What is is simpler…
Have a single measurement with the total and be able to break it down by months, by quarters or by any other time segmentation?
from
Take a measurement for each month and continually perform calculations to add up each of the months?
I assure you that the first is definitely better, so here you have to apply the transformations that I explain in the video to have an optimal and flexible data model.
REMEMBER: I always talk about the importance of having a good data model and all the benefits it generates for us.
And finally, we will see the results and flexibility in creating analytical reports and budget segmentations, thanks to the proposed solution.
I invite you to watch the complete and detailed video, where I explain how…
Load quotes into Power BI optimally:
If you want to get the best results with Power BI I invite you to download this guide:
Power BI: the 3 most harmful mistakes and how to avoid them
Your dashboards and reports with Power BI will be much more optimal. You will have professional solutions.
And you will avoid frustrations and inefficient solutions that you will have to redesign and rebuild.
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