Microsoft Power BI: Redmond’s BI Stack Goes

Mobile and Cloud

Andrew BrustCEO and FounderBlue Badge Insights

@andrewbrust

• CEO and Founder, Blue Badge Insights• Microsoft Regional Director, MVP• Co-chair VSLive! and 18 years as a speaker• Founder, Microsoft Business Intelligence +

Big Data User Group of NYC (MSBIgDataNYC)– http://www.msbigdatanyc.com

• Co-moderator, NYC .NET Developers Group http://www.nycdotnetdev.com

• “Redmond Review” columnist for Visual Studio Magazine and Redmond Developer News

• brustblog.com, Twitter: @andrewbrust

Meet Andrew

Andrew’s New Blog (bit.ly/bigondata)

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History of Data in Spreadsheets

(Image: Wikimedia)

Spreadsheet Genesis

VisiCalc

Lotus 1-2-3

MultiPlan

Excel

Excel Analytics Facilities

• Tables, PivotTables and charts• The Data tab“Traditional”• Data Bars, conditional formatting• CUBExxx formulas• Excel Services on SharePoint2007• Power Pivot• Sparklines2010• Power View (SharePoint only)• Works with Excel 2010 Power Pivot models

(SQL Server) 2012

• Slicers, Timeline• Excel Data Model• Power View in Excel2013• Power Query• Power MapBeta

Power BI’s Ingredients

Core Excel

Power Pivot

Power View

Power Query

Power MapSharePoint/Tablet

Apps

Excel Data Analysis Workflow

• Data Connection Wizard

• Power Pivot window• Power Query

Acquire

• Worksheet• Power Pivot

window• Power Query

Shape/Model

• PivotTables• PivotCharts• Power View• Power Map

Visualize

• Excel Services

• Excel Web App

• Power BI tablet apps

Publish

External Data

Web (HTML tables) File-based

Access, Text, XML Data Connection Wizard

SQL Server, Analysis Services Azure Marketplace, OData feeds ODBC DSNs (Data Source Names) Any OLE DB provider (including provider for ODBC)

MS Query (ODBC only; for backward-compatibility) Can also get to ODBC data via OLE DB (using OLE DB provider

for ODBC)

Data Options

Table PivotTable

PivotChart

Power View

Also: Add connection Add to model

What is the Excel Data Model?

It’s a Power Pivot data model that is built implicitly Way to have data in your workbook that isn’t in your

worksheets Read-only Compatible with Power View When workbook uploaded to SharePoint, compatible

with Analysis Services clients (if Power Pivot for SharePoint installed)

Architecture Columnar storage In-memory query engine

xVelocity in-memory Analytics Engine, f.k.a. VertiPaq Data highly compressed Queries are very fast

Adding Data to the Model

Data Connection Wizard and Data Model

By default, data goes into worksheets and not into Data Model, but:

Importing multiple tables adds them to the model Importing a single table gives you the option of adding to the

model Using multiple tables in a PivotTable or PivotChart puts them in

the model Visualizing a table in Power View adds it to the model

This is a Power View requirement You can manually add a table to the model using the

“Add to Data Model” button in the PowerPivot tab Power Pivot add-in required; not available in all editions of

Excel 2013 Gets added as a linked table, so updates in the workbook

replicate automatically Won’t be linked to original data source

Once data is in model, you can delete it from worksheet/book

Column-Oriented Stores• Imagine, instead of:

• You have:

• Perf: values you wish to aggregate are adjacent• Efficiency: great compression from identical or nearly-

identical values in proximity• Fast aggregation and high compression means huge

volumes of data can be stored and processed, in RAM

Employee ID Age Income

1 43 90000

2 38 100000

3 35 100000

Employee ID 1 2 3Age 43 38 35

Income 90000 100000 100000

Power Pivot Advantages (over Excel Data Model)

• Versus implicit Excel Data ModelExplicit data modeling

• Tools and features are symmetric• Upsizing permitted

Really a desktop version of SQL Server

Analysis Services

• Sharing, server-based engine, automated data-refresh

Has a SharePoint counterpart

• Makes your data more end-user-friendly

Full access to the BI Semantic Model

• Doesn’t use workbook connectionsAcquires data directly

How Do You Get Power Pivot?

For Excel 2010: Download the add-in from www.powerpivot.com Get 32-bit or 64-bit version, depending on your version of

Office (not Windows) Run the installer

For Excel 2013: Included in product, but only with:

Office Pro Plus retail product (under volume licensing) Office 365 Pro Plus or Enterprise E3/E4 subscriptions

It’s still an add-in, installed but not activated by default Same goes for Excel version of Power View

Excel Data Model and Power Pivot

DEMO

Power View Overview

Data exploration and visualization client Beautiful to look at Animations add to user-friendliness Visualizations work as filters, too Design and view experiences are unified Has SharePoint counterpart

With interesting PowerPoint export

Power View Data Sources

Power View for Excel originally works only against BISM

Support for SSAS Multidimensional cubes added in SharePoint version

As of 5/31/2013, SharePoint version of Power View supports Multidimensional mode as part of SQL Server 2012 SP1 CU4 (and now CU5)

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlrsteamblog/archive/2013/05/31/power-view-for-multidimensional-models-released.aspx

Gist is this: Power View emits DAX expressions Power Pivot and SSAS Tabular support DAX SSAS Multidimensional supports DAX as of SQL Server 2012

SP1 CU4

Create a Power View Report

In Excel 2013, click Power View button on Insert tab of ribbon

Make sure add-in is activated

Power View

DEMO

Power Query: Overview

Imports data from both conventional and novel data sources Brings the data into Excel worksheets and/or the Excel Data

Model Web page data import that is far superior to Excel’s built-in

facility Adds a lot of value to Power Pivot and Power View.

Provides access to additional data sources

Uses a sophisticated underlying query language which users can completely ignore, or use directly (or just observe)

Available for Excel 2010 or 2013. Data Model support only in 2013.

Product is in preview.

Power Query: Caveats

Sometimes augments, sometimes replaces the Data tab. This can get confusing.

There are now three places to get at data: Data Tab Power Pivot window Power Query

Excel Data Model Tie-Ins

Add Power Query result set to Excel Data Model from Task Pane

Can also be done from PowerPivot tab of ribbon Can optionally unload data from worksheet first Once data’s in the model data can be further

shaped/modeled Power Pivot uses the Power Query-based workbook

data source Data refreshable in-model, if Enable Download turned on

Power Query

DEMO

How Does it Work?

Each operation you perform generates a formula, that is applied in a named “step”

The formula can be shown or hidden Steps can be renamed, re-ordered and deleted Configuration of some steps can be edited Formulas:

Can be edited Are batched together in a script

Script: Can be edited (allowing addition of custom steps) Written from scratch Uses a language called “M”

Remember project “Oslo?”

Power Map: Overview

Mapping-based 3D data visualization tool Built on Bing Maps For Excel 2013 ProPlus only. Very flexible. Can work with latitude/longitude but

also with address info, even if partial. Allows recording of “tours,” made up of different

“scenes” Works with data in worksheets and Excel Data Model 3 chart types: column, bubble and heat map

Product is in preview.

Power Map: First steps

Install the add-in, then start Excel Make certain your workbook has a dataset Click to the Insert tab on the ribbon, then the Map

button In the fields list, select the columns containing your

geo data In the geography pane, configure the semantics of

your columns (only necessary if Power Map’s guesses are off)

Click Map It button at lower-right Observe geo-coding confidence level; make corrections

Configure chart…

Layers

Layers allow multiple charts to be overlaid on same physical map

Add and delete at will View in list Adjust properties

Name Display of zeros, negatives and nulls Chart type-specific adjustments

Column: height and thickness Bubble: size and thickness Heat map: Color scale and radius of influence All of which can have scale locked

Scenes and Tours

“Scenes” are essentially screen capture videos

During which you can zoom, rotate, flatten, add labels, change themes or change the map in most any way

Can be added, deleted, re-ordered Scene properties

Name, duration Transition:

Duration Effect Effect speed

A “tour” is your map and its sequence of scenes

“Play Tour” button will play back, in full screen view with extra elements hidden

From Excel you can open a specific tour

Power Map

DEMO

SharePoint/Power BI Tie-Ins

Excel ServicesPower PivotPower ViewWindows 8 App

Excel Services

Hosts cell ranges, PivotTables and PivotCharts Can provide task pane for parameter value input Fulfills drill-down, accommodates slicers and

timelines New in 2013

Field list available Fidelity of 3D charts Also works in Excel Web App in Office 365, as do Excel Power

View Reports

Power Pivot

SharePoint version of Power Pivot puts engine on server

That plus Excel Services provides the browser solution

Allows Data Model to be queried by any Analysis Services client

IT dashboard calls attention to popular workbooks

Power View

Silverlight Power View client available in Excel Web App, Excel Services for workbook-based reports

Can view, interact Cannot changed tables/columns

With Power BI, HTML 5-based viewer now available Less dynamic, no animations Better device compatibility

Windows 8 app too More in a moment

Power BI in SharePoint

DEMO

The New Apps Model

Works in Office, Office Web Apps, SharePoint Based on contained HTML/JavaScript Public, Enterprise app store options available JavaScript object model provides access to workbook Potential channel for movement of data into Excel

Data Model

Power BI Tablet App

For Windows 8 and Windows RT Native iPad app coming (I’ve seen it) Touch-optimized Combination of Excel Services viewer and Power

View client App available on the store Authenticate into your O365/Power BI account, then

browse Can also just enable sample reports

Power BI on Windows 8

DEMO

Review

Excel’s historical core analytics capabilities are powerful

Excel Data Model makes the story much more solid Power Pivot + Power View bring top-notch modeling,

performance, data discover and visualization Power Query adds access to newer, less structured

data sources Power Map adds very easy-to-use mapping

visualizations The tools work together

Power View uses the Excel Data Model Power Pivot’s modeling niceties are picked up by Power View Power Query feeds the Excel Data Model, Power Pivot and

Power View Power Map works with almost any data

References

Power BI Preview – sign up: http://

office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/power-bi-FX104080667.aspx Office Professional Plus 60-day trial:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/jj192782.aspx Power Query:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=39379

Power Map: http://

www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=38395 SQL Server 2012 SP1 CU5:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2861107 Power BI team blog:

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/powerbi/