In this article you will learn more about the Microsoft Office program Power BI. It will explain what Power BI is, what you can use it for, and in which levels challenges are offered. Also, the difference between Power BI online and Power BI desktop will be explained at the end of this article.

Power BI stands for Power Business Intelligence that helps convert data from different sources into interactive, clear dashboards that can be viewed from any device. This makes it easier to analyze data because it can be seen immediately.

For an overview of all Power BI-challenges, go to the Library first.

The Library can be found by clicking on Library in the upper right corner of the tool.

Then click on Power BI in the top left corner of all programs to view the Power BI-tracks and challenges.

Make sure that the Language setting of that page (top right) is set to English. There are currently no Power BI Challenges in Dutch. We are working hard to offer the Power BI-challenges in Dutch soon.

Power BI is mainly used in business to visualize, analyze, and present data. It is used for reports, but it can also be used outside the organization for websites, social media or blogs.

To get started with Power BI, you can learn via the Standard Curriculum. In total you can do four different Power BI tracks: a beginner track, two intermediate tracks and an advanced track.

In the Power BI Beginner-track you will learn how to build a report. Discover how to link and merge different data sources to create a visualization model.

With the two intermediate-level Power BI-tracks you will take your Power BI skills to the next level. Get to know DAX and create user-friendly visuals and reports.

With the advanced Power BI-track, you learn to get the most out of Power BI by customizing everything to your needs.

The tracks in the Standard curriculum are intended for the desktop version of Power BI. Because many people use the online version of Power BI and it is quite different from the desktop version, a track has also been created for this. This track helps you to discover the online version of Power BI.

The difference between the two versions is explained below.

Power BI Desktop is an application that can be installed locally on a desktop. In Power BI Desktop you can create Power BI reports. Therefore you can see Power BI Desktop more as a drawing board where you start with an empty canvas. After a report/dashboard is fully built, the report can be published to the online environment of Power BI. After this the report can easily be shared.

Power BI desktop:

- Used for developing reports

- Is installed locally on a Windows desktop

- Can connect data sources, model data, build a data model and create visualisations.

Power BI Online, also known as Power BI Service, is accessible from the cloud and offers support for report editing and collaboration between teams and organizations. Power BI Online is often used for sharing dashboards and reports and is actually more user-centric. Report editing in the Power BI Online version is limited and customization of data sources is not possible.

Power BI Online:

- Can be used to analyse reports

- Can be used to share reports with colleagues

- Small adjustments can be made.

You can also learn by doing tracks in specific topics within Power BI.

Go to the Library, click on Power BI and then on 'Topic related'. There are three topic related tracks available: 'Model & Transform Data', 'Create appealing visuals' and 'DAX 1'. It is recommended to start with the Beginner-tracks from the Standard curriculum. If you already have a decent knowledge of Power BI and want to delve deeper into a subject, you can start with one of these tracks!