{"id":10316,"date":"2026-09-11T08:57:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T08:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/?p=10316"},"modified":"2026-09-12T07:02:05","modified_gmt":"2026-09-12T07:02:05","slug":"module-2-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/power-bi\/module-2\/module-2-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Loading Datasets in Power BI Desktop"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Loading Datasets in Power BI Desktop<\/h1>\n<p>Before you can build any report or chart in Power BI, you need data loaded into Power BI Desktop first. This is done through the <strong><b>Get Data<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0button, which connects to a data source, whether that is a file on your computer, a database, an online service, or an existing dataset your organization has already published, and brings it into your report.<\/p>\n<h2>Common Data Sources You Can Connect To<\/h2>\n<p>Get Data is not limited to Excel. It groups data sources into a few broad categories:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><\/b><strong><b>Files, <\/b><\/strong>such as Excel workbooks, CSV or text files, JSON, XML, and PDF. This is the most common starting point, especially for individual analysts working from files on their own computer.<\/li>\n<li><b><\/b><strong><b>Databases, <\/b><\/strong>such as SQL Server or Azure SQL Database, where you connect directly to a live database rather than a file.<\/li>\n<li><b><\/b><strong><b>Online services, <\/b><\/strong>such as Salesforce, Google Analytics, or SharePoint, for data that already lives in a cloud based platform.<\/li>\n<li><b><\/b><strong><b>Power BI datasets, <\/b><\/strong>also called semantic models, which are datasets someone in your organization has already built and published to the Power BI service. Connecting to one of these lets you build a new report on top of existing, already modeled data instead of starting from a raw file.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Import Versus DirectQuery<\/h2>\n<p>When you connect to most data sources, Power BI asks you to choose a connectivity mode. <strong><b>Import<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0copies the data into your Power BI file itself, which makes the report fast to work with but means the data only updates when you manually refresh it. <strong><b>DirectQuery<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0leaves the data where it is and queries it live each time a report loads, which keeps everything current but depends on the speed of the original source. For a first dataset while you are still learning, Import is the simpler and faster choice, and it is what the steps below use.<\/p>\n<h2>Step by Step Process of Loading Datasets in Power BI Desktop<\/h2>\n<h3>Step 1: Open Get Data<\/h3>\n<p>On the Home tab of Power BI Desktop, click the <strong><b>Get Data<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0button. This opens a dropdown menu listing the available data source options.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10311 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture17-1024x541.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture17-1024x541.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture17-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture17-768x406.jpg 768w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture17-1200x634.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture17.jpg 1379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Step 2: Choose Your Data Source<\/h3>\n<p>Select the source that matches where your data is stored. In this example, we are choosing <strong><b>Excel workbook<\/b><\/strong>, one of the most common starting points.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10312 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture18-1024x541.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture18-1024x541.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture18-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture18-768x406.jpg 768w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture18-1200x634.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture18.jpg 1379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Step 3: Locate and Open Your File<\/h3>\n<p>A File Explorer window will appear. Find your dataset file and click <strong><b>Open<\/b><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10313 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture19-1024x542.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture19-1024x542.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture19-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture19-768x407.jpg 768w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture19-1200x635.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture19.jpg 1379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Step 4: Load the Data<\/h3>\n<p>A preview window called the Navigator will appear, showing the tables available in your file. Select the ones you want, then click <strong><b>Load<\/b><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10314 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture20-1024x544.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"446\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture20-1024x544.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture20-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture20-768x408.jpg 768w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture20-1200x637.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Picture20.jpg 1379w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Common Mistakes to Avoid<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Loading every table without checking the Navigator preview first. Take a moment to confirm you are loading the right tables and that the data looks correct before clicking Load, since fixing it afterward means reloading.<\/li>\n<li>Choosing Import for data that changes constantly and needs to stay live. If your source updates by the minute and everyone needs to see the latest numbers without a manual refresh, DirectQuery is the better fit, not Import.<\/li>\n<li>Not checking column data types after loading. A number imported as text will not work correctly in a chart&#8217;s Values field, so it is worth a quick check in the data view before you start building visuals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You have now loaded your data into Power BI Desktop and are ready to start building visuals. To continue, explore the chart pages in this module, or check out <a href=\"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/power-bi-training-in-pune\/\"><strong><b>Prwatech&#8217;s Power BI training<\/b><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0program, which includes placement assistance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Loading Datasets in Power BI Desktop Before you can build any report or chart in Power BI, you need data loaded into Power BI Desktop first. This is done through the Get Data\u00a0button, which connects to a data source, whether that is a file on your computer, a database, an online service, or an existing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1701,1699],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-module-2","category-power-bi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Loading Datasets in Power BI Desktop: Get Data Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to load data into Power BI Desktop from Excel, CSV, databases, and more, plus when to choose Import instead of DirectQuery.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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