A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Power BI Dashboard

November 14, 2021
6:56 pm

Quick Answer:

To create a Power BI dashboard, import your dataset into Power BI Service, open a report, pin visualizations to a new dashboard, choose appropriate chart types, and publish your dashboard. This allows for real-time, interactive business insights.

What Is a Power BI Dashboard?

A Power BI dashboard is a one-page visual summary that displays key metrics using interactive visual tiles pinned from reports. Available only in Power BI Service, it enables real-time monitoring, supports multiple datasets, and provides cloud and on-premises data integration.

Perfect for: Decision-makers, analysts, and managers needing a consolidated view of KPIs.

Image Source: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/service-dashboards

Dashboards are a feature unique to Power BI service alone, and not available on Power Business Intelligence Desktops. Also, you can view and share your dashboards on mobile devices, but not create them on mobile.

Why Use Power BI Dashboards?

Real-time updates from backend data
Combines cloud + on-premise datasets
Supports mobile viewing
Interactive tiles with drill-down functionality
Ideal for business monitoring and performance tracking

Related Solution: → Check out our Data Engineering Services to build automated data pipelines that feed into Power Business Intelligence dashboards seamlessly.

Step-by-Step Tutorial: How to Create a Power BI Dashboard

This guide explains how to create a Power Business Intelligence dashboard from scratch, using an Excel dataset, and pinning visualizations for business intelligence reporting.

Step 1: Import Your Excel Workbook

How to import Excel to Power BI Service:

Go to app.powerbi.com
Navigate to My Workspace > Get Data
Click Files, locate your Excel workbook
Select Import (not Upload)
A report and dataset will be automatically created

Tip: Make sure your Excel sheet is formatted as a table for clean imports.

Step 2: Pin Tiles to the Dashboard

Go to Reports > Select your report
Switch to Edit mode
Hover over a visual → Click Pin
Choose New dashboard and name it
Repeat to build your dashboard

You can pin visuals from multiple reports, creating a dashboard that spans multiple datasets.

Step 3: Choose the Right Charts

Choosing the correct chart is key to accuracy and storytelling. Use this table:

Chart Type	Use For
Pie Chart	Composition (e.g., revenue split)
Bar/Column Chart	Comparison and distribution
Line Chart	Trends over time
Area Chart	Trend + volume
Stacked Chart	Comparison + composition
Scatter Plot	Relationships between variables

Need help choosing charts or building reports? Check our Custom Software Development — we design smart analytics solutions with Power BI, Looker, and Tableau.

Step 4: Save and Publish

Click Save
Publish to Power BI Service
Share your dashboard with your team

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. Can I build dashboards in Power BI Desktop?
A1. No, dashboards are exclusive to Power BI Service, not available on Power BI Desktop.

Q2. How do I share a Power BI dashboard?
A2. After publishing, use the Share button in Power BI Service to send it to team members via email or workspace access.

Q3. What kind of data can Power BI dashboards use?
A3. Power BI supports data from:

Excel
SQL Server
Google Analytics
Azure
Salesforce
Web APIs

Next Steps

Congratulations! You’ve just built your first Power BI dashboard. This tool is not only powerful but also intuitive when combined with the right strategy.

Ready to go beyond the basics?

Ready to lead with data? Join our Data Strategy Workshop
Explore AI-Powered Dashboards for smarter insights
Book a free consultation to automate your reporting pipeline
Want deeper insights and more powerful dashboards? Our Data Strategy Workshop is designed to help you unlock the full potential of Power BI