Power BI, Microsoft's business analytics service, offers a range of free sample datasets and files designed for users to explore its features, practice report building, and learn without requiring their own data. These resources are particularly valuable for beginners seeking a safe environment to experiment and for experienced users looking to prototype or build a portfolio. The available samples come in various formats, including Power BI Desktop files (.pbix), Excel workbooks (.xlsx), and SQL databases, covering industries such as sales, marketing, HR, and finance. Accessing these materials involves direct downloads from Microsoft's official documentation or other verified sources, with clear instructions for use in both Power BI Desktop and the Power BI service.
The core purpose of these free samples is to provide a consequence-free learning environment. Users can explore, modify, and test features without the restrictions or risks associated with real company data. This allows for skill-specific practice, such as mastering time-intelligence functions with date-rich datasets or building star schemas with multiple related tables. For those building a public portfolio, sample data enables the creation of detailed reports that can be shared, unlike confidential business data. The samples are designed to be opened directly in Power BI Desktop or uploaded to the Power BI service, facilitating hands-on exploration of report pages, data models, queries, and visuals.
Understanding the Available Sample Formats
Power BI samples are available in several formats, each suited to different use cases. The two most common formats for getting started are .pbix and .xlsx files.
A .pbix file is a Power BI Desktop report file that contains the complete report, including all pages, the data model, queries, and visuals. Downloading a .pbix file is ideal when you want to open a complete report directly in Power BI Desktop to explore or modify both the visual layer and the underlying model. To use a .pbix file, select the desired sample link to download the file, then open Power BI Desktop, navigate to File > Open, and select the downloaded .pbix file.
An .xlsx file is an Excel workbook that contains the sample data and sometimes a Power Pivot model. These Excel workbooks are designed to be used as a data source in the Power BI service or Power BI Desktop. Advanced Excel users can open the workbook in the Power Pivot add-in to explore or edit the data models. For use in Power BI, the .xlsx files can be loaded directly into Power BI Desktop or published from Excel to the Power BI service. To download an Excel sample file, find the sample in the available table and select the .xlsx link. If the file does not download automatically, try right-clicking the link and selecting "Save link as" or "Save target as." For GitHub-hosted files, selecting the link may take you to a GitHub page where you should select the "Download raw file" button (a down arrow icon) to download the file.
Beyond these two formats, other sample types are available, including templates, direct database samples, and packaged content.
How to Use Samples in Power BI Desktop and the Power BI Service
Once a sample file is downloaded, there are two primary ways to use it: in Power BI Desktop or by uploading it to the Power BI service.
Using Samples in Power BI Desktop: For .pbix files, the process is straightforward. After downloading the file, open Power BI Desktop, go to File > Open, and navigate to the location where you saved the sample .pbix file. Select the file to open it directly in the application. This allows you to immediately inspect the report, interact with the visuals, and examine the data model in the "Data" and "Model" panes.
For .xlsx files, you can use them as a data source within Power BI Desktop. To do this, open Power BI Desktop and select "Get Data." Choose "Excel" as the data source and navigate to the downloaded .xlsx sample file. You can then select the specific worksheet or table to load into your Power BI data model. This method is useful if you want to start from the raw data and build your own report from scratch, rather than using a pre-built .pbix file.
Using Samples in the Power BI Service: To use a sample in the Power BI service (accessible at app.powerbi.com), you must first have a workspace. Navigate to your chosen workspace (such as "My workspace"). In the upper-left corner of the workspace, select "Upload," then choose one of the available sources. Select the .xlsx sample file you have downloaded. Depending on the file's location on your computer, you will select either "Upload" or "Open" to begin the process. This allows you to publish the sample data to the cloud, where you can then build reports or share them with others.
Overview of Available Sample Datasets
Microsoft provides a table of downloadable samples to help users explore the capabilities of Power BI. Each sample includes a description of its purpose and focus. The following is a list of some of the samples available, as described in the source documentation.
- Artificial Intelligence sample (.pbix): This sample is designed to demonstrate AI-powered visuals and cognitive insights. It helps users learn how to surface patterns, predictions, and natural-language summaries from data.
- COVID-19 US sample (.pbit): This template file tracks COVID-19 cases, testing, and trends across US geographies. It features time-series charts and maps, making it suitable for learning about outbreak analysis.
- Customer Profitability sample (.pbix, .xlsx): This dataset focuses on analysing revenue, costs, and customer segments. Its goal is to help identify high- and low-profit customers and understand lifetime value.
- Corporate Spend sample (.pbix): This sample provides insight into corporate expenditures, broken down by category, department, and vendor. It is intended to support spend optimisation efforts.
- IT Spend Analysis sample (.pbix, .xlsx): This dataset breaks down IT spending across projects, services, and cost centers. It is useful for learning about budgeting and chargeback decisions.
In addition to these, the source material mentions an "international sales dataset" and the "Financial Sample workbook" (Financial Sample.xlsx). The Financial Sample is described as a simple but effective table containing fictional financial data. It includes columns for geographic data (Country), product information (Product, Discount Band), time-based data (Date, Year, Month Name), and financial figures (Sales, Gross Sales, Discounts, COGS, Profit). This dataset is highlighted as perfect for practicing basic report building, such as creating maps showing profit by country, bar charts illustrating sales by product, and line charts tracking profit over time.
Practical Steps for Loading Sample Data
For users beginning with Power BI Desktop, there is a built-in option to load sample data directly. Upon opening Power BI Desktop, a "Get started" pane may appear. Within this pane, there is a button labelled "Load sample data." Selecting this button presents two options: an international sales dataset or the official Financial Sample workbook. By clicking the checkmark next to "Financials" and selecting "Load," Power BI will load the "Financials" table into the data model. The fields from this table will then be listed in the "Data" pane on the right-hand side, ready to be used in the report canvas.
This method provides a quick and easy way to start working with data immediately, without needing to download files from an external site first. The loaded "Financials" table contains all the fields mentioned previously, offering a practical foundation for building initial dashboards and visualisations.
The Value of Sample Data for Skill Development
The use of sample data is emphasised as a crucial step in learning Power BI. It offers several distinct advantages over working directly with real-world data, especially for those new to the platform.
A primary benefit is the creation of a safe learning environment. Users are free to experiment with transformations, merging, or deleting columns without any risk to live business intelligence reporting. This freedom encourages exploration and a deeper understanding of Power BI's capabilities.
Sample data also allows for skill-specific practice. If a user wants to master a particular function or concept, they can seek out a dataset that is tailored to that need. For example, a dataset with a rich set of dates is ideal for practicing time-intelligence functions, while multiple related tables are perfect for practicing the construction of star schemas.
Furthermore, sample data enables the creation of a public portfolio. Since company data is often confidential, users cannot share their professional work publicly. However, by using public sample datasets, they can create detailed and impressive reports to demonstrate their skills to potential employers or clients.
Conclusion
Free sample datasets are an invaluable resource for anyone learning or practicing Power BI. They provide a structured, risk-free way to explore the software's features, from basic report building to advanced analytics. The availability of different file formats—.pbix, .xlsx, and others—caters to various learning styles and technical proficiencies. By following the straightforward download and upload instructions provided by Microsoft, users can quickly access samples like the Financial Sample or the Customer Profitability dataset. Whether the goal is to understand fundamental concepts, develop specific skills, or build a professional portfolio, these free samples offer a practical and effective starting point for the Power BI journey.